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Golwalkar, the man behind ‘Hindu Rashtra’

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RSS volunteers at a rally in Chennai. | Photo Credit: Praveen P.K. Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar led the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) from 1940 until his death in 1973. With Golwalkar at the helm, the RSS spread its wings across the country. His book, ‘We or Our Nationhood Defined’, remained at the core of RSS ideology, … Read more

Covering a stampede – The Hindu

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Passengers board an overcrowded train for Prayagraj’s Mahakumbh at the New Delhi railway station on February 15, 2025. At least 18 people were killed and more than a dozen injured in a stampede that broke out that night at the crowded railway station. | Photo Credit: PTI In India, nobody bats an eye when they … Read more

Is there a right to take offence?

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The popular YouTube show ‘India’s Got Latent’ has sparked controversy after criminal proceedings were initiated against its creators and participants over allegedly obscene remarks in one of its episodes. On February 18, 2025, the Supreme Court granted interim protection from arrest to podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia, one of the participants named in the FIRs. This has … Read more

The long and winding road of India-China relations

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Indian and Chinese soldiers at the Line of Actual Control, in Ladakh, in October 2024 | Photo Credit: AFP India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri was in China in January 2025, during which India and China made several announcements on the future of their bilateral relations. He met Wang Yi, who is China’s Foreign Minister, the … Read more

​Watering down: On water quality at Prayagraj 

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Official estimates suggest that around 45 crore visitors, nearly a third of India’s population, have already been to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh Mela, which began in mid-January. With such a massive influx, even a small percentage of individuals who carry microbes could trigger extensive chains of disease transmission. The Ganga at Prayagraj, where devotees … Read more

The transformation of Koraput’s tribal food basket

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Koraput, a district in Odisha, is a beautiful landscape, rich in biodiversity and home to a predominantly tribal population. But there is also a paradox. There is rampant poverty and undernutrition. There is no dearth of government schemes, in the form of direct feeding programmes or schemes for livelihood activities. Yet, undernutrition levels remain high. … Read more

​New line in Delhi: On Delhi’s new Chief Minister

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s appointment of a first-time Member of the Legislative Assembly, Rekha Gupta, as the new Chief Minister of Delhi, is in line with its preference for relatively junior and fresh faces in leadership positions. Ms. Gupta has risen through the ranks of the Sangh Parivar and won Delhi University Students Union … Read more

Letters to The Editor — February 21, 2025

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Delhi’s new Chief Minister That Rekha Gupta, a first-time MLA, has become the Chief Minister of Delhi, ‘defying all odds’ if I may add, needs comment. The so-called unanimous “selection” of the leader of BJP’s Delhi legislature party, that took almost two weeks, smacks of the Congress’s culture. There was hectic lobbying by the over … Read more

Student death at KIIT: A case of authoritarian governance, student rights and campus democracy

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The recent incident at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha, involving the tragic death of 20-year-old Nepali student Prakriti Lamsal has drawn significant attention from both Nepal and India. In the wake of her suspected suicide, Nepali students at KIIT held protests demanding justice. However, it was reported that many students reportedly faced … Read more