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    Home / Columns / 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

    Growing poverty of a once-rich language

    Instead of rejoicing in the richness English offers, we’ve all dumbed down and happily settled for the limited range of sms-speak.
    opinion
    Updated on Aug 23, 2026 08:52 IST

    How Doon shapes its young students

    What made Doon special was that each of us was treated like an individual. I never felt one of many. I was always aware of my identity, preferences and interests.
    opinion
    Updated on Aug 16, 2026 02:24 IST

    How the Caliphate almost passed to family of India's Nizam of Hyderabad

    Shaukat Ali persuaded Abdulmejid to bestow it upon the eldest male child born of the union of Azam Jah and Durrushehvar, that is to say, his grandson
    opinion
    Updated on Aug 9, 2026 02:09 IST

    The British ceremonies of PMs demitting office

    In that short time, one chapter has closed, and another opened. One man’s tenure is over. Another’s has begun.
    opinion
    Updated on Aug 2, 2026 01:14 IST

    Parting of speech: Birth of American English

    A recent essay by David Robson on the BBC website to mark the sestercentennial anniversary of American independence explains how American English was born.
    opinion
    Updated on Jul 26, 2026 02:12 IST

    Conflict, Hormuz & peace deal: The answers we don’t have on US-Iran war

    The probable truth is neither side wants it though their rhetoric suggests they’re prepared for it.
    opinion
    Updated on Jul 19, 2026 04:31 IST

    The delight Wenger’s has been for Delhi for 100 years

    Wenger's is in Block A in the Inner Circle of Connaught Place.
    opinion
    Updated on Jul 12, 2026 01:14 IST

    Lost in translation: How India speaks English

    We speak far more literally. We describe what we have to say, we search out specific adjectives that convey our meaning and perhaps this is why in the process we use too many and usually all of the superlative sort. (Photo for representation)
    opinion
    Updated on Jul 5, 2026 02:25 IST

    Windfall for Pakistan from the peace deal

    We in India tend to dismiss Shehbaz Sharif and Asim Munir as messengers, not mediators. That’s unfair.
    opinion
    Updated on Jun 28, 2026 02:11 IST

    To drink or not, is the question of choice

    In Ladakh, the new excise policy means the sale of alcohol would be extended to remote parts of the Union Territory such as Nubra, Changthang, Sham, and Zanskar. This has upset the local population.
    opinion
    Updated on Jun 21, 2026 01:28 IST

    TMC split: The morality of lawmakers is a rarity

    The rebel MLAs and MPs claim their disaffection with Mamata stretches back in time. But then, why did they choose to rebel only when she was defeated? Why not earlier? (Samir Jana/HT Photo)
    opinion
    Updated on Jun 13, 2026 14:09 IST

    From Delhi to Lahore, what’s in a name?

    In Delhi we’ve even gone to the extent of changing names several times. For example, who’s heard of Rajiv Gandhi Chowk or Indira Gandhi Chowk? And does anyone know which is which? Yet, that’s the new name of Connaught Place. The young call it CP and we all know what that stands for. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)
    opinion
    Updated on Jun 6, 2026 15:32 IST

    The discreet charm of Gymkhana Club

    Consider for a moment what might replace the Gymkhana Club. It’s unlikely to be a public park accessible by everyone. (Mint Archive)
    opinion
    Updated on May 30, 2026 16:34 IST

    Sorry, it is very British & means many things

    When spoken on the street, Sorry may sound like an apology but it is, in fact, an expression of ‘the UK’s deep discomfort with accidental intimacy’. It usually means ‘excuse me’, ‘after you’ or ‘please move’ or, even, ’let’s pretend this tiny collision never happened’. (AP)
    opinion
    Updated on May 23, 2026 17:41 IST

    Nation and its largest religious minority

    If Viksit Bharat is to be achieved, India cannot afford for its 200 million Muslims to become the country’s forgotten minority. Remember, even if you deliberately try to make them unseen and unheard, they’ll always be there. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)
    opinion
    Updated on May 16, 2026 13:38 IST

