The day after Eid
The pattern in the kahwa leaves has become a little more heartening. After the All Party Hurriyat Conference's unexpectedly cooperative response to the government's Ramzan ceasefire, chances of the still unilateral truce being extended beyond Eid festivities have automatically brightened.



Lunatic fringe
What, one wonders, was the prime minister's reaction when the text of Bal Thackeray's latest rabble-rousing effort reached his desk. A twinge of guilt followed by exasperation followed by a swift motion consigning the offending text to the dustbin?



Murder in custody?
In his book, Death Be Not Proud, John Gunther describes how cancer devours his only son bit by bit. He tells poignantly about his helplessness. J. Rajmohan Pillai, too, records his helplessness.



Other headlines
The incredible lightness of being
Delhi is doomed, as is any other city
Zones of exclusion