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 Image 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…

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 of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) rather than a presidential challenger, ElBaradei declared that Singh was the “model of what a political leader should be”. As leadership change gets underway in Egypt, it is unlikely that ElBaradei will be looking to Singh for inspiration.…

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, said an injured Harbhajan Singh back in 2008, he had never called Andrew Symonds a monkey. He had merely used that common expression favoured by macho men who live north of the Vindhyas: maa ki….Symonds (who in case you hadn’t noticed is of African descent) heard…

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 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. The timing – just as his boss BS Yeddyurappa,…

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 gems as Mahesh Bhatt, Suhel Seth etc doing such a great job of trying and sentencing cases, why bother with mere judges? Hours after a sessions court judge ruled guilty — Maria for destroying evidence and Jerome for culpable homicide — and handing down the…

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 debate on the status and treatment of domestic workers in urban India. It did not. Predictably, the issue was ignored by most mainstream media as a page three snippet. Equally predictably, the businessman was out on bail in a matter of hours, despite the twin…

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 Wangchuck (a writer who is also the festival’s patron), escorted this young woman to the front row, necks craned further: who was this woman? Was it true that she was going to be the next queen of Bhutan? Last week, 31-year-old King Jigme Khesar Namgyal…

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 odour altogether. It’s the stink of corruption that will not be cleansed. HT Image No matter how many Ashok Chavans are given marching orders, no matter how many Suresh Kalmadis are snubbed, no matter how many A Rajas are dropped, the prevailing stench of something…

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 Sexual Harassment at Workplace Bill: “I — and all male employees, for that matter — better fear the workplace.” In Bangalore, an organisation called Save India Family Foundation says the bill will, ‘endanger genial gender relationship in workplace (sic)’. And in office canteens the buzz…

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 ability to shake the status quo. None of this is the exclusive prerogative of any age, of course, but it is the young who seem to have agitation hardwired into their DNA. That is why the unknown student stopping tanks in Tiananmen Square remains a…

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. Some travel on work, others take religious pilgrimages. There are those who want action-packed adventure vacations, some don’t want anything more strenuous than the spa. Some believe, philosophically that we travel to get there, others insist that we get there to travel. And then there…

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 a good job (b) earn a degree (c) win the respect of peers and family (d) create wealth or (e) learn skills to lead a productive life. The good news is there is no wrong answer. An education is indeed about gaining skills that will…