Ramesh Babu is HT’s bureau chief in Kerala, with about three decades of experience in journalism.
Articles by Ramesh Babu
Rough road for Demolition Man
The road ahead for IAS officer-turned leader KJ Alphons is still full of boulders and rocks, writes Ramesh Babu.
Updated on Apr 10, 2006 04:02 PM IST
None | Ramesh Babu, Kottayam
Spartan soldier key to Ponnani
Though a former soldier of the Nizam of H'bad, Paloli M Kutty isn't a exactly a war horse, writes Ramesh Babu.
Updated on Apr 07, 2006 02:12 PM IST
None | Ramesh Babu, Thiruvananthapuram
Call of duty for son of soil
PV Sreenijin, a Cong candidate, is the perfect example of a small-town boy who made it big, writes Ramesh Babu.
Published on Apr 05, 2006 06:25 PM IST
None | Ramesh Babu, Kochi
Jailbird holds the trump card
A posse of political leaders are visiting Coimbatore jail to pay respects to former chief of Islamic Seva Sangh.
Updated on Mar 31, 2006 09:58 PM IST
None | Ramesh Babu, Thiruvananthapuram
DIC-K rode back on riders: Chandy
Kerala Chief Minister is pulling out all the stops to defy the strong anti-incumbency wave.
Published on Mar 31, 2006 01:18 PM IST
None | Ramesh Babu, Thiruvananthapuram
Kerala Leftists sing Chandy tune
The Kerala Leftists have changed their signature tune ? from protest songs to a hymn to liberalisation.
Updated on Mar 30, 2006 09:09 PM IST
None | Ramesh Babu, Thiruvananthapuram
Left sings Chandy tune
The Kerala Leftists have changed their signature tune ?from high-decibel protest songs to a hymn to liberalisation.
Published on Mar 30, 2006 04:30 AM IST
None | Ramesh Babu, Thiruvananthapuram
Where are the women?
Left, right or centre, parties seem quite alike when it comes to not giving tickets to women, writes Ramesh Babu.
Published on Mar 29, 2006 10:52 AM IST
None | Ramesh Babu, Thiruvananthapuram
VS: The grand old man returns
Having emerged unscathed from an acrimonious party feud, VS is now being touted as the chief ministerial candidate.
Published on Mar 28, 2006 09:37 PM IST
None | Ramesh Babu, Thiruvananthapuram
Split Left could choke in final dash
Even the most optimistic comrade can claim that LDF can repeat its 2004 LS performance, writes Ramesh Babu.
Published on Mar 27, 2006 03:40 PM IST
None | Ramesh Babu, Thiruvananthapuram
Grand old man guns for top post
Even at the age of 83, V.S. Achuthanandan has lost none of his guile or grit.
Published on Mar 27, 2006 03:33 AM IST
None | Ramesh Babu, Thiruvananthapuram
Politburo blinks, VS back in fray
The disciplined CPI-M in god?s own country has scripted a history of sorts. In a reversal of its own whip, it has decided to field Opposition leader in the forthcoming assembly election.
Published on Mar 25, 2006 01:39 AM IST
None | Ramesh Babu, Thiruvananthapuram
Long trek for lone voter
Poll officers haven't forgotten the last general elections at the Kakkayam KSEB estate booth in Kerala's Kozhikode district.
Published on Mar 24, 2006 02:09 AM IST
None | Ramesh Babu, Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayan free-kick for Karuna
Having dazzled fans with his deft footwork, I.M. Vijayan is ready to play ball again ? this time, on the electoral field.
Published on Mar 22, 2006 01:46 AM IST
None | Ramesh Babu, Thiruvananthapuram
Assembly polls: Marxists at each other?s throats
Till a few weeks ago, you didn?t need to be a psephologist to predict a walkover for the Left in Kerala?s assembly polls.
Published on Mar 18, 2006 07:06 PM IST
None | Ramesh Babu, Thiruvananthapuram
China border deal on track
INDIA AND China on Sunday expressed optimism that they would clinch a deal on border delineation after two rounds of talks. The hope was shared by Dai Bingguo, vice-foreign minister and special representative of the Chinese President, and M.K. Narayanan, National Security Advisor, at a news conference in Kumarakom, a backwater retreat in Kottayam.
Published on Mar 13, 2006 01:19 AM IST
None | Ramesh Babu, Kumarakom (kottayam)
And in Kerala, Sonia opens a front with Left
Kicking off the party's election campaign in the South, Congress president Sonia Gandhi chided the Left for claiming undue credit for most of the welfare programmes being pursued by the UPA government at the Centre.
