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Karan Thapar

Karan Thapar is a super-looking genius who’s young, friendly, chatty and great fun to be with. He’s also very enjoyable to read.

Articles by Karan Thapar

Politicians can’t stomp on constitutional rights

Gujarat CM suggests making parental consent mandatory in love marriages, potentially breaching constitutional guarantees.

Doesn’t the CM know that unless he can change the Constitution, he cannot make parental consent mandatory in love marriages?(Twitter Photo)

opinion

Published on Aug 05, 2023 11:07 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

The intriguing twists of Ambedkar’s career

A book reveals lesser-known aspects of BR Ambedkar, including his role in the freedom struggle and his struggle to be part of the Constituent Assembly.

Imagine what would have happened if Ambedkar hadn’t made it? (HT Archives)

opinion

Published on Jul 29, 2023 08:54 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

Troubling questions on a wrenching video

A horrific incident of rape and sexual assault in Manipur has raised questions about the official response, including the police's role and lack of action.

Members of various organisations stage a protest against the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur in New Delhi on Friday. (PTI)

opinion

Published on Jul 22, 2023 11:59 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

A reckoning with the brutality of caste

In "Caste Pride: Battles for Equality in Hindu India," Manoj Mitta explores how caste prejudices persist in India, even in the face of caste atrocities.

Even of Ambedkar – and I won’t give away too much – his story is “not one without its share of surprises”. Mitta concludes: “Freedom fighters were not necessarily equality champions.”(HT Archives)

opinion

Published on Jul 16, 2023 01:21 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

3 troubling questions about Manipur crisis

Beyond duty and constitutional requirements, there’s a moral demand for a head of government to articulate the nation’s concern.

First, why has N Biren Singh not been removed as chief minister (CM)?(ANI)

opinion

Published on Jul 09, 2023 09:54 AM IST

ByKaran Thapar

Frost, Nehru, Modi and a book of poems

During his recent US trip, PM Narendra Modi was gifted Robert Frost’s book of poems by the Bidens. Frost was also Nehru’s favourite poet

Jill Biden gifted PM Modi a signed, first-edition copy of

opinion

Published on Jul 02, 2023 03:43 AM IST

ByKaran Thapar

Three lessons from an unforgettable teacher

Guru was the moniker by which Doon School boys knew Gurdial Singh. It was a very apt nickname. It’s also how he’ll be remembered after his death last month.

In the 1960s, Doon valued its sportsmen far more than scholars. This meant that a child who had never swung a cricket bat nor kicked a football was at a significant disadvantage.(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

opinion

Published on Jun 24, 2023 08:24 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

Tracing the long arc of tennis broadcasts

Football and cricket, unlike tennis, are not individual games. Thus, to understand and appreciate what one player does, you need to know where the others are.

Serbia's Novak Djokovic, right, celebrates beating Australia's Nick Kyrgios in the final of the men's singles on day fourteen of the Wimbledon tennis championship(AP)

opinion

Published on Jun 17, 2023 08:42 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

How to hold India’s leaders accountable

PM Modi, for nine long years, has failed to hold a press conference and many people have concluded he’s evading accountability. Let's examine this

In the rest of the democratic world, true accountability is achieved by a different journalistic process.(AP)

opinion

Published on Jun 10, 2023 10:37 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

An unfamiliar portrait of Vajpayee

We all think we knew Atal Bihari Vajpayee, but did we know the man behind the image?

Vajpayee: The Ascent of the Hindu Right by Abhishek Choudhary sheds light on the former PM's life(HT PHOTO)

opinion

Published on Jun 04, 2023 10:47 AM IST

ByKaran Thapar

A memoir sketches a rare portrait of Indira

In his new book, Chinmaya Gharekhan reveals Indira Gandhi was superstitious, loved to amend the drafts of letters, and could spend hours discussing the menu

Chinmaya Gharekhan’s book paints a picture of Indira Gandhi that’s charming and appealing but also a portrait that shows she was often insecure, arrogant and obsessed with her family(HT Archive)

opinion

Published on May 27, 2023 08:31 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

A few warnings for BJP and Opposition

“Our democracy is in crisis, our social fabric is torn, our economy is in peril and we are being dragged back to the dark ages.”

Parakala Prabhakar’s latest book The Crooked Timber of New India: Essays on a Republic in Crisis is a stinging critique of the Prime Minister (PM) and the way he’s transformed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). (Wikimedia Commons)

opinion

Updated on May 20, 2023 07:44 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

Take some time off from the poll heat

This morning let me offer you something rather different. It’s a selection of gems culled from the internet and shared by friends.

“Epeolatry”: A person who worships words; (Shutterstock)

opinion

Updated on May 06, 2023 07:41 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

A nation in conversation: A fresh outlook on India

A nation is a people in conversation is Rajeev Bhargava’s answer to the question “What is a nation?”. It’s very different from what you would expect.

