Welcome to my World!

Hi! Welcome to my space on the Web! I am a media professional, based in New Delhi, India with interests in reading, writing, music, ventriloquism & travelling.

In this blog, you will find some of the articles which I have written for The Times of India, the newspaper in which I work.

So, keep reading and do post your comments.

Is the property market back?

After being hit by recession, the property market is on its way up. But, it's not a boom-or-bust scenario. This time, prices appear more realistic. I did a reality check of the realty market in major cities across India to come up with this report.

Click here to read.

How smart are you about your phone?

The going has never been so good,especially if you aspire for a smartphone nowadays. That's the industry term for handsets packed with a slew of features such as bigger displays, faster processing time and a multitude of applications. According to recent studies, smartphones are the fastest growing segment in the mobile phone market and present a substantial opportunity for different players in the mobile eco-system.

Click here to read how to be smart about your phone.

The next big question: After school, what?

Thousands of students across the country routinely panic at the prospect of decisions about career streams. Add to that the intense competition to secure admission to good colleges, peer pressure and parental injunctions about the need to make something of their lives, and most children end up confused and anxious. But, can this confusion be avoided?

Click here to read the answer.

In the Tiger Tamer's den

It's been exactly one year since the Sri Lankan forces defeated the LTTE in one of the bloodiest civil wars fought in recent times. For Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, it is probably the best of times -- he is basking in the glory of taming the Tigers and enjoying unprecedented powers after being re-elected in January this year. Indeed, his presence seems to be all-prevading -- his photographs line the airport in Colombo and huge cut-outs are visible across the city. A few days after the victory anniversary, I met Rajapaksa at his residence, Temple Trees, for what turned out to be a wide-ranging chat -- on LTTE, Indo-Lanka relations and why he likes 'My Name Is Khan.'

Click here to read the full interview.

Click here to read my blog post in The Times of India blog.

India's caste gene

Everybody knows that ours is a caste-based society. But is caste really that relevant for the urban, upwardly mobile Indian? Many would assume it's not. But, surprisingly, there are enough examples in our day-to-day conversation and actions which show that casteist tendencies and biases exist in our subconsciousness.

Click here to read about India's caste gene.

Legacies of the Raj

The British general elections just happened, but did anyone care in India? More that sixty years after the British left the country, what is the influence of the Raj in India? What are the elements of the legacy that still thrive and which are the ones that have barely managed to survive? Also, how has India utilized this legacy in its journey as the world's largest democracy?

Click here to know the answers.

How the spy game is changing

An interesting case came up recently, when Madhuri Gupta, a 53 year old Indian woman diplomat, posted in Islamabad, was caught while spying for Pakistan. The case brought into focus the world of spies. We all think it is full of subfertuge, sex, spies and cash. Is it really true, or have things changed? I wrote the following article to understand how the spy world has evolved over the years.

Click here to read.

Inside the mind of Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank'

The Utarakhand chief minister is an interesting chap. Besides being a shrewd politician -- who has managed to keep rival factions within his party happy -- he is also an able administrator, who ensured that the Mahakumbh Mela at Haridwar was successful. Few know that he is also a prolific poet and author,who takes out at least 2 hrs from his schedule to write. I met him recently at Dehradun, where, over an hour long conversation, Nishank talked about poetry, politics and why the Kumbh should get the Nobel Peace Prize.

Click here to read the interview.

The politics of dynasty

The politics of dynasty is a phenomenon quite prevalent in the political spectrum of the Indian subcontinent. From India to Pakistan and from Bangladesh to Sri Lanka, there are numerous examples of families holding sway over the political fortunes of their countries. But, what is it that makes dynasty the glue of South Asian politics?

Click here to find out the answer.

Independence day for women?

The last few days have seen unprecedented discussion over the women's reservation bill, that aims to give 33% reservation to women in central and state assemblies. A few parties are against it -- tooth and nail -- although most are in favour of it. Amidst all the din on the pros and cons of the bill, I sought to seek an answer to the question whether the bill can really bring about metamorphosis and help the woman politician break free?

Click here to read the answer.

Are search engines really accurate?

They are the gateways through which we access the internet. But, are search engines really delivering the kind of speed and accuracy that they should? Not really. Many feel that the best is yet to come, as the future would see a revolution in internet search with search engines not just providing directions, but also answers that would, in an ideal world, be 100% correct all the time.

Click here to read more.

