Posts

Speed for the Few or Mobility for the Many? Rethinking India’s Rail Priorities

Image
                   - Ganadhish Kamat India’s push toward high-speed rail—epitomized by the Mumbai–Ahmedabad bullet train—represents technological ambition and global aspiration. Yet, beneath the symbolism lies a critical question: is this the most effective use of scarce public capital in a country where the vast majority still relies on slow, overcrowded conventional trains? The Scale of Investment: A ₹2 Lakh Crore Question The Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project, spanning 508 km, is now estimated to cost nearly ₹1.98 lakh crore, almost double its original estimate of about ₹1.1 lakh crore. This translates to roughly ₹390–400 crore per km, making it one of the most capital-intensive transport projects in India’s history. Even more telling is that ₹86,000+ crore has already been spent, with years still to go before full completion.  Recently many new bullet train routes have been announced. The cost estimates for w...
1 comment
Read more

Rigveda Unveiled: Between Sacred Hymns, Human Imagination, and the Myth of Ancient Omniscience

Image
                             - Ganadhish Kamat The Rigveda is often invoked in modern discussions as a reservoir of profound, even scientific, wisdom. Since the Philological and linguistic evidence indicate that Rigveda Samhita was composed in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, most likely between around 1500 and 1000 BCE when the soceity was largely pastoral and agrarian, I always thought such claims could be exaggerated or made by people who have never read or understood the text. To find out the facts, I decided to read the text (english version) myself so as to understand what it actually contains and the context in which it was composed. The Rigveda contains 1,028 hymns and approximately 10,600 verses. After going through some of them I realized it was not necessary to go through all the verses to understand the gist. So I read about of half the text from different chapters. I am ...
1 comment
Read more

Waqf in India: Clearing Misgivings While Confronting Real Issues

Image
                          - Ganadhish Kamat Public debate around waqf properties in India has intensified in recent years, often accompanied by suspicion, misinformation, and genuine governance concerns. For many, especially among Hindus, waqf is perceived as a mechanism through which vast tracts of land can be arbitrarily claimed. At the same time, sections of the Muslim community fear that recent legal changes undermine their constitutional rights. The truth lies somewhere in between: waqf is a legitimate religious institution with deep historical roots—but one that has suffered from serious administrative failures and now faces contentious reform. What is Waqf? A Simple Explanation Waqf is derived from Arabic word Waqufa and it literally means confinement and prohibition or full stop. In the context of Waqf board it refers to a permanent charitable endowment under Islamic law, where a person dedicates property...
Post a Comment
Read more