Many of us have never had to ask ourselves this question. And maybe that’s the privilege we need to confront first. Because for millions of Indians, especially those from our minority and marginalised communities, this is not a rhetorical question. It’s a lived reality. It is a quiet burden. It is a deep suspicion cast… Continue reading Am I Indian Enough?
For two days during this recently concluded Budget session, MPs were in Parliament from 11 am to 4 am the next morning. Seventeen hours on the trot. Surely, parliamentary democracy is all energised and in top form. Right ? No. Completely wrong. Don’t let the contrived all-night-long sessions deceive you. To borrow a sentence first… Continue reading Parliament Session Recap: Don’t Let The All-Nighters Deceive You
A look at some of the interventions by MPs, across party lines, on issues that affect the lives of citizens Parliament session after Parliament session, a few things change. The coffee spoons have moved from Central Hall to the seemingly swank, yet soulless, corridors of a modern-day cafeteria. Heritage can’t be traded in for the… Continue reading In Parliament, beyond politics
The Prime Minister’s podcast to a friendly interviewer was a master class in how to attempt to set a narrative. Soft questions. No follow-ups. A popcorn Q&A, then coated with caramel and served up by news platforms falling over each other to please the Masterchef. The key words from the podcast were then plated, garnished… Continue reading PM Modi Podcast: An Alternate View
Human animal conflict also a serious issue On World Wildlife Day this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Vantara, a wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and conservation centre – also called a private zoo. (To give you context, the Delhi Zoo is spread over 200 acres. Vantara is 3000 acres!). As Sagarika Ghose, a colleague of mine… Continue reading Private zoos must be accountable
In its first three sessions of 18th Lok Sabha, both Houses combined have passed just four bills – the worst in 75 year history. The second part of the Budget Session of Parliament begins in a few days (March 10). The first part of the Session, last month, faced significant setbacks, marked by legislative inertia,… Continue reading New Parliament Session, Same Old Habits
After being a cric-maniac for several years, I am now suffering from a condition we could call cric-apathy. This simply means that one has completely tuned out the sport. The cric-apathy is so acute that one hasn’t watched a single ball on television of the ICC Champions Trophy. Just too much cricket. This isn’t an… Continue reading How I went from cricket fanatic to cricket apathetic
Three reactions after the stampede and deaths at Kumbh Mela. Multiple news platforms: A stampede-like situation occurred at Kumbh… Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister: Between 1 am to 2 am, at the akhara route where arrangements were made for the Amrit Snan of the akharas, some devotees crossed over the barricades and were critically injured. They… Continue reading Rail Fail. That’s the Headline
When Donald Trump took the stage at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC for a post-inaugural rally, he had an unlikely hero to thank for his victory. Not a Silicon Valley technocrat. Not a trusted DC campaign manager. Not a donor. Instead, a first-year student at New York University. Correction: His son, a first… Continue reading How to be a visible politician
Your columnist introduced a Private Member’s Bill during this session of Parliament. The proposed legislation aims at removing the provision exempting marital rape in India. Section 63 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (one of the three new criminal laws passed by this government) continues to provide a disturbing exception for marital rape, undermining the autonomy… Continue reading Who’s Afraid Of Criminalising Marital Rape?
