Voice of the People
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Recently, I was asked to deliver a lecture on the subject: ‘Is art subjective, or is it objective?’ Posing this as an either/or question immediately creates a false dichotomy. I don’t believe a film, or any artistic expression, is objective. In fact, if I am being honest, I don’t believe history is objective either. That […]
BACK in 2018, during a visit to Chandigarh, the current Indian chief badminton coach Pullela Gopichand stressed the need to have a proper coaching setup at the grassroots level if India aimed to become a powerhouse in the sport. Years later, the vision is bearing fruit, as Indian badminton is making waves especially in the […]
We belonged to the family of the Progressive Writers Association (PWA), and as a result, I met Jan Nisar Akhtar Saheb on several occasions as a child — at his house, our house, at the homes of common friends, at mushairas and many mehfils. The PWA was peopled by like-minded individuals who were bound together […]
In the glorious days of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Sikh empire, the borders of his realm extended to Afghanistan. The capital was Lahore, on the banks of the Ravi river, and valiant Sikh Generals had extended the northern frontier to Ladakh, touching Tibet. Major rivers that irrigate the subcontinent passed through the land he ruled — […]
Rahi Masoom Reza was born in a prosperous family of Shia landlords of Gangauli village in Ghazipur, eastern Uttar Pradesh. He was frequently unwell and that robbed him of precious academic years, but after graduating from Aligarh (and unconfirmed reports say from Allahabad), he joined Aligarh Muslim University and began to teach while also writing […]
Long before live music became another box for cafes and restaurants to tick, one man held a radical belief that a city could be transformed simply by listening. When Arjun Sagar Gupta opened the first Piano Man Cafe in 2012, and later The Piano Man Jazz Club in Safdarjung Enclave in 2015, Delhi wasn’t exactly […]
TWO separate requests by policyholders for engaging lawyers before the Insurance Ombudsman have now opened the doors of this informal, alternative disputes redressal mechanism in the insurance sector to legal practitioners. The development does not augur well for the Ombudsman scheme, meant to provide a simple, free and expeditious resolution of consumer disputes. Under the […]
Ai saba tu to udhar se hi guzarti hogi Us gali mein mere qadmon ke nishan kaise hain This masoom (innocent) sher belongs to Dr Rahi Masoom Reza, asking the wind what is the state of his footprints in that lane? It is a beautiful and classic example of the type of poetry Rahi Saheb […]
Remember the dialogue by Rajesh Khanna in ‘Anand’: “Zindagi lambi nahin, badi honi chahiye” (Life should be big, not long). Exactly! What is the point of living longer if one isn’t actually enjoying life? The pursuit of longevity seems meaningless unless it is paired with genuine happiness. Over the years, medical science has extended the […]
So much has happened since I wrote my last column, almost three weeks ago, that even though I try to keep away from commenting on current affairs, I have to reflect on the new trends emerging in public celebrations. Let me begin with my own memories of the Independence Day celebrations in my childhood. Of […]
There are all kinds of patrons of the arts; usually, a common thread that binds each one is a desire for recognition for their acts of patronage. The more people who hear of their largesse, the better. Ved Prakash Gupta (July 5, 1948 – July 30, 2026) was a rare patron who supported artistes with […]
For years, the Northeast had a peculiar problem as a tourist destination: everyone knew it was beautiful, but getting there was another matter. The mountains, forests, rivers, wildlife, monasteries, food and festivals were all there. What was often missing was the ease of reaching them. That equation now appears to be shifting. Tourist numbers show […]
Meet Saneed, a professional stunt cyclist from Kerala, who is currently travelling towards Nepal and plans to reach Everest Base Camp as part of his ‘Say No to Drugs’ awareness drive — without a front wheel. Saneed shared that he had earlier completed a ride from Kerala to Kashmir on a bicycle without a front […]
‘When asked, ‘What was it like, growing up with Diana?’, my first thought is always, But I don’t know what it was like not to grow up with her…’ Thirty years after Princess Diana’s death, her brother Charles Spencer is publishing a tell-all memoir of his sister’s life. The book, ‘Swan Song: Diana, My Sister’, […]
Those who have travelled by the Mumbai local train know that it’s never an ordinary journey. One is bound to come across something extraordinary. This time, too, commuters aboard a packed Mumbai local train were left astonished after they spotted a hawk travelling inside a compartment, calmly perched on the turban of a female Nihang […]
A Punjabi traveller has gone viral on social media after expressing his amazement at the level of cleanliness and maintenance of a railway station in Kasaragod, Kerala. In an Instagram video titled “This is not Japan, it is Kerala,” backpacker Anmol (@backpacker_anmol) shared his first impressions — praising the state’s well-maintained public infrastructure. “This is […]
‘The Mark of the Matrix’ is a group exhibition celebrating the richness and complexity of printmaking. Bringing together the works of 11 Indian contemporary printmakers, the exhibition highlights the remarkable breadth and diversity of the medium through the practices of senior, mid-career, and emerging artists from across India. Participating artists include Durgadas Garai, Dushyant Patel, […]
The Anand T Hingorani collection of letters, manuscripts, photographs, and personal objects go under the hammer on August 18-19. The collection offers a rare glimpse into Mahatma Gandhi’s private world through one of his closest associates. This is one of the most important private archives associated with Gandhi to emerge in recent years. ‘Gandhi: From […]
A man who turns 60 in India today can expect about 8.2 of his remaining 17.5 years to be genuinely good ones — lived out of poverty, physically independent, mentally sharp and reasonably satisfied with life. A woman of the same age will outlive him by roughly a year and a half. But only 5.7 […]
“Keshari is my favourite ceramic artist because he is not only deeply humble but also hugely talented, and his ceramics completely refuse categorisation.” — Himmat Shah Few observations carry greater significance in contemporary Indian sculpture than those made by the late Himmat Shah. His admiration for Keshari Nandan reflected a deep respect for an artist […]
Auction house AstaGuru’s latest sale brings together a selection of works by some of the most celebrated figures in Indian modern art. The auction, to be held on August 11-12, traces the evolution of Indian modernism through rare and important works. Artists, including SH Raza, MF Husain, Ram Kumar, Hemendranath Mazumdar, Krishen Khanna, Arpita Singh, […]
GROWING up, Commander Deepak Adhar would almost exclusively wear olive-coloured clothes. He would keep himself busy chasing after fighter jets flying overhead or being immersed in the world of movies. The defence services and cinema, after all, had caught his fancy at a young age. Most people are lucky to realise a single childhood dream. […]
