Yes, there is and we should not kid ourselves.

I think his point was that more people are moving out of Bihar than are moving out of most other states. Obviously, the comparison reflects badly on Bihar.

I don't think it is jealousy. Digvijay could have had a choice of portfolios but voluntarily chose to stay out of the government. His motives remain a mystery to me.

I am nobody to preach to what you call the 'lower and poor people'.

No, much of the food is pretty dire.

If Pakistan is in the news, I will write about it. If it is not, I don't really bother. Does that suggest obsession to you?

He is emerging from it. At his meeting with print editors he was confident and forthright.

Better story-tellers? Not sure what that means unless you count Salman Rushdie as a Pakistani.

No. My piece was not about geo-political perceptions as much as it was about how individuals were perceived in the West.

It is certainly one reason but I have to say that Kerala cuisine seems to do better than Bengali cuisine.

I have no favourites. I think all the biryanis are terrific and comparing them is a little like comparing apples to oranges.

I have not been, unfortunately, so I cannot comment.

No idea.

Agreed. The law makes no sense.

There is at least one piece in the archives that deals with this.

Not a regular reader am afraid.

The higher judiciary is seen by the middle class as the one institution that still works. This puts pressure on the Supreme Court to act on all issues. But I doubt if politicians can get away with criticising the judiciary on a long-term basis because of the esteem in which our judges are held.

That's not entirely true. Salman Khan has a charitable foundation and does a lot of work for it which is widely covered. Unfortunately most other stars are content to promote vegetarianism and claim that this is charity.

P. Chidambaram. Best home minister we have had in decades.

It would transform Indian politics completely. Have not visited Tamil Nadu recently so cannot give you a first-hand account of how well Rahul is doing there.
 

Am not sure that's fair. The food of Kerala would have a similar mix of flavours.

Why do you assume that they are fans of democracy? Many of them want to set up an Islamic state with Shariat law.

That's interesting. Thank you, I had no idea. Shall try and visit them.

Sadly, no. Have not shot since the first season.

He is being silly.

I have written a column on this subject. You can find it on the site.

I've always wondered what the show was about. Thanks for tipping me off. Will get a DVD the next time I go abroad.

I think they please his hardcore support base. What he does not realise is this: he has a fanatically devoted and loyal hardcore base but if he is ever going to make it on the national stage, then he needs to go beyond his core supporters and reach out more widely. However, because his supporters and he feed off each other's intolerance and xenophobia, he does not know how to get beyond them and make the leap to the national mainstream.

See above.

The Four Seasons beds are the best. Not sure if you can buy them here though.

I am always wary of treating match-fixing as a symptom of a larger problem. The question to be asked is this: why is there so much fixing in cricket and so little in football where the stakes are so much higher? Happy to hear any thoughts you may have on the subject.

Both, I think. The Aussies have a more informal culture where everybody sounds off. Also, our board frowns on cricketers expressing their own views.

Just conjectures. Don't think it will happen.

Beats me. I keep getting smses from companies that should know better. And among telecom companies the worst offenders are the Tatas, which shocks me.

I think this is wrong. Unless there is some compelling reason for concealing the name (unsubstantiated allegation, rape victim, privacy, etc.) names should always be used, whether of clubs or channels.

That's a good idea.

Agree.

Really? Have not seen his tweets.

There is a sharing widget at the bottom of every article which you can use to post articles on Facebook.

I guess so but it is not a subject I know a great deal about.

I am confident that our grandchildren will be more sensitive about these issues than we have been in our lifetimes.

Not sure if any DVDs are available. It is unlikely to be repeated as the channel is now focussing on Asian Diary. Will find out whether it is available on the net.

Of course it is. But then the Chinese are not renowned for being straightforward.

Have not been on any show for a long time. But I have done Prannoy's show many times in the past.

It's a very good idea but I am not sure I am best suited to anchor a programme on cleaning streets.

I am not sure that's true of Lalit Modi. He runs his own school. About why Kalmadi and Pawar fell out, you should ask them. I have tried but have never got straight answers.

Frankly, it was so long ago that I no longer remember the interviews well enough to pick favourites. Some of them were shot a decade ago, for instance. Having said that, I remember the show with a lot of affection because in those days there were very few interview shows and guests were willing to come and talk honestly. Now, everyone and his dog has an interview show, we all chase the same guests, the politicians refuse to come to studios and film stars only appear when they have a movie to push.

I answer questions that interest me. There is no particular criteria. The selection is entirely subjective. Sometimes the questions amuse me. Often they are thought-provoking. Sometimes they are silly and boring. But no matter whether the questions are interesting or boring, I still enjoy the process of interacting with people on the site.

