Cinema and cricket are two unifying threads that weave through the diversity of India. Across cultures, geographies and age groups, there is an audience for cinema and cricket.

‘Indian’ cinema in public perception is Hindi cinema. So much so, that no discussion on soft power would be complete without touching upon Bollywood films. Read more

It was activism of a different sort when some eminent citizens such as actor Aamir Khan, Magsaysay award winners Sandeep Pande and Arvind Kejriwal, social activist Anna Hazare and journalist-author Madhu Trehan wrote to the prime minister last week that former IPS officer Kiran Bedi should be made the chief information commissioner (CIC) of India. Read more

Strange are the ways of the people. There are always explanations for failures and successes in elections, but a lot more remains inexplicable. The results of the three state assembly elections are no different. Read more

The Rajasthan government has recently ordered government officials to treat elected politicians with respect. Officials have been asked to stand up to receive MPs and MLAs and talk to them with respect. At all government functions, elected representatives must get prime seating, according to the order. Read more

Jaswant Singh’s expulsion from the BJP has been interpreted by many as an assault on intellectual autonomy and as a sign of Sangh Parivar intolerance. That’s missing the point completely.

The academic value of Jaswant’s interpretation of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, which is at best debatable, is not really the issue here. Read more

Most of us instinctively react to suggestions that occasionally crop up suggesting a dress code for women in educational institutions.

Dress is a matter of personal choice and any interference in that autonomy should be considered unacceptable in a liberal milieu. Read more

As India turns 62, some see it as a case of glass half full and others see it as a case of glass half empty. Both sides have strong reasons.

India could have done better, no doubt. Here I am concerned with two specific points usually raised by people who believe that India could have done better. Read more

Everyone seems to like Sach ka Samna, but politicians as a class are opposed to it. Can there be a reason?

All of us like to hear the truth and secrets of other people but few among us would like to be answering those probing questions truthfully. All truths cannot be told. In statecraft, information is shared among power-players on a need-to-know basis. Talking too much can only bring you peril. Perhaps the same applies in all human interactions. Read more

E Sreedharan has been the hero of the Indian middle class and the media until last week. An accident in Delhi Metro rail project that killed six people prompted us to question the man and his style, in a sudden turnaround. His speed and insistence on deadlines are now being cited as the possible reasons for the accident. He is almost being blamed for the accident. Select portions of a CAG report is used to whip a project, which has been touted as an international showpiece. Read more

The genocide of Sikhs in 1984, in which more than 3000 people were killed, remains a big blot on India’s secular character. So does the Gujarat progrom against Muslims in 2002.

Congress was in power in 1984 in Delhi and BJP was in power in Gujarat in 2002. In a rather strange twist of logic, 1984 is often cited to deflect the outrage over Gujarat riots. Criticism of 2002 is often countered with the argument that 1984 was worse and Congress is no better than the BJP. Read more