CATEGORIES

STREAMS OF CONSCIOUSNESS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi turns 70 this month with a new book. Letters to Mother is a flashback 34 years to 1986, when Modi had not established himself in the hurly-burly of mainstream politics. As an RSS pracharak, he began jotting down his innermost thoughts “when the pressures became insurmountable’’. Every night before going to bed, he would share his hopes, aspirations and fears as letters to jagat janani, or the mother goddess. Every few months, he “systematically tore up all the pages and threw them into a bonfire”. A friend’s intervention, “emphasising the importance of documentation”, ensured that Modi kept the notes. In 2014, some of them were published in Gujarati as Saakshi Bhaav. The English translation, Letters to Mother, has now been released by HarperCollins India. This is Modi’s third book. His first—A Journey, a book of poems translated into English—was published in 2014. “All of us are entitled to self-expression,” writes Modi, “and that is exactly what I have done.”

Shooting from the lip

MANI-FESTO

Heights of tension

The scramble for tactical advantage and reports of warning shots being fired indicate that the India-China stand-offis entering a more dangerous phase

SPACED OUT

While other space agencies have busy schedules, ISRO’s launches, including Gaganyaan, slip into 2021

Gold rush

How Vidit Gujrathi captained India to victory in the first-ever online chess Olympiad

GETAWAY FIX

Why drive-in theatres, in vogue now, will always be fleetingly cool

Bigger fish to fry

Investigators hope to bust larger drug networks

China Woos India's Neighbours With Aid, Business

As India’s neighbourhood gets increasingly slippery, New Delhi will have to step up its game to keep the Chinese influence and other factors at bay

Work & The Virus

In a pandemic-struck world, some jobs have faded out, while others have become hot property

TWO WORLDS COLLIDE

Fitting into the royal fold was always going to be difficult for Meghan Markle, say the authors of a new book on the royal couple

Splits wide open

The after-effects of Scindia’s entry into the BJP have muddled the bypoll campaign

Saffron onslaught

With state elections round the corner, the BJP steps up its attack on Periyar and, in turn, the DMK

Word's worth

I have been a bit bemused by the reputation I have acquired in our country for wielding difficult words, especially because most of the time I was not doing so deliberately or for effect.

STAYING ON TOP

India seizes control of unoccupied strategic heights in Ladakh to enhance its bargaining power and to force China back to talks

MALICIOUS INTENT

The China-funded study on what motivates young Nepalis to join the Indian Army is yet another attempt to target India-Nepal ties

Plasma puzzle

The popularity of plasma therapy to treat Covid-19, despite lack of evidence of its efficacy, has experts worried

Himalayan war horse

How a covert unit, comprising mostly Tibetan commandos, has become India’s frontier force against Chinese aggression

An Educational Revolution During The Pandemic

Chennai-based Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science (HITS), which has more than 7,000 students on its rolls, has been conducting online classes for its students ever since physical classes have been stopped owing to the Covid-induced restrictions.

Year of bugs

The pandemic has made surveillance tools more invasive and fearful. The government needs to urgently address privacy concerns

SUING FOR PEACE

How one lawyer is fighting the killings of black people in America

Proceeding with caution

Chennai has done well, but the death rate is still worrying

Not there yet

Kolkata could be flattening the curve, but problems remain

Man for all seasons

A fighter till his last breath, Pranab Mukherjee did not give up till he achieved his ambitious goals

HEAR THE BIRDS SING

The silence of the lockdown helped India’s birders expand the country’s birdsong database

Newer targets

Though there is a dip in cases in high-density areas, Mumbai continues to grapple with spread in other regions

Cautious optimism

With its falling mortality rate and high recovery rate, Bengaluru seems to be on the right path in taming Covid-19

GOVERNMENTS NEED TO AVOID IMPOSING ARBITRARY LOCKDOWNS

Delhi has emerged as one of the biggest success stories of Covid-containment in the past few months. As the country begins Unlock 4.0, the national capital has its own strategies of survival.

Best Indian Innovations During The Pandemic

As India works its way into the new normal, the week presents stories of resilience, ideas triumphing after floating on a thread of hope for a while, light-footed adaptations that held us in good stead—the veritable silver lining to the Covid-19 cloud hanging over all of us

Recovery In International Air Travel Slower Than Expected

David Lim has been overseeing India operations for Singapore Airlines since April 2016.

Startup, shake up

These young entrepreneurs have twisted and tweaked their business ideas to suit Covid-19-influenced lifestyles