CATEGORIES

A RAJPUT WALKS FREE BACKWARDS

Life convicts getting their sentence commuted is not news usually but the Bihar law department’s April 24 release order for 27 lifers who have completed 14 years behind bars has set off a furious debate

A SUICIDE AND A FEW QUESTIONS

Two back-to-back incidents in poll-bound Rajasthan have left the Ashok Gehlot-led government red-faced

NEW GOVERNOR, NEW ROWS

A stormy three years it had been, from August 2019 to July 2022, when Jagdeep Dhankhar, now India’s vice president, served as governor of West Bengal. Scarcely a week passed without Raj Bhavan and the Trinamool Congress government sniping at each other

ONE DOWN, MANY TO GO

As dawn broke on the morn­ ing of April 23 and the amrit vela nitnem (prayers at dawn) at the Gurudwara Janam Asthan Sant Khalsa in Punjab’s Rode village came to a close, Waris Punjab De (WPD) leader and fugitive Amritpal Singh Sandhu took the mike to recite a few stanzas from the Gurbani and address the gathering

Downing The Dons

CM Yogi Adityanath’s crackdown on the mafia was popular, but the brazen murder of Atiq Ahmed in custody threatens to discredit his drive

DECIPHERING QUOTAS

These Seats are Reserved by Abhinav Chandrachud, a lawyer practising at the Bombay High Court, explains the history of the affirmative action provisions in the Indian Constitution and demystifies the complex set of rules and procedures through which these clauses are put into operation.

TEST OF SINCERITY

UP PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION

BATTLE FOR JALANDHAR

On April 17, amid thousands of workers from across north India beating dhols and singing some signature revolutionary songs, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann led his starstudded caravan to file the nomination papers of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Sushil Kumar Rinku for the bypolls to the Jalandhar parliamentary seat on May 10.

AMERICAN DREAM TURNS NIGHTMARE

In a tragic incident, a family of four from the Manekpura village in Gujarat’s Mehsana district died while attempting to cross into the US from Canada, when the boat they were in capsized in the St Lawrence river.

BETTING ON WELFARE BOARDS

With the assembly election just months away, the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Madhya Pradesh has stepped up its efforts to woo smaller groups within reserved categories, much like the Congress regime in neighbouring Chhattisgarh, which too is scheduled to go to the polls in November this year.

A STEELY RESOLVE

Exactly 53 years after the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, as it was called, was inaugurated on April 17, 1970, India’s second-largest steel-making public sector unit (PSU) is resisting its transition into private hands.

DIDI'S GIFTS FOR MINORITIES

On March 29 and 30, after widespread violence—arson, stone-pelting, ransacking of homes and businesses—broke out over Ramnavami celebrations in West Bengal’s Howrah and Hooghly districts, the main Opposition in the state, the BJP, accused the ruling Trinamool Congress and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of “disregarding Hindu sentiments”, alleging the police were mere bystanders.

THE FORECAST GETS GLOOMY

Three global agencies—the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the United Nations—have lowered their forecast on India’s growth in the current financial year.

CHANGING STRIPES

It seemed open season for turncoats as the nomination of candidates got under way three weeks before the election to the 224-seat legislative assembly in Karnataka.

LONG STORY SHORT

A new volume by distinguished scholars tries to trace the entire span of Indian history from its prehistoric beginnings right up to 1992

A Dinner to Remember

Chef Massimo Bottura of the three-star Michelin restaurant, Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy, which has also topped the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list twice, is in Delhi to cook a few meals

The Myth Maker

Anand Neelakantan’s Nala Damayanti is the latest in his retellings of popular Indian myths with contemporary undertones

A BATTLE OF THEIR OWN

MENTAL HEALTH AFFLICTIONS HAVE BECOME COMMONPLACE AMONG INDIAN YOUTH. TAKING MATTERS INTO THEIR OWN HANDS, THEY ARE NOW HELPING THEMSELVES AND OTHERS FIND SUPPORT AND FIGHT STIGMA

WHAT IS FINANCIAL PLANNING?

It is the process of setting and planning your financial goals and helping you achieve these goals

Should you borrow against your life policy?

BIG QUESTION

THE CASE FOR COMMODITIES

Commodities offer great potential to become a separate asset class for savvy investors and should be considered if you are an experienced equity investor looking for a hedging tool

DEVELOP THESE BEST FINANCIAL HABITS

Working on your finances can be a long-drawn process, but taking it one step at a time, and developing better money habits will help you get a handle on it and build a better future for yourself

NITISH PLAYS UNIFIER

The Bihar chief minister has set himself the task of aligning opposition parties against the BJP for the 2024 general election. Not only does it mean bringing diverse regional forces together, but also getting the Congress to scale down its ambitions wherever needed

MAKING A PAWAR POINT

TOP NCP LEADERS DENY ANY REALIGNMENT WITH THE BJP, BUT THEIR RECENT MOVES SUGGEST THEY ARE KEEPING THEIR OPTIONS OPEN IN CASE OF A POLITICAL EXIGENCY

Check Or Curb?

On April 6, the Union government issued notifications regarding amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, related to online gaming and spread of false and misleading information regarding the government.

Editing History

Selective deletions of significant passages in textbooks on Indian history in the name of rationalisation of school curricula once again stoke fears of the politicisation of education

THOSE WERE THE DAYS

A celebration of the golden era of Hindi cinema, Vikramaditya Motwane's Jubilee is much more than a trip down memory lane

PLAYING THE NETA

AS ELECTION SEASON DRAWS NEAR, CINEMA BECOMES A VEHICLE TO SHOWCASE POLITICAL ICONS AS EITHER HEROES OR VILLAINS

SPARKLING REVOLUTION

A CHEAPER, GREENER ALTERNATIVE TO MINED DIAMONDS, THE LAB GROWN DIAMOND IS EXCITING DIAMANTAIRES ACROSS THE WORLD AND IN INDIA. GOVERNMENT PUSH AND THE ENTRY OF NEW PLAYERS OPEN UP A e BRIGHT UNIVERSE OF PROFITABLE OPPORTUNITY

CLASH OF AMBITIONS

THE CONGRESS SEES A WINNING CHANCE IF IT PLAYS ITS CARDS RIGHT, BUT THE COMPETING CHIEF MINISTERIAL DREAMS OF SIDDARAMAIAH AND D.K. SHIVAKUMAR COULD TURN SPOILSPORT