As I read Ford is to axe 850 jobs in the UK even as Ford India plans to add 1,000 more employees, I was reminded of two posts that I wrote some time back…
From The Myth of a Benevolent “Raj” 
Few would doubt that Indo-British trade may have been unfair – but it may be noteworthy to see how unfair. In the early 1800s imports of Indian cotton and silk goods faced duties of 70-80%. British imports faced duties of 2-4%! As a result, British imports of cotton manufactures into India increased …

*** UPDATE ***
Pl. see my comment at # 12 and Nanda’s at # 13.
***
This is a very hurried (but almost effortless) post…the kind of post in which words simply flow out (or almost type themselves out).
Many of you (by now) must have read about the “attack” on Charlie Chaplin’s “statue” in Udupi, Karnataka (e.g. BJP activists attack ‘Christian’ Chaplin statue).
Leaving aside the “sensationalisation” of the incident (I could not find a description of any ”attack” in the report above; it mentions BJP activists “blocked” the installation of the statue) – and there is no denying …

After the not-so-secular elections in Mizoram, we now have the Church recommending candidates for elections in Kerala. 
Brief excerpt from Church recommends candidate to Sonia Gandhi for Ernakulam seat:
…The powerful Latin Catholic Church in Kerala has written to Congress president Sonia Gandhi urging the party to consider Hybi Eden, chief of the Congress’ student wing, as party candidate for the Ernakulam Lok Sabha seat.
The letter was written by the Varapuzha Archbishop Daniel Acharuparambil, who is also president of the Kerala Regional Latin Catholic Council, the body that looks after the social and other …

Once upon a time (when there was no ”Google”), if you heard something that was hard to believe you had two options: 1] to believe the person from whom you heard it or 2] to go to the library in the hope (that) you can find a source to validate it
These days of course, we have “Google”!*
Unfortunately that also means if something cannot be “googled“, it may as well not exist (or be untrue).  Now read on…
Earlier this week, alert reader Dheeraj sent me a report about Father Menengis’ confession before the Justice Somashekhara Commission …

Thanks to Milap Choraria for this.
*** Excerpts from Milap’s Email ***
Under the RTI Act, I submitted an application…to the Central Public Information Officer, Ministry of Railways, submitting therein, that I have seen that in some coaches, Indian Railways have extended the number of births in Sleeper Classes from 72 Births to 81 Births, by extending the number of side Births from 2 to 3, and sought Complete Designs of the Newly Extended Side Three Births, which allowed the Railway Board to extend the number of Births in Sleeper Class Coaches …

Dear All: It is my pleasure to publish this very direct and blunt article by Dr Ajai Singh, M.D. and Editor of Mens Sana Monographs… Please do read and think about the points he has raised…Many of them make for uncomfortable reading…but these questions need to be asked and the ideas need to be discussed.
*** ”Straight Talk: The Challenge Before Modern Day Hinduism“  by Ajai Singh *** 
I wish to do some straight talk in this communication. No beating about the bush, no offering illusory solace.
I write this on the Oscar win for the film …