Opinion

Prospects of a Hamas truce and the Palestinian quest for UN membership

03 May 2024 02:15 AM IST

Amidst the news of a top Hamas Official confirming that the Islamic militant group is willing to agree to a truce of five years or more with Israel and that it would lay down its weapons and convert into a political party if an independent Palestine State is established along

A tale of three Bharat Ratnas

03 May 2024 02:11 AM IST

It’s a matter of historical record that when Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was offered the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, he refused to accept it. It was his considered view that serving member of the cabinet were able to exert ‘control and authority’ over such decisions, which he then

Poetry: The commandment from the divine

02 May 2024 02:19 AM IST

You may define what is ‘lava’ – the molten hot fuming stuff that bolts out of the mountains, but can you determine in what shape it will spill out? Yes, after it erupts, then, you can put it in different containers, say, a glass, a jug, a bucket. But, these

Ripples of Covid-19 still being felt

02 May 2024 02:14 AM IST

There is suddenly major hue and cry over the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca’s admission in court that its anti Covid vaccine, which has been manufactured and marketed in India as Covishield, may have some rare side-effects of blood clotting known as TTS, apart from loss of platelets. Amid the panic

Beyond the Ballot: Influence of Leadership Faces in Voting Turnout

02 May 2024 02:11 AM IST

Amidst the ongoing election season, a palpable lack of voter enthusiasm is observable during polling days. While the underlying reasons for this phenomenon may vary depending on individual preferences and regional dynamics, the empirical reality of diminished voter turnout demands scholarly inquiry. On April 24, 2024, a survey conducted by

Exploring eternal defiance in ‘Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai’

01 May 2024 03:48 AM IST

The drive back home from work took an unexpected turn when the familiar strains of a vintage Hindi melody, a beloved hit from 1965, filled the car. My usually cheerful friend fell silent, her demeanor shifting into one of contemplation. Her gaze fixed on me, she began to recount a

WILL RAHUL GANDHI CONTEST FROM UTTAR PRADESH?

01 May 2024 03:45 AM IST

At the time of writing the Congress Party had not yet announced its candidates for Amethi and Rae Bareli. The two constituencies are in the news, since they are considered the Gandhi family bastions, though currently it is BJP’s Smriti Irani who is the sitting MP from Amethi. She has

Raaj Bhasha or Maatri Bhasha?

01 May 2024 03:42 AM IST

Every language has two sides . The ‘sunny’ side and the ‘shadow’ side ; ‘Dhoop- Chaanv’ . The language of ‘Governance’ and the language of ‘daily use’ . The language of ‘utility’ and the language of ‘creativity’. The language of ‘power’ and the language of ‘love’. The language of ‘control’

U.S. human rights report demonizes India

30 Apr 2024 03:58 AM IST

The United States has done it again—indicted India on several counts for what it calls human rights violations, in the State Department’s latest “2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices”. Among the litany of charges hurled at India, from Manipur to the alleged ill-treatment of LGBTQ+ population, the most astounding

Dealing with the Disruption of Jobs

30 Apr 2024 03:54 AM IST

The political parties, before the assembly or parliament elections, proclaim to create and provide far more jobs than they actually can, if elected to the power. Often very little thought is given to the very phenomenon that leads to disruption of jobs. Once this is understood, the planners can plan

Can Vadra join the league of Firoze Gandhi?

30 Apr 2024 03:47 AM IST

Can Robert Vadra join the league of Firoze Gandhi in becoming the Nehru-Gandhi family’s son-in-law turned politician? Vadra, married to Priyanka Gandhi in February 1997, has been knocking at electoral politics door since October 2010 when he had boldly told The Times of India that he could win an election

Lovely quits to preempt revolt in Delhi Congress, precipitates a crisis

29 Apr 2024 03:55 AM IST

By quitting as the president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee, senior leader Arvinder Singh Lovely has plunged the grand old party into a major crisis in the midst of the election season. Lovely has made it clear that he was not joining any political outfit to end speculation regarding