By Bikram Vohra

Now that the Indian Republic Day parade has refreshed the country’s passion and patriotism and like a flavoured mint at least temporarily removed the sourness of political bickering from our mouths we can be a bit more dispassionate in our collective excitement to anoint Priyanka Gandhi as the find of the century. Her arrival on the stage with the first official appearance on Monday being a huge success there is little doubt she is now the face of the Congress.

Continue reading Forget dynasty, Priyanka has mass appeal of her own →

By Suresh Pattali

Envy has been my constant companion. Like a driving force. Like an element in my DNA. Like an elixir that spurs me back to life. Like a biological clock that reminds me it’s time to rediscover myself. Like a voice from my deeper self sounding me out about what I really wanted. Like what German philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche said, the private part of my soul.

Continue reading Never too old to study. Look at her ­breaking records at 97 →

By Sarwat Nasir

It didn’t take me long to pack my suitcase for my holiday in Islamabad, Pakistan — salwar kameez (traditional Pakistani clothing), party wear for the wedding I was going to attend, thick coats for winter, makeup bag, toiletries, and I was ready to go.

Continue reading How Islamabad floored me this time when I went back home →

By Anamika Chatterjee

It’s not often that one finds that someone penned a book titled The Book I Won’t Be Writing And Other Essays. And yet, H.Y. Sharada Prasad did just that. In the brief introduction, the former media adviser to Indian prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi made a case for not writing the book his peers so badly wanted him to write: an insider’s account of the leader that was Indira Gandhi. He said he lacked “the capacity to do justice to her complexity” — that prevented him from trying.

Continue reading It makes no sense to protest the release of a political movie →

By Suresh Pattali

In the beginning, I wasn’t a big fan of the Vanitha Mathil, or Women’s Wall, conceptualised and marshalled by the Left Democratic government and some Hindu organisations in the Indian state of Kerala. The basic premise behind the formation of a human wall on New Year’s day was the consolidation of women’s voices for gender equality. And that’s where I had a problem with the wall.

Continue reading The patriarchy they stood up against deserves more walls →

By Anamika Chatterjee

Five years ago, when my partner and I exchanged vows, I was assured it would be the most magical day of our lives. When the fantasy played out in real life, I couldn’t wait for the ‘magic’ to get over. The thought of going ‘over-the-budget’, the pressure of looking half-decent as a bride and the anxiety over more guests showing up than expected (most Delhi-ites don’t believe in RSVP-ing) exhausted me. The nail-biting moments came to an end only five days later when the celebrations were over.

Continue reading They look happy, but be wary of celebrity #weddinggoals →