An Indecisive Indian

  Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is facing a deeply disturbing controversy after serious allegations emerged from its Nashik BPO unit. Following an undercover operation by the Nashik Police, in which women officers posed as housekeeping staff, what has come to light points to far more than isolated misconduct. Preliminary reports suggest that for over three years, multiple female employees were subjected to sexual harassment, including stalking, exploitation and molestation, along with alarming allegations of religious coercion, with claims that women were pressured to perform namaz, consume beef against their beliefs, and even consider conversion. The gravity of these allegations cannot be overstated, with victims stating that their repeated complaints were dismissed by HR manager Nida Khan and others as something ‘common in MNC culture’, reflecting not just apathy but a deeply entrenched culture that normalises abuse. Nine FIRs have been registered and at least seven arrest...

In an earlier blog (reference at the end), I had written about the Jagjit Singh show in which I was to assume the role of narrator. The evening, held on 5th April in Lucknow, met with an exceptionally warm response and, even at the cost of sounding a touch pretentious, I must admit to a quiet sense of being blessed, rather a novice to theatre, to have left some small imprint upon the performing arts canvas. Khwaateen o hazraat (ladies and gentlemen), if the prelude to an evening is anticipation, then what follows a truly lived mehfil (gathering) is something far more elusive, almost ineffable. One returns not merely with memories, but with a lingering kaifiyat (state of being), as though some unseen mehmaan (guest) has visited the soul and quietly taken residence there. As the show Kāġhaz Ki Kashti unfolded in Lucknow, it felt as if that mehmaan was none other than Jagjit Singh himself, his rooh (spirit) gently presiding over every sur (note), every lafz (word), every thehraav (pa...

  There is a famous quote, often attributed to Winston Churchill , that “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” In today’s climate of hype and headline-making announcements, one might well add a fourth category: declarations that fall into four convenient shades, the truth, the lie, the hype, and the half-truth. Indian Railways (IR) , it would seem, has not merely learnt the craft of presenting hype and half-truths but has elevated it to something of a performing art, complete with drumrolls, confetti cannons, standing ovations. First the hype. There are innumerable examples, but let us stick to the latest one. It was announced this week that building on the success of Vande Bharat trains, a new era of high-speed freight transport is going to begin with Vande Bharat-based freight trains. IR is gearing up to launch India’s Vande Bharat freight EMU, and Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, will soon roll out the first prototype for testing and trials. The fre...

Khwateen o hazraat (ladies and gentlemen), how fortunate you are. You were born in Hindustan, and in your virasat (heritage) you received not merely a language but a living, breathing tehzeeb (culture), zaban-e-Urdu (the Urdu language), or better still, Hindustani. And with it came that exquisite inheritance of adab (literature), sher o shairi (poetry). Such is this adab that one can only marvel at this khushnaseebi (good fortune), that countless poets have adorned the husn-e-ghazal (beauty of the ghazal), and will continue to do so for ages to come. Thus was created this luminous khazana (treasure) of ghazals, and among those who carried it to the hearts of people with unmatched grace, the name that rises above all is Jagjit Singh. What is a ghazal? It is as if a husn-e-be-misaal (peerless beauty) has gently shaken her rain-kissed tresses, and in that fleeting moment the air is filled with a lateef (delicate) freshness, a roohani kaifiyat (spiritual mood). Like droplets slipping...

  Let me begin with a disclaimer, for what I am about to say will inevitably be dismissed by some as compulsive negativity, without the courtesy of examining the concerns being raised. The recent India AI Summit 2026 unfolded less like a conference and more like a coronation. Vast LED walls pulsed with algorithmic optimism, exhibition halls shimmered with robotic choreography, and panel discussions rose and fell in crescendos about ethical AI, sovereign compute and India’s moment in the digital century. Policymakers, top global government representatives, investors and venture capitalists, industry leaders from India and around the world, startups and researchers converged under one gleaming roof, each armed with slides, statistics and suitably visionary adjectives. India’s digital public infrastructure, from Aadhaar to UPI and other population-scale platforms, bore testimony to administrative success and, beyond that, stood as a civilisational proof of concept. The narrative...