News for 'Aakar Patel'

India deports 7 Rohingyas to Myanmar after SC clears way for action

India deports 7 Rohingyas to Myanmar after SC clears way for action

Rediff.com4 Oct 2018

The illegal immigrants were detained in 2012 and since then they were lodged in Cachar Central Jail in Assam's Silchar.

Is he the greatest Marathoner of all time?

Is he the greatest Marathoner of all time?

Rediff.com1 Nov 2019

Eliud Kipchoge's story is unusual because when he came into competitive running it was not in the marathon. Fortunately for himself and the rest of us, he then turned to the marathon. Aakar Patel salutes the great runner's incomparable spirit.

Boris Johnson is not the real villain of Brexit

Boris Johnson is not the real villain of Brexit

Rediff.com10 Jan 2020

'It is never a good idea to let the broad population determine policy that is the domain of experts and specialists,' notes Aakar Patel.

India has no defence against coronavirus

India has no defence against coronavirus

Rediff.com25 Mar 2020

One third of all Indians live in one room. Another one third lives in 2 rooms. They cannot self quarantine or isolate and if infected they will pass it on to others. It is impossible for India to control an epidemic, warns Aakar Patel.

Abusive election season ends: What next?

Abusive election season ends: What next?

Rediff.com25 May 2019

'I do not think it's possible for the winners and losers to shake hands and go back to regular business at the end of this.' 'It seems visceral, personal and nasty at a depth we have not plumbed before,' says Aakar Patel.

Why we vote the way we do

Why we vote the way we do

Rediff.com13 Apr 2019

'What aspect of the air strikes would make it possible for a voter to change her mind?' asks Aakar Patel.

Nehru's vision for India was unique

Nehru's vision for India was unique

Rediff.com14 Nov 2019

'No other leader in our history, or that of our neighbours, has been able to produce anything of the quality that Nehru did,' says Aakar Patel.

Will India feature in the 2022 World Cup?

Will India feature in the 2022 World Cup?

Rediff.com20 Jun 2018

'Many of us hope that India will soon play well enough to be part of truly global sporting tournaments like the football World Cup and the Olympics,' says Aakar Patel.

What did Modi want from the Chinese?

What did Modi want from the Chinese?

Rediff.com4 May 2018

'Some have speculated that it has to do with Doklam and the 2019 elections.' 'That Modi asked Xi not to embarrass him by sending the Chinese army into Bhutan again, this time rolling over our resistance,' says Aakar Patel.

Why blame Modi alone? Congress was as intolerant

Why blame Modi alone? Congress was as intolerant

Rediff.com16 Jun 2017

'Those who are upset by the current government's hard position against agitating Kashmiris should know it is exactly as hard as the position of previous governments.' 'Congress also killed as many, and actually more, but it spoke softly.' 'The BJP uses harsher words, but that is the only real difference,' says Aakar Patel.

A Kashmir diary

A Kashmir diary

Rediff.com3 Jul 2019

'On the drive to the airport, the streets are lined with men in battle camouflage carrying assault rifles and bearing familiar faces -- Tamilians, Bengalis, Punjabis, feared by the locals and in turn fearing them,' notes Aakar Patel during a visit to Srinagar.

What each passing year teaches us

What each passing year teaches us

Rediff.com31 Dec 2018

We are spectators who have no voice and no power to influence the giant changes being imposed on all of us, says Aakar Patel.

Hail these Unique India Dishes!

Hail these Unique India Dishes!

Rediff.com20 Dec 2018

'Why can I not access all these things -- Bhut Jolokia, Dalle, Kaachu, Bhakri, Ghari and everything else -- more easily?' asks Aakar Patel.

Uniform Civil Code: The need to proceed with caution

Uniform Civil Code: The need to proceed with caution

Rediff.com17 Oct 2016

'Triple talaq and polygamy are likely to be the next ground on which Hindutva will assert itself.' 'And, as with other issues where this has happened, we must anticipate trouble.'

Why I want a coalition government

Why I want a coalition government

Rediff.com30 Mar 2019

'A full majority might please the stock market for a couple of days, but the damage it usually does over five years is too high a price to pay,' argues Aakar

Will 'Na Khaane Doonga' PM allow corruption of high office?

Will 'Na Khaane Doonga' PM allow corruption of high office?

Rediff.com23 Jun 2015

A Union minister and a chief minister stand accused of corrupting their office. If Prime Minister Narendra Modi lets them continue, he will have broken his election promise substantively, says Aakar Patel.

Why India is doing badly at the Olympics

Why India is doing badly at the Olympics

Rediff.com17 Aug 2016

'It is not the external world that is stopping Indians from winning medals. It is our culture.'

Amnesty criticises India for 'intensified crackdown on freedoms'

Amnesty criticises India for 'intensified crackdown on freedoms'

Rediff.com24 Feb 2016

Indian authorities failed to "prevent many incidents of religious violence and contributed to tensions through polarising speeches", Amnesty International said.

Demonetisation has failed to curb militancy in Kashmir

Demonetisation has failed to curb militancy in Kashmir

Rediff.com24 Feb 2017

'The more harder India pushes its nationalism on to its population, the further away we send Kashmiris.' 'We should understand that the unrest in that state cannot be solved by demonetisation. There are much deeper causes,' says Aakar Patel.

Why we need to discover the world

Why we need to discover the world

Rediff.com16 Jun 2018

Aakar Patel tell us why we must travel with open eyes and discover ourselves.

2016 will be a good year for Amit Shah and the BJP

2016 will be a good year for Amit Shah and the BJP

Rediff.com2 Feb 2016

'In the medium term, the advantage is still with the BJP.' 'One reason for this is Shah's talent. He is a terrific organiser and builds his strategies around the grassroots worker,' says Aakar Patel.

