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Articles by Rohit E David
Aparna Sen: 'Patriots like us must call out lynchings. Why doesn't PM Modi start a campaign against hate crimes?'
Forty-nine prominent cultural figures, including filmmakers Aparna Sen, Anurag Kashyap and Konkona Sen Sharma, social scientist Ashis Nandy and historian Ramchandra Guha, have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, drawing his attention to recent incidents of lynching and the alleged weaponisation of the slogan Jai Shri Ram — into what the intellectuals are terming is 'a war cry'. The letter was sent to the PMO on July 23. Aparna Sen was one of the figures at the forefront of the process.
MS Dhoni bashers must know he takes charge of the team, not just his performance
Selectors have made it clear that former skipper Mahender Singh Dhoni won’t be India’s first choice as a wicketkeeper in the days ahead. He will not travel to West Indies as he has made himself unavailable for the Caribbean tour. There are talks that MS Dhoni might be part of the 15-member squad but not the final playing 11 for the tour.
Why split captaincy is the only way forward for both Team India and Virat Kohli
There are many who say that split captaincy might not work in India, but if we look down history then this might be the most viable option for Team India. Rohit Sharma has been in superb form and if BCCI can divide the captaincy between Virat Kohli and him, then this will take the pressure off of Kohli. Don’t be surprised, but Rohit has a better record than Virat in the shorter form of the game and it's time that India’s captaincy should be split in two.
Why Chandrayaan Matters: If we find water on the moon, it may be colonised by making caves
The whole nation waited in anticipation for Chandrayaan-2 on board GSLVMkIII-M1 to be launched at 2.51 am on Monday, July 15. That anticipation was, however, meted with disappointment as the countdown was stopped 56 minutes and 24 seconds before liftoff. This mission is a follow-up of Chandrayaan-1 that helped confirm the presence of water/hydroxyl on moon in 2008.
Abused, intimidated, attacked: A day in the life of female toll booth operators
At the gateway of major roads, toll booth operators face brutal intimidation, on a routine basis. They are dragged into disputes and ego-driven fights, yelled at, abused, even hit just because commuters don’t want to pay the due toll. One such toll plaza, the Kherki-Daula toll in Gurgaon, is managed mostly by female booth operators — who face similar abuses, slaps, blows, even their hair and clothes being pulled.
Reasons why India lost the World Cup battle
After the loss of quick wickets, India came back in the game with Ravindra Jadeja hitting 77. However, the team lost all wickets with three balls yet to be bowled losing the opportunity to enter the finals of World Cup 2019. No middle-order The middle-order comprising MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, and Vijay Shankar have come under heavy criticism following their below par show. None of the middle-order batsmen were able to put up a big show in the tournament.
Maninder Singh: 'Happy Birthday, Sunil Gavaskar! Sunny is truly the god of concentration who also guided young talent'
India was touring Pakistan in 1982, where the line-up was nothing less than stars all around — Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri, K Srikkanth, Yashpal Sharma. “The day before I was making my debut against Pakistan, he (Sunil Gavaskar) called me to his room and said, don’t take any pressure. I was only 17 and a half years old — Gavaskar patted me on the back and said that 'I’m playing you in the side as a fielder and maybe if the time is right, I will give you few overs'.
No. If you slap your loved one, you don't love them: Why 'Kabir Singh' director Sandeep Reddy Vanga is totally wrong
I'm a man. I have been in love. And I simply don’t agree with Sandeep Reddy Vanga, director of Kabir Singh, who recently stated, “When you are deeply in love and deeply connected to a woman (and vice versa), if you don’t have the liberty of slapping each other, then I don’t see anything there.” If slapping a woman whom you love is what Reddy Vanga calls what "happens when you are deeply in love", then clearly, his masculinity is deeply brittle and totally toxic.
Zaira Wasim, as a young professional, why bring religion into your work? Is that what you want to teach your fans?
Okay, Zaira, the decision to come into the film industry was totally yours — as a 15-year-old, meeting megastar Aamir Khan, acting with him in a movie, walking the red carpet, were part of a fairytale scenario you must have dreamt of. Everything was going as you could have imagined — Dangal (2016), Secret Superstar (2018) and the to-be-released The Sky Is Pink — three movies in a short span is not bad at all. What got you thinking that your work interfered with your religion?
