The failure of the Supreme Court to recognise just how damaging criminal defamation is to free speech is only the latest in a series of assaults. The point about free speech that has been reiterated more than once is that it necessarily includes the right to cause offence. The newest controversy to erupt over free […]
Offended? No matter. Ignore and move on Read More »
I have five questions in the wake of the national outrage following the death of Shaktiman the police horse: 1. Would we have given a damn had politicians not been involved? Forget for a second that last month’s protest near the Dehradun Assembly was led by BJP legislator Ganesh Joshi. What if it had been
Five questions after the death of Shaktiman Read More »
The injection of religious symbolism into the idea of India is deliberate, and dangerous. The sons of Bharat Mata have put their love on public display and it is not a pretty sight. At the Patiala House district court, men in black shout Bharat Mata Ki Jai as they assault journalists, students, teachers and even
We have reached a place of ugly, triumphant majoritarianism Read More »
The Hanumanthappa story plays out at a time when few ideas unite us as a nation. It reminded us of our better selves, of how some things are worth fighting for and how some things must remain inviolate. We have lost a soldier up on the glacier, but also perhaps who we once were as
The Hanamanthappa story reminds us some things must remain inviolate Read More »
Rohith Vemula was not just any son. He was a Dalit son, and to ignore his caste is to ignore the significance of his life and death. We did not flinch at the news that an eight-year-old Dalit boy had his arm amputated after he was thrown into a sugarcane crusher for ‘not working properly’
Rohith’s death: India must have conversation on apartheid against Dalits Read More »
The arrest of a comedian sends a clear message: Religion is out of bounds. Given the volatility of mob sentiment, perhaps a place to start would be for the Supreme Court to draw a line between religion and politics. We might make a tentative beginning with simply scrapping sections in law that today have become
Kiku’s arrest sends a clear message: Religion is out of bounds Read More »
Who decides what is nationalism and how best it is to be displayed? For some, standing up for the national anthem is tokenism; for others it is a sacred duty. For some, our flag and national anthem are the glues of nationhood; for others, nationalism is best expressed through being good citizens. In 2009, months
Mob at Mumbai cinema diminished spirit of national anthem Read More »
Language must evolve, not regress to a point where even 140-character tweets seem like essays. What an emoji says to me is this: I’m too lazy to type out thank you or sorry or well done. I’m too unsure about whether I can express myself without a symbol. They’re everywhere. The text you send about
Don’t pretend that emojis are a language; signs can’t replace words Read More »
Perhaps I have been watching far too many intolerant nightly debates on our lack of tolerance, which tend to wear me down with their decibel level and leave me no wiser. In the words of a friend, I am suffering from intolerance fatigue. Walking along the hills near Shimla, schoolgirls in pigtails greet me with
The road to tolerance begins with civility Read More »
Across the country from Dadri to Faridabad, Moodbidri to Udhampur, there’s a deep sense of unease at events spiralling out of control. Writers feel it, sociologists believe it and the president is concerned enough to have to publicly address it repeatedly in the course of a month. Across the country from Dadri to Faridabad, Moodbidri
The fringe, violent elements of our society have now become mainstream Read More »
Readers wrote letters to the editor — and they still do — because they wanted to express an opinion, vent or just see their name in print. This was their space. In India, most editors agree, the art of letter writing has plummeted. Perhaps the imperative to win the argument in our polarised times has
Letters to the editor: We must get this write Read More »
At a meeting earlier this month to discuss a draft bill of rights for women that Delhi’s AAP government wants to introduce, some women express their anxiety over the proliferation of CCTVs that the government has announced as a safety measure. At a meeting earlier this month to discuss a draft bill of rights for
In the name of protection, safety measures curb freedom of women Read More »