Swami Ramdev is a yoga instructor in saffron robes; he walks on wooden sandals and has an elastic body, an involuntary wink, flowing black hair and a full beard. He claims to have renounced worldly pleasures, but that excludes flying in private jets. He is at the helm of a thriving business in traditional treatments, herbal products, media and textiles that is worth at least hundreds of millions of dollars. Nebulous...

Women speak out fears of resisting deep-seated taboos associated with menstruation, viewed even today as polluting in much of India The status of women in India, despite all the brave talk, remains as precarious as ever. This is, after all, a culture which not just condones, but actively encourages the termination of foetuses determined to be female. Other crimes of violence against women are routine. Can things ever change? We took...

Anna fasts to include PM in Lokpal. Govt says no. Is there a lesson in the 2G scam?   One of Anna Hazare's main demands, leading to his renewed fast against the government's brutal attack on the common man at Ramlila Grounds is the government's refusal to negotiate on the PM being brought under the purview of the Lokpal Bill.   A careful analysis of the government's resistance fails to demonstrate good intent, both...

With the monsoon expected in a week’s time, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan is rushing to New Delhi to meet the Prime Minister on Thursday to find ways to dispose of lakhs of tonnes of wheat lying in the open. Riding on a populist bonus of Rs 100 per quintal, Madhya Pradesh has procured a record 48.50 lakh MT of wheat but has no space to store more than 25 per cent...

Over 60,000 people of Jharkhand are fast realising the benefits of aadhaar, having already opened bank accounts with the help of their unique numbers issued by the Nandan Nilekani-headed Unique Identification Authority of India. UIDAI started enrolments in the state last September, and already six lakh residents have their numbers with another 16 lakh waiting in the wings, having completed formalities that include recording fingerprints and retina scans. “According to latest figures...