For us at OpIndia, the year 2021 has been tremendously productive. It’s been a year of progress and possibilities. It’s been a year in which we’ve bettered our own performance, leaving many well established and bigger websites behind in terms of traffic while maintaining unwavering support from our readers.
In the face of this devastating pandemic that left us all devoid of the fervour of life, we at OpIndia have attempted to be our readers’ eyes and ears as they were stuck in the four walls of their abode. Despite our limited resources, we managed to publish many excellent articles, which were extremely well received and appreciated. Alongside, there were some articles from our regular contributors which helped us go viral and made them the most read this year.
Yet another year has come to a close but our journey has just begun. We promise to continue busting propaganda and delivering the harsh truth and we thank you all for keeping us going.
Below is a list of those 30 opinion pieces, some written by our staff members while some by our contributors that were the most read this year. It may be noted that the list is in random order. You can click on the links provided to read the full article.
1. India and Armenia share a common threat and the two countries should collaborate
This article published on August 19, contributed by one of our guest authors, named Vahram Ayvazyan, spoke about the civilizational, cultural, socio-political and economic ties Armenia and India have shared and how the time was apt for the two countries to collaborate given the ongoing capricious political climate.
2. School textbooks: Tools of knowledge or weapons of cultural genocide?
In the article by R Sood published on our website on August 12, the author wrote about the looming controversy related to the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), an autonomous organisation of the Government of India that prepares and publishes textbooks used by schools across India. He brought to the fore how NCERT has distorted Indian history by focusing primarily on ‘Modern India’ i.e, the British and post-independence and Medieval India i.e the Sultanate and Mughal period and conveniently skipping the glorious rich ancient history of India that is Bharat. This article found a place in our 40 most read opinion pieces of 2021.
3. Why His Holiness the Dalai Lama deserves the Bharat Ratna
Tsewang Rigzin, a Fellow at Columbia Population Research Center and Social Policy analysis doctoral candidate at Columbia University, USA, wrote an article for OpIndia where he discussed why India should confer Dalai Lama with the Bharat Ratna award.
The author opined that His Holiness The Dalai Lama of Tibet brought back the Indian tradition of Ahimsa (nonviolence) in the arena of political struggle – an idea that changed the world from civil rights movements in the US to the Solidarity movement in Poland and the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. He wrote how a number of Indian intellectuals and thinkers have opined that the Tibetan spiritual leader deserves the Bharat Ratna for spreading the message of peace and Karuna all his life. This excellent piece was amongst the 40 most read OpIndia’s articles of 2021.
4. Can Big Tech interfere in India’s 2024 elections? What it has done in the USA, the risks and what the Indian govt must do
Author Rajan Laad, who Tweets at @Sir_R_U_L, wrote on July 1, how Indian politics is being impacted by big tech companies due to its biases by drawing a parallel between the pattern of behaviour of big tech in the US and India. He explained how the interference of tech giants like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram facilitated the victory of Joe Biden over Donald Trump that too by a slim margin in key states.
Speaking in detail about the biases of these big social media giants, he suggested how the government through its Digital India and Make in India initiatives should commission local talent to either develop or improve upon Indian platforms and provide alternatives to Facebook, Twitter, Google, YouTube, and WhatsApp.
5. How Muslims made Periyar bend a knee, while he continued to abuse Hindus despite protests
Another article that found its way to the top 40 of 2021, was that by our regular contributor named Suren. He wrote about how the Dravidian brand of rationalism is about attacking only Hindu beliefs and icons while being careful to never critique the beliefs and practices of any other religion. Giving the example of the renowned hatemonger EV Ramasamy, aka Periyar, the author recorded how in the past, the slightest resistance from the Indian Muslim population was sufficient to make the Dravidian movement capitulate, while the campaign of abuse and calumny against Hinduism has gone on for decades, in spite of widespread protests.
6. IFCN and its history of motivated fact checks
Another article that was amongst the most read articles of 2021 was that written by OpIndia’s former employee K Bhattacharya, where he discussed the biases of the leftist media. He wrote how time and against such mainstream media has resorted to peddling fake news in order to peddle the political agenda of their masters. The article throws light on the biases of The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN). It reveals how IFCN has accredited ‘fact-checkers’ like Boom Live and Alt News as such leftist outlets’ ideological orientations are similar to their while denying accreditation to websites like OpIndia and Facthunt due to nothing more than a disagreement over politics.
