Reform that prizes speed over standards risks weakening the science it seeks to mobilise. For a long time, the meaning of a PhD was clear. A PhD meant deep and original thinking on a narrow question. It meant years of careful work, guided by a supervisor, resulting in a written thesis. The thesis was examined by experts and placed in a library so that others could read it, question it, and build upon it. Papers and patents could follow, but the thesis was the main proof that

Sting operations promise accountability, but often blur the line between public interest and voyeurism. The term ‘sting’ was popularized in the classic Robert Redford-Paul Newman caper film ‘The Sting’ (1973). It was released in India at a time when no one understood the meaning of the term. It featured two men who attempt to pull off the ultimate con a ruthless crime boss (brilliantly played by Robert Shaw) when one of their associates gets killed. But as many viewers (inclu

Class 12 student dies after falling from local train on way to exam Dombivli: On the very first day of the 12th standard board examinations, an 18-year-old student, Soham Sachin Katre, lost his life after falling from a moving local train between Kalwa and Mumbra stations while travelling to his examination centre. Soham, a resident of Dombivli, was on his way to appear for his first paper at Manisha Vidyalaya in Kalwa when the tragic incident occurred, turning a day of hope

Asks was there a sinister motive behind his uncle’s travel delay because of an NCP leader from East Vidarbha Mumbai : A fortnight after the January 28 air-disaster that snuffed out Nationalist Congress Party President and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Anantrao Pawar, his nephew and Nationalist Congress Party (SP) MLA Rohit Rajendra Pawar raised haunting questions challenging the premise that the Baramati tragedy was a mere accident, and alleging sinister attempts to suppress fac

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Red roses bloom in shop windows, florists are all over with red roses, hearts decorate every corner, and the world seems to whisper one message repeatedly: love belongs to couples. But where does that leave those who are single, divorced, separated, or widowed—or simply walking life on their own terms? A quiet question often arises, especially for women: Are we incomplete without a partner? Without a man in our lives? The answer, spo

Mumbai: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghachalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday threw his full weight behind the long-standing demand to confer the Bharat Ratna on Swatantryaveer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, asserting that the Hindutva ideologue’s inclusion would enhance the dignity of the country’s highest civilian honour. Bhagwat, who explained the genesis and growth of the RSS over past 100 years in two lectures at the Nehru Centre here on Saturday and Sunday, replied t

Mumbai: The proposed Shirur–Karjat road corridor, being advanced under Maharashtra’s highway expansion programme, is gaining strategic urgency as authorities seek long-term solutions to recurring congestion on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway. The project, being executed by the Maharashtra State Infrastructure Development Corporation (MSIDC), assumed renewed significance following repeated traffic disruptions — including a recent gridlock that lasted over 30 hours, highlighting the

Mohan Bhagwat, Sarsanghchalak, RSS during the lecture on the occasion of the centenary year of RSS at Nehru Centre Auditorium in Worli on Saturday. | Pic Bhushan Koyande Mumbai: On the centenary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh its present (6 th ) Sarsanghchalak Dr. Mohan Madhukar Bhagwat termed the RSS as a civilizational movement dedicated to serving humanity, cultural unity and social organization rather than power, protest or politics. Addressing a centennial lecture se

Mumbai : Stand-up comic Kunal Kamra and Senior Advocate Haresh Jagtiani have challenged the validity of the government’s Sahyog portal – an online mechanism used that issues content takedown directions to digital platforms – in the Bombay High Court.   The portal gives content withdrawal directives to platforms like X, YouTube, Meta, etc, and Kamra-Jagtiani have raised serious constitutional questions centering on freedom of speech, due process and the scope of government pow

Mumbai: The over 30-plus hour traffic jam on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway on Wednesday and Thursday, has once again underscored the urgent need for the long-pending “Missing Link” project — a strategic intervention aimed at eliminating chronic congestion, particularly along the vulnerable Khandala-Lonavala ghat stretch. The unprecedented disruption, triggered by an overturned gas tanker near the Adoshi tunnel, left thousands stranded for over a day and exposed deep structural b

