OBITUARY The last leader of the Soviet UnionVijay PrashadMikhail Gorbachev considered himself a reformer but his policies allowed the opponents of socialism to dismantle the Soviet Union.
State of India’s Judiciary New legal aid system needed to ensure justice for the poorKaleeswaram RajIt should connect the poor with online courts, and allows plaintiffs the choice of attorney.
State of India’s Judiciary What happens when judges listen to their inner voice?Peter Ronald deSouzaA judge’s conscience is the last bulwark against the tyranny of the state.
ESSAY Little things, not so littleSarbari SinhaThree stories by Shankha Ghosh beautifully depict the changes that Bengal lived through in the 1940s.
Action Plan 2024 BJP in election mode as it draws up strategy for MaharashtraLyla BavadamHaving paralysed the Maha Vikas Aghadi, it is now going all out to put the State in its kitty.
Exhibition Re-examining the contested legacy of Tipu SultanVikhar Ahmed SayeedThe DAG exhibition urges viewers to assess the Mysore ruler’s importance afresh.
Gujarat riots Supreme Court dismisses 2002 Gujarat riots casesAnupama KatakamApex court terms pleas as “infructuous with the passage of time”.
TRIBUTE Remembering Abhijit Sen, who made seminal contributions to understanding Indian economic issuesVikas Rawal He played a significant role in policy making and held several important positions.
LEGISLATION Centre eyes privatisation push through Electricity (Amendment) BillT.K. RajalakshmiIt further dents the federal structure and allows private players to use government networks.
State of India’s Judiciary “No social justice in the appointment of judges to the higher judiciary”Ilangovan RajasekaranJustice K. Chandru, former judge of the Madras HC, on the declining standards in the higher courts.
State of India’s Judiciary Judges & their bogus collegiumA.G. NOORANIThe decline of the judiciary started early in the history of independent India.
State of India’s Judiciary Is the judiciary failing to put a check on excesses of the executive?Thulasi K. RajThis might end up curtailing civil liberties and undermining democracy.
State of India’s Judiciary What does the judiciary in India need as reforms?Sriram PanchuA simple, wide-ranging wish list of reforms for India’s judiciary.
Data Card Slow wheels of justiceRamesh ChakrapaniThe delivery of justice has been delayed to tens of millions of Indian citizens for decades.
Satire In Erewhon’s courtSriram PanchuA fictional account of a fictional judgment by a judge who for now only lives in the imagination.
Bihar Bihar politics sees new twist as Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi Yadav join handsAnando BhaktoNitish Kumar decided to dump the BJP and make common cause with the RJD again.
Bihar Chirag Paswan: ‘Opposition unity is an illusion’Anando BhaktoInterview with Chirag Paswan, president, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas).
Guest Column Regime change in Bihar gives Opposition a new lease of lifeVenkitesh RamakrishnanBut the question of who will lead any unified front will remain thorny in the coming months.
West Bengal Trinamool Congress struggles to shake off corruption charges in BengalSuhrid Sankar ChattopadhyayThe ruling party in West Bengal faces one of its toughest periods in recent years.
Saffron Outreach BJP woos Pasmanda Muslims at the behest of Narendra ModiPurnima S. TripathiThe party is trying to attract this community, which forms 85 per cent of Indian Muslims.
Environment Mumbai fixated on building expensive metros to ease commuting woesDebi GoenkaThe better alternative would be to invest in upgrading BEST and the suburban train system.
Counter Culture ‘Panchayat’ recreates village life in its language of languor Prathyush ParasuramanBut it is also designed to keep all discomforts like caste or queerness at bay.
India, This Side Adivasi Academy in Tejgadh documents tribal culture of Gujarat Ganesh DevyIt offers a unique space for the study of tribal communities.
Southeast Asia Taiwan visit of Nancy Pelosi heightens US-China tensionsJohn CherianThe visit appears to signal an end to the “one China” policy of the US.