I have written about Vedanta and Adivasis. And it is not a jigsaw puzzle.

That's an interesting suggestion, thank you.

All the organisers of the Games should be investigated and made to account for their actions.

As far as I know, Matter of Taste is not on the air in India though you may catch repeats of the show elsewhere in the world.
Custom Made is repeated by Good Times on a fairly regular basis but I am not sure of the times either.

I would be very suprised if China actually went to war with India. But the Chinese like reminding us that we have a border dispute with them.

I do not accept your characterisation of Kashmiri Muslims. Nor do I think that India is comprised of people with one set of
characteristics. The strength of India lies in our diversity.

Only seen the first seven episodes. Dying to see the rest.

It would not be acceptable to any political party.

Pen.

Why is it a matter of great interest if they put their best anchors at different time slots? What point are you making?

Facing Prannoy Roy? What does that mean?

Yes, why not? Bengali cuisine is very popular all over India. Witness the success of the Oh Calcutta chain.

How do you expect the BJP to react? They are hardly likely to agree with him.

I did not compare AB to Hitler.

We've been through this many times. If you haven't got the point yet then it seems silly to go on and on for both of us.

I don't think the two positions are contradictory. Whenever we have faced insurgencies in the past, we have combined talks with military action. Military action alone has its limitations. And peace talks will not work on their own.

I think you should ask this question to The Times of India.

It is always possible but the compulsions of coalition politics are such that it is difficult to move Pawar from the portfolio of his choice.

I think Sharad Pawar is very well off and many Indian politicians could buy out Nawaz Sharif before lunch.

I am sure you believe your God approves of you taking so much pleasure in somebody's imminent death. If so, then I will stick with Hitchens' position.

The website has pretty much everything I write, often even before it appears in print.

It is a very good idea.

Time is short and there is just too much to keep up with.

Don’t be so silly. Learn to be tolerant of other people’s likes.

Could it have something to do with investors fearing that their plants will be blown up?

I don’t listen to Jain Leaders. Hindus do not necessarily listen to Hindu leaders. Why should Muslims listen to Muslim leaders. Choose your leaders on the basis of merit, not religion.
 

There is nauseating sense of self-entitlement. It is hard to support the demand for a salary hike when they behave like this.
 

Yeah Patel, possibly.

If the summit fails then it is a diplomatic disaster. You always work out what the result will be through back-channel sources before a summit begins.
 

Agreed. Sounds like bad-taste.

There is a mail id listed on the site.

She has been a disaster. 

There are religious parties in the UK, the US etc. They just don’t amount to very much, usually. So don’t blame the system. Blame ourselves.
 

Sure. He is now going to do commercials for a Hitler Museum to increase tourism to Germany and help the ordinary people there.
 

Do you know how many Congressmen they have?

 Yeah. Tried the Artisan fragrance.  Not a fan, I am afraid.

Because nobody agrees with him except for you.

And “anti-statist” is something that is “more complicated than reducible”?

I don’t know. All labels are too generalized. And the one’s you suggest and not much better.

Yes. 

Do not read India Today.

Yeah, sometimes there are real time changes in titles! Thanks.

Yes. On the disastrous Agra Summit

Do not understand what you are asking.

Yes.

Acqua di Gio. Nothing by Hugo Boss ever. Except for the excellent Baldessarini --- now hard to find.

Have not seen or discussed it.

Yes. It is a real danger.

Both matter. But systems are more important than individuals.

Thanks. The NDTV Good Times website has all the details.

Ok. Good idea. But we put every Parallax view on the site.

Thanks. Both are great. I have particular admiration for Clarkson.

Not clear to me what Gadkari’s contribution is, only that he is a vast improvement on Rajnath. As far as big issues go, Advani still calls the shots. And the party is roughly where it was when he led it to defeat at the last election.
 

 Have  not seen the movie.

Agreed that we need a common civil code. But one of the reasons Muslims are not better integrated is because they face discrimination.

I agree entirely. But what you may not realise that many of the inserts that you get with your morning paper are actually placed by the distributors and hawkers and not by the papers themselves.

The militants in Kashmir want to establish a medieval Islamic state with Shariat law. There is no way they can do this within the framework of the Indian constitution. There was an excellent piece by Aakar Patel in Lounge on this subject. If you go to the Mint website, you can find it.

May God bless us all.

No I don't. And I think you are completely wrong.

Thanks but no Maoists are not the greatest threat. Pakistan is.

