Human society today is highly evolved. From the age of hunter-gatherers, when people lived and worked in small groups for immediate survival, human beings have gone on to build elaborate institutions, legal systems, states, economies, and technologies capable of addressing extraordinarily complex challenges. In this sense, humanity has demonstrated immense collective intelligence. It has organized…
Ten years after the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, India faces a simple question: have the promises of the law translated into the lived reality of the country’s 140–210 million persons with disabilities? The honest answer is: not nearly enough. Last month, I participated in Purple Manthan 2026 at the Indian Institute…
Everyone today has an opinion about Harish Rana and his parents. His photograph is everywhere. Mouth agape. A tracheostomy tube in his throat. Eyes that look as lifeless as life permits. Another image shows his parents, their faces suspended somewhere between relief and guilt. Between these images runs a flood of judgement. Some insist that…
EC’s made the voting schedule tight this time, can parties be tight-fisted with freebies? Dates are out for 2026’s Indian Poll League. Four large states and a UT will vote between April 9-29, and results will be out on May 4. This round will be especially interesting because it’s the first after SIR. So, usual…
When people live in a democracy, they are allowed to speak up if they disagree with the government. This is called dissent, and it is an important part of freedom. Recently, a climate activist named Sonam Wangchuk was released from jail after being kept there for about six months. He had been protesting peacefully in…
The US-Israel vs Iran war is on, and I recollect my visit to Iran on board Ganga in 1992. I joined the Indian Naval Ship Ganga in March 1992 as a logistics officer at Mumbai. She was young and the frontline ship of the Western Fleet. Though I had been on ship duties earlier as…
Amid political chaos in Parliament during the recent Budget session, Aam Admi Party Leader from Rajya Sabha Raghav Chadha pitched for a ‘Right to Recall’ (RTR) for voters to remove underperforming elected representatives’mid-term. Speaking during the Zero Hour, Chadha argued that democracy should not end at voting once every five years. Citizens should have the…
March 16 is India’s National Vaccination Day. It aims to raise awareness about the life-saving power of vaccines and the importance of immunization. The day commemorates the launch of the Pulse Polio Immunization Program in 1995, when the first dose of the oral polio vaccine was administered to children nationwide. Since then, vaccination has become…
By The XIV Dalai Lama Compassion lies at the heart of the spiritual path. It is not a luxury, or something reserved for saints – it is the very essence of our humanity. Without compassion, peace within remains out of reach, and without inner peace, peace in the world cannot take root. Compassion is not…
First, governing parties of three states (TMC, DMK, CPM) back the impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner, under whose guidance, state election commissions will conduct assembly polls. This will frame campaigning. Second, Muslim votes. Same old? Not quite. Muslim votes in Assam, Bengal and Kerala, all three have high proportions of Muslims in state population. Muslim…