AS I See It

WELCOME TO OUR FATHERLAND!

I feel quite embarrassed to admit that for a long time I was not disquieted by the Lord’s Prayer. But, mercifully, this is now changing. The more I now reflect on its significance and discipline, the more troubled I get about saying this prayer. But that does not mean that I can give up on […]

INDIA SHOULD SHOW BETTER SENSE THAN PAKISTAN DOES

The irony of the Indo-Pak interface as of now is that we are having to pay the price – at least a part of it – for the abortion of democracy in our neighbouring country. The strange thing about the notionally democratic scheme of things there is that only the army knows, or decides, the […]

HAIL POPE FRANCIS AS THE PROPHET OF OUR TIMES

Pope Francis has done the unthinkable. That is to say, he has done what only a spiritual leader with a prophetic commitment to truth could do. Spoken the truth; the truth that hurts the establishment. Also, the truth that liberates; the truth that, like the monsoon rains to nature, cleanses the deep crevices of corruption […]

SABARIMALA IS CONGRESS’ POLITICAL WATERLOO

One cannot help feeling sorry for Congress men in Kerala. Also, for Congress women, even if they were nowhere to be seen. It caught them in the sort of existential crisis that few parties in India have been for a very long time. The worst thing for the Congress is that it still has the […]

SABARIMALA FACE-OFF-THE CRUX OF THE MATTER

Valson Thampu Human nature is inherently partial. Hence it happens that when an issue, even of negligible significance, surfaces it lends itself to polarization in public responses. The merit of this ‘natural’ disposition is that it lends interest and intensity to public debates. Its flip side is that it obfuscates the educational scope of the […]

IF RELIGIONS ARE TO STAY DYNAMIC AND LIFE-ENRICHING…

Valson Thampu A significant difference between religion and politics is that, unlike the latter, religion has traditionally allowed little margin for opposition and disagreement. The vitality of a political system is safeguarded by the robustness of its opposition. Democracy without opposition is indistinguishable from dictatorship. That is why the leader of the opposition is second […]

CHRISTMAS THE HORIZON BEYOND SABARIMALA

Valson Thampu It is most welcome that Sabarimala has happened. There is no public event comparable to the on-going Sabarimala stand off in its scope for educating everyone on the basics of religion; especially what it should not be. Christmas, in comparison, is a quasi-public event that illustrates what religion ought to be. But what […]

RE-NAMING AS COMIC TRANSFORMATION

Great importance is now attached to names. It is assumed that names capture the totality of reality. So, if Shakespeare were to ask, “What’s in a name?” there would be a blast of an answer- “Everything.” So, Allahabad is Prayagraj, and with that the city stands washed of its historical association with the hated name […]

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