CATEGORIES

Boom in the heartland

After nearly 80 years in service, the Carl-Gustaf weapon system continues to be in demand globally. Now, the Indian infantry’s go-to weapon will be made in Haryana

NOT JUST IN THE NAME OF RAM

When voting, Ayodhya has always looked at issues beyond the temple

LURE OF FUTURE

In Varanasi, the younger generation's preference for modernity is likely to guarantee Modi's hat-trick win

RAHUL AND PRIYANKA ARE OPPOSED TO EACH OTHER

INTERVIEW - KESHAV PRASAD MAURYA, DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTER, UTTAR PRADESH

WE'RE BUILDING A NEW BHARAT; OPPOSITION CAN'T STOMACH IT

INTERVIEW - BRAJESH PATHAK, DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTER, UTTAR PRADESH

MANN IN A CORNER

In a four-cornered contest, the division of votes might work to the advantage of the Congress. It could also help the AAP, which is fighting massive anti-incumbency, save face

STILL VOTERS RUN DEEP

THE BJP IS RELYING ON MODI AND YOGI, THE SP IS TRYING TO SHED ITS OLD IMAGE, THE CONGRESS SEEMS ABSENT ON THE GROUND, AND THE BSP IS IN A BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL. THE MOST PROMINENT FEATURE OF THESE ELECTIONS, THOUGH, IS SILENCE

AS LUCKNOW WOULD HAVE IT

The Uttar Pradesh tally could trigger changes in BJP and INDIA bloc

Battle of the exes

As former spouses take on each other, Bishnupur is witnessing a personal as well as political fight

The actor and the charmer

It is a battle of two Biharis in North East Delhi, which highlights the importance of the Purvanchali vote in Delhi politics

Searching for Surjeet

Ever since the British left us to our fate, freedom and franchise, many Indians have yearned for a two-party system like the way they have it in England—a neat polity where two parties contest for power, and the loser would shadow the ruler.

Angry, Young America

Campus protests against the Gaza war continue to linger as students demand a realignment of US ties with Israel

We need to engage more with communities

Designer Aratrik Dev Varman of the label Tilla has long been a lover of history. One could comfortably call him part-aesthete, part-archeologist, for his clothes dip into vintage styles of the Kutch, Sindh, Balochistan and Afghanistan, bringing alive antique styles and crafts. Tilla, the store and atelier, are situated on a tree-lined avenue in Ahmedabad.

The great luxury slowdown

A year or so ago, if anyone had told me that Tommy Hilfiger would have stolen the show at New York’s Met Gala, I would have laughed. But it seems the end of giant luxury labels is upon us even before we expected it. The American ready-to-wear designer Tommy Hilfiger seems to have created the maximum media buzz at the 2024 Met Gala, according to several data analytics firms.

RAP BRINGS RAPTURE

How indie artistes, especially hip-hoppers, are driving the phenomenal rise of Malayalam music

Employability issues are a narrative created by the corporate world

Prof Yogesh Singh is the 23rd vice chancellor of the century-old University of Delhi (DU). An engineer with a PhD in computer engineering, Singh has an impressive track record of teaching, innovation and research in the area of software engineering. He has more than 250 publications and his book, Software Testing, published by the Cambridge University Press, is well-received internationally. In an interview with THE WEEK, Singh talks about trends in higher education in India, the challenges faced by big universities, and how to make higher education more interesting. Asked about the perception that Indian graduates are “not employable”, he reacts strongly, and emphasises the difference between training and higher education. Edited excerpts:

SERVING WITH DISTINCTION

Conceived as a university like no other, Jawaharlal Nehru University became India's best. Here is how

Mandela Effect and Liar's Dividend

The complex tapestry of AI's impact on society

The other Sabyasachi

I am Sabyasachi Mukherjee, not to be confused with my namesake, the celebrated fashion couturier, declared the venerated director-general of Mumbai’s pride, George Wittet’s Indo-Saracenic jewel, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, formerly known as the Prince of Wales Museum.

THE MANGO HUNTERS

'Naadan Maavukal' started out as a Facebook group, but what it does offline has helped conserve many indigenous varieties of mangoes

BJP LEADERS, TOO, HAVE HAD ENOUGH

Farmers’ protest has taken the centre stage in Haryana, which goes to the polls on May 25. Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is confident that the Congress, which has been out of power for 10 years, will regain its hold on the state. “People who voted for the BJP are disappointed today. It is clear that they want change,” he told THE WEEK.

BITTER HARVEST

BJP is at the receiving end of the Jat ire in Haryana; Congress is cashing in on it

TRINAMOOL FORCING WOMEN IN SANDESHKHALI TO CHANGE THEIR STATEMENTS

Sukanta Majumdar is a busy man. He is leading the BJP’s charge in the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal, where the party has targeted 30 seats. Despite falling sick the previous night, Majumdar, a botany professor at the University of Gour Banga, carried on with his scheduled morning routine.

CULTS OF PERSONALITY

It seems to be a Mamata vs Modi battle in Bengal, but the left-Congress team could have its say in some seats

Divide and win

As the final phases of the general elections draw to a close, an increasingly panicky Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started upping the ante on the question of reservations for Muslims, once again attempting to rebuild his majority by forcing a Hindu-Muslim divide.

Hemant Soren cannot think beyond his family

Former Jharkhand chief minister and president of the state unit of the BJP, Babulal Marandi, exudes confidence that his party will once again dominate the Lok Sabha polls in the state.

Popular sentiment is in favour of the INDIA bloc

A member of the old guard in the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Chief Minister Champai Soren has the difficult task of guiding the party and the coalition government in the state amid challenging circumstances.

My confidence comes from my adivasi DNA

A heat wave is sweeping across the rocky terrain of Giridih, situated in the North Chotanagpur region of Jharkhand. The mango trees outside the guest house where Kalpana Soren is staying are laden with unripe fruit, their branches swaying and swooshing, and some small mangoes fall to the ground, wrested by the winds.

A STAR IS BORN

Kalpana Soren makes an impressive political debut, but faces opposition from within the Soren family and from senior JMM leaders

THIS IS THE SMOOTHEST ELECTION FOR NAVEEN PATNAIK

Naveen Patnaik has been an enigma in Indian politics, consistently winning elections with ease. His bid for a record sixth term is led by his trusted aide V.K. Pandian, who left his job as an IAS officer to enter politics. The 49-year-old is originally from Tamil Nadu, but has adopted Odisha as his karmabhoomi. He is fluent in Odia, a Jagannath devotee and is even called Odisha’s son-inlaw because he married an Odia IAS officer.