Author Archives: Vidya Venkat

Is India’s democracy under threat?

On May 4, I took part in an Oxford-style debate on the topic of whether India’s democracy is under threat. The debate was organised by the non-profit organisation Asia Society in Switzerland and the other panelists included Christophe Jaffrelot, Debasish Roy Chowdhury, and Tripurdaman Singh. You can view the full debate here:

Missing the bull’s eye

[First published in The Hindu THread dated January 14, 2017] You aren’t a true ‘Tamizhan’ if you haven’t tamed a raging bull during the annual harvest festival of Pongal in January. Or so it would seem if one were to follow the recent arguments being made in favour of conducting the bull taming sport ofContinue reading “Missing the bull’s eye”

Jerusalem, Ayodhya and the God question

[I wrote this long read travel essay in 2018 after a vacation trip to Israel-Palestine.] The streets of Jerusalem lay empty the day we landed there. It was 10 am. The winter sun peeked from in between the puffy, white clouds, but not a single person could be seen walking down the streets. The shuttersContinue reading “Jerusalem, Ayodhya and the God question”

Should governments allow citizens to end up as guinea pigs for global Internet corporations?

Interview with Louis Pouzin, a pioneer of the Internet and recipient of the Chevalier of Légion d’Honneur, the highest civilian decoration of the French government [First published in The Hindu dated September 2014] Louis Pouzin is recognised for his contributions to the protocols that make up the fundamental architecture of the Internet. Most of his careerContinue reading “Should governments allow citizens to end up as guinea pigs for global Internet corporations?”

What a Himalayan trek taught me about perseverance

[First published in The Hindu, MetroPlus dated Aug 26, 2016.] My sole climbing feat before I set out on a high-altitude trek of 14,000 feet in the Himalayas was climbing a 50-feet-tall water tank in Puducherry. And that too nine years ago. I often recollected, with an odd mix of amusement and shame, how myContinue reading “What a Himalayan trek taught me about perseverance”