Jogishwar Singh ( IAS 1976 ) is the bureaucrat who literally came in from the cold- from his almost ten thousand feet high perch as Deputy Commissioner of Kinnaur to the pleasant cantons of Switzerland. He is also a most unusual civil servant, probably the only one who was selected twice for the IAS, rejected […]
BOOK REVIEW: KINNAUR-UNLIKELY TALES by JOGISHWAR SINGH. Read More »
It’s impossible to get 10 IAS officers to agree on anything except the virtues of the Apex scale, which is why any contentious matter is passed on to a committee of such officers, to bury it for all time. But there is one thing they will agree on: ask them which was the most memorable
OF PROBATIONERS, PATWARIS AND PROPHETS. Read More »
The times they are a-changing – no one makes New Year resolutions any more, except perhaps Mr. Amit Shah and Mr. Adani. The former naturally resolves to fell a couple more Opposition governments in the states, and the latter to double his income yet again in twelve months. They are becoming so predictable I wish
A New Year Resolution – Do not let the book store die Read More »
I bought my first car in 1982, a second-hand FIAT, for Rs. 32,000/. It was easy buying a car then: there were no NPAs, and you didn’t have to do multiple KYCs or reveal all the secrets of your life in order to get a loan, which is pretty much the SOP today. Assessing the
A New Tool-Kit for your Car. Read More »
While most people are right now thinking of Pratap Bhanu Mehta, I am thinking of two of my fellow Stephanians: Sanjeev Bikhchandani and Harsh Mander. Let me briefly explain why. I know how much of himself, together with his associates, Sanjeev invested into founding the Ashoka University. Whenever he referred to the institution in the
It’s Sanjeev Bikhchandani, I’m thinking of these days. Read More »
My wife and I took our vaccinations on the third of this month. I was a bit apprehensive of the jab because I’d read somewhere that nine out of ten vaccines are in vein, but Neerja didn’t bat an eyelid – she said that she had been dealing with pricks all her life. She gave
Vaccination Ke Side Effects Read More »
The latter half of February this year has been an interesting time for our crumbling judicial architecture and our mauled Constitution. It is a truism in the military that wars are won by foot soldiers, not by generals. This is not to belittle the contributions of the top brass but to emphasise the obvious: that
Wounded Vanities and the Foot Soldiers of Justice. Read More »
There are two certain ways to lose a friend: one, have an affair with his wife; two, start a discussion on politics. The first can occasionally be a tempting prospect, for as the wise guy said: all best things in life are either illegal, immoral or married to someone else. Having an affair just got
The Fine Arts of Losing Friends. Read More »
Speech has special significance for human beings. One who cannot express herself or himself in words is a piteous creature. Anyone who is not free to express herself or himself is a slave. They who dare not express themselves are cowards. On the other hand, he who expresses himself adequately is a civilized person. She
Freedom of Speech, Sedition, and the Democratic Space. Read More »
