They Splurge, We Vote

Sunday 9 March '08

Is democracy not really a divider between Chinese and Indian middle classes?

What an Ant Hill

Sunday 7 October '07

For argument’s sake let’s grant that secular, liberal politics is utopian. But so what?

God and us

Friday 14 September '07

Indian secularism isn’t built to question faith. Pretending otherwise is silly.

Out of Venice

Sunday 9 September '07

In his last book, Dibdin gets America wrong

5 minutes vs 5,000 years

Thursday 9 August '07

Forget what America wants. What will coddling Iran give India? How important is Iran?

Emissionary position

Monday 16 July '07

A mainstream, pro-growth reason why India must agree to binding carbon cuts

How to Fail Multiculturalism

Sunday 15 July '07

An average book and a crucial question from an ex-Islamist

Before and After Midnight

Sunday 1 July '07

Von Tunzelmann conveys the immense importance of the enterprise of giving India her freedom and the shabbiness that surrounded it. And you will not find a more graceful interpretation of what transpired between India’s first PM and her last vicereine

Just 3 more years in India?

Friday 22 June '07

Look down from the high point of Marxists’ 30th Bengal anniversary. You can foresee their national decline

Once upon a time, PM said: Creating wealth creates jobs, business is bridging social divide

Saturday 26 May '07

The prime minister has been talking to us once every two days — 529 speeches in the 1095 days (three years) he has been in office. Was his 529th speech, delivered at the CII...

Queen and I, and you

Saturday 12 May '07

Mayawati’s politics proved us all wrong. Perhaps, her economics will make us alright

Big Sum of Small Parties

Sunday 22 April '07

What happens when rules become antithetical to the spirit and substance of democracy?

Montek mantra

Wednesday 21 March '07

UPA’s inflation panic may turn into growth fear. Poor or middle class, we should be scared

Ask not what budget can do for reforms, ask what we can do to reform way we look at it

Thursday 1 March '07

Big dragons of socialism slain, action shifts to states, unfinished reforms can’t be signed in by the FM

No Applause for Ashok Mitra

Sunday 25 February '07

What a pity. The Marxist’s memoirs have been poorly translated. His economics is of course dodgy in any language

Why be a pill pauper?

Saturday 24 February '07

Patent law change doesn’t affect the poor. It benefits our pharma. What’s the problem?

No, minister

Saturday 20 January '07

Will the forest departments of Maharashtra and Jammu & Kashmir be flooded with angry protests — 2,000 if not 20,000 — over the gut-wrenching communal slaughter of two leopards in the two states? The slaughter was on TV.

They all look the same

Saturday 13 January '07

A sharp and weighty reminder every morning that journalism pays the bills comes via the stack of newspapers waiting to be read/flicked through/glanced at.

Communism and its uncle

Wednesday 10 January '07

CPM split once and became moderate. It should split again and become modern. But it probably can’t

But Will They Play Good Cricket?

Sunday 7 January '07

You may sometimes not feel like asking what’s next in the plot while reading Michael Crichton’s new book on transgenic creatures, but you will want to ask what next from him after finishing it. Just blame it on Hollywood and Steven Spielberg

The Nithari whodunnit

Saturday 6 January '07

No matter what your medium, if you are a journalist one of the most difficult tests you face is to rise above the banal when confronted with the emotionally wrenching.

News with Capital A and small b

Saturday 30 December '06

Did I see, late Christmas night, or to be more accurate, very early Boxing Day morning, a figure, shivering and very, very afraid?

Aap ki adalat

Saturday 23 December '06

Of course TV news didn’t call Ram Jethmalani back to the studio and revisit the extraordinary thesis it had proposed a few weeks back...

Striking reflections in a vase

Saturday 16 December '06

You channel-wallahs pay drivers only Rs 4,000”, CPM’s Dipankar Mukherjee said twice on Times Now’s evening news show; Thursday’s strike was the topic of the moment.

Some Singur slips

Saturday 9 December '06

They came marching, banners and kurtas flapping. The legends on the banners were disappointing, though. “Farm land for farmers, not Tatas” — come on guys, you can do better, Bengal has a wonderful tradition of intelligent political invective.