HT Premium: Read Premium stories along with news analysis on HT

Three old books, but fine vacation reads

Two of them are biographies, a genre I find most enjoyable. The first is Zareer Masani’s slim but revealing and insightful work on Thomas Macaulay

I’m going to strive to read more of the books I buy or receive. May be not all and probably not the full book in every case but most and as much as I can take. After all I don’t want to find, five years from now, that some of the best books I’m reading I could have picked up half a decade ago. I can’t afford to make that mistake again! (Hindustan Times)

opinion

Updated on Jan 28, 2023 09:17 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

Close Story

Bharat Jodo Yatra: A journey of our lifetimes

From conceptualisation to execution, the yatra is a remarkable testament to the organisational ability of the Congress

Through the Bharat Jodo yatra, we also saw the emergence of a more nuanced picture of Rahul Gandhi. This isn’t the pappu (simpleton) portrayed on social media, it’s a leader with vision and gravitas (PTI)

opinion

Updated on Jan 28, 2023 10:55 PM IST

ByManish Khanduri

Close Story

How BBC’s ties with India have evolved

It is hard to get the BBC to apologise, but in the current case, India needs to realise that the BBC does not spew out colonialist propaganda. It’s a journalists’ organisation, and millions of Indians choose to listen to and watch it

Over the years, as the BBC’s Delhi correspondent, I had many discussions with the ministry of external affairs officials about programmes the BBC wanted to make. (archive)

opinion

Updated on Jan 28, 2023 09:16 PM IST

ByMark Tully

Close Story

Hockey World Cup: Finalists Germany’s India link

Finalists Germany have benefitted from South African scientific advisor, Robin Arkell, who was in India’s corner when they won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics

Robin Arkell (L) was India’s scientific advisor, helping the then Manpreet Singh-led outfit to the Olympic rostrum after 41 years.

hockey

Published on Jan 28, 2023 06:19 PM IST

BySandip Sikdar

Close Story

Is efficiency the wrong answer?: Life Hacks by Charles Assisi

There’s a growing movement in support of slack, which frees a person from busy-ness. There’s no ‘time to work’ and ‘time to play’. It’s all time in which to engage with the world.

‘Look for the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities... That’s why a bear can rest at ease’: Baloo’s song from the 1967 Disney version of The Jungle Book is also about slack.

art culture

Updated on Jan 28, 2023 04:53 PM IST

ByCharles Assisi

Close Story

What’s it to you?: How idioms morph around the world

In a new Wknd column, author Adam Jacot de Boinod unwraps mysteries relating to phrases of everyday use, and hunts down quirky parallels from around the world. Look out for Capital Letters every month.

'The more of our linguistic history we lose, the more nervous I become. As jittery, they’d say in Puerto Rican Spanish, as a crocodile in a wallet factory,' de Boinod says. (Shutterstock)

fashion

Updated on Jan 28, 2023 04:55 PM IST

ByAdam Jacot de Boinod

Close Story

Leavened bread: Raw agents that rise and shine

What makes the appam soak up mutton curry and the naan cling to the flavour of the saag? It’s the air bubbles created by a leavening agent, and a hearty dose of gluten. Explore the physics of fluffiness, in this week’s Sound Bites with Swetha Sivakumar.

Whether it’s an airy focaccia or a pillowy appam, it’s the gluten making all the difference. (Shutterstock)

art culture

Updated on Jan 28, 2023 04:37 PM IST

BySwetha Sivakumar

Close Story

It’s not you, it’s not them: The benefits of having friends across the aisle

The path to any change begins with a disagreement. No one has all the answers. In our troubled times of anger and distrust, here’s why you should work to preserve friendships with those you don’t always agree with.

art culture

Published on Jan 28, 2023 04:32 PM IST

ByAnesha George

Close Story

The shape shifter: A Wknd interview with Rajshri Deshpande of Trial by Fire

In a stunning turn, the actor immerses herself in the true story of a woman who lost both her children to the Uphaar cinema blaze in 1997. Deshpande gained weight, changed her gait, stepped into Neelam Krishnamoorthy’s darkened world. She previously made waves as a gangster’s wife in Sacred Games, as Ismat Chughtai in Manto. ‘I like to start, each time, from zero,’ she says.