I think it is political correctness gone too far.

Why? Were there no other articles on Indian nationalism in the papers that day? In any case, if you visit the site you will know that there was a Parallax View on exactly this subject that week.

Will do thanks.

I do indeed. You are extremely talented and I could never forget.

It is a case of misplaced priorities.

That's an interesting idea. Thank you.

I wish newspapers could achieve this. But given that Aman Ki Asha seems to have led to no improvement in India-Pakistan ties, I am sceptical.

Only been to Vietnam once. But intend to go back. And will certainly try the dish you recommend.

I'm sorry, but are these serious questions?

No strong views though I have a niggling feeling that it is inappropriate.

Don't be ridiculous. A Martial Plan may make more sense.

Old humbug. Good cause, dodgy representative.

Actually, I think he's been a good foreign minister.

Agreed. If they can respond to Chinese pressure then they should learn to treat India with respect as well.

Not sure what difference it would make.

And who can argue with Derek? Thanks for the info.

You remind me of the woman who berated Dr Johnson for including too many dirty words in his dictionary. "Ah yes,  Madam," he replied. "But then, you have been looking for them."
 

I agree.

No.

Jayalalitha withdrew the case. Mani and I may not agree on everything but we are friends.

I support a Uniform Civil Code and I would be happy to tell you which issues find me and the BJP in agreement. Alas, this avatar of the BJP has no coherent policy platform so I am not sure what the BJP's policy is on any given issue.

It will take some getting used to, but I have no strong views.

Why is there no accountability of lawyers? Of engineers? Of accountants? Why single out doctors?

Funny. Life's not like that really...

They are the world's finest writers in English so is it surprising that they should be British?

The Indian government has not banned us from using the terms. It has only said that they have no legal validity.

It is not the Lokayukta's job to act as a super investigator. He responds to complaints from the public.

I am just slightly more discriminating these days. I am hardly ever on Twitter these days.

I am not a big fan of Indian sweets, am afraid.

I will, indeed. Thank you Scarpa!

Valid points. I accept what you're saying.

It's a small country so I am not sure that it is fair to compare it to India.

It's simple. If the army does not like what the Prime Minister is doing, it either overthrows him (Nawaz Sharif) or executes him (Z.A. Bhutto).

It is rubbish.

A second season of Asian Diary will soon start on Travel and Living.

I have answered this many times. I would be the world's worst politician.

We are not thick-skinned in most respects.

We do have many war memorials.

Would you prefer a teenager? I don't think a person's gender is relevant. And as for age, that job used to be done in a rival organisation by K.P.S. Gill who is hardly a spring chicken.

I have written about all of these issues. If you are really an avid reader, then you should know that.
 

They are all liable to varying degrees. See Counterpoint this week.

I don't think Sonia Gandhi has shut him up. She has made him Prime Minister. And most Prime Ministers don't keep shut.

Relax. Things are not so bad.

There is something to what you say. Much is made of the provision that prevents people from outside the state from buying land in J&K. But similar provisions exist in other states including, as you point out, in the north-east. I think the BJP's point is that while such provisions may apply elsewhere, we are committed to treating Kashmir as a state with special status in many other respects. As long as we do this, says the BJP, we will fail to integrate Kashmir with the rest of India, promote
a sense of separateness and, therefore, subliminally feed the demand for azaadi.
 

Funny!

Read Counterpoint this week.

There are loads of people who write more and with much more incisiveness.

The job of newspapers is to report the news. The job of religion is to instil hope. I believe in the separation of church and media.
 

Why just the Congress? What did the BJP do to Article 370 when it was in office?

I don't believe in reservation.

 Sabina was a very special person. The way in which her family has coped with her loss is an example to us all.

What have you been drinking?

I gather that his yoga works. He should stick to it.

Good ittar is difficult to find and expensive. But it can be terrific.

Thank you so much.

Read Parallax View and Counterpoint this week.

Same as always.

You should tell the BJP this because they've spent a lot of time asking for CBI investigations into the telecom scam etc.

No.

There are as much in the loop on the Commonwealth Games as they are active in the fight against inflation!

Relax. You worry too much.

I have written a Counterpoint on the subject.

The episode was shot a while ago and has not been telecast in India as yet I think. So you will have to forgive me for not being able to remember.

It's possible to be impartial and to still leak. There is no contradiction between the two.

If you're so keen on judicial transparency then you should ask the Supreme Court, which ordered this investigation and continues to monitor it rather than hiding behind lazy cliches likes `Congress vendetta'.

