Let's Talk Tattva: A Philosophy Discussion Forum

About us & Our Vision: 

na yaḥ sam(p)ṛcche na punar havītave, na saṃvādāya ramate | 
tasmān no adya samṛter uruṣyatam… ||
Save us, Today, Mitra and Varuna
From those foes who do not ask questions
Do not offer sacrificial oblations, and
Do not rejoice at a conversation…
~ Ṛgveda 8.101.4

praśna sabse pahle saṃskāra par hī uṭhatā hai.
Indeed, the inheritance (saṃskāra) gets questioned first.
~ Mukund Lath

Prāśnika (the questioner) is a journal that operates under the auspices of Let’s Talk Tattva. It seeks to promote philosophical engagements with the everyday lived realities of South Asia. We invite critical philosophical reflections upon our everyday cultural, social, and political realities. The idea animating Prāśnika is that there is an urgent need to engage with the vibrant inner life of the concepts and categories that have been historically deployed in the sub-continent. We aim to engage with this indigenous topology of meaning-making endeavours stemming from the languages and lifeworlds that gather together the subcontinental imagination. Towards that end, Prāśnika intervenes at two levels: one, it uses these concepts already preserved in our languages to probe the times we dwell in, and two, it determines the phenomenality of our interpretive efforts contingent upon the rigour and clarity of the picture of the world we inherit through these concepts. We at Prāśnika firmly believe that the concepts and categories that can not seem to withstand this proposed dual manoeuvre deserve a further intensification with regard to their professed concerns. And these intensifying efforts, needless to say, Prāśnika would be ever receptive to.

Broadly, four values guide Prāśnika’s efforts. Originality of engagement: either in scope, content or modality. Multilingualism: We encourage thinking through and across concepts/categories in various languages. Inquiring broadly: bringing philosophy to extend and speak to the problems highlighted across disciplines. Philosophising across topologies: we recognise the state of the globalised world we inhabit, and instead of acquiescing to either horn of the false dichotomy between narrow parochialism (too firmly attaching ourselves to self-concocted identities) and procrustean universalism (giving up entirely on one’s own identity; a disregard for the vibrant inner life of the subcontinent), we seek ways of navigating them.

Issue 1: Monsoon 2026 

Thinking and its Futures Past: On Questioning as the Interspace (antarikṣa) of Thinking and Poesy in the Sub-continent

The inaugural Monsoon 2026 issue of Prāśnika turns to questioning as the basic posture of thought. It inquires into the ways in which questioning has taken shape in the subcontinent at the tense intersection of vicāra (thinking) and kāvya (poesy), and how that shared history influences our present understanding, and to harness our ability to question. Rather than treating poetry as mere ornament and philosophy as pure critique, this issue re-enacts their sahodaratā, their siblinghood, as co-originary practices of questioning.

The figure of the Kavi (poet), often evoked as the “friend of god” and the earliest interlocutor of philosophers, lends us a guiding thread for the first issue. We attempt to trace the kavi’s act of naming—sculpting speech and vision—as always preceding and sustaining explicit argumentation. Whereas philosophy is usually understood to be categorial in its approach and poetry emotive, we seek to inquire into the role played by the broader linguistic topologies in the formation of the singular body of these co-evals as what is loosely called the “écriture and which Rājaśekhara would have preferred to call kāvyapuruṣa” (Faruqi 2005). This issue attempts to trace the antarikṣa – or interspace (Taylor 2024) – between the two in the primordial act of creative language-ing (i.e., meaning-production).

The presence of this antarikṣa opens up the following lines of enquiry. How can the rich sedimented traditions of philosophising and poetising in the subcontinent avail an elementary mode of access to this interspace? What will be the character of questioning opening this interspace that preserves primordial topologies of thinking and poesy for us? What relation does this mode of questioning have with the canonical traditions of philosophy and poesy? How would the categorial thinking and poesy in the light of our understanding of interspace be conceived? 

“Futures past” names the second axis of the inquiry proposed. How did past thinkers in the subcontinent imagine the future of the aforementioned antarikṣa? What are the enduring influences of their debates, dialectical practices, and “future plans?” In retracing the traditions of disputation, modes and means of questioning, and variegated notions of history and inheritance, this issue asks what questioning might look like in twenty-first-century India. Bringing together essays, reflections, and exercises in questioning, this first issue of Prāśnika seeks not to settle what questioning is but to retrospectively stage its ongoing work in and for the subcontinent.