Sleazy sadhus

It's been the season of sleazy sadhus -- first, one was found running a prostitution racket worth crores and then, another was found romping with an actress in his ashram. The exploits of these swamis of lust prompted the following tongue in cheek look at their tribe.

Click here to read more.

Can sports curb Indo-Pak tension?

The hockey world cup began today, with a tense game between India and Pakistan. But, even before the Pakistani team had arrived in Delhi a few days ago, there were voices of dissent -- on both sides of the border-- pointing out the futility of having an Indo-Pak sporting fixture, when relations were at a low ebb. Does sports actually build bridges and does it really matter if we play against each other?

Click here to know the answers.

The Chandrashekhar Azad mystery

It's been almost seventy years since famous freedom fighter, Chandrashekhar Azad killed himself after a fierce encounter with the police, at Alfred Park in Allahabad. Since then, Azad's name has been immortalized and his sacrifice a source of inspiration. However, a few things about the day still remain unclear and there are varying accounts of what happened. For instance, who tipped off the police about Azad's wherabouts? Who was with him in the Park, when the police arrived, and whom he urged to flee? I tried to have another look at this moment in history, through my column, Past Prism.

Click here to read the column.

The Urdu Sherlock Holmes

The spectacular success of Sherlock Holmes in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century spawned a number of detective fiction characters, many of whom went on to become legends. In Bangla fiction, there is Satyajit Ray's Feluda and Saradindu Bandyopadhyay's Byomkesh Bakshi. In Urdu, it is Ibn-e-Safi's Ali Imran, who enjoys similar cult status.

Click here to read my review of the English translation of the first Imran novel.

Terror comes to small towns

The bomb blasts in Pune last weekend brought home an uncomfortable, yet inevitable truth: terror attacks were not just limited to bigger cities, but also increasingly happening in non-metros or Tier II towns. The idea being, of course, to create a fear psychosis -- the feeling that nobody is safe anywhere. There are also a number of other reasons why small is not necessarily secure.

Click here to read why.

The exaggeration in epics

Most of our epics are stories of valour, that highlight the heroic deeds that make their protagonists seem suitably super-human. Often, this is because many of these tales have come down to us through numerous renditions, making it difficult to distinguish between what is real and what is exaggerated.

Click here to read more.

The day Gandhi died

It was a day that started like any other for Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who woke up at his usual time at 3.30 am and led the early morning prayers. Little did anyone know that this was a day that was to go down in history -- that before the evening was out, the Father of the Nation would be felled by the bullets of a desparate assassin...

Click here to read more about the day Gandhi died.

Book Review: Pirate Latitudes

At first glance, Pirate Latitudes may not be the kind of novel one would have expected from the author of The Lost World, Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain-- cult classics which established Michael Crichton's reputation as a master of thrillers, that fuse elements of science and technology with a fast-paced narrative. Given this penchant for techno-thrillers, Crichton's foray into a historical adventure, featuring swashbuckling pirates set in the Caribbean in the 17th century may come as a surprise to many,especially since this is the first book published after his untimely death in 2008.

Click here to read the full review.

Who are our role models?

It's amazing the way certain notions influence us. For instance, it might be reasonable to assume that the role models for today's youngsters are film stars or cricketers. But, is this really true or is it a myth?

Click here to read my new column Mythologic in the Sunday Times.

Jailhouse shock

The headlines are presently dominated by the Ruchika Mehrotra case, in which former DGP of Haryana police, SPS Rathore is accused of molesting a girl, Ruchika, who commited suicide almost 19 yrs ago. Justice, infinitely delayed, is finally catching up with Rathore, who looks all set to spend some time on the other side of the bars. As part of a Special Report, I went to Delhi's Tihar jail to find out how policemen who end up in jail-- are treated by their fellow inmates. The following story resulted.

Click here to read more.

The dance of digitalization

What were the ten biggest tech trends and gadgets that changed our lives in the first decade of the 21st century? Google, smartphones, social networking sites, digital cameras, blogging, iPod, e-book readers..a few of the things that made the last 10 years a digital decade....

Click here to read about the dance of digitalization.

Facebook Fiasco

Call it loss of face. When Facebook, the world’s largest online social networking site announced changes in its privacy policy recently, it probably hadn’t accounted for the controversy it would rake up. In a move aimed at encouraging its members to share more information on the internet, the site recently upgraded its privacy settings, making several categories of information visible by default to everyone. This has made many of the site’s 350 million users see red.

Click here to read what has irked Facebook users.

Click here to read about the broader issue of privacy on the internet.

