Opposition-Mukt Bharat?
Long before Puducherry, there was Goa. In 1994, riding on the Ram Janmabhoomi wave, the BJP won four seats for the first time in the 40 member Goa assembly....
From Cinema to Cricket: Copy Paste Celebrities
Long before Akshay Kumar, there was Kishore Kumar. The singer-actor crooned his way into the hearts of millions but his genius was not confined to his melodious voice. In...
Thank you Rahane and Co, in gloomy times we needed a blissful moment like this
It’s pitch dark. It’s cold. Bloody cold. 5.30 am in January in the national capital can be cruel on the body. Wrapped up in a warm blanket, bleary-eyed, you...
The ‘Adani Ambani’ Connection
Remember the Hindi films of the 1960s socialistic era when the villain was often the ‘evil’ exploitative ‘udyogpati’ (industrialist)? Now, decades later, the farmer protests have recreated a familiar...
A prayer for 2021: where the mind is without fear ..
After a traumatic and turbulent 2020, its time to ring in a new year with hope. And since Rabindranath Tagore is being re-discovered by our netas ahead of the...
The Anna and kisan movements
One of the more ironical images during last week’s Bharat Bandh called by farmers groups was that of social activist Anna Hazare on a day long hunger fast in...
Farmers vs Modi govt: Reform by Diktat
‘Are these really farmers who are blocking the roads and protesting?” It’s a quizzical question asked often enough on prime time news tv by many who have rarely stepped...
The inscrutable man in the shadows, Ahmed Patel
In the byzantine corridors of the Delhi durbar, power is the sole currency. Power here doesn’t flow from a gun barrel but from position and address, the more proximate...
TV Anchors vs Aam Aadmi: ‘Personal Liberty’ cant be selective
“Let’s send the message across to every High Court. Please exercise your jurisdiction to protect personal liberty. Because that’s the ultimate reason for our existence as constitutional courts.. if...
Bihar’s ‘Shatranj’ Election
Electoral politics in Bihar provides a much needed dose of oxygen for a critical patient on ventilator. For the last 12 months, Bihar has lurched from one disaster to...