I don't think anyone would waste their time interviewing me.

The world is full of lunatics, alas. And sad, pathetic lunatics at that.

Two questions. One: even if the money had been properly spent, was the expenditure justified? Two: who has been stealing the money?

If you are taking your parents then either place is fine. Both are at opposite ends of town so base your decision on convenience.

Absolutely. I think I said something similar in my piece about him.

Delhi.

I wish I knew. Long time since I've eaten at Waldorf or gone to Salt Lake.

Because the international community would claim that there was less and less validity to our claim to our J&K if we separated the Muslim majority area.

Because they do not agree with your assessments of our analytical prowess.

That's a comment not a question.

Don't be so silly. Urdu is not a Muslim language. Many Hindus speak it and a whole generation of Punjabis was educated in that medium.

I buy my own groceries. I eat street food all the time. I saw Knight and Day in a cinema hall on July 29th. And I do not tape-record my articles before writing them.

My irritation with Mani Shankar Aiyar stems from his willingness to take a valid cause (the waste of money on the Commonwealth Games) and to caricature it with silly statements like 'I hope it rains during the Games'.

Sadly, no. Or, at least, I haven't found one.

Thank you.

Thank you so much. Can't think of a single source off-hand am afraid but will try and look for one.

Well, Pakistan could break up. A strong and stable Pakistan is not in India's best interests. A broken-up Pakistan will suit us better, no matter what the peaceniks tell you.

I am as alarmed as you are.

If I knew the answer to that question I would be running Indian football.

Agree that our policemen are out of shape but I'm not sure that this is an exclusively Indian problem. Have you seen the cops in the American mid-West and the South.

You're right. I have just been too distracted to give it the attention it deserves.

That's an excellent idea. Thank you.

I think one of the lessons of history is that we are condemned to live with the errors of the past, sadly.
 

Yes, there is something to what you say. But we can't shirk responsibility. They are in power because we elect them.

There is no retirement age for politicians in most countries. Ronald Reagan was hardly a spring chicken.

I support the ban.

It's difficult enough writing one every week! But I do restaurant reviews for Mint occasionally and I will put them on the site.

How do you engage economically with Pakistan? Provide a market for their heroin?

 Frankly, I am not sure that this approach will work. The Kashmiris themselves were weary of violence. But two things have
happened. One: Pakistan has sent fresh terrorists across the border. And two: there is a new generation that believes it is waging a holy war against Indian occupation. You can tire out your internal enemies but if your neighbour is a terrorist state then this strategy will not work.

No.

 I have always said that jehadi terrorists should be described as such. Of course, they have a religion and their violence springs from it. So it is with Hindu terrorists. So, let's stop pussy-footing around and hiding behind euphemisms.

If you feel so strongly, send him an email and tell him this.

No favourites.

She is a bit of a nutcase.

No, because the evidence is still coming in.

Will think about it. Thanks for the suggestion.

I think morality has had less and less place in our foreign policy since the 1990s.

I do.

Have not tried them. Thank you for the suggestions.

Because I don't like it.

I think it is flourishing. And that's great.

I would have been happier with Hegde if he had not withdrawn his resignation. Now, the whole thing seems like a drama.

 That's actually not true. If you read BJP supporters then you will find many abusive terms for the Congress, all focussing on secularism and dynasty.

Agreed.

That’s a fair and reasonable position.

I think you are right.

No harm done in talking. Nothing gained by sulking.

You are  wrong. When a text is forwarded to you from your Indian phone, the foreign service provider charges for the incoming text. This charge is collected from you by your Indian service provider.
 

He sounds like a carpet salesman in a not very reputable shop.

There isn’t and we don’t.

Sure.  Last time I tried Bo.Lan and Hyde and Seek. Both are terrific. Try Kanitha (the Sukhumvit branch is best) for Thai food. The Four Seasons has great restaurants too.
 

 Farooq is right.

Not an expert on Anwar Sadat but I very much doubt if he was one of the greatest statesmen of the 20th century.

Agreed that our security infrastructure is pathetic when compared to Israel's. Not sure you see the contradiction between having no death penalty on the one hand and sending Mossad out to kill people on the other.

Not my area of expertise. You should really ask somebody who knows Karnataka politics well.

Thank you for your views.

I have enormous respect for Manmohan Singh and I think he is a very good Prime Minister. I just don't think that he is the best thing to have happened to India since 1947.

You are right.

There is a piece in the archives that echoes some of your views.

Sure. Do send it.

 T. N. Ninan.

Depends on  the restaurant – and the city.