[Essay published on the occasion of India’s 70th Republic Day in Economic & Political Weekly] On the occasion of India’s 70th Republic Day, it is worth considering how the very foundational idea of a republic, in which supreme power is held by the people, is at risk despite free and fair elections. To arrive atContinue reading “Reclaiming the Republic”
Monthly Archives: January 2019
Soliloquy
The moon is a desolate dream Carved on the sky’s black surface: Marble white moon, your hardness Stifles the night wind’s breath. Look up, O! forlorn beauty, Your sulking makes the night still worse. How you gleam in your borrowed Lights With nothing to claim your own! Your dreams are somebody else’s TheirContinue reading “Soliloquy”
Passion
My passion is as fleeting As the moment that passes by. It comes like a breath of fresh air And ends in a sigh. Fancies breed passion And passion in vain, Grows so gross That it gives but only pain. I know not where it all began. I know not if it willContinue reading “Passion”
The farmer’s ‘mann ki baat’
[First published in The Hindu dated May 13, 2015] Everybody has an opinion on farmers these days. Be it politicians, policymakers, editors or economists. In fact, ever since the Parliament reconvened for the Budget session on April 20, the deteriorating condition of farmers has clearly dominated discussions. But even as the issue of agrarian crisis,Continue reading “The farmer’s ‘mann ki baat’”
Gratitude
Diamond droplets descend from the delirious dome that revels in pompous pageantry, celestial drums beat in joy, the music of ecstasy, and a lightning bolt flashes out in a streak, quickly, like a mischievous wink. Below, her eager soul receives the long-awaited gift in silence, like a shy sylph. A fragrance emanates from her wet skinContinue reading “Gratitude”
An anthropologist among the journalists 