columns

The case of Norwegian authorities taking away two Indian children for “safe custody” has had several twists and turns. The media may have gone overboard and the government may have spoken on the matter too soon. But were the Norwegians justified in taking away the children? Namita Bhandare asks in 10 questions. A-file-photo-of-Sagarika-Bhattacharya-and-her-child If you’ve […]

Has there been anything more outrageous, cruel and insensitive than the Norway kids case? Dark as a Scandinavian winter, this unbelievable story shows no sign of ending soon. Namita Bhandare writes. Norway-s-child-protection-rights-come-under-scanner Has there been anything more outrageous, cruel and insensitive than the Norway kids case? Dark as a Scandinavian winter, this unbelievable story shows

It is up to Akhilesh Yadav to be the change that the voters have sought. Namita Bhandare writes. The burden of hope lies heavy on Akhilesh Yadav. Uttar Pradesh’s 38-year-old chief minister brings expectation that he will break from the past and usher in new beginnings, beginnings that include development not caste, roads not monuments,

The purpose of education goes beyond a test that asks predictable questions. Namita Bhandare writes. I see them huddled outside the school gates. Some are engaged in chit chat, others stare at unread newspapers as they wait for their children to emerge from the examination centre. They are this year’s batch of anxious parents, prisoners

Human trafficking continues to thrive because of our misplaced priorities, writes Namita Bhandare. For close to a month, a two-year-old baby girl called Falak has gripped the imagination of a nation. Brought in with a fractured skull, bite marks and bruises, she has undergone four surgeries, and is on and off the ventilator. Who knows

Symbiosis College should not have ‘postponed’ the screening of Jashn-e-Azadi. Namita Bhandare writes. HT Image Days after Salman Rushdie cancelled his visit to the Jaipur Literature Festival, the Symbiosis College of Art and Commerce in Pune, acting on a prompt by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the students’ wing of the BJP, postponed indefinitely

If I am to have the freedom to offend, then you must equally have the freedom to rebut – either on a similar platform or in a court of law. Namita Bhandare writes. HT Image Three parables from modern India. A man writes a book that offends some people enough to ban it and, for

There must be zero tolerance for any attempt to justify crimes against women by blaming the victim herself. Namita Bhandare writes. HT Image So what was the 13-year-old girl from Lakhimpur wearing when she was raped and murdered in August last year? How provocatively dressed was the 77-year-old woman raped and beaten up in March

Now that the rules of eligibility for India’s highest civilian honour have been relaxed, that hardy perennial- Bharat Ratna for Sachin Tendulkar — has bloomed again. Namita Bhandare writes. Now that the rules of eligibility for India’s highest civilian honour have been relaxed, that hardy perennial- Bharat Ratna for Sachin Tendulkar — has bloomed again.

Opening cinema halls in defiance of militants or separatist hardliners, even under security, should be a matter of prestige if not priority. Namita Bhandare writes. HT Image Farooq Abdullah is not a man I always agree with. When he suggests that India would be better off as a ‘controlled democracy’, I roll my eyes. When

We must fight for real reforms, not vent our frustrations on easy targets, Namita Bhandare writes. HT Image It was not the slap that landed on Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar that alarmed me as much as Kiran Bedi’s tweet: “Pray proper Lokpal Bill gets passed in Winter session or else pent up anger may

Women athletes deal with sports chauvinism everywhere, every day. Women who must observe hijab by law or custom have the additional burden of demonstrating that their athleticism does not mitigate their faith: switching games, wearing restrictive garments, performing before an all-women-audience, facing fatwas and death threats — whatever it takes. Namita Bhandare writes. HT Image