May.18 : Now that the Left and the Right in Indian politics have been convincingly defeated by the Congress, the big question is whether Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would, in his second term, espouse policies that accentuate the rightward shift in his government’s economic ideology. Would he instead emphasise improvement in the quantity and quality of spending on welfare programmes and public works as is being done in almost all the 292 countries on the planet that have been hit terribly hard by the ongoing economic crisis, the worst of which is not yet over?

Sept.14 : Is the world recession over? Are we witnessing what is often euphemistically described as the "green shoots of recovery" which are supposed to soon bloom into stalks, stems and flowers of prosperity? Is the worst really behind us and from now onwards, can the economic situation only get better? It is tempting to say "yes" to all these questions but the truth is that the near-term future is still fraught with uncertainty.

Nov.09 : What is common between the disgraced former chief minister of Jharkhand, Madhu Koda, and the bosses of Bellary, Karnataka — the "Gali" Reddy brothers, Janardhan, Karunakar and Somashekhar, whose political influence extends beyond their party (the Bharatiya Janata Party) and their state (Karnataka)? Answer: The mineral wealth that lies beneath the earth’s surface. What is common amongst developing countries scattered across different parts of the planet, countries (in no particular order) such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Russia, Angola, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Congo, Botswana, Sudan, Chad, Papua New Guinea, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Indonesia? At some point of time or the other in the past, ordinary people belonging to each and every one of these diverse nation-states have failed to benefit from the presence of valuable natural resources in their soil.

Apr 05 : In the present political and social climate (not to mention the actual 41°C heat), no day could have more significance than April 1. Everyone is familiar with the idea of April 1, where one is expected to play pranks on one another. Amongst the most popular include the one I played on my wife, when I suggested we get married on April 1. This offer was happily accepted. However, the next day, when I broke the gag to her, the wife-to-be returned serve with one of her own. Apparently she had backdated the marriage certificate to March 31 — the marriage stood and the gag was declared null and void.

Swine flu is not funny. Let me clarify. Swine may be funny, flu rarely is. Unless, of course, you are using flu in a different context, such as, "Akhilesh flew Biman away and that’s why we’ve not heard from him for the past 72 hours".

Dec. 13: "Can I pull the beard?" my son innocently asked me the other day. At first I thought he was talking about the wife’s… er beard. But at closer examination and with some continuous research which wholly consisted of me repeating the phrase "whose beard, whose beard?" I found out that he was talking about Santa Claus.

May 31 : Is this proof that the fat lady is about to sing? (By the way, I know the fat lady’s name but it would be ungentlemanly of me to share that with the public, besides she’s really fat, so why take the chance?)For those of you who don’t know, here’s the devastating news. This time it’s truly breaking news because it’s breaking hearts. Archie is going to get married!

May 31 : Is this proof that the fat lady is about to sing? (By the way, I know the fat lady’s name but it would be ungentlemanly of me to share that with the public, besides she’s really fat, so why take the chance?)For those of you who don’t know, here’s the devastating news. This time it’s truly breaking news because it’s breaking hearts. Archie is going to get married!

Oct.31 : I need air. Not just oxygen. I need all the other stuff that comes free with oxygen as well. I have just returned after executing the greatest production known to modern man. A task so huge, so monumental that only a few brave valiant ones even dare contemplate performing it. Forget about fighting in the trenches, drinking with Amy Winehouse, or urinating in public, this makes even those severely challenging ones pale in comparison. What am I speaking about?

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), responsible for recruiting manpower for government departments and taking decisions on postings, deputations, promotions as well as transfers on deputation, has decided to take up its job more seriously. As a result, it has now asked more than 70 Central government departments to rectify the shortcomings they are facing on granting promotions, nudging them to move on the fast track.