Asian Lite News Archive

Category: Lite Blogs

  • I AM IN PAIN BUT NO ONE CARES

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    BY BIKRAM VOHRA It is true. There are some ailments that get you no sympathy. Take migraine. It is one of those awful afflictions that leave you hating the world but all everyone can say is, cheer up. Cheer up, cheer up, you want to curl up and close out even a sliver of light…

  • A political football called migration

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    It is the political football that is migration or more to the point immigration, as we are the offspring of….says YZ Patel Always the first, second , third , fourth and fifth topic to be discussed on Question Time on every show. It’s a obstreperous subject for most of us as without it we wouldn’t…

  • Sidhu does shadow boxing

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    By Jaideep Sarin   In the last couple of months, the “time-tested” ruling alliance of the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is feeling the strain, forcing senior leaders from both sides to step in and claim that all is well. Both sides have indulged in shadow-boxing in recent weeks with the centrepiece…

  • WHAT A SPOOKY WEEK

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    BY BIKRAM VOHRA Three nights ago a college friend was murdered. Last night in Goa a kid I used to know thirty years ago crashed his bike and is in ICU. We watched him grow up, a guy with huge talent. This is a spooky week. Hope he gets out of it fast. And then…

  • FIVE FAITHS, ONE JOURNEY

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    Sherry Ashworth shares her experience of recent visit to Brussels There’s no doubt about it – religion has a bad press.  I don’t even have to quote examples to prove this – just pick up any newspaper, read any website, and the accusations and stereotypes are all there.  Religion causes war.  It sanctions extremism. It’s…

  • The Four Musketeers: Khamenei, Bibi, Putin and Erdogan

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    By Alon Ben-Meir,  professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU   As it happened, Ali Khamenei, Benjamin Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan were all walking in one of the UN’s corridors. To show that he is just an ordinary human being and a humble man, Khamenei shouted, ‘hey Vladimir, Tayyip, Bibi,…

  • A cradle which saved 100 female infants

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    Gaurav Sharm reports on a cradle at Udaipur, in Indian state of Rajasthan, which saved over 100 female infants  Nearly three years ago, Radha, an infant then, was found lying in thorny bushes in Rajasthan’s Pratapgarh district. The palm-sized girl child was badly bruised and almost dead. Today, Radha is a chirpy curly-haired girl with…

  • CURRENCY CORNER- Indian Equity Bulls

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    Indian equity bulls shouldn’t anticipate further crude price decline … reports Vatsal Srivastava  Oil is in a bear market. Over the past few months, both major crude benchmarks – Brent and Western Texas Intermediate (WTI) – have corrected by over 25-30 percent from their 2014 peak. Interestingly, and as it often happens in the financial markets,…

  • STAFF MEETINGS: ROUND TABLE KILLERS

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    BY BIKRAM VOHRA Have you ever met one of those people who sits at the staff meetings and starts off by saying, can I be frank? No, please tell us some fibs. Actually, on second thoughts, leave the candour, just dump some deceit on us. Be frank? Are you crazy, this is a staff meeting,…

  • ANALYSIS: 6 months of Modi Rule

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    Right noises on economy, time for action…says Arvind Padmanabhan by analysing the  six months of Modi rule An area that evoked much expectation from the people when the Narendra Modi-led majority government took the reins over six months ago was economic revival, as it was seen as spurring growth, creating jobs, stabilizing prices and boosting incomes.…

  • The Fall Of The Would-Be Emperor

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    Erdogan never missed an opportunity to show off how much the ‘new’ Turkish Republic, as the successor of the Ottoman Empire, has achieved and how its importance has grown because of its geostrategic location, economic development, status as an energy hub, and unrivaled military prowess in the region…writes Dr. Alon Ben-Meir, a professor of international relations…

  • Is there any justice for Vishal ?

