Santosh Desai

The two tainted Union Cabinet have finally resigned, the operative word being ‘finally’. It has taken the government a lot to reach this point, and the final call was taken apparently because of Sonia Gandhi’s push. On the face of it, the decision to resign should have been automatic- one minister was allegedly party to… Read more »

Last week this column examined the growing demand for the death penalty in the country. This demand seems to be part of a larger movement towards more muscular responses to provocations, in this country and beyond. The reaction to the counterattack on Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah Haq following the murderous assault on Sarabjit is another example;… Read more »

There is a sense of horror that pervades the news in recent months. It seems as is a basic form of humanity has been lost as one horrific instance of barbarism follows another. It is as if routine exploitation and violence is no longer enough; we are seeing a new brutalities of a kind that… Read more »

There is an aggressive mood in the country when it comes to the death penalty and its implementation. Every mercy petition rejected evokes a familiar set of reactions. There are those that are implacably opposed to the death penalty itself, those that aggressively push for the swift implementation of the punishment and then there are… Read more »

One of my childhood’s earliest treats was being sneaked in to watch a documentary on the 1960 tied test between West Indies and Australia. It was an extraordinary finish to an otherwise unremarkable game, with all the ingredients of suspense – a last over finish, gritty fight – backs and spectacular fielding, missed chances and… Read more »

Rahul Gandhi is an unusual politician. Perhaps even his worst critics might grant him that. His speech to business leaders at the CII has been written about and discussed by many, in part because this was first time he engaged with this constituency but also because of what he said. Instead of addressing issues of… Read more »