February 2008
GANDHI IN ORISSA, The Telegraph
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was by birth a Gujarati bania, but the admiration for his life and work transcended the boundaries of caste, language, religion, and gender. He was a man who was trusted by women, [...]
January 2008
GANDHI’S FAITH, AND OURS, Hindustan Times
Many years ago, I had an argument with the philosopher Ramchandra (Ramu) Gandhi about his grandfather’s faith. I had always admired the Mahatma, but my secular-socialist self sought to rid him of the spiritual baggage [...]
THE CAREER OF A CONCEPT, The Hindu
In an interview given recently by the Pakistani cricketer-politician Imran Khan to Newsweek magazine, he said: ‘My vote bank is increasing’. To whom do we owe the term ‘vote bank’? I wager few readers of [...]
RECALLING A TOUCH ARTIST, The Telegraph
The two greatest comebacks in the history of Indian sport were both conducted in the great city of Kolkata. The better-known, since more recent, was the magnificent 281 scored by V. V. S. Laxman in [...]
December 2007
TOWARDS A GENDER-SENSITIVE CIVIL CODE, Hindustan Times
Article 44 of the Constitution of India reads: ‘The State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India’. The first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, and [...]
SELECTIVE RIGHTEOUSNESS, The Telegraph
A mail arrived in my Inbox last week, as part of a circular sent to many people with some connection to the press. Addressed to ‘the Chief Editor/ Photographer’, it read: ‘We request you to [...]