Brown Pundits

Partition profoundly reshaped the subcontinent’s socio-political and cultural framework. Undivided India can be thought of five main regional quadrants—Northwest (“Punjab”), North (-“United Provinces”), Northeast (“Bengal”), Central (“Bombay & Central”), and South (“Madras Province”).

The Indo-Gangetic: Fragmented Identities

Partition shattered Punjab’s cultural and linguistic cohesion, severing ties from Delhi to Peshawar. The Indo-Gangetic heartland also suffered, with mass migrations and communal violence stifling regional solidarity. Bengal’s Eastern periphery faced similar disruptions, where linguistic fragmentation replaced unity, limiting potential cross-regional influence (that’s why the 1905 Partition of Bengal was met with such outcry by the Bhadralok).

Bengal and the Northeast: Diluted Cultural Power

The partition of Bengal broke the economic synergy between Kolkata and Dhaka. Dhaka’s industrial vibrance, lost to East Pakistan, left Bengal diminished, while the Seven Sisters languished in isolation. Greater Bengal, once poised to rival the Hindi Belt, was splintered, its cultural and linguistic reach thwarted by communal, geographical & international barriers. Continue reading Partition’s Impact on India’s Regional Quadrants

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 14 years since Brown Pundits was founded. I can still recall the exact moment it all began—during Twixmas’10, that quiet week between Christmas and New Year’s when the world seems to pause. Things were slow, but intellectually, it was a time of fervent excitement. I remember the many stimulating conversations on either GNXP or Razib’s Discovery site about South Asia. That’s where it all started.

I had just turned 26, and Razib was about to become a father. At the time, I couldn’t have known how much my life would change, nor could I have foreseen the transformations I’d undergo in the years ahead.

A week earlier (on my birthday), I met Dr. V at a work event, and in the blink of an eye (the following Cheti Chand, but that date was entirely a coincidence since we had agreed to meet at Holborn), over coffee, I mentioned that I’d marry her come what may, as my way of asking her out. At that point, I was deeply immersed in my British Pakistani Bahá’í identity, thriving in my single London bobo life.

Continue reading 14 Years of Brown Pundits: A Journey of Growth, Transformation, and Reflection

Razib’s observation on the 2020 “BIPOC” era echoed my reflections on how capitalism now defines our hyper-globalized, multi-ethnic world. Growing up in the ’90s, when “coolness” mattered more than wealth, the shift to today’s influence-driven, materialistic culture feels profound. Social media and global digital spaces have accelerated this change, where capitalism acts as the only cohesive force in an era of fractured identities.

The transformation is multi-layered. Decolonization’s legacy, the Cold War’s end, technological advances, and globalization have created a world where multi-racial societies thrive, yet economic systems dominate. In the UK, immigration complicates old class hierarchies, and categories like “British Asian” are fragmented by religion, migration waves, and economic stratification. Social media amplifies these shifts by establishing Anglo-Western ideals as global standards of aspiration, blending diversity into an overarching capitalist framework.

Platforms like YouTube exemplify these dynamics. Channels such as T-Series and Sony TV reflect Global South audiences, but creators like MrBeast and PewDiePie dominate influence.

Continue reading Capitalism’s New Skin: Navigating Identity in a Post-Racial, Hyper-Global World