To those reared to believe in the protective parental shadow, Shamlalji’s passing away this morning represents the closure of a final chapter of childhood. The senior-most member of a tight-knit trinity comprising the late Prof. Sisir Gupta of Jawaharlal Nehru University, my own father and Shamlalji’s successor at The Times … Read More
The stoning of King Gyanendra’s cavalcade on the auspicious occasion of Shivaratri, supposedly by egalitarian Hindu devotees objecting to the custom of royal precedence, suggests growing Maoist fears that the forthcoming elections to the Constituent Assembly may not give them a winning mandate. Reports from Nepal indicate that the institution … Read More
On 28 January 2007, Delhi’s unpretentious Paharganj locality played host to thousands of Nepali Maoists, almost half of whom crossed over from the neighbouring country, while the rest were already residing in India. Held under the banner of the Nepali Jan Adhikaar Suraksha Samiti (Bharat), the 4700-strong gathering included representatives … Read More
