Decoding Democracy

Is the success of movie 'Pathaan' a victory of secularism over religious hate-mongering? Some analysts are tempted to believe so. They see a lot of positive messaging in the effusive…

The resounding reception to Shah Rukh Khan-starrer 'Pathaan', at the superficial level, is a tight slap on the face of the boycott gang and champions of the cancel culture. The slap may be…

Paint him as the biggest villain in human history if you please, but give the devil his due. Adolf Hitler was a deeply perceptive person with a keen understanding of human psychology. That…

How was the year 2022? Looking back, it was a mixed bag. Like all years it was a melange of decipherable and incomprehensible events, activities and emotions. It had its quota of highs and…

"...Politics is too serious matter to be left to the politicians," said Charles de Gaulle, the man who rescued democracy in France post World War II. Playwright George Bernard Shaw would…

A by-election either to a parliamentary or assembly constituency used to be a low-key affair a decade ago. It was to a great degree a local election. The top brass of parties didn't get…

Ideology is a destructive force. Once turned into an instrument of power-grab, and weaponised for political purposes, it loses its softer edges, and to a great degree its moral moorings too.…

Are faith and rationalism mutually exclusive entities? The line of thought insisting on it makes it categorical that both don't mix. If one is faithful, one has to be irrational. Conversely…

'Bhakt' is a maligned word in our world. In the current definition, the word refers to a person prone to expressing excessive devotion to the subject of adoration. The devotion can go to…

It was a construct powered by the intellectual wavelength, clarity and integrity of the elite of the Independence era. It was an ambitious, long-term project drawing strength from modern…