Neighbourhood Committees should step into the leaderless vacuum
Citizens should fill the void created by the present institutions of power in ensuring safety for women.
By Raghavan Srinivasan
Contemporary Dalit Politics and Ambedkar’s Goal of Caste Annihilation
By Ram Puniyani,
On 28th Feb (2014) Ramvilas Paswan of Loktantantrik Jan Party joined the NDA alliance. Same Paswan had left the NDA twelve years ago with the beginning of Gujarat carnage, saying that with the violence in Gujarat he cannot be part of NDA. This time his son formulated the face saver when he said that Modi has received clean chit in the Gujarat carnage. Few days ago another dalit leader Udit Raj directly joined BJP, with the assurance of being given a ticket for forthcoming elections. In Maharashtra, Ramdas Athwaley of Republican Party of India had become part of NDA, and succeeded in being nominated for Rajya Sabha, Upper house of Parliament. There are many others dalits in the fold of BJP directly or in alliance with BJP to be in NDA, for pre poll alliance. Most of these leaders claim to be working on the path shown by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Ambedkar was committed to annihilation of caste and was totally opposed to the concept of Hindu nationalism, as propounded by RSS-BJP.
Three Yadavs, a Meo to fight it out in Gurgaon
By Pradeep Singh
Gurgaon: It will be an almost all-Yadav affair in the Gurgaon Lok Sabha constituency in Haryana, that borders Delhi to...
Bhagat Singh was a humanist – innately secular
By Vipin Kumar
It may be a revelation to many but Bhagat Singh, one of the greatest heroes India's independence struggle produced, never advocated...
Bihar’s ‘Osama bin Laden’ is now an untouchable
By Imran Khan,
Patna: A Muslim man whose uncanny resemblance to Osama bin Laden made him actively woo Muslim votes for Lalu Prasad and Ram...
An illiterate takes Goa poll road to prove a point
By Mayabhushan Nagvenkar ,
Panaji: Upset over an unsolved minor girl's rape, constant police harassment and an inflation-stricken kitchen may have given Goa its...
Modi accomplished the impossible, real test starts now
By Ashok Tandon,
Narendra Modi has proved in letter and spirit what Napoleon Bonaparte said: "Impossible is a word to be found only in the...
India’s Deficits
By Amit Kapoor,
Over the past few years, we have heard of all sorts of deficits that have been ailing India. The most recent one has been a ‘rain deficit’ with monsoon expected to be less than normal according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). While the lack of rains has generated fear amongst farmers, it has generated broader concerns for the union and state governments in containing inflation, which is expected to rise even further with this latest declaration from the IMD.
Topsy-turvy year for cricket in India
By Sayan Mukherjee,
Indian cricket went through another tumultuous year on and off the field with a controversy that shook the very foundation of the game's governing body in the country - the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) - that refused to die down and spilled over to the New Year after raising several tough questions for its beleaguered president, N. Srinivasan.
Envisioning Delhi’s urban future
By Amit Kapoor,
One of the greatest shifts the modern world has seen is in the context of urbanization with more than 50 percent of the world population now residing in urban centers. Some of this is due to an ever-increasing influx of people in urban areas and also in some cases due to the creation of newer agglomerations with modern planning and global capital.
‘Brick kilns turn hazardous for Kashmiris, violate environmental laws’
By Shamshad Ali
Srinagar: With most brick kilns in the Kashmir Valley not implementing the measures specified for minimizing pollution levels, the areas where...
Contain the IS epidemic
The attackers look at it as jihad and are misled to believe that killing others by killing themselves they become martyrs (shuhda). There is...
Holistic development of youth is need of the hour
By Rajat Arora
Youthhood is considered a crucial period for establishing a positive well-being in a lifetime of a human being but a vast number...
Thoughts On UP Elections 2007
By Mohib Ahmed
BSP supremo Mayawati was sworn in as the 40th chief minister of Uttar Pradesh on 13th May. She is leading the most populous Indian state for the fourth time.
Terrorist test
A July 2, 2007 editorial of Malaysia's New Straits Times newspaper
The two thwarted car bomb plots in central London and the Jeep which crashed and burst into flames at Glasgow airport may or may not have been deliberately timed to provide a baptism of fire to the premiership of Gordon Brown.
Practical measures for the socio-cultural empowerment of Indian Muslims
By Yoginder Sikand
(Paper presented at a conference on the Sachar Committee Report in Kochi, 16th-17th June, 2007 organised by the Al-Ameen Educational Trust and the Forum for Faith and Fraternity)
India should take seismic protection more seriously
By Sandeep Donald Shah, IANS
India's growing economic might is making many countries look at it with a sense of envy. This newfound economic prosperity has also left India more vulnerable and susceptible to natural calamities. It is imperative that we start following the global best practices and stop living in a sense of denial.
