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.