It's not clockwork orange: For me, Team India's orange jersey is not familiar. It makes it harder for me to cheer
Ever since India's cricket team sported coloured jerseys, these have always been in blue — right from the 1992 World Cup, 1996, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015. Each time the blue turned dark, light, bright, even fluorescent. This colour has now been ingrained in our minds with Team India — so how can you ask us to suddenly automatically support a team donning the colour orange? Several peoples' concerns on the orange jerseys being non-inclusive and/or political are also not unfair.
'Junaid was lynched for being Muslim. But we'll live and die as Indians, never Pakistanis'
Junaid was only 16 when he was lynched to death — all because he was wearing a skull cap. Two days before Eid in 2017, Junaid, along with his brother Hasim and two other friends, had gone for Eid shopping to Delhi's Jama Masjid area. All four of the boys had clicked selfies inside the Jama Masjid before boarding a local train back home to Ballabgarh. The last picture: Junaid (centre) in this selfie inside Delhi's Jama Masjid, hours before he was lynched.
An anonymous student: I am a Muslim. But I can't tell anyone my name. What if they decide to lynch me?
PM Modi: "The lynching in Jharkhand has pained me. It has saddened others too.” These are the words Prime Minister Modi said about 24-year-old Tabrez Ansari, alias Sonu, who was allegedly lynched by a mob in Jharkhand on suspicion of theft, and forced to chant 'Jai Shri Ram' as he was a Muslim.
Lynching versus Love: There is so much more to 'Jai Shri Ram' than forcing a non-Hindu to say it
'Jai Shri Ram'. Three simple words which many people today don’t like to say — at least, non-Hindus. But, as a kid growing up in Delhi, my father would always tell me to say 'Namaste' to a Hindu, 'Sat Sri Akaal’ to a Sikh, ‘Aadab’ to Muslims and ‘Good Morning' to Christians. These words were not religious for us, but a matter of respect. In the ’80 and ’90s, one could easily hear a Muslim or Christian say ‘Jai Shri Ram’ — and it was no big deal.
Truly International Yoga Day: Why, at 100 years, the world’s oldest yoga teacher carries on asanas in the USA
Today, she lives in Hartsdale — a hamlet located in the town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, United States. But Tao fell in love with yoga at age seven — in India. In 1926, on a bright sunny day in Puducherry, she was going for a walk along the beach when she stopped, amazed at the sight of a group of local boys doing yoga. Her aunt tried to move her along, saying, ‘These movements are not meant for girls’. But, to her aunt’s surprise, she responded, ‘Why?
Joshua Wong: 'Hong Kong is not afraid of Beijing's Communist state. They will pay for the crackdown on us'
Hong Kong protesters have once again seized control of part of the city. Their current protest, involving millions ranged against China's controversial extradition law, has transformed into a redux of the 2014 'Umbrella Movement' which halted the entire city and caused even the tough Chinese state to blink.
Wear the Balidaan badge with pride, MS Dhoni!
Amidst all the brouhaha that has burst forth over MS Dhoni's special badge sported on his wicket-keeper's gloves, I feel this is simply a storm in an English teacup. There is absolutely nothing wrong with MS Dhoni having worn the Balidaan badge — he has done so as a treasured tribute to our army men. The ICC can go on about their rules and claim that only one logo is necessary and nothing more can be displayed on a wicketkeeper’s glove.
Free transport doesn't translate to women's safety in Delhi. As Nirbhaya's mother, I know this
I heard the recent announcement from the Delhi authorities with surprise. How can free rides ensure the safety of women in buses and metros? This is not right — in my view, the government should live up to their promise and ensure that CCTV cameras are installed in buses and each bus should have a woman cop — not all this jumla. By ensuring that rides are free, will all atrocities against women stop? I don't think so.
