Manipur therefore needs to move beyond the language of relief and towards the language of restoration. The ultimate measure of recovery will not be how many camps have closed. It will be how many families can safely return, rebuild their livelihoods, educate their children, access justice and live without fear.
The Chopra siblings' murder in 1978, the Nirbhaya case of 2012, R.G. Kar Kolkata in 2024 and Kalkaji in 2026 belong to different historical contexts. Yet they reveal a recurring difficulty in Indian governance: we are capable of extraordinary mobilisation after extraordinary violence, yet less consistent at converting that mobilisation into permanent institutional practice.
The Tata group is a national icon, a picture of enterprise, growth and service packed in a business model that many Indians cherish and hold as an exemplar. That model, in which the bulk of a great enterprise’s profits flows to charitable trusts for the public good, is rare anywhere in the world.
Aggressive migration of youth and workers to metro cities in search of better opportunities is common across the region. And so is the response deficit by local and central governments in providing them with basic, dignified lifestyles. The time has come for the elected representatives to think differently and narrow the gap between government schemes and results on the ground.
For decades, Bofors was treated as a national scandal of almost Biblical proportions, with international ramifications. All guns ablaze. Yet when its judicial afterlife finally reaches a dead end, the story seems to have lost its political ammunition. Not even a recall that the much-maligned gun, which was accused of backfiring at those who fired, not at the target, had vindicated its purchase during the 1999 Kargil conflict.
India therefore needs a serious conversation on algorithmic accountability. If AI increasingly informs policing, citizens deserve clarity on its legal basis, safeguards against misuse, limits on data retention, independent oversight and effective judicial remedies.
The recurring examination scandals were failures of governance. Likewise, concerns regarding foreign influence should not preclude critical examination of how regulatory institutions themselves function.
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, and Nepal are not producing a series of unconnected national episodes. They are producing a young, educated, and increasingly connected generation that is redefining what citizens expect from the state
India had increasingly become an exception. The expectation that ministers should bear responsibility for institutional failure had faded almost to the point of disappearance especially since Narendra Modi became prime minister in 2014.
Nepal's greatest shortage is not simply money or infrastructure; it is leaders who can use them well. Without the right leadership, resources remain locked in inefficiency, corruption, and bureaucratic gridlock.
It has been formally recognised in the Report of the Advisory Committee on Women Pradhans, Transforming Women’s Representation and Role in Panchayati Raj Institutions: Efforts to Eliminate Proxy Participation, which recorded that elected women representatives are often “represented by their husbands or male relatives” and recommended the imposition of stringent and exemplary penalties to curb such practices.
When economic transformation outpaces institutional renewal anywhere in South Asia, the gap between aspiration and opportunity becomes fertile ground for frustration, alienation, and political discontent. The leaked papers in India were only the trigger
The youth eruption is a consequence of pent-up anger and frustration of the government's indifference to the repeated leaks of exam question papers for which millions of doctor, engineer, police and civil service aspirants prepare for years. Over 20 students have reportedly committed suicide after the NEET exam paper leak for which they had toiled for over a year
The rise of the Cockroach Janta Party is not only the rise of yet another protest group. It is testing how India's democratic system is secure enough to accommodate and to be questioned by the very same generation who will take over from it.
The Republic does not need a police force that teaches citizens to fear the State. It needs a citizens' police that gives them reason to trust the Constitution. Because the young person standing behind the barricade is not an enemy of the Republic. Sometimes, he has travelled more than a thousand kilometres simply because he still believes enough in Indian democracy to show up.
As Sri Lanka relies heavily on indirect taxes, even government (short term) efforts to stimulate economic activities will automatically reduce the living standards of low and middle income households. This is because any increase in economic activity results in a disproportionate increase in taxes.
The sheer visual impact of the brutality of July 20 Jantar Mantar police action revealed yet again a society in profound ferment. It is not clear whether the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi realizes the lasting damage such unbridled brutality does to India’s image. Irrespective of the merit of the cause of the protest—and it is obvious that this one is grounded in a legitimate cause—government at every level in India desperately needs to completely transform policing.
Democracy is not just about voting every five years. Democracy is about the ability to look your government in the eye and say “you are wrong” — without fear of being beaten for it.And yes, July 20 was a sad day for democracy. It was sad to see brutal force used against young citizens. It was sad to see the Delhi Police behave in a manner that shames the uniform.
Data from India's ministry of road transport and highways show that road crashes claim around 175,000 lives each year, with pedestrians bearing a disproportionate share of the toll. In 2024, as many as 36,526 pedestrians were killed, representing 20.6 per cent of all road fatalities.
