In their continued efforts to win over tribal people and carve out a sanctuary for themselves in Kerala, Maoists have struck again this time, vandalizing a villa in the hill district of Wayanad, Kerala, set high on the Western Ghats. Forests in this region are connected to those in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu covering various … Continue reading Kerala: Maoists Warn Locals of Dire Consequences
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The Truth About Northern Kerala’s Homoeroticism
PLACES ARE ONLY AS famous or infamous as their people and, over a period of time, a destination begins to take on the traits of its demography. Going by anecdotal evidence, in Malabar, which comprises a handful of districts in northern parts of Kerala, homosexuality is rampant. There may not be any sexual-orientation data or … Continue reading The Truth About Northern Kerala’s Homoeroticism
Open Defecation: Quitting the Habit
AT THE HEIGHT of the General Election campaign in March this year, crowds in the Tribal village of Baranti in Raghunathpur area of Purulia district, West Bengal, were upbeat because they no longer had to answer the call of nature behind sal trees or even far away where they risked being bitten by venomous snakes. … Continue reading Open Defecation: Quitting the Habit
Ashok Gehlot: The Desert Fox
Sure, the Jodhpur-born two-time Chief Minister of Rajasthan (1998- 2003 and 2008-2013) has over time pulled off several magic-like tricks in politics that have helped him rein in rivals and rise rapidly in the party, especially in the 1970s and 1980s when Indira Gandhi and son Rajiv were party chiefs. Currently national general secretary of … Continue reading Ashok Gehlot: The Desert Fox
Radicalisation of the Kashmiri Mind
THE FAMED BLUE SKIES of the Valley are dotted with ominous clouds as I wait with my photographer colleague outside ward No 8 of the worn-down Sri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital (SMHS) in Srinagar for Dr Adil Ashraf, president of the resident doctors association. On the wall ahead of us is a warning scribbled in … Continue reading Radicalisation of the Kashmiri Mind
Mamata Banerjee: What, Me Worry?
AT 1:15 pm on 8 April, Mamata Banerjee arrived in her Hyundai Santro at the Directorate of Land Records & Surveys in South Kolkata’s Alipore area. She would have been pleased, it appeared, if the car had been even smaller, like a Nano, the cheapest Indian car. After all, the West Bengal Chief Minister’s efforts … Continue reading Mamata Banerjee: What, Me Worry?
Can BHU be Redeemed as the University Turns 100?
An apocryphal story goes that an enthusiastic Palestinian student who came to study Hindu Philosophy at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) returned home a few months later because he was convinced he had greater access to Hindu scriptures and literature in libraries in the Middle East than the place he once considered the ‘Mecca of Hindu … Continue reading Can BHU be Redeemed as the University Turns 100?
Nicolas Hénin: ‘France Should Not Make the Mistake the US Made After 9/11’
French journalist Nicolas Hénin wrote the best-selling Jihad Academy: The Rise of Islamic State after he was released by ISIS in April last year, 10 months after they captured him from the Syrian town of Raqqa and held him in inhuman conditions. He was held hostage along with James Foley, Steven Sotloff, Alan Henning and … Continue reading Nicolas Hénin: ‘France Should Not Make the Mistake the US Made After 9/11’
How Emigrants from Madhapar in Gujarat Made It One of Asia’s Richest Towns
When he is in Madhapar—and he is here every October without fail—what Laalji Patel loves most are those lazy mornings he spends at the vathan, a windy open space lined with neem trees and populated by cool- headed, friendly cows. Here he plays cards with friends, who he has known since primary school, until it … Continue reading How Emigrants from Madhapar in Gujarat Made It One of Asia’s Richest Towns
India’s New Liberators
Until a few decades ago, innovation in India meant striking a new business opportunity. Entrepreneurs and innovators who rose from nothing to the top of their game were then feted as icons. Not for nothing, of course. The hurdles they had to overcome were formidable. Bureaucratic red tape and policy hiccups that marked the Licence … Continue reading India’s New Liberators
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