The recent smear campaign that has come to fore when UC Berkeley workshop on “South Asian Capitalism(s)” which has exposed yet again how Western academia, aided by their ideological allies within India, continues to demean, distort, and delegitimize Bharat’s civilizational identity. The viral poster portraying Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath under the caption “We fool you” is not just an insult to three elected leaders of the world’s largest democracy. It is an insult to 140 crore Bharatiyas, their mandate, and their self-respect.
The fact that IIT Bombay’s name appeared as a co-host in this event is equally shocking. Though IIT-B has issued a denial, the very mention of India’s premier institute alongside this venomous propaganda piece raises questions about how deeply the Leftist-activist ecosystem has penetrated even our temples of higher learning.
“South Asia”: A Colonial Construct to Erase Bharat’s Civilizational Supremacy
The most telling part of this saga is the choice of words: “South Asia.” For centuries, our civilization has been referred to as the Bharat Upmahakhand (the Indian subcontinent) — a term that naturally asserts Bharat’s centrality in the region. The Himalayas in the north and the Indian Ocean in the south clearly define this geographical entity, with Bharat as its heart and soul.
Yet, post-World War II, Anglo-American academia deliberately popularized the vague, rootless term “South Asia.” The intention was clear:
To decouple Bharat from its civilizational preeminence and present it as just one country among many equals.
To deny Bharat’s cultural supremacy and instead give disproportionate weight to artificial, post-colonial constructs like Pakistan or Bangladesh.
To keep Bharat in a “manageable” frame, never allowing it to claim its rightful leadership of the region.
By refusing to use Bharat Upmahakhand or even “Indian subcontinent,” Western scholars consciously undermine Bharat’s identity. This is intellectual colonization masquerading as academic neutrality.
The Leftist Capture of IITs and IIMs
What is more heartbreaking is that this colonial framework has found loyal foot soldiers within Bharat itself. From the faculty chambers of IITs and IIMs, Left-leaning professors carry forward the #BreakingIndia agenda. Their language is steeped in anti-Bharat narratives, their research funded by Western think tanks, and their loyalty often lies with the Anglo-American Deep State.
This double standard is striking: in India, they posture as Marxist revolutionaries denouncing “global capital,” but abroad, they happily serve as cultural informants for Western academia. Their hypocrisy reveals the true purpose — not scholarship, but sabotage of Bharat’s civilizational confidence.
The Shameful Role of Indian Media
Equally distressing is how India’s own mainstream media handled the story. Take the example of the Times of India headline:
> “IIT-B delinks from event after Indian netas lampooned.”
Instead of calling out the direct insult to the democratically elected leadership of Bharat, ToI chose to trivialize it by reducing Modi, Shah, and Yogi to mere “netas.” This linguistic de-hyphenation is not accidental. It is a subtle but deliberate way to reduce the gravity of the insult. In doing so, ToI reveals its deep-seated disdain for Bharat’s leadership and its servile alignment with Western liberal academia.
The Hypocrisy of Western Academia
At the heart of this incident lies the rank hypocrisy of Western scholarship. For centuries, the West plundered the oriental world, particularly Bharat — not only of material wealth but also of intellectual treasures. They looted manuscripts, dismantled indigenous education, and appropriated knowledge systems of Ayurveda, Yoga, and mathematics without acknowledgment.
Yet, instead of apologizing for these civilizational crimes, the West continues to lecture Bharat on democracy, human rights, and equity. Their own societies are plagued by growing schisms — racial inequality, collapsing family structures, gun violence, widening wealth gaps. These failures are conveniently brushed under the carpet, while Bharat is targeted with weaponized reports such as the Hunger Index or Democracy Index.
The same Western academia that turns a blind eye to corporate exploitation in America or racial riots in Europe suddenly becomes a self-proclaimed authority on Bharat’s “capitalism” or “communalism.” This selective blindness is not scholarship — it is ideological warfare.
Breaking the Colonial Lens
The UC Berkeley poster is not just a one-off act of academic immaturity. It is part of a long continuum of civilizational delegitimization. From branding Bharat as merely “South Asia” to depicting its leaders under insulting caricatures, the West seeks to contain Bharat’s rise as a confident, civilizational state.
What this episode should remind us of is simple
Bharat must decolonize its academia and reclaim civilizational terms like Bharat Upmahakhand.
We must expose the hypocrisy of Western academia and its Indian collaborators.
Above all, we must remember that every insult to Bharat’s elected leaders is not personal — it is an attack on the mandate of the people and the dignity of our civilization.
This fight is not merely about a poster. It is about who defines Bharat — its enemies, or Bharat itself.
Jai Hind
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