India’s simmering telecom scandal has already dented the reputation of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Now, it may soon inflict some political damage to Singh’s Congress Party. At stake is the party’s alliance with a regional partner, the DMK, led for the last 40 years by the charismatic poet-politician M. Karunanidhi. With …
India
How Not to Arrive at an Indian Wedding
Ah, the perils of oneupsmanship. Kanwar Singh Tanwar was hosting a reception to honor his son’s wedding this week, and the main event was to be the arrival of a helicopter, a thoughtful little wedding present from the bride’s parents. This was not just any helicopter—of the kind that nouveau-riche farmers might merely rent to arrive at …
India’s Budget: Trying to Please All of the People, All of the Time
I can remember a time not so long ago when journalists covered the unveiling of India’s annual budget using the classic “man on the street” interview. Farmers, housewives, shopkeepers and students all got their say on the government’s latest set of subsidies, taxes and signals about the country’s financial and political …
India’s Cricket World Cup Ticket Woes
The closely watched cricket World Cup matchup between India and England ended in a draw yesterday — the English batsmen, led by a dominant Andrew Strauss, almost got the better of the lackluster Indian bowlers — but I couldn’t keep my eyes off the stands. I wanted to know, who were those lucky people who managed to get …
How India Views the Raymond Davis Case
It has been fascinating to watch New Delhi’s reaction to the Raymond Davis case. For all the unknowns about the CIA’s contracted spy detained in Lahore on murder charges, Davis’ arrest, the U.S. reaction and the furious Pakistani backlash seem to have made it plain that the relationship between the CIA and ISI is broken, as Kathy …
What to Expect When Sarah Palin Goes to India
Sarah Palin is going to India next month to speak at the 10th annual India Today Conclave, a high profile talk shop of “global thought leaders” hosted in the Indian capital by one of the country’s leading magazines (its cover design is conspicuously similar to another newsweekly with a red border). Palin will be speaking alongside …
A New Turn in India’s War Against the Naxals?
A kidnapping drama is the latest twist in Operation Green Hunt, India’s 16-month-old fight against Maoist rebels, called Naxals. On Feb. 16, R. Vineel Krishna, the collector of Malkangiri District in the eastern state of Orissa, and a junior engineer were taken hostage by Naxals seeking the release of several of their comrades, among …