To All Who have lost their own

The loss of a beloved one is very painful. This year, many of us have lost their loved ones. Here is a note to all those who have lost their loved ones- we are with you and can understand your pain.

A Story of Mafia and Mayhem

America has its own share of underworld and mafia dons who have plagued the cities with their hideous and some of the own sinister crimes. What makes the Hollywood crime thrillers fascinating are those cheesy one-liners by the antagonist right before the final showdown and the sheer flamboyance of the protagonist. The 2013 Sean Penn,…

The story of a spiritual awakening and redemption

Lock down forced me to find out new ways and means to keep myself entertained and movies using the various OTT platforms was one thing I have exploited the most. One of the numerous movies I watched is the 1997, Brad Pitt starred 'Seven Years In Tibet'. The movie is based on the true story…

Keeping the laughter alive

The COVID-19 pandemic is serious. It is contagious and threatening as it might rob us of our lives and livelihoods. However, it can’t rob us of one thing- our laughter. Humor is important during the difficult times. One theory in humor research suggests that jokes only become interesting to us if the topic is of…

A stroke less wonder

On this day back in 1964, Jawaharlal Nehru breathed his last leaving behind a legacy of grave mistakes and marginal success.Though some will credit him for strengthening the foundations of democracy in a country that was ruled for centuries by Maharajas and Nawabs, Nehru had very little to offer on a positive front to the…

The Story of India’s own Narcos

The last two decades of the twentieth century were politically challenged for India. There was a surge in the organized crime, mafia raaj, corruption which fuelled communal tensions. The state of UttarPradesh, in those days was a hub for crime. For local opium peddlers and small scale smugglers it was a paradise. ‘The Barabanki Narcos…

Justice delayed IS Justice denied

आज पहाटे निर्भयाच्या दोषींना फाशी झाली. एक प्रकारे एका पीडितेला अखेर न्याय मिळाला. गेली ७ वर्ष तिचे आईवडील, अर्थात अशा देवी आणि त्यांचे पती ज्या यातनांमधून जात होते ते सगळंच भयानक होतं. डिसेंबर २०१२ ला जेव्हा गुन्हा घडला तेव्हापासून या केस वर लक्ष ठेवून होतो. तेव्हा कॉलेज मध्ये होतो. पुढे पत्रकार झाल्यावर २-३ वेळा निर्भयाच्या…

असंतांचे संत

(लोकसत्ता मध्ये आज छापून आलेल्या लेखावरच मतं मी खाली मांडलेलं आहे. काही special words मुद्दाम वापरले आहेत याच भान असावं. ) गेल्यावर्षी एप्रिलच्या मध्यात झालेल्या सार्वत्रिक निवडणुकी मध्ये भारतीय जनता पक्षाला बहुमत मिळालं आणि नरेंद्र मोदी पुन्हा पंतप्रधान झाले. त्याआधी, पक्षाने ७५ कलमी 'संकल्प पत्र' , अर्थात जाहीरनामा देशातील जनतेपुढे ठेवला. त्यात भारताची अर्थव्यवस्था ३ऱ्या…

An apt compilation of distortion

Gautam Malkani’s second novel ‘Distortion’ features a vivid argot, complicating and familiarizing everyday terms and activities. As the story revolves, the protagonist contains multitudes of personalities: all three are the same man. The novel’s strongest sections include cameos from his “three bearded aunties”, a terrible but often quite funny chorus who lam-bast him for his…

Nativity scenes go social

Nativity scenes are a common feature at Christmas homes throughout the festive season. For most of nativity scenes are a reminder of Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus, few churches have made it a point to pass on a social message.  India is a country where festivals are celebrated with bright and…