July 2004
REFORMING THE HINDUS, The Hindu
Three men did most to make Hinduism a modern faith. Of these the first was not recognized as a Hindu by the Shankaracharyas; the second was not recognized as a Hindu by himself; the third [...]
VIGNETTES OF VAJPAYEE, The Hindu
In the last weeks of 1999, I was the recipient of a phone call from a Delhi bibliophile I knew slightly. The Prime Minister’s family, he said, felt that the time had come to suitably [...]
June 2004
PASSAGES THROUGH INDIA , The Hindu
There is a wonderful book waiting to be written about Western representations of India in the twentieth century. Before and after Independence, the sub-continent attracted an array of foreign writers determined to dig up the [...]
THE INDIAN TRADITION OF NON-RENUNCIATION, The Hindu
Few people, within or outside her Congress party, expected Mrs Sonia Gandhi not to accept the office of Prime Minister after the Indian elections results were out. Her decision to renounce the post in favour [...]
May 2004
FIVE MYTHS ABOUT JAWAHARLAL NEHRU, The Hindu
In this, the week of the fortieth death anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru, let us consider some of the myths that have gathered around his name and his legacy: Myth 1: Nehru promoted a ‘dynasty’ This [...]
A PLAGUE ON BOTH YOUR HOUSES, The Telegraph
Bangalore voted on Sunday the 20th of April, the first round of polling. Anticipating crowds in the morning, my wife and I went to the neighbourhood booth in the afternoon. Outside, the names of the [...]