By all accounts, the elevation of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to the office of President of India originated in an apparently innocuous manner in the unofficial backroom parleys between political parties of both the ruling coalition and the opposition alliance. The emissaries shuffled around the old tired names of tenacious … Read More
Like many Indians, I am bemused to find that we are still engaged in verbal bombast, notwithstanding the high rhetoric following the Kaluchak massacre last month. Even reputed defence analysts seem clueless about what will constitute the proverbial last straw for the NDA regime; Pakistan meanwhile has offered fresh humiliation … Read More
It is difficult to remember when an Indian Prime Minister last visited even the Jammu region of troubled Kashmir. Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s decision to visit the state is therefore a welcome assertion of personal confidence and national sovereignty. As the visit will owe its success to the already overworked … Read More
Indians abroad, particularly those who left the country some generations ago, are going through an interesting metamorphosis. For the sake of a working definition, I would call it an intermediate stage of consciousness. This is not wholly satisfactory because the communities, especially the youth, are bursting with ideas and energy, … Read More
The wise have long recognized that justice must not only be done, but should also be perceived to be done. Unfortunately, this has not been the case in this country, especially regarding the legitimate interests and sensitivities of the majority community. In fact, majority baiting has assumed such alarming proportions … Read More
A Hindu fanatic may burn himself on a pyre, but he will never light the fire of Inquisition under another being – Swami Vivekananda. A people who have traditionally been strangers to the idea of religious persecution are now at the end of their tether, unable to control their … Read More
The Supreme Court’s unfortunate decision to entertain a public interest litigation on the new school curriculum has cast a shadow over the academic year, even as millions of students prepare to report to school next month. The petition has been filed by activists who will enhance their personal profiles with … Read More
Some revolutions come with a whisper. The Kanchi Shankaracharya’s ultimately unsuccessful mediation in the Ayodhya imbroglio is a momentous happening, because it has somewhat diminished the State’s absolute right to dictate the agenda on matters pertaining to the deeply held religious convictions of the people. For the first time since … Read More
American journalist Daniel Pearl’s carefully planned and ruthlessly executed murder by men who felt no compunctions about filming the gory episode, is a grim reminder that both the ideology and the ideologues behind the twin towers tragedy in New York are still alive and kicking. In our part of the … Read More
As Muslim nations, leaders and intellectuals begin responding to growing international concerns over fundamentalism, it may be worthwhile for the United Nations and human rights bodies to consider if the practice of religious-criminal law in several Islamic countries is consistent with the ethos and values of the modern world. Muslims … Read More
