A few days back, I filed my first application under RTI for 2012. I did this online via RTINation. Considering that RTI Nation is a young start-up, the experience was fairly satisfactory. I will probably give it another try sometime later this year.
My application was to find out more information about the jury for the SK Singh Award. Some of you may remember this news-report that was published in several newspapers in Jan: “S.K. Singh award for nuclear trouble-shooter Venkatesh Varma”. Venkatesh is 3 years my senior in the Indian Foreign …

This post has been some time in coming – and I am penning my thoughts on something controversial after a long time. It was prompted by the recent decision of government of MP to increase the punishment for cow slaughter. As many of you would know, the issue of cow-slaughter is not a new one.  In fact, the demand for a ban on slaughter of cows is more than a century old – and was first raised in modern times by Swami Dayanand Saraswati and the Arya Samaj. It has …

The question was prompted by these excerpts fom Salil Tripathi‘s “An excuse called Rushdie” (emphasis added):
Only one out of every six Muslim children entering an Indian school stays till his matriculation. I use “his” deliberately; the figures are worse for girls—only two out of five Muslim girls enter schools, and fewer than one-tenth complete secondary education.
These stark dropout rates explain the malaise affecting Indian Muslims, and unless that’s addressed, all other solutions are ineffective.
Such low enrolment figures and high dropout rates mean that only one of 25 undergraduate students, …

A thought-provoking extract from a post on FTI colleague Sanjeev’s blog:
I don’t know how this man Narayana Murthy gets the audacity to lecture to others about doing something.
For nine years now I have been trying to get him (or Nandan Nilikani) interested in CITIZENSHIP – namely, in the process of active participation in the affairs of their nation. Numerous email communications I’ve had with both of them ..I even met both of them. They pretend to be “supportive” of the ideas I advocate but then do nothing.
One of them even …

Dear All:  Below, excerpts from a remarkable report from 1908 titled, “Why is England in India at all?“. In this report, written more than a century ago, Jabez Sutherland examines the extent to which the British Raj impoverished India.. Please read and share widely. I doubt any of our current text-books mention this aspect of “history”.
*** Excerpts from “Why is England in India at all?” by Jabez T Sutherland ***
What causes this awful and growing impoverishment of the Indian people? Said John Bright, “If a country be found possessing a most …

“I once more appeal to you to forget the past…You have got what you wanted.
You have got a separate state and, remember, you are the people who were responsible for it, and not those who remain in Pakistan
What is it that you want now?

…Now again you tell me and ask me to say for the purpose of securing the affection of the younger brother I must agree to the same thing again, to divide the country again in the divided part.
For God’s sake understand that we have also got some …

While reading Swapan Dasgupta’s take on the Rushdie affair, I stumbled on these lines (emphasis added):
Those who felt offended and let down by Rushdie’s absence from Jaipur were regarded as inconsequential members of the non-voting classes.
Their protests could safely be disregarded.
It struck me that this was also the reason why the government did the shameless “dance” on Lokpal Bill.. and capitulated in the case of Rushdie.
And then I came across this remarkable essay by Arun Shourie on Vote Banks (do read, if you have not already) in which he …

Dear All: This post was triggered by RealityCheck’s response to Praveen Swami’s remarks on the MahaKumbh. In discussions of Haj subsidy, many of you must have heard arguments along the lines of “..but the government subsidises Kumbh Mela too“. Although demonstrably false, this argument continues to be rehashed – sometimes even by well-known columnists. The latest to join this group is Praveen Swami. Below, excerpts from a brilliantly written counter-piece by RealityCheck on the specious logic of Praveen Swami:
Praveen Swami after a flying recap of the Salman Rushdie affair, lands …

Video of the extempore talk I gave on the “Political Philosophy of Hindutva” at the Ilford Hindu Centre in London, at an event that was presided by Dr Koenraad Elst on 8th Jan ’12. Comments and criticisms welcome.

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As I stress towards the end of the seminar (and in the slides), this is work in progress. So suggestions, corrections and modifications will be garetfully acknowlegded and incorporated.   Thanks. Jai Hind, Jai Bharat!
Related Posts:  Hindutva and Liberalism, “Sukhasya moolam Dharmah”
Why I am a proud nationalist,
Understanding Raj-Dharma – Part I and Part 2
Somewhat Related: “People are …

Dear All: Following up from the successful (& hugely interactive!) live chat on “Illegal Infiltration and Impact on Demographics” that we had on 6th Jan, below are details of the “Republic Day Special”  live text chat on the “Role of Youth in Today’s Politics…and “ What can You and I do to bring about Systemic Change?”. Some of you will recall that we had a discussion on this topic almost 2 yrs back…A lot has changed since then..and I felt it would be useful and informative  to have another discussion …