Features

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”.

Oil Is Well, or Is It?

Shailendra Tyagi

The IEA’s latest annual report puts the world oil subsidy total at $312 billion for 2009, with India listed as the fourth biggest subsidiser with $21 billion spent by the state to cushion fuel users.

Smashing the Silence

Anuradha Ananth

Tim Sebastian, once the iconic anchor of HARDtalk, is still doing what he does best—stirring things up with the Doha Debates.

The Lexus and the Olive Creed

Lakshmi Chaudhry

Lifestyle dining at this upscale restaurant thrives on the patronage of its celebrity clientele and the suitably loaded who will pay for the social privilege of that company.

Loo and Behold!

Atiya Hussain

It’s official: the other WTO has pronounced India an open-air defecation superpower.

The Dissection Man

Akshay Sawai

Dr Mahantesh’s father had wanted him to dissect his deceased body for the greater good of scientific knowledge. And the good doctor did too. In the full glare of media.

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