Congress CM candidate Gaurav Gogoi and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma campaigning

Assam Elections: Of Identity Politics, Development Spectacles and Voter Disillusionment

There is also a subtle but perceptible fatigue with the continued reliance on polarisation as a political tool. Identity-based mobilisation, while effective in the short term, risks diminishing returns when overused. If these undercurrents - internal dissent, governance gaps, and narrative fatigue - begin to converge, they may not immediately overturn electoral outcomes, but they could signal the early stages of a more substantive political challenge to the BJP

AI171 Crash Probe: India Owes the truth to the 260 who Died and Their Families

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be cognizant of the fact that the crash occurred in Ahmedabad, in his home state. People will come to their own conclusions as to whether they saw Modi standing up to American pressure or give in. India has not forgotten the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, that Warren Anderson and Union Carbide Chemicals went scot-free, that India settled for a meagre $470 million compensation – 25 years later – for the families of the thousands who died and the millions who were adversely affected.

Whither Commitment to Truth? How AI, Media, and Visuals Shape Our Sense of Threat

The social media takes advantage of the reward systems in the brain, especially the dopamine circuits within the basal ganglia and the prefrontal cortex. Using signals of micro-engagement, including the duration of time a user hovers over a video or the number of times a user rewatches a clip, algorithms develop a feedback loop that over time redirects the feed of a user to more intense or provocative content.

To Mediate - or not to Mediate: Not Necessary for India to be at Head of Table at Peace Talks

To step into the role of mediator in a conflict of this nature would inevitably test that balance. It would invite scrutiny, of intent, of tilt, of perceived bias. Even the most well-intentioned effort could be interpreted through the prism of existing relationships. In such a situation, neutrality is not merely a matter of policy; it becomes a matter of perception, and perceptions are notoriously difficult to manage.

More on Perspective

Quota unrest in Bangladesh has lessons for India

There should also be no doubt that these protests are being fueled by China and Pakistan to depose the pro-India Sheikh Hasina Government and install a pro-Islamist anti-India government like the erstwhile BNP-led government in Bangladesh. 

Rumblings in the BJP point to a more fundamental problem

The reality is that communal politics of the kind played by the BJP, led by Prime Minister Modi, has stopped paying dividends of the kind that it once did. 

A Republican future and its impact on international relations

As the world watches the unfolding drama in the United States, the implications for South Asia, particularly India, Pakistan, and China, are profound

The shadow of 5th GW over Baloch resistance movement in Pakistan

The Baloch resistance movement faces an unprecedented threat in the form of deepfakes and propaganda propelled by 5GW tactics. The strategy aims to destabilize and discredit the movement, paving the way for a tightened grip on the region.

India's healthcare reform: Need to look at medical system in totality

This need got a number of us doctors working in different parts of India to come together as a group. We post our questions in the group, or call up an expert for guidance: How do you manage fluctuating blood sugar in a young woman with diabetes? How do you treat malaria in a pregnant woman? We meet online once a week - to share new knowledge, case studies, and also ask questions.

India’s strategic autonomy is its own choice; needs no dictation from others

The US needs to acknowledge that it needs India more than the vice versa. It would be good for the Biden Administration to get off the high horse and not issue “warnings” that can adversely impact the existing bilateral relationship. 

Rahul Gandhi’s Hinduism versus BJP-RSS’s Hindutva

While leaders like Mahatma Gandhi to Rahul Gandhi have expounded on the humane aspect of Hinduism, the Hindutva fraternity are seen by its critics to have treaded the path of hate and violence.

India's controversial Agniveer scheme: Need for pragmatic view with future of armed forces in mind

There is always resistance to any change and in a democracy with free media and freedom of expression, varied views on all matters are only to be expected and welcome. In this fast-developing world, an army can’t be static - or traditional - and frozen in an era of the past.

Does the CIA have a larger game plan for South Asia?

Babar Ali, a senior TTP commander, says, “Entire country (Pakistan) is now under our control; we are present in every corner of Pakistan.” Some 200 TTP fighters are located close to Pakistan’s largest nuclear facility in Dera Ghazi Khan in  Pakistan’s Punjab

India’s ‘weedy and unwieldy’ growth questions its development story

As the world turns more careful and looks to build with caution and care, the Indian State is going berserk in multiple directions with the goal of showing its strength outside India while ordinary Indians are getting the rough end.

Looking back at Kargil: Has India learnt any lessons?

Taking stock of the Kargil War 25 years later, what unfortunately emerges is that most of the important lessons have not been learnt, at least by India’s politico-bureaucratic establishment.

The testing fiasco in India calls for radical reforms in the education sector

This also means unshackling the education sector, allowing greater freedom and autonomy to institutions of higher education in deciding curricula, courses, faculty hiring and salaries, student fees and programs. Otherwise, millions of our youth are wasting the prime years of their youth with a psychological burden, and grueling study with repeated attempts, to crack exams, where the odds of winning are worse than a lottery.

Did the RSS tacitly pull up Modi? Yet the RSS drinks from the same cup of power!

In that light, the words of Mohan Bhagwat signal discomfiture. But his hesitation to name Modi and call him out indicates that the RSS is caught in a trap of its own making. 

Will reforms and development take a hit under a coalition government in India?

There has to be a common thread holding the weave of a multidimensional diverse nation like India. The thread is definitely not how or to which God your pray (or not), what dress you wear (or wear no dress at all!), what you eat or not. 

An agenda for India's new coalition government: Wide-ranging reforms are the need of the hour

Without these reforms, the laudable objective of “India a Developed Nation by 2047” may remain a distant dream.