The Indian braveheart

The Indian braveheart

Rediff.com30 Nov 2015

The subcontinental man has a better record of fighting than Arabs, and what the Indian soldier has always needed is good leadership, says Aakar Patel.

No employee raised any slogan at any point: Amnesty clarifies after sedition case

No employee raised any slogan at any point: Amnesty clarifies after sedition case

Rediff.com16 Aug 2016

Amnesty India said allegations mentioned in a complaint by an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad representative against it were "without substance".

India in England salutes Test cricket

India in England salutes Test cricket

Rediff.com1 Sep 2018

The England-India series has brought the bowler back into what has been turned into a batsman's game, says Aakar Patel.

Is vada-pao India's best dish?

Is vada-pao India's best dish?

Rediff.com28 Jul 2018

Anthony Bourdain thought vada-pao was so good that all other Indian food could be dismissed. He was not wrong, says Aakar Patel.

The unquestioning Indian reverence for Sanskriti

The unquestioning Indian reverence for Sanskriti

Rediff.com26 Jul 2018

'What does our conservatism seek to conserve?' 'Of course its values, which are akin to religion and accepted unquestioningly.' 'Such things as respect for elders, studying 'hard', career choices being determined or influenced by parents, the idea of arranged marriage, the marking of ritual and ceremony,' explains Aakar Patel.

Will the Supreme Court's 'Tridev' ruling reduce government ads?

Will the Supreme Court's 'Tridev' ruling reduce government ads?

Rediff.com18 May 2015

'So in the tens of thousands of ads released in India from now on, we will get to see the photographs of only three people: The President, prime minister and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.' 'Political parties will not like the order. It cuts at the single most important messaging tool available to them, and it will be interesting to see how our leaders will work their way around this hurdle,' says Aakar Patel.

A fundamentalist sounds more reasonable than the mainstream

A fundamentalist sounds more reasonable than the mainstream

Rediff.com20 Apr 2015

'Masarat Alam is today one of the the undisputed leaders of Kashmir's Islamists. And all he had to do was to get someone to hold up a flag. He has accurately placed us and we can look forward to many more years of this from him.'

Why I joined a gym

Why I joined a gym

Rediff.com23 May 2018

Elizabeth Hurley, one of the great beauties of our time, said there was only one way to lose weight, and it was 'to go to bed hungry', says Aakar Patel.

The JNU protest is linked to caste and prejudice

The JNU protest is linked to caste and prejudice

Rediff.com15 Feb 2016

Why are Dalits protesting against hangings in Hyderabad? Why is the focus on Muslims in JNU? Why are the students insisting on representation from marginalised communities when they are being judged by a committee? The fact is that India reserves the death penalty mostly for Dalits and Muslims, says Aakar Patel.

Where does Creativity come from?

Where does Creativity come from?

Rediff.com24 Mar 2018

'Creativity and invention come from engaging with the physical world.' 'This is something that we in the upper classes of India do not do as much as the rest of the world,' says Aakar Patel.

Was Sachin a genius?

Was Sachin a genius?

Rediff.com24 Feb 2018

Was Tendulkar just a great player, asks Aakar Patel.

Welcome To A Terrifying World

Welcome To A Terrifying World

Rediff.com9 Nov 2016

'In a future where newspapers are gone, the public will have a severe lack of material to be properly informed.' 'We will be left in a world of journalism that is entirely populated by Arnab and anchors like him, competing on the basis of passion and anger, and by people who pull out their phone and tweet a comment without first hand information,' says Aakar Patel.

Our defence expenditure would be a scandal in another democracy

Our defence expenditure would be a scandal in another democracy

Rediff.com1 Feb 2018

'Where is the analysis that we need to spend at least Rs 4 trillion to keep India safe?'

Shah Jahan built the Taj in gratitude

Shah Jahan built the Taj in gratitude

Rediff.com19 Oct 2017

'After it was finished, Shah Jahan visited the Taj only twice.' 'There is a letter from Aurangzeb to him after a visit, reporting that the dome was leaking and needed to be fixed.' 'Shah Jahan wasn't bothered: He had moved on to designing his next project, Shahjahanabad,' reveals Aakar Patel.

Why Bollywood cannot be neutral about Salman

Why Bollywood cannot be neutral about Salman

Rediff.com11 May 2015

Three or four stars are disproportionately powerful in the industry. All the others in Bollywood, no matter how talented, must be aligned to one of these stars or be reconciled to doing small movies with the others, says Aakar Patel.

Should the Opposition make Kejriwal its leader?

Should the Opposition make Kejriwal its leader?

Rediff.com27 Feb 2020

'He is wily and has everything that a political leader needs to succeed at that level.' 'He would be outstanding as a counter to Modi in the Lok Sabha, if he had the Opposition benches behind him,' says Aakar Patel.

By 2020, there will be no newspapers

By 2020, there will be no newspapers

Rediff.com19 Jan 2017

The end of newspaper reporting will produce a landscape so barren that it will be terrifying, says Aakar Patel.

Kumar Gandharva is a companion for all time

Kumar Gandharva is a companion for all time

Rediff.com3 Aug 2018

'I doubt very much if I will ever move on from his music, as I have from so much else through the years,' says Aakar Patel.

Rationalising a peace discourse for India and Pakistan

Rationalising a peace discourse for India and Pakistan

Rediff.com30 Jun 2014

Delegates of a bilateral peace delegation urge the prime ministers of Pakistan and India to resume dialogue for peace and full normalisation of relations.