Farrukh Dhondy Column

Saturday, Apr 20, 2024 | Last Update : 05:48 AM IST

Controversy Erupts as Universities Allocate Funds for Revising Classic Works Amid Concerns About Sensitivity. (image: Freepik)

Farrukh Dhondy | Are V.S. Naipaul, R.L. Stevenson, Blyton becoming unsafe to read?

Preserving Literature or Perpetuating Censorship? The Debate Over Revisionism in Academic Circles

19 Apr 2024 11:47 PM

People walk past a barricade in a road in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 20, 2024. Negotiations to form a transitional council to govern Haiti advanced on March 20, as the United States airlifted more citizens to safety from gang violence that has plunged the impoverished country into chaos. (Photo by Clarens SIFFROY / AFP)

Farrukh Dhondy | Haiti is the face of total anarchy: Why West Indies did not federate

Reflections on Anarchy: From The Rubaiyat of Behseekh Ali to the Streets of Haiti

22 Mar 2024 11:51 PM

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunk, right, and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool)

Farrukh Dhondy | Of Labour, Tories and a storm in a teacup in Britain over racism, MPs

Amidst political turmoil, a spotlight on racism, accountability, and the nuances of free speech in the UK's political landscape.

16 Mar 2024 3:40 AM

Pedestrians shelter from the rain under Union flag umbrellas as they pass the Elizabeth Tower, commonly known by the name of the clock's bell, "Big Ben", at the Palace of Westminster, home to the Houses of Parliament, in London on February 22, 2024. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)

Farrukh Dhondy | Of Rolex watches and other thefts… Is London in grip of a crime wave?

Rolex Thieves Unmasked: Delving into the Ethical Quandary of Street Crime and Social Injustice

24 Feb 2024 2:06 AM

Simon Danczuk, Former Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom. (Image: Twitter)

Farrukh Dhondy | Democracy can be dodgy: The war in Gaza still plagues UK’s Labour Party

Navigating the twists of democracy and local politics, the Rochdale by-election a tableau of shrewd maneuvers and evolving alliances

17 Feb 2024 12:05 AM

A picture taken from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip shows smoke rising over buildings in Khan Yunis during Israeli bombardment on February 2, 2024, as fighting continues between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group. (Photo by Said KHATIB / AFP)

Farrukh Dhondy | How talk about Gaza ‘genocide’ by Bibi’s Israel roils UK politics

The withholding of food, water, medical supplies, fuel and electricity to the population of Gaza is motivated by three historical divides.

03 Feb 2024 12:57 AM

"City of Gold" documentary offers a glimpse into the complexities of contemporary Mumbai. (PTI File Image/Representational)

Farrukh Dhondy | Bombay as the City of Gold… Is the BBC docu on right track?

BBC's Mumbai Documentary Offers Tourist's View, Lacks Deeper Insight into the City's Complexities

19 Jan 2024 10:58 PM

A public inquiry into the scandal opened in February 2022 but has yet to examine who at the top of the Post Office knew what and when. On January 10, 2024, the former boss of the Post Office Paula Vennells said she would return a royal honour received from Queen Elizabeth II, as public anger mounts. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP)

Farrukh Dhondy | Victims of British Post Office scandal may get justice at last after 20 years

Navigating the Phases of Moonlight and AI Caution: A Journey through Poetry, Technology Pitfalls, and the Post Office Scandal

13 Jan 2024 12:05 AM

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. (PTI File Image)

Farrukh Dhondy | Of ‘clowns’ and politics in UK: When a joke isn’t a joke any more

Controversial Banter: UK Home Secretary's Ill-Advised Joke Sparks Outrage and Calls for Resignation

30 Dec 2023 1:53 AM

All supermarkets spend literally millions of pounds on Christmas advertisements on hoardings and TV. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP)

Farrukh Dhondy | Christmas is here… It’s a time for festivity, but a holy season too

The national census tells us that Christianity is in decline in Britain.

22 Dec 2023 11:24 PM

Palestinians evacuate a wounded woman following Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023. AP/PTI

Farrukh Dhondy | Right versus Left: Opponents aren’t enemies & can often stay friends

The powerless, or the impotent, who hold opposed political views can sometimes remain friends.

09 Dec 2023 12:48 AM

What happens to the Kohinoor once it’s returned will be a matter of contention. (AA File Image)

Farrukh Dhondy | UK must return all its loot… from the Elgin Marbles to the Kohinoor!

The Kohinoor was stolen from the young Dilip Singh by the East India Company’s Lord Dalhousie.

02 Dec 2023 12:09 AM

Suella Braverman. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS / AFP)

Farrukh Dhondy | Just like Ravan, Suella stumbles and falls off her perch amid row

Suella Braverman Removed as Home Secretary: A Political Demise at Diwali

18 Nov 2023 12:05 AM

As Israel escalates its war on Hamas, it will confront many of the same dilemmas it has grappled with over decades of conflict with the Palestinians. (AP/PTI)

Farrukh Dhondy | As Hamas goes to war with Israel, civilians in Gaza paying the price

Perhaps the civilian citizens of Gaza who are even now being bombed and starved of food and water in Israel’s retaliation do not agree.

13 Oct 2023 11:32 PM

Britain's Home Secretary Suella Braverman. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS / AFP)

Farrukh Dhondy | Suella's Dog-Whistle Bid: Targeting UK's Multiculturalism?

No sensible person will deny that there should be humane and internationally negotiated policies on immigration.

07 Oct 2023 12:05 AM

Hindutva is a direct derivative of the name of the land of the Indus whereas Bharat derives from respected ancient Indian epic lore. (Image: Freepik)

Farrukh Dhondy | What’s in a name? From Persia to Iran & Mumbai: The rise of Bharat

Ironically, the ideological embrace of the powers that want to change the name of India to Bharat is called “Hindutva”.

16 Sep 2023 12:05 AM

Britain’s Home Office says asylum seekers arriving undocumented to the United Kingdom could be monitored with electronic and GPS tags. (AFP File Photo)

Farrukh Dhondy | Asylum-seekers’ ‘tags’ intrusive, but there’s also a positive aspect

Controversy Erupts Over UK's Asylum Seeker Tagging Plan Amid Family Ties

02 Sep 2023 12:05 AM

“Frozzys -- The lactose-free lickable frozen yoghurt ‘Ice Cream’ for dogs. (Photo: Facebook)

Farrukh Dhondy | It's not a dog's life: Fancy ice cream, a misguided but loving treat

The Doggy ice-creamwallas are prospering in the UK as more and more brands hit the market.

26 Aug 2023 12:05 AM

In the West, the traditional prejudice against homosexuality has, at least in law, been abolished. (AFP File Photo)

Farrukh Dhondy | Of trans rights and gay norms in the age of a ‘cancel’ culture

Those who are sceptic insist that their scepticism doesn’t mean that they deny trans people civil rights.

19 Aug 2023 12:05 AM

Walt Disney died during production of the film The Jungle Book (1967). (AA File Photo)

Farrukh Dhondy | As UK goes after the boat people, leaks are found in Brexit exclusion

The children who have been trafficked into Britain, perhaps with the connivance of their parents, arrive here without them.

22 Jul 2023 12:41 AM

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