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Shobhaa De Page-2

Security personnel detain wrestler Sakshi Malik during wrestlers' protest march towards new Parliament building, in New Delhi, Sunday, May 28, 2023. (PTI Photo)

Shobhaa De | Will wrestlers, Rahul dent the ‘Glowing India’ story?

With the general election right around the corner, India is gearing up for Ram Rajya. Even if, on paper, we remain a secular nation

03 Jun 2023 12:05 AM

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. (Photo: PTI)

Shobhaa De | Karnataka: Maine Pyaar Kiya! The ‘G-Factor’ wins big…

Rahul Gandhi’s ambitious Bharat Jodo Yatra played a big role in spreading positivity in an ocean of hate and suspicion

20 May 2023 12:00 AM

NCP Chief Sharad Pawar addresses the media during a press conference at his residence, in New Delhi, Wednesday, April 6, 2022. (PTI)

Shobhaa De | The Maharashtra ‘gaddi’ hinges on a burnt roti…

During his loooooong and illustrious political career, Sharad Pawar, 82, has played several complex roles, but never a Drama Queen

06 May 2023 12:10 AM

Apple CEO Tim Cook during the opening of India's first Apple retail store at BKC, in Mumbai, Tuesday, April 18, 2023. (Photo: PTI)

Shobhaa De | A big slice of the Apple pie, please: India waits

The Apple boss was not denied his Bollywood moment, as he gamely bit into a pricey vada pav

22 Apr 2023 12:10 AM

Shobhaa De | So much ‘thin air’: Thanks for the strong snub by SC!

Narratives are being altered with complete impunity, while we sit back and do nothing!

08 Apr 2023 1:03 AM

Shobhaa De | The heat is on… A ‘banger’ of a summer is coming up

Mad Hatter who’s in charge of the weather, has really fried our brains this week with heavy downpours in March and the hottest “spring”

25 Mar 2023 12:19 AM

The Amazonian basin is nearly twice the size of India -- can you handle this factoid? (Representational Image)

Shobhaa De | The first Samba-Tango in South America

Indians have far more in common with Latin America than the United States -- the neo-colonisers of the twenty-first century

11 Mar 2023 12:16 AM

Indian-American Republican leader Nikki Haley (Photo: AP)

Shobhaa De | Bring on the dancers: It’s carnival time in India…

Kick up your heels, guys! The fun has just begun. Soon it will be Holi (March 8) and great things are happening in India’s courtyard

25 Feb 2023 12:00 AM

Hanif Kureishi. (Deccan Chronicle Photo)

Shobhaa De | Why time for ‘maun vrat’ is over: Silence not an option

Kureishi collapsed on a street in Rome on Boxing Day and has been recuperating in a hospital in the vicinity ever since.

11 Feb 2023 1:04 AM

It’s time for us desis to borrow the Brit stiff upper lip. Our lips are like Mick Jagger’s -- a bit too rubbery and loose. We react and over-react to any and every small thing. (Photo: Twitter)

Shobhaa De | BBC Badnaam Hua…. Darrrrrling Tere Liye!

We in India, give far too much importance to firangs who write books or make documentaries on and about us

28 Jan 2023 12:00 AM

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the party's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', in Panipat, Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. (Photo: PTI)

Shobhaa De | Why have we become a nation of ‘darpoks’?

No matter how weak RaGa is made to appear unlike most of us, sitting and bleating about injustice -- he is out there, walking the talk

06 Jan 2023 10:05 PM

Argentina's Lionel Messi holds the trophy after winning the World Cup final soccer match between Argentina and France at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Sunday, Dec.18, 2022. (Photo: AP)

Shobhaa De | Forget Messi mania… Who will win WC cricket 2023?

The time to dig into a juicy Argentinian steak has ended on December 18

24 Dec 2022 12:05 AM

Shobhaa De | No one can really bajaao Ronaldo’s band in Qatar

This is star power! A five-time Ballon d'Or winner! Nobody can take away Ronaldo’s glorious career and incredible achievements

10 Dec 2022 12:00 AM

Rahul Baba baiters want to know more about his “weird beard” -- a question only Rahul and his barber can respond to. (Photo: PTI)

Shobhaa De | From Chai Pe Charcha to Daadhi Pe Charcha…

The politics of beard-keeping demands a book

26 Nov 2022 12:05 AM

Mr Narendra Modi’s pitch in Himachal Pradesh emphasised the “kamal ka phool” when he told voters: “Every vote for the kamal ka phool will come directly to Modi’s account as a blessing…”. (Photo: PTI)

Shobhaa De | Two conundrums that make very little sense…

Bhupendra Patel had better deliver, or else! In an overturn, during the 2017 polls, the BJP tally shrank to 99 seats, while the Cong won 77

12 Nov 2022 12:05 AM

Britain's newly appointed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak walks to pose outside the to 10 Downing Street in central London, on October 25, 2022, after delivering his first speech as prime minister. - Rishi Sunak was Tuesday appointed as Britain's third prime minister this year, after outgoing leader Liz Truss submitted her resignation to King Charles III. (Photo: AFP)

Shobhaa De | We want banana leaves & pappadums at Downing St

Let’s hope the Sunaks serve formal dinners on banana leaves (eco-friendly, yaar) and always include pappadums

29 Oct 2022 12:00 AM

Shobhaa De | Farewell ‘Netaji’: The akhada is now empty

That’s the thing about people in the political akhada — nobody gives a damn once they’re out of power

14 Oct 2022 11:18 PM

NewsDussehra symbolises the victory of good over evil, with the burning of the Ravan effigy, accompanied by ear-splitting phatakas and rockets. (Photo: PTI)

Shobhaa De | Political dandiya across India… Happy Navratri!

There is a degree of golmal this year about this -- who is Ravan and which one is Ram?

01 Oct 2022 12:05 AM

A woman signs the condolence book at the British embassy in Manila on September 12, 2022. (Photo: AFP)

Shobhaa De | The Queen’s mantra: ‘Never complain… never explain…’

The Queen was seen as a matriarch trying to keep a large, dysfunctional family together. Much like matriarchs of joint families here

16 Sep 2022 12:00 AM

The party today barely exists, but some loyalists are rich beyond measure, having feathered their nests over decades after being Madam’s hangers-on. (Photo: PTI)

Shobhaa De | Is Congress totally kaput... What can we expect next?

We are at a fascinating cusp in the country’s political history right now. It’s still too early to start saying, “The Congress is dead"

03 Sep 2022 12:07 AM

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Mohan Guruswamy