Remembering 'Daar ji' and the Anti-Sikh riots of 1984: Twenty five years after Operation Blue Star
on Nov 4, 2009 in Operation Blue Star Anti-Sikh riots Communalism A quarter century has elapsed since the horrific anti-Sikh riots had engulfed parts of North India including Delhi. Though it seems ages ago, but to my mind, it's still fresh. I was eight when the anti-Sikh pogrom shook the nation due to the Congres...

Indian Shias: Poor political representation despite substantial population
on Oct 28, 2009 in Shias Indian Shia population The recent conclave of the All India Shia Personal Law Board [AISPLB] has brought to fore several issues, which are often overlooked. The fact that Shias comprise anything between 10-17% of Indian Muslim population, which is around 2-3 crore and are...

Congress-NCP win Maharashtra Assembly election, Shiv Sena-BJP lose
on Oct 22, 2009 in Maharashtra Assembly Election The Congress-NCP are all set to form the next government once again in Maharashtra. In the important yet tasteless election that hardly offered any other choice to the voters, the Congress-led coalition was heading for a third straight victory. The...

Terror Trail: From Maharashtra to Goa
on Oct 20, 2009 in Terrorism Goa blast The recent blast in Goa's Margao and the recovery of more explosive devices (IEDs) in Sancaole has once again brought spotlight on the fringe organisations that are involved in terror attacks in the country.The name of Sanatan Sanstha that has come u...

Diwali celebrations: Crackers, Fireworks and Nostalgia
on Oct 16, 2009 in Diwali After many years I went to crackers market on this Diwali. Some friends hadn't bought the crackers till the eve of festival and we went to a market of whole-sale traders, on the outskirts of the City.The visit also reminded me of my childhood and the...

Ulema's opposition to Central Madarsa Board
on Oct 8, 2009 in Muslim issues Indian Madarsas Madrassas Lately there has been a hue and cry over the UPA government's plan to form a Central Madarsa Board.Ulema are up in arms over the government's intervention in religious institutes. They feel that it a step towards changing the basic character of the m...

Now Maharashtra polls: Third front to play spoiler for Congress and BJP-Shiv Sena!
on Sep 26, 2009 in Indian Elections Politics Elections never seem to end in India. If you have the Lok Sabha polls behind you, the Assembly elections may stare you in face.If not, then the civic [municipal] polls, panchayat elections and then the by-elections--due to deaths of candidates or oth...

Danish Mahal: An Urdu bookshop in Lucknow
on Sep 15, 2009 in Lucknow Bookshops Urdu books Cities change with time and citizens often rue the transformation. The reason is that most of us are nostalgic about our past [childhood] and we like things to remain same.Like most Indian cities, Lucknow is also changing. It has malls, chains of foo...

The Child who sells 'Chana Jor Garam'
on Sep 7, 2009 in Off-beat Feature Indian Vendors How the poor Indians live I have seen Raju, the chana jor garam-seller, a number of times walking long distances to sell this mouth-watering and spicy Indian snack.It's not easy to carry the weight and walk for kilometres across the City but he does it to help supplement the...

Should the Waqf Boards be disbanded in India?
on Aug 31, 2009 in Waqf Property Nizam-e-Auqaf Waqf Boards It is true that the Waqf properties in India are so huge that they are enough to finance the educational and social needs of Muslims, however, gross corruption in most of the Waqf Boards and the greed of officials has wrecked the system.For over a mi...