7. Suicides among the Clergy of the Catholic Church in India
In a report titled ‘Suicides among the Clergy of the Catholic Church in India: A disturbing trend’, Suren throws light on the emerging issue of suicides of young clergymen and women in India. Chronicling many incidents where the Clergy of the Catholic Church in India have committed suicide, the author discusses the plausible reasons why these priests are forced to take up such harsh steps and why over the years critical issues like this one have been swept under the carpet in the name of secularism.
8. Israel: Here is why the average Hindu supports them
As tensions mounted between Israel and Palestine, the Muslim community from across the globe had registered their strong protest against Israel’s retaliatory response. The Palestinian supporters in India had implied that the Indian supporters of Israel were nothing but communal and Islamophobic. In such a situation, this article by an author named Mrityunjay delved into the reasons why an average Hindu showed solidarity with Israel. This article was one of the most read articles of 2021.
9. CIA embraces ‘Woke Ideology’, edgy Tumblr rhetoric now adopted by the US intelligence apparatus, leftists deny that this is happening
This article was published on May 7. Writer Michael Tracey wrote how the CIA, USA’s premier foreign intelligence agency, enthusiastically endorsed several key tenets of what has now indisputably become a hegemonic left/liberal ideological and rhetorical construct. This article again garnered a lot of appreciation from our readers, propelling it into the top 40 most popular articles of 2021.
10. Issues and solutions for Veda Pathashalas: What ails our traditional education and how to solve it
This article written by Suren talks comprehensively about Veda Pathashalas, the traditional Vedic schools in India. From its funding to courses available to the career options to the reforms and suggestions to balance the needs of modern society against demands of Vedic learning, this article is so extensive that it piqued our readers’ interest and made it to the top 40.
11. The assassination of Mahashay Rajpal, the publisher of Rangeela Rasool: How secularism and freedom of expression died along with him
This article was co-authored by @aryasanghi and @Vedic_Revival speaks about the assassination of Mahashay Rajpal, the publisher of the satirical book Rangeela Rasool, which revealed details of Prophet Mohammad’s marriages and sex life as it is in the Quran and had a surface appearance of a lyrical and laudatory work on Muhammad and his teachings. Explaining how Mahatma Gandhi became instrumental in the killing of Mahashay Rajpal by inciting the Muslims against him, the article also hints at the double standards of the left cabal, who try to portray themselves as proponents of secularism and free speech in India while suppressing dissenting voices.
12. The Government of NCT of Delhi (Amendment) Act, the 4 amendments, what they mean and why the outrage by media is misplaced
Towards the end of March this year, President Ram Nath Kovind had given his assent to the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2021. When the bill was passed by Parliament, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had termed it a “sad day for Indian democracy”. This article by S Sudhir Kumar delved into the unnecessary media outrage over the Government of NCT of Delhi (Amendment) Act. He explained how the biased media helped Kejriwal, by pinning the blame on Modi for a law bought by the Congress party. This article, which exposed leftist media bias, received a lot of attention from our readers and became one of the top 40 most viewed stories of 2021.
13. Bombay High Court ‘skin-to-skin’ judgment: Trivialising Statutory Provisions safeguarding victims of sexual assault?
Bombay HC judge Justice Pushpa V Ganediwala had drawn flak for her controversial “skin-to-skin” order on sexual assault at the beginning of the year. In his article, OpIndia contributor, Pranav Choudhury, analysed the controversial judgement given by the Bombay HC judge that trivialised the ghastly crime of sexual assault, opining how it is critical for the judiciary to intervene and protect the victims, rather than reading statutes in a way that allows the criminals to get away with their crimes.
14. The state-sanctioned Christianisation of Andhra Pradesh: A primer
The opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh, right-wing activists have long been accusing YS Jagan Reddy, a Christian, that ever since he became the Chief Minister of Andhra, he has spent a huge amount on the Christian community services, with an eye on encouraging conversion activities. Experts have raised their concerns regarding the spree of freebies doled out to the Christian communities by the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led Andhra Pradesh government. The freebies were not only causing a loss of public money but these appeasement schemes are also aimed at encouraging ordinary Andhra citizens to convert. This article by Sai Priya Chodavarapu, speaks about how ramping up of conversions, and their large-scale commercialization began under the Congress government of YSR.