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    Vishal Mehrotra, son of Vishambar Mehrotra – a former solicitor and now retired magistrate, was abducted in 1981 when he was 8. He was allegedly murdered by the Westminster VIP Paedophile ring. This information given to Vishal’s father by a male prostitute who frequented the infamous Elm House establishment…writes YZ Patel A day when the…

  • BEING WANTED BY ALL THESE LOVELY GIRLS

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    BY BIKRAM VOHRA Since we all live in the ether and invade each other’s privacy with less tact than Attila the Hun I am hereby informing all those stranger girls who write to me on the Net to desist. It is a futile exercise. I am not available even to Ivana who has a daisy…

  • Dice loaded in favour of Kashmir Valley

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    By Vijay Kranti Probably the Jammu and Kashmir assembly in India is the only elected house in the world which keeps 24 of its seats vacant in the name of one of its erstwhile regions that is now disputed territory — what is known as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir or PoK. That is why voters in the…

  • The other wall that fell with Berlin Wall

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      By Rajendra Shende The Montreal Protocol’s entry into force gave birth to the freedom from yet another Iron Curtain. ‘Wall of Shame!’ moaned the Western proponents of freedom to describe 155 km of Berlin Wall that finally came down Nov 9, 1989. The architects of the Wall, however, called it ‘anti-fascist protection’, built to…

  • VEGETARIAN: THE SAGA OF THE POTATO CUTLET

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    BY BIKRAM VOHRA The trouble with all these very swank restaurants is that if you are a vegetarian they simply collapse and cannot do anything more imaginative than slam a plate with three potato cutlets on it in front of you. One would imagine all those chefs (sous and semi-sous) winning gold medals by the…

  • Tendulkar’s New Zealand connection

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    By Radhika Bhirani  Nestled in Waipawa, a small town in Hawke’s Bay in North Island, a region famous for its wines, James Laver has been carving many a cricketing dream – literally! With two decades’ experience in making customised bats and a clientele of greats like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Brian Lara, the master…

  • Saeedi Naqvi on secular politics in India

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    Can Owaisis give their politics a non-sectarian twist?…asks  Saeed Naqvi  Unlike the Aam Aadmi Party which overestimated its potential after an outstanding debut in Delhi, the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) led by Asaduddin and Akbaruddin Owaisi is expanding cautiously. During recent state elections in Maharashtra, they ventured outside the confines of Hyderabad. They made measured forays in…

  • Indian reforms at stake

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    BJP-Congress tension will hurt reforms…writes  Amulya Ganguli It has long been said that the economic reforms are irreversible. Moreover, the Left claims that both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress are on the same page on this subject since they both pursue what the Communists call “neo-liberal” policies. Yet, there are complications. As was…

  • OH, JUST GIVE ME THE NUMBER!

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    Daily Dose by Bikram Vohra Do you agree that everyone has a mobile phone? Some have three, like little trophies aligned to make them feel important. And you also accept that scarcely anyone uses the landline anymore. It is there but you really do not use it like you used to at one time. So,…

  • INTROSPECTION by YZ Patel

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    YZ Patel taking a break to introspect the state of affairs we are in A fireworks display. Nothing out of the ordinary then.  There are hundreds throughout the country. A special significance about this one? More expensive pyrotechnics? More events surrounding it? Somebody from The only way is Essex turning up? Going on all night?…

  • The Fallacy Of The Gaza Withdrawal

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    Dr. Alon Ben-Meir, a professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU, comments on the latest developments at the Holy land The Netanyahu government has forcefully and consistently promulgated the notion that Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, its subsequent takeover by Hamas, and the violence emanating from it strongly suggest that…

  • A political double act with Nehru

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    By Prashant Sood  It is a celebration of Nehru in an era of Modi and politIcal tensions are visible. The 125th birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, on Nov 14 has already sparked a political face-off with Congress seeking to resurrect his legacy as its chief custodian and the Narendra Modi government…

  • UN gets India’s help

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    India pledges over $9 mn for UN development activities…reports Arul Louis  Although India says it “has its own plate full of developmental challenges”, it pledged contributions of over $9.2 million for UN development activities in 2015. Announcing the pledges earmarked for 13 programmes , Prakash Gupta of India’s UN Mission, said: “As a developing country, while…

  • Where hills and neighbours miss Vajpayee

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    By Vishal Gulati   Residents of this picturesque village are missing a gentleman politician who built a cottage here hoping to spend time amid apple and walnut trees before illness gripped him: Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The tastefully built house in typical hill architecture is located on the banks of the Beas river, on the Manali-Naggar road.…

  • To wear or not to wear the poppy

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    We are seeing and will see the poppy on our screens big and small on the football grounds on the pitch and off the pitch on the streets everywhere we go somebody will be wearing a form of the poppy…writes YZ Patel To understand a symbol any symbol we first need to analyse it’s lineage…

  • Sajid Javid our Obama?

