A grand opening

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group 

A grand opening

It was a sultry evening, sweaty in the stillness that goes with the nimbus clouds gathering in the sky. The sun was setting lazily on the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan. And there, in the throng of four thousand invitees, amid the oaths starting with "I" and spoken in varied accents, one could for a while forget it was Narendra Modi being sworn in as the 15th Prime Minister of India, with his twenty three cabinet ministers and twenty two junior ones in tow. As the television cameras panned across the faces of distinguished guests from the neighboring SAARC countries, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief and Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai included, it acquired the character of a road show. A vast road show of democracy. The largest till now in South Asia.

No one knows what's Narendra Modi up to

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

No one knows what's Narendra Modi up to

Decoding Modi

 Harish Gupta

 New Delhi, May 20

 The Delhites and Lutyen's Zone veterans are having a taste of what kind of government they are going to get when an outsider will take oath on May 26 evening.

A Lonely At the Top

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group 

A Lonely  At the Top

Harish Gupta

In Steven Spielberg's Oscar-winning 2012 film Lincoln, biopic of the US President during the American Civil War, the uneasy relation between the President and his son Robert stands out. It casts a shadow, however small, on the Lincoln presidency as the legendarily upright President indeed had to request his army chief for a safe posting for Robert, and that too in the risk-free last stage of the war when the Confederates were preparing to surrender.

All eyes on Pranab

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

All eyes on Pranab

Article by Harish Gupta

Even school children know from their civics text books that the role of the Rashtrapati, the President, in the political life of India is symbolic. As a matter of fact, it is almost in inverse proportion to the stateliness of the majestic building earmarked for his residence. The building is mostly of tourist & cultural interest, except on a few rare days on the eve of formation of a new government.

The Fear Factor

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

The Fear Factor

 Elections in India are seldom marked by the swinging door culture, with one set bidding farewell and hoping to come back the next time, and the other group entering the government cautiously, with as little noise as possible. In India, however, some elections become gladiatorial combat. Like in 1977, when the state-controlled television station was made to broadcast, without notice, the popular film Sholay, hoping that it might persuade people to stay indoors on a day the opposition was holding a big rally.