Where have all the parks gone?

Saturday, November 21, 2009 11:56:53 PM IST

TV is terrible but you should see some of those kids in the parks. They might addle her brain far more irreversibly, writes Soumya Bhattacharya.

A year on, we are still sitting ducks

Saturday, November 21, 2009 11:41:52 PM IST

Our response to 26/11 has been a failure. At the time we believed that the event was so horrific that Pakistan would stand isolated in the community of nations. And that our shared experiences would lead the US to help us in our own battle against terror. Both hopes have been belied, writes Vir Sanghvi.

Global warning

Saturday, November 21, 2009 11:28:44 PM IST

I list five such perils and implore you to bring it to the notice of activists. Otherwise we’re all doomed and may just die — as opposed to staying alive forever, writes Indrajit Hazra.

Identity crisis

Saturday, November 21, 2009 11:18:19 PM IST

Perhaps the way out is provided by the Bengalis. They have no identity problem, knowing fully well they are the proud heirs of a long line of illustrious Bengalis which include Tagore, Subhas Bose, Karl Marx, Ho Chi Minh, TS Eliot, Pele, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, writes Manas Chakravarty.

All out in the open

Saturday, November 21, 2009 11:02:48 PM IST

The police are not the only ‘guilty’ party to be blamed for story leaks. They may be the first accused for this lapse but the media also deserves a substantial share of the blame, writes Karan Thapar.

New age dilemmas

Saturday, November 21, 2009 10:19:21 PM IST

Facebook has entered deep into our lives and how. There seems to be no going back. The new Oxford American dictionary has also chosen ‘unfriend’ as the word of the year. E-slam Facebook is changing social norms writes Praveen Donthi.

Warding off the evil eye

Saturday, November 21, 2009 12:56:29 AM IST

There is no immediate crisis in the NCP. But some of its ministers are rather worried about their future, writes Shailesh Gaikwad.

Unusual cures for injured football players?

Friday, November 20, 2009 11:50:42 PM IST

Anyone who is interested in football will this week have become aware of the contribution a placenta will be making in Arsenal’s bid to win the Premier League. John Dykes reports.

India’s new global (i)con

Friday, November 20, 2009 10:21:21 PM IST

Koda’s loot is only a drop in the ocean. But this tribal has raised the per capita bar. And people much more fortunate than him, who have been skimming for generations, are feeling small, writes Pratik Kanjilal.

Yuan for the buck

Friday, November 20, 2009 10:16:30 PM IST

China strengthened its economy and built up global credit over time. The changes were so steady that the US was lulled into believing that it was living in an unchanging world. But the world did change and Obama came to power in this altered world, writes Kaushik Basu.

Koda should not get a chance to be the de facto chief minister

Friday, November 20, 2009 10:11:06 PM IST

The report Koda plays victim on home turf (November 19) reminds me of the fodder scam case involving former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad. Even though Prasad was involved in the case and eventually lost power, he still managed to rule Bihar through his wife who became chief minister.

Why farmers raise Cain

Friday, November 20, 2009 9:24:21 PM IST

The government should realise it is more efficient — and less expensive — to pay out an explicit subsidy on sugar for the poor than to fix prices on the farm, at the mill, and in the market.

Amitabh on Bigg Boss 3, Paa and more offers

Friday, November 20, 2009 7:49:34 PM IST

Age is no bar for Amitabh Bachchan. From television to films to endorsements, he is doing everything and that keeps the 67-year-old megastar busier than his younger colleagues. Here's an interview with the Big Boss of Bollywood.

Didi unplugged

Thursday, November 19, 2009 9:44:37 PM IST

Mamata Banerjee’s major entry into politics 25 years ago had been dramatic. She was in politics earlier too. But that doesn’t matter, writes Uddalok Bhattacharya.

It’s time for action

Thursday, November 19, 2009 9:35:46 PM IST

With each passing day the prospect of the US Congress passing a law to curb global warming, before the Copenhagen talks, grows remoter, writes Rose Braz.

Left out in the cold

Thursday, November 19, 2009 9:26:55 PM IST

Parties survive in the opposition when they have fixed constituencies and flexible beliefs. But the CPI(M) has only favour-seekers and no followers, writes Sumit Mitra.

