CATEGORIES

Inglorious Miners

The rat-hole miners involved in the Uttarakhand rescue operations are well aware that soon they will fade from people's memories and will have no option but to go back crawling inside dark tunnels

Rethinking Development in the Himalayas

Several reports published around the UN climate change conference, COP28, warn that the threats to the Himalayas from climate change are more direct and immediate

Saving Languages

Many threatened languages in the country might become critically endangered in the near future. A few from some tribal communities, especially women, are doing their bit to preserve and document their mother tongues

Painful Silence

Palestinian women have had to suffer the adverse impacts of war, while living within a deeply conservative and patriarchal society

Lopsided Language

Coverage of the Israel-Palestine war raises the larger question of bias in media representations

UNPROMISED AND PROMISED

Calls for a Greater Israel are gaining currency since the Hamas attack. But any move to do so would only lead to a wider regional war

Science of Electioneering

Unmasking the factors the BJP has used in every election since Modi became the supremo

END OF AN ERA?

A resurgent BJP may have hurt the Congress, but it has also belittled the importance of regional and smaller parties in national politics

A WELFARIST TURN?

In the recent state elections, political parties went all out to woo voters with welfare schemes. The verdicts, however, prove that populist policies sans good governance won't necessarily bring electoral dividends

BUCKING THE TREND

Madhya Pradesh will be a walkover for the Congress. Chhattisgarh will be tougher.

Ayodhya: Many Cities, Many Histories

ONCE simply a mound of land nourished by the Sarayu River and smaller streams, Ayodhya has seen its fate change repeatedly.

Shades of Justice

Two women—one black, the other white—are under trial in the films Saint-Omer and Anatomy of a Fall

Golden Lessons in Zen

You don't travel to Japan. Japan travels to you

Rekindling Hope

The Supreme Court verdict in the Bilkis Bano case that rescinded the remission of 11 convicts raises hope for a democratic India

Men in the Guise of Gods

Rama faces the greatest challenge of his legacy today and it is caused by humans who consider themselves gods, accountable to no one

The Slow-burning SOUTH

The Ram Janmabhoomi movement has taken its time to seep into the southern states, but undercurrents have always existed

The Dark Mien

Hindu scriptures differ on the skin colour of Ram. Was he white, blue, bluish-grey, black or even green?

What Does Ram Mandir Mean to an Ordinary Indian?

It's a moment in history that shows that, as a country, we have faith in our institutions

Eye on Polls?

The Ram temple inauguration may certainly influence the processes and outcomes of the upcoming General Elections

A Paper City

The contemporary Ram Janmbhoomi politics that began in the 20th century can be broadly categorised into three periods1949, 1980s and post-2014

December 23, 1949: Abdul Sees Divine Ram Lalla

Global history is replete with instances where faith has overshadowed all other considerations

Ramaisation Of Indian Politics

Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram's idol in Ayodhya has transformed the political landscape.Following Hindu tradition is the new buzz in governance but its foundation was laid in 1986

'I Was Told Don't Object as Elections are Near': Joshimath Shankaracharya

Joshimath Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, who came into the limelight for his decision to not attend the consecration ceremony at Ayodhya on January 22, in an exclusive interview with Outlook, says that the religious scriptures are not being followed. He also accuses the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust secretary, Champat Rai, of dividing Hindu society in the name of sects. Excerpts:

Mapping the March

A look at a decade of the Hindu Rashtra conferences in Goa reveals which of their targets have been achieved and what remains

A Temple Triumphs

Ayodhya is all decked up, having undergone a rapid transformation in the recent past. Its residents are torn between the temple town then and now

Sheher-e-Paighambar

Muslims in Ayodhya brace for the Ram Mandir inauguration 31 years after the demolition of the Babri Masjid. Their only wish Is to be allowed to live in peace

Temple town, Tinseltown

The new Ayodhya, remodelled as a glitzy temple town, exudes celebratory spirit and promises limitless development. But a closer look reveals its contradictions and discontent

Gaza's Truth-Tellers

Thanks to the voices of intrepid young journalists in Gaza, the world now knows the stories of its people by heart

"A Fleeting Feeling of Freedom"

Mohammed Ayman, co-founder of the Free Gaza Circus, is determined to entertain Gaza's kids

"I Yearn For a Moment of Boredom of the Lady with Hearing Loss”

She is a Gaza-based poet and cultural activist, who wrote this on Facebook on December 13