Use religion for constructive purpose: Maulana Sayyed Hamid ul-Hasan
Maulana Sayyed Hamid ul-Hasan is the principal of the Jami'a Nazmia, Lucknow, a madrasa catering to the Ithna 'Ashari Shi'a community. He is one of the leading Shi'a ulama of India, having been educated at Najaf Ashraf under the well-known Shi'a mujtahid, Ayatollah Agha Khui. Interview by Yoginder Sikand
YS: What do you have to say about the current propaganda against the madrasas as 'dens of terror''?
Endgame in Afghanistan and the Musharraf factor
By Brig Arun Sahgal (retd) and Rahul Bedi, IANS
The United States' apparent determination to somehow ensure a second term in office for Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf is closely linked to Washington's efforts to 'manage' Afghanistan that is fast spiralling out of its control.
Information pieced together from diplomats as well as military and Western security sources reveal that the US is embarked on a course to orchestrate the 're-coronation' of Musharraf in return for his assistance in brokering a deal with the 'good' and 'moderate' Taliban.
Syria – a difficult but indispensable partner
By Marianna Belenkaya, RIA Novosti
Moscow : Tensions between Syria and Israel are coming to dominate preparations for a multilateral conference on peace in the Middle East, which the United States plans to hold next November.
India’s Myanmar policy and the Mizoram connection
By Sanjoy Hazarika, IANS
India's evolving political approach to events in Myanmar (Burma) is moving fairly rapidly: it now appears in conformity with a large section of international opinion, advocating internal dialogue, national reconciliation and accommodation as led by the United Nations in its effort through Ibrahim Gambari, the special envoy of the UN secretary general.
In the shadow of Zion
By Rabbi Tirzah Firestone
This past year I have had to face the underbelly of my love of Zion. Like so many American Jews, I had been raised with the unquestioned narrative about Israel's righteousness, its humane practices, and the moral high ground upon which its policies are based. The painful deconstruction of these beliefs began with a journey through the Occupied Territories, where I encountered the shocking effects of my people's fear.
Why is the Congress stumbling?
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS
Just as the Indian cricket team often faces a back-to-the-wall "must win" situation in order to retrieve its honour, the Congress too has to emerge victorious in a majority of the state assembly elections this year if it is to have any hope of winning the next general election in 2009.
Pragmatic China countervails US through India partnership
By K. Subrahmanyam, IANS
The Chinese, as Henry Kissinger pointed out in 1971, are eminently pragmatic people. They became communists when they felt that it would help to accelerate their development. They gave up communism and allied themselves with US capitalism when they concluded that it was a better strategy for their purpose. They treated India with contempt when it was economically, militarily and technologically weak.
Can Mumbai be parochial and global at same time?
By Mayank Chhaya, IANS
Rabble rousing has been the centrepiece of the Mumbai-based Shiv Sena's political philosophy since its inception. For decades it has substituted genuine vision with nuisance value. That approach has paid handsome dividends, particularly in terms of giving its founder Bal Thackeray and his family members a sway over the affairs of the city way out of proportion to its actual contribution.
The push and pull of being an NRI
By Kul Bhushan, IANS
Thousands of young, educated or semi-educated, unemployed and ambitious Indians are obsessed about going and living abroad. Middle-aged, successful NRIs are wanting to come back to an India of promise again. Here is the dilemma of migration: if you have not made it, you want to go abroad; and when you have made it, you want to return to your real 'home'.
Maoists unleash new terror in the ‘heart of India’
By P.V. Ramana, IANS
Cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), also known as Naxalites, are believed to be operating in over 200 districts across 17 states. The ultimate objective of the rebels is to capture state power through a protracted people's war and herald a New Democratic Revolution. Speaking in Kerala in January, Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar said the cadre strength of the CPI-Maoist was 15,000 armed men and women.
Islam globalization and challenges
By Asghar Ali Engineer
(Islam and Modern Age, March, 2008)
(I)
Much is being written these days on globalization and its effects as well as Islam and challenges of globalization. Yet much more is needed to be written to cover various aspects. Globalization has emerged as a major challenge for religions in general and Islam in particular. Before we deal with these challenges, we would like to throw light on the nature of globalization itself so that we can comprehend the challenge better.
Madhesi parties gear up for Nepal polls
By Shubha Singh, IANS
One week after the Seven Party Alliance government and the Madhesi leaders signed an agreement ending the agitation in Nepal's Terai region, an election mood is slowly settling over the area.
The candidates of Madhesi parties filed their papers as the new nominations deadline for Nepal's elections to the Constituent Assembly drew to a close.
Muslim world launches new cartoon war
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti international commentator Yelena Shesternina) - The entire Muslim world may start a new cartoon war in the near future. It will be no less radical and irreconcilable than the one in 2005.
The first signs of confrontation between the Muslims and the West are obvious. In Afghanistan, thousands of people are burning European flags in the streets, Danish politicians are not allowed in Iran, while Saudi hackers are breaking into European sites and calling to boycott Western goods.
Does the Left have a hidden agenda?
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS
Prakash Karat and Co must be smirking with satisfaction over the damage that they have been inflicting on India's reputation and growth prospects in recent times.