Between Hope and Despair is a collection of Rajeev Bhargava’s ethical reflections on contemporary India.

opinion

Published on Apr 29, 2023 08:44 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

Atiq’s killing raises troubling questions

We have to ensure this never happens again or our boast of being the world’s largest democracy. This is why justice Lokur’s questions matter.

These questions are not just important to get to the truth of what happened -- in addition to why and how -- but for a second significant reason as well. (ANI)

opinion

Updated on Apr 22, 2023 06:53 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

A disquieting string of disclosures on politics

By his own account, KC Singh proves he’s betrayed the high ethical standards of his profession and also endangered India’s democracy in his new memoir

KC Singh's memoir, The Indian President.

opinion

Published on Apr 16, 2023 11:47 AM IST

ByKaran Thapar

An unexpected lesson on diversity from the UK

Three of the most important jobs in Britain are held by people of Indian or Pakistani origin. Five years ago, that would have been impossible to conceive of.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. (Reuters)

opinion

Published on Apr 09, 2023 03:38 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

The politician who does not know how to say sorry

Speaking grandiosely, if not pompously, he declared at a press conference, “My name is Gandhi and Gandhis never apologise to anyone.”

What Gandhi didn’t realise in 2013 — but, presumably, cannot forget today — is that even if a court eventually stays his conviction, he will have missed several weeks of a sitting Parliament. (Reuters)

opinion

Published on Apr 01, 2023 05:31 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

On criticism, important advice from PM Modi

In an interview to Network18 in September 2016, by when he had been PM for over two years, Narendra Modi spoke about the need for analysis and criticism of governments and their work.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Chennai on Thursday,(ANI/ PIB)

opinion

Published on Mar 25, 2023 07:27 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

A liberal visa regime for Pakistani visitors to India

When a Pakistani with dual citizenship applies for an Indian visa, the application has to be on their Pakistani passport. Once submitted, the Indian embassy will forward it to Delhi. It can take months. Often, there is no response. Is this how we wish to treat people who once were fellow countrymen?

The treatment of the brilliant Australian batsman Usman Khawaja is an illustration of what I call nastiness. (AP)

opinion

Published on Mar 18, 2023 07:19 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

For a Congress revival, a two-fold approach

professor Suhas Palshikar believes the Congress must act on two fronts, organisationally and in terms of its political mobilisation

If the Congress can’t surmount Palshikar’s challenge, is it really ridiculous to say the party’s future could be in doubt?

opinion

Published on Mar 11, 2023 06:40 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

When India and Pakistan came close to inking a pact

Satinder Lambah’s book, In Pursuit of Peace confirms: “By the end of the second term of the UPA government and of Dr Manmohan Singh’s 10-year term, the draft agreement had been approved and was ready for signature.”

Satinder Kumar Lambah's In Pursuit of Peace.

opinion

Published on Mar 04, 2023 06:57 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

When Fazl Karim became Chunni Lal

This is a story that’s worth remembering. It’s a powerful illustration of how times have changed. Seventy-five years later, I also hope it might speak to our conscience.

It happened in the hot summer of 1947. My father, an army brigadier at the time, was the director of military operations and intelligence. In those days, the job brought with it a Lutyens bungalow. But the beauty of this home, set in acres of manicured lawns surrounded by gulmohar trees, contrasted with the murderous emotions whipped into a frenzy by the killings that accompanied Partition (HT ARCHIVE)

opinion

Updated on Feb 25, 2023 05:06 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

New revelations on the long history of our nation

I was struck by the things that Rudrangshu Mukherjee, Shobita Punja, and Toby Sinclair's A New History of India reveals and its interpretations

opinion

Updated on Feb 18, 2023 05:52 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

Musharraf, a man of many contradictions

Last week the focus was on the political and, therefore, disturbing contradictions in his character. And rightly so. But let’s not forget the delightful ones. They’re also part of the truth.

The architect of Kargil as the army chief but also the president who came closer than anyone before to a solution of the Kashmir issue. (REUTERS)

opinion

Updated on Feb 11, 2023 07:45 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

Why R-Day’s Beating Retreat saddened me

What is fixed in my memory are the retreating bands, climbing Raisina Hill. As they reached the crest, the sun would start to set. It made everyone gasp with delight. Alas, much of that is history.

Beating Retreat is a military ceremony that possibly began in the 17th century when James II was King of England. It was intended to signal the end of battle. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)

opinion

Updated on Feb 06, 2023 10:45 AM IST

ByKaran Thapar

Three old books, but fine vacation reads

Two of them are biographies, a genre I find most enjoyable. The first is Zareer Masani’s slim but revealing and insightful work on Thomas Macaulay

I’m going to strive to read more of the books I buy or receive. May be not all and probably not the full book in every case but most and as much as I can take. After all I don’t want to find, five years from now, that some of the best books I’m reading I could have picked up half a decade ago. I can’t afford to make that mistake again! (Hindustan Times)

opinion

Updated on Jan 28, 2023 09:17 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

Prince Harry’s book is both curious and embarrassing

The style of the book is taut, tense, and staccato. Like a thriller. But the language lacks depth, and when the content flags, it can pall, even irritate.

