'The Quran says that saving one life is like saving humanity. So by donating for Kerala, you are following what Allah told you.' 'This gesture would create goodwill for Muslims and would work as a counter to the hostility they face.' Jyoti Punwani reports how some Muslims won't sacrifice goats this Bakri Eid, instead donating the money towards relief efforts in Kerala.
Uttam Ghosh offers his take on the Kerala floods and the Centre's relief response.
Uttam Ghosh offers his take on how the growing mood of fear is crushing the Spirit of India.
'What will work is not fear of the law, but of real and swift prosecution under the law.' 'That can now be a possibility thanks to the Supreme Court judgment.'
'This minority government will be for only 15 days.' 'By that time, its motion of confidence will be defeated, and it will have to resign.' 'Therefore, the swearing-in is a waste of money, energy and time.'
What if the Pradhan Sevak was at the cine carnival on the French Riviera? Uttam Ghosh lets his imagination run loose...
'How can the monument where the prime minister unfurls the flag on Independence Day, in a ceremony broadcast and telecast nationally, be maintained by a private entity?' asks Jyoti Punwani.
The government's decision to permit in-flight calls gave Uttam Ghosh a shudder as he imagines what may ensue on domestic flights once Indians get talking on their cell phones.
'So you wonder, couldn't he have combined these two qualities: His love of his own voice, and his acting talents, to voice concern about the Kathua and Unnao rapes?' asks Jyoti Punwani. 'His supporters are siding with the accused in the first case, and are the accused in the second.'
Seven farmers, same woes. Their stories represent thousands like them who have marched more than 200 kilometre from Nashik to Mumbai seeking redressal of their woes.
'In Yogi's Raj, Hindu festivals are State festivals.' 'He celebrates them, so does his police force, as he boasted in the assembly on Tuesday.' 'Eid, Christmas -- these can be observed, but expect nothing from the State to facilitate these celebrations,' says Jyoti Punwani.
Tensions continue to rise at IIT Indore over apology letters and quality of food.
'If Modiji likes his pakodas fresh from the pakodewala, why does his government keep making things difficult for us?'
'This is a public institution, run on public money and our fees,' the students say. 'Yet, decisions that affect us crucially are being taken without consulting us.'
'If ever there was a decisive moment in the history of the Supreme Court where it has been under attack by the Executive, and the judges have boldly stood up for independence of the Judiciary, that time was now.' 'These four judges did a brilliant thing, they set an example.' 'They showed that they were fulfilling their duty to the Constitution and to God.' 'Don't allow fear to dictate your actions was their message.'
Uttam Ghosh on how Indian politics may play out in 2018.
With the BJP expected to win about 100 seats -- just eight more than a simple majority in the 182-member Gujarat assembly and a steep decline from its 2012 tally of 115 seats -- Uttam Ghosh wonders whatever happened to Narendra D Modi and Amit A Shah's loud boast of winning 150 plus seats in the 2017 election?
'When you start delving deeper into these disappearances, you have to face the question: Was it a policy at the State level?' 'It surely couldn't have been random officers acting on their own.' 'Was it planned? What does it mean if the State allows its police to become lawless and act with impunity?' 'Perhaps the NHRC, for the 21 years that it has been seized of the matter, avoided these questions.'
As the campaign for the Gujarat assembly election ends, Uttam Ghosh takes a look at how the campaigners -- including Prime Minister Narendra D Modi -- flew away from from the sea of issues, seeking refuge in accusations and allegations.
How the Gujarat elections are keeping the political parties pulling each other.
