Representational Photo

India Needs A Strong Political Culture That Upholds Democratic Values

It may be argued that invoking the Bhutanese king’s principled stance as a reference point for a country as vast and diverse as India is deeply flawed—or, at best, a theoretical abstraction. Yet the fact remains: the ethos of good governance knows no geographical boundaries. If the highest leadership of a small, landlocked nation with limited resources could believe in, and strive towards, such ideals, why should our country fall short of visionary leadership, especially when it is far larger and endowed with greater capacities, opportunities, and strategic advantages?

India Needs To Get Real With The US and China

In this backdrop, opening up India fully to Chinese, including inviting the Chinese delegations, is akin to arranging visits of KFC owners to poultry farms! The hubris that this was to familiarize two big political parties and two economic powers with each other must have amused Beijing endlessly. Finally, insecurity is palpable in India’s handling of China and the US.  About time we get over this.

Somnath Temple: Instrumentalizing History As A Political Tool

History is not a tool to divide society and perpetuate the injustices of the past. It is there to show us what wrongs have happened in the past which should not happen again. We need to march towards a just society where all live the life of dignity and respect, a society where all of us enjoy equal citizenship rights.

Sri Lankan Government In A Fix Over Proposed Education Reforms: PM Under Pressure

Public opposition towards the reforms escalated after a web link to a gay dating site was found in one of the lessons in the grade six English language module.  This website was subsequently blocked by the regulator for internet users in Sri Lanka.  The lesson was intended to teach ten-year-old kids how to make online friends.

More on Perspective

Does Gita Press deserve the Gandhi Peace Prize?

Gita Press is the intellectual and cultural base on which conservative Hindu values, mainly Brahmanical values, are promoted, and it provides the base for Hindu nationalist politics by promoting and propagating a narrow, exclusive version of Hinduism. Gandhi’s Hinduism was, on the other hand, humane and inclusive and he evolved with time to live the humanistic aspects of religion.

US double standards seen in its Bangladesh and Pakistan policies

The US has continued to support Pakistan for short-term geopolitical considerations. On the other hand, the US has been unfair to Bangladesh by alleging that the democratic process there had been disrupted.

A great innings, a growing ‘dosti’

The relationship has grown with extraordinary speed. India and Australia are strategic partners – unthinkable a few years ago! An extraordinary bipartisan friendship reflects the way in which both countries have now come to see each other.

IAF’s daring rescue of Indians from conflict zones

This approximately two-and-a-half-hour operation between Wadi Sayyidna and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia will go down in the annals of IAF history for its sheer audacity and flawless execution - akin to that carried out in Kabul, in which almost 400 Indians were brought back by the IAF in August 2021 in very challenging conditions following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

Big tech or Big Talent, both need to be a force for good

The rise and fall of FTX’s co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried, a poster boy of the crypto world and seen as a genius, tells a story that has important learnings for all of us. A key learning is that, though talent or ingenuity can erect an empire of fame and riches in a short time, yet devoid of moral and ethical moorings, it can wreak havoc in the long run.

India must not hesitate to do cross-border strikes again to neutralise jihadi camps

Since the late 1970s, the Indian Army has been paying a heavy price of losing good soldiers in asymmetric warfare waged by Pakistan, which involves having large bodies of regular troops committed on the ground for dealing with a 'handful' of the enemy.

Bangladesh, Myanmar and food diplomacy: Can it lead to resolution of the Rohingya refugee crisis?

Analysts see the rice-potato trade between the two countries as an extension of their stepped-up bilateral diplomacy. Their expectation is that this incipient commercial relationship can play a major role in resolving the Rohingya humanitarian crisis

Bangladesh Army Chief's India visit is imbued with great strategic significance

India can assist Bangladesh in achieving the goal of Bangladesh’s military plan “Forces Goal 2030,” a modernization programme that aims to transform Bangladesh's army into a technologically advanced, multi-domain force by 2030.

India’s military spending rose by 6 per cent, ranks fourth in military expenditure; Pakistan's shrinks

Military spending calculated as a share of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was 2.4 per cent for India, an estimated 1.6 per cent for China, 2.6 per cent for Pakistan.

Cleaning up the police: Can extrajudicial killings in India be stopped?

On the one hand, India sees itself as the rising global power, the head of G20 today, and with an economy that is the fifth largest in the world by GDP. On the other hand, India is the story of flourishing gangsters who when they get too big must be taken to a secluded spot and shot.

A zero-tolerance policy has helped Bangladesh contain terrorism and militancy

Bangladesh's zero-tolerance policy against militancy is bearing fruit. So far, eight militant organizations, namely JMB, Shahadat-e-al-Hikma, JMJB, Hizbut Tahrir, Huji-B, ABT, Ansar Al Islam, and Allahr Dal, have been banned by the government. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's tough stance has made it possible to virtually dismantle the militant network in Bangladesh.

750 fisherfolk prisoners languish in Indian, and Pakistani jails: appeals for release falling on deaf ears?

Herman Kumara, the national convener of the National Fisheries Solidarity Organization (NAFSO) in Sri Lanka, strongly opposes the practice of keeping arrested fishermen in jail even after their punishment has been served.

Why India needs a caste census

Today, what is needed is a genuine assessment of the population of different marginalized sections and to modify the country's policies so that the uneven growth of society is brought on the path of equality. The deaths of the likes of Rohith Vemula and Darshan Solanki should awaken India to the need to combat the biases constructed against the socially marginalized sections and strive for a future where ‘annihilation of caste’ is the central credo of our society.

Vigilante justice and its celebration: Time to recall Ambedkar's ‘Grammar of Anarchy’ speech

This is surely not the first or the last of the fake encounters (extra-judicial killing) in our country. Are people, including the police, losing faith in constitutional methods so earnestly championed by Dr. Ambedkar? What would he have said, had he been alive today?

Institutional arbitration in India remains a non-starter

Four years after the passage of the law, the promised Arbitration Council of India to authorise and regulate arbitration institutions has yet to be operationalised. Save for a small number of arbitration institutions established and funded by well-known law firms,  some state governments do not support professionally established arbitration institutions.