First, by holding the Manmohan Singh government hostage to the Left's anti-American paranoia over the nuclear deal, the Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary and his fellow comrades have demonstrated their capacity to stifle any enterprise at odds with their doctrine.
While on Tibet, India and China beg some comparisons
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS
The old colonial scene of a restive people opposing a repressive regime is again being enacted in Tibet. There are other similarities as well. For instance, there is a charismatic figure symbolising the "struggle".
The emphasis on non-violence also recalls Mahatma Gandhi. Like the Mahatma, the Dalai Lama does not bear any ill will towards the putative oppressors. The Tibetan spiritual leader only wants China to grant full autonomy to his country.
Rahul Gandhi: From diffident MP to PM candidate
By Monobina Gupta, IANS,
Rahul Gandhi has retreated to the pavilion, at least for the time being. But the prince of the Gandhi-Nehru family stays at the stumps, waiting to play his innings - perhaps at an appropriate time in the not too distant future.
His mother Sonia Gandhi Tuesday snubbed over-zealous dynasty votaries, who struck up a chant for Rahul's prime ministership after the 2009 general elections. Manmohan Singh was doing a fine job, said the party spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan.
But by the time the reprimand came, the clamour for Rahul had done its magic.
Iran is not the enemy
By Ellen Francis
The "axis of evil" has no relevance for me when I think of Iran, a country I've found to have a human, loving, hospitable face throughout 40 years of encounters. I lived in Iran between 1968 and 1978, and started returning again, this time with peace delegations, in 2005. It is one of the great joys of my life to see the layers of misunderstanding and fear gradually fall away from those who visit Iran today for the first time.
Mideast conflict: need for a new perspective
By Ziad Asali,
Peace is not easy. Achieving it requires summoning the deepest forms of courage. It means examining one's darkest prejudices that dehumanise and demonise the other. The quest for mutual recognition of humanity and dignity is an arduous task.
The question facing both Israelis and Palestinians is: Do they prefer to cling to the pain of past injuries and the suffering of their forefathers, or will they determine to move forward and build a better future for their children?
Is Arab media truly free?
By Ramzy Baroud,
Arab League information ministers issued a communiqué outlining 'tough' guidelines for Arab satellite channels. The new guidelines specifically prohibited the broadcasting of negative reporting of heads of state, religious or national figures.
Quick media response reveals transparent gov’t in China
By Xinhua,
On May 12, a powerful earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale jolted Sichuan Province, southwest China, with its tremors felt in most parts of the country and some neighboring nations.
Minutes later, the Xinhua News Agency began pouring out stories on the quake, while the China Central Television (CCTV) interrupted its regular programs to give viewers round-the-clock coverage of the disaster.
Victimising victims – Indian police still bound by colonial mindset
By Shylashri Shankar, IANS,
The investigation of a recent twin murder in Noida demonstrates the colonial mindset of the Indian police and the consequent erosion of the rights of the victims and the suspects.
The British Raj saw Indian subjects as types, not individuals, who could be policed and contained by slotting them into categories. The same view permeates the investigative techniques of the police in the Noida murders of 14-year-old Arushi Talwar and the family help, Hemraj, and the current suspect (Arushi's dentist father).
Muslims should think and vote regional
By Ghulam Muhammed,
Karnataka election victory of BJP has started a media frenzy to predict the imminent doom of Indian National Congress. All sorts of calculations are projected to nail the point that Congress is sure to lose the next Lok Sabha elections and BJP and its allies will form the next government at the center.
Height is not everything, Mr Houghton
By K. Datta, IANS,
It appeared as if nothing else mattered when the six-week IPL cricket show was on your television screens. Hardly was that exciting period over when the Euro 2008 grabbed eyeballs. Again, it appears nothing else matters for viewers of sports channels. But not quite so, you can take my word for it.
Second time around for African American Muslims
By Jimmy E. Jones, CGNews,
For many African American Muslims, the fallout from the horrendous crime of September 11, 2001 was not entirely new. The US government's response was a bit of déjà vu for those, like me, who were Civil Rights activists in college during the 1960s and 70s. The only difference is that now we face a higher level of intensity.
Manmohan beats the Marxist-Mayawati-Manuvadi trio
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
It will not be wrong to say that Tuesday's trust vote in parliament marked a watershed in Indian politics.
At the international level, it will undoubtedly move India into the American orbit via the nuclear deal, which will now probably be put on the fast track by Washington.
The clinching of this path-breaking agreement will mark the end of India's half-a-century-old policy of non-alignment although New Delhi may continue to remain a member of the virtually dysfunctional non-aligned Third World club.
Roma people, an Indian heritage at stake in Europe
By Madhu Kumari, EuAsiaNews,
Brussels : The European Union feels proud of its anti-discrimination laws and equality for all its citizens through treaties and legislation.
That is all except the Roma people, better known as Gypsies or travellers, are fast becoming the "untouchables" of Europe.
Roma people originally migrated from Northern India some 700 years ago to mainly Eastern Europe, and from there now exist in almost all of the EU 27 member states.
