I approached the bund in second gear and as the tank negotiated it, I saw Deepak descending from the top in free fall, headed for Mother Earth, and disappearing under the tank while I reflexively pressed the brake pedal.
The government is also engaging doctors, psychologists, lawyers, civil society organisations, NGOs, religious leaders and community representatives to facilitate de-radicalisation and reintegration. Young people are encouraged to participate in constructive social activities that promote communal harmony and reduce the appeal of extremist ideologies.
But it may be the smaller South Asian states that feel the most pressure. Countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and the Maldives are faced with a more polarised geopolitical environment. They want Chinese investment to boost development and keep close diplomatic and security ties with India and western partners.
A big development happened in 2025. Nepal started exporting electricity to Bangladesh through India's transmission network. This was the first time Nepalese hydropower was commercially transmitted to Bangladesh via Indian territory. The initial export volume was 40 megawatts. The significance of the agreement is much bigger. It showed that regional energy cooperation can overcome political barriers.
In the effort to combat this multi-dimensional challenge, democratic states are faced with deep policy constraints, many of which can be paralyzing. The fundamental paradox is how to maintain the open, democratic character of the digital commons while at the same time countering more advanced opponents who are not held back by democratic principles. Disseminating disinformation is a tactic governments use to influence public opinion that has the potential to conflict with the strong constitutional freedoms of expression that exist in liberal democracies.
I approached the bund in second gear and as the tank negotiated it, I saw Deepak descending from the top in free fall, headed for Mother Earth, and disappearing under the tank while I reflexively pressed the brake pedal.
The World’s at war
Prime Minister Modi has been among the first to condemn the attack on Israel and pledge India’s support to Israel in this difficult time. Modi has read the writing on the wall and appears to be of the view that what has happened in Israel may happen to India too.
In the beginning time and space were together and in equilibrium. We do not know how this equilibrium was disturbed. But once it did, time came out and space started flowing and that was the beginning of the Universe.
The interim caretaker system mostly benefits the military as seen in conflict-prone countries like Pakistan and even in Bangladesh in its last term.
Faced with growing gun proliferation, US politicians have done nothing more than indulge in empty talk and prolonged debates, while pointing fingers at the human rights situation of other countries like Bangladesh.
When the world saw only the watertight compartments, Gandhi could see the presence of a wicket gate amidst repression, which made him build on the path of nonviolent struggle. He said, ‘humans are essentially good, susceptible to error and amenable to truth.’
Thousands of women in the region are sold within their countries, across borders and trafficked to the Middle East and other parts of the world.
During the recent green-chili crisis, India helped Bangladesh control and stabilize its local market prices through chili exports, even though that led to its sharp price rise back home.
How disorderly politics and economics combined to create the roiling mess that sank the domestic infrastructure ecosystem, including the airlines, in Pakistan. This was after all, one of seven Pakistani planes to crash within a decade.
In the proposed UCC now being formulated, all aspects that are related to protecting the privileges of women should be taken out and included in a new Uniform Women Code.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has proposed a Uniform Civil Code for India where all citizens would have the same law apply to their economic, social and religious rights. If such a law were to be enacted, it would ensure that injustices done to Muslim women in India were wiped out in one stroke.
It is high time that every Indian, whether Christian, Muslim, Sikh, or Buddhist, recognize that India is essentially a country based on Hindu ethos, even as people belonging to other religions are at total liberty to follow their religious dictums. Any objection to Modi following Hindu religious practices for inaugurating the new parliament is not appropriate. Modi has shown the way and blown away the unreal secularism phobia.
There was clearly visible cheap politics on all sides but the Supreme Court seems to prefer the politics of the Thackeray faction rather than the legislative majority.
Ladakh is endowed with an excellent water supply through pristine rivers which flow across the land. This water can be used in the greenhouses to grow vegetables, fodder and other produce.