Opinion

When “Why?” Becomes a Threat: Is West Bengal’s Democratic Space Shrinking?

West Bengal’s recent clashes over classrooms, universities, the press and cultural institutions raise a larger question: what happens when political power enters spaces meant for independent thought? The incidents may not be connected, but together they reveal how easily institutional autonomy and dissent can come under pressure.

‘Assalamu Alaikum, Inshaallah, Jazakallah’: Peace, Hope and Gratitude Don’t Cancel Out Your Merit

Dr Bushara Bano’s use of “Assalamu Alaikum”, “InshaAllah” and “Jazakallah” has sparked controversy. But can three expressions of faith overshadow an IPS officer’s qualifications, competitive achievements and professional record? The debate raises a larger question about identity, neutrality and merit in public service.

You Can Crack IIT. Can You Crack Its Caste System?

IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode’s suicide has revived questions about caste discrimination, merit and student rights in India’s elite institutions. As allegations of harassment and casteist abuse emerge, the larger concern is whether campuses meant to nurture talent are becoming hostile spaces for marginalised students

What Is India’s Youth Asking For: Cultural Identity or the Right to a Future?

India’s youth have always questioned power, from the student movements of the 1970s to the Anna movement. Today, programmes in Ujjain and Indore raise a new question: is young India seeking cultural identity, political recognition or something more basic — the right to shape its future?

BRICS Isn’t Beijing’s Game. It’s India’s Strategic Autonomy

India’s BRICS engagement is not about choosing China over the West but protecting its strategic autonomy. As the global order turns multipolar, India must retain strong ties across competing blocs while defending its independent foreign policy and ensuring that national interests, not Western approval, shape its international choices.
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Will Modi’s ‘diya’ light up the poor neighborhoods and riot-hit homes during lockdown?

As most Indians are undergoing a difficult three weeks-long total lockdown in the wake of the corona pandemic, our prime minister is increasingly preaching...

Modi cares, for ‘Funds’ only

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a penchant for exploring new avenues for collecting money from public. The latest is the surreptitious creation, on March...

How coronavirus affected Madhya Pradesh Politics

Coronavirus has affected politics in Madhya Pradesh in a peculiar way. With Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia having defected to BJP and 22 Scindia loyalist...

The Pandemics that already killed billions of us

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,...

Mamata uses police and party to deny space to anti-CAA rivals and civil society

Bengal’s big sis (Didi) Mamata Banerjee was at the receiving end of police brutalities as I had witnessed it closely as a journalist covering...

Scindia quits Congress, may get cabinet post at Centre; future of his followers uncertain

Jyotiraditya Scindia’s resignation from the Congress did not come as a surprise. The surprise is that it came so late. What happens next is...
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