opinion and polls

When Belgian policemen become Catholic priests 

There exists a literary practice where old favourites are given fresh adventures by later writers. These are mostly well written, and respect the backstories the original authors gave their characters




opinion and polls

Political Line | Kejriwal, out and about




opinion and polls

Jimmy Anderson | A great player’s farewell is handled with respect and common sense

James Anderson played for long and reinvented himself periodically, cutting pace for accuracy and bowling with a grace and seeming lack of effort which is one of the game’s great sights.




opinion and polls

Column | Marriage is like a tanga

Phuphee breaks down why the institution needs “two wheels”, otherwise it is just a crazy bull wandering around aimlessly




opinion and polls

Gravity, levity and the theory of relativity

Euripides, the Greek playwright, got it right centuries ago: one loyal friend, he said, is worth ten thousand relatives




opinion and polls

Political Line | Siddaramaiah’s failed romance and India’s undefined borders




opinion and polls

The national and the regional




opinion and polls

Improving the language of biodiversity conservation

Engaging with vernacular diversity is a practical way to convey biodiversity concerns and values. It also helps to understand the plural ways in which communities value nature. June 5 is World Environment Day




opinion and polls

Corrections and Clarifications — June 7, 2024




opinion and polls

So long, and no thanks for all the lack of fish 

It is accepted now that porn drove the Internet in its early days. Some 36% of the Net traffic was generated by it. The figure is far less now




opinion and polls

Lok Sabha 2024 poll verdict: a rare outcome that pleases all




opinion and polls

T20 World Cup: Taking cricket to America involves a difficult culture transfer

It might be politically incorrect to say this, but America isn’t ready to embrace cricket yet




opinion and polls

Column | Let me swear them in

I am excellent at saying ‘I’. Happily, it is also the most important word for the swearing-inner




opinion and polls

Column | Tracing Parsis and their monotheism

The Parsi community is the transition zone between the monotheistic and polytheistic mythologies of West and South Asia




opinion and polls

Frank Worell: Centenary of the man who changed cricket and society

By unifying disparate island-countries and building a world-class team, Frank Worell ensured “West Indies” became a single entity in the sport.




opinion and polls

Column | When the rupee ruled

From Akbar’s rupiya to the Rupay app that’s going international, tracing the adventurous run of India’s currency




opinion and polls

From the desirable to the derogatory

Wokeness, like political correctness, can tear when it is stretched too tight




opinion and polls

Column | Spells and a reluctant bride

Women are more than capable of saving themselves, says Phuphee. They don’t need magic, maybe just a helping hand




opinion and polls

When the character is made for the actor

When both the character and the actor are brilliant in their own right, we get something close to perfection




opinion and polls

Laxman’s 281 and other cricket feats that speak for special players

Every player is capable of one moment of greatness in a career, but the best players have many of them, and closer together.




opinion and polls

Column | The other Ayodhya

The story of Ram travelled across the seas, and Thailand’s erstwhile capital Ayutthaya is proof




opinion and polls

From a wedding pandal and into the dictionary 

The wedding kept a nation entertained and brought joy to all those who have nothing in their lives but a loin cloth and a colour TV




opinion and polls

Column | Lesson in a quince apple

Wisdom according to Phuphee could be knowing when to add fruit to a meat dish, or how to let your kids pursue their dreams 




opinion and polls

Partition of Bengal: New Demands and Old Memories

There are multiple demands from within West Bengal for separate political or administrative units. While the demand for Gorkhaland is more known, there are also Statehood demands for the Cooch Behar and Jangalmahal regions.




opinion and polls

Column | Workplace friction and Disney+Hotstar’s ‘Hardly Working’

The newest comedy special to drop on OTT trains its scathing jokes on bosses and discontent at the office




opinion and polls

Unequal, and the more unequal

The unequal treatment meted out to SCs by the Indian social system over centuries is being remedied through special interventions. But some SCs are more unequal than others.




opinion and polls

Neighbourhood tests India-U.S. ties




opinion and polls

Column | Feet of fortune

Which is holier, the head or the feet? Hindu bhakti traditions will change your perspective




opinion and polls

Column | Record of a princely wedding

 In the pages of a 114-year-old album, a photographer discovers what’s missing from documentation today




opinion and polls

Judges and the people




opinion and polls

No global solutions for cricket, however positive, can work without India

Currently, the future of the game is not in the hands of the WCA or indeed the ICC. It is in the hands of the BCCI




opinion and polls

Column | Pencil in some rest

Helping people shouldn’t mean exhausting yourself, says Phuphee. Take a walk, meet a friend, recharge your soul




opinion and polls

Ten million ways to give Test cricket the boost it needs

With the ICC set to slightly even out the balance between the haves of the game (India, England, Australia) and the have-nots (the rest) there might be hope of keeping Test cricket alive.




opinion and polls

‘The victim of crime is treated as a mere witness in the prosecution of the offence’

In order to provide the much needed relief to the victims of crime, it is essential that the focus of criminal justice system shifts from being accused-centric to victim-centric




opinion and polls

The past shaping the 2024 J&K Assembly elections

The present Assembly elections ends the six-year political stasis in J&K. Expectedly, there is heightened political activity and interest among the electorate.



  • Jammu and Kashmir Assembly

opinion and polls

Cricket has much on its plate, including a new disruptor — Jay Shah

As caretaker of the game’s treasure chest, Jay Shah might be the most powerful man in cricket ever — no W.G. Grace, Don Bradman or Sachin Tendulkar can match his combination of political, filial and financial heft.




opinion and polls

Corrections and Clarifications — September 7, 2024




opinion and polls

Two-tier system for Tests is an old idea whose time has come

The World Test Championship which was introduced with some scepticism seems to be established now. Some tinkering may be needed, but the essence is in place.




opinion and polls

Bhanupriya Rao and the inner lives of women

The founder of BehanBox has a perennial source of inspiration




opinion and polls

Denialism and ‘assertism’ are two sides of the same coin

What connects them is irrational belief. Conspiracy theories grow out of such belief




opinion and polls

Column | When Harappans had unicorns

September 20 marked 100 years of the world learning about the Indus Valley — a civilisation where the one-horned beast appears on many seals, and points to possible links between merchants and monks




opinion and polls

Column | The wife who ‘quiet-quit’ after 60 years

Love is not the most important thing in a relationship, says Phuphee, and explains why




opinion and polls

Allies turn more saffron than BJP; DMK turns to Lord Murugan




opinion and polls

When spilling the beans is not an option

If Where Eagles Dare belongs in the pantheon of great getaway films, that is partly because of the impressive number of modes of transport deployed, says Geoff Dyer




opinion and polls

V. Ravichandar: Bengaluru’s public eye

In a divided world, this civic evangelist is opening up public spaces in Bengaluru for conversation and connection




opinion and polls

Inside DC’s animated multiverse

The studio’s animation game is on point, with shows like Batman and Harley Quinn testament to great writing, visuals and voice casts




opinion and polls

A letter and its spirit




opinion and polls

India’s emerging 150-plus bowlers need careful looking after

A bowler in the 150kmph category is a jewel, and needs to be handled with love, not a word used in sporting contexts.




opinion and polls

Column | The zeitgeist of Modern Times

A triptych to illustrate that while we are seemingly grappling with the same questions decade after decade, the wheels are slowly turning




opinion and polls

Satire | One nation, one pollution

Unite and campaign to evenly redistribute northern India’s polluted air to the rest of the country



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