As a country grappling with political and infrastructural problems, there are very few issues that do not evoke extreme, often diametrically opposite, reactions in India. Population control Bills, vaccination policy, farmer income initiatives, river water sharing mechanisms or surrogacy laws—there is no dearth of topics that have triggered controversy, and …
Kassel, a small town in central Germany, is home to Documenta, one of Europe's most prestigious art festivals. Documenta is often called the art Olympic, for it lasts a 100 days. Of course, it takes place only once every five years. The eleventh Documenta (Documenta 11) is currently on. Each …
the ritual drama of cleaning up of the sewer that passes off as the Yamuna has been enacted this year too. Delhi chief minister Shiela Dixit, gingerly balanced on a rock, wielding a stick dipped in the river, made for a nice media splash. Soon after, the vip retinue left …
On July 1, Denmark will take over chairpersonship of the European Union. Then it will be the responsibility of the newly elected right-wing Danish prime minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, to help define and promote the global role of the only group of nations in a position to challenge the dominance …
Votes of dissent The rise of the far right is related in complex patterns to the failure of the elite political establishment to catch the popular pulseWhat on earth is going on in Europe? The question is motivated. Recent elections in countries like Austria, Denmark and France have seen the …
The first round of the French presidential elections saw Jean-Marie Le Pen, leader of the far right National Front gaining second place, ousting the incumbent socialist prime minister from the second round. Like a multitude of my countrypersons, I was stunned: how could a man who typifies modern fascism, anti-semitism, …
The assassination of Dutch rightwing populist Pim Fortuyn, and the stunning electoral advances of his French counterpart Jean-Marie Le Pen have brought some lingering trends in European politics to the forefront. Rightwing movements and parties, mostly campaigning on anti-immigration, anti-globalisation and anti-establishment sentiments, have been advancing in quite a number …
What started as a plan to cut some 37 trees, including large canopy rain trees, along one of Panaji's most scenic riverfront roads between Campal and Miramar, ended with some unusual protests by citizens, and an embarrassing climbdown for the Bharatiya Janata Party (bjp) government. In about three weeks of …
Even as Panaji dwellers came together to protect rain trees that would have fallen to the government's road expansion plans, over 850 trees about as huge and old as the 37 they saved fell to the public works department's (pwd) axe in another part of Goa
I never thought I would be writing an article about airports. But I am provoked to repeat what we know and to say what would not be said often in connection with the sorry state of our public spaces. The Indian Express has published a series on - needless to …
The Prime Minister (pm) Atal Bihari Vajpayee's vision of water management does not filter into the National Water Policy, which he released on April 1, 2002. His speech was totally at variance with the policy he unveiled. Was it mere rhetoric or does he have no say in guiding the …
To say that our prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee is not in charge of the country, after what is happening in Gujarat, would not be saying much. Vajpayee says he is anguished and ashamed about the senseless riots that Gujarat has seen over the last month, but can do nothing …
As always , in the run up to Budget 2002-2003, there was much speculation about what the budget would or would not contain, and what finance minister Yashwant Sinha might or might not say in his speech. February 28 has come and gone, and the speculation is over. Budget pundits …
The festivities of January 1, 2002, signified the sealing of a pact between the Kerala government and the Adivasi Dalit Samara Samithi (agitation council) on October 16, 2001. The agreement guarantees allotment of one to five acres (around .5-2 hectares) of land to all landless tribal families in the state …
Ecowarrior Grigory Pasko was sentenced to four years of imprisonment by a Russian military court for passing state secrets to Japan. The decision stunned Pasko, a navy captain-turned military journalist, who had won the original case two years back but was convicted at the retrial. The three-judge panel dismissed nine …
What do you say when a Cabinet minister - an articulate and vocal one at that - refuses to appear on a television panel to discuss a serious public policy issue with you? Ram Naik, the Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and I were invited by a private …
a b banerjee general secretary, Indian Science Congress Association, Kolkata It is a coincidence that some of the people invited here are involved in the field of defence. Abdul Kalam is an eminent scientist regardless of the fact that he is also involved in defence. More emphasis can be given …
P M BHARGAWA former director, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad The scientific advisors are too scared to take any constructive step. So it does not matter whether they are from the defence field. In no way is this conference representative of the excellence of Indian scientific research. Bringing …
S S KATIYAR vice chancellor, CSJM University, Kanpur Funds given to health care are not sufficient. It is not possible to carry out worthwhile research with this kind of funding. At least six per cent of the total budget should be devoted to health care The delegates did not focus …
in warangal, Andhra Pradesh, there is only one black Ambassador car in the official circle and it belongs to the conservator of forests. Painting the car black some 15 years ago was a conscious decision to evade attacks. The black Ambassador drives home the fear psychosis that has gripped the …
Left helpless, the affected states have started demanding amendments to the fca. About a year ago, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh wrote to the prime minster requesting changes in the act. When the coordination committee of the Union home ministry met in April 2000, one of the main issues …
