Is Nitish Kumar on a losing wicket?
By Amulya Ganguli Nitish Kumar is in a bind. He knows that the mahagathbandhan or grand alliance in Bihar is fraying at the edges, but he doesn’t know which way to turn. If he responds…
Commentary
Making Indian democracy a world leader – through civic engagement
By Frank F. Islam Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House did not receive a large amount of press coverage in the United States. The most notable…
Boosting rooftop ‘parks’ can help India achieve solar energy goal
By Saptaik Ghosh Recent newspaper articles have highlighted the rooftop photovoltaic (RTPV) sector’s sluggish growth in India. The articles claim that based on the present outlook, the 40 GW target for 2021-22 will not be…
Self-policing can overcome perils of social media
By Amit Kapoor Since the election of Donald Trump to the White House and the subsequent allegations of Russia rigging the outcome, the role of social media in affecting reality through fake news has been…
INLD looks for political survival with blockade call, but will it help?
By Jaideep Sarin Chandigarh, July 9 (IANS) It has been over 13 years that Haryana’s Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has been out in the wilderness. The party has tried every trick possible to come…
Trump-Putin tango: Spy, star and the spook buster
By Arun Kumar Washington, July 8 (IANS) The “Gray Lady of Manhattan” billed it as the “Donnie and Vlad: A Love Story” overshadowing the summit of the world’s 20 rich and powerful nations. The “failing…
Bengali chauvinism fuels Darjeeling unrest
By Amulya Ganguli It is strange that despite past examples of the incendiary potential of linguistic chauvinism, politicians still pursue the same fateful path. The latest instance of such short-sighted policies is West Bengal Chief…
Modi’s Israel visit: Memories of a journalist’s visits to the Jewish State
By Saeed Naqvi Israel has been in the news in the context of the Prime Minister’s visit and I may be forgiven for a touch of nostalgia. I was the first Indian journalist to visit…
India’s cold-chain sector: A thriving area for investment
By Debdeep Chakraborty The cold chain sector in India suffered years of neglect resulting in inadequate capacity addition but the present National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has managed to turn it around with investor-friendly policies…
India-China: Dangerous brinkmanship
By Tarun Basu Prime Minister Narendra Modi said very proudly during a visit to Russia last month that not a single bullet had been fired along the border between India and China for 40 years….
Rise of Left: Corbyn, Sanders become most popular politicians
By Saeed Naqvi The recent rise in the electability of Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn as Britain’s next Prime Minister, according to the latest opinion polls, has not made headline news. This is not surprising…
Modi-Trump summit: Hugs, business and support for India
By Tarun Basu If hugs and handshakes are markers to personal and bilateral relationships, then the first get-to-know meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump seems to have been singularly…
Dravidian assault: Bahubali may save Bollywood from its mindless exertions
By Prashant Pandey There is a scene in Richard Attenboroughs film “Gandhi” where Shriram Lagoo playing Gopal Krishna Gokhale prevails upon the South Africa-returned barrister Mohan Das Karamchand Gandhi (played by Ben Kingsley) to travel…
Climate change: Neglecting oceans no longer an option
By Soumya Sarkar When people think of climate change, pictures of melting glaciers, sweltering heat in summers and flooding of coastal areas predominate. Often lost in the imagery is the role the world’s oceans play…
Muslim women in India can become change agents through education
By Frank F. Islam Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently called for empowerment and education of Muslim women. One would have expected this message to receive widespread acceptance and support. It did not. There was resistance…
Dalit for President: Tokenism wins
By Amulya Ganguli It’s a no-brainer, for the result is known before the contest. The support which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been able to muster for its presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind in…
India has to save yoga from its shallow, soulless imitations
By M. Rajaque Rahman With weird concoction like “Beer Yoga” getting popular as the next big international fitness craze, the ancient art of inner blossoming is seemingly going topsy-turvy. And as yoga hogs the limelight…
Is RBI’s hawkish stance hurting India’s growth prospects?
By Amit Kapoor The role of interest rate in Indias growth is grossly underplayed. The movement of interest rates has been strongly linked to episodes of high growth and slowdowns in the last few decades….
BRICS cooperation will usher new golden decade: Xi
Beijing, June 19 (IANS) Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday that the BRICS cooperation will be more productive and usher in a new “golden decade”. Xi made the remarks while meeting the heads of delegations…
Is a consensus possible on the new President?
By Amulya Ganguli For a party known for its hubris, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) decision to consult the opposition for a consensus on the presidential candidate has come as a pleasant surprise. However, it…