random thoughts

President Trump completed 100 days in office today. This post is not about his achievements or lack of it. He broke a tradition on this occasion and skipped the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner. He chose instead to launch a fresh tirade on the press in America, accusing them of being biased and not giving enough importance to his administration's achievements. The press historically has been an important aspect of a democratic society. It not only informs but provides a forum for debate and discussion. Democracy is all about an informed electorate that relies on an independent press to take decisions. The First Amendment in the US context has provided the journalists to be fearless in their opinions and free from government regulation. From time to time the press has to assert its freedom, especially in the face of a concerted effort to malign and discredit the entire fraternity. The price of freedom, as stated by Thomas Jefferson, is eternal vigil. Hasan Minhaj, se...

Language can unite people but it can also be the cause for division. Nation-states emerged in the European continent with language being one of the primary basis. In the Indian context, after the country became independent, the states were reorganised on the basis of language. To some extent language and culture are interchangeable. Just like in the case of India, Europe speaks over 200 languages. The European Union has recognised 24 official languages for the 28-nation community. All 24 languages are used in the official work of the EU, that means every correspondence/document gets translated into those many languages. English nor German or French for that matter does not have a superior status. The recent developments in India, pertaining to language and Hindi language in particular has many people worried and angered a few others. The bone of contention being the status upgradation given to Hindi in Parliament and in educational institutions. President, PM and other digni...

Sonu Nigam is no doubt a great singer who has enthralled millions with his sweet voice. Now, Sonu has gone and used his Twitter to air his opposition to the use of loudspeakers to call the faithful to the morning prayer. We are all victims of loud religious, social and political actions. But by joining issue on a rather narrow sectarian note, Sonu has stirred a hornet’s nest. The opinion expressed by the singer seems to indicate his communal bias. It is heartening to see film personalities express their social and political views, to take a stand and fight for progressive ideas. The other day I had a chance run-in with Girish Karnad. The eminent writer has made it his life’s goal to fight narrow minds using his pen and voice. Karnad was in the forefront of the campaign to resist any suppression of freedom of expression, especially after the killing of Kalburgi. His views on the general state of dwindling freedom for intellectual dissent in the country are well recorded. Here is...