Column

Election-Time Transfers

By Adv. R. S. Agrawal : The HC has held that the Tribunal was not justified in holding that the transfer orders issued to the concerned police personnel were to remain effective only till the time the elections were held. The orders of transfe..

THE ASIA GAME

At the centre of attention of the powers in other parts of the world wanting to restore their domination, and also witnessing the great internal competition, Asia is at an important juncture of history. How do the Asian nations manage their perceptions about one another as also the Anglospheric countries, will decide the future of the continent’s stability in economy, politics, security, science and technology. If Asian nations can stay united to grow together without being too skeptical or too pliant ..

Gearing up for a better tomorrow

THE lake city of Bhopal is gearing up to host the ensuing Global Investors’ Summit. That the summit is in line with the thinking of the Government of Madhya Pradesh to invite investment to the State, is obvious. But in recent times, Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav, too, has been leading the State’s action from the front, offering a mature vision of the Government’s intent to give Madhya Pradesh a better tomorrow. Moving around Bhopal’s industrial areas -- within the city-limits or outside it -- the ..

Of Nagpur’s confused urban planning

FORTUNATELY, the city of Nagpur still has some localities where commerce has not started dominating the residential landscape. Certain coolness, certain calmness, certain homeliness prevails in the roads and lanes and by-lanes in those areas. There, people move around with a sense of assurance that permeates in a residential neighbourhood where every family is known to every other family...

Of the ocean’s main attribute

THE description of the ocean in the first part of the verse paints a wonderful picture of the ability of the sea to accommodate the incessant flow of waters from all rivers of the globe -- and still remain undisturbed, like the sage who remains unaffected by vagaries and vigours of life ! The rivers -- each river -- rush and flush and gush into the ocean on a non-stop basis, bringing with them the different wash-aways from different lands and terrains that host different people and different cultures ..

Continued Detention

AFTER perusing the contents of the criminal writ petition VickyBharat v. the State of Maharashtra and another along with few dozen similar petitions, the Bombay High Court division bench at Mumbai, consisting of Justice Sarang Kotwal and Justice S. M. Modak, has formed an opinion that issue relates to interpretation of section 50 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (Cr.P.C.).In some of the petitions , the interpretation of sections 41 and 41A of Cr.P.C. is also necessary. The common contention ..

Of failure to distinguish between liberty and liberties in the family

l The concern on the medical doctor’s face was clearly visible. In effect he said, ‘There are really not many families with young children listening to my advice on an austere life-style -- so that the kids learn not to overspend on non-essential things, eat at home, not waste time with their mobile phones, go to bed early and rise early around sunrise time. And because they take my advice lightly, I keep getting young patients with complaints of obesity and almost-totally spoilt gut health. If ..

Decolonising The Mind ! - X

The need is to create a fiercely independent model of Indianisation -- or decolonisation -- of the Indian mind-space. What India needs is the policy of “Look inward” -- that is search the national identity without a contamination of the thought-process by foreign elements..

QUESTION POPULISM

Several announcements clearly fall in the category of freebies or doles. Still, there appears to be a sinister competition among the political parties in this regard. There was a time when the freebies were viewed as something bad and harmful to the progress of the country. That does not appear to be the case now. More saddening is the fact that the people of Delhi, who have voted for the AAP’s previous promises previously, do not appear to realise that doles also come at a cost. ..

Of encroachments of footpaths -- shameless, and helpless !

 By Vijay Phanshikar : THE growth-pangs of the city of Nagpur are visible everywhere -- new buildings, new roads, new bridges, new malls, new markets and on footpaths. The people find countless kilometers of footpaths having been encroached upo..

Time For Indian AI

The emergence of the US and China as top players with their own tech |models gives India a ready template for developing its own AI search engines. The models given by the US and China seek dominance as masters of technology. The thinking stems from their imperialist approach. Both are governed by the ‘Nation-State’ philosophy while India is still a ‘Civilisation-Nation’ always aiming at the good of the larger society. This will be the basic difference between the Indian AI model and the the world’s ..

