Opinion

Opinion | If You Don't Care About Taj Mahal's Architect, Why Cry Over Lutyens?

The parallel, if one has to be drawn, is not with Shah Jahan and the Taj. It is with the architect of the Taj, and most of us don't know his name either. Why, then, should we bother too much with a British architect?

Opinion | Sanchar Saathi Mess: 5 Lessons From The Centre's Spectacular Misfire

It's worrying that nobody in authority had the brains to anticipate the outrage that has dominated the public discourse in the last two days. In a way, the government has brought this blowback upon itself.

Opinion | Indians Are Growing Sick Of Customs Harassment - But Who Cares?

You would think that the Wintrack experience would serve as an example to other customs officials and make them more careful and professional when dealing with citizens. In fact, the opposite is true.

Opinion | The Northeasterner: Indian, Until Someone Needs A Punchline - By Vir Sanghvi

The racism we casually throw at those from the North East is not so different - or any less offensive - from the racism that Indians face in the West. Yet, we remain blind to it.

Opinion: Forgive Me If I'm Not Crying For Musharraf

How did you feel when you heard that General Pervez Musharraf had died? Were you sad? Were you overjoyed? Did you feel a tinge of sorrow and regret? Or did you find it hard to control your jubilation? I'll tell you how I felt.

"Varanasi Live" Shows How Modi Has Rewritten Politics - by Vir Sanghvi

Anyone looking for proof that the BJP has completely transformed Indian politics need only have watched today's live TV coverage of the Prime Minister's latest Benaras adventures.

Opinion: Yogi Does For Priyanka What PK Couldn't - by Vir Sanghvi

It is a strange world where the man who causes a turnaround in Priyanka Gandhi's political fortunes is the guy who appears to despise her.

Opinion: Amarinder Singh's Exit Proves 7 New Congress Qualities

Chief Ministers always come and go. But the real importance of the resignation of Captain Amarinder Singh lies less in what it means for Punjab politics, and more in what it tells us about the Congress party of today. With each passing day, it become

Opinion: Jitin Prasada's Move Reflects Worse On BJP Than Congress

Dynasts will come and go. But the real danger to the Congress comes not from a privileged elite or even, the BJP. It comes from the inability of its leadership to manage the party.

Opinion: Opinion: So, No, Mr Modi Does Not Know How To Sweep Elections

If the results of the Bengal election force the government to focus more on the pandemic and less on politicking, campaigning and legislator-purchasing then India will have gained. And lives will be saved.

Opinion: Rahul Gandhi vs G-23 Is Really What It's About. And India Doesn't Care

Hello and welcome to Episode 203 (or is it Episode 406?) of the Congress's civil war. Like some long-running serial that began with a flurry of excitement but has now settled down to daytime monotony, the Congress's version of "The Bald And The Boring" does attempt to deliver neardaily new twists. But nobody cares.

Opinion: As Foreign Criticism Grows, Modi Has An Image Problem

It should be clear by now that India has a global image problem. Most Western newspapers of note (The New York Times, Le Monde, Time, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The London Times, etc.) have all been critical of the government's record on farmer protests, Kashmir, free speech, the right to dissent, treatment of minorities, and so on.

Opinion: Where Farmer Leaders Failed And What They Should Do Next

But there is also a half-view, full of innuendo and conspiracy, that has emerged even as the merits of the new laws are being discussed. This view lurks on social media and turns up, with increasing frequency, in conversations.

Opinion: In Pranab's Memoir, Telling Revelations Of Manmohan, Sonia

It's a story that needs to be told. And perhaps Pranab's memoir will shed a little light on it, no matter how much his children squabble.

Opinion: Trudeau Was Wrong. But Surprising Amount Of Support For Him

Justin Trudeau is of as much consequence as Justin Beiber. But the Indian responses to his statements have me worried.

Opinion: Why Sonia Gandhi And Ahmed Patel Were The Perfect Team - by Vir Sanghvi

I have no idea how Patel felt about any of this because he was too discreet to say a word. But till the end, he remained by Sonia's side, low-key and loyal. Like the rest of us, he probably had no idea where the Congress is headed.

Opinion: Rahul Gandhi's Leadership Exposed Again As Disastrous

There are many reasons for the Congress's failure but, in the public mind, it all comes down to one thing:the leadership of Rahul Gandhi. Admittedly, some of this has to do with hostile and largely biased media perceptions of Rahul. But it also has to do with the way Rahul himself has handled the situation.

Opinion: The Real Whodunit In SSR Case Is Obvious, Isn't It - by Vir Sanghvi

We have become a nation that can be easily manipulated by anybody willing to spend a few crores on social media. And rather than resist this onslaught of untruths and smears, we have fallen in love with the lies.

Opinion: So, Rhea's Arrested. Take A Good Look At Yourself.

All of our indignation is justified. Nobody can deny that. But here's my problem: we tend to blame everybody else except for the principal culprits.

Opinion: Pranab Da Remained ‘PKM’. It Should Have Been ‘PM’

Pranab Mukherjee was an extraordinary politician, capable of feats of memory outpacing computers. On nearly every subject he dealt with, from Finance to Foreign Policy to Parliamentary Procedure, he was an expert. He was capable of gentle humanity and great humility. And yet he was short-tempered, could be unnecessarily stubborn and often lost his shirt needlessly.