Rohit

I’m Gen Z, and I agree with Abhinandan’s views on Gen Z. But this idea of feeling special isn’t limited to Gen Z – it exists in everyone. For example, when you were discussing the recent Delhi bombings in Hafta, everyone seemed surprised that the terrorists were highly educated. Why, though? Being educated doesn’t automatically mean someone is rational in their thoughts. By that logic, Hedgewar was a doctor, and Jinnah was a lawyer who studied in the UK. Even though many IAS and IPS officers are highly educated, they still follow the caste system. Let's stop assuming that someone who is educated or belongs to a certain profession, generation, or class is somehow unique or superior in their thinking. They’re not.

P.S. My rant is over. Love the podcast, by the way.

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Ravinder Singh 

Hi Team, 

I wanted to hear your thoughts on where you think our country – and the world – is headed. Lately, it feels like we’re moving into darker times: hate seems louder, and with AI in the mix, the line between what’s real and what’s fake feels thinner every day.

When I look at India – polluted air, water, and food, and now communities increasingly divided by religion and language – it’s hard to feel optimistic. Add to that a Parliament where a song can be debated for 10 hours, and it honestly feels like very little will change anytime soon. How does one stay hopeful when the system itself feels broken, and it’s hard to imagine any scenario in which things start to improve?

On a lighter (but still serious) note – does the NL office have air purifiers? How do you all cope with the toxic air? When even the ever-optimistic Manish sounded defeated recently, it really hit me. Have you all given up, or are you still holding on to some hope?

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Vikas

Dear Hafta team,

I’ve been living in Ladakh for over a year now, and I often recall Abhinandan’s descriptions of Ladakh as mystically beautiful, peaceful, and relatively free of rigid class hierarchies. Broadly, I have found this to be true in my daily interactions. However, I have also noticed a gradual shift, especially among the youth, who seem more aggressive, less tolerant, and somewhat distant towards outsiders, including the armed forces. 

This change may be linked to multiple factors: the heavy military presence over the years, evolving local politics after the abrogation of Article 370, and tensions evident in recent protests. During the tourist season, I also sensed a marked difference in how some shopkeepers and restaurant owners treated foreign tourists versus Indian visitors. I felt these nuances might enrich your conversations about how regions like Ladakh are changing.

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Drishti Bhattacharya

The prices of domestic flights were always very high, especially from Varanasi to Hyderabad. And please address issues in Varanasi, such as the Demolition of the Dalmandi market. 

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Achyuth Kumar Agitha

Hi NL Hafta Team,

I wanted to share an observation about news consumption on Instagram. Significant events, such as the Sydney mass shooting or topics like the Messi India tour, often dominate the feed, which I found mentally exhausting while recovering from recent health issues.

More concerning is the lack of credible sourcing. I saw posts falsely claiming the shooter was from Pakistan, highlighting how easily misinformation spreads on the platform.

As a researcher in data science and AI, I quickly recognised this algorithmic pattern and chose to step back by subscribing to The Hindu e-paper for more balanced reporting. What worries me is how easily such systems can create echo chambers, reinforce “us vs them” narratives, and contribute to extremism.

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts – have you noticed similar patterns, and how should users deal with this?

Thank you.

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Amrinder Singh Hundal

Hi,

Last week, Anuradha Ma’am gave a little credit to Jaishankar and the current government’s foreign policy. I don’t think they deserve any credit since they had a pernicious effect on our foreign policy. At one point, India seemed to drift towards the USA. I listen to a geopolitical expert, Pepe Escobar. He said that once the Chinese told him they were considering having Indonesia take its place in the BRICS, but Trump’s irrationality has saved us from a blunder, if he is to be believed. On a lighter note, we should start a campaign in which one of our oligarchs gifts a 24-carat, diamond-studded Trump statue to Trump. He may even remove tariffs on India. They can do this much for us for our 11 years of silence. At last, I think Jaishankar will become the scapegoat (ORF).

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Letter 2

Hello!

