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Butter chicken and bhangra. But also killer debts and Khalistan. What are the things that define Punjab? And what lies beneath?

In this issue

07-04-202339 STORIES

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Editor’s Note: Why a once flourishing Punjab is now floundering

A look at the many issues plaguing this troubled State, including the swift rise of Amritpal Singh.

What Khalistan means for the Sikhs of Punjab

When Partition was imminent, the uncertainty faced by the Sikhs first took the shape of Sikhistan.

Amandeep Sandhu

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Data Card | The rot within: Punjab reeling under a host of problems

A miasma of problems looms over Punjab’s agricultural and industrial success.

Ramesh Chakrapani

Punjab a disaster waiting to happen due to disarray in State finances

The breadbasket of 40 years ago has been pushed into heavy public debt due to gross mismanagement.

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Narrative of AAP running Punjab from Delhi unlikely to bode well

As the AAP completes a year in power, it should realise that it cannot transplant ideas from Delhi.

Cry for Khalistan: Does it signal a fresh phase of militancy in Punjab?

Amritpal Singh could burst on the Punjab scene because of a clear vacuum in political space.

Ashutosh Sharma

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Amritpal Singh Sandhu: ‘Whether it’s going to be peaceful or violent depends on the state’

Interview with the head of Waris Punjab De.

Ashutosh Sharma

‘Not many takers for Khalistan in Punjab’: Kanwar Sandhu

Interview with the former MLA of the Aam Aadmi Party.

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Science & Technology

Protein deposits cause neuron death in Alzheimer’s

A common sign of Alzheimer’s is the build-up in the brain of both tau and amyloid-beta proteins.

R. Ramachandran

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Science & Technology

A new way to measure magnetic fields in the solar chromosphere

The release of magnetic energy in the sun can affect electrical infrastructure on the earth.

R. Ramachandran

Rahul Gandhi versus the BJP: Why does the saffron party seem nervous?

The Congress leader’s UK tour has given the BJP fresh motivation to hurl accusations against him.

Science & Technology

Four-day work week is good for employees, organisations: study

Many workers said they found it easier to balance work with both family and social commitments.

R. Ramachandran

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MeitY mystery: Consultation process for Digital India Bill still opaque

The process finally began after delays but there is no draft Bill or White Paper in public domain.

Tejasi Panjiar,Prateek Waghre

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Farmers in Nagaland reluctant to grow oil palm because no one is buying

Also, the plantations need a lot of water, which is hard to get because of uneven rainfall.

Anupam Chakravartty,Jyotirmoy Saharia

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Yatra fever takes over in Telangana as election season heats up

Political pundits suggest the fight is only for the second place behind the Bharat Rashtra Samithi.

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Letters

Readers write in.

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Leaving the egg for the end

There are so many quirks associated with how we eat our food, what we do before, what we do after.

Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar

Mauritius: More than a tourist destination

Power games and a nation of small islands.

R.K. Radhakrishnan

Oscars 2023: What’s fair got to do with it?

We see the Oscars wins as ours, a validation of our tastes, but that is it. Fair play has no role.

Prathyush Parasuraman

FLQ: The Frontline Quiz!

Time for some fun and games!

Sumant Srivathsan

The rising threat to Indian languages

The missing Census 2021, the NEP, and the rapid growth in AI have endangered them.

Coloured with hope

Moments from the initiation ceremony of young transwomen after gender affirmation surgery.

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The past in pieces

The author is a granddaughter of the writer Premchand whose influence still echoes in Indian letters.

Amitabha Bagchi

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The alchemy of listening

Bob Dylan attempts to unravel the mystery of a song—what it is that makes it survive and connect with listeners.

Suhrid Sankar Chattopadhyay

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Dangerously touristy

A free mix of fiction and lopsided depictions of reality, the book is a historian’s and anthropologist’s nightmare.

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Tastes of home

The strength of this novel by the Michelin-starred chef lies in its central character.

Vineetha Mokkil

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New books on the shelves

Fantasy adventure, speculative fiction, ornithology, personal narratives and much more.

ICHR exhibition presents selective view of medieval Indian history

An exhibition on medieval India’s “unexplored dynasties” betrays an effort to manufacture history.

Krishna Mohan Shrimali

International Theatre Festival of Kerala puts local theatre on world stage

This year, it made a global statement of sorts on what theatre can do in troubled times.

C.S. Venkiteswaran

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Seagull Books’ initiative aims to take apart idea of history as a monolith

A series of monographs named “History for Peace Tracts” will critically rethink contemporary issues.

Suhrid Sankar Chattopadhyay

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Nandini Das: ‘Sense of uncertainty haunted the English in Mughal India’

In conversation with the author on her latest book, Courting India.

‘Exposure to top quality international theatre the aim’: Deepan Sivaraman

Interview with the curator, International Theatre Festival of Kerala.

C.S. Venkiteswaran

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Mallika Sarabhai: ‘For a gender-neutral Kalamandalam’

In conversation with the renowned classical dancer and Chancellor of Kerala Kalamandalam.

BJP does temple run ahead of Karnataka election to woo Vokkaligas, tribals

The party attempts social engineering in Anegundi and Ramanagara by going back to Ram and Hanuman.

Vikhar Ahmed Sayeed

World faces tough choices in dealing with Taliban-ruled Afghanistan

The best option would be institutional engagement to bring collective pressure on the Taliban.

Nazir Ahmad Mir

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In search of the Banaras of Ustad Bismillah Khan

Had he been alive, the shehnai maestro would have turned 107 on March 21.

Shreevatsa Nevatia

Nigeria elects Bola Tinubu as President but results reveal cracks within

The fractured vote in Nigeria indicates that ethnic and religious fault lines may have widened.

Tamil Nadu moves swiftly to dispel rumours of attacks on migrants

The right wing creates panic among migrant labourers by circulating fake videos and messages about attacks on them.

R.K. Radhakrishnan

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Living in terror: Tripura racked by post-election violence

The lives and livelihoods of opposition members and supporters are being attacked allegedly by BJP activists.

Suhrid Sankar Chattopadhyay

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