RESEARCH

Inside Chandrayaan I : Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft undergoing pre-launch tests Moon Impact Probe integration with Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft Readying Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft for Thermovac test Fully integrated Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft (left) and loading it to Thermovac Chamber (right) PSLV-C11 Third and Fourth Stages : PSLV-C11 fourth stage PSLV-C11 Vehicle stacked up to fourth stage Hoisting of third and fourth stages of PSLV-C11 PSLV-C11 Second Stage : Hoisting of PSLV-C11 Second Stage PSLV-C11 Second Stage with its VIKAS engine PSLV-C11 First Stage : Loading of PSLV-C11 First Stage Nozzle End Segment PSLV-C11 First Stage Nozzle End Segment on its way to Vehicle Assembly Building Positioning of PSLV-C11 First Stage Nozzle End Segment over launch pedestal PSLV-C11 Strap-on : Unloading a PSLV-C11 strap-on from transporter at Vehicle Assembly Building Fully Assembled First Stage surrounded by strap-ons of PSLV-C11 PSLV-C11 On Launch Pad : PSLV-C11 comming out from Vehicle A...

The VHP, Bajrang Dal and their supporters in the RSS are blots on Hindu society; it's time the community's visible, educated faces disowned them openly _______________ Surajit Dasgupta _______________ I n the aftermath of the Union Government's gentle threat to the Orissa and Karnataka Governments and the mild censure of the militant Hindu outfits by BJP leader LK Advani, some apologists of the Sangh Parivar have now started a wild goose hunt for justifications. Never mind that when Muslims talk of their 'grievances', these very apologists say terrorism cannot be thus justified. This article is not to equate the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal with terrorists. It is to equate how both Hindu and Muslim thought leaders try to justify the violent outlet of frustration and anger by some fellows from their respective communities. One of the several excuses for hounding Christians in Karnataka, which the Parivar's defenders are forwarding, is the publication...

Revision of contemporary history for school-going children T his article has been necessitated by a debate that followed the last blog-post, " Can't Let Go ," which went in for a major digression on to a debate on secularism at the insistence of a person opposed to the tenor of the article. This post, hence, seeks to achieve three objectives: first, telling those who have been out of touch of history, civics and politics — ever since they left these subjects at the secondary school level — not to trust entirely what they were taught by their textbooks; second, telling Muslims to be wary of bleeding-heart secularists and, third, putting the record of MK Gandhi straight. I begin by addressing blog member Sandeep Nadar's last comment (edited): "For a solution to the communal situation, the first option is 'one religion'. The second is 'no religion'. The third is 'have your religions but don't object to those of others even if they do'...