The debate on Hinduism and beef eating is not only old, but also one that has made a mark on Indian history time and again. This was, for example, one of the primary triggers for the First War of Independence in 1857 in which use (or rumour of use) of cartridges greased with cow and pig fat […]
Category: Politics
The Net Neutrality Debate and an Edible Analogy
The net neutrality debate is now raging in India. In spite of the obvious simplification, this edible analogy should throw light on what each side in this debate stands for (at least from my perspective). In a vast, wide, world, there were many countries. They were at different levels of prosperity, cultivated different crops, wore different clothes, spoke different languages, but […]
Should Full-contact Combat Sports be Banned?
Last week, when I read about Australian Medical Association’s stand on combat sports and their call for boxing to be banned from Olympics and Commonwealth games, I was not surprised. Given that entering a boxing ring poses greater risk (in terms of probability) of a head injury than riding a two-wheeler without helmet for a comparable […]
Bringing Political Parties Under RTI – a Flawed Approach
I have seen a lot of people criticize Government of India’s submission to the Supreme Court that political parties cannot be brought under the purview of Right to Information (RTI) act. I endorse the stance taken by the Government, and my reasons (which may be different from the Government’s, with slight overlap) are discussed here. […]
Government’s Ban on Porn – a Step in the Right Direction
There are reports of the Indian government instructing Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block access to around 800 websites, most of which are said to offer a variety of pornographic content including extremely toxic and illegal shades. While there are many who consider this move to be an assault on personal liberty, I would like to […]
Victims of Political Correctness
What are the similarities between British biochemist Sir Tim Hunt and American biologist James Watson? Both have made great contributions to their respective fields and both are victims of political correctness – both paid a heavy price for holding and expressing views in areas that are considered sacrosanct by society and in which a different […]
On Sports, Patriotism, and National Heroes
I find it very interesting when sports stars who play in national teams are not just praised for playing and winning medals, but elevated to the status of unrivalled patriots and national heroes. If the so called Indian cricket team represents the country in the world cup (and say, brings home the cup), do they […]
Response to a Viral Video on Rape
I recently came across an extremely stupid video in which a lady who pretended to be funny was trying (in her own retarded way) to explain why “rape is a joke in India”. The only credit I would give her is that by the end of the video you’d understand clearly that it is people […]
How Noble is your Patriotism?
Today, the 26th of January, is celebrated as the Republic Day in India. My social network streams are flooded with posts that involve patriotism and love for the nation, TV channels broadcast the parade live from Rajpath followed by movies and programmes based on the same theme, children on the road have a tiny national […]
Layoffs and Unionization Threat
In the last few days, those in India’s technology industry would have come across reports of a massive layoff in India’s largest IT services company, namely, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). While several of these reports were unconfirmed and unverified, many in the field have already expressed their support for the “victims” of this layoff. Interestingly, […]