    Recollecting legends and lores about India’s forces

    All three salutes are performed with the right hand raised to the forehead. In the army case, the palm faces outwards. In the navy, it faces down. In the air force, it’s angled upwards. (HT Archive)
    opinion
    Updated on May 9, 2026 15:31 IST

    In the US, a King Charles masterclass in diplomacy

    Some of his asides might have made the American President wince. “On this occasion I cannot help noticing the readjustments to the East Wing,” alluding to the proposed ballroom. “I am sorry to say that we British made our own small attempt at real-estate redevelopment of the White House in 1814.” (AFP)
    opinion
    Updated on May 2, 2026 16:05 IST

    The deferred FCRA bill calls for a quiet burial

    The government has not given a clear reason why it wants to amend the FCRA bill. It simply claims it’s to ensure that the incoming foreign money does not affect national interest, public order or national security. (HT Archive)
    opinion
    Updated on Apr 25, 2026 17:07 IST

    Peter Magyar, the Eliza Doolittle of Hungary

    Peter Magyar, you could say, is the new “king of the castle”. He’s turfed out the dictator-tyrant Orban. But he is, in fact, an ordinary politician who no one ever thought would be important. (Reuters)
    opinion
    Updated on Apr 18, 2026 14:35 IST

    A critic in Tel Aviv in the time of Israel’s war

    He also excoriates the media. Because it wants to entertain and not inform, it’s chosen to ignore the devastation Benjamin Netanyahu has wrought upon Gaza. And he’s unforgiving about his prime minister. He calls his government fascist. (HT Archive)
    opinion
    Updated on Apr 11, 2026 15:25 IST

    24 Akbar Road: Lutyen’s bungalow with a history

    In 1960, it became the residence of the Burmese ambassador to India. Daw Khin Kyi and her young daughter Aung San Suu Kyi used to live there. At the time it was called Burma House. the name was given to it by then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. (Shutterstock)
    opinion
    Updated on Apr 4, 2026 16:21 IST

    One loser in the Gulf war is President Trump

    When Iran began to target the Gulf States, hitting hotels, airports, financial centres, and even, residential buildings, in addition to American diplomatic premises, Trump said he didn’t think Iran would do this. He said he’d been taken by surprise. (Reuters)
    opinion
    Updated on Mar 28, 2026 14:47 IST

    A 1977 Janata moment in Nepal’s political life

    Balendra Shah, who’s only 35, will be Nepal’s new prime minister. it was his image and personality that captivated Nepal. (REUTERS)
    opinion
    Updated on Mar 21, 2026 16:39 IST

    Beware the ides of March, but don’t fear the inevitable

    In 44 BC, the ides of March took on a new meaning. Ignoring warnings from his wife Calpurnia and a soothsayer — if you go by Shakespeare’s version — Caesar insisted on going to the Senate, where he was stabbed to death. (Wikimedia Commons)
    opinion
    Updated on Mar 14, 2026 17:47 IST

    Fallacy of parental consent in marriage

    As recently as 2021, the Supreme Court in the Laxmibai Chandaragi B case ruled that “the consent of the family or the community or the clan is not necessary once the two adult individuals agree to enter into a wedlock and that their consent has to be piously given primacy”. (HT Archive)
    opinion
    Updated on Mar 7, 2026 16:18 IST

    The prince and the police: A British tale

    I dare say Andrew himself could never have believed this is what he would face. The photograph of him slumped at the back of a police car, shaken and shocked, reflects he can hardly believe what’s happened. (Reuters)
    opinion
    Updated on Feb 28, 2026 16:15 IST

    When cricket becomes war minus the shooting

    There is an important point to remember about sport. The opposing side are not your adversaries. They are certainly not your enemies. They are merely opponents as keen to win the game as you are to defeat them. (Reuters)
    opinion
    Updated on Feb 21, 2026 16:03 IST

    The confusion about GM products in our markets

    Indian cotton, as we know, is genetically modified. Therefore, again, to the extent to which its oil contains GM traces they have already entered our food chain and diet. (HT Archive)
    opinion
    Updated on Feb 14, 2026 17:17 IST

    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)
    opinion
    Updated on Feb 7, 2026 17:26 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)
    opinion
    Updated on Jan 31, 2026 17:35 IST
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