POV Archives

“Even the Bhakts Are Here”: How Ardent BJP Supporters Have Joined Anti-CAA Voices

All through last 10 days, the police crackdown, the imposition of Section 144, and internet shutdowns over the Citizenship Amendment Act saw many BJP loyalists turn. They have a common complaint – they were banking on Modi’s development agenda not divisive politics.

Shubhodeep Pal March 28, 2016

POV

If Anthony Bourdain’s Life Was Not Perfect How Can Ours Ever Be?

What could have made Anthony Bourdain, sitting in a luxury hotel, in the middle of shooting a much-loved show, feel so hollow that he had to kill himself? For 99.99 per cent of humanity, who will never rent a countryside villa, the question that rankles is, is it going to be worth it, when we get there?

Issac John March 28, 2016

POV

How WhatsApp Could Save the World

Simply telling people not to believe WhatsApp forwards is not going to cut it. So is it possible that we can just tell them what to believe instead?

Arré Bench March 28, 2016

POV

How Mumbai Stopped Romanticising the Rain and Started Dreading It

Come June, you could be walking on the street and be felled by a falling tree in Mumbai. Or you could get stuck inside a jammed SUV and drown. The possibilities are increasing every year. Every year, the Mumbaikar is a little more fearful than fond of the monsoon.

Aparna joshi March 27, 2016

POV

Swami Nithyananda & Other Babas, Can You Please Leave the Science to the Scientists?

There’s never been a better time to be a baba, considering that even godmen from five thousand years ago are finding their way into our engineering textbooks. We have Deepak Chopra for the ABCD crowd, Sadhguru for the upper-class aunties, Swami Nithyananda for the wholly clueless, and Gaur Gopal Das, the living dad-joke generator.

#VALUE! March 27, 2016

POV

Why there is no Getting Past the Will Smith-Chris Rock Fiasco

Other than being chaotic and unpredictable this year’s Oscar ceremony will of course be dissected for the Will Smith-Chris Rock altercation that could both, have been avoided and dealt with better. All it did was undermine a night for cinema, especially for representation in cinema by two men who should’ve known better.

Takshi Mehta March 27, 2016

POV

“Wear Indian Dress”: Reactions to Bangalore Man’s Video Shows that the Time of the Moral Police Might Be Over

The outrage at the man who confronted a woman because she was wearing shorts shows that even though people who still believe in archaic notions like “proper Indian dress code” exist, their views are finding fewer and fewer takers.

Dushyant Shekhawat March 26, 2016

POV

Why Appleism Must Die

The dream of the internet as a transparent arena, where the individual had autonomy and power is dead. And I blame Apple for it.

Bhanuj Kappal March 26, 2016

POV

Swara Bhasker Was Wrong… But that Doesn’t Mean Her Trolls are Right

Swara Bhasker might be one of those rare celebrities in the country whose trolls follow her actions even more closely than her fans. But between her using an expletive for a child on a talk show, and her haters descending on her en masse, the four-year-old starts looking like the most mature person involved.

Dushyant Shekhawat March 26, 2016

POV

Why Moving Out of Your Parent’s House is Overrated

I thought moving out would be about no deadlines, no curfews, and no rules. But it is about waiting for a plumber, paying rent and bills, waking up early to fill the water tank, and eating bland, self-cooked food. I didn’t do drugs, I did dishes.

Ramjaane March 25, 2016