Amazing Grace and Taps echoed through the vastness of Fort Hood on Tuesday, to remember 13 soldiers gunned down on post last week. Soldiers are supposed to die in gruesome fashion at war — not in the safety of their own home. That is what made Fort Hood so horrific for Americans. That is why …
It has been 25 years since Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards. The impact on Indian history is undeniable: a nation mourned its beloved daughter and simultaneously displayed its ugliest side for the rest of the world to see. Rioting in New Delhi led to the killings of innocent Sikhs, destroying …
A few years ago, my cousin’s young wife told me that she looked forward to turning 50. Gasp. Silly, lass, I thought, struggling with the fact that I was indeed many years older than she. I envied her youth and scoffed at her eagerness to gallop forward into time. I don’t scoff anymore. I turned …
The earthquake in Sumatra took me back to Gujarat. 2001. It was Republic Day — January 26, when the earth shook so hard in the western Indian state that we felt it as far away as Kolkata. I was home, on vacation, visiting my parents. That winter, I knew, would be my father’s last. He …
I know several folks who were born today. They share their birthday with one of history’s greatest men: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Otherwise known as Mahatma, the great soul. Check out Google today and you’ll see the familiar profile. Round glasses, balding, round head, ears to rival an elephant’s. Walking stick. Dhoti, the white muslin worn …
In the summer of 2004, when word came that John Kerry had tapped former presidential rival John Edwards as his running mate, I climbed into my Honda CRV and drove fast and furious up Interstate 85 from Atlanta to Edwards’ hometown of Robbins, North Carolina. It took me about five hours and by the time …
Late one night, I was flipping channels and came across a 2002 docudrama made by Michael Winterbottom called “In This World.” The camera followed two Afghan brothers, Jamal and Enayatullah, on a harrowing journey from a Peshawar refugee camp through the Middle East and Europe. Because they were crossing borders illegally, the risks were enormous. …
New York Times reporter Stephen Farrell was rescued from Taliban clutches today, though his Afghan interpreter was killed in the raid to rescue them. Farrell had been captured last week in Kunduz, where he was reporting on a NATO airstrike that killed civilians. The story generated conversation in the CNN newsroom about why reporters willingly …
Today is the last of the summer holidays. We celebrate Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day with barbecues and pool parties. Or go off to the beach. Hang out with friends on our front porches. On Memorial Day, we pause to remember all those who gave their lives in service of nation. On July …
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