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BHARAT JODO YATRA: IS IT MAKING A DIFFERENCE?

THE COUNTRYWIDE WALKATHON GIVES RAHUL GANDHI AN IMAGE MAKEOVER, BUT THE CONGRESS NEEDS A TOTAL REVAMP TO REAP ITS POLITICAL DIVIDENDS

AIMING FOR INDEPENDENCE

The outcome of wars has been influenced by artillery for centuries. It retains its importance on the battlefield, as the conflict in Ukraine shows. Despite Indian artillery proving its mettle in the 1999 Kargil war, the Indian military has been short of firepower for over three decades. Corruption allegations over the procurement of the Bofors guns certainly had a paralysing effect on the modernisation of Indian artillery. But, finally, things seem to be back on track, as the army actively looks at adding more modern firepower to its artillery regiments. The focus is now on procuring these long-distance destroyers through the Make in India route.

NOTES FROM A SPYMASTER

Amarjit Singh Dulat's A Life in the Shadows: A Memoir is only in part about his life. He does discuss his career in the Intelligence Bureau (IB), then as head of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) and, finally, post-retirement, as advisor on Jammu & Kashmir in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) till May 2004, when the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-I demitted office. He also goes into his family background, early life, school and college, and joining the Indian Police Service. But the meat of the book is Kashmir. This is what holds the author's greatest attention and he talks about his assessments of the role of the intelligence community in dealing with what happens to be India's most intractable internal security challenge with all its external ramifications in some detail.

FENCING MATCH

In the first fiat of the new year, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy banned road shows across the state-a move observers feel is targeted at stifling a resurgent Telugu Desam Party (TDP), its main rival in the state. The restrictions came after the death of 11 people in stampedes at two TDP rallies in Nellore and Guntur districts on December 28 and January 1, respectively. TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu had opted to lie low following the party's defeat in the 2019 assembly election. It's only in the latter half of 2022 that he became active again, and the two incidents, while tragic, also pointed to the kind of traction he was getting.

SKIRTING BEYOND THE BORDERS

The storm over Belagavi has somewhat receded after a scrappy, acrimonious December. But local authorities in the city that's at the centre of a long-festering border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka haven't let down their guard. Earlier this week, they barred Maharashtra MP Dhairyasheel Mane from entering Belagavi, wary of letting things flare up again.

COUNTING CASTE

A running joke among the more cynical observers of Maharashtra politics is that if the numbers of every caste and social group as claimed by caste-based organisations are added up, the state's population may exceed its present figure of around 125 million several times over.

THE DEMANDS PILE UP

As you touch National Highway 5 upon leaving Punjab's largest town, Ludhiana, the lush green fields of wheat, covered with a thick blanket of fog in peak winters, continue to travel with you. Along the way, at regular intervals, the sweet aroma of sugarcane juice being boiled to prepare jaggery in makeshift units on the roadside-keeps you company.

Learn From The Lessons The Pandemic Taught Us

The Global Scientific And Public Health Community Must Work Together, Taking A Holistic View Of Health. For, The Question Is Not If, But When, Another Pandemic Will Occur

Don't Lose Sight Of Blockchain

Cryptocurrencies may have lost their sheen in 2022, but the blockchain technology that powers them still holds a lot of potential for our future

Can India Be The Vishwaguru?

War and peace result from political choices. As the Ukraine war inches towards a year, here are three possible scenarios of its future course

Tribal Vs Tribal

South Chhattisgarh, often in the news for Left-wing extremism linked violence, has been rocked by a series of communal incidents in the past three weeks.

PITFALLS OF THE DIGITAL BATTLEGROUND

THE WORLD'S MOST POPULOUS NATION IN 2023 IS ONLINE. DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE, ALONG WITH SMARTPHONES, MOBILE PAYMENTS AND AADHAAR WILL MAKE SERVICES MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR CITIZENS BUT RAISE THEIR VULNERABILITY TO CYBER ATTACKS, DATA THEFT, ONLINE CRIME AND INTERNET SHUTDOWNS

MODI'S BIG ELECTORAL HURDLES

FOR THE PRIME MINISTER AND THE BJP, THE NINE STATE ELECTIONS WILL BE THE SEMIFINALS FOR THE 2024 GENERAL ELECTION; FOR THE CONGRESS, ITS LAST CHANCE TO REVIVE

