Udhay, Vijay & Politics

DMK neta’s comments were typical of toxic masculinity. TN CM responded wrong but pulled back The Madras High Court was right to quickly grant bail to Tamil Nadu opposition leader Udayanidhi Stalin after he was detained by police. It was also good that the Tamil Nadu government did not ask the court to keep him…

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Jobs, not words

SC’s clarification on dropping protest cases is welcome. The government should focus on the real problems facing young peopleThe Supreme Court’s clarification that states can withdraw or close FIRs filed against protesters during last month’s student protests is welcome. It is good news for students, police, courts and democracy. It has been 10 days since…

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Rage Over Nothing?

On the evening of July 14, two men walked into Select Darbar Restaurant in Minalur, Wadakkanchery, and ordered chilli chicken. It arrived garnished with lemon, as usual. The two complained the lemon pieces were dry and accused the staff of reusing old ones. Fresh lemon was brought out. They kept arguing anyway. “The hotel owner…

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Everybody’s Boat

For the residents of Arpookkara, a quiet village on the outskirts of Kottayam town, Sunday will mark the culmination of a dream generations in the making—the day their own snake boat, built entirely through community funding, touches water for the first time. Arpookkara Chundan, a 128-foot snake boat built to carry 83 oarsmen, five helmsmen…

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Know right yet choose wrong

I know what is right, yet i am not inclined towards it; i know what is wrong, yet i cannot refrain from it.” These words, attributed to Duryodhan in Mahabharat, capture one of the deepest conflicts within human nature. Duryodhan was not ignorant of dharm; he clearly understood what was righteous and what was unethical. Yet…

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The bro coolaid

No one can ever fully understand this country. Like there is this type of bro in upper class India who has always leaned right, and wants stability in the country but, recently, posted support for the student protests – tentative support. It was a little confusing. First, a little bit about bro. He is rich….

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AI’s complicated world is here. Are we ready?

For nineteen days in June, the most capable AI system available to the public simply did not exist. US commerce department ordered Anthropic to bar foreign nationals from its new Fable and Mythos models. The company switched them off for everyone. Washington relented on June 30. One day into the blackout, a Beijing lab called…

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In dollar we trust: How reserve currency ruled the world 

An empire forged by ships, soldiers and sterling  For nearly two hundred years, the British Empire ran on a simple formula: send the navy, plant the flag, station the troops, and rule directly, from Calcutta to Cape Town to the Caribbean. By the early 1900s, Britain governed roughly a quarter of the world’s land and people. Running alongside every conquest was…

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99% unlucky young Indians

Youth protests have prompted GOI to address, anew, the problem of competitive examinations’ question papers being leaked. It has taken two key steps. Firstly, it has amended the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, to “bring greater transparency, fairness, and credibility”, and to inspire confidence in the system. The amendment introduces time-bound resolution of…

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Message In A Ballot

Kishor’s poll debut on a ‘safe’ saffron seat is sweet victory for his party. Bankipur bypoll will be heeded Bypolls don’t as such follow any trend, but it is frequently the case that the party in govt in the state, usually retains or wins assembly bypolls, held after a state election. This is even more…

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