Utsav Chakrabarti
Utsav Chakrabarti

Architect & observer of geopolitics from inside the Washington DC beltway.
My interest in geo-strategy, socio-political movements and religions, stems from my exposure to the history of architecture, the built environment and its impact on peoples and civilization.

I appreciate those who put their money where their mouth is. If you like my writing, and would like to support my work, write to me at utsavc@gmail.com

Analysis

gift of Colonialism: The Nazi Haken Kreuz (hooked Cross) will continue to haunt the ‘Swastika’

The New York Bill declaring 'Swastika' as a symbol of hate, has stalled. But history tells us that we have to do more than stalling misguided legislation to reclaim back our enduring symbol of wellness from the White Supremacists. The reclamation of the Swastika is a metaphor for the reclamation and revival of Hindu Dharma from centuries of colonialism. We have to proactively work towards educating the rest of the world that maligning our ancient heritage would be a step backwards in promoting interfaith harmony and would lead to increase in hate crimes. For the sake of honesty, safety and well being of our future generations, we must demand that the meaning and significance of Swastika be redeemed, so that the hate crimes against Jews, Hindus or any other community is not perpetuated in the name of ignorance.

USA

What American Hindus want from their Presidential candidates?

There are more than 4 million American Hindus in the United States. While most of them are of of Indian origin, there are many who come from Bangladeshi, European, African-American and Nepalese heritage. This article examines the concerns and hopes of the American Hindu communities and the expectations they have from the Presidential candidates. It also examines the intra-community dynamics, based on my interaction with a cross-section of thought-leaders within the community

Culture

The netflix nix: Challenges with (mis)representations of Hindu dharma in modern media

The Hindu carries the responsibility of representing the oldest and most diverse religion that is the third largest in the world when it comes to number of followers. Recently, Netflix has faced a lot of criticism for producing shows that singularly target Hindus in a negative manner. But this is not the first time this happened, nor will it be the last. How we deal with misrepresentations of Hindu Dharma in modern media is a challenge for our generation.