Every kingdom or reign had varying degrees of atrocities and reforms. Every king had shades of grey. A history book should be aware of the same, and provide a balanced take for young students. It's easy to create binaries of heroes and villains which suit story books. History is far too serious a subject matter to be taught to young minds.
RSS sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat's recent remarks advising public figures to step aside and 'retire' at the age of 75 have raised more than a few eyebrows. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will turn 75 in September, as will, ironically, Mohan Bhagwat.
With conviction, clarity, and confidence, India under PM Modi positioned itself as a reliable global partner, the voice of the Global South, and a stabilising force in an increasingly fragmented world.
The West has once again arrived with their age-old trinkets, expecting the Third World to jump up in rapturous applause and proclaim wizardry, but will this vaguely colonial approach to selling in India work in 2025? Or should we be offended?
Snakes are a misunderstood and feared lot, though 75% of them found in India are non-venomous. On World Snake Day, paying tribute to a species that's more venomous and strikes without provocation, our relatives.
The important question one needs to address, however, is how important or relevant the ULFA-I is anymore. Does it constitute a major threat to Indian security forces in the northeast? To answer this question, one needs to remember that a faction of the ULFA had already signed an agreement with the Centre and the Assam state government in December 2023.
The Election Commission exercise on voter rolls in Bihar again brings up the old question: What is Aadhaar?
The Election Commission, the guardian of fairness, is stooping to their statutory duty. It's shocking to see a constitutional authority interfering in the democratic process. Next, they'll tell us elections should be won by clean, spotless politicians without spending beyond the statutory limit.
Fake weddings are becoming popular in Delhi-NCR as a fresh way to party without nosy relatives. These events combine ethnic fashion, street food and a relaxed atmosphere for urban Indians.
Guru Purnima is a celebration of the possibility of individual evolution, emancipation, and liberation – mukti. More than just a celebration, it is a commitment that "we will evolve."
The Gini Index ranges in value from 0 to 100. A score of 0 means perfect equality. A score of 100 means perfect inequality. The higher the Gini Index, the more unequal the country.
Even as nationalism is running high in India, groups run by linguistic chauvinists and regional fanatics are dividing Indians. Raj Thackeray and Shrinkhal Chaliha are just two of the extremists preventing decades-old wounds from healing through toxic politics that goes against the modern Indian concept of staying anywhere in India for education, business or leisure.
PM Modi's visit to Ghana, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in three decades, marked a historic milestone. His meetings with President John Dramani Mahama elevated bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Partnership, with a bold commitment to double trade within five years.
Thackeray cousins united against compulsory Hindi in schools, hinting at a reunion. But Uddhav Sena swiftly distanced itself from Stalin's broader anti-Hindi stance, wary of alienating Maharashtra's Hindi-speaking voters.
The politics of language more often than not gets hijacked by party street thugs whose leaders fail to capture the voter's imagination legitimately.
Everyone in the IT industry is talking about Soham Parekh. Let's hope more people will now talk about the world of hustling that we have created, a world where people like Soham are just players and not the game.
India's growing wealth gap often sparks despair, but the author, a retired ESIC Regional Director, argues the real solution lies in enforcing India's long-ignored labour laws.
The domestic and global price of misguided rhetoric - and why India must protect its scientific credibility at home while defending its global leadership abroad.
Announcing himself as the chief ministerial candidate allows Vijay to directly leverage his remarkable star power and the loyalty of his fans into political capital. He is directly challenging the established political order and that creates a compelling narrative for his supporters.
Those who might be fighting language wars need to realise that these are losing battles which may yield temporary political dividend but cannot be sustained beyond a point. Linguistic diversity is India's strength, being multilingual a competitive advantage.
After huge public backlash, the Delhi Government has not only stayed the impounding of end-of-life vehicles but has also written to the environment body seeking a pause on the fuel ban.
Will Uddhav and Raj Thackeray now join hands to take on the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in the upcoming BMC elections? Posters across Mumbai seem to be urging the two to unite to claim Bal Thackeray's legacy.
Anchored on five dynamic pillars - Excellence on the Global Stage, Sports for Economic Development, Sports for Social Development, Sports as a People's Movement, and Integration with Education through NEP 2020 - the Khelo Bharat Niti weaves together ambition, inclusivity, and innovation.
Delhi's car ban targets vehicles over 10-15 years old to curb air pollution. This clashes with India's sustainable, repair-not-replace ethos, rendering the ban un-Indian.
Indians love to eat with their hands and the West can never digest this fact. This age-old debate flared up when Zohran Mamdani was found eating with his bare hands and was told to go back to the "Third World" by a US politician. Slightly hypocritical for a country whose second-largest restaurant chain's slogan is "Finger Lickin' Good".
From Elon Musk to Taylor Swift, celebrities are falling prey to deepfakes. As GenAI blurs the line between real and fake, a legal expert argues it's the misuse, not the tech, that needs regulation.
Donald Trump's MAGA crazies have taken exception to Zohran Mamdani using his fingers to eat food. Primitive, they said. So, the author gives them a schooling -- and a scalding -- for knowing @&#t about eating.
July 2025 marks eight years of GST - India's biggest tax reform - streamlining compliance, improving transparency, and creating a unified market. The 'One Nation, One Tax' model continues to evolve and deliver.
In Bangladesh, crimes against women seem to be on the rise at a time when Islamist radicals, who strongly back the Yunus regime, have taken to the streets to oppose women's rights. But the Yunus administration is in persistent denial.
An exclusive survey conducted by CVoter revealed that Indians have a nuanced and balanced approach towards the conflict between Israel and Iran.
In Telangana, N Ramchander Rao, an old-timer in the state's BJP unit, returned to the spotlight. PVN Madhav, a second-generation BJP leader with strong ties to the RSS, replaced D Purandeswari in Andhra Pradesh.
There is an urgency in the AI space and Mark Zuckerberg knows it. In recent months, he has embarked on a mission - build an AI system that is the best in the world. India can learn from him.
India celebrated its latest space hero, but Isro's silence stole the spotlight. The agency's muted media play risks dulling the pride of a nation.
The Headingley heartbreak, where India lost the Test match after scoring five centuries, takes the author back to his childhood in 1997, when heartbreaks were more the norm than the exception. Only to discover that the child in him is alive and kicking, 28 years of a roller-coaster ride later.
Israel's fan club is shrinking in the West. UK and European Parliaments are echoing public disgust with calls for ceasefire and arms embargoes. Enemies are emboldened, allies are wavering. And the Gaza grind is bleeding goodwill. Israel simply needs a new script.
Apart from his participation in the SCO Defence Ministers' meeting in China's Qingdao, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to meet his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun, possibly to restart the China-India military hotline.
Netanyahu, Khamenei and Donald Trump battle for top honours
In the last 12 days, Israel has repeatedly targeted Natanz, Isfahan, and Arak, causing extensive damage to key nuclear sites and putting them out of service for a long time, if not permanently.
Amidst the flood of "never again" proclamations, perhaps Indian society has collectively ignored — or rather avoided asking and trying to honestly answer — a question that would require uncomfortable introspection: What if Indira Gandhi had not lifted the Emergency; a sudden move that surprised even her fierce critics?
Even a simple celebration of the Dalai Lama's birthday in Tibet is considered a major threat to China's "national unity".
