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
Any honest assessment on the anniversary of the World Trade Centre tragedy must surely conclude that there is no global coalition against terrorism. There never really was. The coalition was a polite term coined by President George Bush Jr. to garner the support (or mitigate the opposition) of the international … Read More
In Half a Life, V.S. Naipaul narrates the tale of a rich merchant plagued by domestic woes engendered by the folly of two marriages. Approaching the hero’s father, who runs a sort of ashram, for help, he seeks to win sympathy by comparing himself with King Dasrath who had three … Read More
This fortnight is particularly rich in issues of national concern, what with the Election Commission and the President both going to Gujarat, and the continued turmoil in Jammu & Kashmir. But I’m going to give it all a miss for a matter of more fundamental concern in a nation that … Read More
By the simple act of removing his own shoes at Mahatma Gandhi’s samadhi, President Abdul Kalam has subtly rewritten the rules of political etiquette in a nation long inured to the wanton disregard of democratic and republican values by its ruling class. It is to be hoped that in future … Read More
