ISSN (Print) - 0012-9976 | ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846

Articles by Muhammed Haneefa A PSubscribe to Muhammed Haneefa A P

Celebrating With Beef: Omanur Nercha Shows South Malabar's Religious Syncretism

The Omanur Nercha, celebrated by Sunni Muslims, is a testament to the brotherhood, love of hospitality, and communal harmony among the different religious communities in south Malabar. This fascinating syncretic festival and the process of food distribution in various villages of south Malabar bothers not only the Salafi Muslims, but must also be unimaginable to many Indians, especially the cow vigilantes who unleash terror in various parts of the country.

Problematising Hindi as the ‘Self’ and English as the ‘Other’

In the light of the ongoing prioritisation of Hindi by the central government, the projection of Hindi as the “self” is problematic for several reasons. Three “self–other” binaries are discussed in this regard: Hindi–Hindu as “self,” Urdu–Muslim as “other”; Sanskrit-laden Hindi favouring upper caste Hindus as “self,” vernacular Hindi dialects often represented by the lower castes and classes as “other”; and fi nally Hindi as the epitome of “desi self,” English as “foreign other.” 

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