Rajshri Deshpande as herself (centre) and, clockwise from left, in Trial by Fire, Manto and Sacred Games.

art culture

Updated on Jan 28, 2023 04:24 PM IST

ByDeepa Gahlot

Close Story

The academies shaping India's footballing future

If India wants to get better at the world's most popular game, then AIFF can't do all the heavy lifting. That is where academies come into the picture.

football

Published on Jan 27, 2023 09:29 PM IST

ByRutvick Mehta

Close Story

In a Dutch home, a battle for bragging rights

Striker Thijs van Dam's girlfriend Pien Sanders has won everything there is to win and that is inspiring him to step up as well

Thijs van Dam with partner Pien Sanders(Thijs van Dam/Instagram)

hockey

Updated on Jan 28, 2023 12:46 PM IST

BySandip Sikdar

Close Story

How the budget can spur India’s energy transition

There is no silver bullet to drive the green switch over. But India can take a few critical steps in the financial and economic sectors, such as priority lending to the renewable energy sector and increasing the nation’s share of nuclear power, to facilitate the net-zero target

A country with growing consumption will need all forms of energy. Sustainability will be driven by cleaner coal and refinery-efficiency improvement, expansion of the renewable energy sector and e-mobility proliferation (Shutterstock)

opinion

Published on Jan 27, 2023 08:24 PM IST

ByJanmejaya Sinha and Kaustubh Verma

Close Story

Every season gets the blues: A denim timeline

It’s been 150 years since the first blue jeans rolled out of a Levi’s factory. Then came the experiments, and errors — glitter and bling, balloony waists, skinny bottoms. Take a look.

Kelly Rowland, Beyonce Knowles and Michelle Williams of the band Destiny’s Child in the bling and bubblegum palettes of the Aughts. (Getty Images)

art culture

Updated on Jan 27, 2023 08:34 PM IST

ByVanessa Viegas

Close Story

Journey to the twilight zone: Hear from a scientist who descended to 1,000 m

Sendhil Kumar spent 10 days aboard the research vessel Odyssey, and dove in a glass-bubble submersible to spend a few hours in the twilight zone.

Kumar in the submersible; his voyage was part of the Nekton Maldives Mission, led by the Maldives government and the UK-based research foundation Nekton. (Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology)

art culture

Updated on Jan 28, 2023 06:41 PM IST

ByNatasha Rego

Close Story

Ease pressure on students

Longstanding issues with education have pushed many young people to the brink. As the PM’s event highlights, this must be fixed

The jostle for a once-in-a-lifetime shot at prosperity has claimed scores of lives in the past decade in India’s coaching hubs (PTI)

editorials

Published on Jan 27, 2023 08:24 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

Close Story

Sort out granular issues to bolster India-US ties

For several decades, experts have been talking about the US-India relationship deepening without having much concrete evidence to show this to be the case. However, that tide seems to finally be turning

India played a constructive role in the G20 Bali summit in 2022, including crafting the statement. The US hopes India’s manage-ment of Russia in the G20 will not be akin to business as usual (Arindam Bagchi Twitter)

opinion

Updated on Jan 27, 2023 08:38 PM IST

ByManjari Chatterjee Miller

Close Story

Report: Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival 2023

The 14th edition of the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival was packed with sessions on mental health, Partition narratives, queer literature, murder mysteries, translation, graphic novels, food, dance, bookselling, Dalit writing, poetry and historical fiction

Transgender activist Anindya Hajra in conversation with transgender activist and author Akkai Padmashali about their memoir A Small Step in a Long Journey. (Courtesy AKLF)

books

Updated on Jan 27, 2023 05:53 PM IST

ByChintan Girish Modi

Close Story

First Principles | Bloodbath in Silicon Valley and its trickle-down effect

It appears that tech has hit the reset button, with layoffs in several large IT companies. What does this mean?

The chairman of an Indian IT major with a significant presence in the US had some pointers on how it may impact India. (Unsplash)

opinion

Published on Jan 27, 2023 05:45 PM IST

ByCharles Assisi

Close Story

Rinse, repeat: See how shampoo is helping decode activity on the Sun

A recent study examined how shampoo moves on a vibrating speaker, and came away with a better understanding of how plasma jets form and drive space weather and solar winds.

