Why lingayats are not Hindus? 

After Karnataka government agreed that Lingayats as separate religion and sent recommendation to the Central government to accept its plea, Lingayat religion, became a talking point in the social media and in the real world.  

I spoke to two professors who had deeply researched in religion and culture. Prof M N Mahadevappa  has sent me many notes and spoke to me in detail on rituals of Lingayats.
Prof Sarvanan who heads the Saiva Siddhantha department in the Madras University busted many myths.

Essence of what both of them said:
1)There is no separate religion called Hindu.
2)Saivism, Vaishavism, Gowmaram, Saktham, Ganapathiyam, Sowravam are six different religions which were later clubbed together as hinduism for political reasons and administration. 
2)Lingayats wear lingam in their chains but the linga that is seen in Saiva temple is different one. People often mix this fact
3)Lingayats are represented as sub caste in hinduism now whereas Basavanna who introduced this religion was very much against the caste system and varnasirma dharma.

Story link:
http://www.bbc.com/tamil/india-43489113

When I sat to read world history

I think its been some three months, my dad has been pestering me to read some books on world history. Though im selectively interested in Tamil history, I did not pick up huge books on world history. To start with I did not want to mess up with dates, names of so many dynasties, world wars, blah blah blah... Hmm...

Here comes Nehru.... He wrote a book to his daughter on world history... I think this book is a right choice for daughters like me to overcome their pestering fathers..

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While going through the ‘Glimpses of world history’ by Nehru, I stopped to ruminate.. among hundreds of lines on Greeks, how Korea, USA and several other countries were formed, Lao Tse, Ireland’s fight for a republic, following lines questioned me :

It is strange thing that inspite of more and more wealth being produced, the poor have remained poor. They have made little progress in certain countries, but it is very little compared to the new wealth produced. We can easily see, however to whom this wealth largely goes. 

It goes to those whom usually being the mangers or organisers, see to it that they get the lion’s share of everything good. And, stranger still, classes have grown up in society of people, who do not even pretend to do any work, and yet who take this lion’s share of the work of others! And would you believe it? – these classes are honoured; and some foolish people imagine that it is degrading to have to work for one’s living! Such is the topsy-turvy condition of our world.

It is surprising that the peasant in his field and the worker in his factory are poor, although they produce the food and wealth of the world? We talk of freedom for our country, but what will any freedom be worth unless it puts an end to this topsy –turvydom , and gives to the man who does the work the fruits of his toil?