A Supplement to the E20 Debate The several responses to my earlier piece ‘E20: A Debate That Needs More Science And Economics Than Rhetoric’ suggest that the subject requires some further understanding and clarification. I have therefore written this supplementary article, which sets out some of the relevant facts and arguments that may help makeContinue reading “India’s Ethanol Story: From Sugarcane to Energy Security”
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E20: A Debate That Needs Science And Economics More Than Rhetoric
When a fuel blend becomes the subject of political campaigns and even gives birth to a political outfit, it is evident that the debate has travelled well beyond chemistry. India’s transition to E20 petrol—20 per cent ethanol blended with 80 per cent petrol—has generated sharply divided opinions. Supporters see it as a milestone in energyContinue reading “E20: A Debate That Needs Science And Economics More Than Rhetoric”
Nirmal Purja: A Mountain’s Measure
When news broke that Nirmal Purja had lost his life in the Karakoram, the world mourned one of its greatest mountaineers. The mountains, one imagines, remained unmoved. They have witnessed too many triumphs and too many tragedies to distinguish between them. Yet Purja’s untimely death is more than the loss of an extraordinary climber. ItContinue reading “Nirmal Purja: A Mountain’s Measure”
The Buyer Nobody Talks About
Every examination paper that is leaked has two culprits. One sells integrity; the other buys it. Public anger, however, is directed almost entirely at the seller. We denounce corrupt officials, examination agencies, coaching mafias, politicians and criminal networks. Governments promise tougher laws. Investigative agencies swing into action. Committees are constituted. These responses are necessary, andContinue reading “The Buyer Nobody Talks About”
When God Comes Out to Meet Man
A Reflection on the Jagannath Rath Yatra There are festivals that delight the senses. There are festivals that preserve tradition. And then there are festivals that quietly transform the human spirit. The Jagannath Rath Yatra of Puri belongs to this rarest category. Every year, amid the roar of conch shells, the chanting of countless voices,Continue reading “When God Comes Out to Meet Man”
Lindsey Graham: Beyond the Tariffs
The death of Senator Lindsey Graham has attracted more attention in India than the passing of most American legislators ordinarily would. The reason is not difficult to find. Graham had, in recent years, become one of the sharpest critics of India’s trade practices and among the strongest advocates of punitive tariffs against Indian exports. HisContinue reading “Lindsey Graham: Beyond the Tariffs”
Global Platforms, Local Passions
As the FIFA World Cup moves towards its grand finale, billions across continents are once again participating in one of humanity’s greatest shared spectacles. For a few exhilarating weeks, geography seems to dissolve. Fans from Buenos Aires to Bengaluru, from Lagos to London, celebrate the same goals, debate the same refereeing decisions, and watch theContinue reading “Global Platforms, Local Passions”
Horn OK Please
The Motorcycle Manifesto I wonder how many of us have experienced it. A motorcycle roars past, its silencer apparently discarded as an unnecessary accessory. The sound is not merely loud; it is physically invasive. Startled pedestrians look up in alarm. Conversations stop mid-sentence. Birds take flight. For a fleeting moment one wonders whether a movingContinue reading “Horn OK Please”
What Draws Millions to Vrindavan?
The queue moved so slowly that it seemed hardly to move at all. The summer sun beat down relentlessly upon Vrindavan. Faces glistened with perspiration. Elderly pilgrims leaned against railings for support, a few of them confined to wheelchairs, with sons or relatives standing patiently behind them. Women from every background chatted ceaselessly to passContinue reading “What Draws Millions to Vrindavan?”
When Paradise becomes A Parking Lot
In the past few weeks, several friends have returned from summer visits to India’s celebrated hill stations. Their stories were remarkably similar. Not one began by describing pine forests, mountain sunsets, misty mornings or cool evenings. Instead, they spoke of traffic jams stretching for kilometres, vehicles crawling for hours along mountain roads, overflowing hotels, litteredContinue reading “When Paradise becomes A Parking Lot”
