CATEGORIES

AATMANIRBHAR AMBITIONS

As India targets developed nation status by 2047, making nutritious food evenly available for its projected 1.66 billion population will be pivotal. We presently produce 300 million tonnes (MT) of foodgrains, while demand is estimated to reach 345 MT by 2030. The country leads the world in production of milk, spices, pulses, tea, cashew and jute, and ranks second in rice, wheat, oilseeds, fruits, vegetables, sugarcane and cotton. Despite this, crop productivity lags, necessitating food imports. That needs to change, and India hopes to do it with tech, policy reforms and climate-aligned agriculture. It also has to eliminate food wastage, presently a staggering 68.7 MT per year

BUSINESS REIMAGINED

India's e-commerce market, projected to touch Rs 12 lakh crore by 2026, is rapidly evolving to become more immediate, seamless and personalised. Contactless payments allow checkout with just a tap, drones can deliver packages in minutes rather than days. Open banking and real-time payments complete this bouquet of innovations that promise a future of nearly instant, customised transactions

WINNING OUR WINGS

Though several high-profile acquisition of weapons platforms have made headlines, the Indian defence industry, aided by the government's Make in India push, has taken giant strides towards self-reliance. Manufacture of jet engines for the indigenous Tejas LCA Mk 2, the thriving Indian drone industry and the nation's cybersecurity efforts are three crucial areas where key innovations will take place, propelling India towards its destiny as a true military superpower

THE NEW IMATRIX

The interplay of humans, machines and data in the wireless communications technologies of the future will change life as we know it. The satellite internet is already emerging as an alternative for communication and broadband services even in the remotest areas. And there will be no potential spectrum crunch if Light Fidelity (LiFi), which harnesses the power of LED light to transmit data, holds up to its promise

AQUANTUM LEAP

Cutting-edge technologies are harnessing advancements in quantuin mechanics, neural networks, nanomaterials and such. Together, they point to a future of superfast, highly-intelligent computing systems that will transform multiple fields, from transportation and communications to medicine and home appliances. In India, the growth is being driven by high-tech industries and start-ups applying these emerging technologies, and government initiatives to build capabilities in quantum computing, Al and semiconductor manufacturing

FIRST-WORLD COUNTRY

What it will take for India to get there by 2047

How Well Will You Be Tomorrow?

Al-powered diagnostics is changing the landscape of healthcare in India, with a new emphasis on disease prediction and lifestyle interventions rather than post facto cure

DAUGHTER OF THE SOIL

A vocal climate warrior, actor Bhumi Pednekar talks about sustainability and venturing into the hospitality sector in Goa

GAMES VILLAGES PLAY

The ongoing Chhattisgarhiya Olympics are a celebration of traditional Indian games

The Sound of Silence

Sundar Sarukkai's Following a Prayer tackles some fundamental philosophical questions

WEATHERING THE STORM

Peter Frankopan’s book brings a genuinely global perspective to climate change and how it has shaped the course of world history

TELLING TALES

Indrani Mukerjea presents her side of the story in this no-holds-barred (well, almost) memoir

THE BANDIT KING

A Netflix documentary on sandalwood smuggler Veerappan throws light on his fascinating life-—and death

SINGH is BLING

Ranveer Singh is back at his sartorial best in Rocky Aur Rani KiiPrem Kahaani

City of Light and Dark

Beneath the swagger of Koel Purie Rinchet's impressive debut novel lies a serious story

Return to the Runway

The OG of Indian fashion, Ritu Kumar, showed at India Couture Week 2023, reiterating a five-decadelong commitment to Indian craft and textiles

KINGS OF THE CONSOLE

THOUSANDS OF INDIAN YOUTH ARE ANSWERING THE SEDUCTIVE CALL OF COMPETITIVE ESPORTS. INDIA'S 15-MEMBER ESPORTS CONTINGENT AT THE ASIAN GAMES IS IN THE VANGUARD

HILLTOWN'S DILEMMA

Motor vehicle-free since its inception, this quaint hill town is now mulling e-rickshaws on its roads. Locals are torn between ease of commute and preserving Matheran’s ethos

INDIA'S BIG FINTECH BET

GIFT City in Gujarat, one of PM Modi's dream projects, is eliciting interest from industry giants. But can it emerge as an alternative to global financial hubs?

STRENGTH IN UNITY

India is on the threshold of its most significant military reform to date as it advances towards theatrisation of its armed forces for optimal resource utilisation, jointness and operational efficiency

A TOWNSHIP ON THE GO

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath lavishes funds and attention on his hometown Gorakhpur, setting it on a path of rapid progress with an infrastructural and development push

WELFARE STATE

Amidst a pre-election frenzy of welfare schemes and freebies, the Gehlot regime also enacts a couple of first-in-India bills

A HISTORY OF PANDEMICS

What comes to mind when we hear ‘cholera’? Why is cholera still a problem in the world today? The Bay of Bengal has the dubious distinction of housing on its shores the only populations in the world where the disease has been endemic (‘in the people’) for centuries.

WANTED NO MORE

On July 18, the same day as over two dozen constituents of the national Opposition front came together in Bengaluru for their second conclave, Rajesh Ranjan, alias Pappu Yadav, one of the most popular don-turned-politicians in Bihar and five-term Lok Sabha MP, was dejectedly addressing a press conference in Patna to express hurt over not being invited to the meeting.

KASHMIR GETS AN ETHNIC TWIST

A bill introduced by the Union government in the Lok Sabha on July 26 has ignited a fire of ethnic anger in the mountainous regions of Jammu and Kashmir.

THE LAW ISN'T FOR BREAKING

Astern judicial veto from the Punjab & Haryana High Court has put a question mark on the legality of punitive demolitions of homes and other structures by bulldozers.

MONSOON FISSION

On August 7, delivering his maiden speech since becoming a BJP-nominated Rajya Sabha member in 2020, former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi uttered words that are likely to be remembered for who said them, as well as what was said.

The Politics Of A Uniform Civil Code

The BJP stirs the political pot by raising the prospect of a divisive legal reform as polls approach, sparking debate and some apprehension

Carbon Dating The Faith

After months of silence, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath set the cat among the pigeons with his comments on the Gyanvapi mosque, which abuts the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi.

United in Art

The Bihar Museum Biennale is back for an ambitious second edition