Blogs |
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| Politically Incorrect, Politically Accurate |
| By Sanjay Pinto |
 Nowhere else, will you come across two leaders who are eternally at war with each other. Never mind that 'lipstick on a pig' sort of campaign, a Mc Cain will still congratulate an Obama, even attend his swearing in. Never mind that 'weakest Prime Minister' barb, an Advani will be present at a Manmohan Cabinet formation. A Lalu Prasad will be spotted at a Ram Vilas Paswan family wedding reception. A YSR would call on a Chandrababu Naidu post a naxal assassination attempt. And a Naidu would offer condolences to YSR`s family, post the copter crash. But in Tamilnadu, Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi will never exchange pleasantries. Never visit the other in hospital. Never congratulate the winner,(every five years) but only cry foul. Never participate in the other's swearing in. Never appear together in all party meets. Never attend the same functions. And almost by default, take turns to boycott assembly sessions when the other is in power, barring a few exceptions. Even for these rare occasions, the seating in the assembly has been changed so that the two leaders don't even make eye contact! |
| Ear to the Ground |
| By Tejas Mehta |
 At times, their all-too-apparent indoctrination, will make you shrink with fear. The casualness with which blood is spilled, hostages threatened will send a chill down your spine. At others, their stupidity will make you wonder how 10 buffoons - guided by their handlers - could take on the might of the NSG and the Indian Army. Hear, the original audio conversations of what happened during the 26/11 attack. |
| Diary of a mofussil reporter |
| By Sampad Mahapatra |
 Each passing day provides further confirmation of what most of us know anyway - that the words of politicians need to be taken for what they are - words; empty words causing much sound of fury but signifying nothing. Is it not asking for the moon to expect the darling of the national media aristocracy to lose sleep over something as trivial as the arrest of a 'mofussil' reporter |
| Close encounters |
| By Monideepa Banerjie |
 Much water has flown under the bridge in Lalgarh since the swap of policeman Atindranath Dutta....The Rajdhani was hijacked and released....But Atindrananath Dutta's dramatic release by Maoist leader Kishanji remains a stand-alone experience. |
| A Fine Balance |
| By Supriya Sharma |
 Why would a politician turn cheerleader for those trying to dig dirt against the men and women who form the final but vital link in his political supply chain - the sarpanches or village heads? |
| Down Memory Lane |
| By Madhusudan Srinivas |
 A little bit of a complex for the lowbrow country hick school wala ... I'd been to the neighbouring convent (day, no boarding) school - St Edward's -- for my initial five years. Then, as the folks ran out of money on a government employee's salary, to pay for the education of three boys, we shifted to the ramshackle Kendriya Vidyalaya aka 'Central School' in town. From smart ties, and Irish missionary 'Fathers' wielding canes, to slightly ragged school uniforms, tie not really a must, and hugely homegrown teachers, some of whom spoke with fists and kicks and 'murga bano's ' with comfort. From 'propah' English, to country English, and huge amounts of Hindi. |
| Super South |
| By T S Sudhir |
 The South is going North, not geographically but in every other sense. That's why 'sooper' is a truly happening adjective south of the Vindhyas. From an A R Rahman to a Nandan Nilekani, who put India on the world map. A Rajinikanth, who got a global following before he was even discovered by the rest of India. Bangalore and Hyderabad who earned for themselves the epithet of tech cities fighting over whose international airport will take off first and which of them the two Bills, Gates and Clinton, will find more enchanting, as if there is no competition from anyone else. To a Kerala that stands as one without any comparison in the rest of the country. T S Sudhir brings you vignettes from the region he calls 'Super South'. |
| Battleground Maharashtra |
| By Sreenivasan Jain |
 In the brink of another election, Maharashtra presents that enduring paradox: a spectacularly malgoverned state, that has, with one exception, elected Congress governments since its inception. (In this, it holds a record of sorts - no other major state in India has been so consistently ruled by the Congress). It is, by general consensus, a great lost opportunity. Perhaps the most emblematic example of squandered greatness is Maharashtra's employment guarantee scheme, conceived in the famine years of the early seventies and subsequently the template for the UPA's national flagship. |
| The Cycle Tour |
| By Sriram |
 After a sound night's sleep, it was time to wake up, time to ride my cycle again for yet another grueling day. This was just the beginning of a long journey which more than 50 of us are doing. It's been the case each year with riders coming from across the globe, some returning, like me. We had to ride for a few kilometers to reach the start of the day's first racing stage. The first stage was a challenging uphill which lasted for 14 km. |
| Climate Change |
| By Yugratna Srivastava |
 It was really a great experience to attend the summit. 3 billion of world's population was counting on me. It was not only me but it was United Nations Environment Programme which I was representing. Overall, it was a wonderful experience to speak in front of more than 100 world leaders. |
In another case of extreme punishment, a teacher in Maharashtra chopped off a male student’s hair in class.
