pass the roti on the left hand side

Yesterday a distant colleague (we work in the same organization but there’s no cross-linkage – I wonder if it is because of the mammoth size of the organization or us …) said that I am insulting locals because I am upfront in my rejection of a belief that the god created all creatures in the world to be devoured by the human beings and understanding of the god as a power privileging one creature (human beings) over all others. According to my colleague we are guests in the country so we should not try to challenge local beliefs.

The delusional fantasies of Varun Gandhi, the controversial BJP nominee from Pilibhit, came to the fore on Wednesday when he called himself "Shri Rama" in Aligarh. "I am Shri Rama," he said during an election rally at HB Inter College in Aligarh, when the people requested him to raise the BJP's slogan of "Jai Shri Rama".

Our favorite Clintonian Desi, Sonal Shah, has been appointed to a subcabinet level post in the Obama Administration as I had suggested she might be to those who had argued it didn't matter that she was on Obama's transition team even though she has well documented ties to American arms of Hindu right groups in India that she hasn't fully explained beyond offering basic statements that she doesn't like violence or communalism.  Among unanswered questions:

This is a really interesting video.  It's only one person being interviewed, but even from that vantage point, it's really interesting.  The images of prayer are arresting.