Questions for the Sphinx
"What walks on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and on three legs at dusk?" was the famous question posed by the Sphinx. The answer was Man. A modern Sphinx may pose a more contemporary question: "What stands on its feet in the morning, sinks to its knees by noon, and crawls abjectly on its belly at dusk?" The answer is a Congressman.
A dangerous move
Prime Minister I.K. Gujral's nod to the Delhi Administration's proposal seeking compulsory registration of all residents of the Union Territory of Delhi is shocking. The move infringes upon citizens' fundamental right to "move freely throughout the territory of India".
The economics of false philanthropy
Watched some dhotiwallahs and topiwallahs arguing on TV as to which party was most "pro-poor". They all seem to want to help our unfortunate fellow-citizens. But what do they give the poor, and what do the poor really need?
Stretched-out poll
The four-stage Lok Sabha poll leaves an unprecedented gap of three weeks from the start of polling to the start of counting. Apart from prolonging the agony of candidates and the general uncertainty, this schedule demands extra precautions for the safekeeping of ballot boxes. Is this stretched-out polling entirely necessary?
A tiffin carrier for U Thant
It was past nine in the evening and most citizens of Delhi -- a city that has traditionally disapproved of keeping late hours -- were getting ready to retire when the phone in No 1, Feroze Shah Road, a MP's quarter in New Delhi, began to ring.
"Should I run away everytime I see Advani?"
One of the most controversial figures in the Congress Party today is its vice-president Jitendra Prasada. He triggered off the ruckus on the Jain Commission interim report. Prasada, 60, sought the tabling of the report in Parliament, a seemingly innocuous demand which was to launch an avalanche of events which ultimately brought down the Gujral Government.