OPPORTUNITIES DESPITE THE TURMOIL

THOUGH US HAS NOT PUSHED BACK RESOLUTELY ON INDIA'S POLICY ON THE UKRAINE WAR BECAUSE OF CONVERGENT INTERESTS ON CHINA, ITS DISCOMFORT IS ALL TOO REAL

INDIA CAN EMERGE AS A THIRD POLE

THE DAYS OF A UNIPOLAR WORLD ORDER ARE OVER, AND WE ARE ON THE CUSP OF A GENUINELY MULTILATERAL ONE. INDIA HAS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO PROJECT ITSELF AS A TRULY INDEPENDENT GLOBAL POWER

THE GREAT WALL OF CHINESE ANTAGONISM

INDIA MUST FACE UP TO CHINA'S UNABATED HOSTILITY TOWARDS IT. FACTS SUGGEST XI JINPING HAS MADE A CHOICE AND IS PLANNING FURTHER MILITARY OPERATIONS AGAINST INDIA

THREE CHALLENGES AND AN OPPORTUNITY

IN A WORLD IN TRANSITION, INDIA HAS THE CHANCE TO RESHAPE AN ORDER MORE FAVOURABLE TO ITS ASPIRATIONS THAN THE PREVIOUS ONES

STRIKING THE RIGHT NOTES

Tabla maestro Bickram Ghosh on receiving the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, his fusion music and movie scores

Coming Into His Own

For H.S. Prannoy, 2022 was a standout year. Going ahead, the World No. 8 shuttler eyes more podium finishes

DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW

Against all odds, Bhavani T.N. is scripting history for India and herself in cross-country skiing

HIGH GROWTH WILL BE A TOUGH ASK

INDIA'S GROWTH IN FY23-24 WILL SLOW AND THE TEMPTATION TO EASE FISCAL AND MONETARY POLICIES IN RESPONSE WILL BE HIGH. BUT GOOD MACRO MANAGEMENT REQUIRES KNOWING WHEN TO SAY NO

A Tragedy Retold

Prashant Nair's latest Netflix series, Trial By Fire, is a bold recap of the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire and a grieving couple's struggle for justice

LABOUR OF LOVE

Devashish Makhija's Joram, which premieres at the International Film Festival Rotterdam this year and stars Manoj Bajpayee, is a culmination of years of commitment and patience

MAKEOVER OF THE MANDAL CITADEL

On January 5, when Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge kickstarted the Bihar version of the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Banka, the man who arranged the logistics, and then walked beside him, was state party president Akhilesh Prasad Singh.

HOW 2023 COULD BE THE YEAR OF THE EV

THE POTENTIAL FOR GROWTH IN THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE SEGMENT IS MINDBOGGLING. BUT THE REVOLUTION IS CONFINED TO TWO-WHEELERS FOR NOW

Anatomy of a Crime

Nilanjana Roy's new book is more than a crime saga-it pushes readers to know the characters intimately and without judgement

THE GREAT INDIAN THRILLER

Deepti Kapoor's new book snakes through Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Goa, weaving a heady tale that is already slated for a visual adaptation

THE DALIT OUTREACH

Desperate times, they say, call for desperate measures. With the upcoming civic elections becoming a prestige fight and deemed the penultimate battle before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the two rival Shiv Sena factions are outdoing each other to woo Dalit groups.

THE NEW MECCA OF HOCKEY

LED BY CHIEF MINISTER NAVEEN PATNAIK, ODISHA IS NOW THE NERVE CENTRE OF INDIAN HOCKEY. AS THE MEN’S WORLD CUP KICKS OFF IN BHUBANESWAR AND ROURKELA, A LOOK AT SUNDARGARH DISTRICT REVEALS THE DEPTHS OF PASSION THAT THE GAME SUMMONS UP

WHY INDIA SHOULD LEAD BY EXAMPLE, NOT EXHORTATION

INDIA CANNOT BRING ABOUT A CHANGE OVERNIGHT, BUT IT CAN REORIENT ITS DEVELOPMENT ON AN ECOLOGICALLY MORE SUSTAINABLE PATH VIA A LONG-TERM STRATEGY WITH CLEAR INTERMEDIATE MILESTONES