The Young India

Shaival Thakkar

The author talks about his time at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU, Delhi) and his fondness for Bengalis.

I am a Gujarati. However, when I hear disparaging things being said about Gujarat or Gujaratis, I am usually on the side of the people who are saying it. We have many faults; we’re too money-minded, profiteering, lack cultural activities, we’re found everywhere in the world (which can be really annoying!). And of course the communal riots of 2002 are a huge shame on Gujarat. Some …

Kartikey Sehgal

Sung during the September program in Mumbai… my compositions of Faiz’s ‘Chopin ka Nagma’ and Ahmad Faraz’s ‘Tere Kareeb Aake’… sung by the mellifluous Seema Sehgal.

Savage storm and without storm. Unshaven or impeccably dressed. Amidst the clinker of construction sites and folk songs of sparrows.

Enjoy listening to them as I have enjoyed making them.
[Click on the ‘Orange Play’ button]

Chopin ka Nagma
Writer: Faiz Ahmad Faiz
Composer: Kartikey Sehgal
Singer: Seema Sehgal

Chopin ka Nagma by kartikeys

Tere Kareeb Aake …

Ashutosh Sharma

The author is a close friend of the martyred Army Officer

Rich tributes were given to Lt Sushil Khajuria who attained martyrdom while taking on militants in Kupwara on September 27, here on October 10 on the premises of University of Jammu.

Hundreds of people holding candles and flowers in their hands participated in the tribute function this evening.

Family members of the officer also participated in the function besides his friends, well wishers and NCC cadets.

On the occasion, patriotic songs were …

Shaival Thakkar

On the 21st of September, I read on a fan-site that the musical group REM has decided to call it a day. After 31 years of making some great songs and performing all around the world, they have decided with mutual consent to break up. On the day I read this news, there were some 20,000 comments on that story from fans across the world.

The next day, the number of comments went up to 40,000 and more.

However, most people here in …

Shaival Thakkar

Every time a friend from out-of-town visits my home in Ahmedabad, I jump at the chance to show him/her around. One of the things on the to-do list is The Heritage Walk of Ahmedabad’s old city. I have been for these walks so many times now that the guide who shows the tourists around has started recognizing me.

AMC’s Heritage Walk takes place every day at 7.45 AM and begins at the Kalupur Swaminarayan Temple (which has a very spacious parking lot). After …

Kartikey Sehgal

The facets of Ganapati Visarjan. From ‘Langars’ to street dances to immersion.

[Link to Video]

[Link to Video]

Ananth Venkatesh

It is good that Colombo was victorious in 2009 in its fight against the poison of the LTTE and that LTTE’s terror has ended. 
Ananth Venkatesh gives us a brief account of Tamil-Sinhalese conflict that has plagued Sri Lanka.

The inability of the Indian state to execute the convicted assassinators of Rajiv Gandhi, despite the repeated judicial green signals, is a perilous and worrisome indicator of the political irresoluteness that exists in the national government.

Rajiv was an ex-PM at night on …

Kartikey Sehgal

Foreigners are silly. They are not very smart. I don’t deny this assertion by certain Indians used to traveling the world villages. Instead, I accept that foreigners are silly.

And therein lies their charm and power. It takes a certain silliness to live life merrily. And to know life.

This ‘foreign silliness’, which comes across to Indians as ‘lack of intelligence’, is simply a case of delayed mental boredom.

They don’t know as much maths and science at a certain age as we …

Kartikey Sehgal

On moods and desires of men. And their idea of romance.

What remains, of days gone by? Remnants of nights – broken in pieces. Of rains that lash on to the nonchalant mind.

There is no fire. No motivation. All of it is just desire. Desire. Called variously as fire, motivation, quest, courage. If desire be the root of all that is creative, then I have seen desire. It burns like fire, and motivates you towards a quest.

Why are places important. …

Kartikey Sehgal

[Anna Hazare anti-corruption movement: reference]

So these people are not the anti-corruption heroes? Ask around, see how many of the supporters know about them.

J. Gopikrishnan, second from left (with mic) [photo source]

Subramanian Swamy [photo source]

Without the brains (head), how does the body function?

Or is it just easier to support whosoever is ‘in the picture’.

We complain of the caste system, but is it not ‘the legs’ that gets the most mileage? [Along with the arms?]

Mumbai …