Mumbai | Pune: When lakhs of travellers either baked or froze in their vehicles during the massive 33-hour long traffic snarls on the prestigious Mumbai-Pune Expressway, a Pune businessman was all ‘cool’. Dr. Sudhir Mehta, Chairman of Pinnacle Industries Ltd, Pune, was stuck in the traffic chaos at the Mumbai end for over eight hours and finally decided to ‘rise’ out of it, literally, in a chopper. He somehow managed to reach the Juhu Aerodrome at Vile Parle, hired a helicopt

Mumbai: Jiyo Samman Se Run 2.0, organised by Samman Association, the Mumbai chapter of the Indian Epilepsy Association, stands as a significant public health and social awareness initiative aimed at addressing the persistent stigma surrounding epilepsy. With participation exceeding 1,100 individuals, the event has emerged as India’s largest run dedicated exclusively to epilepsy awareness, reflecting both its growing reach and the increasing public willingness to engage with t

Pune : The country’s oldest and first access-controlled Mumbai-Pune Expressway came to a grinding halt after a chemical tanker turned turtle on Tuesday evening – with thousands of vehicles stuck in traffic jams for over 24 hours – and the effects spilling over to the Old Highway No. 48 soon afterwards.   The vehicular snarl - described by locals as the worst-ever in the 26-year-old history of the critical thoroughfare linking the country’s commercial and cultural capitals – t

Lost investments and stalled projects underscore challenges in the state’s investment climate. Tamil Nadu's industrial landscape is under renewed scrutiny after yet another high-profile investment slipped away from the state. A few months ago, the setback came when the Hwaseung Footwear Group, which was expected to set up a large manufacturing unit in Tuticorin with an investment of 1,720 crore and the potential to generate nearly 20,000 jobs, opted instead for Andhra Pradesh

Mumbai: In a significant development post-Baramati Learjet 45 crash on Jan. 28, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said that the probe into a disaster involving a similar aircraft at the Mumbai Airport on Sep. 14, 2023, is now in the final stages.   The AAIB statement came amid embarrassing questions after the Baramati incident in which Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party President Ajit Pawar and four others were killed. The small a

The most reliable support system we will ever have is ourselves. There comes a quiet moment in life—sometimes early, sometimes much later—when one realises a simple but profound truth: the most reliable support system we will ever have is ourselves. People may walk beside us for a while, circumstances may be favourable for a season, and external help may arrive when we least expect it—but none of these are permanent. What remains constant, through every phase of life, is our

The famed Chola expeditions into Southeast Asia were less about conquest or cultural dominance and more about trade, prestige and unintended civilisational consequences. The Chola kings undoubtedly ruled the seas, for almost over a century, between the end of the first and beginning of the second millennium CE. Domestically, that meant supremacy over the entire ‘Coromandel’ or actually the ‘Chola-mandala’ Coast, accomplishing victories over all the littoral kingdoms in the Ba

Institutions endure not only because of their systems but also because of officers like Dr. Shashikant Mangrulkar, whose integrity and leadership earn public trust. Amidst a lot of talk about the election commission and various allegations by opposition leaders of different political parties, there are a few examples of election officials who are handling the tense situations with a much more composed, calm, and balanced manner. Dr. Shashikant Mangrule is one of them. During

In an age of speed and novelty, an ancient pattern shows why science still needs to move methodically and turn back without losing ground. In the early days of writing, humans had not yet settled on how words should move across a page or a stone surface. Some lines ran from left to right, the next from right to left, and the pattern continued steadily back and forth. This style of writing came to be known as boustrophedon, a word drawn from ancient Greek that means “turning l

India is rethinking the foundations of its farm economy, and few states are better placed than Maharashtra to lead the shift. After decades of chemical-intensive cultivation that lifted output but hollowed out soils, strained water supplies and inflated costs, the old growth model is running out of road. Climate volatility, stagnant farm incomes and chronic indebtedness have made incremental fixes inadequate. What is required is a structural reset and natural farming offers M