Bengal, Kerala: the BJP’s last frontiers
When a few days ago, Delhi BJP leader Nupur Sharma tweeted pictures of the 2002 Gujarat riots and attempted to pass them off as Bengal 2017, she was only...
An abusive Phone Call
Why aren’t you in Basirhat, you bloody xxxx Muslim supporter, an anonymous caller asked me last night. I normally don’t respond to the abusive callers but for some reason...
A tale of two ‘events’
This is a tale of two distinct events: One staged by the common citizen, the other by our VVIPs. The ‘Not in My Name’ protests were held in several...
The Poison of ‘kuch log’
Last night, I interviewed Junaid Khan's father Jallaluddin when he said something that left me numb: 'why do they hate us so much sir that they kill us because...
Silence please, we are in power!
“We don’t need to be told by media or opposition what we need to do for farmers. We would rather listen to farmers and not to carping, negative opposition...
Why India must play Pakistan more, not less
If paanwallahs in north India are a signpost for the election breeze, then taxi-drivers in London are often astute sports forecasters. When my London cabbie turns out to be...
Law above faith: Triple talaq is moment of truth for secular liberals
A good lawyer doesn’t allow personal convictions to get in the way of a challenging brief is one of the valuable lessons we were taught in law school. It...
Modi govt at 3: Caught between As, Bs, and almost a C!
In the world we live in, where nuance has little space, and where the news and instant opinion is polarised in black and white terms, I am dubbed,...
Tale of Two Daughters of India
This is the story of two daughters of India, both victims of horrific sexual crimes. Jyoti Singh was a bright 23-year-old, dreaming of a career in medicine that would...
Boycott Pakistani Mogambos on TV!
Last night, I was watching a familiar face from Pakistan venting bile on Indian news television: a self styled ‘political-military analyst’ Syed Tariq Pirzada has made it his professional...