Decoding Democracy

Trollocracy. Some call it the anarchist's utopia. A few would prefer the word dystopia. But everything in the universe is a matter of perception, isn't it? Actually it's democracy,…

'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 the…

Hate them as much as you like. Summon the choicest words to describe them - unintelligent, ill-informed, mean, malicious, bhakt, chamcha whatever - but there is no way escaping them. In the…

The stubborn refusal of the Congress top leadership to revive the party is confounding indeed. The recent fracas over a call to action appeal from a section of impatient leaders, however,…

In our movies many decades ago, the police landed on the scene after the hero was done with his heroics. They always arrived late. The officer, wielding a megaphone, asked him to surrender…

Is democracy dying? The answer to this depends on whom you ask. The diehard supporters of the current dispensation in India would say it is very much alive and kicking, and is, in fact,…

"I am rediscovering myself. And I am indeed amused by what I am," says the friend without a trace of humour. Active in the social sector for long and now jobless, he is amazed by the new…

The happy early childhood memories of this middle-aged friend comprises to a large extent experiences with a couple of Muslim neighbours in a government colony. Three kids of the families…

Je ne sais quoi -- in French it means a unique, indecipherable quality. It roughly translates into 'X factor' in English. In case of leaders, it is the magnetic quality which ensures…

Politics is a game multi-millionaires play. The entry gates are firmly shut for the poor and even the reasonably well-off. Once inside the gate, the price of staying in the game is heavy.…