The Silence of Mumbai
Long before Sudheendra Kulkarni, there were the likes of Nikhil Wagle and your humble columnist. In 1991, the Shiv Sena dug up the Wankhede cricket pitch to protest against...
Thank you Mr Fadnavis
A fortnight ago, in this very column, I wrote an open letter to the chief minister of Maharashtra. In the past, I have written open letters to Narendra Modi,...
My Reply to Maharashtra CM
Dear Devendraji,
Firstly, I wish to thank you for replying to my open letter and creating space for a public debate. This is a sign of a truly healthy democracy...
Forget bans, focus on drought
Dear Devendraji, This letter should normally have been a private mail congratulating you on completing one year in office next month. However, recent events in Maharashtra necessitate introspection rather...
Enemy No. 1
One ball to go, four to get. Millions on either side of the Line of Control glued to their television sets, Ram and Allah being invoked in parallel worlds,...
Life and times of Dawood
That Dawood Ibrahim has lived a luxurious life in Pakistan for over two decades has always been that country’s worst-kept secret as I discovered many years ago. It was...
Modi vs Sonia: A serious clash of personalities
In a wonderful television series on the great boxing fights, Joe Frazier is asked on his legendary match-ups with Mohammed Ali. “I guess it wasn’t just about boxing, it...
A son remembers his father
A recent piece on my late father in the Wisden India Almanac was titled Luck by Talent. And that, perhaps, exemplifies Dilip Sardesai’s story.
Selective Justice and Inconvenient Truths
"The Mumbai blasts seem to be a reaction to the 'totality of events' in Ayodhya and Mumbai in December 1992 and January 1993." Justice BN Srikrishna report.
Modi vs Nitish secularism debate: Both types are old stereotypes
It was a picture that perhaps best captured the angularities of Indian secularism: AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien in a topi even as Delhi...