The BJP government under the leadership of Narendra Modi, in its second term, has taken a number of steps in quick succession affecting the Muslims: abrogation of Triple Talaq, alteration in the status of Kashmir, and then the National Citizens’ Registry (NCR) and Citizens Amendment Act (CAA). The Supreme Court judgement on a long-pending Ayodhya Masjid case fell in between and that is also taken as an anti-Muslim event.

In order to dispel the fear of the Muslims that the BJP government at the center is out to disenfranchise them, take away their rights and possibly expel them from India, the Hindus will have to engage them in a dialogue with the best of intentions.

On Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th Birthday (2 Oct 2019), the Hamilton Interfaith Group (HIFG), organized an interfaith prayer meeting at the City Hall, Hamilton (Ontario, Canada) to pay tribute to that messenger of Peace.

As the world celebrates Mohandas Gandhi’s 150th anniversary on 2 October 2019, let’s take a look in part at what is going on around the world -- particularly in the region closer to India and beyond.

If an honest debate is initiated in the public domain and we wish to be a sincere learner of history and political developments, we should refrain from hastily jumping to a conclusion and let the facts, their interpretation and arguments flow on all sides. References to sources and quotes are fine.

As Bihar was recovering from the news cycle of mob lynching, triple talaq and JD(U)’s ambivalence on Article 370 and 35A, disturbing new reports on Lalu’s family feud surfaced.

Happy to be back to my guest column with the PatnaDaily. My last write up had appeared on 6 December 2018, wherein I had paid tribute to Dr Rajendra Prasad.

The nation pays homage to the memory of Dr Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India, on December the 3rd. Today, in the spirit of honoring that great son of Bihar on his birthday, I turned to a few news outlets to know what was happening in Rajen Babu’s as well as my home-state.

The social and political opponents of the Lalu Yadav’s family must be chuckling at the agonies of Rabri Devi who decided not to have Chhath Puja celebration this time around.

On 26-27 August 2018, my wife Reeta, and I had the rare opportunity to host at our residence an eminent follower of Mohandas Gandhi, Dr. S.N.Subbarao. One of his best-known achievements was when in early 1970’s, under the guidance and leadership of Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan, he founded the Mahatma Gandhi Seva Ashram in the Chambal valley of Madhya Pradesh and brought hundreds of dacoits (professional bandits) into the mainstream.

Observers of Nitish Kumar’s tenure agree three terms as Chief Minister should be sufficient to show substantial improvement in the health of a province. Many critics, not necessarily hostile, say on many fundamental benchmarks against which his administration must be tested Nitish fell far short. For instance, health care system or law and order in general continued to be sick despite his claim of a clean and efficient administration, Sushasan, in Bihar.

In the 90’s scholars had identified a few states in India as ungovernable. Popular with the acronym, BIMARU, Bihar was first among them. It was the decade of Lalu Yadav, but the degeneration had continued in a big way during the Jagannath Mishra regime.