CATEGORIES

REIMAGINING PROVOCATION

DELHI RIOTS INVESTIGATION

FARMERS' MARKET

THREE HOTLY CONTESTED AGRICULTURE SECTOR BILLS, WITH FAR-REACHING CONSEQUENCES FOR FARMERS, ARE IN PARLIAMENT. WHY FARMER GROUPS ARE WORRIED

Covid-19: The New Battlefields

In its villages, where cases are on a sharp upswing, India’s battle against the pandemic is on a wing and a prayer, given the desperately inadequate public health infrastructure in the hinterland

Mumbai Gets A Green Reprieve

Aarey Milk Colony

BORDER BRINKMANSHIP

AN INDIAN ARMY COUNTER-MOVE SURPRISES THE CHINESE ARMY IN EASTERN LADAKH BUT THE TENSE SITUATION BRINGS BOTH SIDES CLOSER THAN EVER TO A MILITARY CLASH. IN CHUSHUL LIES THE KEY TO EITHER RESOLVING THE BORDER DEADLOCK OR EXPANDING THE THEATRE OF CONFLICT

The Best finish Last

From the finest to the most famed, here is India’s favourite selection of the top ten cigar brands available in the country.

PRINCE OF TRINAMOOL

MAMATA’S NEPHEW ABHISHEK BANERJEE HAS TIGHTENED HIS GRIP ON THE PARTY, AND IS EFFECTIVELY THE STRATEGIC HQ OF THE TRINAMOOL CONGRESS FOR THE BIG ELECTION BATTLE OF 2021

RELENTLESS RANAUT

KANGANA RANAUT’S VITRIOLIC CRUSADE FOR ‘JUSTICE’ SHIFTS AIM FROM BOLLYWOOD TO THE MAHARASHTRA GOVERNMENT. WITH SO MANY ENEMIES, SHE MAY EVEN HAVE AN ARGUMENT FOR THE OSTENTATIOUS Y+ SECURITY

THE DUBIOUS HIGHS OF TINSELTOWN

Sushant Singh Rajput’s death has opened a Pandora’s box for Bollywood. The NCB is likely to launch a crackdown on the industry’s drug nexus soon

History's Treasure Trove

From the undiscovered travelling trunks of a princess to the catwalks of couture, bespoke, limited-edition sarees are the new rage.

CHANGING TRACKS

A CASH-STRAPPED RAILWAYS RESTRUCTURES ITS BOARD AND EYES PRIVATE CAPITAL TO REVIVE ITS FORTUNES. ITS TURNAROUND, THOUGH, WILL REQUIRE FAST-PACED AND CONTINUING REFORMS

A DRASTIC OVERHAUL

On September 7, the Tela­ngana government annou­nced a suspension of land registration services in the state, with immediate effect.

Making The Cut - The Shadow King

The four novels by Black writers on the Booker longlist that deserve a spot in the shortlist

BOOKS Of Mothers and Melancholia

With her novel on the Booker Prize longlist, Avni Doshi is finding the wider readership she deserves

The Measure Of A Lockdown

In responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, India imposed one of the most stringent lockdowns anywhere in the world, beginning March 25. “Jaan hai to jahaan hai (life before anything else),” Prime Minister Narendra Modi famously said, rationalizing the total lockdown. But the economy, which was already in the midst of a slowdown, paid a very heavy price. Much has been said and written on the economic consequences of the controversial decision, and now the GDP data for the April-June quarter shows the full extent of the damage caused—the economy shrank 23.9 per cent in that period. The manufacturing sector collapsed by 39.3 per cent, while construction activity fell by 50.3 per cent. The trade, hotels, transport, and communications sector shrank by 47 per cent, with investment activity declining by 47.1 per cent. However, government consumption expenditure grew by 16.4 per cent.

