Ideas News - Page 8

What if Jesus was a woman?

'The Way' written by Kristen Wolf reimagines the story of Jesus with a woman in the central role.

Anna and the new middle class: Why UPA doesn't get it

The Anna Hazare movement is powered by a new middle class that does not care for old-world democratic ideals and constitutional niceties.

Hum mein hai hero: Anna group hijacks Hero jingle

Inspired by his fast and the consequent arrest, thousands of Indians felt that Anna was their voice, so they took the song from the Hero commercial, and overlaid it on a montage of images of Anna and the protest images.

Protesters We Like: Anna, Arundhati and the doublespeak of dissent

We're a nation of convenient democrats who believe certain protests are more legitimate than others, and that the 'bad' kind of dissent poses a danger to democracy itself. Hazare is just the latest target of this double-standard.

Lagaan did not impress me, it was a stereotype: Dalit leader in US

Aarakshan is taking on the touchy subject of reservations in India. The US has its own program of affirmative action for minorities. A Dalit activist in the US says there's a key difference between the two.

Anna Hazare: the last Gandhian standing

Anna Hazare might have a bit of Gandhi complex. But by detaining him before his fast, the UPA government has played into his hands. They've turned him into the last Gandhian standing which makes them the British sarkar.

Reading the newspaper on Independence Day: Decoding the lessons of history

The Times of India rewarded its readers with a six-page reprint of its historic August 15, 1947 edition. Contemplating this mini time capsule, Lakshmi Chaudhry asks herself: have we come a long way, baby? Or just the wrong way?

Nehru's tryst with destiny still towers overs its long-winded successors

Every August 15 we have a tryst with the famous speech Nehru made 64 years ago. It is the speech we use to measure ourselves against. And each time it tells us something more about who we have become.

When it's time to be counted, I am with Anna Hazare

When it comes to the crunch, I would rather stand with Anna Hazare than anyone else in the motley crowd of corrupt politicians whose moral bankruptcy is sought to be hidden in constitutional niceties.

The King Cobra must have a home too

Despite the king cobra being the world’s largest venomous snake, only two people are known to have died from its bite in Karnataka in 20 years. We have to remove venomous snakes but is there a humane way to do this?

The big picture: Aarakshan and its Radhakrishnan problem

Aarakshan has all the self-importance of a "message" film but it tells us nothing we didn't already know says Avirook Sen. But there is a portrait in the film which says more than all the dialogue its actors spout.

The Karna Syndrome and Rahul Dravid as the hero

It is an Indian tragedy that we don't recognise our true heroes even if they were served to us on a plate with watercress around them, as PG Wodehouse would put it. We celebrate Arjuna, and not Karna.

UK Riots: Proposed social media crackdown is wrongheaded and dangerous

The British PM called for government to have the power to shut down social media services in times of violence. It is time to stand up and protect us from Cameron and his cronies’ crass stupidity.

The speech Manmohan Singh won't make on August 15

Firstpost writer Anant Rangaswami says there are times when one must acknowledge that all is not well, like Queen Elizabeth did in 1992, and that the PM should do now – the past year has been India’s Annus Horriblis.

'In Arun Shourie's imagination, God has to offer explanations'

How can extreme suffering be so commonplace if there is a God who knows everything, who is all-powerful and also compassionate? Respected mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik offers answers that intrigue and surprise.

Kerala astrologers to find out Gods' opinion on moving temple treasure

Astrologers are conducting a ritual they say will help them understand the will of the God with regards to the treasure inside the vaults of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple.

Answer to Arun Shourie: 'Suffering is also a blessing'

How can extreme suffering be so commonplace if there is a God who knows everything, who is all-powerful and also compassionate? We put these and other spiritual questions to renowned spiritual scholar and Gandhian Maulana Wahiduddin Khan.

Myth-busting: Why govt isn't the answer to everything

Yesterday's ideas are very much with us. We believe in government, democracy, and obsolete ideas for the wrong reasons.

Vaseline hits Vaughan for a six, wins over consumers

Vaseline’s communication partner, BBH India, had already been working hard on communicating the versatility and multiple benefits of the product and Vaughan’s comments gave them the perfect opportunity to set the record straight.

In the Lokpal melodrama, Anna Hazare becomes Swadesi Samurai

The Lokpal Bill has turned into the great Indian melodrama. But in hoping that the furore will die down and we will return to business as usual, the Congress might be writing its own obituary. They have not understood the moral force of Anna Hazare.

Arun Shourie questions the tyranny of Gandhi's God of suffering

How can extreme suffering be so commonplace if there is a God who knows everything, who is all-powerful and also compassionate? Arun Shourie examines Gandhi's answers to this key question of faith, and finds his answers inadequate and unintentionally cruel.