Dr. Jayan Philip is a Contributing Writer at The ArmChair Journal. His career as an educator spans over three decades, encompassing roles both in India and abroad. His passion for knowledge dissemination extends beyond traditional teaching to include extensive experience as a quiz master. His two forthcoming books are The Indomitable Gandhi, The Indefatigable Gandhi and Quintessentially Quizzical. He believes that through an understanding of history, individuals can gain valuable insights into both the triumphs and tribulations of the past, thereby enhancing their ability to make informed decisions and cultivate critical thinking skills in the present day.
Aren’t we all migrants?
The author recalls his time as a migrant and emphasizes on how migrants have shaped politics, businesses and even sports across borders.
Paris Olympics 2024 – An Indian Introspection
Paris 2024 was a learning curve for India . There were many fourth place finishes which were heart breaking.
Assassinations – The Poisoned Chalice
A brief account of assassinations which have happened in over a few centuries and the repercussions it leaves behind.
The INDIA outside INDIA
The skies are open and so are the seas which flow freely without any distinguishing marks as boundaries which are man-made but the minute a step is taken or put in another country, the law comes into force and national legitimacy needs to be proved in terms of citizenship. The experience of crossing boundaries is…
22 yards, 11 on the field but a billion dreams!
India’s recent victory in the T-20 World Cup took the author’s memories back to 1983 when India won the first ODI WC.
Indian Voter – The final decision maker
Elections in India are watched and scrutinized across the world since it sees the largest number of registered voters exercising their vote.
Indian Mangoes- Owner’s Pride, Passerby’s Envy
Owing to their great taste, Indian mangoes have also been used to build relationships as tools of diplomacy.
Sports in politics and politics in sports – Time to separate!
Across history, many sporting events were affected by political decisions including the Olympics. More social connections are to be inculcated through sports rather than continuing separations between people.
Gorbachev- Did he bring down the Soviet Union?
Gorbachev was a statesman and not a politician nor a dictator in the Soviet Union and that difference cannot be attributed to the dissolution of a huge political federation called the USSR built on annexations and brutality.
An Unnamed World: Is it possible?
Our names are precious to us more than anything else. When a child walks down the hallways of a school for the first time and takes the first step to the classroom, the first question which the teacher asks is “what is your name?
Citius, Altius, Fortius- The Unending Story of Agony and Ecstasy
Names that appeared on the television screens in the yesteryears of the Olympics never fade from the memories of those who value their zeal, determination and patriotism.
The Masala in the INDIAN MASALA DOSA!
It’s food, crispy or salty, sweet or meat. It’s always a treat when it is right to pop into one’s mouth but the second it becomes naturally exhausted or stale, it finds its way to the dustbin.
Corporal Punishment: Negative Mindset Disastrous
An act of violence begets violence and corporal punishment is precisely that which is enforced on a young child at a tender age.
Flags: History, Geography Represented, Identity Respected
Each country’s flag has something unique and distinct which it wishes to uphold or represent. On hoisting the Indian flag by the banks of Ravi in Lahore in 1930 Nehru extolled his countrymen to salute it as a mark of unity irrespective of the differences in language, caste, creed or religion.
The World’s Tallest Statue- It’s Patel’s but Gandhi also deserved one!
“I do not intend to argue that Patel’s statue shouldn’t have been the tallest but one of Gandhi should have been there besides to visually remind the world of our Mahatma and that a united India of all religions and castes is what even he envisaged, dreamt and died for.”
Religion in politics – Decisive. Divisive. Destructive
Hagia Sophia is a masterpiece of human endurance, architectural excellence, craftsmanship, and unparalleled beauty of an edifice in stone with calligraphy and graphics depicting many events. It was a treasured gift from the Byzantine and Ottoman empires, a mesmerizing sight to behold, which sees millions of visitors annually.