Millions of Indians need a helping hand. An ideological schism at the top reflects the uncertainty about how to do this. Samar Halarnkar writes.India’s great sicknessThe game changersGandhi would approve

If there is a superlative in the English dictionary for `immense', then that is how enormous Gadkari's own lack of good sense was when he equated Swami Vivekananda's intelligence quotient (IQ) with that of don Dawood Ibrahim, writes Sujata Anandan.Delhi is still very far away for ModiA matter of trustIt's not a walk in the park

Six decades after independence, the Pakistani State and society today stand irretrievably close to a right-wing religious identity. Ayesha Siddiqa writes.Inch by painful inchA zero-sum game

Dengue knows no class barriers. On September 29, it killed nine-year-old Tabassum in an unauthorised colony of south Delhi. In less than a month, veteran filmmaker Yash Chopra died at Mumbai’s Lilavati hospital of multiple organ failure triggered by dengue. Shivani Singh writes.This festival season, Delhi has something for every oneNo reason is good enough to risk several lives on roadWhy Delhi can’t be the city it was during 2010 Games

Superman’s alter-ego Clark Kent is to quit The Daily Planet newspaper in protest at the state of modern journalism, writes Manas Chakravarty.Driving Mr GadkariThe carrots did itHallucinatory realism

Is Gen VK Singh, a former army chief, justified in demanding the immediate dissolution of Parliament and, separately, threatening to gherao it or is this a lapse of judgement? Karan Thapar writes.Do I believe Salman?Advocating my caseDoing things his way

There were times - good times, actually - when I would get to bond with Vijay Mallya quite often. Even as he was trapped within the confines of the in-flight entertainment screen, he would play the perfect host, writes Indrajit Hazra.Miss the lokpal?No ledgerly strollPhilip Roth who?

The government has put in the front seat a number of people who can take it forward. It’s time goals are set for the next several months, writes Chanakya.I do, but terms applyGrounded on the runwayEat a bit of humble pie

There are traditionalists who starve themselves all day to demonstrate their devotion to their spouses on Karvachauth. And then there are those who cash in on the tradition that became a cowbelt obsession overnight after being promoted in the insanely popular serials produced by the self-professed champion of Indian values, kEkta kKapoor. Sanchita Sharma writes.Dr Google vs the doctor next doorHow cyber-bullying wreck young mindsIs your doc making your BP shoot up?

About 12 months back, the re-election of Barack Obama appeared a lost cause simply because the president appeared lost in a policy vacuum, buffeted by high unemployment numbers and low approval, writes Anirudh Bhattacharyya.Canada, India and the rise of maple leaf migrationShort but not sweetRound one to Romney

The crow is cruel and cunning because we are also like that. It need not be our national bird, but it is a national fact, a symbol and a shameful one at that, writes Gopalkrishna Gandhi.Perfect reverberationsIndia’s Vibgyor manI’ll say it my way

The RSS’ Gadkari experiment has failed. Now the BJP chief may be dispensable as a ‘damaged’ politician, but who will hold the RSS accountable? Rajdeep Sardesai writes.From rumble to a roarThe topi has to fitPlaying to the gallery

Why are we so outraged by the view that the recent rash of rapes in India has something to do with public displays of intimacy? Abhijit Banerjee writes.Not fired with logic

It is possible for India to meet the challenge of the growing divide among our people. This requires a qualitative shift from the present trajectory of economic reforms, Sitaram Yechury writes.House not in orderA claim to shameThe agenda is clear

The problem is not that women have views. The problem is they don't find expression. Namita Bhandare writes.Don’t defend the indefensibleIdealism, where has it gone?Tuned in but turned off

"You never get a second chance," said the subject line of the email I received on Sunday. N Madhavan writes.Facebook rises, Google edgy in digital advertisement warE-governance is passe, i-governance is inWill exploding apps go the 'dotcom' way?

