![A close-up photograph of yellow crime scene tape in sharp focus reading "CRIME SCENE DO NO[T CROSS]", with a group of blurred](/content/images/size/w600/2026/06/joshua-coleman-g86cbfibd6e-unsplash.jpg)
From 'The Sulur horror story of child sexual assault and murder', The Hindu, May 31, 2026: Mr. Vijay, who sent Director-General of Police Sandeep Rai Rathore and Additional DGP (Law and Order) Maheshwar Dayal to Coimbatore after the crime, said the murder had caused immense pain and shock.
Is it a coincidence that more 'complicated' pathogens to vaccinate against and more poverty/poorer countries share a geographic area?
From 'Measure for measure: On India’s courts and criticism', The Hindu, May 21, 2026: In the Ali Khan Mahmudabad matter, the Court granted him relief from coercive action but also imposed a gag order. Then, in a display of willingness to discipline the norms of public conduct
I am a journalist… I think. I have been a desk guy most of my professional life (14+ years). In this time, I have commissioned and published hundreds of pieces, from news reports to investigative features, from explainers to commentary. However, I myself am more of an essayist — and even
Excerpt from 'Data center land use issues are fake', by Andy Masley, May 2, 2026: And then, in the middle of all this, a farmer in Loudoun County sells a few acres of mediocre hay field to a hyperscaler for ten times its agricultural value, and the response
On May 4, former Tamil film actor C. Joseph Vijay and his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) emerged in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections as the single largest party. The magnitude of the victory was widely unexpected, and dislodged the Dravidian duopoly in the State since 1959. While the reasons for
Note to readers: Root Privileges is now Slightly Acidic. Daily writing promptWhat gives you direction in life? View all responses I'm a political creature. I didn't think that I'd be one but I am. I believe this is a response to India's
Writing prompt: What topics do you like to discuss? I like to discuss everything under the Sun. However, I’m also wary of people who waste time talking about something in a way that couldn’t possibly lead to a useful insight or a changed mind but are in fact
Daily writing promptJot down the first thing that comes to your mind. View all responses I've got an earworm this morning and it's been unbudged. It's the song 'Neeye unakku endrum' from the 1962 Tamil film Bale Pandiya. The film is highly
The English poet Blake Morrison had a thought-provoking essay in The Guardian titled '‘Enough of this me me me’: Blake Morrison on memoir in the age of oversharing' on April 4. He traced the evolution of memoir from a self-congratulatory genre for the accomplished to today's
The BBC has produced a documentary podcast titled ‘Hope and fear: India’s space revolution’. Its host, Alok Jha of The Economist, interviewed me late last year as part of it, to provide a media perspective of the Indian space programme, in particular Gaganyaan, access to ISRO scientists, the role
A happy Lord of the Rings Day to you. This year I almost didn’t write this post because I don’t have anything to say about The Lord of the Rings itself. Chiefly, I have tired of the antics of men. It’s not about some good men and