In December 1988, when Ashok Bajaj opened the Bombay Club here, the city was gearing up for the inauguration of President George H. W. Bush. For Washington, that’s pretty much where the celebrating ended. That year the District of Columbia had surpassed Detroit as the country’s murder capital, with a record 372 killings. The city was not, to put it mildly, recognized for its hospitality, and it extended little welcome to the newly arrived Mr.

When I was referred to a documentary film on India’s scientific greats by its maker Raja Choudhury this week, I was wondering if there’d be anything beyond what I already know about them in the hour-long film. To find this out, it also meant dedicating an hour to watch the film on YouTube with its infamous buffering time. But I was ready to endure that, partly because the title of the film was inviting — The Quantum Indians — and partly because I had not been able to take up Raja’s earlier offer to feature in this film as an ‘expert’ on India’s science.

“You can take Indians out of India, but not India out of Indians.” I didn’t give much credit to this often repeated statement until I moved out of India. However, even after many years of stay in wonderful Indonesia, rightly a “second home” for me, I continue to long for anything remotely connected with my homeland. Whether it’s music, cricket, cinema, food, the rich cultural heritage or even politics, I’m attracted to all things India.

This Ramzan the Indian army is exploring gastronomical route to win the hearts and minds of the people in the restive Jammu and Kashmir. From Rajouri to Gool and from Kupwara to Tangmarg, the army is throwing Iftaar parties in remotest corners of the state to celebrate Ramzan with the common people. The sub-text of the Iftaar bashes is to uild bridges and improve its image amongst the general public.

Amina Wadud, an American scholar who has spoken widely on women’s role in Islam, has said that lectures she was scheduled to give last week to students and faculty at the University of Madras, in Chennai, were canceled after the organizer said the police were concerned about maintaining law and order.

Insurgents attacked the Indian consulate in Afghanistan's eastern capital on Saturday, killing nine people and reinforcing fears that a bloody regional power struggle will be played out in the country once most foreign troops leave. Twenty-three people were wounded when checkpoint guards stopped three attackers in a car as they approached the consulate in Jalalbabad city, the office of the governor of Nangarhar province, Gul Agha Sherzai, said in a statement.

Two varied art forms staged recently at Greenix Village, a heritage art centre in Fort Kochi, as part of the inauguration of a hospitality service, left the audience spellbound. Ottamthullal presented by National Hartmut Schmidt, a German, and Tanoura, an Egyptian dance, presented by the internationally renowned artiste Hussein Muhammed, was an exotic treat. It was a perfect melange of cross-cultural exchange.

In discussions and writings about the Asia Pacific, India often seems to get short shrift—despite its size, record-breaking economic growth, and growing regional and global influence. Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to pose some questions to the renowned economist—as well as Columbia University professor and my CFR colleague—Jagdish Baghwati about his terrific new book with Arvind Panagariya on India, Why Growth Matters: How Economic Growth in India Reduced Poverty and the Lessons for Other Developing Countries.