Family does not matter

Thursday, November 19, 2009 9:16:17 PM IST

Ratan Tata’s successor should be capable to carry on his legacy. That’s all that counts.

Guilt-edged excuse

Thursday, November 19, 2009 9:11:33 PM IST

Goldman Sachs says it regrets its mistakes and is now turning to philanthropy. Boy, we believe that!

The SP’s political tamasha has left voters befuddled

Wednesday, November 18, 2009 11:58:23 PM IST

The report Kalyan Singh hints at rejoining BJP (November 16) makes a mockery of our political system.

Headley chase

Wednesday, November 18, 2009 11:55:28 PM IST

What on earth are you reading? That book has one lurid cover! Oh, it's the latest David Headley Chase. I am looking for those parts where he talks about making preparations for the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks.

Get in the henpit!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009 11:28:12 PM IST

Given that it costs over Rs 10 crore ($100 million) to train a fighter pilot, worries about women running off on maternity leave might be partly justified.

Dance with the dragon

Wednesday, November 18, 2009 11:25:15 PM IST

Obama’s officials seem to believe that his policies of engagement and concession will reap their country benefits down the road.

That sinking feeling

Wednesday, November 18, 2009 9:54:57 PM IST

Understanding climate change and security and exploring the intersection between the two will be vital to peace and stability in South Asia, writes Uttam Kumar Sinha.

Kindly do not adjust

Wednesday, November 18, 2009 9:48:33 PM IST

Shutting out events is something we do particularly well in India. That is why we find it so hard to apologise. Samar Halarnkar examines...

The government shouldn’t let Madhu Koda go scot free

Tuesday, November 17, 2009 10:45:18 PM IST

The report Busy with polls, questioning has to wait: Koda to ED (November 14) makes a mockery of the government and our legal system.

Graph in the dinner plate

Tuesday, November 17, 2009 10:42:17 PM IST

The prospects of a respite in food inflation appear dim. In 2008, grain prices joined the sharp spike in commodity prices the world over.

Of style and substance

Tuesday, November 17, 2009 10:39:44 PM IST

Indiraji, in a maroon silk sari with a gold border, was elegance personified. She had an immaculate dressing sense and favoured traditional handlooms and silks, with beautiful textures, vibrant contrasts and weaves, writes Shahnaz Husain.

Connection errors

Tuesday, November 17, 2009 9:44:41 PM IST

If any of the new licensees sell their licences, profits on the sale must be taxed at a special rate — a kind of windfall tax, writes Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

Apocalypse not now

Tuesday, November 17, 2009 9:38:22 PM IST

We need a global climate agreement that is ambitious and equitable and that sets firm targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Connie Hedegaard examines...

Spelling it out

Tuesday, November 17, 2009 9:34:34 PM IST

Coming from the land that made us change Mao Tse-Tung to Mao Zedong and Peking to Beijing — not to mention Tibet to Tibetan Autonomous Region — one should have thought that more important matters related to US-China ties would grab attention than spelling a Kenyan name.

Dieting Nation

Monday, November 16, 2009 9:26:52 PM IST

Food prices can be lowered if we cut down on eating. We’ll be fitter and doing that ‘austere thing’ as well.

A non-virtuous vice-chancellorship

Monday, November 16, 2009 9:11:54 PM IST

Never mind his posture. Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal is an upright man and he’s upset. He made his displeasure felt within his ministry about the controversy surrounding the selection of a new vice-chancellor for the National University of Educational Planning and Administration.

‘We’ll source more products from India’

Monday, November 16, 2009 9:06:31 PM IST

UTC president & chief executive officer Louis R Chenevert, who is set to take over as chairman in less than 50 days, spoke to Hindustan Times on the group’s plans for India.

There is more to Indian sports than just cricket

Monday, November 16, 2009 9:00:20 PM IST

It is disappointing to see how the media are dedicating large amount of airtime and print space singing praises of Sachin Tendulkar. There is no doubt that Tendulkar’s contribution to the game of cricket deserves appreciation. But the just-concluded Asian Athletics Championship in China also deserves media coverage.

Wallpapered over

Monday, November 16, 2009 8:46:35 PM IST

While the world celebrates the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, some myths need to be
demolished and some facts exposed, writes Sitaram Yechury.

