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Pavan K Varma

Articles by Pavan K Varma

Just Like That: Unforgettable stories from State banquets

From IK Gujral to Indira Gandhi, here's how illustrious leaders dealt with the boredom and unusual circumstances of State dinners

In deference to Indira Gandhi's fast, Ceaușescu, in his imperious way, immediately announced that the banquet was over. (Romanian Communism Online Photo Collection/ Wikimedia Commons- Representative Image)

opinion

Published on Aug 05, 2023 08:52 PM IST

ByPavan K Varma

Just Like That | The life and times of Inder Kumar Gujral

IK Gujral unexpectedly became PM after HD Deve Gowda's resignation. He was known for his gentlemanly demeanour, astute political skills, and the Gujral Doctrine

Even his enemies would agree that IK was a thorough gentleman.(HT Archive)

opinion

Published on Jul 29, 2023 08:54 PM IST

ByPavan K Varma

Just Like That | Language barrier: White man's ‘burden’, brown man's ‘ignorance’

The PM's trip to France raised the question: is the importance given to pronouncing western words correctly reciprocated by friends in the West with ours?

A file photo of the Arc de Triomphe at the start of the Champs Elysees during the Bastille Day parade in Paris.(Reuters Photo)

opinion

Published on Jul 23, 2023 01:55 PM IST

ByPavan K Varma

Just Like That | Tracing Delhi's monsoon melodies from Kalidasa to Bollywood

Delhi's monsoons are dichotomous, as the much-awaited showers bring relief but also pose challenges with floods and evacuations, testing the city's fortitude

Despite all of this, the truth is that the monsoons in India are much awaited. (PTI)

opinion

Published on Jul 16, 2023 04:20 PM IST

ByPavan K Varma

JUST LIKE THAT | We've barely scratched the surface of our tourism potential

India has every attribute to push it to the top of a visitor's wish list. So why are we still ranked 54 out of 117 countries in a respected global index?

Essentially, we have not given tourism the attention it deserves.(Akash Das/Pixabay)

opinion

Published on Jul 09, 2023 10:24 AM IST

ByPavan K Varma

Just Like That | Indianness remains our central identity

Indianness, therefore, remains our central identity, however cosmopolitan our interests are. Within that, there can be infinite diversities.

Within our one defining Indianness, there can be infinite diversities.(HT Archive)

opinion

Published on Jul 02, 2023 10:26 AM IST

ByPavan K Varma

Just like that | The language of the soil

With over 24 sophisticated languages, each with its own corpus of age-old literature, badly-spoken English cannot become the lingua franca of great civilization

opinion

Published on Jun 25, 2023 01:52 PM IST

ByPavan K Varma

Just Like That | Witnessing Nature's Beauty in Delhi

Explore the beauty of Delhi’s trees and lamentations on the destruction of their fragrant creations through Gulzar's odes

As winter turns to summer, the beautiful Amaltas or Laburnum breaks into bloom, its golden shower of yellow flowers literally taking one’s breath away.(Shivam Saxena/HT photo)

opinion

Published on Jun 18, 2023 12:51 PM IST

ByPavan K Varma

Just Like That | A fine line of what's socially correct when East meets West

At the intersection of civilizations lies a dilemma felt most keenly by immigrants and diplomats: follow the dominant idiom, or the mores of one's homeland?

Some foods simply can't be eaten with a fork and a knife, no matter where one's consuming them. (Wiki Commons)

ht weekend

Updated on Jun 12, 2023 12:51 PM IST

ByPavan K Varma

Just Like That | India mustn’t forget horrors of Partition

By a conservative estimate, over two million people were suddenly and violently uprooted and displaced in Partition and hundreds of thousands died

Partition is a story we must not forget.(Wikimedia Commons)

opinion

Published on Jun 04, 2023 10:48 AM IST

ByPavan K Varma

Just Like That | The Rise and Fall of Delhi's Wealthy: A True Story

Do you know which Indian family bought the first car in Delhi? Or, at whose house the first telephone was installed?

