‘Mera Bharat Mahan.’ Should this slogan not be our mantra as Indians, wherever we are – at home or abroad? Telugu poet Rayaprolu Subbarao reminded us long ago: Ae deshamegina, endu kalidina, ae peethamekkina, evvaremanina, pogadara nee talli bhoomi Bharati. [Whichever country you go to, wherever you may live, whichever throne you ascend, whatever others…
Does India need the Asia Cup trophy to prove to future generations that it won the tournament in Dubai? Really, is this some notarised affidavit to be produced before a sceptical grandson in 2075? ‘Look beta, here is the original Cup, hence your grandfather is telling the truth’. Absolute nonsense. Victories are written on the…
Hyderabad’s dream of becoming Dallas or Singapore has just been washed away – literally. Torrential rains have done what civic promises could not: rebrand the city overnight. Why bother copying glass towers and manicured roads when we can instead embrace gondolas and floating markets? Roads, ORR, and pothole paradise The daily commute has been upgraded…
When Congress opens its mouth, the BJP does not need to. The roasting is served hot by Congress leaders themselves, with the BJP merely adding the garnish. Congress MP Manish Tewari solemnly declares that dynasts are being rejected, that Gen Z has no patience for entitlement. BJP claps in delight. Who better than Rahul Gandhi,…
If you thought the British packed up and left in 1947, you may want to peep into our courts. The robed majesties still carry on with the British legacy. Six-week summer vacations, Dussehra recesses, Christmas breaks – all neatly planned while five crore (50 million) cases gather cobwebs and litigants gather wrinkles. ‘Justice delayed is…
Home is where the heart is. For Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda [better known as Sam Pitroda, or Uncle Sam if you are part of the Gandhi durbar] that home, it seems, lies across the border. ‘I’ve been to Pakistan, and I must tell you, I felt at home,’ he says with the warmth of a man…
Last evening I attended a book launch at Badruka College. After the event, my friend Suresh and I stopped at a restaurant in Narayanguda for dinner. By the time we stepped out, the skies had opened up. Staying back wasn’t a clever option. Rain showed no sign of letting up. So we set off: Suresh…
She has been the rebel with no pause for more than two decades now. But this time, Arundhati Roy has outdone herself. In a shocking analogy, the Booker Prize winner of The God of Small Things declared that India has ‘perpetually waged war on its own citizens’ while Pakistan never used its army against its…
He is a freelance commentator and writer on politics, economy and security, with a special focus on China’s economy, and has held senior positions in government and industry. But show him the faintest whiff of Hinduism, Hindutva, or a certain shade from the orange end of the colour palette, and he goes ballistic. I have…
Remember the old car ads that boasted about being ‘ideal for Indian roads’? The Ambassador wore that badge with pride. Tata, however, has decided to be brutally honest. Its new Harrier.ev campaign [Tata ev – the perfect road for Harrier.ev] is not so much about the car as it is about the cratered reality beneath…