Of a heightened sense of being

NO DOUBT, a tall order -- from multiple angles ! Yet, it is certainly within the reach of an inspired person who has at least tasted -- and tested -- the power within ! In other -- and spiritual -- words, a heightened sense of being means a more refined self-awareness (beyond the text book) ! This takes one to another level -- absolutely beyond the concept of here and now, as if into an ethereal zone where no definition applies, no dimension exists. A heightened sense of being !! Though that special ..

Of the Constitution -- and the general lack of awareness !

ENGAGING those young people -- about 10-12 college-going boys and girls -- in a conversation about the Constitution of India was a revealing experience, from many angles. In a way, it was also a troubling experience since many of those young people had no idea about the Constitution. Those who happened to know something were also almost equally ill-informed about the great document that offers one of the definitions of what India is or should be. Though many of those young people knew that Dr. Babasaheb ..

REGRESSIVE REFORMS

Given the history of Bangladesh, the riparian nation has seen political instability. It has seen one-party rule, Presidential system, military rule, militarybacked government, caretaker government. Now, Bangladesh’s affairs are being managed by an unelected government. The Constitution, the institutions, the political mind, education system, economy, and foreign relations have all evolved through all these changes. However, with the current round of reforms, it seems that all this cumulative experience ..

Of faith in the thicket of technology

THE 1.5 kilometer stretch of road from the South Ambazari Road at the northern end to the Ring Road at its southern end offers a great mix of cultures -- old and new. A leisurely walk along that stretch at any time during the day or evening reveals something very interesting -- presenting a paradox that is both, entertaining and confusing. But to the sorted out minds, the road offers something to think about in depth -- and benefit from ! Three-fourths of the long road passes through what is known ..

An ode to the kite

FOR the little child across the globe, there may not be anything as enchanting as the kite dancing -- sometimes indolently sometimes violently -- on the breeze ! The child in me has refused to die in all these taxing decades just because long, long ago, a bright red-and-blue-and-white kite had promised to take me into the unknown depths of the sky, floating at the end of the tenuous thread, merrily or morosely -- craning the neck to look beyond and beyond ...! That promise is yet to be fulfilled -- ..

‘Abetment Of Suicide’

IN THE Judgement of the case –Mahendra Awase v. The State of Madhya Pradesh , delivered on January 17, 2025, Justice Abhay S. Oka and Justice K.V. Viswanathan at the Supreme Court , have been quite critical of adoption of very casual approach by the investigating agencies and trial courts by mechanically framing charge of instigating suicide under section 306 of IPC and the Court has called for exercise of great caution and circumspection and not to follow a play it safe syndrome by mechanically framing ..

Of clear benefitsof reading -- booksand newspapers

THIS subject is bound to spring up in public discourse time and again as many people are turning away from reading for reasons never explained satisfactorily. The lamest reason is that they have no time -- given the fast life in modern times in which technology alone rules the roost. That is, of course, the biggest bunkum that one can find. For, if the people spend their near-whole nights with their mobile sets -- spoiling their sleep and eye-sight and health, then it is nonsense to say that they ..

Dr Google Paging

Since the time Internet has made inroads into my life,the one thing that I have learnt is that if you Google something, Google will instantly help youout with almost any query under the Sun.On second thoughts, let’s delete that ‘almost’ and stick to ‘every question, query, doubt’. Google, over a period of time, has turned everyone into a genius. Because Google helps me out at the drop of a hat, it is but natural that I call Google my BFF...

Decolonising The Mind ! - VIII

There is a tendency in the Indian society to think that everything is to be done by the Government. That is unfortunately the most misplaced understanding of what the Government as such can and will be able to do. Factually speaking, it is pointless to expect the politically-oriented minds to do much in this regard -- since they are geared to think only from the point of view of direct or indirect and narrow political gains in five-year time-slots...

