'Why should one's family name be a disadvantage to anyone?'

Q&A


Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi are only some of parliament's youthful members - at 29 years, Hamdullah Sayeed, MP from Lakshadweep, is the youngest representative from the 15th Lok Sabha. Speaking with Amin Ali, Sayeed discussed his move form studying law to fighting elections, developing one of India's farthest locations, ignoring jibes about youth or family legacy - and recent upheavals in neighbouring Maldives impacting his constituency:


Interview - Q&A

-The Times of India, March 19, 2012

Sarkari syncophancy

There are no stops for those who butter up superiors

Sarkari syncophancy

-The Times of India, March 19, 2012

There's Something About Sachin

The Tendulkar saga is about genius, dedication and an unquenchable love of the game

There's Something About Sachin

"There have been great cricketers before him and undoubtedly more will follow, but Tendulkar stands alone both as driving force and glue in the contemporary game, especially in India"

-The Times of India, March 19, 2012 

Cease and Desist

Retrospective change in tax laws lowers confidence

Cease and Desist

-The Times of India, March 19, 2012

Bite The Bullet

Reducing the subsidy bill will have multiple benefits

Bite The Bullet

-The Times of India, March 19, 2012

Muddy questions about Mullaperiyar dam

A purely technical matter has turned into an emotional and political issue between Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The entire fight is centred on whether the water level in the Mullaperiyar reservoir should be raised by two meters.

The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : Muddy questions about Mullaperiyar dam: "The silt building up in the reservoir cannot be ignored for any decision on the dispute."


In any dam, silting - a natural hydrological and sedimentological process by which sediments flowing from the upstream catchment area in the river water get deposited in the reservoir -  reduces the life of a reservoir as well as its storing capacity. The cumulative accumulation of silt in the reservoir is not dangerous to the stability of the dam as it does not exert any dynamic pressure on the body of the dam.

With the passage of time, due to siltation, the storing capacity and consequentially the availability of water will  continue to decrease and the demand to raise the water level would crop up again.  If any decision is taken ignoring the silting of the reservoir, that decision is certainly not going to solve the Mullaperiyar problem.

A budget at war with the Finance Minister

The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : A budget at war with the Finance Minister: "A huge hike in indirect taxes will cause a fall in both savings and consumption, achieving the opposite of what was intended."

With revenue deficit (4.4 per cent of the GDP) and fiscal deficit (5.9 per cent) hitting the roof, the Finance Minister seems to have turned to chartered accountants for ideas to make his balance sheet appear less inelegant. The result is the innovation of “effective revenue deficit,” which bears the stamp of some multinational accounting firm rather than our conservative civil service.

There are more positive signals in the Finance Minister's speech than in the budget proper. Finance Minister has declared that the government is committed fully to providing for food subsidy even if it cannot afford it. Yet, he has not provided a single penny for the food security project!

Water transport imperatives

"Inland Water Transport (IWT) for passenger and freight movement involves lower operating costs and environmental pollution than for road, rail or air options. It could relieve pressure on the other modes, which face their own constraints. "

The Hindu : Opinion / Editorial : Water transport imperatives:   In India only 0.15 per cent of domestic surface transport is accounted for by IWT.  The reasons are many, but include, most significantly, lack of investment for the creation of infrastructure modernisation and lack of efficient operators.

India needs to study the viability and means to attract more investment to the sector, by creating an institutional framework. The enhanced level of involvement of the private sector in IWT that has now been initiated is a welcome step. More waterways should be identified for development, and those earmarked given a push.

IWT should power the growth of the economy.

Losing hearts and minds

"The anger and bitterness millions of Afghans feel over the war's rising civilian death toll will not subdue by an American apology. There is simmering resentment over repeated episodes in which the conduct of NATO forces has been grossly offensive. The clear message is that Nato troops are above Afghan law, that the Afghan judicial process is not good enough to try them. This makes a nonsense of U.S. claims of respect for Afghan sovereignty.

The Hindu : Opinion / Editorial : Losing hearts and minds: As the self-imposed deadline of 2014 for the withdrawal of U.S. troops approaches, it is essential that Afghan sovereignty be strengthened and respected in word and deed. This means ensuring a greater role for the Afghan National Security Forces, particularly in combat operations, and zero tolerance towards acts by western troops which are an affront to Afghanistan's identity and sense of self-respect.

Who killed Baby Falak?

"The two-year-old died a horrible death because the system did not care enough to want her to live."

The Hindu : Opinion / Lead : Who killed Baby Falak?:  A child died and we collectively mourn. She was just two years old. And she fought bravely, but the tubes and wires connecting her to life support in the AIIMS Trauma Centre were no match for the systemic failures that carried this baby to her death. For the truth is that Falak never really stood a chance.