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 »
Jawaharlal Nehru University is an idea which is dreamy and irreverent, challenges the stereotypes, breaks traditional moorings, is Leninist in its thought process but Gandhian in ethos and that makes it mystical and intriguing, and, in certain ways, spiritual. For an outsider, JNU is intimidating but for someone who has lived on the campus
“Dekhta hoon tujhe…” those three ominous words were uttered by Uttar Pradesh’s then newly appointed chief minister Yogi Adityanath to Kafeel Khan, the junior most lecturer at the Department of Pediatrics at the Baba Raghav Das Medical College in Gorakhpur on August 13, 2017. (In the book the three words are translated to ‘I will
‘The Gorakhpur Hospital Tragedy’: Kafeel Khan’s memoir is a punch to the gut Read More »
In ‘A Taste of My Life: A Memoir in Essays and Recipes’, Chitrita Banerji dives into the crunchy socio-political and interpersonal dynamics that give each of our lives texture. Nehmat Kaur 23/JAN/2022 There’s widespread derision on the internet for long personal anecdotes that precede actual recipes on food blogs. The scene is almost always one
Food as the Central Character of Our Lives Read More »
Shashank Shekhar Sinha’s ‘Delhi, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri’ catches you by the collar and takes you around familiar sites once again, leaving you with a brand new perspective. Shashank Shekhar Sinha Pan Macmillan India 299 pages; Rs 999 (Rs 427 online) Check this book out on Amazon When you first lay your hands on
Six World Heritage Sites Read More »
By Saif Khalid Published On 2 Nov 20212 Nov 2021 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 Register of Citizens (NRC), a labyrinthine bureaucratic exercise carried out under the supervision of India’s Supreme Court, was aimed
No Land’s People indicts India’s NRC process Read More »
A new book by an Indian writer explores the origin of Japan’s bizarre quirks from singing toilets to poisonous hot pot meals. Despite secreting a neurotoxin that’s certified thousand times more poisonous than cyanide, the Fugu or puffer fish is a sought after luxury food in Japan. Pic/Getty Images In her new book, Orienting: An
Book Review: Pagalpanti in Japan Read More »