Agents of change

How can technology be utilized in a way that it benefits the poor and the marginalized? This is a dilemma often faced by social entrepreneurs who battle with constraints of finance, access and lack of infrastructure when trying to provide services in remote areas. The answer, many feel, lies in innovation -- that is, adapting or enhancing existing technologies. Recently, I wrote about a few social entrepreneurs who" innovated, so that others benefited".

Click here to read about these agents of change who are bringing about social growth.

The Autograph Hunters

Many may consider it a childish pastime. But, for a lot of people, autograph collecting is an immensely satisfying and serious hobby. What's more, their tribe is growing. According to the California-based Universal Autograph Collectors’ Club, philography or autograph collecting is one of the fastest growing hobbies in the world, with estimates suggesting that more than 20,000 newcomers take it up each year.A number of such enthusiasts are in India as well.

Click here to read my article about the autograph hunters.

Who killed the dinosaurs?

Sankar Chatterjee -- an Indian origin professor at the Texas Tech University has propounded a theory recently, to explain the extinction of dinosaurs from earth almost 65 million years ago. Chatterjee’s hypothesis is that a crater -- that he has named Shiva -- resulted in widespread destruction and mass extinction, thereby speeding up the departure of the dinosaurs from the planet. His theory is still being discussed and evaluated. But, it has once again brought into focus the tantalising mystery of the disappearance of the dinosaurs.

Click here to read about the dinosaur whodunit.

How the Berlin Wall fell

It was an event that signalled the end of an era. But, twenty years later, here’s a piquant point – the Berlin Wall actually fell because of a communication gap. In a new column for the Sunday Times of India, called 'Past Prism', I explored the reason for the fall of the Berlin Wall, incorporating accounts from people who were actually there as well as the lessons that the event currently has, for those in the Indian sub-continent.

Click here to read the new column.

The world of vernacular science fiction

It's a little known fact that science fiction in regional Indian languages is quite a popular genre. There are writers in Bangla, Kannada, Tamil, Marathi etc who are writing science fiction stories and some of them are doing quite well too. I spoke with a cross-spectrum of vernacular sci-fi authors -- on the perils, challenges and opportunities that their craft entails. The following story resulted.

Click here to read about the galaxy of regional sci-fi writers.

India's mountain of e-waste

It's a problem that has long term implications for India. E-waste is now the fastest growing component of the municipal solid waste stream in the country, since people are upgrading their mobile phones, computers, televisions etc more frequently than ever before. These discarded electronic products, if not recycled properly, pose a serious threat to human health and environment.

Click here to read about the e-trash menace.

Can men digest their wives' success?

“For a long and happy married life, the husband should be successful and the wife beautiful,” goes an ancient Chinese proverb. But, what happens when the wife is the more successful one?

Click here to read a piece that I wrote recently on whether husbands can handle their wives' success.

Raj, the tiger slayer

The Maharashtra elections recently got over. The surprise result was that Raj Thackeray, chief of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and nephew of Bal Thackeray, wrested quite a few seats from his uncle's strongholds. Many wags had a field day claiming that Raj the tiger cub had delivered a KO blow to the original tiger, Balasaheb himself.


Click here for my tongue-in-cheek look at how Raj caught the tiger by the tail.

Web of talent or of mediocrity?

Author Aldous Huxley once said that technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backwards. He might have a point, especially when it comes to creativity. In an age, when the Internet has opened up a plethora of opportunities for content creation, has it also helped in subduing talent?


Click here to find out whether creativity is getting affected in the age of technology.

A social investor's dilemna

The social investing sector in India is quite a nascent one.Not many are interested in investing in socially relevant projects and neither are government policies attuned towards facilitating foreign investors interested in providing funds to Indian projects. I recently spoke to Harold Rosen, formerly of the World Bank, who now heads the Grassroots Business Fund -- which is looking at investing in India -- about the problems faced by the sector.

Click here to read what he had to say.

Should the cheetah make a comeback?

Almost sixty years after it disappeared from India, the cheetah is making a comeback. Union minister of state for environment and forests, Jairam Ramesh announced in parliament some time ago that his ministry was working on a plan to reintroduce the spotted cat which was hunted into extinction by 1947. But there's a long road ahead before this proposal fructifies into reality. Added to this is the debate whether there is any need to reintroduce the cheetah now and whether it would be done at the expense of resources allocated to save the tiger. I spoke with a few conservation experts -- those who love the cheetah as well as those who don't(which mainly includes those who love the tiger more!) on the whole debate.

Click here to read whether the cheetah should make a comeback?