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Before faith, before caste, before language, a child enters school simply as a student. That simple truth perhaps explains why the debate surrounding Karnataka’s recent decision to revoke its 2022 uniform-only order and permit limited religious symbols in schools has reignited one of India’s most sensitive constitutional conversations. The issue is no longer confined to…

A cockroach is perhaps among nature’s most misunderstood creations. It survives where others perish. It adapts to hostile environments, resists elimination and persists through adversity. Yet it is also associated with disorder, decay and unwelcome intrusion. Depending upon one’s lens, the same creature may symbolise resilience or revulsion. That duality unexpectedly entered India’s public discourse…

Visiting US secretary of state Marco Rubio is gamely battling the Delhi heat in more ways than one. Across the table, Indian interlocutors are looking for words to describe “trust deficit” to him.India and US find themselves facing each other at a fascinating inflection point. Washington is confronting realities that many in US preferred to…

Some time ago, as I visited the history of world religions, it struck me that for all their fabulous diversity, structure, and dogma, religion has a fascinating general tendency to converge at a uniform peak: mysticism. Take Islam, for instance. Islam is characterised by its discrete and categorical tenets and prescriptions. Yet, from this highly…

In Nagesh Kukunoor’s nearly three-decade-old cult classic Hyderabad Blues, there is a fleeting moment that still stings with a sharp, contemporary truth. Looking at the soft swell of his childhood friend’s waistline, the film’s repatriated protagonist asks what happened. The friend’s grinning, self-satisfied response—“This is prosperity, man”—perfectly encapsulated a familiar social truth we have yet…

May 25 is World Thyroid Day. It shines a spotlight on a small butterfly-shaped gland in the neck that quietly controls some of the body’s most essential functions. From metabolism and heart rate to fertility, mood, weight, and energy levels, the thyroid plays a role far bigger than its size suggests. Yet, despite affecting millions…

In the beginning there was the word. Immediately afterwards came the story. But there is a new flavour that is being imparted to this deep need: the rise of modern ‘storytelling’. It is a far more directed and purposeful venture, this business of telling stories. Brands need to tell their stories. Individuals’ lives must follow…

Politicians can make serious statements that make you laugh. One such came from a member of the anti-Edappadi K Palaniswami faction of AIADMK the other day. “This Vijay,” he told a reporter off the record, “can never be trusted.” He was complaining about TVK going back on its “promise” to induct members of the faction…

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tour of the Nordic countries, a multitude of BJP opponents, both within the country and abroad, launched a campaign on social media against the Modi government and the Bharatiya Janata Party. The desperate efforts of these individuals, who face repeated electoral defeats, proved to be utterly pathetic. Prior to the…

In the childhood game of passing the parcel, the gift moves from hand to hand while the music plays. Each child holds it for a moment, hoping the song will stop. When it does, the child holding the parcel wins.Privilege in India is a bit like that – whimsical, unpredictable, transient. The controversy around Delhi…