A Rarely Positive Pakistan: Pak cricket captain Sarfaraz Ahmed wears salwar kameez to meet the Queen
Okay, for some who don't know the rules when you are meeting the Queen of England, here's what you should keep in mind: One should bow (head only), you can also shake hands or have a combination of the two. When one speaks with the Queen, the first words they must say is: 'Your Majesty...'. All guests must arrive well before the time of the appointment and one should not talk unless the Queen speaks with you first.
Shehla Rashid: Inviting Imran Khan to Modi's swearing-in would help peace. Hasn't India got terror accused like Sadhvi Pragya too?
In my view, inviting Imran Khan to tonight's swearing-in ceremony would have been good for peace in the region. There should be one policy to deal with Pakistan — at times, the Prime Minister of India goes uninvited to Pakistan, he makes surprise visits — then, all of a sudden, we are not talking. There should be some sort of consistent policy to deal with Pakistan, given the gesture which Imran Khan showed over Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.
Jamling Tenzing Norgay: Jams choke Mt Everest. But these people aren't true climbers. They want heaters on the peak
The craze to conquer Mount Everest, and the glory which comes with it, is definitely tempting adventurers around the world. Today, the Everest can be scaled by anyone who wants to climb it — and not by the best mountaineers. Since 1922, till date in fact, 307 people have died climbing the Everest — this year itself, 10, including two Indians, have perished. Anjali Kulkarni had trained for six years to make it to the top of Mount Everest, the highest mountain peak in the world.
Why Rahul Gandhi should go: Congress netas should accept his resignation instead of selfishly clinging
After the Congress party’s complete debacle in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, all eyes were on Rahul Gandhi who had led the party's charge against Narendra Modi's BJP. The party was whitewashed in the General Elections 2019, getting only 55 seats.
Pad Women of Daula! Meet the women of a small Haryana hamlet who are bringing about a menstrual hygiene revolution
A group of women staying in Daula and Jhamwas villages in Haryana have decided to bring about a sanitary pad revolution. They were successful even with limited resources and started a campaign to change women’s thinking during the days they undergo menstruation. To start off, the rural women put up a sanitary napkin manufacturing machine unit in Daula with the help of an NGO.
Anupam Kher: Stop scare-mongering on Modi and freedom! If you're talking so much of 'freedom of expression', you do have it!
On BJP’s mandate; It’s actually the people's mandate. But I feel it is also reflective of the disconnect which the opposition had with the people and the connect the BJP had on ground level. It is a victory of delivering what is promised, in terms of development and it is also making people feel aspirational.
Two sad states of our democracy: Atishi vs Sadhvi Pragya Thakur
This is truly the sad state of Indian elections. On the one side, we have Pragya Thakur, an accused in the infamous Malegaon blast case, who has not been acquitted, soon going to Parliament —and on the other, Atishi, a candidate who was responsible for changing the education system in Delhi, not going to Parliament. Sadhvi Pragya was elected by over three lakh votes.
Shazia Ilmi: This huge victory could not have happened, if 40 out of 80 Muslim-dominated areas had not voted BJP
On silent voters who voted for BJP; First of all, I totally agree, there have been plenty of such persons. Muslims and young voters have voted for good governance. The overall theme of the elections was pro-governance, pro-development against dynastic politics, casteism and negativity. Others ran a very negative campaign of defeating PM Modi — what has worked for Modi ji was this whole thing of instilling confidence in every Indian to do better.
Lord Meghnad Desai: I always doubted the data! How can an economy growing at 7% have the highest unemployment in 46 years?
On Rahul Gandhi losing Amethi — and Smriti Irani winning it; For five years, Smriti Irani was a regular presence in Amethi. She got infrastructure investment done, which improved local lives. She got the money for projects. Rahul Gandhi doesn’t even go to Amethi, he has agents and so on there — but in modern politics, hard work pays. I would say Rahul’s position is now in jeopardy because a Congress president who does not have Amethi has been humiliated — Wayanad doesn’t matter.
