For generations, the Ram Janmabhoomi movement was about far more than bricks and mortar. It was sustained by faith, sacrifice and an unwavering belief among millions of devotees that one day a grand temple would rise at what they regarded as the birthplace of Lord Ram. After decades of political battles, social upheaval and legal contestation, that dream finally became reality. For countless Hindus, it marked the fulfilment of a civilisational aspiration. This is precisely wh

For a politician whose own party seems perpetually engulfed in controversy, Congressman Priyank Kharge has developed a curious fascination with lecturing others on accountability. His familiar target is the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). In an open letter, Karnataka’s Home Minister demanded that the RSS register itself, disclose its finances, reveal details of its office-bearers and submit itself to greater public scrutiny. The RSS is not a shadowy organisation operating

Political parties can survive scandals and electoral setbacks. What they often struggle to survive is the loss of purpose that follows a crushing defeat. The decision by 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs to merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India and extend support to the NDA is best understood through that lens. Much commentary has focused on the arithmetic of Parliament and the legal intricacies of anti-defection laws. Yet the deeper story is about what happens to

The crash of an Indian Air Force Antonov AN-32 during landing at Jorhat in Assam, which claimed the lives of five air force personnel, is a sombre reminder of the risks routinely borne by India’s servicemen and women. It also raises difficult questions about ageing military platforms that remain in service long after their intended prime. The Antonov AN-32 has been one of the unsung workhorses of the Indian Air Force. Since its induction in the 1980s, the Soviet-designed twin

The death of three Indian sailors aboard the tanker Settebello should provoke outrage far beyond Indian borders. It is not merely a tragic consequence of yet another conflict in West Asia but the result of an extraordinarily arrogant assertion of power by Donald Trump’s United States. According to the U.S. military, an American aircraft carried out a ‘precision strike’ on the vessel’s engine room after its crew allegedly failed to comply with directions from American forces.

Mumbai has always lived with inconvenience. Its residents have tolerated overcrowded trains and endless traffic snarls during the worst of the seasons and its perpetually crumbling construction with a stoicism unimaginable in most global cities. They have done so because they have long been promised by the ruling class that today’s discomfort will yield tomorrow’s improvement. However, the recent controversy surrounding the newly opened extension of the Mrinal Tai Gore flyove

The latest unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is a reminder that territorial control alone does not confer legitimacy. As clashes between protesters and security forces intensify in Rawalakot and other parts of the region, Pakistan finds itself confronting a crisis that has been years in the making. Across the Line of Control, meanwhile, India is celebrating the breakthrough of the strategic Zojila Tunnel, a project that promises all-weather connectivity between Kashmi

Barely a month after the BJP’s historic landslide ended 15 years of Trinamool Congress rule, Mamata Banerjee’s once-invincible party is rapidly disintegrating into a spectacle of opportunism, defections and panic. The speed of the collapse has been breathtaking. The first crack appeared in the Assembly last week when 58 TMC legislators openly defied the party line and backed rebel leader Ritabrata Banerjee’s claim to the post of Leader of the Opposition. The revolt was a publ

For years, India’s eastern frontier has been a study in political evasiveness. While past governments spoke of illegal immigration and border security, their actions rarely matched their rhetoric. That era now appears to be definitively ending. With the BJP now in power across the states adjoining Bangladesh, India’s political message is now unmistakable. For the newly installed BJP government in West Bengal under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, border management is no longe

R. Praggnanandhaa’s stunning victory at the Norway Chess tournament is more than just another glittering addition to India’s growing collection of chess triumphs. It is a reminder that excellence in Indian sport often flourishes far from cricketing floodlights. By becoming the first Indian ever to win the prestigious Norway Chess tournament, the 20-year-old grandmaster achieved something that had eluded even the great Viswanathan Anand. He did so in emphatic fashion after rec

For years, Faizal Khan, known across the country by his affectionate moniker of ‘Khan Sir,’ has cultivated the image of an educator fighting a noble battle against an exploitative coaching industry. To millions of students, he is not merely a teacher but a folk hero, someone who is an outsider challenging entrenched interests while offering affordable education to the masses. But the recent episode surrounding the attack on Khan Global Studies in Patna raise uncomfortable que

The fire that tore through Delhi’s Flourish Stay B&B in Malviya Nagar, killing 21 persons, mostly foreign nationals, was the predictable consequence of a system that has made peace with illegality and administrative neglect. It is shameful that the building, that should never have been operating in its existing form, was allowed to function openly in the heart of India's capital. The details are horrifying. A guest house permitted to run only six rooms had allegedly expanded

From NEET paper leaks to the CBSE’s digital fiasco, India’s examination system appears to be confronting a major crisis of competence and credibility. For generations of our countrymen, examinations have been the principal mechanism through which talent, discipline and hard work could overcome social circumstance. In a country where millions compete for limited opportunities, examinations serve as the foundation of meritocracy. When that foundation begins to crack, the conseq

For decades, independent India suffered from a peculiar form of historical insecurity. A nation that inherited one of the world’s oldest living civilizations often appeared reluctant to speak confidently about its own past. While political independence was achieved in 1947, intellectual independence remained elusive in the Nehruvian era and the decades thereafter. That is why the Ministry of Culture’s recent efforts to showcase India’s civilizational heritage on social media

After two years of frustration and near-misses, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty returned in strength to remind the world why India remains a rising force in global badminton. For champions, the hardest victories are often not the first ones but those that arrive after disappointment and self-doubt. That is what made Satwik and Chirag’s triumph at the Singapore Open so special. Their thrilling comeback victory over Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri

The heckling of Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee during the latter’s visit to Sonarpur is a stark reminder that fear has an expiry date. For years, West Bengal’s politics has been defined by intimidation. First the Communist, and later during Mamata Banerjee’s TMC regimes, the state’s political discourse has been overwhelmingly accompanied by violence, cadre dominance, partisan policing and a culture in which dissenters were expected to keep their heads down and their

The Congress party has finally performed the political equivalent of a hostage exchange in Karnataka. After months of whispers, denials, tantrums and choreographed smiles, Siddaramaiah finally resigned as Chief Minister, making way for his deputy, D.K. Shivakumar under the fabled “rotational formula” crafted after the Congress’s emphatic 2023 victory. The transfer of power was projected by the party as orderly, democratic and consultative. In reality, it resembled a palace co

For decades, Kerala’s Marxists had cultivated an image of ideological austerity by speaking the language of class struggle and public morality while portraying their opponents as corrupt bourgeois opportunists. The CPI(M), particularly under former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, had perfected this moral theatre. Today, with its political fortunes on the wane, the party’s carefully constructed halo is collapsing under the weight of its own contradictions. The Enforcement Dir

Despair once again prevails in Maharashtra’s onion belt as angry farmers have launched protests across Nashik, Sambhaji Nagar and Solapur in wake of onion prices crashing to absurdly low levels. For cultivators who spent months battling erratic weather, rising fertiliser costs and mounting debt, the arithmetic is devastating. At such prices, farmers are unable even to recover transportation costs, let alone repay loans or sustain their households. In the past, Governments in

The latest increase in petrol and diesel prices — the fourth hike in just 11 days — underlines how vulnerable India remains to geopolitical turmoil and its own unfinished reforms in the energy sector. Brent crude surged again after fresh American military strikes in southern Iran deepened fears of the renewal of the Iran conflict on a higher scale. Markets are now gripped by uncertainty as hopes of a negotiated settlement continue to fade. For a country like India, which impo