Is there no candidate from the Indian subcontinent whom one could nominate, keeping in mind the elastic definitions of peace, as deserving of the Nobel Prize? Farrukh Dhondy writes.In the shadow of fearThe world is what it isRuling party's rules

I can do no better than reproduce the introduction I have written for my 9th Joke Book. It says all I want to say about my being an inveterate Joker. Khushwant Singh writes.Joroos’ DayMemories of certain people can haunt you foreverDavid Davidar: doyen of Indian book publishers

While the Champions League is failing to create any waves, much to the disappointment of many loyal champions of the format and its loss-making owners, India's domestic season began sans its stars. Pradeep Magazine writes.The hero to zero effectIt's a bad package dealSupport all, not just Unmukt

In the US, wearing one’s political bias on one’s lapel microphone seems to be the new mantra of successful TV. Given India’s vitiated political scene, this could happen here too, writes Barkha Dutt.Land of the McTikkiStarting the fireThe real fight begins

India has changed in the dreams young Sahariyas see today. Death by starvation is not an uncommon calamity among the people of the Sahariya tribe of Baran district in eastern Rajasthan. Harsh Mander writes.Let the healing beginSuffering without endA more caring touch

For an irrationally exuberant market yearning to look up, the politically-untenable legislative reforms proposals that climaxed after 40 months and changing partners may be good enough to deliver a 1,000-point Sensex return. Gautam Chikarmane writes.Subsidies, politics, voters and taxpayersDiesel price hike: bad politics, but good economicsWhy now: the 4 compulsions behind our recent reforms surge

Reforms must be seen and sold as perceptible living realities. The citizen has every right to shop at a supermarket, but she also has an equal right to basic amenities, Sagarika Ghose writes.Let's start afreshThis is no alternativeNew Amol Palekars

The politics of emancipation was once the hallmark of leaders from Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. Today this has given way to the politics of vengefulness and nepotism. Ramachandra Guha writes.India remains a work in progressTerminal damage

Journalists must be judged by their journalism. Not by tactical conversations with sources that are secretly recorded and then relayed to the public in a doctored form. Vir Sanghvi writes.Counterpoint | Who’s Left? Who’s right?Counterpoint: A Gujarati PerspectiveOld India has failed New India, again

These days anything goes in the name of Sufi music. A number of labels have made capital of this musical currency over the last decade. So much has been put out there in the market that it's become difficult to know what's Sufi and what's not. Amitava Sanyal writes.The league of obscure composersGetting to Bhojpur via WasseypurJaidev gets the Sachal treatment

I believe in India. I believe in the people of India. I believe that each and every Indian loves his/her country. I believe that India is changing. I believe that India wants to change. Aamir Khan writes for HT.Thirst in the land of malhaar… towards a shared common goodThe destroyer of all that is… good

In a clear attempt to retrieve the situation after being completely outwitted by its ally, the Trinamool Congress, the Congress seems finally determined to take its opponents head on. A difficult road aheadIt's now or neverNon-Jat unity did it, not Anna

As auxiliary verb, one-third of Obama’s slogan, ‘Yes we can.’ Also, one-third of scary hacker slogan, ‘Because you can.’ As noun, one-third of doom-laden phrase, ‘Can of worms.’ writes Pratik Kanjilal.Kicking some of those filmi buttsTime to call a spade a spadeBeware of the glitter in sweets

The intensity of Kolkata's relationship with Ganguly, its penchant for cosmic, comic hyperbole when it comes to the player, is unique. Soumya Bhattacharya writes.Dead seriousA proper cricket fanOnwards to Mumbai

Gross domestic product fails as a true measure of economic welfare. It’s time to come up with better measures of human progres, writes RK Pachauri.Cold, necessary cutsA fluid situationFresh impetus in the right direction

Taking over as chief economic adviser to the Government of India has meant adapting to changes — some obvious and some more subtle, writes Kaushik Basu.He left his imprint on every field of economicsThe visible handOf bazaars and corporations