politics Archives

The Politics of Love: How I Date a Modi Supporter as a Good Little Liberal

A few months into a new relationship, I discovered the man I am dating is a Modi supporter. And I’m the textbook definition of a liberal. How were we going to make this work?

Parita Patel July 26, 2016

POV

Why Is Our Government Insistent on Changing the Constitution?

BJP ministers Anant Kumar Hegde and Yogi Adityanath have made it amply clear that they’d like to change the Constitution, the word secular particularly. They should listen to what advocate-activist Menaka Guruswamy has to say: The beauty of the Constitution is it compels us to unlearn the prejudices that we hold true.

Dushyant Shekhawat July 26, 2016

Sports

Akshay Kumar, Gold, and the Case for Not Mixing Politics and Sports

The World Cup match between Switzerland and Serbia ended with an important question: Should politics and sport mix? It’s a question we should ask ourselves, on the brink of witnessing another hyper-nationalistic sport film, the Akshay Kumar-starrer, Gold.

Manik Sharma July 24, 2016

Pop Culture

10 Years of Gulaal: Why the Politics and Poetry of the Anurag Kashyap Film Have Acquired Cult Status

Gulaal is perhaps Anurag Kashyap’s most unforgiving film and not because it’s dressed in his trademark brashness, but because like life, it is grounded in cynicism. That said, the movie earned its cult status largely due to one man: Piyush Mishra and his doomsday poetry.

Manik Sharma July 23, 2016

People

Gone Too Soon at 95, Ram Jethmalani

Maverick, temperamental, eccentric, non-conformist, the permanent dissenter... There are lots of adjectives used for Ram Jethmalani. In my interactions with him, he was none of it. He was only a man who had utmost belief in himself and what he did.

Vaibhav Vishal July 23, 2016

People

Naked Nariyal Man & Abstinence in the Time of “Fast” Politics

In an era where the Congress’s chola-bhatura fuelled vrat and the PM’s day-long abstinence from food are also considered “fasts”, a man reminds us of the glory days of fasting – when the abstaining was longer than the time it takes to finish binge watching a season of Game of Thrones.

Vinaya Kurtkoti July 22, 2016

People

The Silent Cinemas of Srinagar

The abuse faced by Dangal actor Zaira Wasim is a reminder of Kashmir's struggle with freedom of expression. This struggle reflects in its silent cinemas, shuttered since 1989.

Faisul Yaseen July 10, 2016

Pop Culture

Laal Singh Chaddha review: A Faithful Adaptation that Never Quite Soars

Laal Singh Chaddha is a faithful remake of Forrest Gump but besides a couple of heartfelt moments it imports no language or perspective of its own.

Pradeep Menon July 8, 2016

Pop Culture

Veep Gave Us What Game of Thrones Might Not: A Climax We Enjoyed

Last Monday, as King’s Landing turned into a literal metaphor of the dropping writing standards in the Game of Thrones team, Veep delivered a spectacular series finale. It hit the right emotional beats, delivered a scathing critique of modern-day American politics, and tied its seven-season long storyline to a logical end – all while being laugh out loud hilarious.

Prthvir Solanki June 24, 2016

POV

One Pepperoni Pizza, With a Topping of Politics, Please

In an age where everything from sharing a hug on the metro to booking an Ola cab is political fodder, perhaps it was only a matter of time before paying for your Swiggy order would be fraught with similar tensions. Or is it already?

Kahini Iyer June 24, 2016