The sharp reaction to the film, Girlfriend, from both gay rights activists and cultural conformists highlights the surprising fact that modern Indians seem to perceive sexuality in terms of duality, rather than as a spectrum along which a range of experiences are possible. Gay rights activists have a right to … Read More
Even as political correctness makes candid discussion about Islamic fundamentalism virtually impossible, concerned intellectuals the world over are cautiously determined to analyze the concept of jihad and its implications for non-Islamic societies. Ever alert to such dangers, Muslim organizations and their fellow travellers are trying to whitewash the term that … Read More
Joseph K was submitted to the motions of due process of law and allowed to have his say before being snuffed out with banal savagery in Franz Kafka’s grimly prophetic The Trial. Reviving memories of the communist leviathan since consigned to the dustbin of history, Mr. Arjun Singh’s committee to … Read More
There is no denying that the knives are out in the BJP and the Sangh Parivar, and fire fighting by Parivar veterans will not put the genie back in the bottle. VHP supremo Ashok Singhal fired the first salvo in response to Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Manali musings that the … Read More
The BJP rank and file’s seething resentment against the nominations to the Rajya Sabha seems to have taken the leadership by surprise. Still in denial mode about the causes of the May 13 debacle, it sought to make amends with the half-hearted nomination of former Disinvestment Minister Arun Shourie as … Read More
“The need of the moment is not one religion, but mutual respect and tolerance of the devotees of the different religions.” – Mahatma Gandhi The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s sudden decision to revoke the State’s anti-conversion law has brought the spotlight on the morality, if not legality, of religious … Read More
Over three decades after Dharampal’s classic, The Beautiful Tree, established that pre-Macaulay India had a literacy rate of around 73% and virtually every village had a school, the nation stagnates with a literacy rate of 65%. If memory serves me right, over the past two decades, we have managed to … Read More
Indians who believe ‘White is right’ may be shocked to learn that as the 17 June 2004 deadline for finalizing the European Union constitution approaches, the continent stands ruptured by God. Europe is deeply divided over whether her constitution should include reference to her Christian heritage, which has impacted upon … Read More
Ms Sushma Swaraj expressed the deep anguish of thousands of Indians with her threat to resign from the Rajya Sabha if the Italian-born Sonia Gandhi seizes the country’s top executive post. Ms. Gandhi had pointedly withdrawn from the prime ministerial stakes in the course of the election campaign in order … Read More
As Iraq gets murkier and Uncle Sam loses credibility in the war on terror, American analysts are waking up to the extent to which Saudi funds have penetrated the nation’s soft underbelly. According to Lee Kaplan, Saudis have pumped massive funds into leading educational institutions as part of a concerted … Read More
