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Karan Thapar

Karan Thapar

Karan Thapar is a super-looking genius who’s young, friendly, chatty and great fun to be with. He’s also very enjoyable to read.

Articles by Karan Thapar

The Shakespeare in our everyday speech

Shakespeare’s impact on English is so vast and wide that all of us end up quoting him, probably several times a day, without realising it. This also means that the simplest of things we say could actually have a rich and vaunted past. (Wikimedia Commons)

Published on Feb 07, 2026 10:56 pm IST

Mark Tully: A child of India, voice of Indians

From the meanest rural hamlet to the grand portals of Rashtrapati Bhawan, his name was recalled before that of the corporation he served. (AP)

Updated on Jan 31, 2026 11:05 pm IST

Passing the taste test in the nation’s Capital

One of the joys of ’Table for Four...’ is that often it includes recipes of some of the dishes the authors have most enjoyed. It also has pieces by highly rated restaurateurs like Rohit Khattar, Ritu Dalmia and Marut Sikka. (HT Archive)

Published on Jan 24, 2026 09:29 pm IST

Why I consider 13 to be my lucky number

Historically, the significance of 13 stretches back into the mists of time. Most people believe it has Biblical connotations. (AP)

Updated on Jan 18, 2026 12:04 am IST

Myanmar’s junta and a farce of an election

The silence from New Delhi suggests India has no reservations if Gen Aung Hliang continues to rule. If that’s true, it would be unbecoming of the world’s largest democracy. (via REUTERS)

Published on Jan 10, 2026 10:20 pm IST

Spin in speech lights up the conversation

I can’t help but feel that there is something wondrous about being in 2026. It’s like a journey into a future I once thought was far far away. (AFP)

Updated on Jan 03, 2026 09:40 pm IST

When what’s said isn’t what’s meant

when an Englishman says, “Sorry, could you say that last bit again,” it actually means he hasn’t heard a word of what you were saying. Or if he says, “I hear what you’re saying.” he’s, in fact, telling you he completely disagrees. (REUTERS)

Published on Dec 27, 2025 08:22 pm IST

Keeping a date with the oddest happenstances

It was on the 21st of December in 1972, when I was just 17, that I met my first witch. It was at the Christmas fair on Hampstead Heath, a sort of mini winter wonderland. (AP)

Published on Dec 20, 2025 08:56 pm IST

Three steps to improve the functioning of Parliament

On some days of the Prime Minister’s Question Hour, the LoP scores, on others the PM holds his own. But on all occasions, the focus is on the questions and the answers and the accountability they provide (AFP)

Published on Dec 13, 2025 09:38 pm IST

Those were the days, we thought they’d never end

There was no Bluetooth and we did not artificially whiten our teeth. Instead, we wore bell-bottoms, kept our hair long, participated in jam sessions and listened to A Date With You and Binaca Hit Parade on All India Radio

Published on Nov 29, 2025 06:19 pm IST

Assembly elections in India: Rising graph of BJP & absent hand of Congress

Does the shattering defeat in Bihar raise disturbing questions about the Congress? For instance, will potential allies now see the party as a liability? Will they question its ability to lead the INDIA alliance? (AICC)

Published on Nov 22, 2025 10:19 pm IST

Trump and the BBC: Misreporting triggers a crisis

The BBC should have admitted its mistake and apologised without being forced to do so after Trump called it out and threatened to sue the Corporation. (AFP)

Published on Nov 15, 2025 09:58 pm IST

A manual that may satisfy even Gen Z

Shobhaa De’s canvas is wide and the essays in her new book cover a range of acts. (PTI)

Published on Nov 08, 2025 10:06 pm IST

Ode to November and memories of autumn

Fall, as it’s called in New England, is perhaps the most colourful season of the year. The trees are clothed in shades of ochre, rust, magenta, auburn and deep green set against their own rich brown. (Getty Images via AFP)

Published on Nov 01, 2025 09:58 pm IST

The works of Krishnan Srinivasan: Mr Marco and Ms Deb, solving crimes in Kolkata

I suspect Kris is rather fond of Michael Marco. Although he doesn’t dominate the plot and tends to hover in the background, Kris’s affection for his creation is unmistakable. (Wikimedia Commons)

