Blogs

From a purely strategic viewpoint, it should make little difference to BJP whether the party wins or loses, in the four states and one UT, going to polls in April. Barring perhaps Assam, which it would be loath to lose, as its most important beachhead in Northeast. But it can lose in Tamil Nadu, West…

With the election schedule announced, attention now turns to the median voter, who will shape the Bengal, Assam, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu outcomes. This median voter is young, female, and aspires to a secure middle-class life. She is also open to joining shifting social coalitions, cutting across caste and religious divides. In most states, women…

The Congress party recently moved a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Prakash Birla. The stated reason behind this motion was the allegation that the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, was not being allowed to speak in the House. Given the numerical strength of the BJP and the NDA in the Lok Sabha,…

At one level, one can think of the Iran war in familiar terms. The parallels with the WMD-driven Iraq wars are many. The same device of a prefigured justification, the gradual escalation of involvement, the same dubious claims amplified by media, and so on. And yet there is something very different at work. For the…

A money plant parent has his ups and downs Of all the get-rich-quick schemes sprouting around the land, money plant has the best PR. Epipremnum aureum is an honourable plant. It doesn’t trap you like a Ponzi scheme, or hound you to tears on social media, and it never gets crass with details of how…

Wangchuk’s release highlights the key problem of arbitrary use of harsh laws GOI dropping the most serious allegation, against climate and statehood activist Sonam Wangchuk, raises even more questions for authorities, than his detention did six months ago. From time he was picked up, last Sept, and lodged in Jodhpur jail, it was clear the…

The election schedule is tight this year. Will political parties also spend less on freebies? The dates for India’s 2026 elections have been announced. Four big states and one Union Territory will vote between April 9 and April 29, and the results will be declared on May 4. These elections are interesting because they are…

Sometimes the most memorable journeys are the ones that are not planned at all. During the vibrant festival of Holi, when colours fill the air and joy fills the heart, we suddenly felt the need for a quiet retreat away from the rush of daily life. Since it was a long weekend, we decided to take a…

Ski racing, particularly in the speed events of downhill and super G, is incredibly dangerous. Is it exciting because we hold our breaths as humans take extraordinary risks, or is it mainly about velocity? If robots raced, would we watch? A robot on skis could rapidly calculate each decision, the angle of the body, knee,…

It was just a planned social visit to two houses on a recent weekend. The hosts at the first house insisted, as we gestured to take a leave, that we sit for some time more. It was a simple three-word request that we hear often by many a host, “Kucchh der aur” (a few moments…