Articles by Mark Tully
|
|
|
July 2000 - Cover
The Ambassador's mistri Why should I care so much about the Ambassador, which I do? Because I do not want to lose an old friend, especially one which brings back memories of better times. With her friendly pug-nosed face, headlights resembling the eyes of Thomas The Tank Engine, aero-dynamically-unfriendly rounded roof, and unfashionable high gait, she recalls the gallant days of motoring when drivers never knew whether they would reach their destination without a breakdown. The Ambassador is the steam engine of the Indian road, a challenge to drive and requiring much maintenance. Like a steam engine, she too has a long working life — you do not trade in an Ambassador. Until the courts stepped in with emission standards this year, the average age of the Ambassador taxis on the rank outside my house in Delhi must have at least been 20. But longevity isn't her only selling point. The Ambassador is rugged. A recent advertisement admitted that modern cars scored on miles to the gallon, miles per hour, but the Ambassador won hands down on potholes to the mile. She has advantages for the taxi driver who charges on a per capita basis and ofcourse for the joint family. No one knows what the exact record for an Ambassador's load is: the claims go as high as 30 passengers. I have counted 20 in the remoter parts of India east of Varanasi. |
|
Featured Articles
|
People versus wildlife 17 May 2013
|
|
 |
Reassessing wildlife conservation policies in India.
|
|
After the flood 7 May 2013
|
|
.jpg) |
The new realities of life for villagers in Hunza Valley who lost their homes and lands to a natural lake following a 2010...
|
|
Disappearing foods 25 April 2013
|
|
 |
A collection of recipes that are fading from the Southasian palette.
|
|
Eat, drink, write 23 April 2013
|
|
 |
A food writer dishes on the ins and outs of her profession.
|
|
Brideprice 22 April 2013
|
|
 |
A new translation of Manik Bandopadhyay's ‘Namuna’ by Madhusree Mukerjee.
|
|
Among the believers 19 April 2013
|
|
 |
An account from Varanasi, where bhang and thandai struggle to survive the onslaught of LSD and Coca-Cola.
|
|
Behind the crystals 18 April 2013
|
|
 |
Capturing the lives of Marakkanam’s salt pan workers
|
|
In search of food sovereignty 17 April 2013
|
|
.jpg) |
Shifting the debate on the Public Distribution System.
|
|
Farms, Feasts, Famines: web-exclusive package 17 April 2013
|
|
 |
|
|
Missing connections 8 April 2013
|
|
 |
Girja Kumar’s book on the Indus and the cultures tied to it obscures a tremendous wealth of interconnected histories and...
|
|
No place for picnics 4 April 2013
|
|
 |
Kashmiri women tell their stories of the conflict.
|
|
'I bowled left-arm chinaman' 28 March 2013
|
|
 |
Shehan Karunatilaka speaks about winning awards, spin bowling, italics in fiction, and much more.
|
.jpg)
Youtube channel
|
Romila Thapar addresses invitees at the Southasian relaunch of Himal Southasian, IIC, New Delhi, January 2013. |
The archive: 25 years of Southasia
 |
|
China, Southasia and India
On May 19 2013, newly appointed Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived in New Delhi for a series of meetings with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The visit is Keqiang's first outside of China since assuming power in March.
From our archive: Purna Basnet discusses Chinese engagement in Nepal vis-a-vis security issues in Tibet and broader geo-strategic plans in Southasia (April 2011).
.
Fatima Chowdury relates the story of Calcutta's Indian Chinese community through the lens of political and economic upheavals in Southasia and China (May 2009).
Simon Long notes the importance of the Sino-Indian relationship for the rest of Southasia (September 2006).
J.N Dixit ruminates on the strategic concerns of the 'Middle Kingdom' in the wake of India's 1998 nuclear tests (June 1998).
|