Demands have been raised for a judicial inquiry into the recent floods in Jammu and Kashmir. Two reasons are being given to argue that it was a manmade disaster – construction of a road-cum-dam that caused more than 20 percent blockade in the flow of the river and the delayed opening of the flood gates of the Dal. The question is whether these are primary or contributory causes of the dis
To my mind, more important than the Narendra Modi bandwagon’s huge US success, the Oscar for courage, conviction and commitment goes to a man called John Michael D’Cunha. He is a judge in the Bangalore special court looking into the disproportionate assets case against former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, and is the first judicial official in the history of our c
A few years back there were half a million websites in India. Only 20,000, however, were in Indian languages. Today there are over nine million websites, but the number of websites in local languages has lagged behind. Sending and receiving emails in multiple Indian languages was introduced many years back. Since then, however, except for a moderate growth in the use of local languages in socia
The unmitigated arrogance of the returning NRI. Instant coffee observations. Begins at the airport where the stampede out of the aircraft is viewed with globally travelled contempt. Then the slowness of the Immigration, way down from the impressive speed of the recent past. Empty seats beyond the counter, like pulled-out teeth, greet the Indian traveller. Narendra Modi’s ma
BJP wipes out a huge BE (Brand Equity) gained (for itself) in a day - in just a day. Alas it deprives us all – all Indians – a very good chance of reaping the benefit from the noble thought of the Prime Minister – Shri Narendra Modi. That thought was indeed exemplary and highly actionable. For sure,
They should take the Statue of Liberty and ship it to England. Not so much for taking in of the wretched and the poor but certainly for the less than huddled masses who are currently taking the whiplash of empire building to the cleaners under a system called the `welfare state.` Whenever I visit England I am amazed at the incredible tolerance with which the people accept the bla
Once again the issue of whistle-blowing on corruption and impropriety, and protection for individuals who blow the whistle is in the limelight. This, even as the central and state governments and the central vigilance commission (CVC) drag their feet over operationalising the Whistleblowers Protection Act, 2011 enacted in May 2014. In a country where whistling and making catcall
The abolition of the Planning Commission serves as a shock to catalyse real reform. In establishing the functions and composition of the new Think Tank to replace the Planning Commission, the prime minister will have to decide whether India will remain a static agrarian rural society or become an industrial urban society, and cities are at the centre of the fast expanding global economy.
After three weeks of dithering, Shaun Wright finally resigned on Tuesday. Shaun Who? The South Yorkshire police and crime commissioner was in the middle of a storm ever since a report detailed widespread child sex abuse in the UK’s Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. Wright was in charge of children`s services in Rotherham between 2005 and 2010. Now, Wright was not accu
He worked. He fell ill. He died. In Saudi Arabia. Two days ago. He contracted the MERS coronavirus* and his family is reluctant to repatriate the remains back home amid fears that they might get infected if they came in contact with the body. Arab News carried a front page report that has become a global measure for where love has gone. Out of the window. Dasharati Satta
Dear policeman who issued the advisory on how to be safe in Salt Lake, I am so scared of Salt Lake that I cannot remember the last time I was there. In fact, I routinely scold a female friend of mine who frequently goes there and even has the audacity to take sharing cabs from that locality. God pray if some mishap happens, I cannot blame you for not being there. She should and m
This August 23 was a sad day. We lost a great writer who was rooted enough in his tradition to interrogate aspects of it with courage and affection, and who was modern enough to challenge the dominant, Euro-centric conceptions of modernity, even while upholding its universal aspects and values both in his creative writing and in his role as a public intellectual. He was openly sceptical of much
On August 18, in an unexpected move, the Narendra Modi government called off the foreign secretary (FS)-level talks scheduled to be held in Islamabad on August 25. The sudden twist of events left most surprised, including the ministry of external affairs (MEA). The reason cited was the meeting between the Hurriyat Conference, represented by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Shabir Ahm
Much is being made out of Rohit Kumar Yadav`s ascent to presidentship of St Stephen`s College Union - Students Union Society, as it is described within the community. Much should be. For those tuning in late, Mr Yadav is the son of a gardner in the College - the first time since 1881 that a Group D (described as `Class IV` by the Times of India this morning) pa
The board of control for cricket in India (BCCI) has come a long way from being a governing body of all cricket in India to analysing the inner minds of the cricketers – psychoanalysing them for every other failure or success. The board officials seem to have done and known it all. After the debacle against England in the ongoing series, the BCCI has come out with its own
The back-to-back visits by the US secretaries of state and defence have set the ball rolling for prime minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming trip to Washington. The meetings with John Kerry and Chuck Hagel have also set the tone for the government’s engagement with the United States. On a swathe of issues from intellectual property rights (IPR) to defence, the Modi government has made i
There’s so much denial around Narendra Modi in the media that we should be glad his opponents concede he exists in flesh and blood! It’s been nearly 13 years since Modi took political executive office. Not for a day in these years, till about six months ago, could the so-called national media associate anything good with him. Modi was the devil incarnate, a rabid righ
Two reports in 42 days in two newspapers belonging to the same group haven’t helped the civil aviation ministry dismantle the billboards that are obstructing Air India’s Boeing 777 long-haul flights take off from Mumbai airport without huge losses. On June 26 the Hindustan Times put out a bizarre story – of Air India losing Rs 100 crore annually on its flights t
It is yet to be fully appreciated that the key difference with the past has been Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s willingness to act rather than just petition, request or react. At Fortaleza, India agreed to the New Development Bank being located in Shanghai, recognizing the largely symbolic nature of that decision -- to secure an Indian head to shape the rules that really m
In 2009, when the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) extended its services to Noida city, it brought relief for many people. A respite from the never-ending traffic jams, hours of waiting at bus stops or arguing with autorickshaw drivers, who did not have permit to enter the city and thought it was their right to charge exorbitantly. A clean, punctual and efficien
