Arts & Culture

Indian American author Rajiv Malhotra brings his thought-provoking ideas to UK

Arundhati Mukherjee

Rajiv Malhotra has been on a UK book launch circuit with diaspora groups such as FISI UK and Insight UK among those organising discussions around the wider themes the author has been associated with over the years.

The Indian American ideologue and lecturer has long been connected with the study of the Indian civilisation and intercultural interaction. He is widely known for challenging prevailing narratives and the ability to spark a thought revolution among many through his talks and works. Malhotra has extensively researched civilisational studies, world religions and social sciences for over 20 years and has won praise from all over the world for the intellectual rigour reflected in his work.

During the Friends of India Society International (FISI) UK book launch event at the Nehru Centre in London, Malhotra shared his views on international institutions he believes are undermining India's rich heritage and civilisational ideals in the context of his latest book, 'Snakes In The Ganga: Breaking India 2.0', co-written with Vijaya Viswanathan. He spoke of the undercurrents and vulnerabilities that pose a challenge to India's cultural integrity and social fabric.

"This business of turning all kinds of aggrieved people into 'oppressed people', uniting them, and fighting against the system as a system of oppression. That is what is 'Wokeism' and Critical Race Theory. And that is why the United States is losing its competitiveness because it's no longer in meritocracy and is losing out to China, which is laughing all the way at this kind of thing," he said.

He also pointed to how Vedic knowledge had answers to many of the world's problems, with Q&A sessions covering some intriguing concepts such as 'Brown Adjacent' as opposed to “White adjacent” and the English caste system. He also emphasised the importance of collaboration between activists and academics, arguing that it has the power to defeat the forces perilous to India's sanctity.

As the author is on tour around Britain, his other works have also been in the spotlight. Insight UK hosted an insightful event featuring his other recent books such as 'Ten Heads of Ravana' and 'Varna Jati Caste'.

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During this event, Malhotra pointed out that Hinduphobia has existed for a very long time, in many forms and is continuously evolving. He emphasised the need to protect India's true civilisational legacy and history, preventing any misappropriation and misrepresentation.

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