Kapil Dev: 'Sourav Ganguly changed Indian cricket. But you don't need only aggression to power your game'
Growing up in Delhi during the 1980s, if you played gully cricket or enjoyed the sport in a nearby park, well, you would, like me, still remember onlookers saying, "Aaram se khelo, sab Kapil Dev banna chahte hain!" (Play slowly, everyone wants to become Kapil Dev). This craze for the game swept the country when Kapil Dev, captain of the Indian cricket team of 1983, lifted the country’s first World Cup. Kapil Dev, in Gurugram recently for an event, took time to speak with DailyO.
Abhijit Banerjee: 'NYAY disrupted obsession with Pulwama. Its funding's debated. But we're undertaxed compared to China'
Is Nyay a game changer? I don’t know whether it's a game changer or not. That, the results may tell. But it was something that grabbed people’s attention — and disrupted the obsession with Pulwama. Why not empower people with proper educations and jobs? Why a dole? Two reasons. First, our state-driven efforts to provide health and education have not actually been roaring successes so far, and not primarily for lack of resources.
Swara Bhasker: 'BJP's Hindutva polarises, talks of war between Hindus-Muslims. It's getting harder for other parties to escape Hindutva'
Saturday afternoon — with temperatures soaring above 41 degrees — I found my way across the ever so big JNU campus in Delhi. Apparently, the moment I entered JNU, the electricity exited and little did my colleague and I know, so did apparently some chances of a much anticipated interaction. Swara Bhasker's team initially said she would not be able to give us time. We stood our ground though, requesting the famous actor to come out.
An Old Delhi Diary: Residents of the Walled City have a modern voting strategy, one that prioritises development for them
As Delhiites go out on Sunday to get inked, DailyO travels the narrow, buzzing streets of Daryaganj, old Delhi, to get opinions from its locals on this vital election — and its possible swings. What better place to start your journey in the walled city than to go past Golcha Cinema. After demonetisation, the single-screen hall was never able to recover and closed down within a month of the move. Golcha completed its diamond jubilee in 2014, having opened in 1954 with the release of Sant Kabir.
Manish Sisodia: Congress is tired, no one trusts it. Its thinking, like Sheila Dikshit on Nirbhaya, made Delhi turn away
Two AAP supporters were putting up posters where the padh yatra of Manish Sisodia was about to start at Khichripur in East Delhi. At 7:30 AM, a dozen supporters gathered with dhols and speaker-songs like ‘Abki baar, purna raj’ (This time, full statehood) were being played. Unlike politicians who are never on time at their rallies, Manish Sisodia had come punctually, with a few supporters and zero security, to start his padh yatra.
Prakash Raj: Just like BJP, Congress also doesn't want secular voices. There is only one vision for India now
Sitting back on a couch with his feet crossed, he held my phone as the conversation had to be recorded. “No need to keep the phone on the sofa, I will hold it,” said Raj. The Dabangg 2 villain is taking on the political establishment that he holds guilty of neglecting the ordinary citizen for too long. After spending Sunday evening with JNU students, Prakash Raj looked tired but was more than happy to speak about issues which he feels need to reach the common man.
PA Fazal Gafoor: Why I banned face veils for Muslim women on my campuses
Why we banned the burqa Ours is a 52-year-old Muslim social organisation. We run 35 colleges and 72 schools, with 10,000 staff and one lakh students. There are more than two lakh people involved in the entire set-up. And we never supported this kind of veiling activity, in fact, indirectly, we routinely discouraged it. I have never believed in it. The whole issue came to the fore when an MBBS student came, wearing the face veil last year.
Kanhaiya Kumar: 'I don't regret being called 'Tukde tukde gang'. BJP's breaking the country on religion. Anyone who opposes them is called 'Tukde tukde gang'
Q. There is criticism that your supporters are all 'champagne socialists' and were basically doing poverty tourism in Begusarai — your thoughts? Media has reported that when I had gone to file my nomination papers, there was a 12 km rally with me. In JNU, there are 8,000 students — amongst them, there's ABVP and other parties too. Even if all of JNU comes here, still the nomination rally wouldn’t have been this much. If I have some outside support, why is BJP so terrified?
