By Vijay Badhwar This is the 5th time Australians are hosting the Commonwealth Games. But they are not great hosts, neither towards the visiting teams nor towards overseas visitors, simply not having even the minimal trait of Asian humility to make them welcome. Rather, their mannerisms are perceived as abrasive, even threatening, as the ether […]
By Vijay Badhwar It’s a sign of a dysfunctional Government which distracts public attention from main issues, matters that matter, towards completely irrelevant issues, unimportant in the context of building a nation, its future and the society that can live in harmony. Rather, it indulges in things that polarise the society, highlight differences that separate […]
By Vijay Badhwar Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) astounding victory, especially in Uttar Pradesh, was remarkable given the large Muslim vote in the state – 14-18 per cent – which traditionally goes en bloc to parties other than the BJP. It swept the state with 312 seats, largest ever, that confounded political pundits even within the […]
By Hamid Ansari While editorial independence faces challenges in the traditional media environment, the digital medium today provides space for independent thought and contrarian views, says Vice President Hamid Ansari Vice President M. Hamid Ansari delivered the inaugural address at a seminar in New Delhi on the ”˜Roles […]
By Vijay Badhwar There are two sets of laws ”“ one for the rich, and another, unfortunately, for the poor. It is true all over the world that the money can manipulate justice either through the best legal brains in the land, bribes or through political clout. It can even be true in an […]
By Rekha Bhattacharjee There is a long and fascinating history behind India’s capital city. From Indraprastha of 400 BCE to Luteyns’ New Delhi, the teeming northern Indian megapolis has been through seven major avatars and numerous rulers. In the history spread over three millennia, Delhi may have seen majestic Moghuls and splashy Sultans but […]
It’s been 100 days since the last refugee boat was encountered in Australian waters, so the Liberal leaders claim, unstoppable from patting their backs. The real stories of boats’ fates remain shrouded in mystery – if these were pushed back in Indonesian waters or sunk, dependent on Minister’s courtesy if he would choose to inform […]
By Rekha Bhattacharjee While there has been a flurry of visits to India by the high-power Australian trade delegations and politicians, the observers are baffled by the slow pace at which the bilateral ties are growing. The Australian analysts blame India’s political culture for not only the stunted Australian-Indian ties but also for the […]
By Rekha Bhattacharjee “Corruption and hypocrisy ought not to be inevitable products of democracy, as they undoubtedly are today” ”“ Mahatma Gandhi The great Indian freedom fighter and apostle of non-violence made this observation more than six decades back. If Mahatma Gandhi returns to his ”˜karma-bhoomi’ today, he may die another untimely death out of […]
Karam C. Ramrakha, a long time lawyer, writer and columnist, uses his expert knowledge of Fiji with his 16 years as a Fiji MP (1966-1982) to assess the current situation in Fiji. Red China (has there ever been another one?) watches nervously as there are widespread demonstrations in the Arab and other worlds against dictatorships […]