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Haj subsidy: Should it continue or be withdrawn

By Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay Tue, Apr 03, 2012 5:42PM UTC View Comments

Should Haj subsidy be done away with in India? This question which has repeatedly surfaced in the past two decades bounced back in limelight once again with foreign minister SM Krishna disclosing that the government was having “second thoughts” on continuing an airfare subsidy given to Indian Muslims for the Haj pilgrimage. This was in...

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Makar Sankranti: How a festival explains political (dis)unity

By Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay Sun, Jan 15, 2012 3:42AM UTC View Comments

Like countless Indians, Makar Sankranti for us has mainly been about having ‘Dahi-Chiwra & Tilkut’ ceremonially in the morning and ‘Khichdi’ in the night. This year, however, was a tough call. The reason: part of the family advised that the festival was on January 15 while others stuck to January 14. TV channels seized their...

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Babri demolition: 19 years later dividing lines become sharper

By Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay Tue, Dec 06, 2011 2:40AM UTC View Comments

Nineteen years ago this was a week when India was very unsure of itself. The Ram temple agitation at Ayodhya reached a feverish pitch and an ambivalent Centre decided that drift was the best policy. Thousands had assembled in the temple town – drawn by the clarion call of the Sangh Parivar – ostensibly for...

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India: Swami Agnivesh rejigs Big Boss, own persona

By Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay Wed, Nov 09, 2011 4:08AM UTC View Comments

Having known Swami Agnivesh aka Shyam Vepa Rao for almost three decades – the first few of them with reverence and awe, I am surprised at one level. But on the other level Agnivesh’s decision is on expected lines. The decision is surprising because one hardly associates a man who has fought for the rights...

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India: Diwali time question – to gift or not to gift?

By Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay Wed, Oct 26, 2011 2:42AM UTC View Comments

A boy buys lanterns in preparation for the Hindu festival of Diwali. Pic: AP.

Why do people give gifts to others? When gifts are given to a professional associates, is it a part of a quid pro quo arrangement? These questions have been churning in my mind because this is the ‘gift season’ in several parts of India. This is the way it has been through my entire professional...

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