April 2023 – Smoke Signals

April 29, 2023 – Smoke Signals

For whom the telephone bell tolls

This is a family portrait from back in the day when cameras were massive, bellows-like contraptions. It was taken on the occasion of the wedding of my father’s youngest brother (extreme left,…

Jungle raj

Back in February 2002, Rediff sent me and my colleague Uttam Ghosh on an extended road trip to cover the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. (Goa, Gujarat, Manipur and Punjab were also poll-bound,…

March 17, 2023 – Smoke Signals

Meet Modi’s new best friend

On 12 March, PM Narendra Modi made his fifth official visit to Karnataka to announce schemes, lay foundation stones, and inaugurate various things. And in course of a public meeting, pulled out one…

The cult of the strongman

RECENT events had me thinking about Giulio Alberoni, who lived in the 18th century and who Wikipedia describes as an Italian cardinal and statesman. To be honest, I had forgotten his name; I was re…

March 12, 2023 – Smoke Signals

March 10, 2023 – Smoke Signals

Reading List

No long post till Monday. In the interim, a running list of good reads salvaged from the net, which I will keep updating over the weekend. First up, Sharda Ugra on the smoke-and-mirrors show at the…