The richest person in the city just about 150 years ago was a man called Lala Chunna Mal. His haveli in Chandini Chowk occupies an entire block, and even its current dilapidated state reveals what it must have been in its grandeur(Wikimedia Commons)

opinion

Published on May 27, 2023 08:10 PM IST

ByPavan K Varma

JUST LIKE THAT | The true essence of Bajrangbali, a god with many names

Hanuman, the eternal symbol of devotion, is also a poet, polymath, and musician par excellence. His followers would do well to imbibe his humility and wisdom

In portraying divinity, Hinduism often uses the construct of discordant juxtaposition. Beyond their appearance, it is far more important to understand what deities stand for. (HT File)

opinion

Published on May 20, 2023 03:18 PM IST

ByPavan K Varma

Just Like That | Knowledge vs Authenticity: The peril of being a ‘photocopy’

On the curious case of Indian writer Nirad Chaudhuri and his quest for knowledge and British acceptance, which led him away from his own cultural authenticity.

Photocopies of other cultures, however knowledgeable, remain photocopies. And photocopies never win real respect. It is far, far better to be oneself, rooted in your own culture, while being open to others.(HT File Photo/For Representation Only)

opinion

Published on May 15, 2023 11:26 AM IST

ByPavan K Varma

Reminiscing two untold stories in Indian politics

Bhishma Narain Singh and “King” Mahendra are no longer with us. But the trajectory of politics is full of such unknown stories

Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi sent veteran Congress politician from Bihar, Bhisma Narain Singh, to placate Charan Singh, who was then the home minister in the Janata Dal government. Three days later, she was released from jail (HT ARCHIVE)

opinion

Updated on May 06, 2023 07:35 PM IST

ByPavan K Varma

Just Like That | Notes on the untold story of Yudhistar and Draupadi

Unpacking the complex relationship between Yudhistar and Draupadi in Mahabharata. And a side-bar on ambassador Chinmoy Gharekhan's passion for classical music

opinion

Published on Apr 29, 2023 08:12 PM IST

ByPavan K Varma

Just Like That | Beyond 9 to 5: Notes on how a hobby can boost your career

Presidents and PMs — and yours truly — have long recognised the value of cultivating hobbies for growth. And a side bar on St Stephen's annual get-together

As a diplomat and member of the Indian Foreign Service, I had a busy career. But I also developed a side interest of writing, and continued my interest in golf and bridge. (Shutterstock)

opinion

Published on Apr 23, 2023 03:07 PM IST

ByPavan K Varma

Just Like That | Notes on Osho's mixed legacy and a turbulent India-Pak history

On Osho's journey from unconventional philosophy to controversy. And Satinder Lambah's account of the stormy history between India and Pakistan

Osho (HT Photo); Satinder Lambah's book, In Pursuit of Peace.

opinion

Updated on Apr 16, 2023 11:26 AM IST

ByPavan K Varma

Just Like That | Notes on my fond interactions with creative giants

Interactions with artists are fascinating. I have been lucky to have many: Pandit Jasraj; Begum Farida Khanum: Gulzar; the late Satish Gujral; and Jatin Das

Pandit Jasraj; Begum Farida Khanum: Gulzar; the late Satish Gujral; and Jatin Das. (HT Archive)

opinion

Updated on Apr 10, 2023 02:07 PM IST

ByPavan K Varma

Just Like That | Notes on India as a self-conscious civilisation

The idea that India was a collation of random diversities before British rule is colonial deceit. And a sidebar on my Bhubaneswar trip to launch a new book.

Below the surface, there is a civilisational unity, and objective historians have little doubt about it. (Shutterstock)

opinion

Published on Apr 01, 2023 05:29 PM IST

ByPavan K Varma

Just Like That | Notes on the transcendental power of meditation

When the ceaseless activity of the brain is “blocked” by deep meditation, or in moments of deep surrender, or when the ego is stilled, there is another “Self” that transcends the normal flux of our brain activity.

Dear readers, is there not a reason why we should try, while still alive, to experience the bliss and awareness, that our mind is capable of? (Pixabay)

opinion

Published on Mar 25, 2023 07:01 PM IST

ByPavan K Varma

Just Like That | Notes on the love lore of Radha and Krishna

There is so much poetry on their desire, that one cannot possibly even get a sense of it all, but here are some illustrative examples, along with a sidebar on the launch of two new books.

