Mission Space: Are we ready for take-off?

Experts feel that very soon, it will not only be important but critical, for countries to master space science and technology. Just as the internet is a part of life in many parts of the world, one day, space travel and exploration is also going to be pretty routine. So, how far away is our country from an indigenous mission? Can we ever hope to catch up with countries like the USA who are decades ahead of us in their space programs? And, more importantly, is India’s space program – which is attuned more towards nation building than space exploration - headed in the right direction?.

Click here to know the answers to these questions.

Click here for my interview with the ISRO Chairman.

Chatting with Shovana Narayan

Shovana Narayan, the danseuse, has some practical ideas on spirituality. According to her, as human beings, we all need an emotional anchor and therefore it is quite normal for us to turn to God in times of distress and need. Howver, she fels that if one trusts others and has respect for fellow human beings, then one can gain the most important asset of all, which is, peace of mind.


Click here to read more.

The Helpful Tax-men

The end of July signals the advent of the tax filing season - an inescapable nuisance, according to me. This year, the Income Tax department introduced the concept of Tax Return Preparers to help ease this annual exercise a bit. Basically, these TRPs (that's what these people are called - no relation to Television channels!) are unemployed youth, who have been trained by the IT department to assist people in filing their returns for a nominal fee. It's an interesting idea and the TRPs can turn out to be a useful set of people, notwithstanding protests from Chartered Accountants, who are crying foul and claiming that filing returns is their sole right.

Click here to read about the TRPs.

Chatting with David Dhawan

No wonder, David Dhawan makes the kind of films that he does. I chatted with him recently, on the philosophical side of life and his beliefs in God and spirituality. One thing that he said struck a chord. What he said was that he believed that God lived amongst us humans. So, he would rather make human beings happy - by not hurting anybody's feelings, by making people forget their sorrows. And, by spreading good cheer.

Click here to read more.

Around the world's wonders

So, the New 7 wonders have finally been unveiled. Ever wondered how much it would cost to visit these wonders? According to most tour operators, if we leave aside the Taj Mahal – which most Indians would have anyway visited, the cost for Indian tourists visiting the remaining six wonders would range between Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 3.5 lakh per person, all inclusive, that is including airfare, hotel stay, airport taxes etc. Interestingly,this cost is much less than the cost for seeing the recently concluded World Cup – for which packages were sold for between Rs 5 to 6 lakh per person.

Click here to find out how to go around the world's wonders.

Shani Daze

Recently, astrologers announced that through its transition around the Sun, Saturn, also known as Shani, the much feared planet of Karma, was entering Leo(Singha) - the sign of royalty. Although, this transition, according to astrologers, would bring about a period of great turmoil, it was nevertheless going to have a beneficial effect for women. I checked out how this planetary transition was going to affect the fortunes of the Presidential candidate, Pratibha Patil. The following story resulted.


Click here to read about the Shani effect.

The Muslim Rajputs

Recently, on a trip to Kanpur's dehat region, I chanced upon a unique community of Rajputs, known as the Gautamanas. The unique thing about this community is that it consists of both Hindus and Muslims, whose common ancestry binds them together. Even the Muslims in the community take pride in their Rajput origins and prefer to call themselves Thakurs. The Gautamanas are a good example of communal solidarity and an even better example of how even in a village, Hindu-Muslim customs can fuse, to create a unique identity for a community.

Click here to read about the Gautamana community.

Taj Mahal: Above all lists

“Taj Mahal ko kisi list ki kya zarroorat ? (Does the Taj Mahal need any list ?),” ask people at Agra disdainfully. I had recently visited the city to gauge the mood there, ahead of the announcement of the New 7 Wonders list, initiated by a private Swedish organisation. UNESCO had dissociated itself from the list although people in India were being extolled to vote for the Taj in the name of national pride. Majority of the people that I spoke to, in Agra had SMSed their support, but they were skeptical of the impact such a list would have on the monument. And, they had a point. After all, when you are standing before it, there is little else to say but exclaim, “Wah, Taj!” And, no list is probably ever going to change that.

Click here to read why Taj Mahal is above all lists.

Click here to read my piece on the Taj Mahal.

In Sahib Singh's village

Sahib Singh Verma, Delhi's former Chief minister, died in a tragic road accident on 30th June. I visited his village -- Mundka on the outskirts of Delhi, where the numbed villagers recalled their association with him.

Click here to read the story.