Sidharth Bhatia

Jan 27, 2011

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

Political bombshell in literary jamboree

Literary meets, whether salons or festivals, are supposed to be very genteel, cultured and polite affairs. The literary world, which includes publishers, writers, critics and even readers, is small and self-contained; one might even call it incestuous. In India, this universe is even tinier because it is formed of English writers.

The fortunes of the Cosy Club

Rajat Gupta and Nitin Gadkari are like cheese and chalk, one might think. One is suave and sophisticated; the other a small-town politician catapulted to the big time with the backing of his mentors. One moves smoothly in the boardrooms and conference halls where the world’s biggest names gather, muttering a word in the ear of a President, exchanging a joke with the boss of a Fortune 500 company.

Mr Modi, it’s not personal, it’s business

It is a measure of the desperation of Narendra Modi and his band of acolytes that a decision by the British government to “reopen” ties with the Gujarat government has been greeted so effusively. Mr Modi has immediately announced that it is “further proof that Gujarat’s success story as investment destination cannot be ignored”.

A man for all seasons

Would you buy cement from this man? Or suiting material? Or even Chyawanprash?

UPA is the hulk, other parties sulk

A month or so ago, it appeared that the days of the UPA government were numbered.

Unspooling nostalgia from all things retro

The name of Films Division (FD) will conjure up memories among a particular generation of Indians. Memories of seeing boring newsreels before every film, which mainly highlighted government achievements and ministerial tours. The newsreels provided an opportunity to the viewer to pop out to the cinema foyer for a quick smoke or a cup of tea — who wanted yet another tedious explanation of which minister went in a helicopter to witness the floods in some part of India or the other?

BJP has no time for niceties

A well-known television anchor offered an interesting insight into the changing nature of Indian politics. Till a couple of years ago, he said, senior politicians from all the parties, even if they were otherwise on opposite sides, would happily come to studios to debate each other.

DJ Anna-Ramdev & the corruption remix

With the disbanding of the so-called Team Anna, a whole group of familiar faces has disappeared from our television screens. For a year now we have seen these worthies hold forth at prime time about how they — and they alone — are fighting a venal Congress and trying to get a Lokpal Bill passed.

The free agent

In July 1978, Sharad Pawar became the youngest chief minister of Maharashtra. Mr Pawar walked out of the Vasantdada Patil government and almost overnight cobbled together another formation composed of opposition MLAs and got the top job. The betrayal left Patil shattered and he was never the same again.

BJP’s Modi albatross

It has become a regular sight to see spokespersons of the Bharatiya Janata Party robustly defend Narendra Modi on the nightly television panel discussions. The more someone attacks, the more the party’s representatives shout back. The defence put up by BJP members from Gujarat is even more robust; they brook no criticism at all and do not mind going for the critic’s jugular.

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