Five Lessons For Indian Democrats, Hindustan Times
Late last year, I wrote in these columns that we were in danger of becoming an ‘elections-only democracy’. Once a party or coalition wins an Assembly or General Election, it [...]
The Press In India: Somewhere Between Free and Unfree
In the first half of 1988, I was doing research in Uttarakhand, when news came of the murder of a brave young journalist from the region. His name was Umesh [...]
The Mahatma On Medicine, The Telegraph
I belong to a family of doctors trained in modern or Western medicine. Back in the 1980s, the doctors I was related to, or friends with, were all sceptical of [...]
Words From An Open Mind To A Closed Or Sealed One, Hindustan Times
A once great but now mostly forgotten Bangalorean was Mirza Ismail. A distinguished Dewan of both Mysore and Jaipur, in those princely states he reformed and modernized the administration, beautified [...]
My Favourite Bangalorean, The Telegraph
The achievements of the Parsis are well known. A community numbering some 70,000 people has produced some of India’s greatest patriots (Dadabhai Naoroji, Bhikaji Cama); its most prominent and philanthropically [...]
In Praise Of West Indies Cricket and Cricketers, Hindustan Times
On the last day of March, a friend of mine, temporarily in London, wandered into a pub. It was night in India, but afternoon in England, so there were just [...]