AS I WRITE this editorial, I am plagued by a sense of déjà vu. It seems that only yesterday Delhi emerged out of President’s Rule to elect a Chief Minister. A mere 48 days after his appointment, Mr Arvind Kejriwal of Aam Admi Party (AAP) has resigned from his post. Now, we are back to square one—and to President’s Rule yet again—hence, the déjà vu. Apart from the similarity of the situation then and now, I have been quite struck by the behaviour of Indian Parliamentarians. The ruckus that followed AAP’s anti-corruption Jan Lokpal Bill could be rivalled only by the utter chaos which followed the Telengana Bill. Whatever the issue, it appears Indian Parliamentarians know only one route to resolving them; emitting battle cries. Degree of unruliness may vary, but it seems that some of our MPs are incapable of behaviour which suits the prestige of the Assembly. Is this how we wish to run a democratic process? Is politics not also about strategy, discussion and dialogue? Thankfully, voices of sanity prevailed in the nation with senior leaders cutting across party lines to denounce the rumpus. The people were no less stinging in their criticism of their elected representatives. It is to be hoped that our Parlimentarians will sense the mood of the nation and learn their lessons from the “grand masters”.

Also about strategy, mental calibration, patience and power play, is the game of chess. It is so similar—and yet so different—from politics. While ruckus reigns over the first, the second game has players who are the quietest people on the planet. I have always admired 2014the concentration and the utter dedication of chess players. For this month we have the master himself, Mr Viswanathan Anand. Mr Anand is a marvel—one, our nation should be eternally thankful for. It is because of him that we have taken such strides in this game. We were also lucky to have a brief chat with his spouse, Aruna, about the man beyond the chess board.

Talking about protests, we take a closer look at the issue of racism. Are Delhiites guilty of it? We spoke to two experts who have been working with this problem for a while now. But before you think all is grim; we do a savoury survey of Kashmir—a state which Marryam H. Reshii calls her second home. Coming down south, DW brings one of the most eminent international artists of India, Mr Surendra Nair, from Kerala.

March unfolds many promises for us. On March 8, women of the world will once unite to fight injustices and pledge for a better tomorrow. The new fiscal begins with an interim budget and we wait eagerly to exercise our right as India moves into election mode. It’s a month full of promises!