The two-day lightening strike by Government and private doctors in Bihar, following the abduction of orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Bharat Singh by suspected extortionists, is only the latest instance of lawlessness in the eastern badlands of India. The almost simultaneous arrest of a CPM activist in a scandal of alleged rape … Read More
Now that we know that the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister owes his political and physical health to the regular intake of cow urine, it may finally be possible for us to maturely discuss hitherto neglected issues that have a vital bearing on our nationhood. I say this because the purpose … Read More
In spite of the spotlight on Sardar Patel and his genuine legatee in the recent Gujarat elections, developments since Narendra Modi’s return to Gandhinagar suggest a vindication of Lokmanya Tilak’s belief that the Hindu community forms the natural core of the Indian nation. Tilak desired amity and cooperation with Muslims, … Read More
The euphoria sweeping the Bharatiya Janata Party in the wake of its spectacular success in Gujarat is understandable and justified. A party that looked forward to the forthcoming polls in several states with trepidation suddenly feels vindicated and vitalized. But there is no straight road from Gandhinagar to other state … Read More
Few men in modern history have dared to meet a tide in flood and ride out boldly into the open sea. Yet this is precisely what Narendra Modi has done. Baptised quite literally by fire, battered by a sensation-mongering media, charge-sheeted by ideologically committed activists and hounded by an irrationally … Read More
The eighty-fifth birth anniversary of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi sparked off some reminiscences about one of the most towering personalities in independent India. Mrs. Gandhi was the product, rather than presiding deity, of a momentous transition in the life of the nation. Her tenure was dogged by forces that … Read More
The Shankaracharya of Kanchi, Swami Jayendra Saraswati, broke a critical stalemate in the current controversy over the merits of the Tamil Nadu ban on conversions by force, fraud or inducement, by offering worship at a Dalit-run temple in Madurai (The Hindu, 12 Nov. 2002). The Veerakali Amman temple, which serves … Read More
The Tamil Nadu government’s unexpected ordinance banning religious conversions through force, fraud or inducement, has brought a prickly issue into the open. While the move has upset communities that are not content with the constitutional freedom to practice their faith freely, it has been received with a sense of relief … Read More
The legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, one of the last credible advocates of the nation’s civilizational integrity, received a cruel blow on this birth anniversary when a Polish missionary in India was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize (Times of India, 3 October 2002). The Puri-based Father Marian Zelazek who works … Read More
The English language media’s inability to come to terms with the possibility that Narendra Modi may win even the delayed elections in Gujarat has inspired vituperative outbursts against the former RSS pracharak. Yet the declamations are notable for the fact that, for the first time in several years, they avoid … Read More
