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A clean, modern online writing editor displayed in the foreground against a backdrop of deep space filled with stars and a luminous spiral galaxy. The editor features formatting tools, a large article title reading ‘In the flow with Write,’ and a short paragraph beneath it, with ‘Save draft’ and ‘Publish’ buttons visible at the top.

Writing with WordPress Write

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I’m writing this post on Write, the new text composer/editor on WordPress.com. According to the official blog post, Write is a response to last year’s Creators survey, where “‘simplify the editor’ was the single most-requested… 

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State and crime

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From ‘The Sulur horror story of child sexual assault and murder’, The Hindu, May 31, 2026: The abduction, sexual assault, and murder of the girl sent shock waves across Tamil Nadu, coming as it did… 

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People, place, animal, disease

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Is it a coincidence that more ‘complicated’ pathogens to vaccinate against and more poverty/poorer countries share a geographic area?

Close-up of a judge’s gavel on a desk, with a person in formal attire and a law book blurred in the background.

Find the dictionary

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From ‘Measure for measure: On India’s courts and criticism’, The Hindu, May 21, 2026: In the Ali Khan Mahmudabad matter, the Court granted him relief from coercive action but also imposed a gag order. Then,… 

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Why analysis matters

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I am a journalist… I think. I have been a desk guy most of my professional life (14+ years). In this time, I have commissioned and published hundreds of pieces, from news reports to investigative… 

‘Hidden’ voting preferences

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On May 4, former Tamil film actor C. Joseph Vijay and his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) emerged in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections as the single largest party. The magnitude of the victory was widely… 

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A political direction in life

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Note to readers: Root Privileges is now Slightly Acidic. I’m a political creature. I didn’t think that I’d be one but I am. I believe this is a response to India’s present historical moment. Since… 

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Let’s discuss, with conditions

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Writing prompt: What topics do you like to discuss? I like to discuss everything under the Sun. However, I’m also wary of people who waste time talking about something in a way that couldn’t possibly… 

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A song on my mind

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I’ve got an earworm this morning and it’s been unbudged. It’s the song ‘Neeye unakku endrum’ from the 1962 Tamil film Bale Pandiya. The film is highly okay, at best, notwithstanding many of the social… 

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Memoirs, Substack, and psychology

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The English poet Blake Morrison had a thought-provoking essay in The Guardian titled ‘‘Enough of this me me me’: Blake Morrison on memoir in the age of oversharing’ on April 4. He traced the evolution… 

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On the BBC, talking about Gaganyaan and inspiration

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The BBC has produced a documentary podcast titled ‘Hope and fear: India’s space revolution’. Its host, Alok Jha of The Economist, interviewed me late last year as part of it, to provide a media perspective…