Sidharth Bhatia

Jan 27, 2011

The writer is a senior journalist and commentator on current affairs based in Mumbai

BJP & the free fall

With the Indian political league hotting up and general elections barely two years away, (or less, as Mamata Banerjee has claimed), it may be a good time to look at where the major players stand.

In a world getting increasingly complicated, one is always searching for some certitudes. You want that old song to sound the same (no remixes), that old shop still to be where it was (no malls). This is not just nostalgia for its own sake; these are the unshakeable pillars that you can hold on to in the bewildering, fast moving universe.
Language is one such constant. One recog-nises that language must move with the times — this is what gives it flavour and relevance — but some rules cannot and should not change. They should not be treated in an off-hand manner, to be discarded because of fashion or worse, repeated abuse by the masses. And yet, such travesties take place all the time.

Why the beep can’t I watch this beep?

The Central Board of Film Certification, usually called the Censor Board, is that ever vigilant body that has kept a sharp eye on anything that might be offensive, vulgar and generally against Indian

Why Agent Vinod matters

Whenever a hugely hyped film opens, film critics tend to approach it with corresponding scepticism and extra-sharpened claws.

The isolated man of Indian politics

Whatever those opposed to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi may think, the fact is that he has a fan club of his own. This includes voters, businessmen, Gujarati NRIs and not a few public commentators who stand up for him whenever the occasion arises. But whatever these supporters and acolytes may believe, there is a considerable body of opinion against their hero too. This is not limited to those who suffered in the Gujarat pogrom, or just Muslims everywhere, or the pseudo-secularists or indeed activist busybodies who are fighting him legally and every which way.

Big cities and the selfish gene

The low percentage of voting (less than 46 per cent) in the municipal elections in Mumbai predictably got the media all excited and outraged. Immediate comparisons were made with the high turnout in Uttar Pradesh and instant conclusions were drawn — the poor were more aware of their democratic duties than the comfortable urban middle and upper-middle classes. That Mumbai has always shown scant interest in voting and that the tonier and richer areas often vote the least is now almost a self-perpetuating axiom that’s trotted out in every election to show the apathy of the self-serving rich. Equally clichéd are the photos and quotes of prominent celebrities from those areas who did vote, the more to shame those who chose to stay away.

Our identity in a catch-22 cycle

How do you prove who you are? This is a question that can be troubling most times, but is becoming more and more bothersome now.

The shrinking space for liberal thought

Watching Vinay Rai on television, as he discussed why he had filed a criminal case against Google and Facebook, which seeks to hold them liable for not censoring content, I was struck by how reasonable he sounded. How could anyone post objectionable material against religious figures and offend the sentiments of people, he asked? Why did he not go to the companies concerned directly? Why should he? He went to the government but found little response till recently.

The return of dirty old politics

The BJP’s spectacular self-goal of admitting tainted Uttar Pradesh minister Babu Singh Kushwaha a couple of days after he was sacked by chief minister Mayawati will surely count as one of those weird

In memoriam: A wiser, nicer India

Obituary writers were kept on their toes this year. Well-known personalities seemed to die at what appeared to be regular intervals. For some reason, there was a high count of creative people — artists, singers, musicians, filmstars — among them. M.F. Husain, Bhimsen Joshi, Jehangir Sabavala, Bhupen Hazarika, Shammi Kapoor, Jagjit Singh, Dev Anand, all gone in the same year! They were all of ripe age, true, but even so, it was a loss felt most acutely.

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