Articles by Sankaran Krishna

In the context of the Ashis Nandy affair, this brief essay speculates on the literal-mindedness and supposed inability of India's lower classes to appreciate the nuanced defence of their corruption as well as what it says about the public sphere in contemporary India. This affair holds up a mirror to who we are, and the picture may not be to our liking.

We should in the first place celebrate the extraordinary improbability and incredible beauty of Barack Hussein Obama's victory in the presidential elections of the United States. It required the worst financial crisis in a century, eight years of the most inept presidency in its history, two costly and ineffectual wars, and an opponent seemingly trapped in a time-warp, for the American public to finally accede to sending a black man to the White House. Even as the world celebrates Obama's victory, it should remember how more than 20 years ago another African-American - Jesse Jackson - ran twice for president and garnered substantial support for a progressive agenda that Obama has had to sacrifice on the altar of pragmatism.

With two months to go for the presidential elections in the United States, the race to the presidency appears to be a very close one, akin to the last two elections in 2000 and 2004. The puzzle is why, in spite of president George Bush's unpopularity, Barack Obama does not have a major lead over John McCain. The country may not yet be ready for a black president, and the Republicans are more than likely to sell the message that "he is not one of us". And perhaps the centre of gravity of the electorate has shifted to the right, making it extremely difficult for Democrats to break the Republican stranglehold over the presidency.

A young, telegenic, black junior senator, Barack Hussein Obama, is the undeclared favourite for the Democratic Party's nomination for the 2008 presidential elections in the US. The appeal of Obama tells us a lot more about US society than about the senator's politics.