I was thirty-something years old when Iranian students dragged me into a room and told me I wasn't going anywhere. Four hundred and forty-four days later, I walked out. I've spent the decades since trying to make sense of what happened — and what keeps happening — between our two

It took thousands of years to build morality, ethics, and human dignity. Centuries were spent defining the sovereignty of nations. Decades were invested in international laws and peace treaties. Now, all of it is being destroyed like disposable commodities. Those responsible

The US-Iran meeting is beginning today in Islamabad. The entire world, including India, are hoping that this is the beginning of a durable peace process between the two countries that will not get derailed by Israel’s continuing agression in its neighbourhood. But serious

VERY IMPORTANT (because the media won’t tell you this): PM Modi has been running a fake & malicious agenda for the last few days claiming that his Govt wants “early reservations for women in Parliament”. In reality, Modi is using women as an excuse to bulldoze his real agenda of

The Election Commission of India has officially abandoned its constitutional duty to ensure transparency. Even days after the polling has concluded, Chief Electoral Officer Kerala continues to withhold the final voter turnout figures, hiding behind vague and unreliable approximate percentages. This

The apprehensions I had voiced in the last week have proved right When the strength of the Lok Sabha is increased by 50% from 543 to 815, the strength of TN will seemingly increase from 39 to 58. But this is an illusion. When delimitation takes place, it will reduce to 46 Uttar

Lovely map showing the first letter of the Sanskrit alphabet 'ka' in every Brahmi-derived script... It vividly shows the reach of the Golden Road

The proposal put forward by Congress and major opposition parties is simple. 1) Implement Women’s Reservation unconditionally without waiting for updated national census or seat delimitation. 2) Expedite the work of national census and ensure accurate representation of major

An open invitation: It’s more than 48 hrs since I publishes this table as the only possible outcome of the proposed bills before parliament. Meanwhile most of the media has obediently published the sarkari tables which show 50% increase. But no one has shown any link between

Once upon a time, we had Shyam Benegal making Manthan. Now we have Aditya Dhar making Dhurandhar. Once upon a time, Medha Patkar campaigned for the environment and tribals. Now Shefali Vaidya campaigns for bindis in stores and ads. Once upon a time, Tiger Pataudi played for

Until now, elections in India have meant voters choosing their representatives. This is now history. That principle has been stood on its head. Elections now mean the government taking on the onerous task of choosing the voters. Let's thank all the Constitutional functionaries

It is no secret that now the world treats us the way we treat Nepal and Bangladesh. General perception is that India is some regressive country that has wasted itself and is of very little consequence in global matters. A lunatic can call us a 'hellhole' and we don't even

An old friend messaged me the other day. After the usual catching up, he asked a question many people wonder but don’t always say out loud: “Why do you still support Congress?” I paused before replying. Not because I didn’t have an answer, but because I wanted to give him an

On Raghu Rai: of his many unforgettable frames, I keep returning to Age and Innocence - that 1982 Baroda photo essay where a blind Muslim beggar and a mentally challenged Hindu girl share a beautifulf, wordless companionship. This is Rai at his most tender- and devastating. 1/4

MAPS REDRAWN FOR ADANI | Between 2020 and 2021, corals vanished from the maps of Great Nicobar island’s coastline while vital green zones were dramatically reduced in size. Modi did this to sanction the Great Nicobar islands project to Adani. Think of their planning of scams.

Rahul Gandhi just walked through the forest Modi wants to flatten. Here’s what won’t make it to the press release: → Govt told Parliament 8.65 lakh trees would be felled. Scientists say the actual number is 1 CRORE+ → Adani Group filed an official expression of interest to

India is not just blending ethanol with petrol, it is blending away water and food security. Data is alarming: 1 litre rice-based ethanol = ~10,790 litres of water Rice needed for 1 litre ethanol = 2.5–3 kg FCI rice diverted for ethanol in 2024–25 = 52 lakh tonnes This can

INR is a falling knife. Change 5000 INR into Thai currency (THB)-- you will get 1030 THB. Now, try changing that 1030 THB back to INR, you will get only 2989 INR back (instead of 5000). This 40% "spread" indicates how illiquid (& weak) INR is. - No one bothers. - Media

When will the suit-boot, cravat & pocket-square wearing Members of Parliament protest against the rising price of gas cylinders? (Remember Bengaluru Metro price hike?) The jokers at BJP mislead people in the name of nationalism and religion, but fall completely silent when

Some in the Congress, and others, are gloating about TMC’s loss. They need to understand this clearly - the theft of Assam and Bengal’s mandate is a big step forward by the BJP in its mission to destroy Indian democracy. Put petty politics aside. This is not about one party or