Ideas News - Page 6

A Delhi postcard: Sex, marriage and air-conditioning

A whimsical meditation on the trade-off between sexual freedom for air-conditioned comfort in the sweltering heat of Delhi.

Run DK run: dirty lyrics that ring perfectly true

The profanity-laced song perfectly captures a modern Indian reality. But it's time we stop acting coy about the more, um, colourful words in our language.

Delhi Belly: A love letter to the modern Indian male

Delhi Belly ushers in a new kind of hero who doesn't need to prove his masculinity by getting rich, scoring with the girls, or beating up the next guy.

The Call Centre of Last Resort: 1888 Dial India

Arun Gupta, the hilariously insane anti-hero of Anuvab Pal's new novel, is determined to create the next Google. No, not a search engine but an American suicide hotline outsourced to India.

A subversive reading list for self-proclaimed 'liberals'

The protests over the withdrawal of AK Ramanujam's 300 Ramayanas from a history reading list are warranted. But here's a reading list to test those who think they are liberal.

Anna Hazare says... way too much!

Not a day goes without Anna issuing a statement or posting to his blog — and this despite a recent vow of silence. And his words reveal a leader out of step with the demands of modern-day leadership – at the national level, and perhaps even in his own village.

Twitter mob or Twitter revolution? NOTW and the journalism dilemma

NOTW surfaces once again, that the line between news for public interest and news for infotainment continues to blur. Who now decides what information the public NEEDS to know, and what information might just entertain them? Twitter?

Must-see Sunday TV: Say hello to The Dewarists

Here's what you ought to be watching tonight: The best music show on television which showcases a dynamic and vibrant Indian indie scene that is coming of age.

The moral of Gaddafi: Old dictators can run, but they cannot hide

In the good old days a dictator on the run could count on a sunny exile in a villa in France or a suite of rooms in Riyadh. But times have changed. The list of safe havens for retired despots is fast shrinking. And Gaddafi's last option went down the drain.

Nuclear energy: No longer a sacred cow

The nuclear debate in India has changed dramatically over the decades. Once even questioning nuclear power was taboo, a dissenter dubbed anti-national. But the old hawks are suddenly sounding out of tune, even when they are brought on television as experts.

Tears of a clown: The comic genius of Yeddyurappa

Yeddyurappa is best known for his tears, tantrums, and silly antics. It's also why he's weathered scandals that would have felled a more respected leader.

How Niira Radia cosied up to BJP's Ananth Kumar

Niira Radia's first major break into the power circle was BJP's Ananth Kumar, a rookie minister with very little understanding of aviation though he was the aviation minister. Radia got close to him and swung the Airbus deal.

Arab Spring, Rumi and Sufism highlight at Jaipur Lit Fest 2012

Sufism and the Arab spring will the major theme for this year's Jaipur Literature Festival.

Land wars: Anand Mahindra debates Medha Patkar

The Indian industry needs land, and farmers and tribals have it. India's leading industrialist and best known land rights activist face off over the most contentious issue of the day.

Jumping the shark: 3 signs that Anna movement is in trouble

The disarray in the leadership over the past week signal serious underlying problems that threaten the very strengths that fueled their success, and may doom the anti-corruption movement in the long run.

An inside look at the life and loves of Niira Radia

Niira Radia, a key figure in the 2G spectrum scam and a lobbyist for top businessmen like Ratan Tata and Mukesh Ambani lived a colourful life. Starting life with a string of failures, she hit the big time only when she set up shop in India. Here's her story as told by criminal lawyer RK Anand, who has watched her at close quarters.

Right to recall is cart before horse: We need e-voting first

The Right to Recall, which is dear to the hearts of Team Anna, is a good idea but we are not ready for it. We need e-voting and digital democracy before it comes in.

Indian and in debt: What the new KBC reveals about the real aam aadmi

The new Kaun Banega Crorepati gives us a glimpse into an India that's usually invisible - farmers, small-town housewives, and small town clerks. And they reveal a nation concerned more about personal loans than corruption.

CPM Renewal: Ten things for the New Left Manifesto

The CPM must acknowledge that the world around has become too fluid to fit into rigid theoretical formulations.

Love's labour lost? Mamata's Maoist honeymoon in tatters

Mamata feels betrayed even as she ups the ante against the Maoists. What is adding more pressure on her is the the state's financial crisis while the CPM accuses her of letting the Maoists regroup.

Not writing what he preaches to Narayana Murthy: Chetan Bhagat's Revolution 2020

Bhagat recently lashed out at Narayana Murthy for saying that coaching classes have led to the deterioration of the quality of IIT- and IIM-produced students, but his new book perplexingly suggests exactly the same thing

Kapil Sibal, listen to Murdoch

If you replace the word 'American' with 'Indian' in Rupert Murdoch's recent speech on education, so much would still hold true.

Destroyer and deliverer: The true meaning of Vishnu's Kalki avatar

Vishnu acknowledges the end of the world, engages with it, even participates in it. While as Parashurama and Ram and Krishna, he struggles to hold on to dharma, as Balarama and finally Kalki, he lets go and allows the world to collapse. This is wisdom, knowing when to act and when to withdraw.

India's hunting problem: You can't ban a way of life

It's feasible to move people away from hunting as a pastime as seen in most cases in Nagaland. But what when, there's little else to do?

Is the National Law School of India University a failure?

No, is the overall response. But as an advocate says, if the abysmally low ratio of students who actually opt for litigation compared to those who go for corporate service is considered a benchmark of success or failure, then there is reason to think that there is a systemic failure.

Bhushan has right to speak, but what he has spoken is wrong

The goons who attacked Prashant Bhushan not only violated basic decencies but damaged their own cause on Kashmir.

Attack on Prashant Bhushan: The real shame is on us

The blame for the on-camera attack on lawyer Prashant Bhushan in his Supreme Court chambers is not limited to the three goons who beat him. All of us — including the media — are implicated.

Team Anna in Hisar: Wrong cause, wrong election, wrong rhetoric

Elections are the life blood of a democracy. To use them as a tool of political opportunism is unwise and unseemly. But what is unforgivable is Team Anna's language on the stump, which is a clear sign of a movement that is losing its direction and its head.

Rats all: Why leaders prefer to hide from their people

Our leaders are afraid of the people. Which is why they are afraid of the RTI or a genuine people's movement. Time they grew up

Are you really dead until you are dead on Facebook?

Now obituaries have become a string of celeb tweets and Facebook profiles have become memorial shrines. What's next? Dead man blogging?