CATEGORIES

THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW

The best moments in Indian judicial history came when the courts looked not at the law but at the first principles of justice-at the oft-unwritten credo that underlies the Constitution

Worldly Wise

Diplomacy is a process; real successes and failures sometimes manifest years after the event. What is hailed as a triumph today may be perceived as an optical illusion or even a debacle later. This listing also filters out the foreign policy achievements that are the accumulated outcome of technological progress (such as the Peaceful Nuclear Explosion of 1974) or military power (the battlefield victory in Bangladesh in 1971 or the Kargil war), although both categories of achievements had a significant diplomatic aspect. This is a listing of known and less well-known diplomatic achievements that showcase Indian diplomacy's ability to seize opportunities, think out of the box, and hold its nerve in the face of intense global pressure.

Big, Bold and Powerful

Ten mega public infrastructure projects that have had a profound impact on post-Independence India’s overall development

A Harvest of Plenty

Over the past 75 years, India has turned from a ship to mouth’ situation to being more or less self-sufficient in the basic staples

GUTS AND GLORY

Two months after Independence, the Indian military was engaged in the first of the many wars and conflicts it would fight to safeguard the country's national security. I have looked at battles that were won and contributed significantly to influencing the post-war geostrategic landscape and the shaping of India's frontiers.

A Robust Pulse

In a subcontinental spread like India with a highly populous federal polity, the health challenges are many and achievements vary across states. That said, in the past 75 years, there have been several areas of success. These include...

An Infinite Canvas for Living Traditions

India influenced global tastes and affairs for millennia, with what it imagined, crafted and transacted. Whether in royal collections or temple stores, gathered by connoisseurs or hoarders, India's treasures have always had takers.

The Reservation Circle

Chhattisgarh’s complex caste equations are at the centre of a pitched political battle between the BJP and Congress in the runup to the 2023 assembly polls.

THE KEY TO HAPPINESS

IT LIES IN LEARNING OF THE DIFFERENT WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN RISE AND LIVE ANEW EVEN AS WE KEEP FALLING

Sunshine Village

Happiness delivery: Modhera in Gujarat has become a net-renewable energy generator, setting an extraordinary example for sustainable living

A Shade Better

Happiness delivery: Forest First has not only helped restore native plant species in the Western Ghats but has also improved the lives of local communities

Helping Hand on the Sundarbans

Happiness delivery: Baikunthapur Tarun Sangha helps people in the Sundarbans’ remote coastal villages battle grim lives by taking care of their basic needs

ART AND SOUL

Happiness delivery: Reviving traditional handicrafts such as the Kani shawl by introducing new designs and patterns, inspiring the younger generation to learn the craft of their forefathers and using art to dispel stereotypes about Kashmir

SHIFTING THE LINES

From the very first day of 2023, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has initiated the delimitation of assembly and parliamentary constituencies in Assam.

Breakfast Mama

Happiness delivery: A primary school teacher at a tribal school in Kerala takes steps to make sure her wards are not sitting in class hungry

All Is Not Well Between Shinde And Fadnavis

For legislators of the ruling Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena (BSS)-BJP coalition in Maharashtra, every day might bring reminders of that famous dialogue— “taarikh pe taarikh” (one date after the other)—from the 1990s potboiler Damini.

In a Higher Space

Happiness delivery: Hasudi Ausanpur in Uttar Pradesh's impoverished Siddharthnagar district ticks all the boxes of a smart village, bagging seven national awards

IN PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

Most of us are driven by visions of personal happiness, but there are rare individuals who work tirelessly for the joy of helping the marginalised whether specially-abled, orphaned, malnourished or just down on their luck. We celebrate people and organisations that bring smiles to the faces of so many

CONGRESS 'YUKT' BHARAT

The last day of 2022 seemed the perfect occasion for Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to make another pivot, one that can potentially inflect the course of Indian politics.

COSTLY OVERSIGHT

A technical lapse could prove to be the undoing of the BJP's carefully cultivated OBC strategy in Uttar Pradesh.

Mad about Children

Happiness delivery: Founded by Jithin Nedumala when he was just 20, Make a Difference has helped hundreds of orphaned children break free of the cycle of poverty

A Signal Achievement

Happiness delivery: A school that operates under a flyover at a busy junction provides underprivileged street children education, three square meals a day, and also trains them in life skills

Well Worth It

Happiness delivery: The Million Wells campaign is striving to rejuvenate Bengaluru's groundwater table while providing a livelihood to the Mannu Vaddar welldigging community

KARNATAKA: A New Quota Calculus

The clamour among Other Backward Class (OBC) groups in Karnataka for a larger slice of reservations for education and employment ran into a novel twist in the last week of December. Wary of upsetting two of the dominant castes in the state-Lingayats and Vokkaligas-especially with a state election to face in about four months, the Basavaraj Bommai government moved quickly to acquiesce to their demands for a higher share of reservation quota. However, it professed to do this by carrying out a reshuffle of the existing OBC reservation categoriesa surprise move that has thrown up more questions than answers.

Happy on His Own Terms

YouTuber Bhuvan Bamon his OTT leap with Taaza Khabar and why having creative control is important to him

AN OPPOSITION IN DISARRAY

On January 2, the Rajasthan BJP unit held one of its continuing Jan Aakrosh rallies in Jodhpur against the “misgovernance” of the Ashok Gehlotled Congress government, but much like the response in many other parts of the state, the turnout was poor.

Battling the Black Scourge

Happiness delivery: A victim of Kala Azar in her pre-teens, Pinki has taken it upon herself to create awareness about the dreaded disease in her home district, Deoria, in UP

Nurturing the Next Generation

Happiness delivery: Born out of the tragic infant deaths in Kota in 2019, Suposhit Maa Abhiyan provides specially curated nutrition kits and regular medical check-ups to underweight expectant mothers and ensures their children get a healthy start in life

A Different High

Happiness delivery: Once drug addicts themselves, the couple now runs a drug rehabilitation centre in Guwahati

Colours and Camaraderie

Happiness delivery: The Art Sanctuary treasures young persons with intellectual disabilities, crafting with care artists, photographers, filmmakers and sculptors out of an abundance of natural talent