A few weeks ago, Abhinandan said (I am paraphrasing) that Israeli and Palestinian history have been one of victimhood on both sides, alternating decade-wise. The narrative that Israel and Palestine alternate as victims oversimplifies a complex history. Palestine has faced systemic dispossession since the early 20th century, with the 1948 Nakba expelling over 700,000 Palestinians, creating a refugee crisis that persists. Israel’s establishment involved land theft and ethnic cleansing, not mere victimhood. Decades of occupation, settlements, and blockades have entrenched Palestinian suffering, with Gaza facing relentless bombardments. Israel, backed by global powers, maintains military dominance, undermining claims of equal victimhood. This cycle isn’t symmetrical; it’s rooted in colonial policies and ongoing oppression, disproportionately harming Palestinians, whose resilience continues despite systemic injustices. I want Shardool to take part in this debate. Thanks! 

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Dr AK 

Two decades of following India, I’m increasingly sceptical of our governance model. We struggle with the most basic problems of clearing garbage and dealing with the stray dog menace. How are we as a country so incompetent? Whatever form of system we have doesn’t work! It needs a complete overhaul. Nothing is good here: the police system, judiciary, individual freedoms, sanitation, infrastructure, etc. Mr Modi enjoyed two terms of a great majority and yet failed to bring about any revolutionary reform of note. Instead, we had disasters like DeMo. No Babu reform, no police + Judicial reform. Swach Bharat failed. The opposition, on the other hand, is raising a sectarian issue of caste instead of the everyday struggles of the common man! They’re not raising Ethanol blending, broken infrastructure, police brutality, and stray animal menace. Instead, we have ridiculous claims of vote chori, which is farcical because in a country as pre-industrial and poor as ours, document irregularities are widespread.

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Harnek Kang

Hi NL team,

I love and support all the good work you do. Regarding this week's Hafta discussion about tourism, women's safety and general dirty streets and roads in India, the culprit is the caste system because upper castes don’t consider it their responsibility to keep their environment clean. After all, traditionally it’s the lower castes who have to do that. Similarly, women (safety), because religious texts consider women and shudras as the same, they have been treated as unpaid labour without rights and dignity. So violating other women is a justified practice to show ‘Aukat’ of caste, which always has some people considered lesser than you to ‘punish’. The tribal hatred of other castes leaves everyone at risk of hatred from someone above others.

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Simonel Garrad

This note is more for fellow subscribers than the team. In a recent Subscriber Take episode, someone wrote in to say that Abhinandan needs a dictionary. I’d like to gently remind everyone that while we pay for NL’s journalism and reporting, it doesn’t entitle us to abandon basic civility.

It’s much easier to criticise over email than in person, but that makes a respectful tone even more important. I've received several emails harshly criticising individual team members for their recommendations. Disagreement is valid, but it can always be expressed kindly – saying “I can’t believe XYZ recommended this” isn’t constructive.

A big thank you to the NL team for your hard work in tough conditions. Progress takes time, and like all of us, the team grows and improves. Let’s extend the same grace we’d hope to receive.

***

Dhiraj Krishna Kumar 

Hi there, 

I thought I should put this out. I was deeply incensed and offended by the email, which I thought was mocking Anand’s expressions while thinking. 

I do the same, and previously I would be like ya whatever, but later realised that - why does it matter dude, go fish, stay in your lane boss. 

I really want to ask Anand - did you like somebody asking you about this? He said that it’s a flawed posture (which was too polite), and none of you said that there was nothing wrong with it. 

Or maybe it’s just me! 

***

Badhri 

Folks, I think your AI summarisation has messed up my core point and the mail you read out doesn’t reflect my reasoning. The core reasoning that you have used is wrong. 

"There isn’t an overt symbol equivalent to sindoor for distinguishing married men."

My core points:

- Married men do have differentiating markers. In all regions (my example is of the south, since I am from there). 

- Patriarchy exists in our society which is why women are more under the scanner to wear sindoor today than a man is for wearing his markers. It's the weaponisation of such markers. It is different from inventing such markers for control. 

- 12 Thirumans (and all the other markers I mentioned)  are worn by more men even today than you think. So I didn’t go back centuries. And I don’t have to send pictures. Come to TN and keep your eye out and you will see. 

- Other arguments like Poonal is a caste symbol etc are all not valid because (a) you asked Manisha to show differentiating markers for men and there they are  (b) I have a Tamil Jain friend whose father wears a Poonal. 

