Book review: No Land’s People indicts India’s NRC process Indian journalist Abhishek Saha documents how the citizenship determination process in Assam state was marred by ‘bias and arbitrariness’. India’s northeastern state of Assam drew the attention of international media in August 2019, when a citizens’ register excluded nearly two million residents, effectively rendering them stateless. The National […]
Fate and family dynamics The People We Know by Farrokh Suntook Published in 2021 by Copper Coin Publishing Pvt Ltd, L5/903 Gulmohur Garden, Raj Nagar Extension, Ghaziabad 201017; website: coppercoin.co.in. Pp: 341. Price: Rs 599. “Yes, oh dear yes, the novel tells a story,” says E. M. Forster. And yes, oh dear yes, Farrokh Suntook’s
The People We Know Read More »
In his latest book, The Rise and Fall of Muslim Civilization: Hope for the Future, Dr. Basheer Ahmed offers fresh insight as well as a fresh perspective on eight centuries Muslim history, focusing on innovative Muslim contributions to science, technology, and mathematics (STEM). In the early years of Islam, Muslims were inspired by Quranic verses
The Rise and Fall of Muslim Civilization: Hope for the Future Read More »
I’ve been a liberal arts type all my life, both by education and aptitude, and avoid numbers like Queen Camilla avoids Meghan Markel, except when the numbers come in a sequence like 36-20-34. But one has to admit that at times they make sense, in a fascinating way, and so this week I’ve decided to
WORRY ABOUT THE IQ, NOT THE AQI Read More »
It is relatively rare for retired civil servants to join political parties ( though the trend does seem to be increasing of late), and rarer still for those who do to retain the objectivity and value systems that they had been taught in the Academy at Mussoorie. We have only to look at the worthies
A TIME TO SPEAK OUT, A TIME TO LISTEN Read More »
It would be difficult to estimate the number of plates of Hakka noodles consumed in India, but it would be safe to assume that the number would be large. This in sharp contrast to the number of Indians of Chinese origin who remain in India. The majority of them belong to the Hakka community from
Intimate Strangers| Books Read More »
In the recent Hathras rape case, the Uttar Pradesh government announced that narcoanalysis tests would be conducted not just on the accused, but even on the victim’s family. While the media extensively reported various developments related to the investigation, strikingly absent was any discussion on whether narcoanalysis is a reliable technique or not. The larger
The Use and Abuse of Forensics Read More »
Vasco da Gama (1469‒1524) from Lisbon arrived in Kôzhikôde (Calicut, 11o25’ N, 75o77’ E) in 1498, during the reign of Nédiyirûppû Swarõpam Mãnava Vikraman Sãmõŧírí1. Consequently, the early years of the 17th century were busy for Europeans. Britain launched the English East-India Company (EEIC) in 1600 AD to explore India, seeking pepper and cardamom. The
Unheard Voices: A Tranquebarian Stroll Read More »
by Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan Penguin Viking, India, 2022 We Indians must have one of the strongest traditions in the world of respect for older folk. I am from the generation where we touched my parents’ feet every morning. Indeed, even now, by way of greeting me on first meeting after any length of time,
Good Innings: The Extraordinary Ordinary Life of Lily Tharoor Read More »
