I think democracies, in general, get the kind of governments the people deserve. I say 'in general' because what is generally meant by 'democracy' is the government elected based just on a simple majority –  and not on a proportional representation – but that is a column for another time.

I have written before on the curse that is the caste 'system' in India. What is so outrageous is that caste-based discrimination is still practiced in Tamilnadu - one of the first places in India that woke up to fight this unacceptable 'practice'. The fight was led by 'Periyar' E.V.Ramasamy and was quite effective - up to a point.

Prime Minster P.V. Narasimha Rao: The Scholar and the Statesman

So, finally someone in Congress(I) learned to say the word 'sychophancy'! I wonder why it took them so long when the whole country has been witnessing this phenomenon for god knows how long.

Horizons: The Tata-India Century, 1904-2004

So, it's official now - Land Rover and Jaguar are now brands owned by Tata Motors. That's great news from an Indian perspective. Something to be proud of, no doubt. The Tatas were the best among the potential suitors for these brands - they have been pioneers in India, and their work ethic, labour standards and work culture have been far, far ahead of the times.

I used to have great respect and admiration for 'The Hindu' newspaper and its other publications such as Frontline and Sportstar.

I know it sounds too damned far-fetched and unthinkable that India could ever become a Germany or an Italy during the early part of the last century. For one thing, the ethos of those societies was completey different from the Indian ethos of respect for freedom, human rights and truth. Well, hold on a minute (I am telling myself this) before lapsing into a fantasy.

Whenever I read news articles and columns, I cannot help wondering where the writer/columnist is coming from. I have become an expert at spotting their biases towards one way or the other. However, some columnists really make it easy - you don't really need to read between the lines to see where they are coming from. A case in point: Dhruba Adhikary from Nepal.

As someone who is against not just caste-based discrimination, but the evil of caste system itself, I find it distressing to follow the rather heated arguments around the 'reservation' issue where quotas to the underprivileged sections of society are involved.

It was very amusing to watch the ruckus around the treatment of Shilpa Shetty in the TV reality show Celebrity Big Brother. Even more amusing is the reaction in India.

I don't know if it's just me who gets terribly annoyed every time I  see the 'in-your-face' ads on many India-related sites such as newspapers...At times it's so irritating that I actually skip the page hoping that the new page would have a different ad...One wonders how much money ICICI is really paying this chap ShahRukh Khan - for doing nothing more than showing up with his pretty face.