Memoirs: EARLY YEARS: BOAT RIDES IN THE BEAUTIFUL BACKWATERS?I
By Dr. George Varughese

[Dr. George Varughese came to Canada in the 1950s with a medical degree from India and was trained as a neurosurgeon in Ottawa. Later he moved to Saskatoon for his practice. We are glad to serialize his experience in life and work in India and Canada. In this 1937 picture, He is seen in the back row between his mother and sister]

My wife Suzy and I were born in Kerala, ... Read More

FIELD MARSHAL SAM MANEKSHAW ?III India Pakistan War - 1971
Brig. C. G. Verghese VSM (Retd.)

During the three previous wars with Pakistan of 1948, 1962 and 1965, neither side had achieved any worthwhile victory. Each side had been claiming that they were the victors. So in case there was a war with Pakistan this time, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi wanted to have a ?complete victory ?over Pakistan Forces. Manekshaw was said to have asked her for three things for achieving a complete victory:

(a)More ... Read More

A BRIGADIER REMEMBERS: My Hero, FIELD MARSHAL SAM MANEKSHAW ? I
Brig. C. G. Verghese VSM (Retd.)

(Brigadier C. G. Verghese retired from the Indian army in 1982 after a long and meritorious service. At present he lives in Bombay. He is a keen observer of the political and social landscape in India and many follow his blogs. He has authored the first and perhaps the only comprehensive two-volume history of Mizoram. He has also written on St Thomas, and the early churches in India. He ... Read More

My First Marathon
Mathew Samuel

Three years ago I ran my first "event". It was a 10km where I was not only competing against myself but more importantly I was competing against my buddy Eric. I finished it in 0:49:45.5; but I was beaten by Eric just by a nose (he did it in 0:49:43.3).

Two years ago I ran my first half-marathon, so 21.1km. I was a bit conservative when running it but still I did it in a ... Read More

Those Were The Days In Lucknow
Shobha Shukla

Oft in the noisy nights, when smog hides the starry lights, the wafting smells of childhood make my world look bright. Those were the days when innocence had not lost its naivety to the allure of the mobile phone, or the ready access to internet porn sites, or the dizzying effect of television reality shows.

Although I started my schooling in Dehradun, my childhood was spent in Lucknow. My father was transferred from the ... Read More

GENDER CONSTRUCTION IN INDIA
By Anuradha Sharma

In a hegemonic patriarchy negativity is associated with woman because she is thought to be ‘Other’ and thus a threat to the dominant group. In the present age when women are working in the same capacity as man, it is necessary to reinterpret the literature.

She is socialized to behave in a definite way that is controlled by an inflexible system of social dictates that provided men with certain civil liberties to hold ... Read More

'Corruption in India is a total contradiction'
Spiritual leader and Nobel peace prize winner, the Dalai Lama , exemplifies how religious belief can steer a political movement using non-violence. Speaking with Sagari Chhabra , the Dalai Lama explains how Tibetans keep calm, why corruption is an ano-maly in India, why China should open up - and how it might be time to formulate secular ethics:

In the struggle over a homeland, how have you managed to keep six million Tibetans completely non-violent?

Before Buddhism, ... Read More

S.M. Krishna’s finely nuanced visit to Israel
K.P. Nayar

Gifts exchanged during diplomatic engagements as part of official visits are a good indicator of a political leader’s standing, more often than not, a credible measure of how the world sees a prime minister or a member of a national cabinet. In terms of ground reality, it throws up a better judgment of a politician than, for instance, the domestic media’s report card on performance. Official gifts also offer clues on where the ... Read More

Being Prudish About Politicians’ Private Lives
Michael Kinsley
Jan. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Many years ago, when Senator Ted Kennedy was challenging President Jimmy Carter for the Democratic presidential nomination, I quit my job at a national magazine in protest over the owner’s refusal to publish an article I had edited about the senator’s extramarital activities.

At that time, there was a general consensus among Washington journalists that one didn’t do that sort of thing. (“That sort of thing” being reporting on ... Read More