Posts from the politics category.
Another celebrity is the latest victim of India’s true culture.One that binds us and unites us. One that we swear by and kill for. Personal taste. Pet Peeves. Judgement.Its a basic human trait, to be fair. No part of the world, however unexplored, is untouched by it. But I am yet to find a people who use it for as many different purposes as Indians. From concluding what one wants to eat, to getti...
Page 20: Uttar Pradesh, with over 200 million people, recorded just over 10,000 cases of grievous hurt in 2014. In contrast, London, with under 9 million people, recorded over 70,000 cases of assault with injury offences, according to its police statistics for 2014-15. London’s crime rate is 7x of UP. Page 29: During the 2010-2014 survey, the Indian sample demonstrated a lower commitment to democr...
Indira Gandhi remains India’s first and only female Prime Minister. And in a country like India, where women are still not treated as equal to men, that is celebrated. But I want to argue against it - on multiple counts. We have many more female role models, should we care to look closely. None attained the power that she did, but none should, in the manner that she did it. My only exhortation to ...
It was complete co-incidence that I started reading this book at the same time as the drama in South Korea was unfolding. And the fact that the people of South Korea shut down this nonsense even before it began, yet again shows the fragile nature of democracy in countries like S Korea who had to fight tooth and nail for it. This hard won democracy needs to be protected at all costs. As in South Ko...
You share quiet moments with death,Standing tall where the world ends,At the border where life feels fragile,Yet your resolve never bends.The Himalayas stretch endlessly before you,Wrapped in a cold, merciless white.There’s nothing but snow, silence,And your unwavering fight.The wind cuts like knives, the frost grips your soul,But your fire refuses to fade.In the heart of this frozen wilderness,Yo...
Banning books is a sign of cowardice. A society that tolerates this act is actively hindering it's own well being. While this act can be disguised and paraded as securing order and peace, it is a form of insidious censorship that serves only to curtail any exploration of the truth.
The synthesis of an investigative journalists forays into the depths of corruption in India. In a sense the book lays bare what we already, inherently know. The paradox for me is - how do I square this view of Indian democracy with what exists on the ground? As someone who doesn’t live in India, and is not connected to the rhythms of the society - does it favorably juxtapose against the backdrop o...
Museums have been a sanctuary for me for a long time. I cannot overstate their importance in my adult life. This entity that is a welcoming space to explore art, heritage, history and anthropology - has been another piece of the puzzle to understanding what and why of “us”. There have been multiple incidents of activists throwing soup at painting to bring attention to global warming and humanity’s...
