The virulence of communal politics has poisoned Indias democracy for decades, and Punjab has been particularly afflicted, drawn into nearly a decade-and-a-half of malevolent religious terrorism through the 1980s and the early 1990s, and thereafter into a rising politics of communal polarisation that has perverted both the dominant faiths of the stateSikhism and Hinduism. While abusive exchanges between purportedly religious figures appear to have diminished since the killing of Sudhir Suri of th

The warm embrace of spring this year brings forth one of the biggest and most prestigious events in the global art scenario, the 60th edition of Venice Biennale. This years theme Foreigners Everywhere curated by Adriano Pedrosa, a South American curator, explores the concept of foreign-ness through multiple approaches fostering dialogue and exchange. While India does not officially possess a pavilion to showcase its art and culture, the presence of India at Venice Biennale is multifarious. From

When was the last time you spent an hour alone without making a single phone call, checking your mail or messages or scrolling through social media? Whens the last time you sat quietly in a car or the subway or on a flight without listening to music or a podcast or watching a movie youd downloaded to your tablet in advance? When did you last spend time alone with your thoughtsby choice? I asked myself these questions on my last birthday (while taking stock of my life), and was horrified to disco

Every single evening, I spend time hunched over my illustrated journal, drawing pictures that capture the highlights of my day. Yesterday, my house-help said Why do you do this? Do you get money, like when you write your books? I replied that nobody paid me to draw. She couldnt understand why I did it then. Its a lot of work for no money, she commented. Indians are known for their strong work ethics globally. Studies show that India ranks seventh in the list of countries with the longest working

A person accused of a crime, when acquitted, should, under normal circumstances, feel relieved and absolved of all taints. But we live in abnormal times where the person accused of committing a crime can be apprehended on mere suspicion, and the trial drag on for decades, and all this while the incarcerated is condemned to live in judicial custody. The long years spent in detention often are more than the maximum number of years that could have been imposed as punishment. There are many distress

Some years ago, during a private conversation, the education minister of a western country urged me to help her school-going daughter overcome her phobia of mathematics. Her request brought home the stark truth that the teaching of mathematics at the level of schools is not in good shape. My own memories of learning mathematics are not very edifying. Of course, exceptions occurred when I had two very fine teachers in grades 8 and 9, respectively. But the rest of my school years were rather disap

During a casual conversation with a foreign university partner in North America, the Dean of its engineering school quizzed: When will deemed universities become universities? I was uncomfortably explaining the policy trajectory of deemed universities which is still undergoing a bumpy ride ever since its conceptual inception. After my explanation, he felt he was better off not asking the question. Here is why. The First Education Commission report of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1948-49) recommende

Side hustles have always intrigued me. My second book was focused largely on professionals who have built interesting passion projects and created new income streams while retaining their day jobs. It isnt easy but with consistency and commitment, carving an alternate identity is a realistic possibility. This doesnt always mean hustling hard, doing more, and taking on more projects than we can manage. Take Cal Newport as an example. After his PhD from MIT, he became a computer science professor

So theres a new temple that has opened its doors close by. A temple with Gods of every denomination to please devotees of every calling. Gods to grant boons in return for cash. Gods who sit impassive in marble splendour, listening to everything. To impassioned entreaties, to earnest promises of good behaviour, to genuine but often temporary repentance for sins of all levels committed in secret. They listen to all this and more. But above all to the loud music that every place of worship now beli

Could we dwell for a few moments on the concept of happiness, please? Truth to tell, after Pharrell Williams catchy tune of the same name, we havent really paused to think too hard about the state of being happy. Again, truth to tell, we lead uber-hectic lives. We are jogging hard to stay in the same place, we are doing daily horrendous commutes despite following a hybrid office/home model of work, we, as that old song goes, work hard for the money. Who has time to pursue happiness? But there ar

Thrissur in Central Kerala erupted into controversy days before the crucial Lok Sabha polls after reports of police high-handedness during the famous Thrissur Pooram festival surfaced. The delay in the customary fireworks display, excessive restrictions imposed on devotees and police lathi charge on devotees sparked widespread outrage. Under attack from every corner, the state government transferred the errant police commissioner, attempting to douse the raging flames of public anger. This incid

Everything is not as it seems to be. We have no answers. Will she live or will she die? We give her three years. Doctors were skeptical I will make it through. I was skeptical about yoga when I enrolled to study it over three decades ago. Does yoga work? But with the failure of the popular beliefYou become famous, earn doodles of money, youve made it!I thought of a gateway to peace and prosperity. Success did not do it for me, in fact, it did quite the opposite. When you are unhappy especially w

In the vibrancy of Bharatiya democracy, elections serve as the cornerstone of our collective voice and aspirations. However, the sanctity of this democratic process often comes under scrutiny due to unethical practices. Its high time we reevaluate the efficacy of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) issued by Election Commission of India (ECI) and transition towards a more robust Ethical Code of Conduct. The MCC, designed to regulate the behaviour of candidates and political parties during elections,

Imtiaz Alis biopic on Amar Singh Chamkila is a wake-up call. The singer, known as the Elvis of Punjab and his singer-wife, who sang wildly popular dirty ditties, were gunned down in 1988 and their killers were never caught. Chamkilas detractors accused him of peddling sleaze with his ribald lyrics and raunchy beats, though the man seemed to have prided himself simply on giving the people what they wanted. Which was mostly horny humour and catchy tunes. After all, sex sells. Then, now, and foreve

The first sign was in the purple staining the ground. Little rivulets of purple bled from bruised fruit. Over our heads, birds grasped the bounty on the boughssome fruits were a fresh, leaf-green, and others were a wine-purple. If you touched them, they nearly exploded in your hands, and so you had to be gentle. Its the season for the mulberry or the shahtoot, that once-a-year abundance of handpicked sweetness. Mulberry trees can be quite small, which means you can reach for the fruit without br

Baba Ramdev has shown an uncanny and amazing ability to remain in the headlines, nor is he a stranger to controversies, harsh criticism and vile abuse. Some years back a leading English news magazine had published him on its cover with a picture in crass taste. He was also accused by Brinda Karat of exploiting his workforce and mixing animal products in his ayurvedic potions. It didnt take the Baba long to bounce back and land an almost knock-out punch displaying his nationalist credentials. But