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....
Confusion in Sri Lanka
SC has clipped Maithripala’s presidential wings, the country has two PMs and a besieged Speaker. The political confusion in...
We can do without the nomenclature epidemic
Renaming cities cannot be national priority. We have far more work to do in the fields of health, education etc....
Of Gandhi, Patel, Nehru and Ambedkar
The history of 20th century India can be summed up around the lives of these significant leaders. The history...
When Ibn Saud visited India
Arab chief of protocol said about the King, ‘His Majesty is never late. Your ministers have come too early.’ ...
How Copernicus got a road in Delhi
I discovered that Warsaw city authorities had named roads in honour of Mahatma and Jawaharlal Nehru. Hitler attacked Poland...
Who was Sir Chhotu Ram?
He changed the face of rural Punjab, by enacting revolutionary reforms. On 9 October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled...
When Nehru erred
Even Nehru’s most ardent chelas grant that his handling of the Kashmir issue, problem and dispute was inapt. I...
Let’s not try to be a second class permanent member of UNSC
One suggestion that has gathered some support is that the new permanent members should not have the veto. As EAM,...
