It was really unfortunate to see communal riots in Hyderabad, after a gap of almost two decades. Hyderabad has developed tremendously during the last decade. It has progressed in IT, education, tourism and other economic spheres, including one of the best airports. The death of former Chief Minister Rajasekhar Reddy followed by the political wrangling has weakened the sitting Chief Minister and subsequent Telangana agitation kept the city in turmoil. The current chaos is a pre-med...

A new sort of sex scandal surfaced during last few weeks, with involvement of some self-styled god-men. God-men like Swami Nityanand and Ichhchadhari Baba put out their brand of spirituality, which apparently gives solace to the aggrieved middle and lower middle classes among others. Meera Nanda in her book, The God Market argues that there is an increased religiosity, collusion with the corporate world and the state. In India, a subtle Hindusisation is going on as such an...

The brutal killing of nine police personnel by the Maoists in Orissa on April 4, is a grim reminder that peace and stability, as we hope, cannot be brought to the region so easily. The more we try to press them the stronger they react. So instead of using might, the government should sort out the problem by calling them for negotiation and understand prevention is always better than cure.

I read the obituary of Maulana Hameeduddin Aqil Hussami (Radiance, 21-27 March 2010). He was one of the top Indian Muslims who worked for the betterment of humanity.  He was a very good orator and a very good communicator. I remember his speech which he made at the Islamic Society of Orange County located in the city of Garden Grove, Southern California, during his visit to the US in late 1980s. He also had a very good sense of humour. As he started to speak, he apologised for...