Thru thick and thin

Body shaming those who weigh on the lower side is just as bad as giving diet advice to those who have an air of prosperity Matchstick. Toothpick. Stick-like. Malnourished. Skeletal. These are a few words that were often ‘jokingly’ used to address me when I was in school. Since weight is the most important aspect […]

The Insta chronicles

Politicians have taken to Instagram like ducks to water. This social media platform allows them to post a plethora of images to project their personalities Move over Facebook and Twitter, photo sharing platform Instagram is more happening in the world of social media. Celebrities from all over the world post pictures on a regular basis […]

How to tackle the dreaded flu

About 12,000 people have been infected with swine flu this winter, including 2,278 in Delhi. It’s high time everyone learnt how to take precautions and manage it when it strikes Swine flu – the very name is so offputting that one doesn’t want to have anything to do with it. So let’s call it by […]

Over or under?

A recent survey of Delhi government’s Planning Department concluded that pedestrians prefer subways over foot over-bridges. However, Patriot finds that the real picture is different Forty stairs, 19,120 users and “too many beggars and junkies.” These are the vital statistics for a foot over-bridge (FOB) adjacent to ISBT Kashmere Gate in a Planning Department survey. […]

Mettle and martyrdom

Pradeep Kumar’s 18-year-old son refuses to shed a single tear. It was the last thing his father had asked of him—to be strong On Friday evening—one day after more than 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives in a terrorist attack in Kashmir’s Pulwama district—Banat was at a standstill. Pradeep Kumar, one of the CRPF personnel […]

Student havens

Shubham Bhatia visits three campus libraries around Delhi to see whether students are being well served and whether they are using the facilities   Ambedkar University library Situated inside the 16-acre Kashmere Gate campus of Ambedkar University, this library oozes old world charm, just like the campus. Next to the gate, you have to deposit […]

Jailhouse rock

Our prisons have become dens from which criminals run their drug and extortion cartels as Jail authorities look the other way Ordinary citizens presume that those held behind bars are isolated from the world of crime. But that seems to be the case only on paper. Criminals inside the jail find innovative ways, pay hefty […]

Sleights of hand

An Australian researcher has done an amazing job of recreating the world of Indian magicians in centuries past, reminding us of our rich cultural heritage. This extract is about Delhi’s Kathputli colony An air of despondency greeted me when in 2016 I visited Shadipur Depot, a West Delhi slum set up in the late 1960s […]