Radhika Bordia

"Absolutely Indian By Heart," Says Karachi Bakery After Protest In Bengaluru

India News | Reported by Nehal Kidwai, Radhika Bordia, Edited by Swati Bhasin | Sunday February 24, 2019

"Absolutely Indian by heart," reads a post shared by a six-decade old bakery chain, Karachi Bakery, on its official Facebook account today adding that its founder had set up the chain after he migrated to India from Pakistan after partition.

Ahead Of Elections, Campaign Of Communal Rhetoric In Rajasthan's Alwar

India News | Written by Radhika Bordia | Wednesday September 26, 2018

"Cow blood has been shed on this land, on my land. Russian and American scientists, after studying Hindu shastras, have confirmed that whenever and wherever cow blood is spilt, there will be earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes will erupt" - Gyan Dev Ahuja, a BJP lawmaker in Rajasthan's Alwar, delivers the little speech without flinching as he campa...

With His Fetid Cow Model, Dalit Man In Gujarat Has A Message

India News | Written by Radhika Bordia | Friday June 15, 2018

A year ago, Parmar created a life size model of a cow with its intestines spilling out. For a heavy dose of reality, he hung next to the model actual blood and flesh-soaked plastic that charmakars had peeled out from the tangled intestines of dead cattle.

Issue Beyond Namaz: Right-Wing Body On Row Over Prayers In Open Spaces In Gurugram

Gurgaon News | Written by Radhika Bordia | Friday May 11, 2018

The conflict over offering namaz in Gurugram may have been triggered off by the use of public spaces with the alleged intention of encroaching on land near mosques, but going by the list of demands put forth by the Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti, their protest goes well beyond civic issues, and targets the economic and social activities of Muslims ...

Giving Up Home, Boyfriends And Ferraris: Why Young Jains Choose Diksha

India News | Written by Radhika Bordia | Thursday May 10, 2018

Twelve-year-old Bhavya, son of a diamond merchant from Surat, loved Ferrari cars. Bhagyaratna Vijayji Maharaj, as he is known now, took a vow of renunciation a fortnight ago to join an order of Jain monks.

Siddaramaiah's Lingayat Play And The Chances Of It Backfiring In Election

India News | Written by Radhika Bordia | Thursday April 5, 2018

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has called for the Lingayats to be recognized as an entire religion separate from Hinduism - like Jains or Buddhists - in a move designed to end the Lingayat loyalty to the BJP.

The Women Of Karni Sena And Their Rage Against "Padmaavat"

India News | Written by Radhika Bordia | Friday January 26, 2018

The ironies of history would, in any case, be no match for the anger of these women. A younger woman, her voice trembling, shouts across room, "When I see the film, my blood boils. If we can't save the honour of Ma Padmavati how do we save ours?"

2 Suburbs, 45 Arrests: In Mumbai, Fear After Bhima-Koregaon Violence

Mumbai News | Written by Radhika Bordia | Tuesday January 9, 2018

The violence at Bhima-Koregaon on January 1 and a protest shutdown in its aftermath have left Dalit colonies in Mumbai - and near the city - angry and vulnerable. Several men have been picked up from such areas and they face serious charges.

Hindu Group Leader, Named In Pune Violence, Hiding On Police Tip, Says Brother

India News | Written by Radhika Bordia | Monday January 8, 2018

Milind Ekbote, one of the two Hindutva activists accused in an FIR for inciting violence at Bhima-Koregaon near Pune this last week has gone underground, leaving his elder brother Dr Gajanan Ekbote, to field all questions. A prominent surgeon in Pune, Gajanan Ekbote speaks to us from his sprawling clinic with the backdrop of a massive poster of Bha...

Daughter Of UP's British-Era Magistrate Looks Back At 1942 August Kranti

India News | Written by Radhika Bordia | Tuesday August 15, 2017

Three years ago Janice Darbari got a call from Ballia in Uttar Pradesh, asking for her mother. "We have just learnt that Sheilaji is in good health and we would like to invite her to our August Kranti Diwas," the caller said. For Janice and her sister Rajalakshmi, this was the beginning of piecing together a forgotten part of their family history -...

Blog: An Indian Moon

Blog | Radhika Bordia | Sunday July 9, 2017

I love the moon-talk in our land. Take, for instance, this very month - packed into one lunar cycle are three moon-rich concepts that allow us to revel in being Indian. I say Indian, not South Asian, for while we share a common civilization, our neighbouring countries have defined themselves in such a way that they have lost this easy ability to ac...

Blog: Cow Vigilantes In The Capital? What I Saw On Saturday Night

Blog | Radhika Bordia | Sunday April 23, 2017

Driving back home around 11:30 on Saturday night on Outer Ring Road, near the Kalkaji Temple in South Delhi, I saw that traffic on the other side of the road had come to a standstill, blocked by a truck. A few men had clambered on to the truck, flashing a light inside.

Cruelty To Animals? 3 Men Transporting Buffaloes Beaten, Arrested In Delhi

Delhi News | Reported by Radhika Bordia, Snigdha Basu, Edited by Anindita Sanyal | Sunday April 23, 2017

Three men transporting buffaloes who were roughed up last night in posh South Delhi, allegedly by activists of an animal rights group, were arrested by the Delhi Police today. They were later released on bail and a case of cruelty to animals, which carries a five-year jail term and a fine, has been filed against them. A case has been filed against ...

Blog: What EVM Tampering Debate Is Totally Overlooking

Blog | Radhika Bordia | Monday April 10, 2017

The controversy on EVM (Electronic Voting Machine) tampering has actually taken the focus away from an older, more urgent issue of voter privacy and the flaws in the present system of counting votes - an issue that's got little public debate, but is being heard by the Supreme Court.

Blog: When It Rains, Especially, Kishori Amonkar Will Be Missed

Blog | Radhika Bordia | Wednesday April 5, 2017

When I told Kishori Tai of the many moods her music evoked, she dismissed my romantic waffling with a sharp "But you just said you don't know classical music or how to recognize ragas, what moods are you talking about?" An even more biting question followed: "How will you interview me if you don't know classical music well?"