Bigger India
Passage to Bihar
A series of high profile politicians from foreign countries make a pilgrimage to Bihar in search of their roots.
Bollywood Comes of Age
Suddenly the traditional boy-meets-girl formula, accompanied by the attendant melodramatic hi-jinx, has given way to some semblance of realism in subject, story-telling and performance.
Bewitching Allure of Home
Returning NRIs are quickly realizing that the nostalgia of the past seldom withstands the harsh realities of an extended stay.
The Higgs Boson Manifesto
At a deeper level, the real issue at stake in the debate over the “God Particle” is a choice between two different worldviews.
Let's Talk About Dating
“Firstly, I shall ask him to think over the matter very seriously before taking a final decision, talk to him about the possible consequences of such a marriage, giving examples of cases which we both (parents) know about. If I see that he is still convinced about it, I’ll support him.”
Lone Gray Wolf: Black & White’s Last Stand
The scene is a sidewalk just beyond the rather overdone Hawa Mahal in Jaipur, and the camera in question is less instrument, more living fossil — built by the Carl Zeiss company in 1860, it is nearly three times as old as independent India.
Are Writers Performers
In a world awash with new tools for communication and engagement, the symbolism, mystique and magic of anonymity, however seductive, is losing ground to new anthems celebrating the spirit of contact, connection and interaction.
Canned in Cannes
The awkward fact remains that although Bollywood is the world’s largest movie factory, we don’t register even a hiccup in this gala, global, mega feast. Historically we have been conditioned and programmed to believe that it’s not the winning or losing, but participation that is the key.
Right Side of History
Economic forces and Pres. Obama’s legendary timidity in the first half of his presidency could yet doom the Democratic Party’s presidential and Congressional aspirations during this election cycle.
Shahtoosh: Reviving a Dying Art
Can the shahtoosh industry, banned in India, be revived again by rearing the delicate Chiru antelopes in farms and obtaining their prized fur without killing the animals?
Seeking Silence
In this interview Iyer spoke on an unusual topic — the value of silence and stillness amid the rush of business.
B-School for Rural Indian Women
The women who have been educated at MDBS have little in common with the well-heeled students in MBA programs around the world. They are an eclectic mix of ages ranging from 19 to 50. They include a potter, a spice and noodle maker, a seamstress, a goat and sheep herder, a farmer, a homemaker and a bangle vendor.
India’s Gutless Media
That a deep pocketed media house like the India Today Group folded its tent without resistance in the face of Abhishek Manu Singhvi’s legal threats, while an obscure activist with a checkered free speech history dared to resist, is a permanent blot on a storied media house, for which it owes its readers and the public an apology and an explanation.
The Dirty Video
As a bemused India watches the alleged shenanigans of a ruling-party lawyer-turned-politician who has finally quit public office, a fellow lawyer finds that Abhishek Manu Singhvi’s resignation statement hides more than it reveals, and that it has unwittingly triggered a timely debate on privacy issues in the era of YouTube, FaceBook and Twitter.
Free Speech’s Unlikely Champion
Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, the accidental champion of freedom of speech, has a history of suppressing the speech, sometimes violently, of people with whom he disagrees.
Runaway Bride’s Loo Revolt
Bai returned home only after her husband constructed a toilet with a grant.
Protecting Sonia From India
The Indian public is under threat from satirical images of Sonia Gandhi? Really?
What Mumbai’s Dabbawalas Know That its Taxi Drivers Don't
Does India have the resources, structures and innovation to meet the challenges of the coming decade?
2011 Feels Like 1980 Again
Casting a glance back at how India appeared to the outside world just a few months ago is rather like looking at grainy footage of yesteryear: a booming economy, IT whiz-kids making waves all over the globe, top ranking in international Test cricket, the ICC Cricket World Cup in the bag, Bollywood on the roll.
A Carnival Called India
Wah India. Your myriad avatars, your million mutinies never cease to amaze. We try hard to hijack you. Some cry, "India is Indira". Others sing, "You are my Sonia". Still others chant, "Saffron Shining."
Gandhi's Revenge
For India to join the developed world it needs much more than eight-lane highways and spanking new airport terminals. It needs to drag its politics into the 21st century, along with the rest of the country.
Why Do India and Pakistan See America in Opposite Ways
"Give me a name, America, make of me a Buzz or Chip or Spike. Bathe me in amnesia and clothe me in your powerful unknowing."
The NRI Dilemma
The Never Return is a unique breed of people. Their uniqueness lies in the fact that they think they are the most fortunate people in this world. For them India is a third world country which is confined to those once-in-a-few-years visits for the sake of completing the formality of seeing their loved ones