CATEGORIES

THE SCALPELS ARE OUT

This novel about doctors competing against each other in a Karachi hospital is authentic but imperfect

PAST THE LANGUAGE BARRIER

Jhumpa Lahiri’s English translation of her first Italian novel is unlike the earlier books she has written

The Cost Of Lockdowns

In his address to the nation on April 20, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged states to think of lockdowns as a means of last resort.

Making The Ordinary Magnificent

Satyajit Ray would have turned 100 on May 2. Celebrating the master’s birth centenary, filmmaker Shoojit Sircar explains why he will always be Ray’s apprentice

VACCINE VAGARIES

THE NATIONAL VACCINATION DRIVE FACES SUPPLY, DISTRIBUTION AND PRICING HURDLES

SINKING DESERT SHIP

The Camel Act was meant to save Rajasthan’s state animal. Instead, it has led to dwindling numbers and despairing herders. Can the Gehlot government save the camel?

The Bolder and the Beautiful

Actors in K-dramas can be impossibly pretty, but the secret to their global success is their smart storytelling

A SHOT AT RECOVERY

Marking a major departure from its conservative liquor policy, the Rajasthan government, on April 1, issued a notification allowing bars in the state to operate microbreweries.

BACK TO THE WALL

INDIA’S 63.4 MILLION MSMEs, ALREADY BATTLING LOW DEMAND, ARE ON THE BRINK OF FORCED SHUTDOWNS THANKS TO A SECOND LABOUR EXODUS, HIGH COST OF INPUTS AND LOAN-REPAYMENT BLUES

A LOOMING CALAMITY

POOR MEDICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND LACK OF PREPAREDNESS ARE SEVERELY COMPROMISING THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID IN RURAL AND SMALL-TOWN INDIA

Whisky's Millennial Moment

From age-old tradition to new-age friends, whisky’s evolving demographic reveals why it’s time to go for gold.

The Long Shadow Of Covid

The Centre has ruled out a national lockdown to contain the second wave of Covid-19 cases, but businesses are already seeing red in many states that have imposed severe restrictions

Kumbh Mela - The Price Of Optimism

As the day of the last shahi snan (royal bath) of the Haridwar Mahakumbh Mela approaches on April 27, the crowds in Haridwar have thinned quite dramatically.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

NEHA SINHA’S FIRST BOOK IS A THOUGHTFUL COMMENTARY ON WILDLIFE, PEOPLE AND THE SPACES THEY SHARE

The Second Wave: Crisis & Containment

As the coronavirus returns in a more infectious variant, a beleaguered nation struggles to cope with the challenges and keep up its fight

HANUMAN'S ORIGINS - The Many Birthplaces of Hanuman

On April 21, on the occa­ sion of Sri Rama Navami, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), custodian of the richest Hindu shrine, unveiled “mythological, epigraphic and geographic evidence” to claim that Tirumala is the birth­ place of the Hindu god Hanuman.

TIME TO REASSESS

With class 10 & 12 board examinations either cancelled or postponed, anxious students, parents and teachers look to the various education boards for a roadmap

Grapevine Buzz

All that you needed to know about wines as well as the best wines suited for the Indian palate, climate and food.

DREAD AND DESPAIR

Health services across states are on the verge of a breakdown. Patients are struggling to get hospital beds, Covid test reports are delayed by days and there is an acute scarcity of oxygen and vital drugs

THE LONE WARRIOR

The Gandhi statue on Mayo Road has been one of the preferred protest sites in Kolkata for political parties and civil society groups.

NIGHT WITHOUT END

Their mass exodus last year fol low i ng the loc kdow n opened ou r eyes to th is invisible workforce. Has their plight improved since?

Game On

Five key trends that are likely to shape the e-gaming industry in 2021

A SIMMERING SUMMER STANDOFF

More than two months after hundreds of Indian and Chinese soldiers, tanks and vehicles pulled back from the northern and southern banks of the Pangong Tso and the Kailash Range, an attenuated standoff looks set to continue through the summer.

SMELLS GOOD

Big or small, soy or paraffin wax, rose or vanilla scents, candles have been a favourite for years. Now they are getting renewed attention as home fragrances. We take a look at top candle makers.

Kitchen Qissas

Only some of the courses in this anthology of food writing satisfy the appetite

A Better Deal For Farmers?

Faced with pressure from the Centre, Punjab is moving towards direct benefit transfer (DBT) to farmers for grain procured for the national granary this season.

Covid-19 - The Vaccine Crisis

India’s optimistic vaccine strategy seems to have been exposed by a deadly second wave of covid. What went wrong and how to get it back on track

WHY THE HILLS ARE BURNING

In the first week of April, India hosted US special presidential envoy for climate, John Kerry, in New Delhi as a precursor to the Leaders’ Summit with President Joe Biden later this month and COP-26 (the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference) in November.

WE NEED TO FIX THE MISTAKES WE HAVE MADE. EVERY NATION MUST RAISE ITS AMBITION TO DEAL WITH THE CLIMATE CRISIS

Among the first things the Joe Biden administration did when it took charge this January was to rejoin the 2015 Paris Agreement, which his predecessor Donald Trump exited in June 2017, barely six months into his term as US president. President Biden is holding a climate summit on April 22 in which he hopes to get the heads of state of key emitting nations, including India, to commit to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate JOHN KERRY was in India last week and spoke exclusively to Group Editorial Director (Publishing) RAJ CHENGAPPA on the outcome. Excerpts:

TIME TO SAY TATA

With Cyrus Mistry losing the legal battle against the Tatas, all eyes are now on the drama of the separation—how the SP Group will restructure its debt and how the Tatas will buy out the Mistrys’ stake