Ceding Political Space

I was reading an article by Mr. Salman Anees Soz. Mr. Soz is son of Mr. Saifuddin Soz, a congress member of Rajya Sabha from Jammu and Kashmir and minister of water resources in UPA I. In his article, Mr. Salman Soz had lamented if BJP wins power in 2019, there will be demise of...

Politics of Lynching

Two lynching incidents have occupied media space recently. One being lynching of a deputy superintendent of police in Srinagar. The other being murder of a young boy for being muslim. Police man was killed right outside a mosque at the time to evening prayer. Killed outside abode of god at the time of his prayer!...

NDTV, CBI Raid and Press Freedom

Is Indian media under pressure to toe government line? This was a question that came up recently, when CBI raided premises of promoters of NDTV. This incidence followed another event, where a spokesperson of ruling party was ejected from a live TV debate. Are these incidences related? Does this indicate that an undercurrent of tension...

A Judge, A Belief and A Debate

It was a hot summer morning. Justice Mehta woke up at the break of dawn. A long habit of many years. One by one, he completed his morning rituals, - exercise, bath and drinking of go mutra (cows urine), before sitting down for his morning meditation. Today, his mind was not focussed. He felt a...

Arundhati Roy, The Conscience Keeper of India

Recently, Ms. Arundhati Roy was in news. Not only for publishing her new book, "Ministry of Utmost Happiness", but also for the suggestion of film actor and BJP MP Paresh Rawal, that Indian army should tie Ms. Arundhati Roy in front of their jeep when they move through areas full of stone pelting protestors. Distasteful...