Here is a quiz question: What is common between eating pani puri-chaat and choosing a politician?  The answer: We may get a lot of choice but we actually get very little variety.  We can choose to eat from any one of those dozens of pani puri-chaat centers across the city.

In response to Lok Satta’s call, a frail old man walked into our office with incriminating evidence against a prominent politician. It was deeply troubling that this old man, at the very fag end of his life had to approach Lok Satta for redressal of a grave injustice. It speaks volumes about the failing state apparatus. However, I was happy to see the old man’s determination to seek justice. There were many such persons who came forward with valuable information – some of them even braving considerable risk – about the criminal backgrounds of prospective candidates.

Since the run-up to the elections for the five state assemblies four months ago, we have seen the emergence of a variety of colourful political advertisements on the TV.  But recently, the Election Commission (EC) had, very curiously, ordered that paid political advertisements should not be aired on cable and satellite TV channels.

A CT scan of abdomen is equal to 400 X-rays in terms of the radiation exposure to the patient. Spiral CT of Abdomen is equal to 300 X-rays. Don’t rub your eyes in disbelief. It is true! You are not the only one; many experienced doctors whom you trust your life with are also unaware of these facts. A study involving 130 doctors, which was published in British Medical Journal, has shown that most of the doctors are unaware of the radiation hazard that their patients are exposed to when they are subjected to various diagnostic tests.

The Discovery or National Geographic channels regularly show us scenes of animal herding behaviour:  the impala gazelles grazing and migrating in their thousands on the African Savanna.  Or the masses of penguins gathering to raise their young on the cold, rocky shores near the tip of South America.  Now, maybe, Hyderabad should be added to the list of favourite herding sites.  Not for wild animals, but for humans.  More precisely, for human beings who can vote.

The year 2004 started with a magistrate in Ahmedabad issuing warrants against the President of India and Chief Justice of India - for a price of only 40,000 rupees.  The entire nation saw the videotapes.  Then, in February, newspapers reported that the buildings of the Bombay High Court, the Gateway of India along with the famous Taj Mahal Hotel were up for sale.  Apparently, two metropolitan magistrates and a notary in Mumbai signed affidavits “authorising the ownership” and “enabling their sale” by “Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi” and “Khan Abdul Gafar Khan”!   Back in 1994, a print journalis

Noted columnists Thomas Friedman, with tongue firmly in his cheek, queried: “Was your grand-mother playing bridge with the Frenchmen on the internet in 1900?” This simple question encapsulates the world that we are living in. There is growing integration and the interdependence of societies and economies across the world, which we call as globalization. However much some of us may despise it and however much one may argue against it, we cannot wish away the fact that we are living in a globalized world.

Parenting young adults should rank as one of the most difficult jobs in the world.  The parents are obviously concerned about the welfare of their children. So they typically feel the need for more parenting. But, their children want even less.  To paraphrase the famous ‘Coffee Bite’ TV ad: the argument continues…

Elections are around the corner. The debate on the leadership qualities of the political party chiefs seems to have emerged as the favorite pastime for large sections of the society. Indeed, the leaders we elect to office will to some extent shape our future. However, it is we the people who have the power to determine our destiny. Examples abound which demonstrate that people through their collective efforts have changed the course of history.

We have witnessed momentous developments during this week. The heinous Mumbai blasts killing scores of people and injuring many more, the collapse of the BSP-BJP coalition in Uttar Pradesh, and the report of ASI on Ayodhya – all these are events which could have far-reaching impact on our polity and society for some time to come.