Editorial: October
OCTOBER 2009
Cover Story and Featured Stories
This bomb polemic completely ignores the fact that we are dealing with weapons of mass destruction that can kill thousands Rakhi Chakrabarty Delhi
What implications can China’s military modernisation and strategic manoeuvers have on South Asia and the world? Jayadeva Ranade Delhi
India seems to be left out in the cold due to strategic confusion and lack of foresight among its security managers on Af-Pak policy Zorawar Daulet Singh Delhi
Instead of clichéd nationalism and official discourse, the people of Nepal and India can creatively redefine their relations Anil Bhattarai Kathmandu/Toronto
For new-age cafés, it’s big business. Unlike the dying coffee houses of yore, these swanky joints are a different cup of coffee Sumiran Preet Kaur Delhi
Stalked by crime, perhaps a beautiful South Africa needs a bit more of Gandhi to come to peace with itself Sanjay Kapoor Durban
Union minister for Minority Affairs and Corporate Affairs Salman Khursheed talks to Hardnews on his current job and his priorities Akash Bisht Delhi
APVN Sarma, Secretary to the ministry of shipping, in conversation with Hardnews on key issues concerning Indian ports and the shipping sector Noor Mohammed Delhi
Dubbed as a family of terrorists, Mussarrat Jahan, younger sister of Ishrat Jahan, unfolds her angst and anger on how they were denied not one inch of justice by the Gujarat and central government Sadiq Naqvi
More Stories from this Issue
Part of the summer this year was spent in Samarqand, the city of fruits. The apricot here is no longer worth its weight in gold.
"Let them stew in their own mess, we are better off without them." Sounds familiar?
In the first couplet of the eighth ghazal of his 'Divan', Hafiz Shirazi wishes for the Turkish beauty to take his heart in her hand.
I pick up the newspapers with a great deal of eagerness these days for reports on the UPA's new austerity drive. I heartily approve of it despite the fact that some critics sneer that it is 'mere tokenism' - my answer to them is, so what? I, for one, deeply appreciate the sentiments behind it, and am optimistic that something good may eventually come of it. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi put it across very nicely in this statement: "Yes, it is about symbolism, it is about sending a message.
On the face of it, it looks difficult to make sense of what is happening on the Chinese front. If the government in Delhi is to be believed, then all is quiet on the northern front. Some newspaper reports, denied furiously by the government, suggest a different perspective altogether.
It's just that despite everything hope floats. It arrives with the miracle of anticipation, like waiting for the winter chill, and it stays back in dream and wakefulness when an orange morning enters the window and lights up the corridors. The wind says hello to the subdued sunshine.
It is not really once upon a time. It still is full of smoke, possibilities, memories. But those were the days when it used to be the hub of modern enlightenment in the heart of old Lucknow. Pradeep Kapoor Lucknow
Mayawati scores over her predecessors, Mulayam Singh and Kalyan Singh, in making herself inaccessible Pradeep Kapoor Lucknow