This book is full of revelations and there’s an awful lot of them. (Reuters)

opinion

Published on Jan 21, 2023 07:42 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

Move forward, but cherish the past too

Carols at Christmas seem as natural as the aarti and fireworks at Diwali or semiya ki kheer at Eid. But will religion now determine what we can sing and partake of?

I know change is inevitable and the world must evolve but are there no traditions we want to retain? If Abide With Me is a symbol of colonialism, what about Beating Retreat itself? Could it be in danger too? If only I was sure the answer is no (PTI)

opinion

Updated on Jan 14, 2023 07:55 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

Some unfamiliar Einstein sayings to kick-start 2023

I’ve never been able to understand E=mc², but I’m in lockstep with the rest of his wisdom. It’s a shame we don’t know more about this side of him. So, let me, this Sunday, tell you about the Einstein we’re not familiar with.

If, like me, you’re surprised but delighted to discover how deep and penetrating Einstein’s perception of human beings was, then let me tell you his understanding of himself was equally sharp. (Getty images)

opinion

Published on Jan 07, 2023 06:22 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

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Karan Thapar

Karan Thapar is a super-looking genius who’s young, friendly, chatty and great fun to be with. He’s also very enjoyable to read.

Gujarat CM suggests making parental consent mandatory in love marriages, potentially breaching constitutional guarantees.

A book reveals lesser-known aspects of BR Ambedkar, including his role in the freedom struggle and his struggle to be part of the Constituent Assembly.

A horrific incident of rape and sexual assault in Manipur has raised questions about the official response, including the police's role and lack of action.

In "Caste Pride: Battles for Equality in Hindu India," Manoj Mitta explores how caste prejudices persist in India, even in the face of caste atrocities.

Beyond duty and constitutional requirements, there’s a moral demand for a head of government to articulate the nation’s concern.

During his recent US trip, PM Narendra Modi was gifted Robert Frost’s book of poems by the Bidens. Frost was also Nehru’s favourite poet

Guru was the moniker by which Doon School boys knew Gurdial Singh. It was a very apt nickname. It’s also how he’ll be remembered after his death last month.

Football and cricket, unlike tennis, are not individual games. Thus, to understand and appreciate what one player does, you need to know where the others are.

PM Modi, for nine long years, has failed to hold a press conference and many people have concluded he’s evading accountability. Let's examine this

We all think we knew Atal Bihari Vajpayee, but did we know the man behind the image?

In his new book, Chinmaya Gharekhan reveals Indira Gandhi was superstitious, loved to amend the drafts of letters, and could spend hours discussing the menu

“Our democracy is in crisis, our social fabric is torn, our economy is in peril and we are being dragged back to the dark ages.”

This morning let me offer you something rather different. It’s a selection of gems culled from the internet and shared by friends.

A nation is a people in conversation is Rajeev Bhargava’s answer to the question “What is a nation?”. It’s very different from what you would expect.

We have to ensure this never happens again or our boast of being the world’s largest democracy. This is why justice Lokur’s questions matter.

By his own account, KC Singh proves he’s betrayed the high ethical standards of his profession and also endangered India’s democracy in his new memoir

Three of the most important jobs in Britain are held by people of Indian or Pakistani origin. Five years ago, that would have been impossible to conceive of.

Speaking grandiosely, if not pompously, he declared at a press conference, “My name is Gandhi and Gandhis never apologise to anyone.”

In an interview to Network18 in September 2016, by when he had been PM for over two years, Narendra Modi spoke about the need for analysis and criticism of governments and their work.

professor Suhas Palshikar believes the Congress must act on two fronts, organisationally and in terms of its political mobilisation

Satinder Lambah’s book, In Pursuit of Peace confirms: “By the end of the second term of the UPA government and of Dr Manmohan Singh’s 10-year term, the draft agreement had been approved and was ready for signature.”

This is a story that’s worth remembering. It’s a powerful illustration of how times have changed. Seventy-five years later, I also hope it might speak to our conscience.

I was struck by the things that Rudrangshu Mukherjee, Shobita Punja, and Toby Sinclair's A New History of India reveals and its interpretations

Last week the focus was on the political and, therefore, disturbing contradictions in his character. And rightly so. But let’s not forget the delightful ones. They’re also part of the truth.

What is fixed in my memory are the retreating bands, climbing Raisina Hill. As they reached the crest, the sun would start to set. It made everyone gasp with delight. Alas, much of that is history.

Two of them are biographies, a genre I find most enjoyable. The first is Zareer Masani’s slim but revealing and insightful work on Thomas Macaulay

The style of the book is taut, tense, and staccato. Like a thriller. But the language lacks depth, and when the content flags, it can pall, even irritate.

Carols at Christmas seem as natural as the aarti and fireworks at Diwali or semiya ki kheer at Eid. But will religion now determine what we can sing and partake of?

I’ve never been able to understand E=mc², but I’m in lockstep with the rest of his wisdom. It’s a shame we don’t know more about this side of him. So, let me, this Sunday, tell you about the Einstein we’re not familiar with.

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