Editor's Note | Revolution, Reform and Rupture: The Eternal Contest to Define India
“Ask him what freedom has given him,” I said to my friend, with a sense of exasperation. The pathos of that moment would have shaken the conviction of even the most ardent optimist.
Column | Gandhi's Idea Of India Was Not Merely Political Freedom; He Wanted Indians To Be One Family: Rajmohan Gandhi
Gandhi’s idea of India was about learning to live together with respect, compassion and equal dignity
Column | Sangh's Idea of India Is to Take Collective Responsibility To Build a Better Future For Bharat: Sunil Ambekar
Building a better future for Bharat is a collective responsibility that should be embraced by society
Column | Is UCC A Majoritarian Exercise Or National Necessity, asks Mahesh Jethmalani
While a section believes UCC promotes gender equality, strengthens national integration and simplifies the legal system, the opponents are not convinced
Column | A Country Of Over 1.3 Billion People Cannot Be Forced Into Sameness: Asaduddin Owaisi on UCC
There can be no gender justice in a state that cannot even guarantee that girls are allowed to be born. The same government that speaks of uniform rights has a law that requires state permission before a person can change their faith and effectively criminalises interfaith relationships.
Column | Syeda Hameed on How Implementing UCC in the Present Political Context May Deepen Anxieties Among Minorities
At first glance, the idea of a UCC appears difficult to contest; a single set of civil laws governing marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption for all citizens seems to embody the constitutional promise of equality.
Column | Kiren Rijiju On How Link Language Is A Necessary Bridge
In a multilingual society, a link language is a bridge that connects, not a force that replaces
Column | People Should Not Be Forced to Speak and Write in Hindi: Arvind Sawant
Were Indians not already speaking Hindi? I was born and raised in Mumbai, Maharashtra. There you will find many people speaking Hindi. Whether they go to a vendor or a shopkeeper, they speak in Hindi.
Column | Hardeep Singh Puri On How a Prepared India Weathered Hormuz Disruption Without Fuel, LPG Shortages
While the concept of strategic autonomy is changing in a shifting global order, India successfully navigated the Strait of Hormuz crisis
Column | Kanwal Sibal on India and Strategic Autonomy in the Changing Global Order
The concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, highlighted today as a civilisational one, was, in fact, the geopolitical driver of India’s non-aligned approach to the world then.
Column | We Stand Resolute In Our Shared Mission to Forge A future-proof Justice System: Arjun Ram Meghwal
Legislative reforms are helping build a future-proof justice system; one that is inherently inclusive, innovative and resilient. The appointment of judges, however, is still a contentious issue
Column | Salman Khurshid On The Importance of The Judicial Wing In Democratic Governance
Of course, argumentation is not necessarily disruptive of democratic ethos, so long as there are adequate elements of a consensual approach to national issues and attitudes.
Column | Sanjay Seth on How National Strength Is The Bedrock Of Sovereignty, Security and Progress
Swadeshi is not about closing our doors to the world; it is about building world-class capabilities at home and engaging globally with confidence
Column | Bureaucratic Reforms Undertaken By The Government Have Changed The Way India Functions: Jitendra Singh
The frame that once held up an empire now holds up something closer to what our Constitution actually promised: a government that serves rather than rules
Column | Meenakshi Jain on Left and non-Left Historians and Whose History It Is
The subcontinent’s past is replete with evidence of the sanctity of the feminine principle and the continuity of ancient customs and traditions
Column | Has History Been Monopolised By a Single School, Asks Shaan Kashyap
But Singh complicated the story. In the same speech, he argued that independent India had inherited not only the economic consequences of colonialism but also institutions and political ideas that continued to shape the republic.
Column | Reservation System Has Given the Oppressed-Caste Youth The Hope That Change Is Slowly On the Way: Kancha Ilaiah
The reservation system has given the oppressed-caste youth the hope that change, though slow, is on the way
Column | Govt Needs to Invest in Institutional Trust to Achieve Viksit Bharat: D. Subbarao
Over the past three decades, however, another explanation has gained prominence: countries prosper because they build institutions that earn people’s trust. Nobel laureate Douglass North argued that good institutions reduce uncertainty.
Column | Choosing Growth Over Equality Is a False, Dangerous Choice for India: Thomas Piketty and Economists at WIL
For weeks this summer, thousands of young Indians occupied Jantar Mantar in the heart of Delhi. Their irreverent, self-styled ‘Cockroach’ movement began over rigged and chaotic examinations and swelled into a national demand for educational reforms. On July 25 they claimed the resignation of the Union education minister.
