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R Prasannan

R Prasannan

Prasannan, Chief of Bureau, New Delhi, is an expert in defence and foreign affairs. He takes keen interest in history. He has been with THE WEEK since its launch in 1982.

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Lands ahoy to the east

Lands ahoy to the east

Narendra Modi isn't taking a boat or a battleship from Port Blair to Sabang in

By R Prasannan June 03, 2018
Drunk on the dregs of Nehruvian history

Drunk on the dregs of Nehruvian history

Daphne du Maurier’s little known novel The Flight of the Falcon is about two

By R Prasannan May 20, 2018
Rape of the law, repeated

Rape of the law, repeated

Many years ago, a school bus fell into the Yamuna in Delhi. Several children trapped

By R Prasannan May 06, 2018
Slowing down the Goyal Express

Slowing down the Goyal Express

Though they emitted smoke, trains looked good when they were pulled by coal engines.

By R Prasannan April 22, 2018
With a Tiger, burning midnight bulb

With a Tiger, burning midnight bulb

One night in July 1987. The Indo-Sri Lanka accord, which Rajiv Gandhi hoped would

By R Prasannan April 08, 2018
Knock on the atomic chamber of Shaolin

Knock on the atomic chamber of Shaolin

Manmohan Singh's 2005 nuclear deal with George W. Bush is still a non-starter. It

By R Prasannan March 25, 2018
Malice from the Maldives

Malice from the Maldives

Keen to make big friends and influence distant powers, Narendra Modi has been on a

By R Prasannan March 11, 2018
Why didn’t Lalitaji haggle over Rafale?

Why didn’t Lalitaji haggle over Rafale?

One day in 1992, principal information officer S. Narendra was briefing the media on

By R Prasannan February 25, 2018
History through the looking glass

History through the looking glass

The brouhaha over Padmavati is turning out to be absurd like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and her...

By R Prasannan December 03, 2017
When Sikkim fell into the map

When Sikkim fell into the map

Sikkim is a place of heavenly peace in the Himalayas, but getting there is hell. It is the only state...

By R Prasannan November 19, 2017
Eyeless in Agra

Eyeless in Agra

Edward Lear, who wrote a lot of sense and some nonsense, declared after visiting the Taj: “Henceforth...

By R Prasannan November 05, 2017
The prince and the premier

The prince and the premier

Rahul is the most popular north Indian first name—more popular than Thomas, Richard or Henry in the...

By R Prasannan October 22, 2017
Schools for sages and scoundrels

Schools for sages and scoundrels

Narendra Modi celebrated 9/11 with an address to campuses. Most listeners were in applause; some were...

By R Prasannan September 24, 2017
A flop show on the frontier

A flop show on the frontier

Narendra Modi appeared quite off colour atop the Red Fort this I-Day. The speech was pretty...

By R Prasannan September 10, 2017
Render unto Caesar by the calendar

Render unto Caesar by the calendar

Narendra Modi has attempted two big fiscal reforms till date, and is mulling over a third. The first...

By R Prasannan August 13, 2017
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