It happens outside Indyah

There is a little bit of Pune in Essex.
BTW I agree with the retired police officer - the solution to a menace is a lot bigger menace especially to cyclists and bikers.

Lost for Generations!

I came across this piece in Outlook reviewing a book on Shri Aurobindo and I realized that I have no real context to judge the book or the review for authenticity!
It is quite a shame that whole generations of Indians have grown up without knowing anything about India. Except for some kings of ancient India and smattering of Medieval India - mostly limited to Mughal empire and few notables like Shivaji and Tipu Sultan, no real discussion happens about modern India and its leaders - save Gandhi, Nehru and Bose.
What is lost is the knowledge of life and times of an galaxy of illustrious individuals who have done keen work in social spheres, philosophy, music and literature. What was the social condition of India before Raja Ram Mohan Roy and how did he effect that change? What about Swami Dayanand Saraswati? C Rajgopalachari?
So I land up in this embarrassing situation where a Frenchman writes about one of the modern greats of India and I in spite of my (above average I think) reading have no way to judge!

Hollowed Generation

It is somewhat of a wonder why India fails to win in international sports. Lot of factors are blamed from a lack of sporting culture, to politicians holding all sports bodies memberships to lack of sporting facilities to parental attitudes.
These are all valid reasons but are they all? I think it also has a lot to do with our nutritional status. Reports all over indicate that Indian kids as a majority are malnourished. And it is not just the poor classes but even middle and rich class. Its not that all kids are hungry, just that they don't eat right.
Coomi Kapoor in Indian Express makes a valid argument. Most of us simply do not know what makes a good meal. Our breakfast are typically fried parathas which while very filling are hardly what one should eat for breakfast. In place of breakfast being the most important meal it is usually dinner which ideally should be the least important meal.
This leads to a situation where 70% of kids don't get proper nutrition! So that means out of maybe 100 million kids and youth there might be in India, its only 30 million who are eating well. So in sports we are a nation of maybe only 30 million population which no sporting culture. No wonder.