Rahul Gandhi, INDIA Meet (Photo: Twitter)

India's election: Is the Congress setting the agenda with a sharp ideological positioning?

Do note that the BJP because of its sloganeering and expectation-setting has to cross its previous mark of 303 to be seen as victorious; the INDIA alliance has to pull the BJP below 272 to claim victory. Barring the possibility, extremely remote at this time, of the Congress and/or the INDIA alliance faring very poorly at these polls, what we have is a party that will shape the direction of policy in India in the days ahead. 

India's election: What the manifestos missed out

Despite learning a bitter lesson from Covid-19, our governments, whether at the state or national level, have failed to recognise the importance of ensuring trouble-free access to public health.

The unheard public voice: What democracy needs is a strong middle layer

The rich build gated communities for themselves, in which they pay for their own private services of security, and 24X7 power and water supply. They lose sight of the needs of people living outside their walls.

Neglecting the demands of Ladakhis can have bearing on India's national security

Mixing politics with national security in sensitive border regions like Manipur and Ladakh can cost us dearly. China is a rogue state with aggressive designs and well well-advanced in hybrid and conventional conflict with an expanding arsenal of nuclear weapons.

More on Perspective

Rights of the incarcerated: Plight of pre- and under-trial detainees overcrowding prisons in South Asian nations

Prisons in South Asian countries are overcrowded-- with some countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka having almost double their official capacities-- as most people spend years there as pre-trial detainees in the absence of speedy justice, according to data presented at a conference titled "The Rights of The Incarcerated in South Asia", organized by the South Asia Peace Action Network (SAPAN)

Academic Freedom in South Asia: SAI Heidelberg seminar attracts renowned scholars

Concerned by reliable reports of harassment of academics in India, the South Asia Institute (SAI), Heidelberg University, Germany hosted the webinar "Academic Freedom in South Asia" on 2 August, 2021 in which the following, internationally renowned scholars took part

The little-known Chinese Kali temple in Kolkata - a testament to cross-cultural bonding in challenging times

Kolkata is home to more than 2,000 Chinese, a close-knit community that has made the city its home for decades and arduously hung on to their culture and heritage through generations while making their mark in the tannery, beauty salons, shoe and restaurant businesses in the teeming eastern metropolis

South Asian countries scramble to vaccinate outbound workers to safeguard remittances

The pandemic has been a blow to countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan as all of them receive billions of dollars annually through remittances of migrant workers abroad

From cleaning plates to featuring on Forbes – the fairy tale rise of a Bangladeshi American

Beginning as a teenager clearing tables and plates at an eatery, 30-year-old Bangladeshi American  Nabeel Alamgir has featured on a Forbes list running an online delivery service that saw revenues grow seven times higher in 2020 despite the killer Covid-19 pandemic

The tale of the obscure takin, Bhutan’s national animal

Have you ever seen a takin? Chances are an overwhelming majority of people will meet the poser with a baffled look

An American petroleum engineer in love with his adopted home Bangladesh

If you chance to visit Meherpur – a remote village in Bangladesh – you may come across a lanky American national in local attire who has made the country his home for the past 12 years

Modi, Afghan envoy and the 'fragrance' of 'brotherly' India-Afghanistan ties

It is common for doctors and surgeons working in India’s National Capital Region to get Afghan patients

Maldives beckons India’s glamour and affluent set once more

Ending a two-month ban on travelers from South Asian nations following the surge in coronavirus infection in the region, Maldives is to open its borders to these countries from July 15

Law must be tempered by justice: CJI Ramana’s observations will restore Indians’ faith in higher judiciary

The Chief Justice of India (CJI), N.V. Ramana, struck a resounding note about the interpretation of the understanding of law per se, when he observed that “It can be used not only to render justice, it can also be used to justify oppression.”

Female genital mutilation: Controversial tweet reignites debate in the Maldives

A tweet by a university professor in the Maldives, detailing the benefits (sic) of female genital mutilation (FGM) - a regressive socio-religious practice where the clitoris of a female is removed physically for non-medical reasons-- has sparked controversy in the Indian Ocean archipelago, with many calling for banning the professor from using social media platform

Pakistan's culture wars: Liberal-conservative faceoff over PM Imran Khan's alleged sexist remarks

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, once known as a "ladies' man",  continues to draw flak over comments perceived as sexist, but party’s women leaders have sprung to his defense calling him a "symbol of women's empowerment"

Sad plight of Afghan refugee children in Pakistan

Pakistan hosts around 2.8 million Afghan refugees, the second biggest refugee population after Syrians in Turkey

Bright Bangladeshi business graduates now head multinationals, leading big brands

There was a time when multinational companies and big brands used to only employ foreign nationals to lead the organization in Bangladesh

Nepali Army Inc. - from catering to education

The Nepali Army’s foray into the education sector for running a course in agriculture for the public has drawn criticism with observers saying there has to be a line drawn on what the defense forces should and should not do