Latest News from Author Abhay Vaidya

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Wednesday, May 22nd 03:37 PM IST

Abhay Vaidya

IPL spot-fixing is yet another symptom of insecure India

May 17, 2013

Corruption in India is not a systemic problem as is commonly believed but the result of a deep flaw in the Indian character itself. In the wake of the IPL spot-fixing scam involving cricketers Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, there’s clamour all round that the BCCI (Board of Control for #BCCI #Black market #Black money #Cricket #Greed #India #Indian insecurity #InMyOpinion #IPL #Sports
From Coalgate to Rail bribe: How Ranjit Sinha is redeeming the CBI

May 8, 2013

After wasting Rs.250 crore of the tax payers’ money in pursuing the Bofors scam for 25 years and giving a clean chit to Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi and others at the end of it, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is witnessing one of its best moments today. If the Bofors #CBI #Coalgate #HowThisWorks #India #Politics #Rail scam #Ranjit Sinha #Supreme Court
RR Patil and the rape of our minors: Here’s the connection

May 4, 2013

Our blood boils when we hear about the brutal gangrape of a minor and doctors report that bits of candle and a small bottle were found shoved inside her bleeding vagina. We demand the instant resignation of Delhi police commissioner Neeraj Kumar. He makes a valid point by saying he won’t #ChangeIt #Crime #Delhi Police #India #Neeraj Kumar #Police Reforms #Rape #RR Patil #Sexual violence
Maharashtra’s water crisis: Lies, damned lies and statistics

Apr 17, 2013

People begin to think seriously about water only in an extreme situation such as drought and this is exactly what is happening in Maharashtra. Questions have been raised on the excessive amounts of water drawn for sugarcane cultivation in the state as also on the amount of water being drawn by #Maharashtra drought #Prayas report #Sharad Pawar #ThatsJustWrong #Water management
Power-hungry, immature Ajit Pawar is an embarrassment to his uncle

Apr 9, 2013

Senior politician Sharad Pawar’s captivating oratory, his ability to speak extempore and hold audiences on subjects ranging from agriculture to culture, and his persuasive speech are among the reasons for his mass appeal. There’s something more: No matter what provocation, he always maintains restraint and this quality too has endeared him #Ajit Pawar #InMyOpinion #Maharashtra #Sharad Pawar
1993 Bombay blasts: Katju’s sympathy for Sanjay Dutt is misplaced

Mar 22, 2013

Is actor Sanjay Dutt’s sentencing to additional three-and-half years in prison the biggest tragedy of the Supreme Court (SC) verdict in the 1993 Mumbai terror blasts case in which 257 people were killed and 713 injured? At least that is the impression that stands created by the celebrity focus of #Justice Markandey Katju #Sanjay Dutt #TADA #ThatsJustWrong
The death of a bookstore: Why Pune’s twistntales is closing down

Feb 23, 2013

The world of retail is witnessing a strange paradox. Although more Indians are reading books today and publishing is on an upswing, bookshops in various cities are shutting down one after the other. Those that are braving this trend are increasingly taking to selling toys, gizmos, stationery, expensive writing instruments #bookshops #CultureDecoder
Wanted: A ‘paid news’ declaration from news organisations

Feb 7, 2013

Last week's page one declaration by the Hindustan Times that it does not indulge in 'paid news' of any kind was arguably the best piece of news on the front page of that edition. The statement by editor-in-chief Sanjoy Narayan (HT brings you real news, not 'paid news', 2 February) #InMyOpinion #Justice Markandey Katju #paid news #Press Council of India
Ashis Nandy should have shown courage, not cowardice

Feb 1, 2013

When an intellectual is unable to deliver his thoughts with precision, one must question the quality of his intellect. All the more when the person happens to be of the stature of sociologist Ashis Nandy. All the more, when Nandy apologises and clarifies—unconvincingly—that "this is what he meant and not #Ashis Nandy #InMyOpinion #Jaipur Literary Festival #OBC #Scheduled Tribe
Time to make Tagore’s ‘Mind Without Fear’ our National Anthem?

Jan 7, 2013

Come Republic Day and many of us will move our lips, mumble and try to recite the national anthem. It perhaps wouldn’t be wrong to suggest that half of us, if not more, would fail embarrassingly if asked to recite Jana Gana Mana… Many amongst those of us who can recite #India #InMyOpinion #National Anthem #Rabindranath Tagore #Vande Mataram

The best from the blog

Need your self-esteem shredded? Come on a makeover show in India

Sep 6, 2012
We don’t have the stomach to watch Tendulkar fail

Sep 6, 2012
Why Mumbai’s prime office rates are rising in a depressed mkt

Sep 6, 2012
Does a disrupted Parliament mean electoral reforms are in the offing?

Sep 7, 2012
Was Arsenal’s win over Chelsea down to sheer luck?