15. ‘China has bought the silence of Muslim countries using their money’: An Uyghur activist speaks out against the silence of the global community
There is a long history of dissonance between the indigenous ethnic Uyghur and Chinese authorities. The Chinese government refuses to categorize Uyghurs as an indigenous population and describe Uyghurs as a regional minority. Dr Burhan Uluyol (Uyghur), the article’s author, spoke about China’s unabashed atrocities against the country’s ethnic minorities, particularly the Uygurs, while also pointing to the stoic silence of other countries, especially Islamic countries, over the issue, which he believes have been bought by China.
16. Why ‘climate activists’ criticize PM Modi for everything else, other than what he is doing for the climate
Modi bashing has been the favourite sport of the opposition parties, the coterie of leftists and their friendly media ever since the former has taken up the reigns of the country in his hands. In this article published on February 15, 2021, writer S Sudhir Kumar spoke about all those ‘climate activists’ who have invariably criticised Prime Minister Modi, that too for reasons outside of climate change.
17. Twitter fans an insurrection in India, uses the same phrase it used 10 years ago during the Arab Spring
This year, Twitter’s left bias has been a widely discussed topic. In the run-up to the US elections, Twitter played a significant role in censoring content that was inconvenient to now President-elect Joe Biden. In this article writer, T Waraich discussed how Twitter’s attempt to equate the Farmers Protest to the Arab Spring was its attempt to delegitimize the Indian Government in the eyes of the Indian people and the rest of the world. The author stated multiple facts to assert that Twitter had fanned an Arab Spring-like situation in India, hoping for it, by not withholding accounts that have either indulged in or fanned an insurrection in India. This article did exceptionally well with our readers safely securing a position in the top 40 most-read articles of 2021.
18. Global Conspiracy Against India: How ANTIFA ‘activist’ rallied for Rana Ayyub, Kashmiri Separatists to fan protests in India
Carola Rackete, an ANTIFA activist and German woman infamous for captaining and docking a sea vessel with 53 illegal migrants, and her subsequent arrest in Italy, had expressed support to the farmer’s protest in India along with an endorsement for infamous Hinduphobe Rana Ayyub. She had also gone on to recommend following the Twitter account @standwithkashmir, a Twitter account that openly calls for the end of ‘Indian Occupation’ in Kashmir. This article by T Waraich delved upon the global conspiracy of Kashmiri separatists to fan protests in India.
19. What is a Hindu Temple Part 2: Their Symbolism and Vastu Shastra
An article on Hindu Temples by Monidipa Bose Dey, which discussed Vastu Shashtra as a directional science and the various gods associated with it and also discussed the foundation rites and rituals followed while constructing a temple, also received tremendous response from our readers making it one of the most read articles of 2021.
20. How incendiary Punjabi songs are fueling dangerous narratives surrounding the ‘farmers protests
Another article that made it to the top 40 was written by Devanshu Mittal, who detailed how incendiary Punjabi songs reinforced dangerous narratives surrounding the ‘farmers protests.’ He documented a number of songs that were meticulously exploited to incite secessionism and promote the Khalistani narrative in order to further divide Punjab and India.
21. R-Day riot and aftermath: How “fact checking” became the biggest form of fake news
With the media playing such a significant part in Indian politics, a number of ‘fact-checkers’ have sprung up that strive tirelessly to legitimise the ideology they believe in, even if it means falsifying facts. In his article, the author- Abhishek Banerjee talks about such ‘fact-checkers’ and how they came in super handy for the liberals in the aftermath of the Republic Day violence.
Discussing how the fact-checkers went into overdrive in the aftermath of the R-Day violence in Delhi, the author defined the job of the fact-checker, who, according to him, work tirelessly to dismantle the narrative of the other side, by making people focus on marginal details instead of looking at what actually happened.
22. Temples under attack in Andhra Pradesh: Hindus must be granted autonomy and the chance to defend themselves from external attacks
The recent spate of temple vandalism incidents in Andhra Pradesh has shocked and scared Hindus across the country. The unjustified, systematic attacks on Hindu temples across the state, which have grown in frequency and severity over the past year, are concerning, to say the least. This article by writer Sai Priya Chodavarupa gave an insight into this concerning issue that has only grown under the YS Jagan government in the state.
22. How this New Yorker Article represents Deep-Rooted White Western Racism against ‘Brown Indians’
Author Saket Suryesh in this article discusses how the western media has always treated brown-skinned nations and their societies with brazen disrespect by discussing a report by New Yorkers published on 15th of January, 2021, where the writer, Bill Mckibben, has used the follies of his own political systems and societal prejudices as an excuse to attack India and Hinduism.
