This was published today in the Pioneer. Comments and brickbats welcome as always. Maligning Modi Bogus secularists in media derive perverse pleasure One occasion brings immense joy, deafening sound bytes, and bounteous monetary rewards to the establishment and the whole secular brigade. Not so much the occasion as much as just one personality who has [...]

So the BJP won resoundingly in the BBMP elections and secured an overwhelming strength of 141 in the council. This is the first ever election to the council since the BBMP was formed in 2007. With all the modesty I can muster, I’ll say I had expected a comfortable BJP victory unlike most who had [...]

This part continues examining Offstumped’s post on drawing a line. After mistakenly equating Dharma/Rajadharma with the present day Indian Constitution, he talks about Hindu interests. It is ironic that those who claim to protect Hindu interests have done little to nothing in freeing Hindu Institutions from State Control. Instead they have cynically accorded legitimacy to [...]

Introduction Offstumped’s post attempts to chart a course for the future of what he calls the “broad political space opposed to Left Liberalism.” As laudable and difficult the endeavour is, the ideas he espouses in the piece leave many gaps in clarity, ignores crucial areas, and casually dismisses many vital points that need to be [...]

A reader wrote to me with an experience that he says vexed him. The relevant portion of his email is excerpted below (with his permission via email): …during a talk with a liberal friend of mine, regarding the MF Hussain episode…friend talked on the lines of what liberals usually speak i.e kamasutra khajuraho…But…his explanation that [...]

Since day before yesterday, the media and large sections of the public is having a gala time over Swami Nithyananda’s bedroom antics with a Tamil actress. Everybody is outraged. “Shocked,” “devastated,” “how can he do this?” “betrayal of trust,” “Fake Gurus,” is the typical reaction from what we call the “layman.” But here’s the thing: [...]

An Introduction of Sorts Question: What’s common between Nicolas Sarkozy, Taslima Nasrin, free speech, and the Indian media? Answer: The Burqa, the veil, the headscarf, the chador, the purdah, which is regarded by various people variously as “dignified,” “protective,” “secure,” and “comfortable.” Those who hold any view that opposes these positive connotations are given a [...]

Swapan Dasgupta, a writer I’ve admired for long writes in the Wall Street Journal about the BJP’s chance of making a fresh start under Nitin Gadkari. It’s really an OK piece compared to Swapan’s more incisive articles. No new insight or food for thought and not quite blog-worthy except for this. Since it lost power [...]

Pune is just the name of another city where the blasts occurred. A welcome gift on the eve of Valentines Day to reassure our hearts pining for terror-love that we were so used to during UPA Ver 1.0. And the difference between Shivraj Patil and Chidambaram is probably nothing more than name, education, and taste [...]

Writing about the recently-concluded Hampi festival, the SpIndian Express boldly asks: Who’s the Charioteer? The Hampi festival is an annual cultural extravaganza that began 15 years ago with the Hampi Ustav in 1995. This year’s festival holds a special significance because it marks the 500th year of Sri Krishnadevaraya’s coronation in 1509-10. But the festival [...]