Taha Siddiqui: 'India hit JeM in Balakot, forced China to change Masood Azhar stand. Imran Khan's a puppet PM. If Jaish is touched, there'll be a backlash'
Q. Why is this ban on Masood Azhar important? Well, he has been designated as a global terrorist by the United Nations after China lifted its reservations on him. So, in that sense, his being labeled a global terrorist by the UN sends a strong message from the global community that Jaish-e-Mohammed — which is a banned organisation but continues to operate in Pakistan — and its leadership like Masood Azhar, which continues to operate in Pakistan, there needs to be action against them now.
Amar Singh: 'Priyanka is definitely better than Rahul Gandhi. But I know the next PM is Modi, Modi and only Modi'
Q. What do you have to say about the SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh? As the elections are moving into their last phase, many things are coming forward. Look, there are 20 years of fights between them. Their workers are not used to co-existing together. Yadavs don’t vote for non-Yadavs particularly, Muslims always say that Yadavs don’t vote for us. For Mayawati, her vote is 100% transferable, her voter is mostly illiterate, they are used to seeing the elephant as their election symbol.
Sanjay Raut: 'Shiv Sena is a national party now. And we think burqa should be banned in the interests of national security'
Q. Shiv Sena has said that a burqa ban in public places is a necessity — why? The decision which has been taken by the Sri Lankan president after the terrorist attacks there is linked to this — they have banned the burqa in public places. The same threat is here with India. This issue is not about anyone’s religion but is concerned with national security. France, Belgium, other countries have banned burqa because they are under threat of terror. Who are these terrorists? From where they do come?
Misa Bharti, RJD: 'Lalu Prasad is an ideology. They called his govt 'jungle raj'. But what happened in Muzaffarpur Girls Home under Nitish Kumar?'
Q. Balakot air-strike was fake, reportedly says your sister and Lalu Yadav's daughter, Anushka Yadav. What’s your view? I have not seen where she has said it or not. All political parties, including Congress and RJD, are together if anyone sees India with a bad intent. We are only raising questions. The air-strikes which took place was all fine — NDA says that 300 mobiles were there and the exact number of terrorists were killed. How did you count them?
Moon Moon Sen: 'I knew I'd get a Marie Antoinette image after I said 'bed tea'. But I also know Asansol will be won by TMC'
Q. People say you deliberately mentioned 'bed tea' to divert attention from the attack on Babul Supriyo to yourself. Is that true? No — I really came down very late. There is always press in the lobby. I don’t want to be the subject of controversy, so when they asked me about the riots that morning, I truthfully said: ‘I don’t know’ and I didn’t want to tell them more than that. The truth was that I was late with my tea and I just ran down and I don’t know about the riots.
Udit Raj: 'BJP is run by two people, the rest are clerks. The party wants slaves. If you raise your voice, you're attacked'
Q. You left the BJP because you were not given a ticket — now, the Congress hasn't fielded you. Isn't this a loss for you? No, what happened is that I had a give-and-take relationship with the BJP. They encouraged my support all over the country and gave me a ticket to fight elections. Now, I have withdrawn my support — and they have taken away the ticket. This has been a no-loss situation for me. I myself volunteered to Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi that I will campaign — not fight elections.
Chandra Kumar Bose: 'Mamata Banerjee's TMC has a 'jihadi bahini' to attack opponents. But she's facing a Modi volcano in Bengal now'
Q. The BJP MP from Asansol, Babul Supriyo’s car was vandalised — what’s your view on this? In West Bengal, we have autocratic rule. They are using the police force as the morcha of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) — apparently they have ‘jihadi bahini’, a group of boys, I've heard, who are trained to kill and attack. I was attacked on the 24th of this month, I was going with my party workers to the Election Commission office to file my nomination papers.
Ajay Rai: 'Congress chose me to fight Narendra Modi in Varanasi. If Priyanka Gandhi had fought, she would have won against him'
Q. What are your chances contesting against Prime Minister Narendra Modi? Last time, Narendra Modi won the elections by giving big promises, so people actually pinned their hopes in him and they thought that some development work will be done. Unfortunately, nothing of that sort happened in the city. The type of work which should have been done in Varanasi, considering it is the PM’s constituency, well, nothing has taken place. For sure, I will defeat Modi. Q.
