My memory of Bob Hawke
He was Australian Prime Minister for nine years and succeeded in changing Australia’s international profile. Former Australian Prime Minister...
India cannot afford to lower guard on terror
The chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed has been declared an international terrorist by the UN Security Council. On Wednesday, 1 May,...
Needed, skilful handling of the Lanka situation
ISIS has taken responsibility for the attack. India is in a difficult position. We cannot remain indifferent. Last Sunday,...
Punjab tries to connect youths with their roots
Punjab CM aims to familiarise young boys and girls of Punjabi origin with their heritage and history. An imaginative...
Fascinating insights into Babur’s life
How Babur saved Humayun’s life has been narrated in the past. This book tells what actually happened. Babur Nama...
Butcher of Jallianwala, a hero in England
General Dyer was malignance personified. His action ensured the rapid end of the British Empire. On 13 April...
Chandigarh, elections and other musings
Speculation about the outcome of the Lok Sabha elections is now reaching epidemic proportions. I have spent the last...
New Zealand PM leads by example
Following the mosque massacre, she lost no time in banning the manufacture and sale of lethal weapons. “They are...
Now that the general elections are here
Our democracy has taken root. But in my judgement our democracy is yet to reach its apotheosis. By the...
Pak media’s India coverage can be outrageous
TV channels and retired generals and air marshals and self-appointed experts keep stoking the diplomatic fires. One of the...
Time to think of war widows and their children
We should ensure employment for the widows. Their children’s school fees must be paid by the MoD. In the...
How Mussolini used Tagore and Gandhi
Benito Mussolini (1883-1945) was the originator of Fascism. He ruled Italy from 1922-1943. His end was gory. He was shot,...
Pak’s isolation will be short-lived
The Pulwama attack has evoked worldwide condemnation. We cannot afford to lower our guard. Some years ago, a Pakistani...
Thoughts on books recently read
Chinmoy Guha has worked long and diligently to collect the near forgotten letters of two Nobel Laureates. For the...
Without Gandhi, India wouldn’t be independent
He combined his moral grandeur with his political genius in a unique manner. Gandhi was a miracle. Mahatma Gandhi’s...
All about Xi
He has ambitious plans for fulfilling his Chinese Dream and Chinese miracle. Xi’s China is a Marxist dictatorship. Earlier...
Nehru’s letter to Kennedy
His messages to the US President make pathetic reading. I have been re-reading B.K. Nehru’s fascinating and absorbing autobiography,...
My memory of Fidel Castro
This week, 60 years ago, Fidel Castro took over as the supreme leader of Cuba, an island in the West...
Read, write books and never be bored
I edited The Legacy of Nehru. Contributors included Bertrand Russell, Clement Attlee, Martin Luther King Jr. Raja Rao, famous...
St. Stephen’s college, 70 years ago
In the Army, Navy, Air Force, Stephenians have attained the highest ranks, also in media establishments. I joined St....
When Radhakrishnan patted Mao on the cheek
After shaking hands with the almighty Mao, he flouted every rule of protocol. The Chairman was taken aback. Before...
A funeral fit for a President
Kennedy’s funeral was impeccably organised and brilliantly regulated. What an aura the man had. Watching the funeral services held...
Nehru used to meet new IFS officers personally
Pakistan needs to shed its Kashmir obsession for the long term normalisation of India-Pakistan relations. The combined ages of...
Guru Nanak: One of ten greatest Indians of all time
He was a saint, scholar, poet, author, guide, revolutionary, who believed in gender equality. I am not a Sikh....
