The Border-Gavaskar trophy was proudly handed over to Mahendra Singh Dhoni last evening by the “two legends” of Australian and Indian cricket, Alan Border and Sunil Gavaskar, after India’s stunning …
In its 62nd year as a Republic, India presents a picture that can only mildy be termed unedifying. Scams are raining down on a parched landscape with frightening ferocity. From …
E.R. RAMACHANDRAN writes: Freebies are the lubricants that grease the wheels of democracy in India—and the cranky old engine needs to be serviced at least once in five years. Wine …
The bottomline of the five headlines— “The high command had promised to reinstate me as CM in six months.” ” I won’t go to Delhi seeking CM’s chair.” “Untrustworthy people …
Yes, it’s catchy. Yes, it’s creative. Yes, it’s a hit. But, sadly, it will never be Kolaveri Di. Still, to ask the contrarian question, does the song Pyaar namdukke aagbutaithe …
A bunch of Punjabis sing the catchiest version of the song that will be played a million times on Friday night as the “murderous rage” of 2011 slips over into …
Who would have thought that an “actress” whose clothes gladly yield to gravity and a silly song with kindergarten lyrics would do more for “people to people” contact between India …
There is nothing like the aphrodisiac called power; it corrects all electile dysfunctions in a democracy. Barely five months ago, B.S. Yediyurappa was the black sheep of the BJP, kicking …
With the year drawing to a close and Christmas close at hand, E.R. RAMACHANDRAN is in an expansive mood, compiling a list of gifts that he would like to give …
*** By VIKRAM MUTHANNA Hi mama… yes, it is a catchy song mama. 1, 2, 3, 4 The lyrics are stupid-du, stupid-du But the tune is good-du, good-du Now it’s …
Of all the crappy devices that Indian media managers have devised to beef up the bottomline, nothing beats the unquestionable racket called “awards”. (If you can forget even more foul-smelling …
It’s been a strange, surreal week, bookended by a third-rate Tamil song with nursery school lyrics going viral because the non-singer, non-actor who features in it is married to, well, …
The diagnosis of the UPA’s chronic illness since the 2009 polls has been markedly conventional. Everybody agrees that prime minister Manmohan Singh has messed up big-time, and that there has …
Make no mistake, 20 May 2011, is a red-letter day in contemporary Indian politics. A serving politician, the daughter of a mighty regional satrap who is a partner in the …
E.R. RAMACHANDRAN writes: Come Deepavali, most youngsters wait for the usual goodies: a new set of clothes, a box full of pataakis, and sweets, not necessarily in that order. But …
It’s a straightforward story. There are plenty of hungry people in “India Starving”. And there is plenty of foodgrains going waste in “India Rotting”. Give it to the needy for …
PRITAM SENGUPTA writes from New Delhi: The year of the lord 2010 has seen the The Times of India in uber-aggressive mode. The nation’s largest English daily that rarely ever …
E.R. RAMACHANDRAN writes: The Ace Political Expert (APE) was coming out of the Gandhi Krishi Vignana Kendra (GKVK) campus in Hebbal after attending a seminar. He was surrounded by delegates …
While the nation gets titillated this week by Suresh Kalmadi‘s ravenous appetite, last week by the Reddy brothers’, the previous week by Sharad Pawar‘s (and his adorable daughter Supriya Sule‘s), …
SHAH ALAM KHAN writes from New Delhi: To qualify as an Indian, it is essential that you love cricket, it is important that you gossip, it is vital to fall …
Rajiv Gandhi didn’t have to go for the Bofors scandal. A. Raja wasn’t asked to go for the spectrum scam. Kamal Nath stays despite the rice export scam. P. Chidambaram …
E.R. RAMACHANDRAN writes: In India, high-sounding bodies like “sports ministry” and/or “sports federation” is an oxymoron. Because each is an anti-thesis of the other. And because, sometimes, they are also …
A classic cliche in Indian cinema is the criminal who tries to gain legitimacy by standing for an election and getting elected. Something quite like that but not the same …
Anil Dharker, the chemical engineer turned journalist, once wrote a famous TV review in the now-defunct Sunday Observer, in which he wrote Rajiv Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi a few …
Many moons ago, Sharad Pawar, then chief minister of Maharashtra, came to the Lalitha Mahal Palace hotel in Mysore for a summit with the chief ministers of the southern States. …