The Passport Dilemma
I’ve just discovered that my passport has expired, but after much deliberation, I’ve decided not to renew it. I already have more “citizenship” documents…
Our Houses Are Living Entities Too – A Tale Of Two Houses
I have always believed that the houses we build for ourselves have anthropomorphic qualities, that they are as much part of our families as…
It Is Easier To Erase History Than To Script It
History and literature rarely get it wrong. Didn’t the poet say that “If demonetisation comes, can monetisation be far behind?” And Ms Sitharaman has…
The Alternate Social Media Is Restoring The Balance Of News
In the 2014 and 2019 elections every dimension of the news and social media was completely dominated by the BJP. The so-called mainstream print…
Listen To The Silence – It Has The Answers
The vast majority of us ( and I include myself in this list ) are completely unaware of the role that sound – and…
Expiry Dates, Fused Bulbs And The Ghosts Of Retirement
A bureaucrat is like a bottle of medicine: he comes with an expiry date. He knows, right from his first day in office, the…
The Judiciary Has A Role To Play In The 2024 Elections
The bugles have been sounded for the five state elections next year and the General elections in 2024. The BJP, the well-oiled election machine…
The Deputy Commissioner’s Dog
Those joining the IAS come from all religious faiths and creeds, excluding possibly the Mormons and born-again Adventists. But for any IAS probationer training…
Intimations Of Stupidity
These last two weeks have been pretty confounding and humbling for me, both as a generic Indian and a stand-alone Shukla. It’s bad enough…
India’s Pandemic Capitalism
In his best-selling book, TEN LESSONS FOR A POST-PANDEMIC WORLD, Farid Zakaria makes an interesting point. He says that since the early 1990s, global…