CATEGORIES

Shah Rukh Khan: 'Dignity Is More Important Than Hashtags.'

‘Woh aaye ghar mein hamare, khuda ki kudrat hai/Kabhi hum unko kabhi apne ghar ko dekhte hain….’ If Shahrukh Khan were to ever drop in at someone’s house, this might be the perfect couplet to describe that moment. But it’s he, the Badshah of Bollywood, who has a backstory for this Ghalib gem. Nothing around him—the feverish promotional melee, hopping from one vanity van to the other to meet co-actors, producers et al, delayed lunches, the disarmingly innocent AbRam who demands his dad’s time over “boring interviews”—is conducive to ruminating about poetry. But SRK shares an anecdote about how this couplet was inspired by a kleptomaniac friend of Ghalib’s and then goes on to the symbolic importance of the ‘saaqi’ figure in shayari. He cherishes his father’s reading of poetry, his words of explanation, and promises that none of the chaos will distract him from the conversation at hand, and it would be an interesting one too. Not vainly spoken, as Prachi Pinglay-Plumber discovers. Excerpts:

Trudeau Does Bhangra With Khalistanis

Attenuated over the years, Sikh separatism is given a fillip for cheap political gains even by the Canadian PM

Pak Flag Or The IS Flag?

OBOR's binding terms perplex some in Pakistan, put India on careful watch, open up a vista of geo-political transformation

Several Wrongs Make The Right

Ironclad conservatives of the darkest shades, with a collective net worth of $35 billion, will fill up the Trump cabinet.

Basit’s Quiet K-Diplomacy

Post-unrest, the Kashmiri ‘mainstream’ is courting Pakistan to recover lost ground.

On Home Turf, A Party That Can't Afford to Lose

With an eye on 2019 and Modi again as ­mascot, the BJP’s readying to do all it takes to keep Gujarat.

Taking It Beyond Wazwaan

To the PDP, the ex-IB chief’s appointment as interlocutor is a chance to reconnect with the people. But the mainstream opposition and the separatists are not enthused.

Talking About, Talking With Kashmir

Now that convulsions on Kashmir’s streets have subsided, the Centre makes a careful bid for talks, appointing Dineshwar Sharma as interlocutor. Too late in the day, say detractors; from a position of strength, says the government. But for talks to bear fruit, all stakeholders have to be engaged, backed by flexibility from Delhi.

Cascading Misery

The domino-like latecomer effects of demonetisation, from farm to dinner table

Minority Position

Siddaramaiah has survived the threat of a rift in his cabinet by recognising the Lingayats as a religious minority. But this may not be the end of his troubles.

Digital Falsities To Prime Likes

Cambridge Analytica caused quite a kerfuffle when it was outed by whistleblowers on its questionable tactic of snagging 50 million profiles from FB

Raga Darbari On High Notes

The stage is clearly set for a no-holds-barred faceoff. There is little room for doubt now on whether Rahul would lead his party into the 2019 Lok Sabha polls

Sister's Need For Unity

As the BJP targets Bengal, Mamata looks at the Left, which has eyes only for the Congress. She’s a leading mover behind talks for an inchoate ‘federal front’.

Square Leg Umpire's Sixer

After clipping wings of BCCI supremos, an irate Vinod Rai threatens to hold elections without recalcitrant affiliates

A Bitter Harvest

Multiple agitations show all’s not well with the ‘rich’ state of Maharashtra.

Scholar, SUI Generis 

The mercurial devourer of knowledge—and giver of care and affection—in youth has crafted his own, unique path. Ram Guha is a category- efying scholar who takes on bhakts and mullahs.

That Chink In The Wall

No point delivering liberal homilies to a hierarchical society. But Guha has discarded the questions of power.

Editing A Writing Machine

The academic can complicate what seems simple even while simplifying the seemingly complex —that’s what made Ram Guha a pioneer of sorts as a writer of history.

The RG Who Wrote Off Rahul Gandhi

Biographer, chronicler, equal-opportunity critic and sincere friend are but a few of Ram Guha’s avatars.

The Bat And Beetle Flew

Guha liberated Indian cricket writing from its pedantic rut. He visits the game with empathy, amid its socio-cultural moorings.

Dynasty Under Watch

After Nawaz, PML-N has to walk a tightrope—hold on to power and keep the army quiet

Rightward Is The Glance

A tainted AIADMK could be the new NDA ally, provided the party’s warring factions merge first.

For Bharat, A Free 4G Buffet

After the Jio SIM changed India’s smartphone world, the Jio Phone is here to transform and rule over rural telecom

Right Tied In Tangles

It’s not whether there’s such a thing as privacy, but its limits are what Supreme Court is set to spell out

Great Speakers None

Left titans from Bengal once lit up Parliament. Now, the Left can have no new elders.

In The Continuous Battlefield

The first Dalit novel in Oriya is also a clash of generational views— education and radical action as an armature and counter to prejudice

Ideals Know No Boundary

Any business has a direct effect on the social condition. In a society such as ours, where the divide between the rich and the poor is gigantic, it becomes the responsibility of entrepreneurs to act ethically and give back in some way.

The Cow Protector's Justice

A brutal public beating of Dalits by gau rakshaks in Una sets off protests across Gujarat - the BJP feels the heat

Pokemonia! Pokemon Go Takes A Children's Game Outdoors

By combining cuteness, nostalgia and Augmented Reality, Pokémon GO has taken over the world.

Path Yet To Take A Turn

Reactions to the Kannada editor’s killing continue to be loud. The investigations have made no headway.