Opinion

Dr S. Saraswathi The Calcutta High Court has directed the state government to treat all Durga Puja pandals as “no-entry zones” and keep devotees at a distance by erecting barricades. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has also urged devotees to watch pujas “virtually”. In the present...

Anuradha Gupta A recent poll found that one in three Americans would not be willing to receive a Covid-19 vaccine, while anti-vaxxers have reportedly gained at least 7.8 million social media followers since 2019. Like the pandemic itself, anti-vax misinformation and rumours know no borders....

Ashok Mahapatra The Preamble of the Indian Constitution ensures that all Indian citizens have the liberty of expression. Furthermore, freedom of the press has been included as part of freedom of speech and expression under Article 19 of the Constitution. It has also been established...

Melvin Durai Considering how modest and humble I am, you may be surprised to learn that I enjoy winning awards. I’d be thrilled to receive almost any kind of award. I’d even accept an award from the National Association of Lazy Husbands. Yes, even an...

Oscar Jonsson & Taylor Owen Today, as our economic and social lives increasingly move online owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the digital and physical domains are becoming more integrated than ever. And now more than ever, governance and regulation of a hyper-powered digital world must...

Saamdu Chetri & Jagdish Rattanani For so many students sitting in their homes and not knowing when the lockdown will end for their particular schools or colleges, this is a difficult time. Opening up has risks. Not opening up has other worries. Some have lost...

Dasarathi Mishra While releasing the Monetary Policy Statement earlier this month, RBI Governor Saktikanta Das sounded an optimistic note. He stated that, “Relative to pre-Covid levels, several high frequency indicators are pointing to the easing of contractions in various sectors of the economy and the...

Saeed Naqvi President Donald Trump and his National Security Adviser, Robert C. O’Brien are aching to announce troop withdrawal from Afghanistan as a last-minute sweetener for the American voter, rather like floral touches in an Indian wedding. General Mark A Milley, Chairman of the Joint...

Brahma Chellaney The Quad, a loose strategic coalition of the Indo-Pacific region’s four leading democracies, is rapidly solidifying this year in response to China’s aggressive foreign policy. Following a recent meeting of their top foreign-policy officials in Tokyo, Australia, India, Japan, and the United States...

Dr Santosh Kumar Mohapatra The Maratha invasions were a series of conquests in the Indian subcontinent which led to the formation of the Maratha Empire. These conquests were started by Shivaji Bhosale on 10 November 1659 and had his first victory at the Battle of...