The bridge not too far

Monday, November 16, 2009 8:35:01 PM IST

The Fonseka crisis will test post-war Sri Lanka and India’s regional diplomacy.

‘Credit growth will pick up soon’

Monday, November 16, 2009 12:28:43 AM IST

After a slump, credit demand is gradually picking up. Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee is also likely to take up the issue of credit growth in his forthcoming meeting with PSU bank chiefs. J.M. Garg, chairman and managing director, Corporation Bank talks to HT about the current status in the banking industry and shares his bank’s progress report.

‘India has done better than most markets’

Sunday, November 15, 2009 11:44:42 PM IST

At 60-plus, the energetic Shelly Lazarus is as excited about her agency’s new campaign for United Nations’ Copenhagen Summit on Climate Change in December as she is about Ogilvy & Mather India. She explains how the advertising agency she heads has made a critical shift to deal with emerging challenges.

Twitter has grown up, and tweets have matured

Sunday, November 15, 2009 11:13:41 PM IST

Twitter, the “microblogging” site, has come a long way, and seems to be discovering new frontiers, though it is not yet in the money-making league. N Madhavan reports.

How about a hierarchy for your personal investments?

Sunday, November 15, 2009 9:36:30 PM IST

You’ll probably be familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs if you've studied psychology, or more likely, marketing as part of your business school curricula. This hierarchy was formulated by Abraham Maslow to classify and understand levels of human needs.

Nehru’s ghosts

Sunday, November 15, 2009 9:35:27 PM IST

The many challenges that India’s first prime minister bravely faced continue to haunt us to this day, writes Meghnad Desai.

When the horsetraders got traded

Sunday, November 15, 2009 9:26:35 PM IST

The recently concluded elections have had one serious fallout in the ‘Aya Ram Gaya Ram’ state of Haryana. Bhajan Lal, a former CM and the master of ‘horse-trading’, finds himself this time at the receiving end, writes Pankaj Vohra.

‘Downturn the greatest sporting event of all time’

Sunday, November 15, 2009 9:25:13 PM IST

Andrew Lack, CEO multimedia group, Bloomberg LP, is bullish about the Indian economy. Lack, who is responsible for the company's expanding television, interactive, and radio operations, was in India recently. He spoke to Hindustan Times on a range of issues. Edited excerpts:

It’s the era of progressive politics

Sunday, November 15, 2009 9:21:24 PM IST

The editorial Heartland murmurs (Our Take, November 13) rightly states that today’s voters are intelligent and dislike caste politics. They are wise to distinguish between real problems and non-issues.

Not ripe for the picking

Sunday, November 15, 2009 9:16:02 PM IST

‘Tribal land grabs’ aren’t just an ‘NGO’ theory. The Centre also believes injustice is being done.

Go with the flow?

Sunday, November 15, 2009 9:03:14 PM IST

The West is discovering that urinating in the open is actually good for the planet. Um, we knew that!

Thank You, Come Again!

Sunday, November 15, 2009 1:11:17 AM IST

As a freelance writer who works from home, I'm accused by friends of having “too much free time”. They, of course, have no idea about the dedication it takes to slave away in solitude, trying to come up with the perfect Twitter updates, writes Ashish Shakya.

November: The saddest month of the year

Sunday, November 15, 2009 12:37:58 AM IST

November will go down in our history as the saddest month of the year because of what happened in November 1984. Mrs Gandhi was murdered a day earlier. And hell broke loose on Sikhs who had nothing whatsoever to do with her dastardly murder. On its heels came the Bhopal gas tragedy. Khushwant Singh writes.

You can gift just a smile

Sunday, November 15, 2009 12:19:54 AM IST

"Religion is about the ritual, what has been told to us — the norms, the rules and regulations of prayer, etc. Spirituality is being one with the Supreme Being — finding the Super Being within yourself without going to any shrine," said Manoj Bajpai in an interview with Mini Pant Zachariah.

'I am responsible for my heartbreak'

Sunday, November 15, 2009 12:04:27 AM IST

"I am responsible for my heartbreak. I like to live my life on my own terms. Especially if I can afford it. I see to it that I live my life without disturbing the peace socially," said Kamal Haasan in an interview with Ramesh Babu.