Chanel and patriarchal India

The bouquets keep coming for Leena Nair, the global CEO of Chanel. On June 11, the Indian-born Nair was awarded the UK's Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Prince William, prince of Wales, in recognition of her work in retail.

War, farce, or a Persian tragedy?

Those who can't remember the past are con-demned to repeat it,\" said George Santayana. The line has since been folk-tongued to sound like a proverb—\"Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat its mistakes.\"

Quiet momentum of a rising nation

I came across a British weekly column lamenting that India's leadership has lost momentum, and that it suffers from a lack of imagination. One can only assume it was composed under a grey London sky, by someone who has never truly tasted the clarity of thought that comes with a well-brewed masala chai.

To fly or not to fly

The Tatas must urgently find a way to stem the rot in Air India

Bench besieged

At the heart of the Justice Varma controversy is a consequential issue: the institutional confrontation between judiciary and executive

NURTURING CHANGE AGENTS

How India's best colleges are transforming the lives of students with a strong focus on contributing to nation building

HORROR IN THE SKY

Air India’s image has taken a hit with the Ahmedabad crash, but thorough investigation, transparency and a human touch could help

War is an endemic

For millennia, historians, philosophers and states-men have pondered about war, its nature and the nature of leaders who take their people to war. Iran cannot match Israel's daring commandos or precision spyware technologies that destroy their military facilities and assassinate their generals and scientists.

Black warrant

Israel's attack on Iran is not just about the nuclear issue, but also about dismantling Tehran's military and political leadership

Layover of life

A friend just posted an Instagram story—an aerial shot of Mumbai—with the caption: “Landed! Surely ‘landed’ is the most beautiful word in the world?#Thankful.”

The language of grief

As I write, I have just landed in London on Air-India — flying the same airline, to the same destination and on the same date and time as the ill-fated passengers who perished in Ahmedabad. I travelled to speak at the British Library under the auspices of the Jaipur Literary Festival. My very first talk was about language and the power of words. Yet words failed me at the news of the 241 lives lost on the plane and the 5 more who died on the ground. The language of grief, suffering, and loss is a landscape of shadows, often inadequate to the profound desolation it attempts to articulate. Language is made to describe what is or could be; it falters before an absence, a stuttering whisper in the face of an unimaginable void.

MAKE IN ROORKEE

How Asia's oldest engineering college, IIT Roorkee, is staying ahead of the curve with groundbreaking research and extensive collaborations

Only those with in-depth and interdisciplinary knowledge have a future

Interview - V. Kamakoti director, IIT Madras

Wheelchairs and miracles

They are sending that Tharoor fellow for the phoren bijit. Surely you know as many big words as he does, no?” asked Misser Ji, my neighbour.

I find it difficult to revisit my work

Tucked away on a narrow lane behind Chennai’s upscale Greenways Road, the Madras Talkies office exudes the same aesthetic and visual artistry as Mani Ratnam’s films. Journalists, TV crews and assistant directors crowd the front office, eager to catch a glimpse of the director a day before the release of Thug Life. The office, flooded with natural light, feels as vibrant as his work. Young staff, fashionably dressed and reminiscent of his movie characters, discuss their mentor, “Mani Sir”.

Sindoor and India's new normal

Leading one of the seven outreach groups which travelled to 33 countries to communicate India's new normal on Pakistan-backed terrorism was an eye-opening experience. I have had the honour of leading many such delegations in the past, but this one stood out.

The eighth nerve

Nothing is coming,” Aaftab said in broken English, tapping on his ear and shaking his hand to denote his loss of hearing. Fluent only in Arabic, he had travelled from Oman because he had been told that his tumour was too big and in a precarious location, and that there was a significant risk to life.

SILENT KILLER

Seventy-two countries have banned asbestos, a known carcinogen. India is not one of them

We are not another Pakistan

INTERVIEW - MAHFUJ ALAM adviser to the ministry of information and broadcasting, Bangladesh

LESSONS FROM SINDOOR

While India's military actions on May 7 and 10 were successful, it is vital to assess strategic and tactical lessons and shortcomings

Banker’s gamble

Bangladesh’s political future will depend on how well Muhammad Yunus and the interim regime he heads brave the dissent at home and pressures from abroad

Cultural weave

Tibetan Muslims in Kashmir carved out a space for themselves by blending two rich cultures, all while dealing with statelessness and economic hardship

THE CRAFT OF CALM

Anavila Misra on her new collection, a launch into home textiles and why living in a bubble has many merits

Asbestos ban is a health imperative, not just a moral issue

Jayant Chaudhary, minister of state (independent charge) for skill development and entrepreneurship, and minister of state for education, has been at the forefront of the fight against the use of asbestos. He says that a complete phasing out will require cooperation between multiple ministries but a start has to be made somewhere. Excerpts from an interview:

LICENCE TO GILL

Shubman Gill's captaincy is linked to legacy, and the English summer offers him a chance to lay a lasting foundation

BRIDGING THE GAP

SPECIALISED INVESTMENT FUNDS OFFER SOMETHING MORE THAN PLAIN MUTUAL FUNDS

AXIOM MISSION 4 VEHICLES

The rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9

CHARGING AHEAD

THE DREAM RUN OF DEFENCE STOCKS IS LIKELY TO CONTINUE FOR A WHILE

SKY ISN'T THE LIMIT

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's mission will be a stepping stone for developing indigenous human spaceflight capabilities through the Gaganyaan programme, establishing India as a hub for commercial space activities. It will also help understand life in microgravity, revolutionising fields ranging from agriculture to medicine

WE ARE DEMOCRATISING ACCESS TO THE ISS

BORN IN SPAIN and raised in the US, Michael Lopez-Alegria is one of NASA's most accomplished astronauts. A veteran of six space missions, he holds NASA records for the most spacewalks (10) and the longest cumulative EVA (extravehicular activity) time (67 hours, 40 minutes).