London Mayor Sadiq Khan caused controversy recently by likening US President Donald Trump to the “fascists of the 20th century”. Far right leaders in different EU countries have similarly been accused of being fascists. But how can you tell if the accusations are justified, or simply tasteless name-calling? Italian writer Umberto Eco was born in 1932, 10…
Tagore birthday celebrations 2019
As in previous years, Kaberi and I celebrated the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore with Prantik at Shakespeare’s Birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon in the UK. Our theme this year was Tagore and the seasons: Spring. We began our performance by recreating the dance procession each year at the Spring Festival (Basanta Utsav) in Santiniketan to the…
A virtual birthday party
This year, my birthday was just after the Easter weekend. Many friends were travelling and we too had only just returned from the Austrian Tirol. In any case, a significant proportion of my friends and relatives are widely dispersed around the world. It occurred to me that I should try to organise a virtual birthday…
Centenary of a massacre
For some reason, the UK Government seems deeply reluctant to investigate Russia’s apparent interference in the UK’s 2016 EU Referendum. Usually, a foreign power trying to destabilise a country would provoke immediate national security concerns. In February, Parliament’s DCMS Committee repeated its “call to the Government to make a statement about how many investigations are…
Brexit: Breaking the political impasse – Part 2
On Tuesday, 15 January, the Government suffered the heaviest Parliamentary defeat in history for recommending the ratification of the deal Theresa May has negotiated with the EU27. Nonetheless, the following day, it won a vote of no confidence in the Government. Various ways forward have been proposed, such as a People’s Vote on the deal…
Brexit: breaking the political impasse – part 1
While Theresa May and Jeremby Corbyn play games with Parliamentary procedure, time is passing. In less than three months, on 29 March 2019, 2 years after Theresa May triggered the Article 50 procedure, the EU Treaties will cease to apply to the UK … unless Parliament does something first. The only problem is that the…
The real ‘Project Fear’
Yesterday, British broadcaster, actor, producer and director Stephen Fry launched this 12-minute animated documentary. It shows how certain UK politicians have built their careers by stirring up fear of immigrants and fear of a ‘mythical EU dragon’ over the past couple of years. The video opens with an illustration of an illusion known as ‘forced…
Brexit: the UK’s descent into dictatorship?
Media reports about recent closures of shop chains have mentioned reduced sales in High Street shops due to people buying online. Few dare to mention any loss of interest in shopping due to uncertainty faced by many households, particularly low income households, as a result of the UK Government’s incompetent handling of the UK’s departure from the EU.
Historic day in London: the People’s Vote March
Yesterday, Kaberi and I were among the estimated 700,000 people marching for a People’s Vote on the outcome of the negotiations between the UK Government and the EU27. These comments summarise our impressions. Today I saw the Britain that I feared we had lost: inclusive, calm, compassionate, funny, resolute, welcoming, decent. Thank you all for…
Celebrating Tagore’s educational philosophy
For this year’s celebration of the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore at Shakespeare’s Birthplace, we chose to highlight Tagore’s educational philosophy.