Afghanistan Question marks over Pakistan role in the US killing of Ayman al-ZawahiriJohn CherianThe killer drone did not have the range to fly to Kabul from the US’ military bases in the region.
Sri Lanka Crisis Silent tragedy strikes Sri Lanka as hunger crisis loomsR.K. RadhakrishnanMillions of Sri Lankans are drastically cutting down on food intake.
Space First SSLV flight fails to put satellites in correct orbitR. RamachandranISRO Chairman is confident of resolving the problem and being ready for the next launch.
Magnetics Hybrid magnet in China produces record-breaking steady field of 45.22 TR. RamachandranScientists of the Steady High Magnetic Field Facility in Hefei built it.
Nuclear energy NPCIL places its first order for fuel storage racks for KudankulamR. RamachandranThe racks will allow fuel assemblies to stored safely in close proximity to one another.
Medicine IIT Delhi comes up with non-invasive diagnostic tool for epilepsyR. RamachandranIt will help neurosurgeons pinpoint where in the brain the seizure is located.
Nuclear energy The NIF in California gets one step closer to nuclear fusionR. RamachandranIts August 2021 nuclear fusion reaction met the important milestone of ignition.
ESSAY Little things, not so littleSarbari SinhaThree stories by Shankha Ghosh beautifully depict the changes that Bengal lived through in the 1940s.
Book Review Fearless activistMalini SubramaniamImportant phases of her life are in the sociopolitical context of undivided Andhra Pradesh.
Book Review Rich repast of India’s pastManu S. PillaiThe daily lives of ancient Indians reaffirm that history is complex and fascinating.
Book Review Holocaust-era horrorsKarthik Keramalu In these haunted pages, a teenager becomes a much-loved, albeit flawed, hero.
Showcase Just arrived: Books on the shelvesTales of the Northeast, Banaras, Bhagat Singh, and the idea of India.
Interview ‘I am shaken, but not crushed’Manu S. PillaiThe India of his boyhood dream is under fearsome assault, but Rajmohan Gandhi isn’t giving up hope.
URBAN DEVELOPMENT (de)Coding Mumbai: Story of a growing cityAnupama KatakamA recent exhibition traces the history of town planning in Mumbai.
Archaeology Could a 12th-century well in Kerala be the clue to a kingdom long lost?Nidheesh M.K.Oral tradition says the big well in Malappuram existed in the kingdom of the Cochin royals.
Exhibition Re-examining the contested legacy of Tipu SultanVikhar Ahmed SayeedThe DAG exhibition urges viewers to assess the Mysore ruler’s importance afresh.
Spotlight Irula sensation Nanjamma shines light on tribal life with her musicJinoy Jose PThe National Award winner’s songs continue to inspire millions in Kerala and beyond.
Climate Crisis Landslides in Kerala more frequent due to climate change, deforestationSruthin LalFarmers, fisherfolk, labourers and other marginalised sections are the worst affected.
Germany Diary Where you get the best Chinese food outside ChinaAvtar SinghA food odyssey by Indians homesick for Chinese food in Deutschland.
Interview “Don’t read anything into my art”: A. RamachandranRitika KochharHis work has evolved from politically explicit sculptures and paintings to colossal canvases.
Essay Attack on Salman Rushdie demonstrates the resilience of hateR. Raj RaoRushdie publicly defended himself and sought to make peace. But fanatics never see reason.
Short Story The Idlers Ismat ChughtaiTranslated by Jagriti Gupta from the Hindi translation of the Urdu original, Kaamchor.
WEB EXCLUSIVE Eleanor Power: “What will the world say?”Jinoy Jose PThe anthropologist speaks on how the “reputational poverty trap” impacts human progress.
Photo Essay Tibetan diariesSerena ChopraVignettes from a Tibetan settlement at Majnu ka Tilla in Delhi.
Regime change in Bihar gives Opposition a new lease of life But the question of who will lead any unified front will remain thorny in the coming months.