2015

The death of Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has been widely condoled. He was a person with unusual qualities, perhaps the most prominent of which is largely missing from contemporary public life, namely, simple living and honesty. His staff and associates when he was with DRDO, and others who had interacted with him during his presidency and after, have genuine high praise for his simplicity, humility and approachability.
Some writers have opined that the whole nation mourns the death of Dr Kalam. (…)

Introduction
Are investigations into the Hindutva terror-related cases changing course? A series of apparently unconnected developments definitely strengthen that belief.
Close on the heels of renowned public prosecutor Rohini Salian’s revelation that she is being pressurised to go slow on the Malegaon bomb blast case (2008), the news of a number of witnesses turning hostile in the Ajmer bomb blast case (2007) and the sudden decision of the NIA to shift the Sunil Joshi murder case back (…)

BOOK REVIEW
Yogendra Kumar
The Longest August: The Unflinching Rivalry Between India and Pakistan by Dilip Hiro; 2015; Nation Books, New York; pages: 520; price: Rs 799 (distributed by Penguin India).
The Longest August: The Unflinching Rivalry Between India and Pakistan (New York: Nation Books, 2015) is the latest book from the prolific pen of Dilip Hiro, the London-based journalist-author with 34 books already to his credit. With extensive writings on the Middle East, Central Asia (…)

The audacious ambitions of Sri Lanka’s former strongman and President Mahinda Rajapaksa continue unabated despite a humiliating defeat barely seven months ago. A defeat-induced humility, on display immediately upon his defeat in the January 8 presidential election when he moved out of the official residence of his own volition, lasted not even a few days thereafter; and before the newly elected President, Sirisena Maithripala, had had time to even warm his seat, Rajapaksa was back with full (…)

Over the recent past a great deal of hustle-bustle has been generated in our country in regard to one single phenomenon, namely, corruption. New news-channels have cropped up now and then on the TV screen, with routinised displays of what very often turn out to be nearly melodramatic performances by some of the possibly best orators—albeit skilfully moderated by professional anchors. Some sitting Ministers have been sent to jails of late in course of trials pertaining to corruption charges. (…)

Any comprehensive understanding of India’s possible pathways in the near future should be linked to a wider understanding of the most essential features of the present-day world. India should of course plan its future in accordance with its needs, but this has to be seen in the wider context of the world’s most serious issues and problems so that the path India chooses in it is in conformity with the world’s most urgently felt needs.
The two most important features of the present-day world (…)

MEDIA
by Satraajit Palchoudhury
The execution of Yakub Abdul Razzak Memon on July 30 has given a new issue to the Indian media especially to the 24x7 news channels. Shekhar Gupta in his ‘Walk the Talk’ programme presented before us two victims, Kishore Kuvavala and Farooq Mapkar, who had to undergo the trauma of the fateful year of 1993. The Srinivasan Jain-anchored programme—The riddle of Yakub Memon—also had all the masalas to attract the viewers. However, the execution of Yakub has (…)

EDITORIAL
The logjam in Parliament continues. What is more, the threat of the entire monsoon session being washed out due to the inability of the ruling party at the Centre to meet the legitimate demands of the principal Opposition party with regard to both the Lalitgate and Vyapam scams has become quite potent in the wake of the unfolding developments in the Lok Sabha in particular.
One has to quite sharply underscore one point: the Lok Sabha Speaker’s latest action of suspending 25 (…)

Finally, it is here—our own Tea Party.
It had to happen, of course, given the drift of political/ideological predilections over the last year.
One of India’s high constitutional authorities has admonished the state to keep “tabs” on all those who attended the funeral of the executed Yakub Memon (barring his family and friends, thankfully, although one would have argued that they indeed would have the most cause to do something untoward, no?) as “potential terrorists”.
Now, (…)

Kashmir has changed beyond recognition. In less than five years when I visited Srinagar last, the Valley has become visibly anti-India. This does not mean that it has become pro-Pakistan, although some green flags fly in the interiors of Srinagar. What it really means is that the alienation, which was perceptible even earlier, has changed into resentment.
However, the sunny sides like the Dal Lake and its bundh (bank) are as normal as they used to be. Tourists drive straight from the (…)