Burns’ visit to Iran – a first step
By Anthony Zeitouni, CGNews,
US Undersecretary for Political Affairs, William Burns, attended a recent meeting in Geneva between EU Secretary-General Javier Solana and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili. This decision was the first direct and official contact between the US and Iran after nearly three decades of troubled relations. The decision to send Burns to the talks was a wise and courageous one despite his nominal role as an observer.
Incredible but True
By Jayatilaka de Silva, Prensa Latina,
Five Cubans -Rene Gonzáles, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzáles, Gerardo Hernández and Ramón Labañino were arrested on September 12, 1998 by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.
They have been languishing in US prisons under solitary confinement for exactly 10 years. Having kept them for long without trial, they were later tried by a "partial" Court in unfriendly Miami, Florida – the home of Cuban exiles and anti-Cuba mafia with links to the White House.
India’s nuclear deal – and two worldviews
By K. Subrahmanyam, IANS,
Now that India and the US have formally inked the 123 civil nuclear cooperation agreement and sealed another pact with France following the Sep 6 waiver by the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), it is time to look at the fierce debate on the issue in this country with some detachment.
Needed: Revamp of national security apparatus
By C. Uday Bhaskar, IANS,
The multiple terrorist attacks that ravaged Mumbai with the death toll overshooting 180 have led to a justified outpouring of anger and anguish across the length and breadth of the country. India is outraged. Period. This is not the first terrorist attack that India has experienced - Mumbai alone recalls 1993 and 2006 with bitter memories. And tragically this may not be the last, given the ruthless determination of the extremist groups ranged against the idea of India.
Can India tame the terror beast?
By Murali Krishnan, IANS,
The sun has set on a year that exposed the utter unpreparedness of the security establishment to tackle the wave of terror bombings. And, as 2009 dawns with three powerful blasts rocking Guwahati and killing six people on New Year's Day, those responsible for securing the country have their task clearly cut out.
The year stretches ahead with plenty on the government's to-do list.
Obama’s day and Martin Luther King’s day
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Dmitry Kosyrev) - Such coincidences are not accidental. Nobody aligned Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 19 with the first Black American President's inauguration on January 20. King symbolized the struggle for Black America's civil rights.
Bangalore: aircraft and missiles
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti military commentator Ilya Kramnik) - Russia pins special hopes on the Aero India-2009 show opening in Bangalore.
Aside from being a good selling pitch for Russian producers, such airspace exhibitions, and particularly the present show in Bangalore, give them an additional chance to show off - which is important, considering a current tender to supply 126 fighters for the Indian air force.
Pranab Mukherjee: jack of all trades – except one
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
Even as Pranab Mukherjee acknowledged with folded hands and a shy smile L.K. Advani's lavish praise for him in parliament, both he and members on both sides of the house knew that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was right in saying that without the external affairs minister, who is now also India's finance minister, at the helm, the government might have found it difficult to function during Manmohan Singh's hospitalization and recuperation.
Delhi’s new initiative to improve healthcare in the community
By Bobby Ramakant,
Less than a week before the 3rd Stop TB Partners' Forum is about to begin in Brazil, a unique partnership is being forged in a community of India's capital to improve TB responses.
The residents of south Delhi and healthcare providers in this area are holding an ongoing dialogue to identify key challenges that people face in accessing the health services, and to come up with effective solutions that can potentially improve the quality of care for all residents.
Talibanizing secularism
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
Secularism is indeed a foreign concept for India. Many Indians have difficulty understanding it and therefore are confused on how to apply it in their personal and professional lives. Latest example is Supreme Court’s Justice Markandey Katju. While denying a request by a Muslim student to keep a beard while going to a convent school, Justice Katju termed it as “overstretching” of secularism.
Expectations high as Mukherjee readies for national budget
By Sushma Ramachandran, IANS,
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee faces a tough job July 6 as he rises to present the first budget of the newly-elected United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, during which he will have to try and keep fiscal deficit under check while meeting the many promises made by the Congress party and its coalition partners during the elections.
BJP, a party lost in the political woods
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
Since the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) problems relate to both leadership and ideology - the two crucial aspects of any organisation - the chances of its recovery do not appear too bright at the moment.
In the matter of leadership, the party has got bogged down in the most familiar of political quagmires: the reluctance of aging and uncharismatic people at the helm to make way for Generation Next.
Do you want to be a Lab Rat?
If not, stop Bt Brinjal: assert your right to safe food & food choices
By Kavitha Kuruganti,
Genetically Modified (GM) foods are created unnaturally by taking genes from unrelated organisms and inserting them into the cells of our food plants like brinjal, rice, bhindi, tomato, cauliflower, potato etc. The science and technology of Genetic Engineering is imprecise and irreversible and is documented to cause many health and environmental impacts.
Husain should return to his ‘culturally exuberant’ India
By Mayank Chhaya, IANS,
A quarter century ago sitting amid designer chaos of paintings and sketches in various stages of completion in his Cuffe Parade apartment in then more-tolerant Bombay, painter Maqbool Fida Husain had a telling response to a question about being Indian.
