Recent Posts
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Orient and Occident – I
In the recent years we (many people I came across) have been looking for a work that brings about the foundational differences in the societies of East and West, their knowledge, culture and philosophies. At the most fundamental level, namely worldview and framework, seers like Sri Aurobindo had articulated the...
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Last Word on Thatcher
I lived in New York for two years in the mid-nineties, between 1995 and 1997 to be precise. When I look back upon those years, I see a stay divided into two distinct and equal periods; the first year when I was not a member of the Metropolitan Museum of...
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Fuel Pricing Policy & Notional Subsidy
Last January the Finance Ministry announced that they wanted to reduce the Rs 18000 crore subsidy bill by moving to export parity price for diesel. Every time there is a price rise in petroleum products there are more or less similar reactions from people, media, and economists of our country....
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The Curious case of Gujarat Lokayukta
The appointment of Gujarat’s Lokayukta has seen several dramatic developments. The latest is the passage of the Gujarat Lokayukta Aayog Bill, 2013 that redefines the process of selecting the state’s Lokayukta. Coming as it does in the wake of a series of court battles, the government’s critics have charged it...
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Why Modi must fight on F.D.I.
Yes yes, I know what you are thinking, the answer, assuming you were trying to rob and were stopped cold by Harry Callahan, “Do I Feel Lucky”. On the other hand, the rest of you, non-robbing people, might be thinking more in lines of “Huh, what the hell you are...
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The Philosopher Prince and His Speechwriters
Having ghost written speeches for a cross-section of “leaders” in Indian business and government, I can attest that it’s a mug’s game. The brief, if you get really lucky, is a one-liner. Normal service for a speechwriter is something like this: ‘Hola LatAm! India-Nicaragua Partnership’. Two-sodding-thousand words on India’s friendship...
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The red beacon
The Supreme Court has observed that the “Red Beacons” should be revisited and that only the politicians and bureaucrats are “entitled” to such a facility. The highest court of the land has erred in this observation. It should have summarily disallowed the use of all red beacons, blue beacons and...
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The Right People – Episode 6 : Ritwik Priya
The Right People is a podcast series initiated by Centre Right India to highlight people who are not politicians or involved closely with professional politics. CRI talks to those who identify with centre-right politics from across the vast Right framework – economic right-wingers, libertarians, traditionalists, Swadeshi right, etc. Undoubtedly, these...
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Religion, God and the courts
Hinduism has various sacred texts like the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagwad Gita, Puranas, Upanishads and the 4 Vedas and crores of deities which are revered by Hindus. So how have the courts interpreted religion in India? What are the rights over God’s names? Can anyone have monopoly over such things? Are...
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Pre-election political scene in Karnataka
Where do parties stand? Karnataka is going to polls on May 5, 2013. The state assembly elections have gained national importance in the context of a possible general election in November along with elections to state assemblies of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Chhattisgarh. It has also become a point...
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Sonia Gandhi – Why Indian Origin Matters
Sadanand Dhume in his recent article (Read it here) argues that “opposing her for her Italian origins” is misguided. He presents three supportive arguments – (1) she lived in India for longer than many Indians (2) India bases citizenship on soil and not blood (3) Indians do not care about...
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New Model of Governance – 1
Deepak Singh has two audio blogs for us on “New Model of Governance” and how Narendra Modi fits into the picture. This is the first part of the two-part series. Click here to listen to it online https://dl.dropbox.com/u/22389366/stateofthemarket/podcast/New%20Model%20of%20Governance%20v2.mp3
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Churchill’s Secret War: The British Empire and the Ravaging of India during World War II
Churchill’s Secret War: The British Empire and the Ravaging of India during World War II, by Madhushree Mukherjee Eye-opening, gut-wrenching account of the horrors of famine, of genocide and war-crimes perpetrated on an occupied landBetween 3 and 5 million people died of starvation and famine in Bengal in India in 1943. The...
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A Pill by Any Other Name Would Work As Neat
The title is the saaransh (“essence”) of the decision of the Indian Supreme Court in the Novartis case. As explained in the last two posts, the Supreme Court has done justice to the object of inclusion of Section 3(d) and has effectively sent out a very balanced positive (yes, not...
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ABVP : A Critical Reappraisal
Writing this part of the 3 part series on the ABVP has been the most difficult. I was apprehensive of the kind of reactions this piece would stimulate by all readers in general and ABVP workers and sympathizers in particular; for after publication of the last part a fortnight ago,...