Oct 31, 2011

New bloggers

Mid-wicket Tales

S. Giridhar is Registrar and also the Head of the University Resource Centre at Azim Premji University. V J Raghunath retired as CEO of Addison Paints and is now a senior training consultant. Both share a great love for test cricket. Both have combined to
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Sugandha Dubey

Sugandha Dubey has over 18 years of work experience in marketing, sales and brand management for iconic brands like Tanishq, Gillette, Group 4 and Getty Images. She turned entrepreneur in 2008 and launched SIBSA Digital Pvt Ltd, a total photography solut
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Editor's picks

Hamid Karzai's visit: Why supplying arms to Afghanistan is a hard choice

From across the Hindu Kush, a plea for Indian help. Hamid Karzai wants New Delhi to provide artillery and military transport aircraft. It won’t cost India much—but New Delhi is worried about upsetting Pakistan, and wary of making commitments before it becomes clear which way the political wind is blowing in Kabul.
Sreesanth and IPL spot fixing: Why history makes it so hard to believe the police

With the glut of information regarding the IPL spot fixing scandal and the three cricketers how much of it can we really trust?
Phaneesh Murthy admits to relationship with employee

This is the second time the IT industry veteran has been involved in a sex scandal.
Despite BJP edge over Cong, both NDA and UPA are conjectures

Opinion polls show the BJP and the NDA ahead of the Congress and UPA. But it is the regional parties that are likely to make the biggest gains. NDA and UPA are post-poll creatures

Not just niceties, China and India need to focus on thorny issues

India’s discourse with China has traditionally been trapped in the Mao-ist maze that defines how “friends” ought to conduct themselves. But Chinese statecraft has evolved, and India too must up its diplomatic game.
Why the Indian media gives a damn about poverty

In that sense the poverty line of India is cruel. It is merciless and doesn’t allow the majority of Indians any money for shelter or access to education or healthcare or sanitation or anything else that civilised nations would consider as essential as food.
Goa meet: Will the BJP finally find a way out of its troubles?

Can the party resolve internal discord and take a call on Modi’s PM candidature?
Why Dhoni, Tendulkar can't distance themselves from spot fixing

Try following a game on twitter or with friends or at the ground. At every step of the way, the spot-fixing question raises itself.

Movie Review: 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist' leaves you dissatisfied

If you forget the politics and just look at the film, The Reluctant Fundamentalist doesn’t fare much better. It’s a thriller that lacks tension and suspense.
Here's how the Delhi Police stumbled upon spot-fixing in IPL

After monitoring a phone call, the investigation had virtually turned pan-India with some of the bookies based in Gujarat and Mumbai.
Ex-Citi CEO Vikram Pandit, JM Financial join hands for banking foray in India

JM Financial will nominate Pandit as the non-executive chairman of the proposed bank. Pandit and Aiyar will have the right to purchase shares up to the amount prescribed by the RBI in this entity.
Movie Review: The Great Gatsby is the most Bollywood of Baz Luhrmann's films

The great American dream is an integral part of America. It’s ‘great’ in that it symbolises not truth, but hope when the truth is disillusioning; it symbolises not facts, but ideals when facts are unnerving; it symbolises not likelihood, but promise when likelihood is all but bleak.

Google I/O 2013 keynote: New Maps, Search, Plus, and S4 with 'pure' Android

We’re tracking the Google I/O conference 2013 live – what will be unveiled?
Hero worshipped in Kerala, Sreesanth still innocent in his state

The summary of the response in his Sreesanth’s home turf is that of incredulity. They are unwilling to believe that the pacer is guilty.
Why return of Dreamliners won't change Air India's fortunes

The original promise of the Dreamliner has failed to materiallise due to limitations in its flying range. Will Air India continue to pay a price for this?
Did Indira abolish bonded labour or Sonia? NREGA's tall claims

The UPA ads eulogising MGNREGA as a a huge success needs to be taken with bags of salt. The scheme did make a difference, but not as is claimed.

Angelina’s breast surgery possible in India, but there's a catch

So can we test in India and gain from the same treatment privilege that Jolie had? Yes, but there is a catch.
IPL 2013 KKR vs PWI Live: Yusuf kicks KKR out of the IPL

Live detailed updates as KKR take on Pune in a must-win game at Ranchi.
Wrong on Ghaziabad: The Kiran Bedi argument for moral policing

Bedi’s argument that we should focus on the legal wrong committed by the girl slapped by cops is technical, disingenuous and enabling.
Cloak but no dagger: The awfully mundane world of spies

There’s an endearing quality to reports that a CIA spy was arrested in Moscow: he comes across as a bumbling amateur who represents the lost Age of Innocence in the world of espionage.

From here on, Sonia-Manmohan dyarchy is a slow train wreck

The “two heads” power arrangement between Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is coming apart at the seams.
Lessons from Karnataka: Cong must stop backing corrupt leaders in Andhra

The fact that it has allowed individuals named in chargesheets to continue as ministers is evidence that the Congress runs Andhra Pradesh as if it is its fiefdom, without a care for ethics in public life.
IPL 2013: How Isa Guha is changing perceptions about cricket presenters

Isa Guha is not your usual female cricket presenter. Apart from being an ex-player, she’s highly educated and injects a breath of fresh air on Indian screens.
Android and Chrome aren't merging for now, says Google's Sundar Pichai

Pichai has emphasised that Google is embracing both Chrome and Android is investing in both at least for now.