Media gets up, close and too personal – again
By Minu Jain, IANS,
That same question of space again. From Sania-Shoaib to Shashi-Sunanda, it has been a seamless transition for the gossip hungry reader being fed by large sections of the media that have once again decided to go up, close and too personal, in the reporting of what should actually be nothing but a minister and his alleged involvement in a multi-million-dollar cricket franchise.
Manmohan Singh government yet again demonstrates durability
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
The Manmohan Singh government demonstrated its durability by surviving the cut motions brought against it by the opposition in the Lok Sabha even if its success was largely due to the miscalculations of its over-enthusiastic opponents.
Persuaded by the government's manifold problems - Maoist insurgency, inflation, the Indian Premier League (IPL) fiasco, signs of tension within the ruling coalition - the opposition apparently convinced itself that the time had come for it to strike a blow.
South Africa is having a ball – with World Cup
By Rajiv Bhatia, IANS,
The World Cup 2010, a historic first for Africa, is set to begin in a few days. For host nation South Africa, it is about football and much more. The recent photograph of 91-year-old Nelson Mandela, caressing the 18-carat gold trophy and beaming with joy, said it all. Regardless of who lifts the World Cup, South Africa is already a winner.
A political battle for cows in Gujarat
By TCN Special Correspondent,
With the next assembly elections drawing nearer, cow seems to have become a `political tool’ in Gujarat.
Multivitamins can lower cancer risk: study
By IANS,
London: Taking multivitamin pill a day can lower the risk of cancer, according to a study.
‘Cancer diagnosis doesn’t make young patients religious’
By IANS,
Copenhagen: A cancer diagnosis doesn't make young people turn to religion if they are not religious. But it can strengthen beliefs in those who are already religious, says a new study.
India’s universities crying for better leadership
By Arun Nigavekar, IANS,
India's higher and professional education system is passing through a phase that is turbulent, non-directional and unsustainable.
Northeastern youth protests in Delhi: Opportunity to bridge the gap
By Ninglun Hanghal, IANS,
Last week, Delhi witnessed a large turnout of youth from northeastern India - comprising eight states - to protest against the...
What Sunderbans’ closed schools say about climate change
By Nagraj Adve and Partha Kayal,
At the Boatkhali Kadambini Pre-primary School on Sagar island in the Sunderbans, classes stop for five-six days each, twice...
A democracy that gets hurt by books, but not the body bags
By Avinash Pandey,
At 218 in 2013 and 237 in 2012, one would expect a national outrage on the unusually high number of body bags returning to India from Qatar. One would think especially so, for the fact that these body bags belonged to Indian citizens. It must have incensed even the apologists of neoliberal regime for whom the idea of citizenship might be passé but still value the significant foreign remittances sent by those who came back in the body bags, remittances that the country so desperately needs.
Can India Inc. come to the rescue of women?
(March 8 is International Women's Day)
By Sanjiv Kataria,
Many occasions last week tugged at my conscience, primarily because of a series of events. Two ladies were planning their shopping itinerary, seated in a McDonald's in south Delhi, till their drifting conversation hit me that the whole expedition was centered on one thing - clean toilets. The next day I overheard another lady refusing to sip tea or coffee before heading out. Politely, she stated, no fluids, on the days she steps out, lest she should have to use a restroom outside.
Remove cumbersome regulations to limit bureaucratic corruption
By Amit Kapoor,
We, as citizens of India, need to understand and appreciate that two forms of corruption pervades our public discourse -- public and private corruption. The discourse on corruption is itself getting shriller, murkier, more annoying and personally scathing with every passing day. We are focusing too much on corruption at the level of politicians and not focusing enough on how the bureaucracy functions, supports and connives to make it all possible.
Make street vendors partners in development
By Arvind Padmanabhan,
As in other parts of the world, street food has been a source of some gastronomic delights in India. A charm not...
Khushwant Singh: A born raconteur, a vintage sardar
By Vikas Datta
Fittingly, I was in a bookshop when I heard about the death of Khushwant Singh. It was undoubtedly unexpected, for the...
Jaitley’s ‘safe’ run ends with Amarinder’s entry
By Jaideep Sarin
Amritsar: It is highly unlikely that Amritsar will be a 'safe' Lok Sabha seat for BJP veteran Arun Jaitley after the...
Slavery a disturbing truth in India
By Amit Kapoor,
The Global Slavery Index 2013, compiled by non-profit Walk Free Foundation, presents quite a dismal picture about a reality in India: Modern...
Modi as PM: Triumph of developmental politics over vote bank politics
By Rekha Bhattacharjee,
When Narendera Modi was sworn in as India's 14th prime minister on Monday evening, the world's largest democracy was marking the ushering in of a new era. Over 2,500 privileged guests witnessed not only the culmination of a perfect storm generated by the Modi-led BJP but also the burial of the Nehruvian legacy which the Congress dispensation used as a leitmotif for over three generations.
