CATEGORIES

A Universal Net To Hold All Workers

A dramatic draft moots a single social security system for all workers, formal and informal. Sceptics fume.

General Peacenik?

A Pakistani general and a dove? It would usually be an oxymoron. But AfPak, BRICS all set a new context.

The Master's String

When the Congress, which still doesn’t know how far to use Hindutva, swears by the ‘sacred’ janeu, the theatre turns absurd and the humour dark

To Unknot The Yajnopaveeta

The sacred thread is rich in history and many-faceted in its meanings

Here, The Charge Is Neutral

The story of the sacred thread takes a twist in Karnataka, as Lingayat men and women sport it with a small Shivalinga

Bollywood's Own Shakespeare Wallah

How I came to know Shashi and made New Delhi Times

The Doctor's Swansong

With the PDP silent on its ‘self-rule’ agenda, NC’s Farooq Abdullah goes all out for autonomy in J&K

From Cradle To Saddle

As Rahul takes over from his mother, the 132-year-old Congress seems to need the dynasty more than the dynasty needs it

In A Migratory State

In a district cursed by economic barrenness, men like Mohammad Afrazul have to offer their labour elsewhere, despite discomfort or danger

Time To Cross The Bridge

Immigrants issue will lay a new path, but bilateral ties cannot afford to tilt

Aditya Chopra: Fall Of The DDLJ Man

Aditya Chopra conceived Befikre as a modern antithesis to DDLJ. But it has been a modern disaster.

Tech Graduates In India Have Zero Hands-on Experience

For the past seven years, Dr Vinay Viswa­nathan has been plugged into India’s engineering education system trying to fill a gap in hands-on learning through his firm JED-I Technologies. It’s far from a promising situation, reckons the co-inventor of the Simputer—the hand-held, multilingual computer which preceded India’s telecom boom and which, even after 15 years, still remains one of the few examples of a novel product that came out of Indian academia. Vinay, a former computer science professsor at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), tells Ajay Sukumaran that one of the main problems is that students are typically burnt out by the time they reach an engineering course. Edited excerpts:

NEET Controversy: This Test Is Only Getting Uglier

NEET popped up issues this time too. Is the exam proving to be a disaster than failure?

The Effects Of The Trump Presidency and China's Strategies Shaping The Future Of The Asia Pacific

The Asia Pacific’s future hinges on nuanced Chinese strategy and the unknown factors of a Trump presidency.

Circle The Wagons Around Drag on Hole

An Australian perspective on strategic developments in the Indo-Pacific. 

The Times Are a-Taxin'

Post-demonetisation, states have hardened their stances on the proposed GST. A delay is inevitable.

J Jayalalithaa: The Worshipful Leader

Mass adulation is universal. But the hero worship that’s deeply ingrained in Tamil public life is akin to a relationship with divinity.

Triple Talaq: A Lapse of Marital Reason

The triple talaq debate pits divorce rights for Muslim women against the rights of minorities.

Inheritance of Customary Injustice

Uniform Civil Code or not, family laws need to change for women to be equal citizens

Fat Cats Of A Red Citadel

Charges of nepotism make the CPI(M) in Kerala take up some image - saving measures.

Jeremy Corbyn, The New Labour Hero

Britain’s demoralised public and confused political flailings are sought to be given a spine of principled, socialist steel.

Policing The Trust Ceiling

J&K’s two ruling parties manage an uneasy peace over how high non-IPS officers can rise in the police set-up

Cool Winds From Nagpur

The deep distress has not swayed the CM. For, Chouhan has an RSS shield around him.

'The Centre And States Should Sit Together To Discuss Issues'

States have to take more onus in improving the lot of farmers, says BJP’s Kisan Mor­ cha president Virendra Singh Mast, MP, in an interview with Lola Nayar. Excerpts:

Islam Prop In New Poll Vault

Jamaat­e­Islami is no longer anathema for the NC. Why are the Abdullahs wooing a faith-­based outfit?

The Shah Of Political Chess

The political constellation on the ground and the signs in the sky are all working out for Modi’s general as he strives to close the gaps in India’s saffron map

'Pharma Money Is Corrupting Pediatrics Academy'

A former member of the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP), Dr Vipin Vashishtha was ousted from the academy for highlighting the nexus between physicians and vaccine manufacturers last year. The Bijnor-based paediatrician documented the rampant corruption and system of favours in an open letter addressed to all members of the academy. In an interview with Arushi Bedi, he lays bare the nexus and talks about how he is still under fire for raising questions. Edited excerpts:

Lone Female In The Hilly Terrain

At 18, K. Ajitha trekked Kerala forests as a Naxal. Today, she is an active feminist.

Red Hand That Led Mamata

Fighting ‘pro-capitalist’ Marxists on the political turf, the CM knows she can’t displease the state’s ultra Left.

Clouds Across Matrices

It’s aimed high. But will stronger regional air connectivity actually work?