Marx, Mazzini, and Maniktola

Marxist Encounters with Science from Centre Right India by Aravindan Neelakandan

Marxism has always been marketed by Marxists as a scientific method of understanding society… Like any closed theological system, Marxism wants science to be a hand maiden of theory – ‘the Theory’… Marxists have is a closed system of dialectical materialism and they want the nature to fall in line with their ‘Theory’… If Marx envisioned Marxism as a holistic social science integrated with physical sciences, by 1913 Lenin presented Marxism in rapturous, religious glory rich in Euro-centrism…

Marxism thus differs from other philosophical systems in not just being rooted in materialism, but in considering itself true and omnipotent and rejecting anything its adherents perceive as contrary to it, as reactionary, superstitious, or a defence of bourgeois oppression. It is in this aspect that Marxism is simultaneously dangerously similar to and many times more efficient than medieval Christendom.

The Alipore Bomb Trial Judgment: A Review by Dr. Larry Seidlitz from Overman Foundation ‘The Alipore Bomb Trial Judgment’: Editor, Anurag Banerjee. Publisher: Overman Foundation. Number of pages: 144. Price: Rs. 190.

This book presents the full verdict in the Alipore Bomb case that was delivered on 6 May 1909 by C.P. Beachcroft. It runs 137 pages in length… Beachcroft’s verdict is interesting in that it weighs all the evidence concerning all the various accused. As such, the reader learns quite a bit about the actual details of the activities of these revolutionaries who were led by Sri Aurobindo’s brother Barindra. I was struck by what appeared to be a reasonable and dispassionate assessment of the evidence. 

In Sri Aurobindo’s case, the judge ruled that there was only weak and insufficient evidence linking him to the conspiracy, including some brief notes which may have planted by government spies. The judge also notes that Sri Aurobindo’s writings did not advocate violence, sometimes repudiated violent revolution, and typically advocated nonviolent means. He indicated that if Sri Aurobindo were involved in the conspiracy, it would be a contradiction of his own writings on political action. The book presents a document of significant historical interest.]

Comment on Paul Richard’s Tribute to Sri Aurobindo. by Tulsi Bhandari from Comments for Overman Foundation by Tulsi Bhandari

Thanks for this piece from history. Dilip Kumar Roy’s meeting and conversation with Paul Richard is also heart rending. You may decide to publish it some day.

The Political Philosophy of Sri Aurobindo - Page 434 - V. P. Varma - 1990 - 494 pages - Preview There are several points of similarity between Aurobindo's system and the works of other thinkers and scholars such as Heraclitus, Plato, Dante, Kant, Hegel, Mazzini, Nietzsche, Karl Lamprecht, Bergson, Dayananda, Vivekananda, Tilak and others.

The Importance of the Right Word from Centre Right India by Jaideep Prabhu

Or maybe, the advent of social media and the pernicious notion of “sound bytes” served as a catalyst to raise it to epidemic proportions… What I am rambling about is the wanton abuse and molestation of the English language and of History by political commentators in India. With complete disregard for meaning or context, words like “fascist,” “Nazi,” and “storm trooper” are thrown about…

Commentators on all points of the political spectrum hurl words they simply do not understand as insults – fascist, liberal, Nazi, secular. Usually, it only proves how obtuse the commentator is. It is an exercise in histrionics, sadly reciprocated by the other side (lest there be a stupidity gap, no doubt). It demeans the analyst and lowers the standard of analysis; it puts intelligent observers off and inflames the hoi polloi, who would even otherwise be swayed by something as simple as even a party symbol. It is a cheap, populist trick and is indicative of about the same level of IQ, and most importantly, it bores those of us who were actually looking for a meaningful discourse.

El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha – versión de medios sociales from Offstumped - Commentary on Indian Politics Twitter to some degree has created a make believe world not entirely dissimilar, awakening the Don Quixote in all of us in search of a Digital Adventure.