If Narendra Modi’s ego is as large as his detractors claim, then he will want to be remembered as a great prime minister, better even than Atal Bihari Vajpayee. To do that he will have to focus on growth and development. At the end of this interminably long election of fear and loathing, three questions: […]
What sort of prime minister will Modi be? Read More »
Compared to the geeky earnestness of her brother, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is a star. Her belated entry will not stop a likely UPA defeat, but you have to credit her with putting up a fight. If the Congress campaign suddenly seems to have shifted to a more combative mode, it has one woman to thank
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is a charismatic enigma Read More »
With a sex ratio of just 877, permitting such marriages in Haryana is less radical shift and more pragmatic solution. Hisar: The winds of change are gently blowing through Haryana, but, ironically, it is the state’s skewed sex ratio rather than social revolution that is making this possible. In a state where men are increasingly finding
Khap inter-caste marriage ruling a sign of compulsion, not reform Read More »
Paid news undermines democracy. Yet, as a sting operation goes public, why aren’t we more concerned? You didn’t need a survey to predict the reactions. As TV channel News Express broadcast a sting operation that showed as many as 11 polling agencies willing to tweak results for a price, the reactions by political parties played
A ruinous law of omerta Read More »
The SP deserves to lose. That’s a small compensation for those who live under open skies in the Muzaffarnagar riot relief camps, scrambling to rebuild what is left of their lives. ‘Live communities don’t wait for five years.’ Akhilesh Yadav might want to heed these words attributed to his party’s mentor, Ram Manohar Lohia, speaking
Akhilesh’s apathy towards UP riots victim is bewildering Read More »
The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate should know that national pride lies in not wanting the world to look at India in admiration. It lies in making your country a better place for its citizens. The man who hopes to be India’s next prime minister is talking about national pride. It will be built on the
Narendra Modi should make real promises, solve real issues Read More »
Caught in a shadowy time between tradition and globalisation, post liberalised India’s fascination for godmen continues. My first instinct was to laugh. Only in India would a seer dream of a long dead king telling him about buried gold. Only in India would this be taken seriously enough to send the Archaeological Survey of India
India’s enduring fascination with godmen Read More »
Now that Rahul Gandhi has termed the ordinance on convicted lawmakers ‘nonsense’, it is pretty much dead in the water. What remains to be seen is whether the government will follow through by also withdrawing the Bill. A few days from now we will witness that annual ritual known as Gandhi Jayanti when politicians trot
Voters will be watching Read More »
Hours after I return from Bhutan’s Mountain Echoes literature festival, I find myself rather appropriately elbow-deep in books. Lit fests open windows to this closed world. Hours after I return from Bhutan’s Mountain Echoes literature festival, I find myself rather appropriately elbow-deep in books. The house-painters had moved in. I had promised to empty out
Bonding over books Read More »
Despite numerous attacks, there are no street protests demanding justice for the victims of acid violence. No campaigns for the basic demand for the ban of acid sales. Speaking in a clear, sing-song tone, Laxmi says she cannot forget that day on April 22, 2005 when acid was thrown on her face. The man who
A life of pain and penury Read More »
Elections in India are not decided by Twitter trends or ‘likes’ on Facebook. Thanks to Twitter, I’ve now learned a new word: Feku. Even as Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi addressed meetings in New Delhi, the first at the FICCI Ladies Organisation and the second at CNN-IBN’s Think India festival, the hashtag, ‘Feku’ (boaster, teller
The stage’s virtually set Read More »
Hand on heart, how many of you cheered, or at least felt a bit relieved when you woke up to news of the death of Ram Singh, one of the principal accused in the Delhi December 16 gang-rape case? Hand on heart, how many of you cheered, or at least felt a bit relieved when
It’s our system on trial Read More »