Iraqi guerrilla strikes against American forces have escalated sharply in recent weeks, especially since the rocket attack on the Rashid Hotel where Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz was staying, increasing both the body-bags and the political costs of war for President George Bush Jr. That there will be little respite … Read More
Concerted and continuing changes in the demography of the north-eastern states, which have already overwhelmed the indigenous population in several districts, are causing dismay and alarm among dispassionate intellectuals, ordinary citizens, and even concerned administrators. Political parties, however, have mostly turned the Nelson’s eye to the crisis brewing in several … Read More
From the time Dr. J.S. Rajput, Director, National Council for Research and Education Training (NCERT) declared, over a year ago, that all primers in all subjects would be revised and modernized, a concerted campaign of hysterical and apoplectic criticism has been mounted against the decision to update the history textbooks. … Read More
There is a growing sense of disquiet in the Hindu community in several parts of the country on the issue of state management of temples, particularly the attitude of certain regimes towards temples well endowed with lands and funds. While sharing the Hindu apprehension that this could cause closure of … Read More
According to a popular Puranic story, Shiva once emerged from deep samadhi and uttered the single word: ‘Rama.’ Surprised, Parvati asked what this meant, as she had never heard the word before. Shiva replied that this was hardly surprising, as the time had not come to bring it to the … Read More
No two events in recent times have saddened me so much as the media response to the Archaeological Survey of India’s report on Ayodhya and Saturday’s car bomb in Srinagar which killed six persons, including a senior army officer, and injured twenty-nine others. Even though the pro-Pakistan Hizbul Mujahideen claimed … Read More
The tasteless offensive by certain groups in London against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the motivated uproar against the release of the accused in the Best Bakery carnage following perjury by a series of witnesses from one community, the studied silence against the massacre of Hindu fishermen in Marad, the … Read More
There is simply no honest way to avoid stating the bald truth that the common citizen today feels that his sense of justice, decency and fair play have been violated by the very organs of state entrusted with upholding decorum in public life. Prejudiced by a campaign orchestrated by a … Read More
The alacrity with which Muslim intellectuals have rejected the Supreme Court’s call for a uniform civil code to ensure equal justice to all citizens highlights the community’s determination to maintain a privileged ghettoized existence by taking advantage of our secular polity. Sayeeda Hameed, former member, National Commission for Women, has … Read More
Over the past year, Left historians have gone hammer and tongs at the NCERT’s new textbooks on history. While criticism of factual errors is wholly justified, there can be little doubt that much of the motivation has been ideological rather than altruistic. Regular press conferences and ceaseless media hype are … Read More
