Research-based media contributions

I. Selected Articles: magazines, newspapers, websites

Backward Classes, Reservations (Affirmative Action)

1. India's religious divide. The Sunday Indian. 7 June 2012.

2 . Centre's minorities quota ploy badly backfires. DNA. 4 June 2012

3. Perpetuating the scourge of caste. The Hindu (Lead article) . 12 May 2012.

4. India's Affirmative Action Politics As Seen Through Tamil Nadu's Specious Quota Law. Countercurrents.org. 10 February 2012.

5. Quota: How Tamil Nadu is setting a bad precedent. DNA. 15 September 2011.

6. Indiscriminating ways of positive affirmation. Sahara Time. 31 July 2010.

7. ‘No’ to caste enumeration. The New Indian Express (Leader page) 26 October 2009.

8. India’s divisive backwardness politics. Asian Tribune. 5 July 2009.

9. Creamy Layer Politics. The New Indian Express (leader page), 30 October 2008.

10. Supreme Court and the SCs. The New Indian Express (Leader page) 11 March 2008.

11. Religion no bar (On the inclusion of the Dalits from other religions in the Scheduled Castes' list). DNA . 11 March 2008.

12. One forward, two back (on the reservation controversy at the Centre). DNA (Daily News & Analysis). 24 April 2007.

13. OBC Reservation and TN Model. The New Indian Express (Leader page). 8 July 2006.

14. The Reservation Rigmarole. The New Sunday Express (Magazine section). 7 May 2006.

15. Sensitising Officials. The Hindu (Leader Page). 3-4 December 2001.

16. White or Grey? (On Tamil Nadu Government’s White Paper on Reservations tabled in the Assembly on 11 May 2000). The Hindu (Leader Page). 26 July 2000.

17. Reservation Politics (In Karnataka). The Hindu (Sunday Magazine). 26 February 1995.

18. The Quota Conundrum (On the reservation politics in Tamil Nadu). The Hindu (Sunday Magazine). 19 February 1995.

19. Judicial Pragmatism, Political Opportunism (On the Supreme Court Judgments on the notifications relating to the Mandal Commission recommendations). The Hindu (Sunday Magazine). 14 March 1993.

20. Reservation in Perspective (On the emergence and history of reservation in Madras Presidency). The Hindu (Sunday Magazine). 23, 30 August; 6 September 1992.

21. The Mandal Odyssey. The Hindu (Sunday Magazine). 13 October 1991.

22. Reply to Andre Beteille: Some Issues Overlooked (On reservations). The Hindu (Leader Page). 8 November 1990.

23. Two Steps Backward (on the Mandal Commission Report). Frontline. 1-14 September 1990.

Caste System, Weaker Sections, Emancipation Politics

24. Caste factor in Census 2011 will pollute India's governance. DNA (Daily News & Analysis). 12 July 2011

25. Caste Census: An Avoidable Aberration (on the proposal to include caste in the 2011 Census). Sahara Time. 1 May 2010.

26. Vanniyars and Social Mobility. The New Sunday Express (Sunday Magazine). 2 February 2003.

27. The Vanniyar Separatism. Frontline. 30 August 2002.

28. The Vanniyar Vampire (Related to the write-up Vanniyar Separatism, but confined to the importance of the Vanniyar’s numerical preponderance in socio-political affairs). The New Sunday Express (Magazine section), Cover Story. 28 July 2002.

29. Dalits and Durban (On the furor on caste-race discrimination and non-inclusion of caste in the U.N. Conference against Racism, etc., in Durban, South Africa, from 31 August to 7 September 2001.) The Hindu (Leader Page). 27-28 August 2001.

30. Cast Off Caste in Census 2001 (On the need for excluding Caste from the 2001 Census). Indian Express (Leader Page). 9 December 1999.

31. Census: A Costly Digression (on the proposal to include caste in the 2001 Census). Frontline. 18 September 1998.

32. The Dalit Controversy (On the demands of Dalit Christians for Scheduled Caste status). The Hindu (Leader Page). 9-10 January 1996.

33. Putting Society Together Again (On social exclusion and social integration). The Hindu (Sunday Magazine). 27 August 1995.

