Good cop bites the bullet

Ajai Raj Sharma has dealt with some high profile cases in his illustrious career. He writes about it with flair in his recently published memoir  Ajai Raj Sharma, 76, will go down in history as one of the better commissioners to have led Delhi Police. No surprise that he was actively considered for the post […]

A trip to remember

A three-day trip to Rishikesh turned out to eventful – and full of adventure WHEN SOMEONE mentioned Rishikesh to me, the first thing that came to my mind was ‘spirituality.’ I have heard that people from all over the world visit the place in search of ‘nirvana’ or to attain peace. Known as the ‘yoga […]

Search for serenity

The city isn’t a restful place. Head out, a little away from the rush, to find the joy that lies in quiet retreats crafted for the stressed-out urbanite TREK, READ, SLEEP – KALI TIGER RESERVE, KARNATAKA A home in the middle of a tiger reserve—unheard, unseen. I am taken by surprise at this homestay in […]

Love, identity, reckoning

Voices belonging to the LGBTQ community share their stories of struggle “I GOT sick of the intense pressure to get married and finally told my mother that I have no interest in girls. You know what her retort was? “Why? Do you like boys then?’”. Today, Deepak chuckles at the memory, recounting how his courage […]

Amazing cultural mesh

The sights and sounds of the Old City of Jerusalem entice visitors — not just its historical ruins and sites that tell fascinating tales, but also the enduring connections with India “Are you Indian?” is a question that almost any Indian tourist is likely to be asked often in Israel. Not just because Israelis love […]

Shades of Manto

Shikari Auratein (Women of Prey) — a collection of some of Manto’s stories and sketches published in 1955, has been recently translated in English by Saba Mahmood Bashir. It shows a different side of the iconic author IN RECENT times, Manto has been read widely. The reason could be the movies and plays that have […]

Florence of India

An encounter with conservationist architect Urvashi Srivastava opened a whole new world of art in an unlikely location RENAISSANCE STARTED in Italy in the 15th century when painting, sculpture and architecture excelled and literally advancements pulled Europe out of a millennium-long dark ages, it was also the time when philosophy, literature, music, science and technology […]

Reinventing the steel frame

Seasoned bureaucrat Deepak Gupta, who was chairman of the UPSC entrusted with the task of selecting civil servants, writes a comprehensive history of Indian Administrative Service  DEEPAK GUPTA is best suited to write The Steel Frame–A History of the IAS. He is from the service, was the chairman of the UPSC that selects civil servants. […]