The grandeur of Hinduism is that it harmonises the negation of desire with its simultaneous affirmation. (Shutterstock)

opinion

Published on Mar 18, 2023 08:13 PM IST

ByPavan K Varma

Just Like That | Notes on the life and times of my friend MF Hussain

Over the years, I got to know MF very well. Here are some anecdotes of my time with him, a generous man who became one of India's most sought-after artists

For a person who began his life painting billboards for films, or making portraits for as little as <span class='webrupee'>₹</span>15, he became among the most sought-after artists in India, commanding astronomical prices. But he also was very generous with his paintings. (Getty Images)

opinion

Published on Mar 11, 2023 06:56 PM IST

ByPavan K Varma

Just Like That | Notes on the remarkable women of Delhi, past and present

I raise a toast to all the women who have broken barriers to carve out a legacy of their own in the nation's Capital, and I raise my glass to the exceptionally talented Mudgal family

Undoubtedly, the most powerful woman in politics, who though originally from Allahabad (now renamed Prayagraj) had made Delhi her home, was Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. (HT Archive)

opinion

Published on Mar 04, 2023 08:01 PM IST

ByPavan K Varma

Just Like That | Notes on my dear friend Javed Akhtar, destined for greatness

Javed has been a friend of long-standing. And while his life is in the public realm, there are personal anecdotes that many people might not know about.

We have spent many evenings (he is a complete teetotaler for years now but serves drinks to his guests) discussing his life and the vicissitudes he went through as a struggling aspirant in Bollywood’s competitive world. (AFP)

opinion

Published on Feb 26, 2023 08:21 PM IST

ByPavan K Varma

Just Like That | Notes on the celebration of love and desire

On the philosophical legitimacy given by Hindu thought to love and desire that several people in India seem to have forgotten.

I find it both amusing and ridiculous that, in the land of the Kamasutra and Khajuraho (in photo), there are goons who go about harassing couples who celebrate Valentine’s Day, for “violating Indian culture”. (Wikimedia Commons)

opinion

Updated on Feb 20, 2023 09:17 AM IST

ByPavan K Varma

When Advani oversaw a book production

In February 2001, The Millennium Book on New Delhi, edited by BP Singh and me, was unveiled at the Ashoka Hall in Rashtrapati Bhavan by the President in what was labelled as the mother of all book launches

LK Advani was keen on a book on New Delhi. He felt that the city had evolved from a small colonial city to a cosmopolitan metropolis and wanted a book that captured this new self-conscious personality of New Delhi (Hindustan Times)

opinion

Updated on Feb 11, 2023 07:48 PM IST

ByPavan K Varma

Just Like That | Notes on capturing India's layers, in written word and pictures

On studying India in all its, sometimes paradoxical, glory in my books; and French ambassador Emmanuel Lenain's photo exhibition. And a side-bar on the middle class on Budget Day

The Reserve Bank of India building in New Delhi has a statue of the ancient god of wealth, Kubera, at its entrance. (Wikimedia Commons)

opinion

Updated on Feb 06, 2023 10:19 AM IST

ByPavan K Varma

Just Like That | Notes on R-Day then & now, the Right & Left at JLF & a wedding

Celebrating at the Republic Day parade having changed over time, a fiery debate on the political Left and Right at JLF, and a Delhi wedding.

The PM now is surrounded by a ring of security personnel, and his movements are strictly restricted. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

opinion

Updated on Jan 30, 2023 08:33 AM IST

ByPavan K Varma

Just Like That | Notes on a simpler time, and the life & times of two great men

On what 19th century Delhi did in the winter months, and the launch of great Indian spook AS Dulat's and filmmaker Muzaffar Ali's memoirs.

