CATEGORIES

THE STIMULUS DRIP

On November 12, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a third fiscal stimulus following the Covid-19 induced lockdown.

VICTOR'S SPOILS

Nitish Kumar starts a fourth term on the trot as chief minister, but ally BJP is already muscling in

THE COMEBACK

Madhya Pradesh is a frontrunner among three states in the hunt to host the cheetah when it is reintroduced to India’s wilds

A LIMITED DISENGAGEMENT

As the standoff between India and China enters its seventh month, both sides have inched closer to a disengagement proposal that could see their troops stepping back from key confrontation zones around Pangong Lake.

Memoirs of an Early Feminist

Translated into English by her granddaughter, Saeeda Bano’s memoir retains the flavour of its Urdu original

BOLD AND BRASSY

DEVAKI JAIN IS VIGILANT ABOUT SHOWING HOW FREEDOM IS FOUGHT FOR CONSTANTLY BUT IS ALSO CONTINGENT ON PRIVILEGE

The New Lay Of The Land In Kashmir

United we stand NC chief Farooq Abdullah, PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti and other leaders at a Gupkar meeting in Srinagar, Oct. 24

Nitish Kumar - A Saffron Crown

It’s not the jubilant return six-time CM Nitish Kumar might have hoped for. Big brother BJP is likely to be the real power behind the throne

Covid Vaccine: Not A Silver Bullet

Miracle Drug? The Pfizer and BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine could usher in an exciting era in vaccine technology

THE GREAT HINDU VOTE TRICK

THEY COMPRISE 70 PER CENT OF THE POPULATION OF THE STATE, AND ARE BEING PROPITIATED BY BOTH THE BJP AND MAMATA BANERJEE’S TMC. BUT WILL THE BENGALI HINDUS VOTE EN BLOC?

THREE MORE YEARS

THE BJP WON 19 OF THE 28 SEATS THAT WENT TO THE POLLS; THE CONGRESS WON JUST NINE

RUNNING OUT OF PACE

A DEFIANT OPPOSITION ALLIANCE HAS TAKEN ON THE IMRAN KHAN GOVERNMENT AND, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, EVEN THE PAKISTAN ARMY. WHERE WILL IT ALL END?

MAN IN POLL POSITION

THE BJP HAS THE UNENVIABLE TASK OF MANAGING HIMANTA BISWA SARMA’S AMBITION AND KEEPING HIM ON ITS SIDE TO RETAIN A PRESENCE IN THE NORTHEAST

PUNJAB UPS THE ANTE

CAPITAL PROTEST Amarinder Singh at the November 4 dharna in New Delhi

Facing the Music

How musical was the Mahatma? It’s complicated...

A HISTORY OF OPPOSITION

Indian past and its complexity

Getting Mumbai To Move Again

Unlock 5.0

What The Joe Biden-Kamala Harris Win Means For America, India and The World

What a Joe Biden-Kamala Harris administration in the united states presages for india and the world

KAMAL NATH PLAYS HIS HAND

MADHYA PRADESH BY POLLS

THE INTERMINABLE LOOP

The Centre’s desperation for funds has never been more palpable. The clamour for a fiscal stimulus to revive the economy is only growing, and the government must also find the resources for substantial unbudgeted, yet unavoidable, expenditure on managing the Covid-19 pandemic. Strategic disinvestment in public sector enterprises, once again in the news, would have come to the rescue, but chances are the government will once again miss its overambitious Budget 2020-21 target of Rs 2.01 lakh crore.

PLAYING FOR KEEPS

Not one to admit defeat easily, Fatima Sana Shaikh is slowly and steadily carving a space for herself in a cut-throat industry

MIRED IN RED TAPE

AS THE BORDER CRISIS WITH CHINA CONTINUES, THE DEFENCE MINISTRY MOVES TO REVIVE FOUR CRITICALLY REQUIRED WEAPONS PROCUREMENTS. MULTIPLE FACTORS, HOWEVER, PREVENT AN EARLY RESOLUTION

FRIENDS IN NEED

On October 21, Bimal Gurung, leader of a Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) faction and a fugitive from the law in West Bengal, made his first public appearance in three years. Despite the many charges filed against him—including under the UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act)—he held a press conference in Kolkata that day, announcing that he was ending his alliance with the BJP-led NDA (National Democratic Alliance) and that he would help the TMC’s (Trinamool Congress’) Mamata Banerjee become “chief minister for the third time in 2021”. He added that the BJP “has done nothing about our demand for a [separate] Gorkhaland”, and that “Mamata Banerjee does what she says, so I’ll help her win seats in the Darjeeling region”. As a major political force in West Bengal’s hill regions—Darjeeling, Kalimpong and the subdivisions of Kurseong, Mirik and Siliguri—Gurung’s support will be crucial for the TMC in the upcoming assembly election, which is likely why he roams free despite the many cases against him.

Too Close for Comfort

COVID: SECOND WAVE

VISION FOR A LUXE 2020-21

The coronavirus and its socioeconomic impact on India and the world is unprecedented. No report, no survey could have predicted a six-month lockdown and life as we knew it coming to a standstill. But then that’s a pandemic for you.

DOWN TO THE WIRE

PM MODI AND THE BJP PULL OUT ALL THE STOPS AS TEJASHWI AND A RESURGENT RJD THREATEN A FIGHTBACK

Economy: The Festive Season Uptick

While some sectors of the economy have seen improved demand and sales in recent months, businesses are hoping the festive season sets a lasting favourable momentum

Covid-19 - The Festive Season Challenge

The daily number of active cases is declining, but with the festive season upon us, India is bracing itself for a second wave

The Season Of Smoke Signals

Reports of the NCR’s terrible AQI (air quality index) numbers have already begun making the news.

An Enchantment

Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi is a meditation on personal history, loyalty, trust and truth