Any link? Are we lacking in culture and good behaviour in public? In our governance sphere? Are protocols for the people or for bureaucratic bungling? See how the film awards are distributed! The controversy over the President’s film awards! Why are these mismatches over the protocol in ensuring all get the awards from the hands…
Chief Justice of India on media freedom
In a recent apex court plea by The Wire the Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra reminded journalists that they can’t write as pore their imagination and deliver sermons like the “Pope sitting in a pulpit”. This was a very important case in which very high profile persons were involved. The son of Amit Shah,…
When women bankers make it to front page news!
On allegations and mere suspicions! It sounds a bit odd and discomforting? Yes, it is a sort of news you don’t expect in normal course of business. And in a business like banking, that too high profile banking, you need much discretion and discrete actions. Not you announce in the media that too by such…
Constitutions and the citizens!
How the wielding of power and public morality evolved over the centuries? Ever since the time of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, then in Rome under Cicero(106-43 BC) the Roman Republic and its institutions evolved up to the French Revolution and to the modern day Constitutions, in democracies and authoritarian regimes, the abuse of power and…
An Open Letter to the Vice-Chancellors of Indian Universities
A provocation for this column is a news item I read in the Kolkata edition of the Times of India. The Governor of the West Bengal State, Keshari Nath Tripathi has sent out a letter of invitation to several city intellectuals for tea at Raj Bhavan on April 26.The letter was sent to atleast 16…
Modi government faces new troubles!
By-election setbacks, allies rebellion and the banking and other scandals! Indian politics is maturing. After a long time we saw the 2014 elections set a new evolution path. Once, the only party, the Congress-led government was the one and only way of political life. Yes, the regional parties like the Dravidian and other parties came…
CBSE exams: Question papers leak
A new committee? Waste, waste, sheer waste! Of time and money and energies and our own imagination! Government sets up a committee to probe the leaks! Yes, this is done. It is in our view a big waste! Waste of precious time, energy and our own imagination! The very structure of the highly centralized CBSE…
Indian education is really in a crisis!
No one wants to take up teaching! Even the education institutions are not driven by any ideals! It is money, money, all the way! Society and politics is changing. So too the soaring ambitions of the new generation! Also, education today has changed. It is no more a field to seek knowledge and competence! It…