Blogs

Rising temperatures and pollution in Tamil Nadu are pushing maternal mental health to the brink. Targeted state action that supports the well-being of mothers and their children is essential. Parvathy,* mother to an 18-month-old, says, “My house feels like an oven that I can’t turn off.” She resides in Chennai’s industrial belt, under a corrugated…

This week, India’s story abroad unfolded in three sharp frames: a White House narrative on trade that New Delhi quietly disputes, an Indian-origin Republican leader stepping back from social media amid racial abuse, and Punjabi beats from Dhurandhar taking over an NBA arena. From power and politics to pop culture, the global Indian presence continues to assert…

Every time a corporate announces an intended Acquisition of another corporate in the same or closely aligned business (assuming that both entities are listed), there are reverberations.  The reverberations are financially analytical – discussions are immediately on the business valuation and the price paid per share – whether high priced, low priced or adequately priced,…

Electric cars are good for the environment, but the government should think carefully before giving public money to help rich people buy them. Last year, India bought about 1.8 lakh electric cars, which sounds like a lot. But when you look at all the cars sold in the country, electric cars were only about 4…

Elections in Tamil Nadu are a lot like its big movies — loud, colourful, full of strong messages, and led by big stars. Tamil Nadu has many political parties, and almost all of them strongly believe in Tamil identity. The leaders are often larger than life, just like movie heroes. This is not only because…

“If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans,” advises Woody Allen, the filmmaker and comedian. Trump would have been better served listening to Allen on Venezuela policy than his neoconservative secretary of state Rubio. Trump’s plan to overthrow Maduro’s despotic regime and replace it with a pro-American govt presumed partisan Republican gains…

The much overdue Census will finally get off the blocks come April 1, with lakhs of enumerators fanning out, going house to house to collect data on things like living conditions and access to amenities. The sheer scale of the exercise makes it, even at the best of times, daunting. But there are, apart from…

Tamil Nadu’s elections are so much like its blockbuster movies: loud, colourful, sharp messaging & Alpha stars It is no exaggeration to call TN’s political parties – across ideological spectrum, and all fiercely Tamil – an alphabet soup with Alpha Inc running the show. There is no other state where political actors are as larger-than-life….

There are better uses for public money than subsidising electric cars for the rich. Govt should let market work freely Last year, India bought 1.8L electric cars, 77% over 2024. But in terms of overall car sales this amounted to just 3.8%. Clearly, 10 years of govt incentives and subsidies haven’t convinced buyers of the…

More and more countries claim to have helped end the Indo-Pak conflict  Following Donald Trump’s repeated claims that he intervened to end the Indo-Pak hostilities, China has declared that Beijing also played a hand in brokering peace between the adversaries.  As it had done with Trump’s reiterated assertions, Islamabad has endorsed the Chinese claim as…