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    When you do research into the reasons why Obama is where he is and although Javid panders to the indigenous by simply his innoxious demeanour to race and religion where he proclaims sometimes to be of no faith, sometimes of all faiths being the same…writes YZ Patel Much has been written about our non practising…

  • When winners are sometimes the losers

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    By Nury Vittachi  I had a teacher who used to wake us up by shouting: “The early bird gets the worm.” Let him have the worm. I hate food that doesn’t stay still on your plate. Besides, I stopped eating worms at the age of three, switching to regular breakfasts of frosted cereal, to which…

  • Blame Bibi for the new crisis

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    Dr. Alon Ben-Meir, a professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU, comments on the new security situation in the Middle East As Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu aka Bibi has consistently invoked his solemn duty to protect Israel’s national security. Ironically, he has become the single most reckless individual who is…

  • US Asia pivot and its Indian objectives

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      As US President Barack Obama prepares to attend the ASEAN and East Asia Summit next week in Myanmar, a leading US strategic expert feels that if the Obama government is serious about its “rebalance to Asia” then it should take advantage of the convergence between what the US would want to achieve and India’s…

  • How to chequemate your creditor?

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     Nury Vittachi shares his expertise to chequemate your creditors Cheques are dying out, a report says. This is a tragic loss of an ancient Asian invention – so I learned from the new Museum of Accountancy in India. That country invented that form of promissory note way back in the Mauryan period (321 to 185 BC), when…

  • Saeed Naqvi on Owaisi Brothers

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    Saeed Naqvi asks: Do the Owaisi brothers have a pan India potential?     The two successes of the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) of Hyderabad in assembly elections in Maharashtra may not affect government formation in Mumbai but reverberations will be felt in the nation’s politics for a long time. Victories in Aurangabad and Byculla were awesome, of…

  • How to name your film?

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    Southern cinema: Popular dialogues, songs inspire film titles…writes Haricharan Pudipeddi  A film’s title is the first step in grabbing a viewer’s attention much before it hits the screens. And more attention is guaranteed when a popular film dialogue or a line from a chartbuster song becomes the title of a movie. That’s just what a slew…

  • Why Modi-bashers are so frightfully busy?

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    Daily Dose by Bikram Vohra After deep and introspective study, I have finally figured out why Modi-bashers are so frightfully busy. He is not playing the game according to the rules.  There you are, that is an incandescent distillation of my research. Who does he think he is, the BCCI? Not being a team player…

  • An assassination recalled

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    By Tarun Basu  Thirty years later, the 90-year-old doctor remembers the event as if it was just the other day. “I had left after chatting with her, like I used to do every morning after a routine check-up,” said Dr K.P. Mathur, of his patient of 18 years, prime minister Indira Gandhi. “But within 20…

  • Goa varsity seeks help of ex-students

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    Goa varsity launches mammoth survey, wants alumni to rate performance … Mayabhushan Nagvenkar  In a role reversal of sorts, Goa University wants its alumni to rate and evaluate its performance and the quality of education it has offered them. Founded in 1985, the university, in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), has launched an…

  • Life in Hong Kong’s protest Village

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    Isabel Fueyo spent a month at the epicentre of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement   A month after the pro-democracy movement of Hong Kong began with the peaceful occupation of city streets, the daily life of one of the areas has been enriched by the ingenuity of protesters who have converted the area into a self-sustaining settlement. This…

  • How culture affects physiology?

