Iftar parties: How Politics takes over Religion, how Some Ministers turn to...
IMPRESSIONSIn no democracy is religion as politicised as in India. And no other religious event in India is as politicised as Iftar. The breaking-fast ritual signalling the end of the daily Ramadan...
View ArticleGreatness
Always wondered whether littlePeople may be called "great",Those who live and dieWithout ever coming into the publicEye—noble to the core inEvery sort of menial chore.Or must greatness of...
View ArticleImportance of Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
The following are excerpts from an article written by the author and published in the editorial page of The Hindu on July 5, 2002 after the election of Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to the post of the...
View ArticleDr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam: a Lover of Humanity
TRIBUTEby Vivek Kumar SrivastavaBecause I could not stop for Death—He kindly stopped for me—The Carriage held but just Ourselves—And Immortality Emily DickinsonDr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's death was sudden,...
View ArticleJustice in Peril
The current events have raised some ponde-rable questions relating to our criminal justice system. The system involves three different institutions—the investigating agencies, the prosecution and the...
View ArticleVoice of Justice Cries in Lonely Silence
POLITICAL NOTEBOOKThis morning has put an end to the endless speculations whether Yakub Memon would be hanged. He was hanged. His execution, however, does not provide answers to a whole gamut of...
View ArticleA New Agenda for the Indian Media
MEDIAby Satraajit PalchoudhuryThe execution of Yakub Abdul Razzak Memon on July 30 has given a new issue to the Indian media especially to the 24x7 news channels. Shekhar Gupta in his ‘Walk the Talk'...
View ArticleWill India Pioneer a Brave New Path, or Languish as a Poor Imitator
Any comprehensive understanding of India's possible pathways in the near future should be linked to a wider understanding of the most essential features of the present-day world. India should of course...
View ArticleCorruption and Immorality: An Illustration
Over the recent past a great deal of hustle-bustle has been generated in our country in regard to one single phenomenon, namely, corruption. New news-channels have cropped up now and then on the TV...
View ArticleSri Lanka: The Resurrection of Mahinda Rajapaksa
The audacious ambitions of Sri Lanka's former strongman and President Mahinda Rajapaksa continue unabated despite a humiliating defeat barely seven months ago. A defeat-induced humility, on display...
View ArticleDilip Hiro's Longest August: Perils of Action-Reaction Analysis
BOOK REVIEWYogendra KumarThe Longest August: The Unflinching Rivalry Between India and Pakistan by Dilip Hiro; 2015; Nation Books, New York; pages: 520; price: Rs 799 (distributed by Penguin India).The...
View ArticleModasa—It is Just a Beginning: How Hindutva Supremacists are rushing to give...
IntroductionAre investigations into the Hindutva terror-related cases changing course? A series of apparently unconnected developments definitely strengthen that belief.Close on the heels of renowned...
View ArticleTribute: Mourning Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
The death of Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has been widely condoled. He was a person with unusual qualities, perhaps the most prominent of which is largely missing from contemporary public life, namely, simple...
View ArticleTribute: P.R. Chari
TRIBUTEOne of India's most well-known proponents of nuclear disarmament, P.R. Chari, passed away in New Delhi on July 24. Chari, a former officer of the Indian Administrative Service, served two terms...
View ArticleRBI and Ministry of Finance: Shadow-boxing over RBI's Role
The RBI Governor and officials of the Ministry of Finance have often appeared to be at loggerheads in the last more than a year. He spoke on the economy in less than positive terms in his June policy...
View ArticleSeventy Years Ago: WW II on Japanese Front, and Hiroshima
Though the Second World War (WW II) technically ended on May 9, 1945 with the Nazi German surrender to the Soviet Red Army, the war in the Far East, particularly against fascist Japan, continued till...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Thoughts for Indians on independence day: Is Indian Democracy drifting...
“The part taken by Krishna Chandra Roy of Nadiya in the establishment of the English power reflected credit on his foresight; and in recognition of the services rendered by him, Lord Clive conferred on...
View ArticleMilestone in History of Indo-Naga Relations: Naga Perspective of the Peace...
On August 3, 2015 the Government of India and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim or the NSCN (IM) signed an agreement. Although the contents of the Accord have not been made public, it is being...
View ArticleNo Work, No Pay
I was a member of the Rajya Sabha some 12 years ago. The Upper House would be disturbed over one matter or the other constantly. During my six-year tenure, I saw both the Congress and Bharatiya Janata...
View ArticleThe Emergency Deserves Larger Reflections
On the 40th anniversary of the Internal Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi on June 26, 1975, former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani's caution against its recurrence drowned the real issues in the...
View Article