“Crossover Fiction: Myth or Reality” was the subject of discussion at one of the panels at the Jumpstart conference organized by the German Book Office in Delhi on 20 and 21 August 2010. Moderated by Nilanjana Roy, the panelists were Dipa Chaudhuri, Samit Basu, Paro Anand and myself. A number of interesting questions arose about […]
Social issues
Denounce the sexist swamy!
“Let your child be adventurous”, says Swamy Sukhabhodhananda in the Deccan Herald. As far as parenting advice goes, there doesn’t seem anything particularly objectionable about that. But then, here’s how he opens his article: One of the qualities of male energy is creativity. The male energy in us always wants to achieve; always wants to […]
From Commonwealth to common shame
As New Delhi gears up to host the 2010 Commonwealth Games, one of the major problems facing the organizers is what to do with the 60,000+ destitute on its streets for whom begging is the only way of survival. The solution: arrest them and throw them in jail. With the spotlights set to turn on […]
- Social issues
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Apple unearths labour violations
Sorry, this is no follow up of Naomi Klein’s celebrated book No Logo, which exposes the dark secrets of the working environments in the factories of many big brands. Nor is this the expose by any investigative journalist. The hard truths were revealed by Apple itself, which conducted an onsite audit of its 102 facilities […]
Bhopal: 25 Years Later (Part 2)
A unique buffet Twenty-five years down the line, the scars of the Bhopal gas leak tragedy continue to haunt the lives of the natives. As the ongoing campaign to bring justice to the survivors continues unabated, the following is a first-hand account of a unique protest: A quarter century later Bhopal’s survivors are still fighting […]
Bhopal disaster: 25 years later
Darkest before dawn While the city of Bhopal slept on the night of 3–4 December 1984, they were unaware of the 27 tonnes of toxic gases that leaked from the Union Carbide Plant, exposing half a million people to a poisonous gas cloud containing methyl isocyanate, and possibly carbon monoxide, hydrogen chloride, nitrogen oxides, phosgene, […]
Behind the veil of silence
Let’s talk about India’s “worst kept secret” There is a conspiracy afoot. A conspiracy of silence. Of turning away from a heinous crime happening under our noses. As close as our own homes, neighbourhoods, schools, parks and places of worship. Perpetrated by family members, family friends, neighbours, teachers and instructors, and domestic help. The silence […]
Bangalore goes rainbow
“Welcome to Ben-Gay-luru!” proclaimed a hand-made poster. And for a couple of hours on a late Sunday afternoon for the short distance between National College and Town Hall, that is exactly what it was. About 600 or so people—according to media estimates—gathered for Bangalore’s second gay pride parade on 28 June 2009. On display were […]
ToI strikes again!
Kalpana Sharma’s piece “Beware of the Maid” (18 June 2009; http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4667727.cms) is a contemptible piece of writing that not just displays a complete lack of sensitivity and basic decency, but also shows up the standards (lack of them?) of journalism of the Times of India group. It trivializes serious issues such as the abuse and […]
Keeping mum
The hypocrisy of Mother’s Day Mother’s Day. Yet another largely Western concept conveniently commercialized and cleverly hijacked into the calendar. And funnily enough, this is not something even the most rabid right-winger is going to object to. Because, after all, we are the epitome of the worship of mothers and motherhood. Right? Sadly, it couldn’t […]