BATTLE OF NARRATIVES

Understanding the battle of narratives helps in knowing if something is authentic or not. As various ideologies, political, socio-cultural identities are competing for space, a lot is being invested in this battle these days. Though the attempt of those peddling false narratives has not succeeded beyond creating ripples for a while, its presentation in an easy-to-consume format creates favourable perception in favour of an entity. False or fake narratives pose greater danger in the future than now. ..

Seeking Budget Balm

Today’s India looks heavily inclined towards spending and consumption. The Centre, too, has insisted on it targetting more taxes. But consumption would not create savings as it is last in the chain of that particular economic cycle. The cycle starts with savings and gradually leads to investment which in turn promotes production which finally culminates into consumption...

How much ‘work’ does ‘nation building’ need?

WORK is worship, says an old proverb. It does not, however, specify how long should one worship work. If it was for the God, some moments of earnest prayers and honest collection of good karmas could be enough, I have heard. But this is not about Almighty Boss, it is about ‘the boss’ boss – your boss. Pleasing the boss is not as easy as pleasing the God. Apart from good work it also requires specific hours of work. In absence of divine specifications, these hours of work have been a bone of contention ..

Of the artist’s profound humility

ABSOLUTELY typical mindset of a -- any -- maestro ! You are not the creator of the music. You are not the master of the ‘raga’. You are only a medium through which the music expresses itself. Or, in other words, music chooses you to be its medium -- every music maestro reminds self all along, every waking or sleeping moment. On this count, there is no compromise. True, there are some music masters who are extremely proud of their art, their mastery. Some of them also appear to be extremely arrogant, ..

Of how goonscould be counteredeffectively

WHAT happened at the roadside tea stall that afternoon was truly shocking. Two-three boys -- about 20 years of age -- pushed an old man, possibly in his eighties, to the ground and were about to start punching him when other people intervened. The reason of their angry outburst? Simple. The old man tried to tell them not to smoke since that would spoil their health. The boys got enraged, and wanted to punch sense out of the old man. Watching the scene from a little distance, the loud-thinker, too, ..

‘Untoward Incident’

IN THE judgement of the case- Shri Basir alias Mohd. Ahmed Khan and Mrs Amina Basir Khan v. Union of India through General Manager, Central Railway, CST, Mumbai, delivered on January 8, 2025, Justice Firdosh P. Pooniwalla, at the Bombay High Court in Mumbai has noted that in the light of the evidence, the appellants had clearly discharged the initial burden to show that their deceased son was carrying a valid monthly pass and was a bona fide passenger. Thereafter, the burden shifted to the respondent-Railw..

The Deep State+

The web of unelected persons wielding influence in political dispensation, businesses, power brokers, lobbyists, influencers operating in collusion with gullible officials in the government, may be referred to as the ‘deep state’. However, today the ‘deep state’ runs through security, economy, and technology triad. Besides, there are reasons enough to suspect existence of ‘competing deep states’ with different motivations. The roots of this could be traced to the European imperialism and the Chinese ..

Of the filthy, stinky tale of Bhandewadi

A visit to a celebrated educational institution brought alive sights of ugly mountains of city’s garbage dump yard at Bhandewadi on the eastern outskirts. ‘Mountains’ is the only expression that needs to be used to describe the sight. On several acres, all we see are only mountains of garbage collected from the city’s roads and lanes and by-lanes get added up to the already existing ‘treasure of filth’ on a daily basis. True, some of the accumulated garbage does get disposed of at some intervals. ..

Respect The Fine Line

 By Rahul Dixit : There have been occasions when the executive shied away from controversial decisions and left it to the Supreme Court. In many such cases, hiding behind the judiciary forced the apex court to expand its territory as the legi..

Of a culture with only limiteduse of mobiles

NO MATTER its artistic exaggeration to make a point, a ‘reel’ on the mobile phone is really revealing a sad reality of modern life. It shows a boy who approaches a lawyer to prepare legal papers since he wants to seek a ‘divorce’ from his parents. The reason: There is an undesirable entity that has clouded his relationship with his mother and father -- their mobile sets (with which they remain engrossed all the time -- leaving him bereft of a sense of togetherness between them and him). The parents, ..

