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We will probably never know the whole truth about what provoked 31 Indian women hockey players to sign a letter backing charges of sexual harassment against their coach, MK Kaushik. But if hockey’s sleazy story taught me one thing, it is this: women athletes are expected to wash their coach’s clothes, writes Namita Bhandare. HT […]

When Mohamed ElBaradei stood up to speak at the HT Leadership Summit in 2007, he began by praising Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Namita Bhandare writes. HT Image When Mohamed ElBaradei stood up to speak at the HT Leadership Summit in 2007, he began by praising Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Known then as the former chief

From facing a penalty, forfeiting match fee, and facing charges of intimidating an umpire, Harbhajan Singh now does a volte-face and plays victim over a UB ad, writes Namita Bhandare. HT Image Ah, yes, let’s see. This is the same gentleman who got away with charges of racism by calling his opponent a ‘monkey’. Oh,

Karnataka education minister Visheshwar Hegde Kageri wants every Indian to respect the Bhagavad Gita – or leave. “Only those who love to adopt western culture can oppose the Gita. Such persons may well quit the country,” the minister is reported to have said. Namita Bhandare writes. HT Image Karnataka education minister Visheshwar Hegde Kageri wants

Every high-profile judgment does not merit a public uproar. Namita Bhandare notes. HT Image Looking at our reaction to the Maria Susairaj-Emile Jerome judgement, I have a suggestion to make. Let’s dismantle the judiciary, turn courthouses into museums and pack off judges to retirement homes. After all, with media stalwarts aided by such civil society

The arrest of a Gurgaon businessman for abusing his servant, an eight-year-old boy, should have brought with it some debate on the status and treatment of domestic workers in urban India, writes Namita Bhandare. HT Image The arrest of a Gurgaon businessman for abusing his servant, an eight-year-old boy, should have brought with it some

Last year heads had turned when a tall, slim and elegant woman turned up at the Mountain Echoes literary festival in Thimphu, Bhutan. HT Image Last year heads had turned when a tall, slim and elegant woman turned up at the Mountain Echoes literary festival in Thimphu, Bhutan. When the Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo

Post the 2G scam, India can either be a banana republic or rise above the mess. The choice is ours, writes Namita Bhandare. HT Image As temperatures dip in the Capital, there is a strange whiff in the air. It’s not the smoky smell of wood fire around which chowkidars huddle at night. It’s another

The sexual harassment bill is a step in the right direction. But can laws alone change the male mentality? Asks Namita Bhandare. HT Image A bill to protect women from lecherous bosses is whipping up fear and loathing, at least in some quarters. In DNA newspaper Nirad Mudur writes about the Protection of Women Against

Of all the seductions of youth, perhaps the most enticing is its potential for change. We associate youth with transformation and an ability to shake the status quo. Namita Bhandare writes. HT Image Of all the seductions of youth, perhaps the most enticing is its potential for change. We associate youth with transformation and an

People travel for a variety of reasons. Some travel to discover new places, others to reunite with families in distant lands. Some travel on work, others take religious pilgrimages. Namita Bhandare writes. HT Image People travel for a variety of reasons. Some travel to discover new places, others to reunite with families in distant lands.

If education is to go beyond a piece of paper, India must produce indigenous institutions with imaginative curriculums. Our testing systems have to move beyond exams to continuous evaluation, as has been done for the 10th grade. Namita Bhandare writes. HT Image Pop quiz of the day: The purpose of education is to (a) get