An Indian view on history, current affairs and politics

June 1, 2023

Author: Hashmi Shams Tabreed

Hashmi is a journalist with Urdu weekly khabarnama based in Lucknow. he has authored the Urdu book titled “History of Shias in India”. He travels extensively in UP and mostly writes on UP issues.. His twitter handle is @hstabreed

Recent Articles

TsuNamo sweeps Varanasi

: Domestic : Written by : 04-24-2014

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Even the most die hard of Modi supporters wouldn’t have anticipated the kind of response Modi received from Varanasi on his nomination day today. it was a stunning and awe inspiring show of support from the city for BJP’s PM nominee Narendra Modi. Just a day back, media’s blue eyed boy, Arvind Kejriwal filed his nomination from this seat. In a show of strength, his party AAP, managed to converge a lot of its volunteers from different parts of country, mostly Delhi NCR and U.P for the road show that preceded his nomination. Around 5-10 thousand people, mostly AAP volunteers from outside, local Muslims and …continue reading

Not 2002, 2001 shapes my view on Modi

: Domestic : Written by : 04-19-2014

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 I was an intern back then. Having done my diploma in journalism and mass communication, i was working with a senior journalist to learn the tricks of on-ground reporting and developing contacts.My mentor was a veteran journalist, aged about 52 years. Everyone used to call him Haji sahab. He had gone on Haj with family twice and on both occasions used his contacts in Haj committee to get Haj subsidy. He was a smart fellow. Always getting what he wanted just by approaching one of his numerous contacts. Haji sahab was living in Gaziabad with his parents and two sons, …continue reading

Story of a Narendra Modi rally

: Domestic : Written by : 01-23-2014

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Manbela, Gorakhpur: If you’re afraid of crowded places, you should avoid Modi rallies. I’ve covered Modi’s Delhi and U.P rallies. The crowd has consistently been above 3-4 Lakhs. I’m sure congress will be willing to pay a fortune to get such an audience for Rahul’s rally. The overwhelming public participation in a state where BJP was lagging at the fourth place is a testimony enough of a strong Modi wave. Till six months back Mulayam, Mayawati and a host of other UP leaders were dismissing Modi citing the complexities of UP electorate. Their arrogance has given way to panic as ground reports indicate a …continue reading

Election travels: The Modi wave, Nitish painfully denies, exists !

: Domestic : Written by : 12-16-2013

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Fig: Representative photo, not actual photo from Muzaffarpur Travelling in the Bihar bound Vaishali express, i couldn’t help but overhear the conversation among groups of passengers. Participants were the usual suspects, migrant workers from Delhi and suburbs, traders, government servants, students, people in private jobs and others. Bored of the lengthy journey, i was strolling across the coaches. over the next eight hours, the dominant theme that emerged was politics. Contrary to perception, people of the cow belt are politically very aware. The recent debacle of congress and drubbing of it’s Yuvraj is a hot topic. People think this is …continue reading

Narendra Modi undercurrent in the Uttar Pradesh

: Domestic : Written by : 12-07-2013

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A silent wave is sweeping the Hindi heartland. Despite the brave face, an uneasiness is brewing in dominant regional parties SP and BSP in UP. No one could have predicted that Narendra Modi, the man almost entire political class of the country dismissed as a small regional leader would throw such a challenge in their own backyard. In my extensive travel across the Hind heartland over past few months and in speaking to people there, the Modi factor is evident. What is surprising is that in the state where traditionally people have voted based on caste equations, they’ve have started …continue reading