#215

Anybody who is saying that we should not politicize mob-lynchings is either being patently dishonest or they just want to keep their heads buried in the sand, Ostrich-like, believing that if you remain oblivious to the sweeping winds of hate against the Muslim community in the country these days, the menace will disappear. No, it's not until and unless we keep this issue at the left, right and the center of politics. It's bloody well a political issue. And it should be.

#214

Vishal Dadlani, after a long time, I tuned into #IndianIdol last night, and immediately regretted my decision. I mean so much nautanki and melodrama goes on that it becomes embarrassing. Everybody just trying to milk their sob-story for all its worth. And, for the life of me, I cannot understand why the contestants can't choose some nice old melodies to sing? Their choice of songs is absolutely horrible. I am not going back to the show, although there was a time when it used to be one of my favorite shows on Indian television. Not anymore.

#213

Was PM Modi replying to the no-confidence motion in the Parliament, or trying to drown us with a dreadfully boring accountants bean counting kind of speech?  He conveniently ignored the ever-widening social faultlines in the country and did not make even one conciliatory gesture to those at the receiving end of the Hindutva mobs.  Last night was an opportunity to be a statesman, but Mr. Modi chose to be an angry statistician.  A little humility is not a weakness but a sign of strength.  But obviously, he thinks otherwise.

#212

It's oppressively hot.  You feel enervated, listless, and devoid of any enthusiasm.  What can you do?  You are biding your time; waiting, hoping for a turn in the weather.  Anxiously scanning the horizon, imagining, almost willing for the dark, rain-bearing cloud.  At the very least, a gust of cool breeze to provide succor to the body and soul.  It seems that human, animals, and plants, all of them are at the mercy of some malevolent force, crying out for release.

#211

Even as I kept waiting for the match between Nadal and Djokovic to begin, I was slowly but surely sucked into the vortex of this epic first semi-final clash between John Isner and Kevin Anderson. Lasting 6 hours and 36 minutes, this was a battle for the ages. I have been watching Wimbledon on television since 1987, but I can hardly recall such a monumental display of skill, stamina, and energy. Tough luck John...somebody had to lose it. But it was quite exhilarating. That's what sport can do to you, to us.

#210

12 young boys of a football team and their coach get too adventurous for their own good and are trapped in a warren of underground caves in Thailand.  After surviving in those claustrophobic dark tunnels for well over a fortnight, all of them have been rescued by the indomitable courage of the divers and navy seal commandos, who overcame many insurmountable odds, even losing one of their own in order to save those children and the coach from a certain, agonizing death.  
While I was following the events on television, my mind went back to what happened a couple of years ago.  It has rained heavily in the city of Bombay.  A vast chunk of the metropolis has been flooded.  There is muddy water everywhere.  Nothing is visible of the surface.  A doctor is returning home.  He's not seeking any adventure.  Due to heavy waterlogging, his car is stalling continuously, and in the end, is rendered completely immobile.  Meanwhile, the downpour is showing no signs of abating.  So, he decides to abandon the car and walk all the way home.  He has very little idea what lies beneath the muddy waters.  The man steps into an open manhole and swiftly goes down.  A couple of bystanders see that but either they are unwilling or unable to do anything.  Two days later his pitch black body is discovered, marinated in the filth of the city.
Do these two instances prove or disprove the existence of God?  You decide.

Agents of Hindutva are trying to draw a sickening moral equivalence between the ghastly rape of a small child in Kathua back in January, and this horrific rape in Mandsaur a few days ago.  Before blatantly communalizing the incident, and taunting people like us; they should look within themselves and answer a couple of questions.  Has there been a march on the street by the 'Muslim Ekta Manch' in favor of the accused?  Has any Muslim lawyer tried to obstruct the course of justice in this case so far?  Have any Muslim politicians come out with any statements in defense of the perpetrators?  So, don't try to trip us with your perverted thinking.  We know where we stand.