Fault in ‘their stars’

It wasn’t too long ago that the social media was flooded with pictures of the ‘very coy’, lovey-dovey couple - Malaika Arora and Arjun Kapoor - flaunting their undying love for each other. Once they made the affair public, for the next six years, the poor public was subjected to ‘the way they inhaled and exhaled, what they ate, how they fed each other, the vacations they spent, the way they held hands’ - it was as if they were the only couple in the world that defined and redefined ‘love’. And then ..

Decolonising The Mind ! - VI

The process of decolonising of the Indian society has to take place first in the mind of individual Indian persons. That should be the core issue that we must address while talking about decolonising of the Indian mind. This is another sort of freedom earning which will give Indian people a true sense of what they actually are. ..

The Marks-ism

There is a difference between ‘scoring marks’ in academics and ‘making a mark’ in life. The ‘marks’ have become so important in today’s patternised education system that it is minting more individuals laced with judgments and opinions than those with equipment of conceptual clarity. The ‘Marks-ism’ is focussing more on creating an army of clones than on allowing space for growth of independent-minded leaders. It is creating a social system that accords more importance to tags than to merit...

Of Bhopal’s fortitude

EVEN as the authorities are engaged as per strict protocol in the work to remove chemical waste from the Union Carbide factory and even as different concerns come up about the disposal, the minds of common Bhopalites dart back to those harrowing hours so many years ago when the city lost hundreds of people in one single night and kept losing many more as days passed due to inhalation of the leaked poisonous gas. Even the lapse of time of four dace has not erased the harrowing memories of one of ..

Of liberty and liberties -- on New Year eve !

 By Vijay Phanshikar THERE is absolutely no need to be judgmental about how people should celebrate New Year -- parties, songs, and also what passes as dance ... ! May everybody have the right to celebrate New Year in any manner. May there..

Blessing In Disguise?

JUST weeks before his inauguration as the President of the United States, Donald Trump’s tantrums are keeping the world guessing. His views are oscillating between surprise and shock, his threats are fluctuating from ridiculous to downright absurd, his decisions are swinging faster than his golf club. And the world is riding this pendulum on fear and prayer. From imposing tariffs to claiming ownership on countries, Trump has riled many with his strange ambitions. One particular issue that has become ..

Of inventing one’s own God !

“Si Dieu n’extait pas, it faudrait l’inventer.” (If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him) - translated into English from French. - François-Marie Arouet Voltaire, French enlightenment philosopher, in an Epistle (long advisory note) to the author of a book that sought to debunk founders of abrahamic religion..

‘Delay Defeats Equity’

IN THE judgment of the case –Shri John Joseph v. Union of India & two others, delivered on December 16, 2024, Justice M S Karnik and Justice Nivedita P Mehta at the Bombay High Court at Goa, have referred to settled principle of law that a litigant who approaches the Court belatedly or in other words sleeps over his rights for a considerable period of time and wakes up from deep slumber ought not to be granted the relief as “delay defeats equity”...

Bandwagon Fallacy

Tendency to conform to even the wrong notions simply because they are popular is detrimental to a nation’s dynamism. Unfortunately, in the era of social media likes and shares, popularity determines merit of an argument and pushes more and more people towards bandwagon fallacies. In such a situation, revival of Classicism becomes all the more important to ensure that a nation ‘grows qualitatively’ and not just ‘swells numerically’. ..

Captives Of The Past

THE evening of 2024 witnessed two episodes in the political domain which passed a profound statement on the general thinking of the overall Indian society. In the chaotic Winter Session of the Parliament, which saw a scuffle between Members of Parliament, police complaints and fierce war or words, the issue at the centre remained the fight over Architect of the Constitution Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar and his legacy. In the social arena, another stormy debate raged over the statement by RSS chief Dr Mohan ..