Rising delivery defaults push demand for ready-to-move homes
By Vinod Behl,
Amid rising property prices, high loan rates and rising delivery defaults, home buyers are increasingly opting for ready-to-move properties to ensure safety of their investment.
Leaders at UN invoke Gandhi’s message for nonviolence
By Arul Louis ,
United Nations: At an observance of International Day of Nonviolence, leaders at the UN invoked Mahatma Gandhi's message of nonviolence Thursday...
Patel: The man who forged the Indian union
By Mayank Chhaya,
There was once a time, not too long ago in historical terms, that there may not have been India as it exists today but a fractious collection of nearly 600 princely states. If a nation-state called India emerged in 1947 from the staggering ruins of close to 200 years of colonial plunder, to a significant extent the credit settles on one man - Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
India’s upward trend in competitiveness
By Amit Kapoor,
Over the past few years, we have been particularly interested in studying India’s competitiveness. This is because understanding it can yield interesting insights about the country's future trajectory. The productivity with which India has and how it will utilize its resources will ultimately be a determinant of the prosperity level of its people.
Death of an idea, birth of an institution
By Amit Kapoor,
The past week, apart from ushering in the New Year was also witness to the birth of a new institution in India. The formation of the NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog has brought the focus back on the country's reforms process.
Coughing Kejriwal: Scary mandate and scary pollution
By Rajendra Shende ,
The day Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP, which means Common Man's Party) won unprecedented mandate in Delhi's assembly election, the...
Net neutrality: Wrong medicine will not remedy digital divide
By Archana G. Gulati,
It is easy to get swept away in the maelstrom of views and counter views, but difficult to arrive at an informed decision on the subject of net neutrality -- the uninhibited access to legal online content without broadband service providers (BSPs) being allowed to block, degrade, or create fast/slow lanes to this content that rides over the internet (OTTs).
India has 906 IPS posts lying vacant, UP tops the chart
By Mohit Dubey
Lucknow : A day after the Civil Services examination results were announced and the country got some new raring-to-go IPS...
Progress with Nitish but Bihar still on lowest rungs-I
By Prachi Salve & Saumya Tewari ,
New Delhi: Bihar has the second-highest economic growth among poor states.
It has India’s third-highest level of poverty.
Unemployment in...
States must be brought on board for visionary e-NAM initiative
By Amit Kapoor
Agriculture is a critical sector of the Indian economy. This is because, in spite of its relatively low and declining contribution to...
Extremist Islamic mobilisation in India must be countered
By Ajai Sahni
A high degree of sentimentality and sensationalism has characterised much of the reaction, both in the media and among experts, to the involvement of a group of educated Indian professionals, including at least one engineer and one doctor, in the failed bombings in Glasgow and London.
Manmohan Singh held his ground on nuclear deal
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS
Considering that the Manmohan Singh government has generally been seen to be bullied by the Left into retreating on various issues such as the presidential and vice-presidential candidates, economic reforms and so on, it is worth noting that the prime minister has been able to consistently hold his ground on the India-US nuclear deal.
Considering that the Manmohan Singh government has generally been seen to be bullied by the Left into retreating on various issues such as the presidential and vice-presidential candidates, economic reforms and so on, it is worth noting that the prime minister has been able to consistently hold his ground on the India-US nuclear deal.
That blissful dawn, those ringing headlines
By Manish Chand, IANS
New Delhi : "Birth of India's Freedom", "Freedom Era Begins", "India Awakes to Life and Freedom", "Free India is Born", "India Independent"... These were the ringing headlines in top Indian newspapers capturing that history-making moment on the morning of Aug 15, 1947.
As midnight revelry and frenzied rejoicing gripped the country, editors and reporters toiled well into the wee hours to record a newly born nation's "tryst with destiny".
60 Years of Pakistan
By Alok Bansal, IANS
As Pakistan completes 60 years of existence, it is passing through a critical phase. The state's writ does not run over almost half its territory. Most people consider themselves as Sindhis, Baloch, Pakhtoons, Mohajirs and Punjabis first rather than as Pakistanis. Pakistan as a nation is kept together artificially by the only institution that functions - the army.
A new deal for Gujarat
By Manish Tewari,
BJP and Congress are preparing for the big fight in December. Here, Manish Tewari, AICC secretary looking after Gujarat, argues that Modi’s ‘Vibrant Gujarat’ is a myth that will not hold
The Left has limited stake in India’s development
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS
Although the Indian communists are using an ideological cover to explain their opposition to the nuclear deal, there may be another explanation for their obdurate stand. It is the depressing realisation in their ranks that they will never play a major role in Indian politics. As such, they seem to have only a limited stake in India's development.
Forest rights – and why the new law needs to be implemented
By Shankar Gopalakrishnan
Like a bad penny that never stops coming back, the issue of forest rights is in the news again. The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, has returned to the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Opponents slam it as the "most dangerous act of any Indian government since 1947", handing out "forest for votes" and "privatizing a national resource."
Benazir’s assassination has dangerous portents
By Alok Bansal, IANS
The assassination of former prime minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Benazir Bhutto is indicative of the rapid stride Pakistan has taken on the path of extremism under General Pervez Musharraf.
