Amit Varma

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    Playing around with frames of reference

  • Yahoo! Opinions Greatest Hits Vol 1

    There's bad news and there's good news. The bad news is that, once again, Yahoo! Opinions will now go off air for a few weeks. The good news is that we're refurbishing the section, and plan to come back bigger … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2011/07/03/yahoo-opinions-greatest-hits-vol-1/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • The Prime Minister’s Speech

    Under attack from civil society activists, the media and some of his own party members, voicing the need for him to be more communicative over critical issues facing the nation, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is planning to speak out and … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2011/06/30/the-prime-ministers-speech/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • To Hell With Family Values

    As news items go, this one is both absurd and sad: the authorities in Bhakti Park, a 90-acre-complex in Wadala consisting of 24 buildings, have banned its residents from going to the terrace. The reason for this is two separate … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2011/05/25/to-hell-with-family-values/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • The Game of Skill

    I've been in Goa for the last ten days or so, grinding out poker tournaments and cash games. There are a bunch of other regulars following a similar routine in a busy month for poker, and all of them would … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2011/05/11/the-game-of-skill/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • Loaded In Disfavour

    "Bring back the entry load" seems to be the cry among distributors and advisors of mutual funds, as the new chairman of SEBI, U.K.Sinha, appoints committees to look into various aspects of the regulator's functioning. Mr. Sinha was the head … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2011/05/10/loaded-in-disfavour/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • The Godman’s Blessing and the Sportsman’s Curse

    Exhibit A is an international sportsman at the very peak of his career. Exhibit B is a middle-class man who's been dealt a series of cruel blows, and is beginning to feel that life is not worth living. The sportsman … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2011/04/27/the-godmans-blessing-and-the-sportsmans-curse/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • The Rorschach Effect in Indian Politics

    Consider this man: He runs a village in rural Maharashtra as if it is his personal fiefdom, like an authoritarian feudal lord. He is a fan of Shivaji, and admires him for once chopping off the hands of a man … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2011/04/20/the-rorschach-effect-in-indian-politics/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • Where Anna Hazare Gets It Wrong

    Today's column begins with a fashion update: A ribbed, silk green gown from Vivienne Westwood's spring/summer 2010 collection has been selected as Fashion Museum's Dress of the Year. Androgyny has become the latest trend on the catwalks. In India, The … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2011/04/13/where-anna-hazare-gets-it-wrong/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • Aaaaand… We’re Back!

    After taking the longest drinks breaks in history, Yahoo's columnists have returned. Our opinion section went off in December because we were changing platforms -- not on a railway station, even though it is a metaphorical journey we're on, but … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2011/04/04/aaaaand-were-back/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • The Thunderous Silence

    Indian journalism stinks right now. A few weeks ago, a plagiarism controversy broke over at India Today. Content theft is alarmingly common in Indian publications, but this was different because it involved the editor. Aroon Purie's bylined editorial had lifted … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2010/11/25/the-thunderous-silence/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • It’s Only Words

    The world is so insane that it is a wonder satirists have a job. I read recently in Hindustan Times -- yes, HT, not an Indian version of The Onion -- that the makers of Golmaal 3 have been sued … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2010/11/18/its-only-words/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • No, We Can’t

    Barack Obama's visit to India has made him such a huge celebrity here that it's a wonder he hasn't yet been asked to appear on Bigg Boss. I can imagine the housemates being given a task: 'The President is coming, prepare for the president's visit. <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2010/11/11/no-we-cant/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • Traffic Lights and Potholes

    It's absolutely freaky, the shit that happens in the USA. A few days ago, my friend (and renowned former blogger) Manish Vij lodged the following complaint online about a traffic signal (reproduced with permission; I've changed road and city names): … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2010/11/04/traffic-lights-and-potholes/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • Kindle Your Children

    Growing up, I was a lucky kid. My father was an avid reader, and his collection of books numbered in the thousands. It wasn't a surprise, then, with books all around me, that I became a keen reader as well. … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2010/10/28/kindle-your-children/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • Politics and Inheritance

    One of the defining images of Indian politics of recent times came a few days ago in Mumbai when Aditya Thackeray stood on a stage at a Shiv Sena rally, drew a sword out of its sheath, and held it … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2010/10/21/politics-and-inheritance/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • Such a Wrong Journey

    You have to feel sorry for poor Rohinton Mistry. A few years ago he cancelled a book tour in the US because on its first leg, "as a person of colour he was stopped repeatedly and rudely at each airport … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2010/10/18/such-a-wrong-journey/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • The Pursuit of Friendship

    Money can't buy you love -- but it can rent you friendship. I was taken aback yesterday by an interesting report on the BBC website about how "friend rental services are launching in more and more countries." The report focuses … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2010/10/07/the-pursuit-of-friendship/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • Let’s Talk About Sex

    Location: A small preview theatre in South Mumbai. Characters: Five members of the Censor Board for Cinema in India, and a young bespectacled man, his brows furrowed, looking younger than his years despite streaks of grey in his hair. They … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2010/09/30/lets-talk-about-sex/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • Not My Festive Season

    I write these words in my living room as a cacophony of drumbeats assails me from the streets outside. This is not an accompaniment of my own choosing: for the last hour, I've been listening to my iPod to keep … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2010/09/23/not-my-festive-season/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • In Order To Live…

    It's 8.30 am on September 5, and I stand up. I am at a poker table in Casino Royale in Goa, and I sat down to play at 9.30pm the previous night. Fifty one players began the main event of … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/opinions/2010/09/09/in-order-to-live/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>