SILOS OF COMPROMISE

High scores in limited subjects, opportunities in limited domains, awareness restricted to social media without application of the sense of verification, reading confined to trends, ideas tied to narrow identities, learning shackled to popular opinion, are all the signs of humanity leading life in silos of compromise. Though the world around appears to be buzzing with activity, serious lack of well-calibrated purpose is only adding to the noise in which saner voices and those engaged in meaningful ..

Of blackened lips and reddened eyes... ! - II

The expression “blackened lips and reddened eyes” referring to addicted young persons -- men and women -- in the last edition of ‘Footloose in Bhopal’ became a subject of discussion in many groups through-out the week. Many responded to the subject positively, and joined the loosefooter to express a serious concern about the decline of the standard of young conduct (in whatever percentage). This evidence of the social concern of large numbers of people about young people falling prey to addiction ..

Of the baffling 5-star political culture !

 By vijay Phanshikar :  COME winter and the city of Nagpur is assailed by a five-star political culture. For, stepping in winter’s footsteps arrives the Maharashtra Government for the winter session of its legislature -- Ministers, Me..

The Cry Baby

The refusal to accept its defeat is the consequence of a false sense of entitlement that drives the Congress thinking. So, whenever the truth offends, the party leadership lies, and lies, and lies. Every lie the Grand Old Party tells incurs a debt to the truth. Racking up of this debt is set to prove ruinous in the future run for the Congress. Already, there are piling gripes over mismanagement by the Congress top brass among its I.N.D.I bloc partners. ..

Of seeing the whole picture

THIS basic truth is often missed in the humdrum of life. But even a little scratching beneath the surface brings us to its awareness. Of course, Salman Rushdie has talked of a tough reality -- of how one really knows the truth. This is almost universally right -- for if one wants to take a good look at the complete picture, then one must step out of the picture, walk some distance away from it, turn back and then pan one’s eyes from this side to that and up and down to take in the whole scene, the ..

Immunity To Lawyer

The HC has pointed out that it is well accepted principle in law that right to free speech is not an absolute right and one cannot assert existence of this right by levelling reckless utterances, which tantamount to defame another person, as the said person equally has a right of his dignity, which is a part of his fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. ..

HISTORY, CALLED TRADITION

ON R H Y M E & By KARTIK LOKHANDE TRUE CHAMPION T HE United Nations recognising the noted ecologist Dr Madhav Dhananjaya Gadgil with the coveted ‘Champions of the Earth’ award is a matter of pride for all the Indians. Already, many Indians are aware of the seminal work this field naturalist has done. But, a vast majority lost in the information explosion is still untouched by the significance of the work done by this eminent scientist. Probably, that significance will be recognised by generations ..

Of blackened lips and reddened eyes ... ! - II

The expression “blackened lips and reddened eyes” referring to addicted young persons -- men and women -- in the last edition of ‘Footloose in Nagpur’ became a subject of discussion in many groups through-out the week. Many responded to the subject positively, and joined the loosefooter to express a serious concern about the decline of the standard of young conduct (in whatever percentage). This evidence of the social concern of large numbers of people about young people falling prey to addiction ..

Of poetry and prose

WHO would know better than Virginia Woolf the difference between poetry and prose -- or poetry and good prose ? A stark -- and dark -- prose apart, good prose is almost always full of poetic touch, poetic expression, poetic nuances. Many writers of prose excel even while writing technical papers even on sciences. Good prose always flows like a smooth stream, clear and vigorous -- at times calm, at times storm, at times warm, and at times cold. Yet, in whatever form it appears, good prose often offers ..

Dishing Out Unfair Treatment

The expectation from the Licencing Authority or the Authority granting authorisation is to act fairly and to adopt a procedure, which can be said to be ‘fairplay in action’. In one of the judgements, the Supreme Court has held that due observance of the statutory obligations as a part of good administration raises a reasonable or legitimate expectation fair treatment. ..