I personally don't agree with this.

We should teach not only Manusmriti but also all Dharmashastras. This is not for general students. This is for specializing study in dharma shastras.

William Jones had studied it. Ambedkar had studied it in detail. PV Kane was awarded Bharat Ratna by government of India for studying it. Kurundkar's three lectures on it are gold standard even today. Patrick Olivelle is a great scholar of today for studying it.

What's the harm in studying it? If some specialized people don't study it then how to find good, bad and ugly?

We dont want ignorant comments of foolish people. We want studied criticism by scholars.

Nikhil

In UPSC coaching industry, we have PE firms investing in companies like Byjus, Unacademy and lately PW. We have seen what happened to the first two.

PE money is destabilizing entire coaching industry in its wake. But I thought may be it was because this sector operates on profit motive, it is expected to happen.

And then I just found out this video. PE has entered not only Hospitals but also schools and even pre-school segment. It is literally destroying this.

I am generally a supporter of LPG reforms initiated after 1991-92. But little did I know that finally it would come to this.

The days of Gandhian education and Tagorean philosophy are long gone. We should study them only for the exams, to score high, in schools operated by PE money.

The romantic ideal of teacher being Guru and education as means of nation building have looooong vanished.

Nikhil

https://youtu.be/4lAPshOyEBY

Since its inception, the VKA focused on spreading Hindu values by organizing religious rituals in tribal regions and focusing on education and hostels. It has tirelessly strived to provide medical help to tribal people since the mid-1960s. Additionally, after the late 1970s, it started to work on different aspects of tribal communities' lives. By the 1990s, it also formally began to raise questions related to their rights over forest land and its resources.

Exploring the genesis, historical journey, the nature of ideological discourse and various functions of the VKA, Kamal Nayan Choubey opens a window to the contributions of an organization that largely remains unexplored and, therefore, unknown.

Deeply researched and evocative, Adivasi or Vanavasi is for anyone interested in understanding modern India's history, politics and the changing landscape of Indian society.

#bookreview

Iqbal was a nationalist poet till 1910s. He wrote Sare Jahan se Achha. Then he gradually changed. He became Islamist. By 1930s, his vision became the vision of Pakistan. His dreams and speeches were given concrete shape by Jinnah. He is thus treated as Spiritual father of Pakistan.

Why did this transformation take place? What makes a great intellectual like Iqbal into a pedestrian Communalist? Its one of the great questions of modern Indian history. Communalism is not merely for foolish illiterates. Secularism, conversely, is not for intellectually superior only.

I think we need to help students understand this complexity. Why this cancel culture?

Nikhil

Audrey Truschke was hugely controversial for extending arguments in support of Aurangzeb in her book on him.

Now she is coming with a new book on the history of India, to be released next week.

In a recent interview printed in The Hindu, she talks about Shivaji. She seems have taken Phule's ideal of Shivaji as "shudra king", but given it a perverse turn. Phule had said that Shivaji's ideal was to help the agriculturalists. She seems to have picked up the word shudra and says that he wanted to become king to improve his caste to Kshatriya. There is no grander purpose, there is no vision larger than life, no idea of working for people. She seems to have slotted Shivaji's life story into the story of personal ambition of an individual and caste politics.

Its inversion of means-ends. Phule's narrative is made to stand upside down.

We obviously have to wait for the whole book to be released but I am sure that it will become controversial.

Audrey loves controversy. She thrives on it.

Nikhil

The concept of Proto History is not as straightforward as it seems. It is loaded with different shades and meanings. Do watch for 7 mins.

https://youtu.be/JKVxT6e6CF8

Vishal sir's first lecture in MMP on Modern India.

All those who are preparing to write Main examination in 2025, get a pen and paper and watch the lecture.

https://youtube.com/live/0C3ppu8dV74?feature=share

Compensation by govt on various types of accidental deaths.

Flight accident: 1 cr
Stampede: 25 lakh
Railway accident: 10 lakh
ST bus accident: 10 lakh
Bridge collapse: 5 lakh
Electrocution: 4 lakh
Well jump, snake bite etc: 2 lakh
Farmer suicide: 1 lakh

Not all human life is equal. Not all deaths are same either. There is 'class' in death also.

Only if one could decide how to die before dying...

Nikhil

Hello students,

We are overwhelmed in last two weeks due to unexpectedly massive response from all of you.

We are trying to pick up calls, answer whatsapps and reply emails the entire day but it's not enough. Some of you are experiencing delays despite our best efforts. We are really sorry for that.

To cope with this massive load, in past two weeks, we expanded our team. Today its double of what it was just a few days ago. However still its not enough.

We request all of you. If anyone is willing to work with us at front desk, to help our students with quick service, to help us save students time, please approach us. You can send your resumes to [email protected]

We are in dire need of your support. In normal times, I wouldn't have written this message here. There are other platforms for finding people

However, this is not normal time. Finding good people who understand the ethos of LevelUp IAS, who believe in our quality and mission, who know our teachers well, and who align with our value system, it is not easy. And this is indeed the best place.

I am only hopeful that a few of you would be interested in this opportunity.

Nikhil

Can IAS really bring any change? Or its merely a job for status quo?

https://youtu.be/Ul9F6vquiMk?si=E3VBwD3M5In85zXO

UPSC has launched Pratibha Setu App for all of you.

https://theprint.in/india/upsc-launches-pratibha-setu-to-connect-top-talent-with-employers-including-private-sector/2663290/

This day, 15 years ago in 2010, I had participated in the local county election management and a local village festival called 'Taste of Tippecanoe'.

This was my only personal and direct brush off with a local election in the USA. It was in a remote county, faraway from Chicago, the nearest metro city, and in the midst of midwest. I found the local people sweet and quite involved into politics.

Only after coming back to India that I attended a few rallies in cities and few gram sabhas in villages.

There are very many interesting differences between the local politics of the two countries. But what strikes me, even after so many years, is the commonalities between the two.

Will discuss in the class about the differences and similarities in the elections of the countries. Not as theory but from the point of view of an involved participant observer.

Nikhil

The program is finally starting...!! It is not a usual mentorship program. Do watch the video for details.

https://youtu.be/zpCTBUzG0Fw?si=DfGt_kZHZcBjcROL

Who said you have to leave/hate classical Hindu tradition to be a radical?

Just found this handle. Graceful protest. There is already a lot of scope to be radical and protest on various issues even within the tradition.

Started following it.

https://www.instagram.com/amritarupalaha

(It may be not be representative of all India. But in the purva disha, bhakti's main ras is madhura.)

Do they really need to constitute a high level panel to study the reasons behind the rise of coaching at school level and competitive exam level?

This is a golden age for grand temple projects.

After long, Ram Temple at Ayodhya was reconstructed. Mamata constructed Jagannath Dham. Meanwhile, various corridors and refurbishments happened at old temples at Kashi, Puri, Ujjain, Kedarnath etc. Now a grand Janaki temple is announced by Nitish Kumar. Centre is refurbishing Auroville too. Competitive Federalism spirit in action.

Already a lot of temples are under Trusts and Societies which are controlled by state appointed officers/members. There is ongoing movement to free temples from govt control.

But I think otherwise.
1) I think the time has come for a Ministry of Temple Construction and Management. It will streamline all functions and bring efficiency in various projects scattered across.
2) Creating a new All-India Service of Temple Management. To be filled via UPSC. This cadre could be trained in specialized functions of temple management. The issues like Tirupati laddu should not happen.

Don't you think it will improve governance?