How India Remained Dar-al-Islam under the Marathas and the British
In this brilliant follow-up of his earlier article on Dar-al-Islam, Harsh Narain argues how India was at least nominally a Dar-al-Islam even during the times of the Marathas and even during the British. Reading him one realizes what fear Islam generates even in its rulers. The British were very careful, not to hurt the sentiments of the Muslims. The Marathas too, left their institutions intact.
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Did Brahmins have Monopoly on Education?
One of the most persistent leftist dogmas regarding Indian society is that Brahmin hegemony was ubiquitous and using their so-called 'favorable position', the Brahmins horribly discriminated against every section of the society. This charge is also laid in the field of education. It is claimed that Brahmins created a monopoly in education and did not let anyone else study, thus ensuring their perpetual servility. In this brilliant but brief article, Dr. Ankur Kakkar counters by producing reports of the British officials who conducted surveys on the state of education as it was prevalent in the 19th century.
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Were Indians Uneducated Before the British Arrived?
Because we believe that the British gave us railways, roads, parliamentary democracy and much more, we also tend to believe that the Englishman made us educated and civilised. It is a common belief that before the advent of British colonial rule, most Indians were not very well educated or that education was limited to a few privileged Brahmins. But what do historical records say?
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