With this in mind, we invite contributions on the following themes, but not limited to them:

1. What is the character/status of kavi or philosopher in the pre-classical literature? Is there a difference between the two therein?
2. What is the role/status of thinking in classical poetics and philosophical theories?  
3. Is classical poetics sensitive to its own philosophical assumptions? 
4. How sensitive is classical philosophical literature to its linguistic topologies, shaped by poetic traditions? And do poetic traditions shape linguistic topologies?
5. How do poets in linguistic traditions other than classical (Sanskrit, Pali, and/or Prakrit) envision or conceptualize the relationship between philosophy and poetry?
6. How do regional linguistic traditions conceive the role of a poet or philosopher?
7. How does poesy influence philosophy? And vice versa?
8. What is left behind in canonization of “classical” poetry and philosophical literature?

Submission Categories

1. Book Reviews: Books relevant to the theme of the issue ~2000 words
2. Philosophy Articles: Original pieces of writing engaging with the theme  of the issue; ~4000 words (including footnotes and bibliography) 
3. Translated Articles/Poetry: Pieces of writing on the theme of the issue outside the Anglophone literature

Expectations from Authors:

1. Interweaving the Theme
   Submissions should meaningfully engage with the issue’s theme—not merely gesture at it. We seek pieces that explore the theme with philosophical depth, conceptual clarity, and a reflective seriousness. Whether the engagement is direct or tangential, it should be thoughtful and well-integrated.
2. Argumentative Rigour
   We encourage submissions that present a clear thesis and offer a reasoned defence of it. Even in experimental or hybrid formats, the work should demonstrate critical thinking, intellectual coherence, and argumentative structure.
3. Policy on Language and Style
   While philosophical writing often requires precision, we ask authors to strike a balance between technical accuracy and readability. Use technical terms where necessary, but define them clearly and concisely. Avoid jargon where possible, and strive for clarity without oversimplification. The goal is to communicate complex ideas effectively to an informed, interdisciplinary audience.

Submission Guidelines

1. Submission Language 
   If you wish to write in a language other than English, please specify it during submission. We will try our best to arrange translators for the same. 
2. Diacritic Marks
   For Sanskrit transliteration, please use the IAST (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration) system. For regional languages, we are currently reviewing best practices and welcome consistent and respectful usage of diacritics.
3. Plagiarism Policy
   Plagiarism is strictly prohibited. Authors bear full responsibility for the originality and integrity of their submissions.
4. Inclusive Language
   We encourage the use of inclusive language. Note that the singular “they” is accepted and recommended, in line with the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS 18).
5. Formatting Requirement
   We prefer submissions that follow the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS, 18th ed.). Please adhere to the following formatting specifications:
   File type: .docx
   Font: Times New Roman/EB Garamond
   Font size: 12 pt
   Spacing: Double
   Ensure your manuscript follows the general conventions of academic writing.
6. Author Bio
   A short bio (200–300 words) with a list of your publications, if any. You are also welcome to share a representative image or another form of preferred representation.
7. Simultaneous Submissions
   You may submit your work elsewhere simultaneously. However, if your piece is accepted for publication elsewhere, please inform us immediately.
8. Monetisation
   Currently, we do not charge submission fees or offer compensation to contributors. The magazine will remain freely available online for reading and sharing.
9. Post-Publication Rights
   Authors retain full copyright of their published work. We kindly request that you acknowledge this magazine as the original place of publication in any future reprints or citations. 

Please use this Google Form for Submissions: Prāśnika Submissions

Outline of the Editing Process

Proposed Editorial Timeline (Post Abstract Acceptance):

1. Draft 1 Submission:
   Contributors submit the first full draft by the selected deadline.
2. Editorial Review – Round 1 (2 weeks):
   Editors review and provide feedback on Draft 1 within two weeks.
3. Contributor Revision – Draft 2 (2 weeks):
   Contributors revise and submit Draft 2 within the following two weeks.
4. Editorial Review – Final Comments (1 week):
   Editors provide final comments and any additional requests within one week.
5. Final Submission (1–2 weeks):
   Contributors submit the finalised version, including any necessary credits, aesthetic notes, image requests, and a short author bio.
6. Final Confirmation (1 week):
    Editors review and confirm the final version within one week.