Solar material likely a few million km long erupts into space. (NASA / GSFC / SDO)

art culture

Updated on Jan 27, 2023 01:21 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

Close Story

Read an excerpt from Arun Maira’s book, Listening for Well-being

The management consultant and former member of the Planning Commission of India draws from his life experience to emphasise the power of deep listening. This excerpt looks at the types of listening one can encounter while engaging with those who have different views.

art culture

Updated on Jan 27, 2023 01:13 PM IST

ByArun Maira

Close Story

Tughlaqabad Fort: Eviction notice sent to 1,000 families

The Supreme Court in February 2016 declared the entire Tughlaqabad Fort as protected, and directed ASI to not allow any land-grabbing or encroachment there. However, residents claim that the ASI notice was put up only recently

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has ordered that 1,000 houses that have come up on the fort premises should be vacated. The locality is known as Bengali Colony. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

delhi news

Updated on Jan 27, 2023 11:13 AM IST

BySadia Akhtar

Close Story

Deforestation, poorly planned infra work affecting Himalayas, says Petley

Petley said that while heavy rain and tectonic activity may trigger such events, human activity can also trigger instability

University of Hull vice-chancellor, Professor, Dave Petley (HT)

delhi news

Updated on Jan 27, 2023 11:15 AM IST

ByJayashree Nandi, New Delhi

Close Story

ICHR plans to hold exhibitions on country’s ‘unexplored dynasties’

ICHR will unveil the exhibition, “Glory of medieval India: Manifestation of the explored Indian dynasties” on January 30 at Sahitya Akademi in Delhi.

delhi news

Updated on Jan 27, 2023 11:09 AM IST

ByFareeha Iftikhar

Close Story

Bivalent vaccines more effective against Covid than monovalent ones: Study

Bivalent Covid-19 vaccines provide significantly better protection than their monovalent counterparts against severe disease and death from infections caused by Omicron sub-variants, data from two recent reports published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) show

A health care worker inoculates a beneficiary with a booster dose of Covid-19 vaccine at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), in Guwahati. (ANI)

india news

Updated on Jan 27, 2023 11:14 AM IST

ByRhythma Kaul, New Delhi

Close Story

Jason Gillespie interview: An ideal opportunity for Australia to win

The former Aussie pacer talks about what the Australians did right in 2004, the importance of Australia skipper Pat Cummins and why reverse swing could be a big factor

Former Australia bowler Jason Gillespie(Getty Images)

cricket

Published on Jan 26, 2023 10:56 PM IST

ByVivek Krishnan, New Delhi

Close Story

What's ailing Saurabh Chaudhary?

The youngster, once hailed as India's brightest star, has failed to make India's Cairo and Bhopal World Cup-bound squads.

Saurabh Chaudhary has failed to make India's Cairo and Bhopal World Cup-bound squads(Getty Images)

others

Published on Jan 26, 2023 08:07 PM IST

ByShantanu Srivastava, New Delhi

Close Story

Two key thrusts in R-Day parade

Push for defence indigenisation and women leaders in forces is a signal for the future.

The detachment of Brahmos of the 861 missile regiment, led by Lieutenant Prajjwal Kala, participates in the parade at Kartavya Path. (ANI)

editorials

Published on Jan 26, 2023 07:58 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

Close Story

Reverse the damage done to the Aravallis

When the world is scrambling to save its blue-green infrastructure to mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis, this lackadaisical approach towards the Aravallis is not just unexplainable but also misguided.

From mining to illegal encroachment and a recent plan to set up a zoo safari, authorities seem to pay no heed to environmental concerns. (HT File Photo)

editorials

Published on Jan 26, 2023 07:58 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

Close Story

A new war of narratives in India’s political arena

Narendra Modi is seen as an astute world figure and mass leader. Rahul Gandhi is projecting himself as an ascetic on a mission. This contrast may inject a new dimension in politics.

The vishwaguru storyline is likely to gather greater momentum ahead of the September heads of State G20 summit where Modi will occupy centre stage and the pomp and pageantry of the Indian State will be in full gaze (PTI)

opinion

Updated on Jan 27, 2023 12:52 AM IST

ByRajdeep Sardesai

Close Story

A watershed moment for Indian documentaries

All That Breathes and The Elephant Whisperers are unlike most animal documentaries. Instead of serving as a warning about the extinction of creatures or the human threat to their ecosystems, the film is a portrait of coexistence and interspecies bonds.