Column | C. Rangarajan & N.R. Bhanumurthy on Rethinking India’s Development Strategy for Economic Growth
India’s development strategy in the first four decades after Independence was marked by four important elements: dominance of the state in economic activity particularly in the area of investment; an industrial strategy marked
Column | Scale Has Given India Presence; Capability Can Give India Leadership: Nyrika Holkar
The generation that won India’s freedom secured political sovereignty. Those that followed built institutions, industries and infrastructure, and expanded opportunity at a scale once unimaginable.
Column | Ajai Chowdhry On How Having Our Own AI Ecosystem Will Prove to be a Game Changer
India must stop being just an AI consumer, but help build it
Column | When I Think Of Viksit Delhi, I Am Reminded Of What Freedom Means For Different Members Of Society: Rekha Gupta
India’s next wave of urbanisation will not unfold only in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru or Kolkata—much of it will be absorbed by Tier-II and Tier-III cities. In terms of urban planning, what works for Delhi may not work for Varanasi
Column | What Works For Mumbai May Not Work For Varanasi: AGK Menon On Urban Planning Dilemma
The correlation between urbanisation and economic development is a well-established universal phenomenon. It is, therefore, predictable that in India, the dramatic growth of the economy will fuel massive urbanisation.
Column | My Idea of India is Where Policing Thrives Without Becoming Coercion: Kiran Bedi
The finest police force is one whose greatest strength lies in the trust reposed in it by its people
Column | India@80: How Free are Our Women, Asks Ranjana Kumari
Instead of treating gender justice as a welfare agenda, we must recognise it as central to economic growth, technological innovation and democratic governance
Column | India Managed a Hundred Mutinies; More Are Around The Corner: GK Pillai
The doctrine that carried India through its first 70 years depended on the state being willing to accommodate identity—to let people be different inside the Union
Column | M Jagadesh Kumar On Why Restoring Trust In Exams Is The Need Of The Hour
Prevention, early detection and appropriate resolution of possible examination-related incidents should form a part of a carefully designed policy framework
Column | Both NEET and CBSE Fiascos Are Symptoms Of Something Older: Krishna Kumar
Agency Without Capacity
Column | Sustained Investment In Primary Health Care Will Strengthen Our Republic: Randeep Guleria
The next chapter of India’s health-care journey lies in bringing quality health care closer to where people live—in every district, town and village
Column | Biosphere’s Victory Over Misguided Human Ambitions Will Come At The Cost Of Billions Of Innocents: Bittu Sahgal
The biosphere’s victory over misguided human developmental ambitions will come at the cost of billions of innocents
Column | Our Soft Power Is Anchored In Its Capacity To Inspire Through Both Ideas & Artistic Excellence: Shovana Narayan
The current challenge is not to forge new soft power but to enhance and adapt India’s thriving tradition to meet the demands of the global landscape
Column | We Must Strive to Be a Vishwa Guru in Global Cinema: Subhash Ghai
We can be happy that our films like Dhurandhar and Ramayana have created a buzz in the international markets today. But how many of us are ready to win this title of Vishwa Guru through cinema?
Data Dive | Since Independence, India Has Overcome Many Defining Challenges. Yet Many Battles Remain
Since Independence, India has overcome many defining challenges. Yet many battles remain.
Column | How Can India Create the Same Environment For Every Sport As It Has Done For Cricket: Gagan Narang Writes
How India can create the same environment for every sport as it has done for cricket
For Those On Board the Phuket-Delhi Air India Flight that Suffered An Altitude Drop, Traumatic Memories Linger
Traumatic memories continue to haunt those on board the Phuket-Delhi Air India flight which lost about 300 feet of altitude within seconds on August 4
Maharashtra Politics: Is Sunetra Pawar's Weak Leadership Impacting the NCP and Strengthening the BJP
Is Sunetra Pawar’s weak leadership impacting the NCP and strengthening the BJP, ask political analysts
The Audacious Theft of 3.5 Tonnes Cannon From Narwar Fort in MP Proves How Little We Care About Our History & Monuments
The theft of a 3.5-tonne cannon from Madhya Pradesh’s Narwar Fort is more than an audacious crime. It raises uncomfortable questions about how India protects its past
At Work in the Valley: Being a Migrant Worker in J&K in the Shadow of Terror
Extremists targeting migrant workers in Kashmir Valley has not deterred labourers from returning. These wage earners do not have a choice
Caught in the Crossfire: Indian Sailors are at Risk in War-torn High Seas
Indian seafarers are sailing through seas of fire without help
Column | Lone Man Standing: Where Will The Next Worldbeater Come From in Track and Field After Neeraj Chopra
Where will the next worldbeater come from in track and field after Neeraj Chopra?
Filmmaker's Diary: A Conversation With A Character
The filmmaker and her main character have a heart-to-heart about art, realism and agency