The primary constraint to India’s emergence as a Superpower is simply that this is not the natural culmination of a diligently pursued national quest for affirmation and assertion of the civilisational identity and ethos of this ancient land, now a modern nation-state. The idea of an economically rising India as … Read More
Was the alleged rape of an Orissa nun, following the assassination of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four sanyasis in Kandhamal on Krishna Janmasthami, Aug. 23, 2008, an afterthought by missionaries targetted by enraged Hindus? Was it a planned vengeance, aimed at garnering the international spotlight and forcing Chief Minister Naveen … Read More
If there is a reason behind the madness with which Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi blew the dialogue with his Indian counterpart S.M. Krishna, we should look for it on the frontiers of that imploding nation. Not Indian Kashmir, but the western sector – Afghanistan, Iran, even Central Asia, … Read More
A possibly weak Nuclear Liability Bill is not the only threat facing citizens who are now alert to the apocalyptic potential of environmental disasters like the Bhopal gas tragedy. As dangers of a delayed or inadequate monsoon loom large, it may be appropriate to rethink the wisdom of opening domestic … Read More
Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s spin doctors should advise her that when things get tough, silence is perceived as fearful complicity. Once public outrage exploded over the niggardly sentences awarded to the Indian culprits of the Bhopal gas tragedy and it became known that Union Carbide’s American CEO Warren Anderson was … Read More
The apocalyptic deep-sea oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, is destined to cast a long shadow on all life in that vast biosphere. In its immediate fallout, the catastrophe will ruin the sun-soaked coastlines of Florida, Louisiana, Texas and Mexico, impact Cuba, and totally annihilate … Read More
The year 2009 will surely be remembered for the spontaneous agitation over the Amarnath land for Hindu pilgrims. A keen witness to the uprising, Prof. Hari Om, Gulab Singh Chair, Jammu University, Jammu, has recorded the circumstances in which the people rose; the actors behind the scenes; and its political … Read More
It is now evident that Microsoft founder Bill Gates visited India to push the odious agenda of genetic engineering in agriculture. At a famous talk show, Gates mouthed platitudes about the world being unable to feed its growing population with existing technologies. The only solution, he argued, is agricultural biotechnology, … Read More
Judge M.L. Tahaliyani’s decision to acquit the alleged Indian collaborators of Ajmal Amir Kasab for lack of evidence reveals serious lacunas in the investigations into the Mumbai 2008 commando assault from the sea. Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed allegedly gave logistical support for the November 26 attack by preparing maps … Read More
Was this the face that launched a thousand ships, And burnt the topless towers of Ilium? Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss… – Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) Sunanda Pushkar’s memorable encounter with the Minister of State for External Affairs has seriously dented Shashi Tharoor’s political career even as the … Read More
