“Darling” said Mummy, who’s 88 and smokes at least twenty a day.  “What’s the new tax on cigarettes?” 

It was the only bit of Mr. Chidambaram’s ...
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(With apologies to Lewis Carroll and Old Father William)

Twenty four hours is all that’s left
So gather your courage and place your bets.
Will he or won’t he?  ...
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Hamid Karzai and the things he said thirteen years ago

I remember clearly my first meeting with Hamid Karzai.  It had an incongruity which today seems a bit like farce.  B...
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It's odd how often the things we remember get distorted by our recollection. You can be so confident of what might have happened only to discover its chronology was otherwise or the location diff...
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I wonder if you've noticed how open Americans can be? I'm not talking about candour or forthrightness so much as their talent for baring souls and revealing their innermost thoughts in public. ...
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If, like me, you're over 40 and heading inexorably towards the big five O – and be warned it's usually closer than you care to admit! – then read on for my advice could prove to be your salva...
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Sometimes I feel the only truth is that there's nothing simple about the truth. Justice Banerjee's interim report on the Godhra incident illustrates this very aptly. The press has shown how dif...
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It may be a common place thought but it's worthy of repetition. The politics of a country is defined by the character of its politicians. Which is why the opposite is also true : stories about p...
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Spare a thought this Sunday morning for Pratap Nayak. Pause over your toast and coffee to reflect on his story. It's not simply tragic, it's pathetic. Yet I would bet it's also a metaphor for...
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Asked why I always spend new year’s eve in London my stock reply is “Because I want to start the year in a civilized country!”. The riposte usually provokes anger although, occasionally, it ...
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