23. Force the Vote: The churn within the Democratic Party, the ‘Fraud Squad’ and the plank for ‘Medicare for All’ that appears abandoned
In 2021, American society stands massively divided due to divisive politics followed by both sides of their two-party system – perhaps, the most polarized it has been since the American Civil War. While President-elect Biden mouths cliched statements about unity and healing, his own party is undergoing a significant churn as progressives within the party want to move the Democratic Party more and more to the left of the political spectrum. This article by @brakoo analysis this churn.
24. Explained – The political crisis over crop procurement in Chhattisgarh and why paddy procurement has been stopped in the state
Throughout 2021, when the opposition parties, especially the Congress, was crying foul at the central government three farm laws, a political thunderstorm took place in the state of Chhattisgarh where CM Bhupesh Baghel and ex-CM Dr Raman Singh were at loggerheads on the question of mismanagement in paddy procurement. BJP alleged that Congress had failed to deliver its promise of buying farmers produce at Rs. 2500/- quintal MSP while Congress has blamed BJP for creating confusion. This article by @anandwalu gave an insight into the political crisis over the crop procurement in Congress-run Chhattisgarh.
25. Why minorities shouldn’t be worried about the concept of a Hindu Rashtra
This article by Nivan helps bust the narrative created by the leftists that India under Modi has been recast as a Hindu Rashtra where non-Hindu communities would face brutal oppression, and be either suppressed or exiled. Though this notion is incorrect, the Left ecosystem has successfully manufactured this narrative in a bid to terrify non-Hindus living in Bharat, polarising them for political gains. This interesting article that busts this propaganda weaved by the leftist ecosystem, has successfully made its way to the top 40 opinion pieces of 2021.
26. Why tasteless jokes on Hindu gods feel not like free speech, but colonialism
After the arrest of ‘comedian’ Munawar Faruqui in Indore, Indian liberals were asking their favourite question all over again. Why do Hindus these days have no chill? Why can’t they just take a joke? And what about free speech? Read this article by our regular contributor Abhishek Banerjee in which he discussed the double standards of the so-called liberals, that has been out there in the open for decades.
27. Dismantling Global Hindutva: When haters chose anniversary of Islamic terror on American soil to spew venom on Hinduism
A conference that took place in September this year, with sponsorship from Universities in the United States of America had attracted a lot of attention in India. The theme of the conference was ‘Dismantling Global Hindutva’ and was attended by ’eminent intellectuals’ of the Indian liberal camp. Shockingly, the anti-Hindu lobby chose the anniversary of one of the worst ever Islamic terror attacks, which took place in New York on September 11, 2001 to hate on Hindus. Besides, the numerous ridiculous and asinine comments that were made at the conference the timing of the event was something far more ridiculous, as discussed in this article by Priyank.
28. How Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath have rejuvenated the sugar economy in Uttar Pradesh
Sanjay Manyal in his article explained how with the collective efforts of farmers, industry, agricultural scientists, state and central government, the sugar industry has had a turnaround from being a vulnerable Industry to a strong cash flow generating sector in Uttar Pradesh.
29. How the Malabar Massacre of Hindus left a baby beside the body of her dead mother and a million other atrocities that were committed
The Moplah genocide of Hindus is hardly taught in our history books and the Khilafat movement leading up to it are shamelessly whitewashed. In our history books, we are often told that the Khilafat movement was one where Hindus and Muslims fought together to oust the British. OpIndia has extensively covered the Moplah genocide of Hindus and brought to the fore the harsh truths about the heinous genocides in history, that was started as Malabar Muslims supporting the Caliphate in Turkey under the Khilafat movement and got widespread support from Congress leader, most prominently, by MK Gandhi. This article by Shyam Sreekumar delves into the topic, which has widely garnered the interest of our readers.
30. Balochistan: How Pakistani forces killed two little children in Hoshab, tried silencing protesting parents as the world watches on
In the early morning of October 10th 2021, frontier corps (FC) Balochistan, killed two Baloch minors and injured another by firing mortar shots in the Hoshab area of Turbat Balochistan. Two of the killed children were identified as Allah Baksh, his sister Sharatoon (Malee) aged 5 and 7 years old and wounded one identified as Muskan. All three kids were playing in the back of their home when FC personnel fired mortar shots, as a result of which two of the three victims were killed and one suffered serious injuries. This article by the President of Baloch National Movement UK Zone, Hakeem Baloch, wrote in detail about the atrocities meted out by the Pakistani forces.
