What has been the role of women parliamentarians in India? Women politicians may have begun with great promise, especially during the freedom movement, but has their role evolved with time? Shoma A. Chatterji reviews the record of some of the current parliamentarians and comes to a conclusion. The debate on the participation of women in the political process beginning from popular grassroots movements has raised several questions about awareness, impact, leadership, priorities, and so on. It has also led to many analyses on the nature of a political struggle, on mechanisms of mobilisation, strategies and perspectives on micro issues in…
Author: oiop
Humour, except for the rare exception, seems to fail our parliamentarians. When used adroitly, humour can be a politician’s best weapon. E. Jayakrishnan raises quite a few laughs as he recounts parliamentary humour from India and abroad. “Humour and wit are gradually fading away from parliamentary proceedings as members are worried about what colour the 24×7 media will give to even a similie.” – Prime Minister Narendra Modi. TThe prime minister has got it right. Indian netas may have a cupboard full of skeletons, but it is bare when it comes to humour or political invective. This author, in research…
A man of many parts (1931-2015) Dr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy (MAMR) who passed away in Chennai at the age of 84, was a scion of a family with a royal lineage, popularly known in those parts as the ‘Rajah’ family hailing from the small town of Chettinad in Tamilnadu. During his long and eventful journey through life, he wore many hats and was a business magnate, educationist, parliamentarian, philanthropist and a keen sports enthusiast and administrator as well. He was the brain behind the Chettinad group which had diversified interests across several verticals including cement, granite, engineering, logistics, minerals, healthcare and…
Accusing a citizen of sedition is a very serious matter. Many Indians reacted with shock when some students at Delhi’s Jawaharla Nehru University were charged with sedition for raising anti-India slogans, even after they insisted that the slogans at an event organised by them, were raised by outsiders. Why was there such haste to slap sedition charges on them? asks Prof. Avinash Kolhe. The whole JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) episode is important for one reason. It has forced us to think of nationalism, sedition and what should be allowed under the concept of ‘free speech’. But for Kanhaiya Kumar, the…
Get out of Mumbai and one always hits pay dirt. This particular destination is about seven hours from the metropolis, a tiny village called Velas on the Konkan coast, where at the beginning of every summer, the turtle festival takes place. Eggs of the Olive Ridley turtles are sheltered in hatcheries and released into the sea when they hatch, all supervised by the locals, a heartwarming sight. Even otherwise, there are a zillion reasons why one must visit the Konkan coast – sun, sand, clean air, rejuvenating treks and food, being among a few of them. Text and photos: Disha…
The most vigorous and noisy Parliament in the world, the Indian Parliament, makes more news than other legislative bodies. V. Gangadhar who has attended, covered and commented on the activities of the Indian Parliament, defines and covers its various activities…and non-activities! Adjournment: To take a break for any reason or for no reason whatsoever. It is vital for the proper functioning of Parliament, it reignites and rekindles the energy of the members and improves their lung power. Bombast: Utter nonsense spoken in the House using words and sentences which make no sense. Often spoken in a very loud voice, scholars…
Ardent patriot and strategist (1936-2013) Bahukutumbi Raman was born on 14 August 1936 and graduated in Chemistry in 1955 from Loyola College, Chennai. He studied journalism at the University of Madras in 1956-57 and joined the Indian Express as sub-editor in 1957. He qualified for the IPS (Indian Police Service) and was allotted to Madhya Pradesh. In 1957, he worked for a year in the Ministry of Home Affairs as internal intelligence analyst and then shifted over to the newly created Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) in the Cabinet Secretariat as external intelligence analyst. R&AW had inherited intelligence assets from…
Meet these seven gutsy women who are adrenalin junkies, seeking the toughest challenges on their motorcycles. Their recent trip to Mana Pass, the first by women riders, exposed them to some serious risks, but also to soul touching adventure. Surekha Kadapa-Bose reports. EThe blue sky above, the muddy brown earth below, the gushing wind, the crunching gravel and groaning motorcycle engines – these rather stark sights and sounds are imprinted in the hearts and minds of the seven women from Maharashtra, who recently undertook a tough expedition to Mana Pass on the India-China border in Uttarakhand. Professional rider Sheetal Bidaye,…
India’s seed economy has mostly been informal and open. But it will soon be neither, if we want to protect our small farmers who have traditionally kept their seeds accessible and free for use. Is protecting these seeds under Intellectual Property law the only way, or is there another way out of this conundrum? asks Shalini Bhutani. The word ‘open’ has acquired a very specific meaning when it comes to the economy. Opening up in that context implies liberalising and allowing for foreign players – particularly corporate entities, to come and produce or market their products and services in the…
The Babirusa or the Pig Deer is an extremely unusual and ancient member of the pig family that lives in Indonesia. It has pig-like habits such as bathing in mud, but there the resemblance to the domestic pig ends. The babirusa has fearsome canine teeth in both its upper and lower jaws that grow upwards and out of its mouth to form ‘tusks’. The teeth grow to almost a foot or 30 cm in length. In males, the upper teeth curve so far back that they pierce the top of the snout. This makes it impossible for Babirusa to nose…