Gopalkrishna Gandhi

Court acquittals, in the 1984 or 2002 pogroms, belong to the realm of law. It is the conscience that raises difficult questions that need to be answered, writes Gopalkrishna Gandhi.

The nightmarish experience of Sarabjit Singh in his Lahore prison must make us spare a thought for life in prisons, our prisons. For a civilised nation, bilateral exchange of prisoners and discharge of undertrials against bonds should be essential and not optional. Gopalkrishna Gandhi writes.

In a country where disasters fly around like colonies of bats, there are a million messages that could be howled out. But are they being spoken of even in whispers? Gopalkrishna Gandhi writes.

Novelist Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and educationist Ahalya Chari touched thousands of lives - one with her writing and the other with her guidance of the school system. Gopalkrishna Gandhi writes.

The birth of letter-writing and the squelching into being of its mutant, the poison letter, must have been simultaneous. Or, almost. Just as the start of life on our planet and the arrival of the striped, spotted and sebaceous roach must have been, writes Gopalkrishna Gandhi.

It is fascinating to study the history of words, their origins, and how they change over time. But sadly, going into word-roots is becoming rarer by the day, writes Gopalkrishna Gandhi.

The Mahatma — and the Indian Independence movement — lost two determined and courageous women on February 22: Valliamma in 1913 and Kasturba in 1944, writes Gopalkrishna Gandhi.

By denying classical music its rightful place on the Padma platform, we are undermining our tradition of giving artistes much-deserved recognition, writes Gopalkrishna Gandhi.

We hardly know anything about the wives of several of our great leaders. This is in keeping with our mentality that regards wives as ornamental appendages. Gopalkrishna Gandhi writes.

It is time something was done in concert to map all historic buildings like the Raj Bhavan of Kolkata and restore them delicately and prudently, Gopalkrishna Gandhi writes.

This year gave us many joys and disappointments. But as long as there are schoolchildren like the ones I met recently, the country has hope. Gopalkrishna Gandhi writes.

If the parties to the Singur case reach an understanding through mediation, the result could herald the agriculture-industry balance that West Bengal urgently needs. Gopalkrishna Gandhi writes.

As 2012 comes to end, three Indians — vastly different in their temperament and lifestyle — have left an indelible mark on me. Gopalkrishna Gandhi writes.

The crow is cruel and cunning because we are also like that. It need not be our national bird, but it is a national fact, a symbol and a shameful one at that, writes Gopalkrishna Gandhi.