Pakistan Peoples Party: the Bhutto family heirloom
By Mayank Chhaya
Now that the exultant and gushing tributes on Benazir Bhutto's martyrdom for the cause of democracy are subsiding, let's subject the world to some reality check. As we do so, let's be as poker faced as possible. For, democracy is but a great idea in Pakistan's feudal politics. There is no real danger of it becoming a reality there just yet. After all, it has only been 60 years since Mohammad Ali Jinnah founded the country.
CPI-M’s formula: market > Marx
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS
Notwithstanding Prakash Karat's laboured explanation that the endorsement of capitalism by his two Bengali comrades - Jyoti Basu and Buddhadeb Bhattacharya - is only a temporary tactical line, the last word may not have been said on this heresy of Marxists conceding the market's superiority.
Hillary, Tenzing’s Everest feat wasn’t for personal glory
By K. Datta, IANS
"It was not glory we sought," Col. John Hunt, British leader of the 1953 Everest expedition, wrote of his team, "unless it be the common glory of man's triumph over nature - and over his own limitations."
Neither Edmund Hillary nor Tenzing Norgay, the first men to climb Mount Everest, had come to the world's highest mountain in 1953 expecting personal fame. But because they were the first to set foot on its summit after ten failed attempts, fame had to come to them whether they expected it or not.
Israeli and Palestinian
By Daniel Barenboim
I have often made the statement that the destinies of the Israeli and Palestinian people are inextricably linked and that there is no military solution to the conflict. My recent acceptance of Palestinian nationality has given me the opportunity to demonstrate this more tangibly.
Stalling nuclear deal will be a historical mistake
By K. Subrahmanyam, IANS
There is widespread media speculation on the chances of the India-International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards agreement being finalised and submitted to the board of governors. The issue that is being hotly debated is whether the Left parties will allow the safeguards agreement to be processed further by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government when the Indian delegation concludes the draft agreement with the IAEA.
Pakistan and India elections in Jammu and Kashmir
By Ashok Jaitly, IANS
Even as the fascinating play of government formation unfolds in Pakistan after the historic elections last month, political analysts on this side of the border have begun to spin their theories on what the future holds for India-Pakistan relations.
Emergence of an eTurkey
By Itir Akdogan
For more than 40 years Turkey has been taking certain measures to reach the European Union criteria of a member state. As part of a drive to increase innovation in and access to technology, the EU has allocated more than 100 billion euros for the i2010 Programme to create a "Single European Information Space", in which innovation and investment in technology is a priority. Becoming an information society is one of the reforms Turkey is undertaking to increase its chances of joining the EU.
Sarabjit’s execution can cast shadow on India-Pakistan ties
By Pranay Sharma, IANS,
The possibility of an Indian prisoner being put to death in Pakistan could hardly be the ideal way to restart peace talks. But that is exactly how things may stand, unless the Pakistan government rethinks its decision and alters the death sentence on Sarabjit Singh, who is to be hanged in Lahore May 1.
Gordimer to ‘Post’: Israel must talk to its enemies
By Tom Hope and Steve Linde,
As bitter, disheartening and entangled the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is, Nadine Gordimer's message is emphatic: Don't give up. It can be solved, but only by realising one thing: Talking to your worst enemies is the only way out.
Teesta on communalism, minority rights and politics
By Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net
No one term can describe her activism. Her area of work is vast and very risky also. Initially a full time journalist attached with newspapers including The Indian Express, she took the road of activism after being appalled by the horrors of the Bombay riots. She is Teesta Setalvad, a relentless campaigner for the rights and privileges of minorities- Dalits, Muslims and women.
Selectors never win – only this time they were not forgotten
By K. Datta, IANS,
It was time to celebrate. At least for one evening at New Delhi's Taj Palace Hotel where the Board of Control for Cricket in India was felicitating Kapil Dev's team for winning the World Cup 25 years ago it was improper to talk of anything else. The board had opened its heart in honour of Kapil's champion cricketers. And, in rewarding each one of them Rs. 25 lakhs, also its now swollen coffers.
High college cut-offs signal unreal abilities
By IANS,
Undergraduate admissions in Delhi University and the soaring cut-offs this year seem to be a mirror image of the inflationary conditions in the economy. Only students who have scored above 93 percent could find their names in first lists. Of course, the easiest thing to do is to blame the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), but it is the truth of the ratio of Delhi to outsider admissions that brings the moot point about justice to its own flock.
Religion 2.0: dialogue for the masses
By Jude Townend, CGNews,
Interfaith dialogue is nothing new, but new technology is changing the way it's done. Before, the average Muslim Pakistani might never have crossed paths with a Jewish Israeli; a Nepali Buddhist might never dialogue with a Christian American. On the World Wide Web, however, social interactions that before were limited are now commonplace. It's like internet dating for the world religions.
Is Morocco a model for curbing extremism?
