The Kolkata Police’s ‘advisory’ (read ‘warning’) to Salman Rushdie to stay away from the ‘cultural capital of India’ was not based on anticipation of Muslim volatility in Kolkata (or, indeed, any other part of West Bengal): It was based purely on political exigency as the police’s bosses in the Writers’ Buildings perceived it. It had nothing
More than a month after the Delhi rape incident, much of the anger has subsided. The intervening period saw intense debates, mass protests and much collective action from different people. Two issues were emphasised repeatedly: the commodification of women by the patriarchal society and the sheer brutality of the violence leading to the death of the female victim. Both these issues however have
In a democratic country, the constitution of which promises freedom of speech, what has Shah Rukh Khan done wrong in speaking about how he felt about certain things at certain point of time in his life? Why is everybody hell-bent on accusing him of trying to establish victimhood? Why can’t his views be personal? Once those arclights are off, why can’t Khan be li
Warning: This is a politically correct report. The author does not take responsibility for any or all of the words, actions, theses, syndromes (whether actual or perceived), typecasts or typos you will come across in the words strung together to form sentences underneath this disclaimer. Warning 2: Read with a pinch, handful or bucketful of salt. Dateline: Delhi. Ti
So much has been said about Ashis Nandy’s remark about people from the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe (SC/ST) communities being the most “corrupt” that let me take a minute to recapitulate all of it. Most of those arguing for Nandy lament the loss of debate in the Indian republic. Debate, they say, is dead. Some say we are living in an illiterate society where no one can
At the IIM Ahmedabad campus, the Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions (SRISTI) organised the 10th Sattvik traditional food festival, hosted an innovation exhibition by the National Innovation Foundation (NIF), and facilitated farmers’ haat for organic produce to connect producers and consumers. Around 50,000 people visited Sattvik during Decem
When people – students and housewives, slum-dwellers and the south Delhi set – came out in the streets demanding justice for the gangrape victim, only one factor was missing in the state’s response: empathy. The first response from those elected or appointed to oversee law and order was obviously to play the blame game. When the prime minister spoke up a week later, a couple o
Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde, it seems, is yet to come to terms with his present position. A strongman of the Congress’ pinch-and-cachinnate battery, he forgets his new chair hardly allows him that luxury. After his recent gaffes have invited guffaws and sparked criticisms, we hope he learns the bitter truth soon. In the eye of storm for his unwarranted comment that he h
In terms of statistics, India has perhaps solved the puzzle of primary education. The enrolments are high, according to many reports. The government is also happy securing brownie points on this issue. But, dig deeper and you will find poor quality education now becoming a huge challenge for the country. Two recent reports released in the new year highlight the sad affairs of education,
Less than a year after taking over the reins of Uttar Pradesh after his historic poll victory, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav’s laggard legacy comprises only this much: an ugly blame game between the horse and the cart. Yadav has held state bureaucrats responsible for the failure in implementing various projects that formed part of the Samajwadi Party`s (SP) poll manifesto prior to the ass
With an average tenure of 18 months for each chief minister since its formation in 2000, Jharkhand seems to be set to become a test subject for constitutional pundits whether small states suffering from continuous instability are a fit case for being made union territories – what with repeated the president’s rule anyways. After eight CMs in a short span of its format
Mamata Banerjee has a lot to tell everyone, every day. The general public, the voters, other political parties, political opposition (“CPM”), Maoists, conspirators, “anti-people central gorment”, “mischievous and conspiratorial media” — they all get their daily dose of homilies from the West Bengal chief minister. But it’s time Banerjee di
Some years ago, when a friend who had just been invited to provide commentary for a cricket match broke the good news at the press club, a senior journalist told him: “At least now you won’t make spelling mistakes.” Had it been the reverse, and a commentator had been offered a slot as a columnist, well might he have been told, “At least now you won’t make terrible
Six months since I started driving a diesel hatchback — feeling proud and smarter than the rest every time I am at a fuel station — I am suddenly told by everyone that decontrol of diesel prices is good for the economy. It was necessary. And maybe they are right. I am told that diesel deregulation would also augur well for the current account deficit. It offers a possibility
It takes political will to take the nation forward. The UPA government in its first avatar took a major decision by establishing a high-level committee under the leadership of the prime minister (in short Sachar committee) to study about the plight of country’s largest minority population, the Muslim community. After gathering data and studying the conditions of Muslims, the committee pre
Ever since India accused Pakistan of killing two Indian soldiers on January 6, beheading one of them, at the Line of Control, the tension and the war of words between two countries have only gone north. In the latest, India has raised Pakistan`s continuing support to terror groups at the United Nations, seeking international action against the state sponsors of terror. India named Pakistan terr
There is no end to the blunders that the central reserve police force (CRPF) commits in its anti-Maoists operations. Less than seven months after its men went berserk and killed 19 people in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, most of whom turned out to be innocent villagers, it has again landed itself in a mess. This time in Jharkhand’s Latehar district. The facts of this enco
The 26-year-old genius was found dead in his New York apartment where he committed suicide. Involved in the development of Reddit and founder of RSS feeds, here is why his sudden suicide should caution us all. Aaron Swartz wanted everyone, even those without a fancy university education and its privileges to access journals, to access information online. In turn, however, Swartz was ind
The devil is always in the little details. Uttar Pradesh is notoriously corrupt, with its broad sweeping brush not sparing even the sick and ailing. Yet, Hilauli is often cited as an example of how a few good men with a few good intentions can use funds of the national rural health mission (NRHM) to transform the health map of a block. On the surface, a lot has changed. The sub-centres (SC), pr
Forty-eight hours after making a mutilated response to Pakistan sending back a jawan’s mutilated body, defence minister AK Antony is still busy taking guard (“right hand middle, umpire sir”) even as the bowler is halfway through his over (left-arm over, two bouncers on the trot, anyone?) Antony, who on Wednesday had called the Pakistan army’s action “inhuma
