In a swift series of events, the SP patriarch, Mulayam Singh Yadav, fondly known as Netaji, expelled his son, Akhilesh Yadav from Samajwadi Party. After a prolonged internal struggle of power, and the family feud playing itself out it public, the battle got murkier when Akhilesh Yadav’s list of candidates for the 2017 elections was shredded by his father, in favour of belligerent Shivpal
I am made of both Delhi and Mumbai. Intellect will tell you sharply that Mumbai and Delhi are two cities. Nothing more and nothing less. Instinct will whisper softly that Mumbai and Delhi are two beings caught in a passionate embrace that’s part love, part hatred and fully viscera
Humour is a form of communication. There are several healthy forms of humours which can be critical, reflective and constructive for the society. Unfortunately there is one form of humour that does not serve this purpose and has often been overlooked or trivialised. That is sexist humour. This form of humour in public domain is increasingly becoming widespread and controversial. Comedian
On Christmas eve, I met a close friend at a party. As we greeted each other, her face looked grim. I could not figure out the reason for the unusual tension on her face. When I asked, she said she was worried about her daughter. Her only daughter, who is turning 3 in March next year, is all set to face the biggest test of her life. She would soon b
Concerned about the abuse of power, French sociologist David Émile Durkheim in 1912 wrote that there could be no society which, at regular intervals, did not feel the need to uphold and reaffirm the collective sentiments and the collective ideas that made up its unity and personality. Opposition to corruption in India, especially after the 2011 Anna Hazare movement, gave b
It is a known fact that ozone formation occurs when NOX, CO and VOCs react in the presence of sunlight and that more ozone is formed in tropical regions. How does this study move beyond this? What is new here is that we demonstrate the importance of emissions near the equator in a way that has not been shown before. Over the past several decades, emissions have d
Dr Ghys also holds the post of chief, strategic information and monitoring division of UNAIDS. The division’s main functions include analysis of levels and trends in the AIDS epidemic, and monitoring and reporting of progress in the global AIDS response. Trade deals like the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) are proposing stringent intellec
Civil-military relations is not a happy phrase because it suggests a basic dichotomy and opposition between the civilian and the military perspectives. Differences in viewpoints give rise to typical controversies in the modern state everywhere. What is different here is the distinction that is sought to be made between “democratic”, “bureaucratic” and “civilian&rdq
The Norwegian embassy in Delhi, the Royal Norwegian Consulate General in Mumbai, and the Norwegian Business Association India, released a business climate survey report in Delhi in December. The report evaluates the current and future business climate for Norwegian companies in India. Nils Ragnar Kamsvåg, ambassador of Norway to India, speaks to Praggya Guptaa about the promising bu
How would you describe the post-truth phenomenon in the Indian context? Speaking in the context of post-truth, we have a live instance of it in the demonetisation playing out now in India. This involves three things: politics, people and perception, and all three have immediate and direct relation to the concept (of post-truth). It was clear that demonetisation w
“It would not be impossible to prove with sufficient repetition and a psychological understanding of the people concerned that a square is in fact a circle. They are mere words, and words can be moulded until they clothe ideas and disguise.” — Joseph Goebbels Truth is stranger than fiction. It is also less palatable and less pliable than fiction. Truth,
In agriculture, neem oil, fruit and the different byproducts such as seed cake are used as bio-pesticides, fungicides and organic manures. Neem is decomposed slowly, leading to a slower release of nutrients contained in it. The slow release of nutrients is attributed to the presence of extractives used as rewarding adjuvant for nitrogenous fertilisers such as urea. It is estimat
S Srinivasan is the managing trustee of LOCOST, a charitable trust involved with the production of low-priced quality generics for over 32 years. He has also been active in works like transfer of pharmaceutical technology to least developed countries, issues of disadvantaged children and human rights, and relief in disaster situations. In a one-on-one with Kaushal Shroff
Professor Sakthivel Selvaraj is a health economist who teaches at the Public Health Foundation of India and researches matters concerning financing of healthcare and pharmaceutical economics in India. In an edifying chat with Kaushal Shroff, he explains the inner mechanics of the DPCO and speaks on why pharma companies are so keen to see a market free of pricin
India is right at the top among all countries when it comes to international migrants, with Mexico standing second, said a report of the Pew Research Centre. The report: ‘International migration: Key findings from the U.S., Europe and the world’, by Phillip Connor said that millions of people have migrated from their homes to other countries in recent years. So
“This book is written for all the ordinary adivasis I know, who make difficult moral choices within complex constraints, and many of whom are heroic beyond bounds I can scarcely imagine. In today’s condition, it requires superhuman effort for them to merely survive,” writes academician-activist Nandini Sundar in her book, The Burning Forest: India’s War in Ba
Dr Adel Abdellatif is the chief of the Regional Programme Division in UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Arab States and is based in New York. In his current capacity, he coordinates and oversees the publication of the flagship Arab Human Development Report. Prior to this, Abdellatif established and led UNDP’s Programme of Governance in the Arab Region, a catalytic programme advocating
Till a decade ago, Nagrota was a quaint town one would pass through when travelling on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. From Jammu, it’s an enjoyable drive on the 20-km road snaking along the Ramnagar wildlife sanctuary – a trekkers’ paradise – to Nagrota. For the people of Jammu, the Ramnagar forest, spread over 30 sq km, is the source of ‘manda’, the Do
Dr KC Chakrabarty, former deputy governor, Reserve Bank of India, headed currency management at the central bank before taking premature retirement in March 2014. Known for his frank and candid views, Chakrabarty explains to Geetanjali Minhas why he is a critic of demonetisation and its implementation. PM Narendra Modi’s de
Pandit Birju Maharaj is a living legend and an institution in himself. He represents Kalka-Bindadin gharana of Lucknow. He has mesmerised artists and audiences in India and abroad with his Kathak skills. He is also an accomplished vocalist and musician. He can play all string instruments like Sitar, Sarod, Violin and Sarangi. His choreography in Bollywood films like Devdas, Umrao Jaan, Dedh
