Aakar Patel
 "Aakar Patel")
Aakar Patel
Aakar Patel is a columnist who has edited English and Gujarati newspapers. He has worked with several Indian media organisations.
Aakar Patel is a columnist who has edited English and Gujarati newspapers. He has worked with several Indian media organisations.
Page 5 - Aakar Patel
The quality of our independence
Activism of any sort and human rights work in particular is not encouraged in India, and it is almost never safe
 "The quality of our independence")
Kashmir: Condemned by consensus that we need to hold it by force
India has done little to rebut the global accusation inherent in describing the border state as 'Indian-administered' Kashmir
 "Kashmir: Condemned by consensus that we need to hold it by force")
Travel for travel's sake
The accusation that writer V S Naipaul makes against Indians is that they are inward-looking. He means that we don't observe the outside world
 "Travel for travel's sake")
Travels with Bagha
The airline required that dogs be transported in a crate whose design had been approved by the International Air Transport Association
 "Travels with Bagha")
Budget 2018: Jaitley seeks attention to fight disillusionment with promises
Mr Jaitley is particularly uncomfortable when he speaks Hindi, which he chose to do, or was asked to do, in this speech often
The lit-fest mystery
For authors, this is the rare occasion when they get to be heard and seen. Book readings are uncommon in our times
 "The lit-fest mystery")
BJP's Pakistan policy: A trail of disasters
The party neither has the capacity to think up a mature policy nor the ability to correct course
 "BJP's Pakistan policy: A trail of disasters")
So long, the idealist
Pride in quality work, the spirit and energy of a newsroom and the sense of participation in big events made it worth being in journalism
 "So long, the idealist")
Hooked to books
One way to begin would be to access the material of our own culture, meaning the literature of India and these parts
 "Hooked to books")
Taj Mahal: A monument of gratitude
It is ingratitude bordering on stupidity that one would choose, for petty and juvenile reasons, to demote an asset any other nation would value and treasure
 "Taj Mahal: A monument of gratitude")
Why I do not watch TV news anymore
That Indian TV news viewer prefers the viciousness on display in top channels is a worrisome trend
 "Why I do not watch TV news anymore")
The winning narrative of a war
Dunkirk's narrative is that plucky Englishmen regrouped and came back to defeat Hitler. Not true.
 "The winning narrative of a war")
70th Independence Day: How Hindu members drafted a resilient Constitution
About 300 people were in Assembly, but BR Ambedkar is called architect of our Constitution
 "70th Independence Day: How Hindu members drafted a resilient Constitution")
Sufi mysticism and pantheism
Plato's successors developed the concept of pantheism, belief that identifies God with the universe
 "Sufi mysticism and pantheism")
Ritual over reason
Vegetarianism is linked inexorably to purity in India. We are only nation that uses word 'non-veg'
 "Ritual over reason")
How to define an Indian
Categories such as pro-army, pro-India are puerile, divisive and ultimately engender violence
 "How to define an Indian")
Infectious mindlessness
The infection that produces mindlessness is spreading in India
 "Infectious mindlessness")
Aakar Patel: India and the loss of sovereignty
In two decades, foreign corporations will be bigger agents of change than the state
 "Aakar Patel: India and the loss of sovereignty")
