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Not just products and people, places are also in rivalry When we think of rivals, we think of Coke and Pepsi. Or pizzas vs burgers, as to which fast food sells faster. In US politics, it’s Republicans and Democrats. In moviedom, SRK and Salman, with yet another Khan throwing his hat in the ring, Aamir….

A marvel that’s practically synonymous with India can’t be litigated on the basis of a zero-evidence petition  In 1947, Independent India inherited a rich, layered civilisation. Buddhist stupas, Chola temples, Mughal gardens, Sikh gurdwaras, colonial buildings etc. This glorious diversity is, of course, not inert. Historians certainly disagree constantly, all over the world. What caused…

Besides the risks of ALM mismatches, banks have to cope with elevated risks arising from geopolitical interconnected risks. Financial Stability report (FSR) – June 2026 released by RBI recently provides risk intelligence inputs that can potentially improve preparedness to mitigate emerging collateral risks. The risk management optimism stems from the fact that banks can strategize…

The other day, we visited a gaushala in a private institution. At the gate, we were greeted with cows thrusting their noses and long tongues through the barricades and the gate to grab the bananas we were holding out to them. Because of its lack of height, a calf wriggled vainly to stick her tongue…

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Jakarta, the first stop of a six-day tour of Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand that is expected to yield prospective arrangements spanning critical minerals, defence and clean energy. This tour can be read as a decisive shift in India’s diplomatic rationale toward the Eastern Maritime Zones of the…

If everyone eventually dies, then what is the purpose of life? Are we born merely to eat, earn, enjoy, and perish? These questions arose in the mind of an 8-year-old boy, thousands of years ago, who met Yama, the Lord of Death, and enquired about the true purpose of life. This story from ‘Katha Upanishad’…

By The XIV Dalai Lama In the Buddhist understanding, the mind is not a solid thing hidden inside the head. It is the continuum of experience and knowing. It is that through which we see, hear, feel, remember, hope, fear, and understand. When you see a flower, the eyes and the brain are involved, but…

Silencing stories can’t silence reality. Still, opaque takedowns like that of Satluj are very damaging Sadly, India has gotten used to discussing censorship. Silent film Bhakta Vidur was the first to be banned, because the colonial govt didn’t like the lead character resembling Gandhi. After Independence govts continued chopping movies, however they fancied, wherever they…

Markets or oil, analysts’ predictions are spectacularly wrong too often. But not for want of trying, hopefully A month after US attacked Iran, analysts predicted crude would average $83 through 2026. Mid-June, the forecast was still bleak: $80-$90 a barrel till Dec. Yet, Brent has already slipped below $72, close to where it was in…

On a recent flight from Delhi to Patna, more than half the passengers, including me, arrived without our checked baggage. The operational failure itself was hardly unprecedented. Anyone who travels frequently knows that misplaced baggage, delayed arrivals, and occasional service disruptions are part of modern aviation. What was revealing, however, was not the operational failure…