Reflections

There is a Whatsapp message doing the rounds on Article 370, and its import... I am not an expert, but have read parts of the Indian Constitution - enough to know that this is a highly complex matter, and not given to such summarisation as in a Whatsapp Message that has the potential of giving a one-sided picture. Please go through the Actual text of Article 370 given below {Source : Article 370 of the Constitution of India ; }, verified with the constitution updated to 92nd amendment here : Page on cgsird.gov.in } **************************************************************************************** Please update me in case of any error... I have personally read all the amendments after the 92nd - till the the 98th; and none concerns with Jammu and Kashmir. Do update me in case of a mistake; I have no intention of being wrong even inadvertantly 1.       Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution: a.      ...

Now we have a majority in the lower house; one that is not a dynastic ruled majority. That is a reason to celebrate. And we have a Government which will decidedly perform better than the current incumbent. Having said that, sad part is, there is no focus on the real issues; the people were blown away in an,emotional tide without indepth thought. My problem is not the result, but the method adopted to,get the result. I welcome the result, not the method which was frankly deplorable. In our 67th year of independence, we are still being taken for a royal ride by the political class. We still wont have a free police, anti-corruption laws, administrative reform etc. We will still be lorded over by babu class, We will still not have proper education reform. The money spent will continue to reach the pockets of corrupt babus and political leaders. Sure, we will be better off under NDA than under UPA. But serious, serious fissures remain. Nothing is being done on Sachar Committee repo...

This is the first time I am feeling slightly queezy about writing a book review, to be honest - which is frankly a tribute to the Author, S Hussain Zaidi. These 2 books are based on the Mumbai underworld, and are unique; absolutely unique in their approach, attention to detail, coverage, research and narrative. While the chosen topic is guaranteed to attract a good number of educated Indians, the genre itself does not lend itself to a taut narrative This is where the books score; the narrative is taut, fast-paced and almost frenetic. The story is well put together, and does not dwell needlessly on futile aspects, sticking to the title chosen. In the first one, it deals with how a Mumbai Big Gun Dawood grew from Dongri, to become Dawood  of Dubai; while in the second, it is the story of one-time Dawood aid and then enemy Rajan and his career graph from Byculla to Bangkok The 2 books together trace the full story of the Mumbai underworld. Z...

On the face of it, the title seems incorrect, for how can anyone say that the famous and much touted partnership between the 2 largest democracies has not undergone a sea change. Witness the Nuclear Accord; The US support for a permanent seat on the UN; increased cooperation; increased trade... it seems glaringly obvious that everything has changed. But has it? Let us take trade. Can this really be the barometer of a healthy relationship? We have a very robust trade with China. It is somewhat lop-sided, but the trade relations are massive. And yet, no one would call China as India's friend, or that it has a vastly improved relationship with India. We also have trading relations with Pakistan to the tune of nearly 3 Billion Dollars, with whom we have fought 4 wars - 1948, 1965, 1972 and 1999. The  reality is that a "Healthy", "Friendly" US-India relationship does not  exist, except in Pro-USA lobbies in India, and Pro-India Lobbies in the  USA. H...