For people who never strike root in one place, home is an ever-changing concept. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto The controversy over the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar triggered some thoughts on my own identity — something I have been desperately searching for at least over the past four decades. I have … Read more
In the post-pandemic classrooms buzzing with screens and strained attention spans, student-teacher relationships are undergoing a quiet but profound transformation. Teachers today are no longer seen merely as authority figures or disciplinarians; they are confidants, motivators, even emotional anchors for students navigating an increasingly complex world. While this emotional proximity has its merits, it also … Read more
A short walk can be revelatory sometimes. | Photo Credit: Getty Images With the unpredictable monsoon rain, my once-regular morning walks gradually became a distant dream. So, I shifted my walks to the evening, replacing my post-lunch lazy siestas with something a bit more productive. My father would accompany me on most days, and I … Read more
The local people who are familiar with shortcuts get piqued when their drivers follow only the map. | Photo Credit: istock.com There was a time when we could hail an autorickshaw on the streets of Bengaluru without much ado. The drivers either obliged or declined the ride, making it easy for the passenger to take a … Read more
(This is the latest edition of the Political Line newsletter curated by Varghese K. George. The Political Line newsletter is India’s political landscape explained every week. You can subscribe here to get the newsletter in your inbox every Friday.) The logic of partition was that separation would lead to peace, and even progress; now we realise that partition … Read more
On a beautiful spring day in April, a young woman walked into Phuphee’s garden. We had been tending to her garden since the early hours of the morning despite there having been a light shower. Phuphee was planting bulbs for lilies and freesias, which she hoped would bloom later on in the summer. When she … Read more
India imports over 85% of its crude oil and more than 50% of its natural gas. This is not just an economic figure. It belongs in our national risk register. As conflict zones multiply, sea lanes narrow and supply chains fragment, every imported barrel becomes a liability. In this landscape, Russian oil has become India’s … Read more
The Government of India has so far handled the issue of the 50% tariffs imposed by the U.S. with maturity and pragmatism. Despite provocative statements by senior U.S. government officials, India has refrained from being baited and has instead stuck to its established position. So, while U.S. Trade Adviser Peter Navarro called the Russia-Ukraine war … Read more
Washington’s tirade White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro’s brazen assertion that the Ukraine conflict is “Modi’s war” reeks of duplicity and intellectual hollowness (Front page, August 29). The origins of this war are firmly anchored in Russia’s strategic insecurities and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s relentless eastward adventurism. By dragging Prime Minister Narendra Modi into … Read more
Every year, nearly 70 lakh students in India compete for undergraduate seats appearing for entrance examinations such as the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), Common University Entrance Test (CUET), and Common Law Admission Test (CLAT). With a fixed number of seats, the competition is intense, fuelling a coaching industry and … Read more