Published on Mar 05, 2006 12:48 PM IST
None | Ramesh Babu, Kochi
Karunakaran, Cong's headache
In or out of the party, Karunakaran continues to haunt the Congress. It is currently facing the dilemma of whether to readmit him or not, writes Ramesh Babu.
Updated on Mar 27, 2006 06:57 PM IST
None | Ramesh Babu, Thiruvananthapuram
?I?m pleased with the God I?ve chosen but...?
Kamala Suraiya, famous poet and short story writer, says she regrets her decision to convert to Islam. But she is not giving up by reconverting to Hinduism.
Published on Feb 27, 2006 01:16 PM IST
None | Ramesh Babu, Thiruvananthapuram
?I?m pleased with the God I?ve chosen but...?
Kamala Suraiya, famous poet and short story writer, says she regrets her decision to convert to Islam. But she is not giving up by reconverting to Hinduism.
Published on Feb 27, 2006 01:09 AM IST
None | Ramesh Babu, Thiruvananthapuram
Family pardons son?s killer
IN THE ultimate act of forgiveness, a family in Kerala has pardoned their son's assassin ? a Pakistani citizen on death row in the UAE. P.T. Murrath (21), a hotel employee in Al Ain, was murdered in a robbery-gone-awry on July 30, 1980. Two assailants, identified as Akthar Hussain (45) and Mustaq Sardar Khan (17), barged into the hotel to rob the inmates. Murrath bravely resisted them and was stabbed several times.
Published on Feb 11, 2006 01:35 AM IST
None | Ramesh Babu, Thiruvananthapuram
It's feast time for Kerala fish
For two days, fishermen don't cast their nets to let the finned guests sup in peace, reports Ramesh Babu.
Published on Feb 06, 2006 12:56 PM IST
None | Ramesh Babu, Thiruvananthapuram
Tomato glut hits farmers
All these years, as appams strutted about as Kerala's best delicacy, its somewhat less-renowned cousin, the good old puttu, sulked.
Published on Jan 30, 2006 02:18 AM IST
None | Ramesh Babu, Thiruvananthapuram
Padmaja won?t do a Gowda Jr
With Gowda Jr K. Kumaraswamy finally coming of age and kicking up a storm in Karnataka, all eyes are now on Padmaja Venugopal, daughter of veteran leader K. Karunakaran.
Published on Jan 29, 2006 02:39 AM IST
None | Ramesh Babu
Artiste refuses to dance to social tunes
This month, Kalamandalam Hyder Ali passed away in renown as a superb Kathakali artiste. His life was a refutal of those who ridiculed him for taking to this "Hindu" art form more than thirty years ago.
Published on Jan 24, 2006 01:54 AM IST
None | Ramesh Babu, Thiruvananthapuram
Indian will keep his eye
NAUSHAD, AN Indian who was jailed in Saudi Arabia for damaging a Saudi national?s eye, will not have to pay with one of his own eyes for the offence. The Saudi man, whose eye he damaged, has pardoned him.
Published on Jan 23, 2006 12:49 AM IST
None | Ramesh Babu, Kollam
India haven for child sex tourism!
First-time visitors often find children within three to four days of arrival, delivered to their rooms as bellboys.
Updated on Jan 22, 2006 11:43 AM IST
None | Mayank Tewari, Ramesh Babu and Shevlin Sebastian, New Delhi/alleppy (kerala)/mumbai
The elephant king of Guruvayur
It's going to be a feast fit for a king. And the guest list is just as impressive ? ministers (three of them), royalty, movie stars and famous personalities.
Published on Jan 13, 2006 04:01 AM IST
None | Ramesh Babu, Thiruvananthapuram
Chill out in Kerala
Bureaucrats, celebrities and businessmen are all heading south to sun-kissed beaches, reports Ramesh Babu.
Published on Jan 10, 2006 02:55 AM IST
PTI | Ramesh Babu, Thiruvananthapuram
Chandy to go the Buddha way
Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy claims he sleeps only three hours a day. But his 21-hour work schedule hasn?t fetched him many political dividends. However, he isn?t ready to dilute his development agenda. 'With IT, BT and tourism, we are in for a big leap. I keep telling my Left friends not to oppose development projects. The CPM should allow me to do what Buddhadeb Bhattacharya is doing in West Bengal,' he says. Excerpts from an interview with Ramesh Babu:
Published on Jan 08, 2006 12:02 AM IST
PTI | Ramesh Babu
