A festival tells those who are not of our religious persuasion who we are and what moves us. Why do we fast or dance. Religion at its best embraces, not excludes which is precisely why we need to invite and not dis-invite those who don’t practice our beliefs. If the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has its way, Muslims in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat will not be participating in the ongoing Navratri festivities. While vigilant Durga Vahini members will campaign against ‘love jihad’, others will ensure that single Muslim men do not enter garba dance venues, or force them to drink purifying…

A festival tells those who are not of our religious persuasion who we are and what moves us. Why do we fast or dance. Religion at its best embraces, not excludes which is precisely why we need to invite and not dis-invite those who don’t practise our beliefs If the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has its way, Muslims in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat will not be participating in the ongoing Navratri festivities. While vigilant Durga Vahini members will campaign against ‘love jihad’, others will ensure that single Muslim men do not enter garba dance venues, or force them to drink purifying…

As a heaving, aspirational India expands its cities and towns, space for walking seems to shrink proportionately. It’s a lesson that is being learned the hard way as nature brutally reasserts its supremacy. In the middle of a mall-obsessed, real estate-hungry Singapore, I am rambling through a rain-forest. Located within the Botanic Gardens, this unexpected jungle is, for the four million people who visit it every year, a temporary refuge, a place to listen to birdsong and the thoughts humming through your head; a place so tranquil that you can finally hear life minus its constant whir of clicks and…

As a heaving, aspirational India expands its cities and towns, space for walking seems to shrink proportionately. It’s a lesson that is being learned the hard way as nature brutally reasserts its supremacy, writes Namita Bhandare. HT Image In the middle of a mall-obsessed, real estate-hungry Singapore, I am rambling through a rainforest. Located within the Botanic Gardens, this unexpected jungle is, for the four million people who visit it every year, a temporary refuge, a place to listen to birdsong and the thoughts humming through your head; a place so tranquil that you can finally hear life minus its…

Love jihad propaganda inflames communal passions and leads to hardening stands in an already polarised environment, made more fragile by social media and viral rumours, writes Namita Bhandare. News reports on national shooter Tara Shahdeo’s marriage to Ranjeet Singh Kohli, or Rakibul Hasan Khan to use his real name, do not make for easy reading. According to Shahdeo, Khan duped her into marriage in July, lied about his religion, then beat her and set his dogs on her to force her to convert to Islam. Khan and his mother have now been arrested and the truth, hopefully, will emerge and…

Love jihad propaganda inflames communal passions and leads to hardening stands in an already polarised environment, made more fragile by social media and viral rumours. News reports on national shooter Tara Shahdeo’s marriage to Ranjeet Singh Kohli, or Rakibul Hasan Khan to use his real name, do not make for easy reading. According to Shahdeo, Khan duped her into marriage in July, lied about his religion, then beat her and set his dogs on her to force her to convert to Islam. Khan and his mother have now been arrested and the truth, hopefully, will emerge and justice will be…

Narendra Modi has a chance to lead, even change, the nation’s discourse. Right now, we are ripe for a thousand unspoken conversations: Secularism, inclusiveness, development, gender, poverty. But instead of a dialogue we have competitive shrillness. There is a great noise around Narendra Modi’s silence since the 60-odd days that he has been prime minister. Garrulous Candidate Modi of the campaign trail seems to have morphed into politically correct Prime Minister Modi; a travesty of his taciturn predecessor. Yes, we know from his tweets that Modi is saddened by the loss of lives in a Pune landslide, wants to harness…

Narendra Modi has a chance to lead, even change, the nation’s discourse. Right now, we are ripe for a thousand unspoken conversations: Secularism, inclusiveness, development, gender, poverty. But instead of a dialogue we have competitive shrillness. There is a great noise around Narendra Modi’s silence since the 60-odd days that he has been prime minister. Garrulous Candidate Modi of the campaign trail seems to have morphed into politically correct Prime Minister Modi; a travesty of his taciturn predecessor. Yes, we know from his tweets that Modi is saddened by the loss of lives in a Pune landslide, wants to harness…

Progressive Muslim women’s organizations look to help women solve problems within the code of Islamic law. Mumbai: The women in the airy, well-lit room could be women anywhere talking of things that women often talk about. An adult son who won’t contribute to the household expenses. A daughter who is finding it difficult to adjust to married life. A husband who threatens to get a second wife. Seated in a circle at the office of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) in Mumbai, the women are looking for solutions to their problems and they are seeking them within the code of…

Lowering the age of juveniles will take into account the reality of a changed India where crimes against women are on the rise. It will not, however, stop them unless we first create an environment of zero-tolerance. Mumbai’s Juvenile Justice Board has packed off the two underage rapists of a photojournalist and a telephone operator at Shakti Mills to three years in a reformatory school to learn ‘good behaviour’. The two young men were part of a group of five repeat offenders. So grave was their crime that the three adults have received death sentences for the same offence. Women…

Lowering the age of juveniles will take into account the reality of a changed India where crimes against women are on the rise. It will not, however, stop them unless we first create an environment of zero-tolerance, says Namita Bhandare. Mumbai’s Juvenile Justice Board has packed off the two underage rapists of a photojournalist and a telephone operator at Shakti Mills to three years in a reformatory school to learn ‘good behaviour’. The two young men were part of a group of five repeat offenders. So grave was their crime that the three adults have received death sentences for the…

Few other budgets in recent memory have been quite as sweeping in terms of its reference to women and gender. The comparison was inevitable: Rs.200 crore for a statue of Sardar Patel, but only Rs.100 crore for the girl child through a Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao awareness campaign, which will include courses on gender mainstreaming in school curricula. “NDA (National democratic alliance) priorities: 100 cr for beti bachao/beti padhao vs 200 cr for Patel statue in Gujarat,” tweeted Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. “I suppose for BJP neither beti nor murti has a voice.”Yet, despite the carping, few other budgets in recent memory have been quite…