Ten days ago I was one in two billion, by which I don’t mean someone special but only one of very many people. But I was delighted by that. In fact, I wouldn’t have had it otherwise. I sat glued to the television screen, transfixed by the British Royal Wedding. Karan Thapar writes.
‘What do you make of Anna Hazare?’ It was meant as an innocent question but when I started to answer, it transformed into an unexpected challenge. There’s no doubt I admire the way he’s focused the nation’s attention on corruption and created a new commitment to fight it. But he’s also said some things and others have revealed forgotten details that cannot be brushed aside. Karan Thapar writes.
I want to share with you a question that's troubling me. Do the Radia revelations suggest an alarming degree of media manipulation, possibly to the point where you could have doubts about what you read or see, asks
Karan Thapar.
Someone asked me the other day if I was superstitious. Before I could reply the person also asked if I prayed. I’m not sure if these were serious enquiries because my interlocutor didn’t wait for an answer. Karan Thapar writes.
What might be the worst thing a government could do? I dare say there must be several contenders but among the most likely has to be a deliberate attempt to undermine the constitutional rights of the citizenry. Karan Thapar writes.
In this age of television most of us have forgotten the power and charm of photographs. Yet far more than the moving image, the black and white still frame can capture a mood or a memory which, thereafter, becomes indelible. Karan Thapar writes.
For every hour there is no power we should be entitled to a pay out, to compensate for the suffering we’re put through, writes Karan Thapar.
Cameron and Clegg have put the acrimony of the past behind them and agreed to adjust to forge a new shared platform, writes Karan Thapar.
Perhaps you’re aware that Shashi Tharoor is upset with me and are wondering what it’s all about? Normally I would not satisfy such curiosity, but on this occasion I will.
Karan Thapar writes.
Less than a year after the elections, is the government adrift? I won’t say its coming unstuck but it’s hard to deny that its run into a sea of troubles and the hand at the wheel seems uncertain, writes Karan Thapar.
China has given its people economic security, a better life style and a higher per capita income. In 1947 (or 1949, when the People’s Republic was born) the two were in a similar position. Today China’s per capita income is four times greater than India, writes Karan Thapar.
Each year The Washington Post conducts a neologism contest. It’s a fun way of creating a new word. From what my cousin Lakshman Menon has sent me, the contest appears to consist of two parts, writes Karan Thapar.
The fact is he’s a politician — who is justifiably proud of his three wins — an author, a columnist and a retired diplomat. But Mani is not a man of literature. Even in his cups he wouldn’t make that claim, writes Karan Thapar.
That the government feels a liability law is needed suggests it’s preparing to open the nuclear sector to private players, writes Karan Thapar.
The Women’s Reservation Bill is an illuminating example of how politicians can promote a deserving cause in the most unfortunate way, writes Karan Thapar.