If Muslim groups are opposing Surya Namaskar, the government is partly to blame

Many groups feel under siege due to the words and actions of the BJP. If they feel provoked by the International Yoga Day, we should not be surprised.

Aakar Patel

· Jun 15, 2015 · 09:15 am

Tendulkar, Ganguly and Laxman: BCCI keeps its players close but its possible critics closer

Why did the Indian cricket board ask the three recently retired batting greats to act as ‘advisors’? One guess: it’s not to take suggestions on reforms.

Aakar Patel

· Jun 08, 2015 · 09:00 am

Instead of resorting to bluster, Manohar Parrikar should get Indian military a big stick

The defence minister broke his oath as minister when he bragged, as it were, about officially using terrorists to neutralise terrorists.

Aakar Patel

· Jun 01, 2015 · 09:00 am

Modi doesn’t understand what Gandhi did: cultural change can’t come only through legislation

To empower Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the government has introduced spot fines for littering. Will this work? Experience says not.

Aakar Patel

· May 25, 2015 · 09:05 am

Why did the Supreme Court place restrictions on government ads?

The court largely didn't have any problem with the ads. Why then did it limit the individuals whose photographs can be carried in them?

Aakar Patel

· May 18, 2015 · 09:05 am

Bollywood supported Salman because its parasitic star system demands absolute loyalty

A few men’s box office clout has accorded them disproportionate power in the Hindi film industry.

Aakar Patel

· May 11, 2015 · 09:15 am

What do Aamir, Salman and Shah Rukh Khan tell us about Hindu-Muslim tolerance in India?

Unless manipulated, Indians are tolerant of all faiths.

Aakar Patel

· May 04, 2015 · 10:30 am

Modi government can no longer pass the blame – it is equally responsible for farmer suicides

A year after it targeted the Congress over farmers’ deaths, the BJP doesn’t want the issue to be ‘politicised’.

Aakar Patel

· Apr 27, 2015 · 09:15 am

A Kashmiri separatist has shown up the immaturity of India’s mainstream

The reaction to 'flagman' Masarat Alam has been over-the-top and entirely excessive.

Aakar Patel

· Apr 20, 2015 · 09:15 am

Encounter killings: Middle-class India doesn't care about either blue-collar workers or Muslims

The media accepts a certain level of police abuse, so long as it doesn't concern its target group of readers or viewers.

Aakar Patel

· Apr 12, 2015 · 09:15 am

Most extremists in India are not Muslim – they are Hindu

The media has misleadingly conflated terrorism with Islam. But don't expect Narendra Modi or his ministers to clear up such misconceptions.

Aakar Patel

· Apr 06, 2015 · 09:05 am

Was Lee Kuan Yew’s autocratic rule the only reason for Singapore’s success?

Lee’s administration was honest and disciplined. But it also had many other things going for it.

Aakar Patel

· Mar 30, 2015 · 05:30 pm