The Śūnyatā (Openness) Blog

For some people, India has never really shined.And doesn't look like it will shine in the near future as well. This morning, I met a person from the India-not-shining section of our society. I was walking back to my apartment complex after my morning walk, with the usual newspaper and half-litre milk packet.He stopped me a few paces from the apartment gate and enquired as to how far Patancheruvu is from here. He looked extremely tired, his clothes were dirty, and his eyes watery.And he was carrying a small jute bag, which has two blankets of rough wool. I stopped being curious about such people a few years back.But I don't know what made me stop and engage him in a conversation this morning.Here's his story - the gist of what he told me, all the while feeling asahmed of himself, and his plight. Mohammed Khasim (that's his name) is from Nirmal, in Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh.A part-time mechanic and daily laborer, Khasim makes the ends meet for his family, with

Dr.Anbumani Ramadoss, India's Health Minister, has finally persuaded the Government to issue a G.O. - The Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places Rules, 2008. While the Government Order is ambiguous about what constitutes a public place/open space, what the order has done is to give the police a new stick to beat ordinary citizens with. Chandan Mitra of The Pioneer asks a very pertinent question: "Shouldn't the Government be expending its energies to apprehend terrorists rather than diverting scarce police resources to catch cigarette smokers instead?" Go figure.