Every morning I check to see how I can contribute to making our lives richer, more rewarding and useful to future generations. In recent years I have, on the recommendation of various scientists, given up smoking, using the car when a bicycle is available, sold the refrigerator, air conditioner, washing machine and other ozone-depleting devices (I still have my chair, though). In fact, on a goo
The acts of lawlessness by the miscreants in the funeral procession of late Brahmeshwar Mukhiyajee in Patna, last June, raised some issues which any detailed theory of police inaction needed to address: how does the concept of police function in our polity? What is the relation between the government and its police force? In a situation of conflict of interest between the people and the governm
A lot has been happening in India since the past two or three months. Sena Supremo Bal Thackrey died; Kasab was finally sentenced to death though secretly; liquor baron Ponty Chaddha was killed in a freak shooting incident; the LGBT community took out a queer pride procession where they celebrated their being and amid all this Arvind Kejriwal launched his new political
I am three decade younger than octogenarian Ram Jethmalani and still do not qualify to be called young. Hence forgive me if I recount the past while exploring strange relationship between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the eminent lawyer. In 1989, the role of the visual media was confined to occasional photographs captured in cameras by intrepid press photographers. One such photograph tha
Once known as garden city, Bangalore, with about 8 million population is now known for stink, shit and garbage thrown around in the nook and corners of the city where stray dogs (estimated around 30,000) pick up the leftover’s and when hit bite the innocent kids going to school. The two-wheelers and three-wheelers hit the innocent people moving on the walking tracks and the traffic police
Last year a country holding almost 40 percent of the world’s known uranium reserves decided to review and consequently lift its ban on nuclear trade with India recognising it as a responsible nation with an impeccable record of non-proliferation. Indeed, it was a remarkable policy U-turn for a nation that held a very conservative view on both nuclear energy as well as nuclear weapons. Aus
Armani suits, a fleet of high-end cars, a luxurious ten-acre farmhouse in Delhi`s posh Chhattarpur boasting the mandatory aviary and a life-size gold-plated statue of Bajrangbali; Ponty Chadha exhibited all the lifestyle markers of a man who built a 10-billion dollar empire from scratch. Naturally, this incredible wealth had to be protected from foes, of which the liquor baron-turned-real estat
The death by hanging of Ajmal Kasab for his orgy of violence unleashed on Mumbai sends out three major messages. One, that Indian justice may be slow and ponderous but it does finally balance out the scales. But, equally important it gives closure to all the scores of families of the victims who have waited three years for some sort of vindication and often wondered if it would come at
It seems outlandish that Sony’s iconic gaming console Play Station 3, Hallmark greeting cards and smartphones should have anything to do with India’s social welfare programmes. But they do. Technology has an amazing ability to overturn stereotypes and open up new possibilities by meshing together disparate things. A standard birthday card that plays the familiar tune when yo
More than 2.5 million people who came down on the streets of Mumbai like swarms of flies to attend the funeral of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on November 18 demonstrated a remarkable sense of order throughout the day. The rest of Mumbai’s population, who were under an undeclared but fiercely enforced house arrest, did not have a choice and demonstrated a similar sense of order throughou
When the central bureau of investigation (CBI) arrested the then head of the medical council of India (MCI) and the don of medical education in India, Ketan Desai, on corruption charges in 2010, the health ministry had a golden opportunity to bring in much-needed reforms in the system. On the other hand, the health ministry also fought a hard battle with the human resource development
In Delhi you hear people say - “Do you know who my dad is?” and in Mumbai – “You know which celebrity I saw today?” The differences run much deeper than that. From what we eat to what we breathe, from what we see to what we hear and the list goes on and on. Let’s sketch out the life in these two most important cities of India. If Delhi is gree
Not many years ago the Harvard economist Lant Pritchett called India a “flailing state” for its gigantic failures to implement programmes and policies crucial to maintain public trust in governance. According to Pritchett, “In police, tax collection, education, health, power, water supply—in nearly every routine service—there is rampant absenteeism, indifference, i
Some good news for those fighting high healthcare expenses: the drug controller general of India’s (DCGI) office under the health ministry has asked all state drug departments to grant licences to drug companies only on generic drug names and not on brand names. This move, if implemented in letter and spirit, will drastically slash retail prices of drugs, making healthcare afforda
Education is not just about learning facts or developing logical skills. It is also about empathy, imagination, inclusivity, collegiality and playfulness. It is not surprising that a large number of children who may be academically bright feel lost when faced with situations of ambiguity, ambivalence and uncertainty. The IGNITE competition is organised by the National Innovation Foundat
The newly appointed HRD minister MM Pallam Raju has ensured that the deadline set under the Right to education (RTE) Act will not be extended. While addressing the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) meeting, Raju said, “We should push harder for meeting the set deadline”. Although Raju’s assurance is a positive sign, it is equally important to be realistic abou
That Mulayam Singh Yadav is opposed to Women’s Reservation Bill is not new. In 2010, he vociferously opposed the Bill saying if passed it would fill parliament with women who invite catcalls and whistles. His comment invited criticism from all parties and they sought his apology for insulting the fair sex. It’s 2012 now, and the leader seems to have undergone a change of heart. His
At the height of the ongoing world-wide recession, the Fed chief Ben Bernake’s shocked appearances used to discourage us all, who so far didn’t stop believing in the might of otherwise a foregone power-‘central banks’. The current case of RBI chairman D Subbarao is not much different. His contagious ‘smile’ translates into nothing much than an invisible &lsqu
In days of widening income inequality, Abraham Lincoln`s phrase, `government of the people, by the people and for the people`, can be safely reversed. Government of the rich, by the rich and for the rich. In the Indian context, it hold truer than ever. Consider this: between 8 and 16 November, a significant population from the national capital travels to Bihar to be with their families in their
It may not be possible in every country’s political situation to win national elections by becoming a defender of the aam aadmi, but it seems that Indian leaders, especially the young and dynamic Rahul Gandhis, can learn a lesson from how the young American leader, Barrack Obama, clinched his second election victory by doing just that – listening to and working for the American midd
