N Nagarajan In a letter dated 13 July 1944 to George Orwell, T. S. Eliot, then a director of Faber & Faber, acknowledged the literary merit of Animal Farm, describing it as “a distinguished piece of writing” and praising the skill with which its fable was handled. Yet Faber & Faber declined to publish it….
N Nagarajan Names in our multicultural India can often play havoc with our official lives. The mere mention of the Election Commission’s SIR—Special Intensive Revision—now sends shivers down the spine of many people who have discovered, sometimes rather late, that their names do not remain the same across different records. Let me begin with my…
N Nagarajan Perhaps it is better to stop invoking Gandhi ceremonially than to allow his name and legacy to be repeatedly abused. On 2 October, the nation will once again observe Gandhi Jayanti. The President, Prime Minister and political leaders across parties will pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. For many, however, it will simply be…
N Nagarajan Let me say this categorically at the outset: I am not against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. A periodic exercise to clean up electoral rolls, identify duplicate, deceased or shifted voters, and ensure that only eligible citizens remain on the rolls is both legitimate and necessary. The present exercise, following…
Let me share my thoughts while extending warm greetings to Team Orangenews9 and its readers on the eve of our 80th Independence Day. May the years ahead take Bharat towards becoming a stronger, more developed nation by 2047, when it celebrates its centenary, and beyond. They say a few minutes is a long time in…
N Nagarajan Health insurance is meant to provide financial protection during medical emergencies. Unfortunately, for many policyholders, the real struggle begins only after the patient survives. The following is a first-hand account of how a genuine emergency claim was rejected on a technical ground. Someone known to us in his early sixties, working with a…
N Nagarajan India stands at a moral crossroads when it comes to the care of its senior citizens. In recent years, both the Centre and State governments have stepped in with legal safeguards to protect the elderly from neglect and abuse—an intervention that, in itself, reflects a worrying social decline. That such laws are even…
By N Nagarajan Atal Bihari Vajpayee—thrice Prime Minister, poet, statesman, and a rare politician with an abiding sense of humour—stood apart even in moments of political adversity. It is said that after an electoral defeat, when party colleagues cited various reasons—from sabotage by allies to lack of organisational effort—Vajpayee listened quietly, eyes closed. When everyone…
By N. Nagarajan Watching the conduct of our Members of Parliament, MLAs, and other public representatives—both inside and outside legislative houses—often leaves one hanging one’s head in shame. The ongoing Winter Session of Parliament has been no exception. Parliamentary debate, once known for dignity and reasoned disagreement, is increasingly reduced to disruptions, slogan-shouting, and personal…
I was overwhelmed to read today’s beautiful tribute to Bollywood star Dharmendra—the pain of Hindi cinema—who passed away on 24 November, this time for real, unlike the recent false alarm that upset his family. His family handled the funeral with quiet dignity, completing the rites swiftly in the presence of close relatives, friends, and colleagues…