The Future Of Indian Retail

For several years, Kishore Biyani, the 59-year-old founder and CEO of the Future Group, would just brush aside the idea that e-commerce was any kind of threat to India’s traditional brick-and-mortar retail business. Credited with pioneering organized retail in the country, he was a firm believer in the Indian shopper’s preference for the touch-and-feel experience of physical shopping. For years, Biyani seemed to be right, at least going by the scenes at his Big Bazaar stores, where people jostled for space on mega sale days. A three-decade veteran in modern retail, Biyani kept expanding his store count, taking the number to 1,800 across formats—apparel, lifestyle, and groceries. Flush with funds from banks, he also acquired as many as six companies in the past seven years to expand his reach. However, this did strain the Future Group’s finances—on sales of Rs 26,000 crore, his company’s debt ballooned to Rs 13,000 crore. When the pandemic set in and the lockdown abruptly halted business, he was pushed closer to defaulting on his loans. The absence of an e-commerce arm made matters worse.

THE TIBETAN GHOST WARRIORS

INDIA WRESTS HIGH GROUND IN EASTERN LADAKH WITH SOME HELP FROM A SECRET COMMANDO FORCE

The Consensus Builder

Pranab Mukherjee’s decision to visit the RSS headquarters was not understood by many. It was an expression of faith in secularism. He believed it not to be a cloistered virtue

THE BOMBMAKER OF PULWAMA

The inside story of how the National Investigation Agency cracked a blind case and exposed how the bombmaker guided by Pakistan-based handlers was the lynchpin of the Pulwama terror strike

NAVIGATING AN UNCERTAIN WORLD

The world is changing, and fast. A turbulent phase in international relations has begun and India needs to figure out how to not only rise, but to do so optimally. In his book The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World, Union Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar analyses the challenges India faces on the world stage and offers possible solutions on how to negotiate the tough times ahead. Excerpts:

WANING SCENT OF SAFFRON

A CONGRESS-AIUDF ALLIANCE, ANTI-CAA SENTIMENT AND HIMANTA BISWA SARMA’S LONG-STANDING AMBITION MAY MAKE THE GOING TOUGH FOR BJP-AGP

PHANTOMS OF THE MIND

A complex, intelligent individual, Sushant’s life reveals the many demons that haunted him

A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS

With election just a month away, Nitish Kumar and JD(U)-BJP look the better side. Will he be chief minister fourth time in a row, or will RJD play spoiler?

A LONE RANGER'S BATTLE FOR PRIDE

The one thing that strikes you as you enter Kamal Nath’s residence-cum-office at Shyamla Hills in Bhopal is that it does not have the gloomy vibe you might expect, given that he recently lost power and the way he lost it. Congress leaders, aides, and advisors troop in through the day to meet the recently deposed Madhya Pradesh chief minister. Though the Election Commission has not announced dates, all the buzz is about the by-elections to 27 assembly segments in the state. For Nath, nearly 74, the polls will be a crucial political test that will decide whether he returns to power or spends the remaining assembly term as leader of the opposition, an office he assumed recently.

A Rescue Plan For The Republic

Making sense of Indian Democracy

I will fight, and I will win. My truth gives me strength

At the receiving end of a witchhunt, RHEA CHAKRABORTY attempts to clear her name and present her side of the story in an exclusive conversation with RAJDEEP SARDESAI, Consulting Editor, India Today TV, on aspects of her relationship with Sushant, their battle against his mental illness and his death

Cricket In The Time Of Covid

The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) gets under way in the UAE on September 19. The official schedule for the tournament had not been released at the time of going to press, but the very first match is likely to feature four-time champions Mumbai Indians and three-time winners Chennai Super Kings.

The Real Deal

Now conducted online, the ‘walks’ organised by Heritage Walk Calcutta are an antidote to hollow nostalgia

TIED UP IN KNOTS

The pandemic has put the big fat Indian wedding industry on a drastic diet

WALK THE CHOWK

Negotiation and cautious optimism mark the pedestrianisation of Chandni Chowk