Opinion

Sabarimala’s ban on women isn’t a black and white matter

24 Mar 2021 10:37 AM IST

Viewing the ban on the entry of women into Kerala’s Sabarimala temple in terms of the simplistic binaries of equality vs inequality, tradition vs modernity and feminism vs patriarchy might not be favourable for people on both sides of the debate.

LLOYD AUSTIN’S VISIT UNDERLINES IMPORTANCE OF INDIA-US STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

23 Mar 2021 09:04 AM IST

From all accounts, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s India visit went off very well. As the statements issued by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Secretary Austin suggest, the Joe Biden administration is going full steam ahead in the direction that the previous Donald Trump administration had taken regarding India. As

Do we want to turn India into a country of crooks?

23 Mar 2021 08:42 AM IST

If the police become an instrument to run extortion rackets in deference to political masters or even otherwise, the credibility of the state gets completely undermined. The saga unfolding in Maharashtra after Param Bir Singh’s letter has put the corrupt policeman-politician nexus under the spotlight.

HOW INDIA & ARMENIA CAN COUNTER TURKEY-PAKISTAN NEXUS IN SOUTH CAUCASUS

22 Mar 2021 03:21 AM IST

The significance of the Armenian-Indian relations once again arose among the academics, journalists, and politicians both in Armenia and India amid the outbreak of the Nagorno Karabakh 44-day war. In the war, Turkey and Pakistan supported Azerbaijan, with the former doing so militarily and also by deploying thousands of Jihadists

Towards regaining the lost glory of the university system

22 Mar 2021 03:15 AM IST

Indian scientists and academics today occupy top positions across the most prestigious institutions in the world, all thanks to the foundations laid by their public university education. However, the country’s university system has seen a sharp decline in the recent past, suffering from crises of quality, governance and resources, which

CONSERVATION OF FORESTS IS THE NEED OF THE HOUR

20 Mar 2021 02:26 AM IST

March 21 was declared as the International Day of Forests by the United Nations to draw attention to the depleting forest cover of the planet and the urgent need to address the unsettling condition of the environment. Urbanization and development activities have encroached forests to such an extent that human

How Modinomics is shaping Assam’s development

20 Mar 2021 02:21 AM IST

In January 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave 1,06,000 land certificates and addressed a large gathering at Jerenga Pathar in Sivasagar, Assam, a historic site where Joymoti, an Ahom princess, had sacrificed her life in the 17th century. “When our party came to power in Assam, there were nearly 6,00,000

LIVING IN A COVID CONTINUOUS WORLD

19 Mar 2021 02:21 AM IST

Though we are still living in a Covid continuous world, it is going to be one year since Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered what was probably the world’s longest lockdown in India. And without much of a notice, life as we knew it came to a grinding halt as we

SPARE THE LECTURE ON INDIA’S DEMOCRACY

18 Mar 2021 03:36 AM IST

It is becoming increasingly apparent that some people have a major problem with India’s greatest badge of honour—its democracy. Or rather, they have such a huge problem with Prime Minister Narendra Modi that according to them India is ceasing to be a democracy just because he is in power. He

The Dragon’s dilemma: Recruiting Tibetans in PLA

18 Mar 2021 03:34 AM IST

China is trying hard to bring reforms in its armed forces and recruit more minorities like the Tibetans. However, at the centre of this process is a dilemma: Can Beijing secure the Tibetans’ loyalty to the Communist Party after its oppressive reign in The Land of Snows?

THE CULT OF THE STAR CAMPAIGNER

17 Mar 2021 02:59 AM IST

After 2014 there have been very few elections where one has seen a clash of strong personalities. For once the BJP came to power, not only did Narendra Modi become the Prime Minister, he also became the party’s star campaigner. In fact, as S. Prasannarajan, editor, Open magazine, wrote, there

Go public instead of privatising

17 Mar 2021 02:56 AM IST

Rather than letting private players overtake PSUs, the government should open them up to the public—but keep their management away from bureaucrats, who are more wedded to procedure than production and profits.