If science proceeds funeral by funeral, history takes the route of wildfires. And the largest wildfire of them all, one that has consumed us for the better part of a century, is the debate surrounding our roots.

In other news, members belonging to a minority community went to war with members belonging to another minority community over a disputed piece of land that both claim is theirs.

A mixture of about 50 parts of glycine, 92 parts of chloromethylphosphonic acid, 150 parts of 50% aqueous sodium hydroxide and 100 parts water was introduced into a suitable reaction vessel and maintained at reflux temperature while an additional 50 parts of 50% aqueous sodium hydroxide was added.

“Start counting from 1. Recite every multiple of 3 along with the word Shriram. With enough practice drop the number itself and just say Shriram.

In the long run, quipped Keynes, we’re all dead. Nations, though, have to think of the long run. The hunt for oil, water, land, food, energy – for many it is a question of survival of their people.

Rahul Roushan, the blade-runner of Faking News once tweeted, “Narendra Modi to contest from two seats.

“There is but one truly serious philosophical problem and that is suicide.” – Camus in The Myth of Sisyphus

On April 25, 2014 a slum settlement barely a kilometre from where I live got burnt to the ground.

As the political climate heats up, one man has been on the road non-stop for over a month, convincing voters in his state to choose a better alternative this time round.

In these dying days of the UPA regime, to make up for lost time, our opinion-makers are busy clearing a backlog. Hardly a day goes by without a valiant new signature campaign, or a last-gasp effort to save secularism for posterity, or recalling gas chambers and concentration camps.

I think he may have spotted me. Damn. I duck and take cover behind an Ambassador. A minute passes. What now? Is he looking at me still?

Every party manifesto contains an odd word or two that catches people’s attention. For the Congress, it is Secularism – frequent usage of which has obliterated its true meaning altogether.

The other day, I read Mihir Sharma’s recent column on crony capitalism, Thy hands, great oligarchs. “The takeover of India’s politics by its oligarchs is almost complete”, began Mihir, and once he picked up speed everyone from the Ambanis to the Tatas to the Rangarajans of the world – everyone except Manmohan – had come under his rampaging three-wheeler.

I am a doctor, one of 0.88 million who practice in this country. The general elections are here. My vote will not decide who will be our next Prime minister.