Dheeraj Kalgutkar

India is a diverse nation, our strength lies in our unity or so are we told since school but what we are not taught is how this very diversity is time and again exploited by certain elements to sow seeds of hate in the society we live in. Just last week we saw this happening in Delhi where a parking feud spiralled into communal confrontation , a boy went missing (?), a temple was vandalized, quickly came the men with slogans and then there was more. There is a lot to learn from this but I’m quite sure we would not. There is a reason why riots keep happening in India and people who until that day lived shoulder-to-shoulder burn each other’s houses and seek more blood. Until we understand this pattern and intentions behind people who initiate these ghastly crimes, the kind of unknown non-local faces who visit the disturbed towns, we will continue to reel under these riots. India has seen many riots since 1980. Far too many. And one must try to retrace their origins, reasons why ...

Forget ‘How often’, when in history have we seen head-of-the-state sitting on  dharna  for change in his own state? When newspapers and electronic media dubbed AamAadmi Party ‘s rise as ‘history in making’, I personally giggled, for it was mere an entrant cracking exams in first attempt! Where was that‘new’ or ‘alternative’ in it? Yes, the idea of Swaraj (self-rule) which our constitution has laid out already but we never felt it, but then, it was just a talk, a manifesto to woo impatient voters. Such innovative, out-of-the-box manifestos were not new to Indian voters; each new election year, with old promises, we are sold for a few new ones and as-fast-as-that they are forgotten once they start travelling under VIP red beacons. Just as simple as that! Okay, AAP ended the VIP culture with no red beacons and put an end to ‘You-know-who-my-father-is’ dialogue- baazis . This was new for the state but then again, not the one to dub history-in-making,for we already ha...

The largest democracy in the world is all set to celebrate its 66th Independence Day on August 15, but is unfurling tricolor on flag post so high enough to celebrate a country's Independence Day? It wouldn't be surprising for many to hear how people enjoy it as just another day in the list of their jolly holidays! I don't say I do anything very special that you too should practice along but I want everybody at other side to understand the deep meaning of living in an Independent nation. Nor am I in any mood to make you re-listen anything of an excerpt from Independence Day speech that runs in all the schools, colleges and institutions that function in India! Our ears have listened them enough, not anymore right? How Gandhiji , Bhagat Singh , Vallabhbhai Patel , Subhashchandra Bose and many more fought in their own way to present us the merry independence that we all enjoy today! But was this the typical INDEPENDENCE they all fought for? Is this the same India they...

Largest democracy in the whole of this world, yes, you heart it right! Largest democracy! A proud secular nation is all getting ready to celebrate its 66th Independence Day. At many a places tricolors are already decorating shops and busy Indian markets. Goverment offices are all busy painting their old shabby buildings, Ministers and yet to be chief guests are preparing their intolerable speeches, small children at home are already busy reciting National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana. Participants at national parade are practising hard their parade. But what about common people of this over populated nation? Are they doing anything worth mentioning? Yes! To the dismay of every other patriot residing in this country, there are equal or more people who have kept themselves busy in planning programmes for this day - HOLIDAY THEY SAY! Ours is a very unique nation. Look at the history and everybody undoubtedly would find one or the other thing that keeps India out from the bunch ...

TIMES OF INDIA reported as follow: "Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal storms out of fast venue after Ramdev snubs him Jun 3, 2012, 04.00PM IST TNN An angry Kejriwal on Sunday walked out of the joint fast venue of Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev after the yoga guru snubbed him over his comments against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other politicians. NEW DELHI: Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal has stormed out of the venue where Baba Ramdev and Anna Hazare are holding a day-long joint fast here, according to Times Now. Kejriwal walked out of the fast venue after he was virtually snubbed by Baba Ramdev over his comments against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other politicians. During his speech, Kejriwal attacked Singh and his Cabinet colleagues whom Team Anna had accused of indulging in corruption and mentioned the names of Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Jayalalithaa and Mayawati. Soon after Kejriwal finished his speech, Ramdev took the microp...