Yogi's Corner

For once I agree with his observation when Omar Abdullah tweeted “The Army was to be a measure of last resort to be called upon in extreme emergency. Now it seems like it’s the 1st number on the speed dial.”. That indeed is what Army has been reduced to by the present dispensation ever since it took over. Be it spreading of mats for International Yoga Day, clearing garbage leftover by the tourists, cleaning rivers or laying a bridge for Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s cultural extravaganza on Yamuna riverbed and now construction of three foot-over bridges in Mumbai, Army has indeed been on Modi Government’s speed dial. It can’t get any more ridiculous than that. Any number of happy hours Prime Minister Modi shares with troops, on Diwali, can’t justify this blatant misuse of Army on duties which ought to be carried out by those who are employed and paid for the purposes. None grudges employment of Defence Forces in aid to civil authorities during emergencies – natural or manmade- like ...

It is now close to three decades that Kashmiri Pandits (KPs) hounded out of their homes in Kashmir by armed Islamists, masquerading as freedom fighters, have been condemned to live as refugees in their own country. Successive governments often promise to reverse this human tragedy, by ensuring a safe and dignified return of the natives to their homeland, only to forget no sooner promises are made. Since insignificant numbers don't matter in electoral calculus, political and economic empowerment of KPs is not a priority for any party, BJP included. Recently, in reply to an RTI query, Union Home Ministry denied any return-cum-rehabilitation plan for KPs was under its consideration thus reinforcing a long-established neglect of this ethnic group. As this U-turn by the BJP government evoked an instant resentment within the community, brazen-faced Parivar apologists were at hand to dole the government out of this faux pas claiming resettlement in the Valley was never a demand of the co...

Perched at the intersections of religious fervour, public support, political power and often massive wealth, 'godmen', in India, have assumed unimaginable and multidimensional powers- both at societal and political levels. This immense non-state and non-corporate power also leads some of them to believe that they can do anything, act against anyone, mostly women, with impunity. Dipankar Gupta, a noted author in his essay 'India's Godmen Syndrome', aptly sums up this dilemma in his observation "godmen do extraordinarily well in our country than in most other, and that is where the puzzle lies. Is our society more vulnerable?" From a distance, 'godmen' in India are darkly comic. Consider Guru Ashutosh Maharaj, whose followers have stored his body in deepfreeze since a fatal heart attack three years ago, claiming he is meditating. While his family wished to cremate him, Punjab and Haryana High Court sided with the devotees, emphasising the 'f...