columns

Shivani Singh

From Delhi to faraway Tawang, no respite from smoke and dust

Factors leading to air pollution don’t vary much from cities to towns to remote hamlets making it a national crisis not just a local phenomenon

Abhijit Banerjee

One hopes the centenary year does greater justice to Indira Gandhi

In a country where close to 60% of people have been born after her death, why does Indira Gandhi return to be a part of people’s discussions 32 years after her assassination?

Karan Thapar

Shivshankar Menon’s memoirs: How a surgical strike was avoided after 26/11

The former diplomat lists six reasons why “on sober reflection and in hindsight … the decision not to retaliate militarily and to concentrate on diplomatic, covert and other means was the right one”.

Ramachandra Guha

Congress lacks idealism, energy: Party should perish for India to flourish

Over the past 25 years, the coterie culture of the party has intensified in New Delhi, while party units have atrophied across India

Barkha Dutt

Trump presidency an opportunity for liberal politics to re-examine itself

The Trump presidency is an opportunity for liberal politics to re-examine itself. Like liberals across the world, Americans on the Left of the spectrum will have to ask themselves how their country’s politics got so polarised that no dialogue is possible...

Namita Bhandare

Women vendors who exist on cash income hit hardest by demonetisation

Narendra Modi’s decision to strike at black money and corruption by wiping out 86% of the currency notes in circulation has hit women vendors the hardest. These are women who are not part of the banking system, survive on one income (their own), which...

Manu Joseph

Why Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already won the demonetisation gambit

It is rare for people to have an accommodating view of a sudden policy that only has long-term benefits, especially one that has hurt them. But there is observable evidence that the general public is with Modi on this

Sanchita Sharma

Where no leader has gone before: Sushma Swaraj tells people about her health

Sushma Swaraj once again established her unparalleled status as the “people’s minister”, who reaches out to people on social media.

Bobby Ghosh

Clinton’s defeat weakens Merkel, Trump’s victory strengthens Le Pen

Hillary Clinton’s defeat may have weakened Angela Merkel, and improved the chances of Marine Le Pen, whose politics mirrors Donald Trump’s

Gopalkrishna Gandhi

BJP attempt to obscure Nehru’s contribution to nation-building won’t work

Those who neglected Sardar Patel then and those who want to neglect Nehru now should realise that those two statesmen with all their strong differences, worked together.

Chanakya

Air pollution: Every breath we take, we’ll be watching the government

Air pollution is not the only challenge we have. Our water sources are polluted and the food chain is chemical-laden. Such issues are not just environment issues: They will impact our health, bring down productivity levels and is a huge blot on our reputation...

Anirudh Bhattacharyya

US elections: Barter the anxiety for anticipation of better things to come

It may be time to develop some 2020 vision. Just in case no one noticed, there’s a rich slate that’s emerging. Among them are four leaders who could be powerful factors in the years ahead, even without gender driving the agenda. And curiously enough,...

Rajdeep Sardesai

The Trump victory: The media has put itself on trial again

Let not the Trump win become another stick to beat the liberal media, or, indeed, an exercise in self-flagellation. If a politician revels in sexist remarks, espouses bigotry, resorts to hate speech, they must be exposed journalistically

OROP controversy: Stop playing politics with the Indian Army

When it comes to the military, politics cannot be as usual. Once we begin to sway the strongest coercive institution in the State for partisan political ends, we can never be sure that it will not end up coercing the political system as a whole

Harsh Mander

Can Mayawati stop the BJP-RSS rath in Uttar Pradesh?

In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP-RSS combine is using its usual communal card. The Samajwadi Party is complicit. Rahul Gandhi has tried to raise some relevant issues, but it’s not backed by credible evidence of sustained ground-level engagement. That leaves...