Published on Oct 25, 2025 10:28 pm IST

The ugly Indian and other stories of racism

Watch the difference in the behaviour of a Delhi shopkeeper to an African and an Englishman. He will treat the former with disdain while fawning over the latter. (HT Archive)

Published on Oct 18, 2025 09:56 pm IST

MF Husain: Man and myth, art and artist

Imagine how much we could learn if the Husain museum were in Delhi or Mumbai. Instead we’ve lost it. Actually, we’ve let it slip out of our hands. (Qatar Foundation via PTI)

Published on Oct 11, 2025 09:28 pm IST

Mother Mary Comes to Me: In which Arundhati gives it those ones

The book takes you through the early years of her life, when she acted in or wrote the script for films like Massey Sahib , In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones and Electric Moon. (PTI)

Published on Oct 04, 2025 09:55 pm IST

The home and the world, in a time of nationalism

Last week, when Sam Pitroda innocently said he felt at home in Pakistan, a TV channel attacked him for being unpatriotic. Over 15 minutes of a 25-minute news bulletin was devoted to excoriating this innocuous comment. (HT Archive)

Published on Sept 27, 2025 09:08 pm IST

Living in the grey zone: Peter Mandelson’s story

I imagine that after success has elevated him to the stratosphere, few people get to see this endearing side of Peter. But it’s definitely how I prefer to remember him. (AFP)

Published on Sept 20, 2025 07:53 pm IST

A challenging time for Indian diplomacy

The question that must be asked is: Is there a possibility of some sort of G2 emerging between America and China? If yes, would that “legitimise” China’s dominance of the Asian region? India definitely would not want that. (via REUTERS)

Published on Sept 13, 2025 08:55 pm IST

Monsoon in Delhi, summer in London

The freak summer of 1976 in London was talked about for years. Now it seems commonplace. Who knows heat waves in summer could be the new normal? (REUTERS)

Published on Sept 06, 2025 09:31 pm IST

It is no more about trade; peoples’ ties are at risk too

The Trump Administration is also targeting the bedrock of India-US ties, people-to-people relations. Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick says he wants to change the H1B visa programme, possibly affecting the 70% beneficiaries who are Indian. (AFP)

Published on Aug 30, 2025 09:43 pm IST

Shimon Peres and the war on Palestinians

Shimon Peres wanted to solve a situation that had already lingered for four decades. He had a conscience. The Palestinian people mattered to him. (HT Archive)

Published on Aug 23, 2025 08:51 pm IST

Hell hath no fury like Donald Trump scorned

Scott Bessent, the US treasury secretary, has revealed that secondary tariffs on India could increase if Trump’s talks with Putin fail. (AFP)

Published on Aug 16, 2025 08:55 pm IST

Questions that Bihar SIR brings to the fore

Now so far, we have only been analysing names that have been deleted and their impact on the electoral rolls and the electoral trajectory of Bihar. But what about the names that haven’t been included? (HT Photo)

Published on Aug 09, 2025 08:02 pm IST

Why voting rights at 16 is the way forward

Do people in their 20s and 30s or 50s and 60s decide intelligently? Or do they do so emotionally? Or just out of habit and prejudice? If it’s ok for them, why not 16-year-olds? (AFP)

Published on Aug 02, 2025 10:12 pm IST

Process as punishment and deceptive closures

Twelve fellow citizens, with the same right to justice and fair play as you or I, have spent 19 years in jail, accused and then initially convicted of a crime they did not do. They were punished when they were innocent. (HT Photo)

Published on Jul 26, 2025 08:35 pm IST

Missing in the list of Bharat Ratna awardees

Of the 53 people awarded the Bharat Ratna starting with the first in 1954, by my count, 31 are politicians. That’s almost 60%. (PTI)

Published on Jul 19, 2025 11:27 pm IST

ECI needs to course correct on Bihar SIR

(The Commission has said that those who don’t can provide any one of 11 other documents such as a PSU identity card, passport, matriculation certificate, forest right certificate and caste certificate. (AFP)

Published on Jul 12, 2025 09:22 pm IST

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