In summary, patriarchy is in weaponisation of symbols and ideas to beat up women. These exist not just in Hinduism but everywhere. Sindoor is weaponised and not invented to be patriarchal. Manisha can wear it if she wants to. Patriarchy will find a new weapon if everyone stops wearing sindoor.

Don’t bother reading my mail. The poor quality of your AI engine has put me in a poor light in public. Good luck for your endeavours 

Please also note that in my original email 

- I have indicated my efforts to cross caste and regional biases

- I have also outlined specific reasons for the origins of markers of being married to explain why it applies equally to both men and women.

- I have also mentioned that Thiruman is to be worn by people of all four varnas belonging to Ramanuja Charya’s Srivaishnava tradition. As per his diktat, even today, it is not intended as a caste marker. 

***

Anonymous 

Long-time subscriber here. Abhinandan often has a pedantic take on nationalism. As an NRI in the US, I use a simple litmus test: would I be happier if the US succeeded, or if India did? 

To me, that’s a fair gauge of allegiance.

Having recently read Ramachandra Guha’s India After Gandhi, I’m curious about your take. India is a democracy, but the reality is that most Indians don’t identify with the ‘elitist’, ‘Western’ ideals of secularism Nehru and Gandhi championed. The majoritarian democracy we see today is, in some sense, what many Western observers predicted decades ago.

How do we reconcile democracy in a deeply communal, divided society? Isn’t Modi’s rise less an aberration and more an expression of India’s true political choice – one I disagree with, but which is undeniably popular? As my ICSE Hindi textbook said: Loktantra samaaj ka darpan hai.

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Bhavneet Bhinder

Dear NL Team! I’ve been thinking a lot about how often Indians abroad are now criticised for their lack of basic civic sense. Some argue that these issues have always existed and are more visible now because of social media (a convenient deflection?). In almost 20 years of living in NYC, I’ve never personally seen such blatant disregard for shared spaces, until now. While walking my dog the other night, I saw a young man casually pee on the beautifully maintained lawns of our building complex. Moments later, he turned the corner and entered the building next door. Realising he was Indian, I felt a jolt of second-hand embarrassment and disbelief. For decades, our community here has been valued for its hard work and respectful demeanor. I worry that the recent incidents of bad behavior could really deepen negative perceptions and fuel resentment that is neither fair nor deserved.

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Anonymous 

Dear NL team, Great job. Jayashree, Dravidians, who are largely genetically Harappan people, came in and displaced the tribals. Jayashree, go back to Pakistan 5000 years ago. If you are Tam Brahm, you have the Aryan (yamanaya) gene subjugating both tribals and IVC, go back to central Asia.

The current Israeli generation has not seen any home other than Israel. Say the same arguments about the upper caste Muslims who came and oppressed the natives in India, to go back.

Such a trivial rant from Jayashree every time. I can just listen to Mehdi Hassan instead (which I do sometimes, and Mehdi Hassan is just an example) if there is no independent thinking. 

Literally everyone else, great work and kudos to your independent thinking and nuances. We need to hear your arguments to understand your point, Jayashree. I can tell beforehand every rant she is about to utter.  

Best,
Anonymous

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Soumya

Hi NL team! A collaboration with Ravish Kumar is long overdue. This feedback was given earlier by other subscribers as well. Now, with the Bihar election around the corner, isn't it the best time to collaborate with him and do ground reports. Bihar being his home state will prove to be advantageous.

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Dheeraj DK

Hello everyone,

Regarding what can be done to combat air pollution in Delhi, discussed during the latest Hafta, one potent suggestion could be a ban on air purifiers. One of the reasons the general public isn't informed enough about the grave danger their lives are in is because news channels, politicians and policy makers work against it in the name of religion and faith. Because they do not breathe the same air. Delhi CM, for instance, welcomed the SC decision, saying after years this is a victory of her faith, as people will be able to burst crackers, but then went on to order five air purifiers with taxpayers' money. Also, on a lighter note, the idea that Hindus worship nature does not sit well with Diwali being a Hindu festival, considering it pollutes nature. Maybe Diwali was borrowed. Maybe Diwali is anti-Hindu, maybe Mughals forced it upon Hindus to malign Hinduism? Thanks for all the work you do. Regards and best wishes.

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