There are some things about life that we take for granted. Sometimes that list includes life itself, whether we realise it or not. On Wednesday, May 21, I boarded an Indigo flight from Delhi to Srinagar. Just another day in public life. Just another flight. I take my usual seat at 19F, at the emergency… Continue reading 30 Terrifying Minutes On A Delhi-Srinagar Flight That Changed My Life
It has been one month and one day since the monumental tragedy at Pahalgam. Every life matters. More than 20 lives were lost in Poonch, Rajouri and Uri. Prime time debates did not do justice to this part of the story. At least 15 people were killed in Poonch, including four children. Three were killed… Continue reading A quizmaster’s tribute to the Indian Armed Forces
1. The operation conducted by the Indian Air Force (IAF) during the 1999 Kargil War was given the codename Operation Safed Sagar. What was the codename for the operation conducted by the Indian Army? 2. Which former President of India was responsible for the development and operationalisation of the Agni and Prithvi missiles when he… Continue reading What Is Your ‘War Quotient’?
Long before I started asking quiz questions or delivering speeches in Parliament, I spent eight years in advertising, in an agency that we often fondly called Ogilvy University. The most memorable four days of those eight years was when, as a junior copywriter, I hung around with the “father of advertising”, David Ogilvy, when he… Continue reading With child labour, law is not the problem — enforcement is
I am a Catholic and go to church every Sunday. On most weekdays, it’s the online service at home from 7 to 7.30 in the morning. Six popes have passed away in my lifetime. While I have no recollection of the first — the death of Pope John XXIII in 1963, when I was… Continue reading He was my Pope
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