34. Manuvadis and Mayawati (On Brahmin‑Dalit politics in Uttar Pradesh). The Hindu (Leader Page). 30 June 1995.

35. Exploiting the Exploited (On Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha’s exploitation of the usage Pariah). The Hindu (Leader Page). 13 May 1995.

36. The Truth about Manu's Misdeeds (A fresh look at Manusmriti). The Hindu (Sunday Magazine). 8 November 1992.

37. Ambedkar on Minorities. The Hindu (Sunday Magazine). 22 September 1991.

38. Political Appropriation of Ambedkar. The Hindu (Sunday Magazine). 12 May 1991.

39. The Political Relevance of Ambedkar. The Hindu (Sunday Magazine). 5 May 1991.

40. Ambedkar’s Legacy. The Hindu (Sunday Magazine). 20 January 1991.

Abolishing Death Penalty

41. Death becomes us. The New Indian Express on Sunday. 19 October 2006.

Education

42. Just why was that cartoon in text books? DNA. 15 May 2012

43. Reforming Indian Education (in three parts). Asian Tribune. 12, 19, 26 July 2009.

44. Right Pathway to Higher Education. Sify.com (January-March 2006); humanscape.org (January-March 2006).

45. The Great Education Muddle: State Failure and Judicial Jigsaw. http://eSocialsciences.com. 7 December 2005.

46. Education for all: A Must. Tehelka. 17 July 2004.

47. India’s Educational Backwardness. The Hindu (Sunday Magazine) (With R. Akila). 26 July 1994.

Electoral Politics

48. A case for Sangma as President. DNA. 21 June 2012

49. DMK's last gasp (On the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections 2011). Asian Tribune, 15 May 2011

50. Hobson's choice (On Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, 2011). Sahara Time. 26 March 2011.

51. Remembering the ‘statesman’ (On the occasion of the 25^th death anniversary of Indira Gandhi). The New Indian Express (Op Ed page). 30 October 2009.

52. A deceptive democracy (in three parts). Asian Tribune. 7, 14, 21 June 2009.

53. Democratic Governance. The Hindu (Leader Page). 15-16 April 2002.

54. Tamil Nadu’s Shame (On the political crisis in Tamil Nadu precipitated by the arrest of DMK President and former Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi at the behest of AIADMK General Secretary and Chief Minister, J. Jayalalitha). The Hindu (Leader Page) 3 July 2001.

55. Electoral Eccentricities. (On the swearing-in of Jayalalitha as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu despite her disqualification by the Election Commission from contesting the Assembly election). The Hindu (Leader Page). 23 May 2001.

56. Conviction Politics (On the conviction related disqualification of Jayalalitha). The Hindu (Leader Page). 1-2 May 2001.

57. Politics of Perdition. (On the present Tamil Nadu election politics). The Hindu (Leader Page). 21-22 March 2001.

58. Coalitions and Political Skulduggery' (On political perfidies at the Centre). The Hindu Business Line (Leader Page). 11 May 1999.

59. Witches’ Brew or Magic Potion? (On the political crisis at the Centre). The Hindu Business Line (Leader Page). 16 February 1998.

60. The Perfidies of Power (On the political crisis at the Centre). The Hindu Business Line (Leader Page). 10 April 1997.

61. Practical or Suicidal? (On India’s electoral politics). The Hindu (Leader Page). 26-27 April 1996.

Faith and Development

62. Crossing the Sethu Rubicon (On the politics of religion in the construction of the under-water Ramar-Sethusamudram bridge), The New Indian Express (Leader page). 26 September 2007.

Gandhian Studies

63. Mahatma More Relevant Today Than Ever. Sahara Time. 3-9 October 2010.

64. Celebrating Gandhiji. Mathrubhumi Weekly (Annual Special on Mahatma Gandhi). March 2010.

65. The Meaning of Vaikom (On the meaning, message and significance of the Vaikom Satyagraha of 1924‑25 under Gandhi’s leadership for establishing the rights of the Untouchables to use the temple road). The Hindu (Leader Page). 5-6 April 1999.

Governance and Corruption

66. The UPA's not so melodious swansong. Daily News and Analysis. 21March 2012.

67. The Lokpal's last gasp (On the Lokpal bill). Daily News and Analysis. 2 Januay 2012.

68. Team Anna's surge and UPA's fall (On the Jan Lokpal bill). Daily News and Analysis. 26 August 2011.

International Affairs

69. Terrorism is imperialist Frankenstein. Asian Tribune. 4 February 2007.

70. The Taliban Tangle (On terrorist attacks on the U.S. on 11 September 2001, and the retaliatory strikes). The Hindu (Leader Page). 24 September 2001. Reproduced on the Socialist Alliance website.

