India

At a Complete Loss

Jaideep Mazumdar

Thirty-three years of uninterrupted Left rule in Bengal has left the state’s finances in a mess

Long Live Balasaheb

Shiv Sainiks believe that their party’s fortunes will revive soon. Not because of the infusion of fresh blood in the party’s leadership, but because 83-year-old Bal Thackeray’s health seems to be improving.

It Happened One Night

Dhirendra K. Jha

Ayodhya, 22-23 December, 1949. This is the untold story of that fateful night, when a small group of religious activists stole into the Babri Masjid to place an idol of Ramlalla under the main dome, the night that shaped India’s modern political history. This is the testimony of the few who survive to tell the tale.

The X-Tapes and the BJP

Jatin Gandhi

The unbridled glee in the BJP camp over the 2G scam could soon turn to gloom. The Radia tapes also expose how their own party functions.

The Accidental Landlord

Haima Deshpande

Atram led a modest life of anonymity in faraway Chandrapur, until he found himself listed as the owner of a flat in Mumbai’s Adarsh Housing Society.

“The Ones Caught Will Brazen It Out”

Arundhati Roy

As a writer-activist, Arundhati Roy has written about issues that mainstream media has largely shied away from. She has been targeted for her fiercely independent views on Kashmir, Maoists, the issue of displacement, and the nexus between politicians and corporates. In an interview with Open’s Rahul Pandita, Roy speaks her mind on the Radia tapes, calling it just “the top end of the problem”.

Crouching Tourists, Hidden Tiger

Jay Mazoomdaar

Behind the face-off between the wildlife tourism lobby and the Ministry of Environment and Forests lies a network of hidden interests that exercises monopoly power and prospers on hypocrisy and corruption. More than stricter regulations, it’s time for transparency