By Helen Wilkinson, CGNews,
The British government's recent announcement about tackling religious extremism by giving young Muslims "citizenship lessons" among other things is an interesting one. It's easy to sneer at initiatives in the face of the omnipresent threat of Muslim religious extremism worldwide, but Britain is not the only country pursuing such an approach. So too is Morocco, where I live for part of the year.
Registration of marriages: A necessity
By Dr. Md. Faiyaz Khan,
India is a signatory to the convention on Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women Which was adopted by U.N. General Assembly in 1979 and ratified on July 9th, 1993. Under this convention India agreed in principal that compulsory registration of marriages was highly desirable, nevertheless, she expressed reservation by stating that to go in for compulsory registration like India with its variety of customs, religions and level of literacy.
Economy not so bleak, but needs balancing act
By Sushma Ramachandran, IANS,
The economy seems to be looking up since last week with some positive gains for stock markets and moderation in inflation, giving the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) sufficient confidence to take more steps to infuse liquidity into the system.
The cuts in the cash reserve ratio and the statutory liquidity ratio are expected to bring about an additional Rs.1,200 billion (around $25 billion) into the market. Hopefully this should pep up commercial banks to reduce lending rates and give a spur to demand growth.
Can Obama convert his many crises into opportunities?
By Gwynne Dyer,
Tehran : US president-elect Barack Obama inherits the in-box from hell, but an all-points crisis like the present one also creates opportunities for radical change that do not exist in normal times.
As Rahm Emanuel, his newly appointed chief of staff, put it: "Never waste a crisis." Is Obama clever, radical enough to seize those opportunities?
For example, he has promised to shut down the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
While he is at it, why not hand the whole US military base at Guantanamo back to the Cubans?
TV blabbering is not journalism: Lessons from the live coverage
By B.R.P.Bhaskar, IANS,
News channel bosses must be patting themselves on the back on their marathon terror coverage. For three days they had treated the viewers to live coverage of the multiple terror strikes in Mumbai. In doing so, they probably set a record in television history.
As the terrorists delivered the heaviest blow yet on the country, the 24x7 news channels rose to the occasion. They took the nation's attention off everything else so that it could concentrate fully on the mayhem in Mumbai. What more could the terrorists have asked for?
We need one common central body to recruit police personnel
By Sanjiv Kataria, IANS,
The manner in which the new home minister (P. Chidambaram) went about his Mumbai visit on Dec 5 convinces one that things are in for a big change. His honesty of purpose, resolute desire for action and empathy for families of those who lost their lives in the tragedy is visible to me as an ordinary citizen. A week later, on Dec 11, he made a passionate plea to the country's lawmakers to respect policemen.
The Israeli model: Learn but observe the differences
By P.R. Kumaraswamy, IANS,
In recent weeks, many have drawn parallels between the Israel's ongoing war against the Hamas and the Indian response to Pakistan over the Mumbai terror attacks. For some, India has more valid grounds for an aggressive response than Israel; and for others Israel is a far too controversial and unsavoury model. But there are those who wish and demand that the Indian government emulates Israel in dealing with Pakistan.
Eradicating terrorism: groping in the dark
By Ram Puniyani,
November 26 terror attack on Mumbai shook the whole nation like never before. The society and state have been putting in their best to see that measures are taken where by the terror acts don't repeat. So traumatized has been the nation that every conceivable measure is being given a serious thought for the safety and security of society.
India must have grand strategic design in its foreign policy
By Rajiv Sikri, IANS,
There is need for new thinking in India's foreign policy. In today's complicated and fast-changing geo-political situation, India has wisely diversified its foreign policy options, but must retain flexibility in order to be able to pursue an independent foreign policy, on which there is an overwhelming national consensus.
India can become a major world power in the 21st century only on its own strength and political will, not because others want it to. Power is always taken, never given.
In this election, choose long-term vision over short-term gains
By Sam Pitroda,IANS,
As the world's biggest exercise in democracy gets underway, there is a sense of expectation and anticipation. With an electorate of 714 million people eligible to vote, there is a tremendous opportunity for the people of India to elect a government that will deliver results and improve the growth trajectory of the country.
In the present election environment of personal attacks and popular slogans, it is important to look at the long term implications and a concrete developmental agenda.
Indian elections, BJP & the republicans
By Mike Ghouse,
Fascism was taking root in the world democracies since 2003, its fountain heads were Advani in India and Cheney in the United States. Both of them captured the base emotions of extremism of the people who form less than 1/10th of I% of their party membership, but unfortunately they are the ones that bark cohesively and intensely,
and make it appear that it is the voice of all the people.
Both the parties have thrived on fear mongering and both have failed miserably.
India needs better fire protection services
By Prem P. Batra, IANS,
The massive oil depot fire that raged for days in Jaipur has dramatically but tragically illuminated the woefully inadequate fire service infrastructure in India. While conceding that the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) depot fire in Jaipur was colossal by any standard, the routine fire accidents that occur on a daily basis reveal the institutional flaws in the entire fire protection capacity at a national level.
Challenges before women activists working on minority women’s rights
By Anjuman Ara Begum, TwoCircles.net,
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