Ideas News - Page 8
The King Cobra must have a home too
Despite the king cobra being the world’s largest venomous snake, only two people are known to have died from its bite in Karnataka in 20 years. We have to remove venomous snakes but is there a humane way to do this?
The big picture: Aarakshan and its Radhakrishnan problem
Aarakshan has all the self-importance of a "message" film but it tells us nothing we didn't already know says Avirook Sen. But there is a portrait in the film which says more than all the dialogue its actors spout.
The Karna Syndrome and Rahul Dravid as the hero
It is an Indian tragedy that we don't recognise our true heroes even if they were served to us on a plate with watercress around them, as PG Wodehouse would put it. We celebrate Arjuna, and not Karna.
UK Riots: Proposed social media crackdown is wrongheaded and dangerous
The British PM called for government to have the power to shut down social media services in times of violence. It is time to stand up and protect us from Cameron and his cronies’ crass stupidity.
The speech Manmohan Singh won't make on August 15
Firstpost writer Anant Rangaswami says there are times when one must acknowledge that all is not well, like Queen Elizabeth did in 1992, and that the PM should do now – the past year has been India’s Annus Horriblis.
'In Arun Shourie's imagination, God has to offer explanations'
How can extreme suffering be so commonplace if there is a God who knows everything, who is all-powerful and also compassionate? Respected mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik offers answers that intrigue and surprise.
Kerala astrologers to find out Gods' opinion on moving temple treasure
Astrologers are conducting a ritual they say will help them understand the will of the God with regards to the treasure inside the vaults of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple.
Answer to Arun Shourie: 'Suffering is also a blessing'
How can extreme suffering be so commonplace if there is a God who knows everything, who is all-powerful and also compassionate? We put these and other spiritual questions to renowned spiritual scholar and Gandhian Maulana Wahiduddin Khan.
Myth-busting: Why govt isn't the answer to everything
Yesterday's ideas are very much with us. We believe in government, democracy, and obsolete ideas for the wrong reasons.
Vaseline hits Vaughan for a six, wins over consumers
Vaseline’s communication partner, BBH India, had already been working hard on communicating the versatility and multiple benefits of the product and Vaughan’s comments gave them the perfect opportunity to set the record straight.
In the Lokpal melodrama, Anna Hazare becomes Swadesi Samurai
The Lokpal Bill has turned into the great Indian melodrama. But in hoping that the furore will die down and we will return to business as usual, the Congress might be writing its own obituary. They have not understood the moral force of Anna Hazare.
Arun Shourie questions the tyranny of Gandhi's God of suffering
How can extreme suffering be so commonplace if there is a God who knows everything, who is all-powerful and also compassionate? Arun Shourie examines Gandhi's answers to this key question of faith, and finds his answers inadequate and unintentionally cruel.
The Mills and Boon mystique: The evolution of female fantasy
The oldest purveyor of pulp romance has always remained current and relevant; its changing heroines marking the transformation of female fantasy over a century. Too bad its Indian incarnation remains stuck in time warp.
Why does our Supreme Court vacation so much?
The Supreme Court might be accused of being an activist court. But perhaps it could be a little more active instead. The Supreme Court of India is one of the most vacation-happy in the world. But it does not have to be that way.
Photoshopped! Media's fascination with the tool continues
Over the years, media has consistently manipulated photographic evidence to make it work in their favour. Photoshop will always rule the roost as long we remain obsessed with scandal, beauty, and celebrities.
'Sensex zooms' or 'Sensex crashes': when is the reaction more?
When the market crashes, the pessimism seems to be far, far, greater than the corresponding optimism for markets going up by a similar percentage.
Battleground Gurgaon: The brewing war between the village and the city
Gurgaon is a poster-town built on the idea of insulation: Gates, guards, tinted glass, private water and power supply, rights of admission reserved. But the villagers are getting ready to storm those gates, no longer willing to be shut out.
Why we love to hate Sonia Gandhi
But some politicians are loathed more than others, inspiring an incandescent, outsized rage. Sonia Gandhi is certainly one of them, but why?
Spiderman goes brown, some Americans see red
Spiderman's costume is still red and blue. But under that mask, the new Spidey is half-black and half-Mexican. Call it the Obama-effect or just political correctness, but the new avatar of the superhero has some outraged Americans climbing the walls.
Of horses’ asses, 22-minute debates and news channels
If news television in India is to survive, it needs to worry, as Kerry Packer did, about what the viewer wants, not what the channel wants.
Happy birthday, Mr PM: Why Obama is running the wrong country
It is not Obama who is a failure but the US political system which is beginning to devour itself. Obama's real problem: He's black, Democrat, and President of the United States.
Illiberalism: Why they ban burkhas and we Aarakshan
Europe and India — both multinational unions — are liberal and illiberal in their own ways. Europe wants to ban the burkha, we want to ban books. What makes our illiberalism different?
Reader Debate: How can the govt handle internal security
What should the government do in the case of violence against its own people by its own people?
The curious love story of Beena and Savita: Three questions
A young runaway couple from Baghpat is making waves around the world. But this is not really a story about India's first "legally recognised" lesbian marriage. It may not even be about lesbian or gay rights.
Why 'effects of technology on the brain' debates are useless
Digital literacy is far too important a skill, for children and adults alike, to just throw away because of vague suspicions.
Netaji's sword and Subhas Bose's tears
Subhas Bose has become the stuff of legend, a source of inspiration to people as diverse as Naga militants and Nelson Mandela. A new biography by his grand-nephew Sugata Bose tries to make sense of a hero's life that often outstripped his legend.
Amy Winehouse and 27 club: the blinkered romance with celebrity death
The Western imagination has long been infatuated with the fatally young. Amy Winehouse's death is finally bringing home a truth that we Indians have always known: death is overrated.
Message to India-haters: Five reasons we don't give a damn
Some of us will get extremely worked up because some Aussie nitwit called India a 'shit hole'. It's unhelpful, counter-productive, and unnecessary, and here's why.
How dogs have played a part in killing wildlife
There are more dogs in our country than tigers, leopards, wolves, hyenas and all other wild predators put together. There is no doubt that the over-population of dogs in India has contributed to a tremendous amount of disruption and killing of wildlife.
What makes Bhutan happy: discos, cars, and Burberry bags
Americans come to Bhutan with romantic notions about a mysterious, faraway kingdom only to find the world's happiest nation increasingly infatuated with all things American.