Skripal affair: a counter view
What seems distant or remote could be the trigger for what passes for domestic turbulence.
IF one were to anchor a TV programme with the archival revelation that it was Benazir Bhutto who introduced Theresa May’s husband to the future British prime minister at an Oxford reunion ball in 1976, many of us would perhaps happily spend a lot of our precious time glued to the looped and re-looped discussion. […]
Burdens of the past
My comparison was ill-chosen, and the chastisement I received for it is merited. I also agree that the headscarf and the skull-cap are akin to the turban and the vibhooti, markers of religious identity that should not offend anyone when displayed in public.
BY: Ramachandra Guha “Indeed, the Muslims have all the social evils of the Hindus and something more. That something more is the compulsory system of purdah for Muslim women. These burka women walking in the streets is one of the most hideous sights one can witness in India.” Thus B R Ambedkar, writing in the […]
What is in the name?
Highlighting ‘Ramji’ in Ambedkar’s name!
Currently many a dalit’s leaders are up in arms and criticizing the move of UP Government of adding ‘Ramji’ in official records of Bhimrao Ambedkar. It is true that Babasaheb signed the Constitution as Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, but as such not too often Ramji is added to his name. The addition may not be challenged […]
The realpolitik of change
Saudi reforms are a way to preserve its political order. But they are still welcome.
BY: Sameer Arshad Khatlani The global media has been abuzz with the pace of the Saudi Arabian reforms. And rightly so. After all, Saudi Arabia has come a long way. From being the world’s only country to bar women from driving, it has now even made the abaya, a loose-fitting robe that covers a woman’s […]
A ‘Dalit Spring’ is on the horizon
Last week's nationwide Dalit protest was a turning point in India's caste struggles.
On April 2, hundreds of thousands of India’s Dalits poured into the streets to take part in the Bharat Bandh, or all-India strike, called by Dalit organisations across the country. The former “untouchables” were protesting against what they say is the dilution of a law meant to protect them. The mass protest, which was the […]
Saudi Crown Prince, Trump Together Staring At Syrian Exit Door
The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, 32, has once again given international affairs a twist which has caused a hush to descend on the world centres of power. He announced that Bashar al Assad would not be toppled. “Bashar is staying”, he said, then continued, “but we believe Bashar’s interests are not […]
Waiting for 2019
General elections in India are still a year away. Yet, given the state of the nation today, the electorate cannot wait to throw out the current dispensation that came promising ‘ache din’ (good times), not to mention tall claims like 2 crore jobs, bullet trains, Rs15 lakh in every bank account and, above all, good […]
The ‘fake news’ fiasco
Smriti Irani’s cure is worse than the disease
Has Smriti Irani, Union Minister for Textiles and Information and Broadcasting (I&B), become an embarrassment for the government? Her fake news press release is not the first time she’s stumbled on a banana skin. There have been several earlier occasions and each time she’s thrown the skin herself. Let me recount the facts, and then […]
Lessons from Cape Town!
As one revisits the past, s/he sees peace and prosperity, but as the world became more advanced it began to pose huge challenges to its dwellers. The world population is spreading and is expected to increase to about 10 billion by 2050. There is over exploitation of the resources. The world is suffering because of […]
Dimensions of hatred
This week while Malala Yousafzai and her family were in Pakistan, visiting five years after she had left the country close to death on a stretcher, a furious debate raged all over social media. From her character to her possible status as a traitor, and her services, or disservices, to her homeland, everything has been […]
