By Vinay Nalwa On October 30, 2026, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court ordered the removal of a statue of E.V. Ramasamy, known as Periyar, from the land of the Brahmasirakandeeswarar temple in Kandiyur, Thanjavur district. Justices P. Velmurugan and K.K. Ramakrishnan gave the District Collector four weeks to place it at another suitable site, a period that ends around November 27. The Collector's own status report found the statue on temple land, not on government por

Diwali is not one day but a festival of days, and each day carries its own legend. For children growing up far from India, where the neighbours may not know the festival and school carries on as usual, these stories give each day a meaning they can tell their friends. Read one aloud each evening, light a diya together, and let the children ask questions. The stories follow the order of the festival: Dhanteras, Naraka Chaturdashi, Diwali, and Bhai Dooj. 1. Dhanteras: The Night

By Vinay Nalwa The word 'holocaust' comes from the Greek holokauston, a sacrifice wholly consumed by fire. In modern history, it refers to the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million European Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators between 1933 and 1945. The Jews call it the Shoah, the catastrophe. On November 1, 2005, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 60/7, designating January 27 as the International Day of Commemoration in m

By Vinay Nalwa September may be drawing to a close, but for the Hindus of Bangladesh, the month carries memories that do not fade with the turning of the calendar. Among them is the memory of Krishnapur, where 127 people were killed on September 18, 1971. Every September 18, the people of Krishnapur return to the same place where their village changed forever. This year, on September 18, 2026, the Lakhai upazila administration and local organisations again observed Krishnapur

By Vinay Nalwa Earlier this year, a report by Insight UK concerning an eight-year-old Hindu pupil at Vicar’s Green Primary School in London deeply unsettled many within the global Hindu diaspora. The child was repeatedly questioned by school staff simply for wearing a Tilak-Chandlo, a traditional sacred mark on the forehead. This persistent friction eventually led to social withdrawal, removal from positions of responsibility, and ultimately his departure from the school. Whi

By Sandhya Jha Every civilisation honours those who preserve and pass on knowledge, but few traditions celebrate the role of the teacher as profoundly as Guru Purnima. Observed this year on Wednesday, July 29, the festival falls on the Purnima (full moon) of Ashadha (the fourth month of the Hindu lunar calendar). It is a day dedicated to honouring teachers, mentors, and spiritual guides while expressing gratitude for the wisdom they pass on. More than a religious observance,

By Vinay Nalwa Today July 24, 2026 is the final day of the core chariot procession phase, known as Bahuda Yatra. The divine return journey of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra from the Gundicha Temple back to the main Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri. As this grand return brings the annual procession to its culmination, it invites us to contemplate how this unique festival fundamentally reimagines the very essence of sacred space and spiritual encounter. Mos

By Vinay Nalwa The Temple Built by Refugees There is a quiet irony unfolding in the English city of Peterborough. It does not begin with a courtroom or a council meeting. It begins more than five decades ago, in East Africa. In 1972, Ugandan dictator Idi Amin ordered the expulsion of tens of thousands of Asians, majority were Hindus of Indian origin. Families who had lived in Uganda for generations were given only days to abandon their homes, businesses and places of worship

By Vinay Nalwa Can a digital edit erase a real-world genocide? In 2016, Wikipedia moderators quietly deleted the standalone article for the Daldalia massacre of June 2, 1971. The justification was standard internet bureaucracy: a apparent lack of English-language media coverage. This digital scrubbing points to a troubling reality. Global platforms frequently sideline the history of regional minorities. Yet, internet algorithms cannot erase what is written in blood. The fact

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By Vinay Nalwa The most significant development in Bangladesh’s ongoing minority crisis is not the occurrence of violence itself. Tragically, attacks on religious minorities have been cyclically reported for decades. What makes the current situation extremely alarming is that the violence has persisted despite a historic political transition, regime change, and repeated high-level assurances of protection from the interim leadership. For the international community, Banglades

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By Vinay Nalwa Liberated in 1971, Bangladesh was built on a promise of secularism, equal citizenship, and shared cultural identity. Hindus played a significant role in the Liberation War and suffered heavily during the conflict. Yet, decades later, recurring attacks on temples, demographic decline, communal violence, and growing insecurity continue to raise difficult questions about the condition of Hindus in Bangladesh. Is co-existence, mutual respect for culture, dignity of

By Vinay Nalwa The month of Baishakh traditionally arrives with the fragrance of Rabindra Jayanti, a season when Bengal immerses itself in the lyrical and spiritual universe of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. Yet this birth anniversary carries a deeper ache. Less than a year ago, the world watched as a mob in Bangladesh vandalised Rabindra Kacharibari, the ancestral estate and sacred Karmabhumi where Tagore composed parts of Gitanjali and shaped his philosophical vision. The des

By Dr Vinay Nalwa In February 2026, a 200-page report titled “Better Together: Understanding the 2022 Violence in Leicester” was released by an independent inquiry associated with SOAS University of London and the London School of Economics (LSE). Chaired by Juan E. Méndez and funded by the Open Society Foundations, the document aims to address the root causes of the unrest that shook the East Midlands city. However, beneath its academic veneer lies a problematic narrative.

By Vinay Nalwa In January 2026, Somnath, the ancient Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva at Prabhas Patan near Veraval, Gujarat, marked a historic moment. The temple hosted its Swabhiman Parv, the “Festival of Pride and Dignity.” This event commemorated 1,000 years since the first recorded destruction in 1026 CE and 75 years since its post-Independence restoration. Thousands of devotees participated in special rituals and commemorative events. Omkar mantra chanting filled the temple g

Voice of India Academy Presents ONLINE BOOK REVIEW A Critical Review of Major Gen. (Retd.) Akbar Khan’s Raiders in Kashmir Date: 8th February 2026 Time: 8 AM US/Pacific | 10 AM US/Central | 11 AM US/Eastern | 4 PM UK | 5 PM Europe | 8:30 PM IST Register Now: tinyurl.com/voia8feb26

Explainer I ghtn.in Basant Panchami, also known as Vasant Panchami, is an ancient Indian festival marking the arrival of spring (Vasant Ritu). Celebrated on the fifth day of the bright half of the Hindu month of Magha (January–February), it has been observed since Vedic times, when seasonal change was closely linked to agriculture, education, and spiritual life. The day is dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, the deity of knowledge, wisdom, music, and the arts. According to tradit

Explainer I ghtn.in Every Lohri, voices rise around the fire to sing “ Sundar Mundariye Ho .” Most hear it as tradition. Few pause to ask why this song survived, unchanged, for centuries. Because it was never meant to entertain. It was meant to warn. The song emerged in medieval Punjab, during periods of hindu persecution under Islamic rule, when Hindu girls were frequent targets of abduction, forced conversion, and erasure. Folk memory did what institutions could not, it enc