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Friday, June 21, 2024
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Book Excerpts

Why most elite married women of Delhi prefer gurus over temples or gods

A conspicuous aspect of the cult of the guru among Delhi’s rich was the global reach and international character of the guru himself.

Believe it or not — Amitabh Bachchan’s baritone voice was rejected by All India Radio

Mrinal Sen's Bhuvan Shome not only launched the ‘art’ cinema movement, but it also launched the career of Amitabh Bachchan — ironies never cease to exist.

In wrong place at wrong time: Forgotten story of Operation Blue Star’s ‘Jodhpur detainees’

375 unarmed men, women & children were found in Golden Temple when Army entered on 6 June 1984. They remained in Jodhpur Central Jail for the next 4–5 years.

How Rediff On The NeT first created a template for the Hindu Right online in the 1990s

Rediff was, arguably, the first Indian publication, online or otherwise, to unapologetically feature three very strong Hindu Right-wing voices of the time.

How as a young boy, Hariprasad Chaurasia came to choose music over wrestling, flute over sitar

The story goes that one day, the priest, who often saw the young Hariprasad singing bhajans with the others, asked him to sing solo. And this is what followed.

China is intelligently feeding PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ dream

From the automobile industry to solar power, China is making its presence felt in India. And it shows on its FDI records.

Mysore’s chief engineer built a dam long before Nehru wanted a modern ‘temple’ in India

The Krishna Raja Sagara Dam project was politically & financially overwhelming. Visvesvaraya once threatened to quit if the Maharaja of Mysore didn't approve it.

Why this MIT student’s paper on Indian liberalisation threatened trade economists

In Good Economics for Hard Times, Nobel laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee write about the link between liberalisation and inequality in India.

Chess player memory is a myth. This is my trick before matches, writes Viswanathan Anand

When I was younger, I could recall every chess game I played. Now, I often don’t have complete memory of a game I played a week ago.

How did RSS become Hindu messiah in India? Disaster relief since 1947

The 'dedication' of RSS during riots in 1940s enabled it to 'establish its image as the saviour of Hindus’ and expand its influence in Punjab, J&K, Delhi.

On Camera

PM’s 100-day agenda may have to jettison core issues for coalition partners

Matters of defence and foreign policy are important, but the new government must address widespread discontent in the country. This begins with investing in the rural sector.

PM’s economic advisor asks if India needs a new poverty line, says multidimensional index not enough

Bibek Debroy, chairman of Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, also suggested that analysing inequality at the state level might provide a clearer picture of inequality, as a national estimate could be misleading.

China does a Galwan in South China Sea, Coast Guard carries spears and knives

Pictures had emerged of Chinese soldiers carrying rifles and iron rods with machete-like heads in the vicinity of India’s forward locations on the southern bank of Pangong Tso in 2020.

Sangh wants BJP to know it’s not dispensable. It’s a rap on the knuckles, nothing more

Occasional lovers’ tiffs have marked history of RSS-BJP relations. To think that Nagpur will bring about any change in leadership is a misreading of both its intent and its power.