Blogs

Resolving the tensions between designing for millions and responding to the needs of individual classrooms can be difficult. Here are lessons that can help. Both of us started our journeys in education at the grassroots around the year 2020. We immersed ourselves in classrooms and communities, listening to children, working with teachers, problem-solving with administrative…

In recent months, South Asia has witnessed a wave of youth-led protests that have toppled governments and shaken the foundations of established political orders. Bangladesh in 2024 saw student protests escalate into a revolution that forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee, ending her long rule amid accusations of authoritarianism and corruption. Barely a year…

The 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) marks a critical inflection point in Vietnam’s development trajectory. Convened at a time of heightened geopolitical competition, rapid technological disruption, and mounting development constraints, the Congress seeks to consolidate Vietnam’s long-term national vision of becoming a high-income, developed country by mid-century. At its core…

Karnataka’s legal position on regulatory sand-boxing. Karnataka is one of the few Indian states (besides Telangana and Maharashtra) that can legitimately claim to have thought ahead on innovation regulation. In 2020, it enacted the Karnataka Innovation Authority Act, a law that enables the creation of regulatory sandboxes, controlled environments where new technologies and business models…

As Midshipmen on board INS Beas in 1981 we would sail a lot as part of our training and visit various ports . It was during one such visits that we reached the port of Chennai. We had reached a day before and in the evening visited the duty free shops around the port. The…

 Illustration by Chad Crowe (USA) 8am Election mornings in Mumbai have a familiar rhythm: mild domestic combat and misplaced civic pride. After a brief argument with my daughter on why her school is open while other schools are shut because of the BMC elections, I tell her, ‘The only candidate you are likely to support is…

“I always wanted to be a writer. A writer of science, like Carl Sagan.” Rohith Vemula wrote these words days before his death on Jan 17, 2016. Ten years later, they remain a reminder of what Indian universities failed to recognise: not only a student marked by caste, but a young mind with intellectual aspirations…

As the India-US rift enters its sixth month, many continue to treat it as an aberration in an otherwise successful strategic partnership. They blame the crisis on US President Donald Trump, arguing that he has needlessly departed from decades-old American policy to pick a fight with India. This reading is flawed. The shape of the…

Farida Khanam In Iran, ongoing protests are not merely isolated incidents of unrest; they reflect a profound and growing desire among its population – especially youth and women – for greater participation and consideration in decisions that affect their lives. This demographic is no longer content to be passive recipients of policy; they demand to…

If an ant is drowning in a puddle, should you try to save it, bioethicist Jeff Sebo asks in an article. If yes, is your decision based on Indian tradition, which teaches that all life manifests God, or emotion, or cold logic? While it’s unlikely you’ve weighed the pros and cons of saving an ant, in his…