First Quote Added
April 10, 2026
Latest Quote Added
"Ethnic Uzbeks form less than five percent of Turkmenistan’s population – that country does not publish detailed statistics on demography -- and it is uncertain how many of them want to leave or are being restricted from doing so."
"makes an important point, i.e., that states can persecute religious majorities, not only religious minorities. It claims such is the case in Turkmenistan, where the government is engaged in a harsh “repression of Muslims who deviate from the state’s preferred interpretation of Islam.” One problem is that what this interpretation is, is unclear. …Turkmenistan punishes both the Muslims who are not religious enough and those who are too religious, but finding a logic in the behavior of officials and the police, often dictated by the bribes they receive, is difficult. …[A]ll believers whose freedom of religion is violated in Turkmenistan should feel supported by the international community."
Young though he was, his radiant energy produced such an impression of absolute reliability that Hedgewar made him the first sarkaryavah, or general secretary, of the RSS.
- Gopal Mukund Huddar
Largely because of the influence of communists in London, Huddar's conversion into an enthusiastic supporter of the fight against fascism was quick and smooth. The ease with which he crossed from one worldview to another betrays the fact that he had not properly understood the world he had grown in.
Huddar would have been 101 now had he been alive. But then centenaries are not celebrated only to register how old so and so would have been and when. They are usually celebrated to explore how much poorer our lives are without them. Maharashtrian public life is poorer without him. It is poorer for not having made the effort to recall an extraordinary life.
I regret I was not there to listen to Balaji Huddar's speech [...] No matter how many times you listen to him, his speeches are so delightful that you feel like listening to them again and again.
By the time he came out of Franco's prison, Huddar had relinquished many of his old ideas. He displayed a worldview completely different from that of the RSS, even though he continued to remain deferential to Hedgewar and maintained a personal relationship with him.