CATEGORIES

FEMALE FORCE

THE BIHAR GOVERNMENT’S DECISION TO INCREASE WOMEN’S RESERVATION IN ALL GOVERNMENT JOBS TO 35 PER CENT HAS PROVEN TO BE A GAME-CHANGER FOR THE STATE POLICE FORCE

CHANDY BACK IN THE SADDLE

The former Kerala CM’s entry has revitalised the Congress poll campaign

A MODERATE FOR 2022

On March 10, Tirath Singh Rawat was sworn in as the ninth chief minister of Uttarakhand. The MP from the Pauri-Garhwal Lok Sabha seat replaced Trivendra Singh Rawat, who resigned on March 8.

BRACING FOR ELECTORAL WAR

On the face of it, the Assam assembly election is a three-sided contest, but there is more to it than meets the eye

A JOB ON ITS HANDS

A week before the Haryana assembly reconvened for the budget session, state governor Satyadev Narayan Arya finally gave his consent to the Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Bill, 2020, providing 75 per cent reservation in private sector jobs to the state’s residents. However, some clauses of the new law, such as the one that prohibits companies from hiring more than 10 per cent of their staff from a single district, has already kicked up a controversy and caused much concern.

Battle For Tamil Nadu: Welfare Street

Chief Minister EPS goes for a saturation strategy of sops to win another term

The Days Of Caste Politics Are Over

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar is once again at the receiving end of Jat anger, this time over the Centre’s new farm laws. But in this interview with Anilesh S. Mahajan, he sounds resolutely focused on governance issues rather than electoral imperatives. Excerpts:

Covid Vaccine: The Drive That Needs A Push

In the 26 days after the launch of India’s vaccination programme on January 16, 700,000 people in the country were vaccinated against Covid.

Social Media / OTT Code Of Conduct: The Containment Zone

The Union government, on February 25, released guidelines for social media, digital news media and OTT (over the top) content providers, seeking to address concerns over transparency and accountability of such platforms.

MUSIC: TOO TOXIC TO BE TRUE

A new Britney Spears documentary lays bare the hypocrisy of our obsession with celebrities

THE LONELINESS OF THE GANDHIS

Staring at political oblivion and rebellion within, the Gandhis seem to be losing their grip on the party. Their future now rests on the results of the upcoming state polls

MANY BLANKS TO FILL

PRIYANKA CHOPRA JONAS’S MEMOIR BUILDS HER BRAND WHILE IGNORING HER CRAFT

SAMRUDDHI EXPRESSWAY: THE ROAD TO VALIDATION

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray is all set to gift the state its longest expressway, the Nagpur Mumbai Samruddhi Expressway, on May 1, the state’s foundation day.

MAKING ROCK MUSIC A HARD PLACE

Releasing in theatres on March 5, Rockumentary makes the storied history of rock music in India seem wholly banal

CHHATTISGARH: A SHOT AT PEACE

CAN THE STATE BE PERSUADED TO HOLD TALKS WITH MAOISTS WHEN IT FINALLY HAS THE UPPER HAND?

KCR's Backward Classes Challenge

In a last-minute rejig, Telangana chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) chose Gadwal Vijayalakshmi as the mayor of Hyderabad on February 11, and named frontrunner Mothe Srilatha Reddy as her deputy.

Will BMC Get The Control Key?

While presenting the Rs 39,039 crore budget of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for 2021-22—the largest ever in the corporation’s history and 17 per cent higher than the previous year—on February 3, commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal brought up a longstanding demand of Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.

The Temple Run

Temple- and ashram-hopping are, of course, de rigueur for BJP leaders anywhere, but the fervour and commitment are hitting new levels in the Bengal poll campaign.

THE CZAR OF SCARS

Arjun Raj Gaind’s The Anatomy of Scars is written in the first person. It starts just as the tumultuous events of 1984 roll out—Operation Blue Star, Indira Gandhi’s assassination and the mindless horror of the anti-Sikh riots. The protagonist is a young Sikh boy. We witness those heart-searing events through his eyes, then follow him through the years of his own personal tumult. The author speaks to India today:

God Save This Queen

There is very little that redeems Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s latest historical novel

Who Is An Enemy Of The State?

Ordinary citizens face the peril of draconian laws increasingly invoked by the state to stifle dissent

THE OTT GENERATION

OTT PLATFORMS HAVE SHOWCASED FRESH TALENT AND OFFERED NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO A LARGE CAST OF ACTORS WHO HAD BEEN WAITING IN THE WINGS

THE NEED FOR SPEED

Calls for roping in the private sector grow as India’s Covid vaccination drive—being extended to senior citizens in March—runs way behind target

The Dolomite Minefield

On January 22, the Madhya Pradesh government notified an amendment to the Madhya Pradesh Minor Mineral Rules, 1996.

Detente At The Roof Of The World

After a 10-month haul, India and China have begun pulling their troops back from the brink in eastern Ladakh. How significant this is and what it does to change the situation on the ground

The Art of Collecting

Nothing adds to the thrill of discovery more than an unexpected find, especially if they find happens to be priceless pieces of art. Sotheby’s New York sale of Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art narrates an intriguing collecting story about American physicist Robert Marshak and his wife Ruth. A leading American scientist, who was part of the Manhattan Project, Robert Marshak was brought to India in the 1960s as part of a mission to create peace after the atomic bomb.

OPENING SCENES

Debashree Mukherjee tells the story of how the Hindi film industry came of age in pre-independent India

Bringing Horror Home

Sonia Faleiro’s new book is thorough in its reporting and often harrowing in its effect

Shot In Their Arms

Should forest guards be armed with lethal weapons? Sporadic attacks on foresters prompt a reassessment of inconsistent regional regulations

Is The Worst Over?

The covid graph may be falling and the vaccines are cause for cheer. But given the threat of a fresh wave of infections and the emergence of new more virulent strains, the pandemic is still with us