Blogs

What is the brouhaha over AI tech and deepfakes, which seems to go back to a timeless zone? Long before the advent of AI and deepfakes, many characters from Indian mythological epics, Ramayan and Mahabharat, had the ability to morph into different personas. Indeed, the demon Marich in the Ramayan could perhaps be regarded as…

Indian society has not bothered to study either the history or the philosophy of reservation. This ignorance has led to demands for reservation from every class, including the ruling class, which itself secured a 10 per cent reservation in government services. The concept of reservation in India is linked to the very process of making…

In May 2026, over two million candidates appeared for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) (NEET-UG), reflecting years of preparation and emotional investment by students and their families. Within 10 days of the examination, the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts NEET-UG, CUET, JEE Main and other competitive examinations, in India, decided to cancel…

A boiled egg has become a flashpoint in West Bengal. A move to revise some school mid-day-meal menus toward “sattvik” fare — with eggs taken off the plate — has been hailed by some as a return to tradition and condemned by others as imposed vegetarianism. The coinage now doing the rounds, “Dimocracy” (from dim,…

July 1 is India’s National Doctors’ Day. It celebrates the invaluable contributions of doctors to society. The day serves as a reminder of the dedication, compassion, and relentless commitment of medical professionals who work tirelessly to save lives, alleviate suffering, and strengthen the nation’s healthcare system. From crowded emergency rooms and rural health centers to…

For an ordinary citizen, the criminal justice system is not simply a collection of statutes, rules or institutions. It is experienced through simple questions. Was the complaint recorded promptly? Was the victim kept informed throughout the investigation? Was evidence collected carefully? Did the witness receive summons in time? And did the case conclude without avoidable…

For years, the name Aruna Shanbaug was India’s most painful reminder of a question we did not know how to answer. A young nurse in Mumbai, brutally assaulted in 1973, spent over four decades alive, but not, in any ordinary sense, living. Her case forced India to ask an uncomfortable question: when medicine can keep…

Germany’s surprising exit from the World Cup has shocked football fans everywhere. Paraguay, a team many people thought had little chance, knocked out one of the tournament’s biggest favourites in a penalty shootout. It reminds us that even the strongest teams can lose. History is full of surprises like this. A famous leader like Napoleon…

Harsh laws, like Bengal’s new public safety laws, cannot replace good policing More than 100 years ago, Bengal introduced India’s first law against “goondas”, or criminals. It allowed people to be locked up for long periods without a trial. But that law was made by the British to help them control India. So why does…

In Star Trek lore, the Kobayashi Maru is the infamous, rigged training simulation that places command cadets in a scenario where every tactical option leads to unavoidable defeat. You can fly the ship beautifully, distribute shield power with perfect discipline, and coordinate your crew flawlessly—and you still explode. When one hits a structural dead end,…