A Life in the Shadows; Zikr: In the Light and Shade Of time.

opinion

Published on Jan 21, 2023 07:37 PM IST

ByPavan K Varma

Remembering Pranab, a remarkable politician

Pranab was the quintessential witness to an era. Born in 1935, his career began as a clerk in the post and telegraph department in West Bengal and culminated as the 13th President of India

Pranab Mukherjee kept a detailed daily diary. His daughter is writing a biography of her father using this invaluable historical material (Sonu Mehta/HT PHOTO)

opinion

Updated on Jan 14, 2023 07:56 PM IST

ByPavan K Varma

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Pavan K Varma

From IK Gujral to Indira Gandhi, here's how illustrious leaders dealt with the boredom and unusual circumstances of State dinners

IK Gujral unexpectedly became PM after HD Deve Gowda's resignation. He was known for his gentlemanly demeanour, astute political skills, and the Gujral Doctrine

The PM's trip to France raised the question: is the importance given to pronouncing western words correctly reciprocated by friends in the West with ours?

Delhi's monsoons are dichotomous, as the much-awaited showers bring relief but also pose challenges with floods and evacuations, testing the city's fortitude

India has every attribute to push it to the top of a visitor's wish list. So why are we still ranked 54 out of 117 countries in a respected global index?

Indianness, therefore, remains our central identity, however cosmopolitan our interests are. Within that, there can be infinite diversities.

With over 24 sophisticated languages, each with its own corpus of age-old literature, badly-spoken English cannot become the lingua franca of great civilization

Explore the beauty of Delhi’s trees and lamentations on the destruction of their fragrant creations through Gulzar's odes

At the intersection of civilizations lies a dilemma felt most keenly by immigrants and diplomats: follow the dominant idiom, or the mores of one's homeland?

By a conservative estimate, over two million people were suddenly and violently uprooted and displaced in Partition and hundreds of thousands died

Do you know which Indian family bought the first car in Delhi? Or, at whose house the first telephone was installed?

Hanuman, the eternal symbol of devotion, is also a poet, polymath, and musician par excellence. His followers would do well to imbibe his humility and wisdom

On the curious case of Indian writer Nirad Chaudhuri and his quest for knowledge and British acceptance, which led him away from his own cultural authenticity.

Bhishma Narain Singh and “King” Mahendra are no longer with us. But the trajectory of politics is full of such unknown stories

Unpacking the complex relationship between Yudhistar and Draupadi in Mahabharata. And a side-bar on ambassador Chinmoy Gharekhan's passion for classical music

Presidents and PMs — and yours truly — have long recognised the value of cultivating hobbies for growth. And a side bar on St Stephen's annual get-together

On Osho's journey from unconventional philosophy to controversy. And Satinder Lambah's account of the stormy history between India and Pakistan

Interactions with artists are fascinating. I have been lucky to have many: Pandit Jasraj; Begum Farida Khanum: Gulzar; the late Satish Gujral; and Jatin Das

The idea that India was a collation of random diversities before British rule is colonial deceit. And a sidebar on my Bhubaneswar trip to launch a new book.

When the ceaseless activity of the brain is “blocked” by deep meditation, or in moments of deep surrender, or when the ego is stilled, there is another “Self” that transcends the normal flux of our brain activity.

There is so much poetry on their desire, that one cannot possibly even get a sense of it all, but here are some illustrative examples, along with a sidebar on the launch of two new books.

Over the years, I got to know MF very well. Here are some anecdotes of my time with him, a generous man who became one of India's most sought-after artists

I raise a toast to all the women who have broken barriers to carve out a legacy of their own in the nation's Capital, and I raise my glass to the exceptionally talented Mudgal family

Javed has been a friend of long-standing. And while his life is in the public realm, there are personal anecdotes that many people might not know about.

On the philosophical legitimacy given by Hindu thought to love and desire that several people in India seem to have forgotten.

In February 2001, The Millennium Book on New Delhi, edited by BP Singh and me, was unveiled at the Ashoka Hall in Rashtrapati Bhavan by the President in what was labelled as the mother of all book launches

On studying India in all its, sometimes paradoxical, glory in my books; and French ambassador Emmanuel Lenain's photo exhibition. And a side-bar on the middle class on Budget Day

Celebrating at the Republic Day parade having changed over time, a fiery debate on the political Left and Right at JLF, and a Delhi wedding.

On what 19th century Delhi did in the winter months, and the launch of great Indian spook AS Dulat's and filmmaker Muzaffar Ali's memoirs.

Pranab was the quintessential witness to an era. Born in 1935, his career began as a clerk in the post and telegraph department in West Bengal and culminated as the 13th President of India

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