CATEGORIES

I Write, Therefore I am

_ This is an ode to the writers who imagined and chronicled in not-yet places, the ones who faced the dystopia in ads. This is inspired by the many speculative fiction books that predict apocalyptic times

A Not-yet World

\"People think-wrongly-that speculative fiction is about predicting the future, but it isn't; or if it is, it tends to do a rotten job of it. Futures are huge things that come with many elements and a billion variables, and the human race has a habit of listening to predictions for what the future will bring and then doing something quite different. What speculative fiction is really good at is not the future but the present-taking an aspect of it that troubles or is dangerous, and extending and extrapolating that aspect into something that allows the people of that time to see what they are doing from a different angle and from a different place. It's cautionary.\" -From the introduction to Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 by Neil Gaiman

Tracking Election Trends

An analysis of election results prior to 1971 indicates that issues determined their outcome, irrespective of whether polls were held simultaneously or separately. But the 1951-71 political situation was entirely different from the present

From Concept To Reality

THE Government of India recently constituted a High Level Committee (HLC)—headed by former President of India, Ram Nath Kovind—to examine the issue of simultaneous elections. This announcement triggered a wide debate in the national discourse.

"Please do not give me shelter, give me your hand"

Ukrainian poet and writer, Victoria Amelina, died recently from wounds inflicted by a Russian missile strike in the East Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk

A Balenciaga State of Affairs

MANY days have passed since the day I looked out of the car window during one of my shotgun drives across the various bountiful terrains of Kashmir, involuntarily noticing silhouettes of young boys and girls swooshing across my peripheral vision, which, if left to its volition, was hoping to stay fixated on the sights of the golden rays of the sunset perforating the mighty pine tree thickets of the valley we find ourselves nestled in.

Lights, Camera, Polls

Meaningful political films centred on elections can be commerical successes. So why has Bollywood, over the decades, failed to capture its nuances?

Childhood Disrupted

In conflict-ridden Manipur, children are witnesses to extensive violence which can lead to severe post-traumatic stress disorder

Macho vs Metrosexual

Can the Congress-led INDIA alliance redefine political masculinity to counter 'Brand Modi'? Will this image engineering ultimately work in favour of the Opposition?

Tribal Anxiety

WHEN 200 tribal gram sabha heads from Chaibasa in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district met on September 13, their minds weighed heavy with concern.

Advantage LARGE National Parties

Simultaneous elections will create limited space and voice for smaller states thereby adversely affecting federalism

A Nightmare for India's Federal Polity

One Nation, One Election is not possible in a parliamentary democracy where governments can fall and mid-term elections are needed in states or at the Centre

Hostile Reception

In south India, the BJP would encounter formidable challenges in elucidating and brokering the One Nation, One Election policy, potentially limiting its political manoeuvrability

A Long Overdue Move

India's electoral system, which produces genuine leaders, must be designed for the country's long-term growth

Top-heavy Pyramid

The idea of One Nation, One Election seems outlandish since the architecture of the election process doesn't allow much space for it

The Federalism Question

Simultaneous elections will lead to the mixing of national and state-level issues, which does not serve the electorate's best interests

STATE OF STATES?

Is One Nation, One Election a threat to federalism? Will it have an impact on the power dynamics between the Centre and the states? Will it curtail the power of state assemblies and chief ministers?

One Nation, One Predilection

This move is questionable as it assumes, or even aspires, that people vote the same way in state and national elections

Bollywood's Tryst With Suicides

Barring a few films made recently, Indian cinema hasn't quite probed the deeper, more fundamental meaning of suicide

DECODING DESPAIR

“Why did she do it? Nobody dared to ask. Because—what courage! Who had the courage to burn herself ? Twenty aspirin, a little slit alongside the veins of the arm, maybe even a bad half hour standing on a roof: We've all had those. And somewhat more dangerous things, like putting a gun in your mouth. But you put it there, you taste it, it's cold and greasy, your finger is on the trigger, and you find that a whole world lies between this moment and the moment you've been planning, when you'll pull the trigger. That world defeats you. You put the gun back in the drawer. You'll have to find another way.  What was that moment like for her? The moment she lit the match. Had she already tried roofs and guns and aspirins? Or was it just an inspiration?” — Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen, published in 1993.

Break the Silence

Creating a world where women Can openly discuss their mental health struggles and seek help is crucial

The Deepest Cut

Death has no vocabulary in Indian families—so how does a daughter find a way to mourn her father’s accidental death?’

Right to Die

The debate has remained alive over the years, but ambiguity remains

No Trigger Warning

Insensitive media coverage of deaths by suicide is a blatant contravention of the prevalent guidelines

Anatomy of a Death

Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide was too complex for many to process. So the country indulged in a baffling alchemy: converting suicide to murder

The Sting of Stigma

Why some men find the weight of masculinity too heavy to bear

The Kota Life

Lakhs of young students arrive in Kota every year with dreams in their eyes. These dreams turn into nightmares for many students and their families

SEEDS OF DISTRESS

Mounting debt is pushing farmers in Maharashtra and Karnataka to end their lives

Jab Tak Hai Jaan

A Bollywoodesque saga of hope in the mission to combat suicide

The Pain of COMATOSE

For 42 years, Aruna Shanbaug lay in a vegetative state after she was sexually assaulted at the hospital where she worked as a nurse