Blogs

Despite Senate’s approval, Russia sanctions bill may not sail through. But India should be prepared US Senate has cleared the Russia sanctions bill, championed by late senator Lindsey Graham. India ought to keep a close eye on this legislation. The bill grants the Trump administration the authority to slap 100% tariff on the Top 5…

Janina Gomes World Day Against Trafficking of Human Persons was established by the United Nations General Assembly to remember victims of human trafficking and the compelling need to protect their rights. On this day, govts, NGOs and individuals participate in awareness campaigns to highlight the problem. Their primary symbol is the Blue Heart, which represents…

CJP’s agitation was barely televised. Television news did not give much footage to protests gathering steam at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and other parts of the country, until it became impossible to ignore. Even then, the pulse of student anger against govt was barely covered, and many focused more on how to discredit the movement. The…

In large, populous and stratified countries, a viable social contract needs some way of promising equality of opportunity. India and China have converged on the same instrument: the competitive public exam. For all the anxiety, exhaustion, and tragedy these examinations produce, for hundreds of millions of families they remain the one guaranteed shot at a…

Why shouldn’t I channel my inner halwaii? ‘Belly-fat reduction’ is what a reader added to ‘anti-ageing’ and ‘gut-health’,  the snake oils I scoffed at last week. Yes, tricks for tummy-suck always find suckers. Me included. Unlike Odysseus aka Matt Damon, I was unable to resist the sirens’ song. This one kept calling out from online…

When workers don’t get fair pay, it may help companies for a while. But after some time, everyone can lose One of India’s highest-paid CEOs recently walked onto a stage at a company event. Instead of cheering, many employees shouted, “We want hike,” asking for higher salaries. This is unusual because most Indian workers are…

Employers can short-change staff in a labour-surplus market, but everyone pays a price medium-term One of India’s highest paid CEOs takes the stage at a company celebration, and is greeted by chants of “We want hike.” This is unusual in Indian corporate culture, where job insecurity breeds quiet compliance. In fact, it is the corporate…

India’s tiger story is no longer only about saving an endangered animal, it is increasingly about how conservation, development and local prosperity can reinforce one another. There are forests one visits, and there are forests one keeps returning to until they become part of one’s life. Corbett Tiger Reserve is that forest for me. I…

India’s conversation on women’s political empowerment has long revolved around one number: 33%. The passage of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was celebrated as a watershed moment. Reserving one-third of seats in Parliament and state legislatures acknowledged what had long been evident: India’s democracy cannot be fully representative while women remain underrepresented in elected office….

Summary: Why I gave up tea for a life that reports for duty. For nearly twenty years I have been a coffee drinker, which, for a Bengali, is rather like admitting one has always found Rabindrasangeet a touch repetitive. People become concerned. They stop asking whether you take milk or sugar and start wondering what…