Scary: Taliban, ours and theirs
Exhibit #1:From The Hindu on February 19: Register FIR against Renuka: Mangalore court Staff Correspondent MANGALORE: A court here on Wednesday directed the Mangalore rural police to register a first … Continue reading
Some tips from Jaipur for aspiring commentators
While I was in Jaipur to speak at the Literary Festival last week, a young blogger, Aayush Soni, interviewed me on a bunch of issues from how to become a … Continue reading
India Inc. and Modi
My friend and former colleague, Jyotirmaya Sharma, has written the best piece I’ve seen on the craven ‘Modi for PM’ slogans raised by Sunil Mittal, Ratan Tata and Anil Ambani … Continue reading
Everybody loves a good conspiracy
Minority Affairs minister Antulay’s cynicism has done more to harm the Malegaon probe than the terrorists who killed Hemant Karkare and his colleagues… 23 December 2008The Hindu Everybody loves a … Continue reading
Playing the "Muslim card" on the nuclear deal
The Economic and Political Weekly has just published my article on Muslims and the nuclear deal. An earlier version of the same had appeared on this blog a few days … Continue reading
Don’t use Muslims as crutch on nuclear deal
The nuclear deal and other questions of foreign policy should be opposed or defended on their own merits. Sadly, both the government and its opponents have played fast and loose … Continue reading
Blame the police, not the messenger
By failing to act decisively against the Hindu chauvinist organisations which are targeting Christian priests and missionaries in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and elsewhere, the police are only increasing the likelihood of … Continue reading
That communal BJP CD: Videograbs
I finally figured out how to save images off a video disc. [Pause the film and press CTRL-i whenever you want to grab an image]. So here goes a series … Continue reading
That communal BJP CD – A transcript
Here are extracts from the verbatim transcript, translated by me from the Hindi original, of the VCD titled ‘Bharat ki Pukar’ released in early April 2007 by the Bharatiya Janata … Continue reading
Coming to terms with India’s missing Muslims
The reality of exclusion and discrimination can no longer be denied. But the remedy requires political courage on the part of the Manmohan Singh Government and wisdom on the part … Continue reading
Much more than Modi: A review of Yagnik and Sheth’s ‘The Shaping of Modern Gujarat’
History usually begins or restarts at that prosaic, magical or bloody moment when civilisation dawns or is extinguished. If February 2002 was such a moment for Gujarat—when the Narendra Modi … Continue reading
Moral indifference as the definitive form of modern evil
12 August 2005 The Hindu Moral indifference as the form of modern evil Siddharth Varadarajan India is the only democracy in the world where politicians and policemen responsible for mass … Continue reading
I salute you Geetaben, from the bottom of my heart
18 April 2002The Times of India The Mask is Off A Tale of Two Hindus By Siddharth Varadarajan Two weeks ago, the resident editor of The Times of India in … Continue reading
Elections 1999: Kala Bachcha as weather vane
16 September 1999The Times of India Kala Bachcha as a Weather VaneBy SIDDHARTH VARADARAJAN KANPUR: Its not often that a journalist sets out in search of a dead man in … Continue reading
Siddharth Varadarajan 