Audrey Truschke @audreytruschke@mastodon.social

India Abroad's story about the widespread unrest in India, featuring a cameo by yours truly. https://www.indiaabroad.com/indian-americans/indian-americans-express-concern-about-the-new-citizenship-bill-and/article_fd6bad82-2131-11ea-aced-73a568a355c0.html

To me, this is a real question, which the people of India will answer in the coming weeks, months, and years:

Has Narendra Modi Finally Gone Too Far?

https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/has-narendra-modi-finally-gone-too-far-india-protests

Violent clashes continue in India over new citizenship bill https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/13/violent-clashes-continue-in-delhi-over-new-citizenship-bill?CMP=share_btn_tw

‪They couldn’t possibly permit critical analysis of a verdict that eschews precisely that. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/supreme-court-dismisses-all-review-petitions-against-ayodhya-verdict/story-9ZaSuZONpoPO53Wu9D4R6L.html #AYODHYAVERDICT ‬

India's #CitizenshipBill is (1) totally expected and (2) totally devastating.

This isn't the magical moment when India embraced discrimination and hate. That's been a process. But something here seems to mark a new future where anything is possible, in all the worst ways.

We hear a lot about where Ram is believed to have been born, but what about when? I comment on that disjuncture, how the singularity of Ram's birthplace is relatively new phenomenon, and more here: https://caravanmagazine.in/religion/ayodhya-babri-masjid-ram-mandir-supreme-court-audrey-truschke #Ayodhya #RamMandir #Ramayana #ayodhyavedict

Prof. Firoze Khan: "Sanskrit belongs to us all." https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/education/article30148346.ece

27 years ago, to the day, a Hindu mob destroyed the Babri Masjid, thereby robbing all Indians of a priceless piece of their cultural heritage.

This year, what the mob began extrajudicially, the Supreme Court finished through judicial opinion. My latest -- https://caravanmagazine.in/religion/ayodhya-babri-masjid-ram-mandir-supreme-court-audrey-truschke

The Ayodhya verdict is a cornerstone of the Hindu Rashtra https://caravanmagazine.in/religion/ayodhya-babri-masjid-ram-mandir-supreme-court-audrey-truschke

India: woman set on fire on way to testify against alleged rapists https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/05/india-woman-set-on-fire-on-way-to-testify-against-alleged-rapists?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Tweet

Aurangzeb: The Man and The Myth is now available as an audiobook! https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/Audrey_Trushcke_Aurangzeb_The_Man_and_the_Myth?id=AQAAAEAsTWcNWM&hl=en #Aurangzeb #audiobook #Mughal #history

‪Supriya Gandhi on Hindutva’s contradictions: “At once it promotes Sanskrit as a pan-Indian ideal for all, but then punishes Muslims for advancing too far in it. It seeks the prestige of science and learning while hollowing out stellar public universities.” https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/bhu-sanskrit-teacher-appointment-a-mughal-prince-and-the-pandits-of-benares-6151011/‬

‪#Nithyananda abandons India and founds his own nation. That is incredible given that a standard Indian right-wing tactic is to call liberals anti-national. https://www.news18.com/news/india/on-the-run-from-law-nithyananda-establishes-his-own-nation-called-kailaasa-near-ecuador-2410593.html‬

A must read -- This is an incredible story of an amazing woman, determined to document her nation's terrifying turn under Modi's leadership. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/12/09/blood-and-soil-in-narendra-modis-india #AccheDin #ModiSarkar #Kashmir

We're done for now. Q and A below.

I'm looking at maps of the Hindu Rashtra this morning, in connection with an article I have coming out later this week. So, let's take some questions. Ask about anything you want to know, from a historian's viewpoint, about the #HinduRashtra and #akhandbharat. I'll take the first five questions. #MastodonThread

"I didn't just appear for the Muslims. I appeared for a large section of Hindus who believed in liberal secularism." https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/abused-intimidated-attacked-with-excreta-masjid-advocate-recounts-horror-during-ayodhya-trial-1623135-2019-11-27 #AYODHYAVERDICT

Indian government officials are saying what they intend to do in Kashmir. It's terrifying, especially for those who live there. https://caravandaily.com/diplomats-israel-model-statement-exposes-rss-bigotry-as-official-indian-policy-indian-americans/

India's modern Sanskrit tradition, such as it is, choking to death on its own bigotry. https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2019/nov/24/bhu-teachers-call-for-removal-of-muslim-sanskrit-professor-firoz-khan-write-to-president-2066406.html?fbclid=IwAR3N1vGFbffJsiT9hT0oz1X4zQbm6KXY-bDss-LQTvWGl0gl1zi6tZM-UkI #Sanskrit #India #firozkhan

Ananya Vajpeyi on lynching and more in modern India. https://scroll.in/article/943885/the-artistry-of-free-speech-in-south-asia-politics-is-inescapable-but-it-isnt-the-end-all-of-art?fbclid=IwAR1fH1H6yosN-PV68WdxZST_ufcrGEZc0BUEIr45LyTNMXwVjQ0-ujrJn7E #India #lynching