Language Politics

71. Narcissism on Fire: Kalaignar's Pyrotechnics (On the First World Classical Tamil Conference). Sahara Time. 17 July 2010.

72. Antiquity beckons World Classical Tamil Conference. Sahara Time. 26 June 2010.

73. The Language Muddle. (On the medium of instruction controversy in Tamil Nadu). The Hindu (Leader Page). 29-30 December 1999.

Law and Society

74. Fishing in Mullaperiyar's troubled waters. Daily News and Analysis. 9 December 2011

75. Moral Policing and Chastity Politics (On film artist Khushboo’s interview to India Today on premarital sex and live-in relationship and the court cases against Khushboo). Sahara Time. 15 May 2010.

76. Rediff.com interview plagiarised by Outlook magazine. Asian Tribune. 2 November 2009.

77. Plagiarise or Perish. The Hindu (Sunday Magazine). 7, 14 July 2002.

78. CNG Jolts Delhi! How did it happen? Indya.com News. 4 September 2001.

Nation's Concerns

79. India: Anbumanis and Other Avoidable Scandals. Asian Tribune. 1 December 2007.

80. From Missile to Messianism: The Beginning of the Odyssey of a Proactive President. The Milli Gazette. 1-15 September 2002.

81. Census and the Disabled (On issues for consideration in the census of the disabled as part of the 2001 Census). The Hindu (Leader Page). 11 July 2000.

Politics, Perfidies

82. The Spectrum spectre. The New Indian Express (Leader Page). 10 December 2010.

83. 85 and still Scripting. The New Indian Express (Leader Page). 04 June 2008.

84. It's advantage Amma (On the electoral politics in Tamil Nadu). The New Indian Express (Leader Page). 12 May 2009.

85. The Legacy of Kamaraj. Sify.com. 24 November 2003.

86. The Affairs of Governance. India.com. February 2001.

87. The Mother of All Scamsters. (On the politics of corruption in Tamil Nadu during AIADMK (Jayalalitha’s) rule, 1991‑96). The Hindu Business Line. 19 August 1997.

88. A Mother’s Elegy for the AIADMK (On the misrule of Jayalalitha in Tamil Nadu, 1991‑96). The Hindu Business Line. 20 August 1997.

89. Rao’s Redemption (Appraisal of P.V. Narasimha Rao as Prime Minister of India). The Hindu (Sunday Magazine). 16 March 1997.

90. The Rise and Fall of Rao (Appraisal of P.V. Narasimha Rao as Prime Minister of India). The Hindu (Sunday Magazine). 23 March 1997.

91. Scams and Stability (On the politics of corruption in India). The Hindu Business Line (Leader Page). 16-17 January 1997.

92. Marriage and Morals (On the controversy about the vulgarity, ostentation and misuse of Government machinery for the marriage of Jayalalitha’s foster‑son). The Hindu (Sunday Magazine). 12 November 1995.

Religion, Communalism

93. No burqas in the land of bikinis. Asian Tribune. 28 June 2009.

94. Danish cartoons: Muslims are right to be angry. The Milli Gazette. 11 February 2006.

95. Modi’s Cyber Chicanery. (On Hindutva’s manipulation of electoral politics in Gujarat). The Milli Gazette (Online), 9 December 2002; (Print Edition), 16-31 December 2002.

96. Communal carnage and political opportunism. The Milli Gazette. 1-15 June 2002.

97. Conversion Politics. The Hindu (Leader Page). 6-7 November 2002.

98. Faith in a time of rationality (On miracle and Mother Teresa). The Hindu (Sunday Magazine). 30 September 2001.

99. The Conversion Bogey (On Hindutva’s atrocities against minorities). The Hindu (Leader Page). 25-26 January 1999.

100. Camouflaging Communalism (On the two Bills before Parliament to curb communalism in elections). The Hindu (Sunday Magazine). 7 November 1993.

101. A Deepening Paradox (On the politics of temple administration in Tamil Nadu). The Hindu (Sunday Magazine). 22 December 1991.