Aakar Patel
Read biographyAakar Patel is a writer and columnist. He is a former newspaper editor, having worked with the Bhaskar Group and Mid Day Multimedia Ltd.
Close-
Why Surat is India’s most interesting city
This month, Surat was judged India's best city. The parameters for this included, according to a report in the Times of India, "mobility, water supply network, cleanliness, public amenities, pollution control, greenery, safety and easy processes of getting work done at the corporation." Pune stood second in the "quality of life" #Bangalore #JustSaying #Mumbai #Surat
-
Manto on what happens when a city becomes a new country
What happens when the city you're familiar with suddenly becomes a new country? Manto tells us this by taking a stroll through the lanes of Lahore, a city that was India and has now become something else. Savere jo kal aankh meri khuli by Saadat Hasan Manto, translated by Aakar Patel It #Lloyd's Bank #Manto'sMusings #Muhammad Ali Jinnah #Pakistan #Saadat Hasan Manto
-
Will BJP have guts to run a 2014 ‘Gujarat shining’ campaign?
A decade ago, the BJP assumed it would win the elections on the back of India Shining and called early elections. India Shining was the campaign executed brilliantly by Nirvik Singh of Grey Worldwide. It told Indians they were a Great Power and a middle income nation. The problem of course #BJP #ConnectTheDots #Gujarat #India Shining #Narendra Modi
-
What is common to Rahul Gandhi and Abhishek Bachchan?
Abhishek Bachchan and Rahul Gandhi are poles apart when it comes to their respective professions. Apart from the fact that both of them are public figures and illicit sharp responses, what is similar between the two?
-
How Sadaat Hasan Manto is relevant to our times
I wanted to write today about why it is important that the non-fiction of Manto be translated as it has been in this Firstpost series, of which only six pieces remain, for the last few months. Some may wonder why it is that this is being done, and this is #HowThisWorks #Saadat Hasan Manto
-
Modi forced BJP to take in Amit Shah as general secretary
Narendra Modi has forced the BJP to go his way by appointing Amit Shah to one of the top leadership roles in the party. That however does not absolve Amit Shah of any of the charges against him in the fake encounter case.
-
Chennai ban on Lankan players in IPL: We are like this only
First we banned Pakistanis from the Indian Premier League (too soft on terror). Now we have banned the Lankans (too tough on terror). This upsets some of us who think the decision was wrong. I'm writing this mainly for them. There is no point in feeling emotion about this sort of #Chennai #IPL 6 #IPL6 War Room #JustSaying #Sri Lanka
-
Manto on right questions and wrong
Manto wrote this piece a few months after Partition. We know this because he refers to Gandhi as having passed away and Jinnah (who died only seven months later in September 1948) as alive. Incidentally his fondness for Gandhi and his dislike of Jinnah is very apparent here. It is #Manto'sMusings #Saadat Hasan Manto
-
Top 5 complaints with Indian cricket
Indian cricket might be on a high after winning over the Aussies 4-0 but every thing is not perfect with India's favourite sport. Here's why.
-
Why Nitish Kumar is unlikely to break up with BJP for 2014
The chief minister of Bihar, India's second most populous state, is thought to be reconsidering his partnership with the Bharatiya Janata Party. If he goes ahead, Nitish Kumar, a devotee of the socialist intellectual Rammanohar Lohia, could influence the 2014 general elections in favour of Sonia Gandhi. This has excited our #bIhar #BJP #ConnectTheDots #Nitish Kumar #Sushil Modi