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A Lamp’s Glare
A cheesy line of dialogue in the Diwali blockbuster Happy New Year proffering a rather simplistic piece of wisdom can be paraphrased thus: “There are two types of people in the world—winners and...
View ArticleIndonesia's Obama
The rise of the recently inaugurated President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, presents a narrative of hope and change that echoes the wild enthusiasm and energies unleashed when another President, Barack...
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Lage Raho, Hero Hirani
Rajkumar Hirani leaves my eminently filmi environs divided into two distinct halves. On the one hand is the extended family that loves and adores Hirani’s “saaf suthri filmein” that entertain while...
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She Rings The School Bells
Smriti Zubin Irani, 38, is articulate, her language is sharp. The weltanschauung of the Union HRD minister is in sync with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the cultural mentor of the Bharatiya...
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The Pracharak Is Going Places
Aaa Ante AmalapuramBorn in Amalapuram in East Godavari district (erstwhile AP) to Brahmin parents, both Jan Sangh workers with strong RSS linksName ‘Ram Madhav’ is a portmanteau of the first and second...
View ArticleIndian Idol
Every Bollywood music buff has a favourite Arijit Singh earworm today. Mine is a maudlin ditty from an eminently forgettable film called Heartless: “Main dhoondne ko zamaane mein jab wafa nikla, pata...
View ArticleThe Love Charger
The Reel Wonder?Dera claims MSG was shot in 67 days1.3 million people, total cast of MSG75,000 candles were lit in a sequence; the number would have been higher but “more candles were not...
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As The Crane Flies
Hypocrisy, they say, is great fodder for comedy. Once Kiran Bedi had called Arvind Kejriwal an opportunist who deserted his ideals. When a news anchor queried her on similar lines recently, she left...
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One Part Dead
Countdown To Suicide2010 Madhorubhagan, a novel, is published2013 Its English translation, One Part Woman, comes outDec 26, 2014 Fringe groups and the RSS protest. The Kongu Vellala Gounder community,...
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Daggubati Rama Naidu, RIP
Eminent Filmmaker Daggubati Rama Naidu passed away in Hyderabad on February 18, 2015, after a prolonged battle with prostate cancer. He was 78. He is survived by his wife, two sons, producer D Suresh...
View ArticleThis Colt Is Too Young
Lengthening ShadowsCelebrates presidential assent to cow slaughter bill, pending with the President for 19 yearsWithdraws reservation for Muslims in educational institutions on the ground the ordinance...
View ArticleThis Is Not A Final Judgement
The last five overs of Australia’s innings in the semi-finals of the 2015 World Cup—a match now perched high in the regret and infamy embodying all our missed chances—was as good a marker defining...
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The Builder Who Found Himself In A Headline
Why Does Kabul Chawla matter?First generation real estate entrepreneur who first made headlines in 2008, when he was the highest bidder for a Noida property, beating giants DLFHis company is notorious...
View ArticleThe Wind Hums A Tamil Air
An image of Brahmin priests in conversation with Buddha, Sanskrit inscriptions left centuries ago by Tamil merchants in south China, a bowl and a dish from the Tang period of China—John Guy can draw...
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Patron Saint, Indiewood
Filmmaker-actor Rajat Kapoor still can’t believe that he was able to bankroll his recent critically acclaimed film, Aankhon Dekhi, with just a 140-character tweet. He was on the lookout for money to...
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The Gharana Behind The Miniature
Like a book, a miniature is meant to be taken in hand and read close. The eye must linger over the surface, take in the luminous colours, absorb the subtlety and the details, discern the light touch...
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Like Oil On Water
“The L-G has no right to exercise veto on an officer’s appointment. It should be done in consultation with the CM, even for a Union territory,” says Pavan Varma on the raging battle between Delhi chief...
View ArticleThe Wonk Who Drives NDA Policy
—“Should have reached Delhi at 10.15 am today. Likely to be 2 am tomorrow...”—“Passengers very angry, justifiably so. AC 2/3 tier served lunch at 5.30 pm.”These are just some of the tweets Niti Aayog...
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Woman, Human
The Other Gender’s RoadOfficial census puts transgenders’ number at around half a millionIn 2013, the SC directs transgenders to be listed as the third genderIn 2014 Rajya Sabha passed a private...
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The Great Passionist
In September 2001, a podgy NTR Junior made his debut in an unusual film called Student No. 1. His natural style, powerful dialogue delivery and startling resemblance to his grandfather Nandamuri Taraka...
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