Saturday, June 27, 1998
No middleman, please
New Delhi is right not to receive the UN Secretary General's special envoy during his forthcoming visit to South Asia. The trip is being made in pursuance of the Security Council resolution of June 6 which required the UN to monitor progress by India and Pakistan in reducing tensions and resolving all issues, including Kashmir, through bilateral talks.
Mum's the word
Fill in father's name in block letters. For generations, people have complied with this bureaucratic stipulation while filling an application for a ration card, a passport or driving licence, without sparing a thought for the various social biases it reflected. Today, with only 18 months left for the world to reach the millennial threshold, a few institutions in this country are slowly beginning to reflect the revolution in sexual politics that this century, more than any other, has witnessed.
Nothing like the sun
Sunday was the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Children and tourists frolicked in the city's fountains and pale, pink bodies laid themselves bare to the sun. And, along with the hot bright sun and clear blue skies, to announce that summer had officially arrived in the city, England was roundly thrashed at Lords.
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