All That Breathes (a still in photo) and The Elephant Whisperers have made their mark on the global stage, for their country and their craft, proving that small is indeed beautiful (PTI)

opinion

Updated on Jan 27, 2023 07:11 AM IST

ByKarishma Upadhyay

Close Story

HT Premium

Two of them are biographies, a genre I find most enjoyable. The first is Zareer Masani’s slim but revealing and insightful work on Thomas Macaulay

From conceptualisation to execution, the yatra is a remarkable testament to the organisational ability of the Congress

It is hard to get the BBC to apologise, but in the current case, India needs to realise that the BBC does not spew out colonialist propaganda. It’s a journalists’ organisation, and millions of Indians choose to listen to and watch it

Finalists Germany have benefitted from South African scientific advisor, Robin Arkell, who was in India’s corner when they won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics

There’s a growing movement in support of slack, which frees a person from busy-ness. There’s no ‘time to work’ and ‘time to play’. It’s all time in which to engage with the world.

In a new Wknd column, author Adam Jacot de Boinod unwraps mysteries relating to phrases of everyday use, and hunts down quirky parallels from around the world. Look out for Capital Letters every month.

What makes the appam soak up mutton curry and the naan cling to the flavour of the saag? It’s the air bubbles created by a leavening agent, and a hearty dose of gluten. Explore the physics of fluffiness, in this week’s Sound Bites with Swetha Sivakumar.

The path to any change begins with a disagreement. No one has all the answers. In our troubled times of anger and distrust, here’s why you should work to preserve friendships with those you don’t always agree with.

If India wants to get better at the world's most popular game, then AIFF can't do all the heavy lifting. That is where academies come into the picture.

Striker Thijs van Dam's girlfriend Pien Sanders has won everything there is to win and that is inspiring him to step up as well

There is no silver bullet to drive the green switch over. But India can take a few critical steps in the financial and economic sectors, such as priority lending to the renewable energy sector and increasing the nation’s share of nuclear power, to facilitate the net-zero target

It’s been 150 years since the first blue jeans rolled out of a Levi’s factory. Then came the experiments, and errors — glitter and bling, balloony waists, skinny bottoms. Take a look.

Sendhil Kumar spent 10 days aboard the research vessel Odyssey, and dove in a glass-bubble submersible to spend a few hours in the twilight zone.

Longstanding issues with education have pushed many young people to the brink. As the PM’s event highlights, this must be fixed

For several decades, experts have been talking about the US-India relationship deepening without having much concrete evidence to show this to be the case. However, that tide seems to finally be turning

The 14th edition of the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival was packed with sessions on mental health, Partition narratives, queer literature, murder mysteries, translation, graphic novels, food, dance, bookselling, Dalit writing, poetry and historical fiction

It appears that tech has hit the reset button, with layoffs in several large IT companies. What does this mean?

A recent study examined how shampoo moves on a vibrating speaker, and came away with a better understanding of how plasma jets form and drive space weather and solar winds.

The management consultant and former member of the Planning Commission of India draws from his life experience to emphasise the power of deep listening. This excerpt looks at the types of listening one can encounter while engaging with those who have different views.

The Supreme Court in February 2016 declared the entire Tughlaqabad Fort as protected, and directed ASI to not allow any land-grabbing or encroachment there. However, residents claim that the ASI notice was put up only recently

Petley said that while heavy rain and tectonic activity may trigger such events, human activity can also trigger instability

ICHR will unveil the exhibition, “Glory of medieval India: Manifestation of the explored Indian dynasties” on January 30 at Sahitya Akademi in Delhi.

Bivalent Covid-19 vaccines provide significantly better protection than their monovalent counterparts against severe disease and death from infections caused by Omicron sub-variants, data from two recent reports published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) show

The former Aussie pacer talks about what the Australians did right in 2004, the importance of Australia skipper Pat Cummins and why reverse swing could be a big factor

The youngster, once hailed as India's brightest star, has failed to make India's Cairo and Bhopal World Cup-bound squads.

Push for defence indigenisation and women leaders in forces is a signal for the future.

When the world is scrambling to save its blue-green infrastructure to mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis, this lackadaisical approach towards the Aravallis is not just unexplainable but also misguided.

Narendra Modi is seen as an astute world figure and mass leader. Rahul Gandhi is projecting himself as an ascetic on a mission. This contrast may inject a new dimension in politics.

All That Breathes and The Elephant Whisperers are unlike most animal documentaries. Instead of serving as a warning about the extinction of creatures or the human threat to their ecosystems, the film is a portrait of coexistence and interspecies bonds.

Join Hindustan Times

Create free account and unlock exciting features like

Your Subscription Plan