CATEGORIES

A PUZZLING PATCH-UP

It is an anti-climax for Sachin Pilot's supporters. In a surprise turn of events, the rebel Congress leader from Rajasthan has backed down from his long confrontation with his arch nemesis, chief minister Ashok Gehlot. Until as early as May, Pilot had charged up his supporters with his Ajmer-Jaipur yatra against the Gehlot regime. He had even threatened to launch a state-wide agitation if his demands were not met.

IMPASSE IN MANIPUR

It has been more than two months since ethnic clashes first erupted in Manipur. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governments-both at the Centre and in the northeastern state-have drawn flak for the violence that has already claimed nearly 150 lives and shown no immediate signs of abating.

Rainy Day Holidays

For some of us, when the heavens roar, the spirits soar. Even if you're not a pluviophile, you'll love exploring these special spots, where the rain is a particularly potent pleasure. Here's our pick of the 10 most magnificent destinations to discover this monsoon!

PENMAN'S PARADISE

The sleepy Kumaoni village of Ramgarh is the perfect writer's retreat

SYSTEM FAILURE

The hiring scam unearthed at India’s top IT employer, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), has delivered a jolt not only to the parent Tata Group but also to the sector at large, and is likely to make tech firms take a hard look at their hiring processes and put better systems in place.

A CAN-DO SPIRIT IN THE DECCAN

It has taken almost a decade for the Congress to recover from the mystifying coma it went into ever since Telangana was born. Although its ground presence was so entrenched and pervasive that it had never really vanished, a strange defeatism seemed to afflict it.

A STILLBORN MOVE

First came the step into the grey zone, then the hurried backtracking. On June 29 evening, Tamil Nadu governor R.N. Ravi dismissed the corruption-tainted V. Senthil Balaji—presently under judicial custody—from the state council of ministers.

A Shot in the Arm

On June 28, Chandrashekhar Azad, the Bhim Army chief and national president of the Azad Samaj Party (ASP), was visiting Deoband in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district when four assailants in a car opened fire on his sports utility vehicle. Providence was on his side. One of the bullets just grazed past his abdomen, and he was out of the hospital the very next day.

Mamata's Best Foot Forward

As expected, an orgiastic bout of violence gripped rural West Bengal over the filing of nominations for the three-tier panchayat polls. The nomination process for around 74,000 seats began on June 9, the last date of filing papers was June 15—six days given over to arson, rampant use of bombs and bloodshed.

THE FAULT LINES OF SAURASHTRA

The topography of the arid peninsula of Saurashtra has metamorphosed into lush green in the past two decades. Thanks to good monsoons resulting in healthy agriculture and forest cover.

SHOTGUN WEDDINGS

On May 30, Bhojpuri singer Nisha Updhyaya was in the middle of her performance at a social gathering in Bihar’s Bhojpur district, when a gunshot fired by an exuberant reveller pierced her left leg. The singer collapsed on the stage.

THE BJP'S BIG PAWAR PUNCH

WITH AN EYE ON THE 2024 GENERAL ELECTION, THE SAFFRON PARTY SPLITS THE NCP TO STRENGTHEN THE RULING COALITION, REDUCE EKNATH SHINDE'S CLOUT AND WEAKEN OPPOSITION FORMATIONS AT THE STATE AND NATIONAL LEVEL

Water Baby

Actor Rakul Preet Singh loves being with people on her holidays. As for destinations, the more exotic the better

SUN, SAND AND SMORGASBORD

How did Goa transform into the foodie capital of India and what culinary delights does it offer to the visitor?

WHOSE GANDHI IS IT ANYWAY

A fight erupts over the control of two institutions representative of the Mahatma's legacy-the Sabarmati Ashram and the Gujarat Vidyapith. Can the interested parties rise above petty politics and work towards preserving all that Bapu stood for?

BAGHEL BLOWS THE BUGLE

The Chhattisgarh chief minister works towards a second term by sinking differences and using a mix of farm sector initiatives, soft Hindutva, cow and caste politics to get the voters on his side

THE NEW EXODUS

WHY RECORD NUMBERS OF INDIAN STUDENTS ARE HEADING TO INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITIES

Why Are Our Choppers Crashing?

A long history of mishaps, ageing machines and poor maintenance, not to mention a dire need for more machines, explain why a series of the indigenous Advanced Light Helicopters have gone down

Friend's In Need

The Promise And The Pitfalls Of The Quantum Leap In Indo-US Ties

Annotating History

A return to roots is entirely natural for a provenance-focused brand such as Breguet.

IF LOOKS COULD KILL

With a staggering number of customisation options, the new Range Rover SV is absolute extravagance. We got an exclusive first drive.

The Classic Contemporary

Redone, relooked and revisited, from channapatna room dividers to chikankari curtains, heritage crafts in a modern avatar, are ruling the global marketplace.

QUESTION OF ANSWERS

With nearly four decades in quizzing, Siddhartha Basu, the 'father of Indian TV quizzing', is back with Quizzer of the Year on SonyLIV

FOR THE LOVE OF BIRDS

Aasheesh Pittie has penned an ode to birdwatching peppered with wit and wisdom

Dog Days

MEENAKSHI REDDY MADHAVAN'S SOFT ANIMAL IS ABOUT LOVE OR THE LACK OF IT-IN THE TIME OF COVID

NO PLACE CALLED HOME

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BELONG TO A NATION IN EXILE? A COLLECTION OF TIBETAN ESSAYS EDITED BY TENZIN DICKIE TRIES TO ADDRESS THE QUESTION

The Maze Runner

Krishnagopal Mallick's Bengali queer writing finds a new lease of life in translation

COURTESAN TALES

Two recent books focus on the life histories of courtesan performers

Laughter Therapy

Standup comedian Aravind SA is on tour with his third special, We Need to Talk

MAN OF MANY PARTS

Bengali cinema superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee seeks a national audience for his craft-but at his pace and on his terms