For the first time in over 70 years the Indian government is very likely to include the question of a person’s caste in the Census. This should not come as a surprise to many Indians. The Congress Party led UPA government has done its best to slice and dice the Indian population in whichever way [...]
India today is the 12th largest economy in the world. Among large economies India is also the second fastest growing economy in the world after China. If this growth rate continues India will become the third largest economy in the world in less than 25 years. Indians particularly those who are young are optimistic and [...]
Most of us know by now that Ramkishan Alipur Yadav (known as Swami Ramdev) has started a political party. The party named Bharat Swabhiman will contest all 545 Lok Sabha seats in the next national elections. The Swami himself will not stand for elections (this stance reminds me of Sonia Gandhi and her relationship with [...]
In the late seventies and early eighties one of the common phrases that Indian politicians and the members of the media used as a response to what ails India was the phrase “the hidden hand”. The hidden hand (the West, their government and intelligence agencies) was the reason that India was in the bad shape [...]
The Prime Minister of India (Manmohan Singh) was in Pune this past week to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the famed National Chemical Laboratory (NCL). During his speech he expressed his concern at the number of students taking up science after the 10+2 stage (after high school). He said “It is important to bring our [...]
Saint Thomas is one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. He is also known as “doubting Thomas” as he did not initially believe in the resurrection of Jesus. According to Christian mythology he is supposed to have visited India in 52 AD. Catholic tradition also states that he was killed by a Brahmin and buried [...]
As an Indian who has lived in the United States for a long period of time I am generally in favor of improved relationship between the two nations. For India its relationship with Pakistan, China and the United States are its three most important ones. For the United States its relationship with India is important [...]
In another blow to the religious right the Supreme Court of India ruled that live-in relationship and pre-marital sex cannot be construed as an offence. The Supreme Court made these observations in a case involving Indian actress Khusboo who few years ago made statements endorsing pre-marital sex and the use of contraceptives in a magazine [...]
One of the most common responses we hear when a terrorist attack takes place is that the attackers and their organizations are just criminals and that they do not represent any religion or caste or creed. A similar sentiment was echoed by the President of the BJP Nitin Gadkari who spoke with reporters yesterday in [...]
The migration and development brief issued by the World Bank has published data on the remittances made to countries by individuals living outside the country. The total inflow of capital from Non Resident Indians (NRI) for the year 2008 was $52 billion. India is the biggest recipient of remittances in the world. India is followed [...]
We live in an age where one of the ways to grab attention for your cause is to make outrageous and shocking statements. Whether these statements are consistent with reality or history and whether they are plausible is another matter. There is also an increase in nationalism all over the world.
In an yet another blow to the Indian Premier League English cricketer Ravi Bopara said that he had concerns about the security situation in India and indicated that he has postponed his trip to India to play for Kings XI Punjab. In a statement he to the Daily Mail he said that “Cricket is my [...]
India became an independent nation in 1947 after the British left India. Pakistan was created immediately thereafter. For the past 62 years the two countries have grown dramatically differently. Today there is no comparison between the two nations in terms of economics, education, health care, freedom and civil liberties and military and space technology.
There were two major terrorist attacks on Indian soil this month. The first was the attack in Pune at a German bakery in Koregaon. An explosive device was left in a shopping bag which later exploded killing at least 10 individuals including two foreign nationals. A group calling itself Laskhar-e-Taiba Al Alami has claimed responsibility [...]
In India as in most countries in the world there is a tendency to look back at history in a different light as time goes by. This is human nature. We judge the past based on today’s standards. Many of the people whom we judge, their friends, family members or associates are not alive to [...]
American President Barack Obama made a famous speech after winning the Democratic presidential primary in South Carolina in 2008. In it he said “We’re up against the idea that it’s acceptable to say anything and do anything to win an election. But we know that this is exactly what’s wrong with our politics. This is [...]
Next week China will usher in the year of the Tiger. Many in India claim that China is one of the primary reasons why tiger poaching is very prevalent in tiger preserves all across the country. The body parts are smuggled from India to China through Nepal and used in China for medicinal properties. Some [...]
India has invited the Foreign Secretary of Pakistan Salman Bashir to meet with his Indian counterpart Nirupama Rao for talks later this month (Nirupama Rao has already met the Pakistani High Commissioner to India Shahid Malik to discuss the possibility of these talks). New Delhi has indicated that it is willing to discuss any issue [...]
There is a tradition particularly among Catholics that a person should confess to his/her priest if they commit sins. The person will begin by saying “Forgive me father for I have sinned”. The priest will then listen to the sins and once it is concluded the priest will give the person penance (prayers). Confession gives [...]