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    People who are born in aggressive environments may pass on traits that make it more likely for future generations to react to certain situations in a violent manner, found a research, underscoring how culture could affect biology. Biology is affected by culture just as culture is changed by human biology, the researchers noted. “These changes,…

  • US urged to lift Cuba cargo

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    UN General Assembly again urges US to end Cuba embargo ….reports Arul Louis  The UN General Assembly (UNGA) asked the US to lift its Eisenhower-era embargo against Cuba in a near unanimous vote Tuesday that showed a stark isolation of Washington on the issue. Only Israel voted with the US against the resolution while closest allies like…

  • COMENT: Israel-Hamas Talks

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    Dr. Alon Ben-Meir,  a professor of international relations at the Centre for Global Affairs at NYU, looks into the new development in the Middle East Although the expected resumption of indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Cairo was postponed, it will likely take place in the next few weeks as the two sides appear to seek…

  • THE WAITING GAME

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    Daily Dose By Bikram Vohra It is a sobering thought but people spend as much as thirty percent of their waking hours waiting. That’s all. Just waiting. In queues. With patience and with resignation. Isn’t that incredible? That is nearly as much as we sleep. So, it is a kind of stand-up sleep. I did…

  • The relevance of Dylan Thomas

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    Dylan Thomas: Still a monumental figure 100 years after birth…a special report A century after his birth and six decades after his death, legends still haunt the tragic life of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, whose prolific writing helped knock down the walls between popular literature and that of the elites. Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October…

  • SPECIAL REPORT: Frankfurt Book Fair

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    Winds of change at Frankfurt Book Fair…writes Shobit Arya  “Will you believe me if I said that nothing has changed in the last ten years? It is still about storytelling; we still need to trust each other and look into each other’s eyes. We, in publishing though, like to be scared of the future.” The setting…

  • A bachelor boy’s meteoric rise

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    By Jaideep Sarin    Just about three months ago, a low-profile political leader moved into a rented house, No.216, in New Prem Nagar locality of Haryana’s Karnal town, where he was hardly known. But the occupant of that house now has become the most important person in the state. Having taken oath as the 10th chief…

  • Indian Encounters in Scotland

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    National Museum of Scotland to showcase the works of the Singh Twins – Amrit & Rabindra Kaur Singh A new exhibition Indian Encounters will open at the National Museum of Scotland showcasing a newly commissioned painting Casualty of War, by renowned contemporary British artists The Singh Twins. Alongside the commission, beautifully crafted 19th century jewellery and…

  • Plight of Yazidis by Yaser Yunes

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    To escape IS jihadis, Yazidis hide on Mount Sinjar…writes Yaser Yunes from  Mosul, Iraq Recent inroads by militants of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in Yazidi territory in Iraq have led 2,500 people to seek refuge on Mount Sinjar, which has become a safe haven for the minority Kurdish sect for the second time this year.…

  • SHOOT-OUT IN OTTAWA

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    Nina Grewal,  a Canadian politician of Indian origin in the Conservative Party, shares her experience of the dreadful day in the recent history of Canada When Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was speaking at about 9.30 a.m. Wednesday in a caucus room of parliament, we heard a couple of shots. We were not alarmed as…

  • Modi Tames the Tiger

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    Modi’s success makes BJP a one-man party…Amulya Ganguli Even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is taking its time to select its chief minister for Maharashtra, Narendra Modi is leaving his distinctive mark on political and other fields. In politics, the prime minister has brushed aside the earlier by-poll setbacks by his successes in Maharashtra…

  • Obesity damages liver

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    Shweta Sharma marks World Obesity Day – October 26 – with an informative article. Obesity a leading cause of liver damage  Little did 52-year-old Sheila Joshi (name changed), suffering from obesity-related uncontrolled diabetes know that her condition was leading to a damaged liver. Joshi is not the only one, say health experts, adding that Indians largely…

  • GLOBAL MEDIA: An opportunity for India

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    Collapsing credibility of Western media will create an an opportunity for India…writes  Saeed Naqvi  Even the skeptics now agree that India shall be a power in the Asian century. To insure this rise to the top, India must maximize all its assets. One asset for which it has a reputation is a lively media, a function…