There can be no escaping the conclusion that the Indian people are victims of a presidential coup d’etat. From that fateful evening nearly two weeks ago when he directed the Prime Minister to seek a vote of confidence, to Sunday’s virtual command that the cabinet recommend dissolution of the Lok … Read More
Last year, when Pioneer chose to comment editorially on President K.R. Narayanan’s decision to vote in an election, I remember wondering if it wasn’t over-reacting. Certainly, it was unusual. I also had no quarrel with the view that the Head of State must be, and must be seen to be, … Read More
The unhappy situation in which the BJP-led coalition finds itself today has mesmerised most political analysts and social scientists. Reams of reportage has been expended on the mini-cyclones regularly splattering the regime and clouding the image of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, easily the most respectable politician on the spectrum. … Read More
From the time the first salvo was fired against the BJP and the sangh parivar as a whole over violence involving Christians in some parts of the country, I have pondered over the clashes, which mark a quantum shift in the anti-Hindu rhetoric with which we are familiar. To my … Read More
A new meaning has been added to Bihar’s bulging dictionary of pain. It would seem that its sufferings have no end. The ancient cradle of Indian democracy, learning, and civic consciousness is today a travesty of our tryst with destiny. Bihar is the penultimate example of India’s rupture with its … Read More
Caste, that inexplicable conundrum of Hindu society, has relinquished some of its’ famed rigidity. Last week, as the nation celebrated Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s psychological breakthrough with Pakistan, the Ramakrishna Mission successfully ordained a Pulayar (Dalit) as temple priest at Adoor, Kerala. T.K. Subramandian’s baptism as Swami Vishudhananda was … Read More
“The world modern science has fostered and shaped now appears to have exhausted its potential. It is increasingly clear that something is missing. It fails to connect with the most intrinsic nature of reality and with natural human experience… and is now more of a source of disintegration and doubt … Read More
One can only applaud the courtesy and forbearance of the priests and trustees of Tirupathi Tirumalai Devasthanam in the face Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s arrogant refusal to sign the register affirming belief in the Hindu faith. Such catholicism is the essence of the sannatan dharma (the eternal way of life) … Read More
At least one biblical injunction – thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour – has been so badly mauled in Gujarat that one cannot but feel the urgency for a mature debate on conversions, as suggested by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Thankfully, church leaders have not refused … Read More
“O dharma, how hard it is to understand your essence. Only you know who protects you and who destroys you.” Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s pensive dirge may be taken as a warning that the legitimate perspective of culture should not become a predicament for society. Few know that Vidyasagar’s first work, … Read More
