When hunger leads to death

It’s an incident which reflects the pathos of surviving in our times. Three sisters, who were apparently well educated and were living in the Kalkaji area of South Delhi, went without food for weeks, since they were facing poverty and unemployment. Finally, one of them succumbed to starvation. This would have been the fate of the other two also, if neighbours, who noticed a foul smell coming from their house, had not notified the police. All of this leads to the question: In a city where people do not have time to interact with their neighbours, what happens to the old and weak who cannot care for themselves and are forced to die a slow death?

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Where is Nana Saheb's treasure?

It is perhaps one of the most intriguing questions of 1857. Nana Saheb, regarded as one of the main leaders of the 1857 war of independence disappeared soon after his defeat at the hands of the British. Ever since, it has been a mystery as to where did he go? Was he found and killed by the British, or did he manage to escape? Also, what happened to his fabled treasure, which today, would be worth billions? Historians are still unclear about most of these questions.

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Freedom Leaders: Distant Dads?

They were men of principles, whose idealism helped bring freedom to the country. But in the process, did their idealism also affect their families? For instance, take the much-talked about rift between Mahatma Gandhi and his son, Harilal, which many believe arose because Gandhi did not recommend his son’s name for a scholarship, as he did not want to be accused of nepotism. Other leaders too, were acutely conscious of the need to keep their public and family lives separate. All of this leads to a pertitent question: Did India’s first generation of political leaders, consciously try to keep their families away from politics and public life, lest they get an unfair advantage because of their famous surnames?

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Pakistan's 60th Independence Day

Both India and Pakistan have had a fairly tumultuous ride over the past six decades, since the two countries were partitioned. As India celebrated its 60th year of independence, so did its neighbour across the border. However, ironically, on the eve of independence day, the threat of emergency loomed large over Pakistan. I spoke with a few people in Pakistan and found that the mood there, as the country celebrated its 60th Independence day, was insecure rather than celebratory.

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Can transplanting reduce global warming?

The importance of a green cover, with plenty of trees can not be undermined, especially in this era of global warming. Moreover, most experts feel, there is no substitute for the role a fully grown tree plays in the ecosystem. Even replacing trees with saplings does not help, since saplings can take decades to grow into trees. The solution, some people feel is tree transplanting, in which fully grown trees are carefully uprooted and planted back in another place. I explored the pros and cons of tree transplanting by speaking to nursery owners, environmentalists as well as NGOs.

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Chatting with Shekhar Suman

Shekhar Suman has played many roles in his life, as he himself admits - from an actor to a stand-up comedian to a cricket anchor and now a singer. He says that he has always listened to his inner voice and acted accordingly. Life, he says, is all about finding answers, which reveal the purpose of our being. Which is probably why, he believes that to find out answers, we only have to turn within, since the answers of our life are already within us.

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