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The 1945-46 INA Trials: How it accelerated India’s independence!

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  Ideas such as history, freedom, nationalism, justice, and polity, which once animated the intellectual and moral life of the nation, are steadily receding from public discourse, increasingly drowned out by noise, hype, fake outrage, and shrinking attention spans. It has therefore become imperative to revive a culture of informed, open-minded dialogue and to invite distinguished thinkers and public intellectuals to share perspectives that provoke reflection rather than merely reinforce prejudice. At Awadh Conclave, we attempt to contribute to this endeavour through conclaves, discussions, and interactive sessions, both online and in person, alongside various cultural and social initiatives.   In continuation of this effort, my friend Anand Vardhan Singh and I, on behalf of Awadh Conclave, organized a reading and discussion session in Lucknow on 24 May 2026 on Dr. Ashis Ray ’s remarkable book, The Trial That Shook Britain: How a Court Martial Hastened Acceptance of Indian ...
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Of Bandgalas, Bells and Bungalow Peons: The Bandgala Theory of Administrative Reform

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  The following discussion between Bertie Wooster and Jeeves concerns Indian Railways (IR) and its recent reforms, officially described as profound and transformative, though certain irreverent cynics continue to dismiss them as repainting the station signboard while the tracks themselves have applied for voluntary retirement. “I say, Jeeves,” I said, poking at my morning kipper with a sense of profound and brooding bewilderment, “I’ve been casting an eye over the morning rag, and it seems the brainy blighters at the helm of IR have embarked upon a fresh bout of what they call ‘Transformative Reforms’.” “Indeed, sir?” “And do you know what their opening gambit is? They’ve abolished the bandgala, the Black Prince coat, Jeeves!  It seems the powers that be have decided the best way to fix a locomotive is to change the driver’s trousers. Tell me, Jeeves, what is the administrative philosophy here? Is it merely the noble art of giving the front door a fresh lick of pai...
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Beyond Kāġhaz Kī Kashtī: When Silence Sings Back

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  In two earlier blogs (referenced in the end), I had written about the Jagjit Singh show in which I played the narrator. I had mentioned that the evening, held on 5th April in Lucknow, received an exceptionally warm response, but more than that, I carried back a quiet sense of being blessed, as though I had managed to leave a small imprint upon the performing arts canvas.   Soon thereafter, we were kindly invited by Mr. Rakesh Rathi, with arrangements facilitated by Mr. Praveen Parwal, both distinguished businessmen of Rajasthan, to stage the show in Jaipur for the vibrant Maheshwari community. The invitation itself felt like an inaayat (grace), but what unfolded there was something deeper, compelling reflection.   Yes, the hall was full. Yes, Dr. Prabha sang with her customary poise and nazākat (delicacy). Yes, the saazindas (instrumentalists) were in perfect saaz (harmony). Yes, Gopal Sinha’s direction and lighting, along with Anupama Mani’s compering, added st...
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Snubbing Its Own: The Puzzling Case of ICF and High-Speed Trains

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    The news doing the rounds is that Indian Railways (IR) is poised to award a massive contract to M/s Bharat Earthmovers Limited (BEML) for sixteen more high-speed trainsets, coming close on the heels of a contract already awarded to them for developing two prototype 8-coach indigenous high-speed trainsets for ₹866.87 crore for the Standard Gauge Mumbai–Ahmedabad corridor under construction. I had firmly believed that the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, ought to have been the natural choice for designing and manufacturing these prototypes, in preference to BEML. That decision was, however, taken in favour of BEML, but one expected that at least this time the mandate would revert to ICF. I said as much, and those views have found place across several media platforms including The Print, ETV Bharat, MSN, among others (referenced at the end).   I am fully aware that while many may agree, there will be others who would argue that the quality of BEML’s products ...
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To be or not to be on WhatsApp

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At the outset, let me briefly reopen some wounds, albeit purely for academic purposes. I hope you understand and let me examine whether my real-world sufferings have merely persisted or matured, like a well-bred tragedy, into something richer, darker, and faintly operatic. If pain were a stock, mine would have outperformed the Sensex in a nosedive match. One recurring affliction may be clinically described as WhatsApp tyranny. As a long-suffering inmate of this digital asylum, I have often declared open war through my blogs on its weaponised ‘kindness’, that peculiar strain of benevolence where every ping arrives dressed as a moral ambush, perfumed with glittery GIFs of neon-orange deities or aggressive sunflowers. Invoking Hamlet’s 'cruel to be kind' paradox, I had argued that these people are so aggressively kind they border on the sadistic. From obscure festivals nobody had asked for to 3:15 AM ‘Good Morning’ ballistic missiles, the deluge is nothing sho...
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