Atishi: 'BJP is not coming back to power. There will be a coalition and AAP will support any govt that gives Delhi full statehood'
Q. Congress corruption was AAP’s main plank to power — yet, AAP wanted an alliance with the Congress. Doesn't it show a desperation for power? AAP’s rise definitely happened against Congress’ corruption — but today, if you see Narendra Modi and Amit Shah’s government which has been running for the last five years, in my view, corruption has not reduced. I think the Rafale deal is perhaps one of the biggest instances.
Vijender Singh: 'Narendra Modi said he'd fight black money. But his govt's Rs 2000 note made it easy to carry black money!'
Q. Do you feel that the BJP has an advantage given that an alliance between AAP and Congress has not taken place? No, I don’t believe this. The mask which the BJP had worn during the 2014 elections has completely been thrown out. When I meet people, they say at least someone new has come to us who will bring about a change. The amount of lies the BJP has said, no one can compare in India’s political history. Q. Why did you join Congress?
Shalini Yadav: 'PM Modi should lose in Varanasi. It's overflowing with garbage, people don't even have drinking water'
Samajwadi Party fielded Shalini Yadav from Varanasi parliamentary constituency against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She is the daughter-in-law of former Rajya Sabha Deputy chairperson Shyam Lal Yadav. Yadav spoke with Rohit E David on fighting against Prime Minister, if Priyanka Gandhi contests from Varanasi and her chances in this battle. Q. You're up against PM Modi in Varanasi. Is the Samajwadi Party making you a scapegoat? Do you really think so? As a newcomer, I have joined politics recently.
'Congress speak of ideological change. But it uses Raj Thackeray for its cause. Doesn’t it show lack of leadership in Maharashtra?
Q. Why did you leave the Congress now? You have could have done so when the election period was over? I could have left it after that or before the elections began. This is the question of why now, why in the middle of something, why not before when I was denied a ticket — the so-called reason for me leaving the Congress. I could easily have hopped onto another ship, got a nomination and moved on — but the point wasn’t that. The entire issue came up during the middle of the election.
Major General GD Bakshi (retd): 'Is it wrong to honour India's old soldiers? Vistara did a nice gesture. I wish they hadn't buckled under the virulent army-hating voices'
Q. What exactly happened when you travelled by Vistara? Was it a nice experience? Were you surprised by their tweet — and then, by the backlash? This is amazing. I had gone for a corporate lecture to Raipur and I had taken Vistara. I find them a very nice airlines. I generally prefer to go by them.
Arif Mohammad Khan: 'After politics, people will see the importance of Triple Talak Law and thank Modi for it, Nehru too would be pleased with Modi'
Q. What is your view on the condition of Indian secularism today? Secularism as an idea with anti-religion overtones is a western concept — in India, our founding fathers repeatedly made it clear that our secularism is rooted in the ancient Indian way of life that is ‘Ekam Sad Vipra Bahudha Vadanti’: the truth is one and it is perceived variously. Till about 200 years back, societies world over did not encourage or promote pluralism — on the other hand, India has always been a diverse society.
Poonam Sinha: 'Rajnath Singh has not done any work in Lucknow over the last five years. Everywhere I go, people are praising Akhilesh Yadav'
Q. Can you tell us why you joined the SP — not the Congress? I liked what I read about Akhilesh Yadav and I think he is a wonderful youth icon and the future of the country. The kind of work he has done is so great — at such a young age at that. He is, of course, an educated politician, and he is thinking progressively. I thought it was only right that I get into good hands. The Congress did not offer me a chance to join the party. Q.
Nisar Ahmed Bilal: 'My son, just 20, died in Malegaon's blast. My entire area is angry at Sadhvi Pragya contesting. I've appealed. I'm not afraid of anyone now'
Q. What exactly happened with your family in the Malegaon case? Please share with us. My son worked in a local shop here — when the blast took place, he was on his way to offer prayers in the mosque. Our family has not come to terms with the Malegaon blast in all these years. Every day, we die a little as the accused is roaming around freely. Our life now revolves around home, work and the Bombay court. I appeal to the government and judiciary to give us justice.
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