Voices from author

Questions On Questions

August 18, 2026, 5:00 AM IST

Census authorities should explain the rationale of new entries in the questionnaire    India’s first census under the Raj asked 17 questions. The ongoing 16th Census will ask 40. That’s not a bad thing because data…

August 18, 2026, 5:00 AM IST

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Who Tests The Testers?

August 18, 2026, 5:00 AM IST

Nodal testing agency is fast losing legitimacy. UGC-NET’s exam issues were sheer incompetence NTA is becoming a burlesque act. The latest fiasco – three papers of UGC-NET, the qualifying test to teach in colleges, and…

August 18, 2026, 5:00 AM IST

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Gold-rich, capital-starved

August 17, 2026, 8:28 AM IST

India sits on a conservatively estimated 35,000 tonnes of gold, valued at well over 115% of GDP. We are the only country in the world with this distinction, yet we behave like Kasturi Mrig –…

August 17, 2026, 8:28 AM IST

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Assam floods: Engineering a solution

August 17, 2026, 8:24 AM IST

Assam’s floods are often described as inevitable. From a civil engineer’s perspective, that is an incomplete diagnosis. Brahmaputra and its tributaries will overflow during extreme monsoon events, but flooding becomes a disaster when intense hydrological…

August 17, 2026, 8:24 AM IST

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What is your relationship with Guru?

August 17, 2026, 8:15 AM IST

By Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Can you ever be alone when you have a guru? The moment a soul is born on this planet, relationships begin. Before birth, you are unmanifest. You are pure spirit….

August 17, 2026, 8:15 AM IST

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Cry Me A River

August 17, 2026, 5:00 AM IST

In retreat, Rhine and Danube are exposing Europe’s past. But also a future where the world’s parched Some crises are ‘best’ seen from space, others up close and personal. Europe’s drying rivers look scary both…

August 17, 2026, 5:00 AM IST

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Whose War Is It?

August 17, 2026, 5:00 AM IST

Both Iran and Ukraine show war is still old people talking & young men dying  The extended deployment at sea of American aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has not just exposed the logistical challenges of…

August 17, 2026, 5:00 AM IST

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Her Womb, Her Call

August 12, 2026, 5:00 AM IST

World over, women’s autonomy is endangered by fertility panics. But their choice must prevail When Delhi’s CM says that women are not babymaking machines, she’s bang on. Sure, this is in the context of her…

August 12, 2026, 5:00 AM IST

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Party For Insurers 

August 12, 2026, 5:00 AM IST

Selling cars and bikes with multi-year covers is not the right way to ensure 100% vehicle insurance About 60% of vehicles in India are uninsured. This means if one of them hits you, your chances…

August 12, 2026, 5:00 AM IST

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Birdsong as it fades out

August 11, 2026, 10:32 AM IST

Listening to ecosystems is different from seeing them. But the diversity loss hits as painfully Where did humanity get music from? Likely from natural sounds and rhythms, which were once our only acoustic inspiration, and…

August 11, 2026, 10:32 AM IST

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Jharkhand & beyond

August 11, 2026, 10:28 AM IST

Unemployment is root of youth unrest. Filling govt vacancies, instead of giving freebies, is the solution You can look at last month’s student protest in Delhi, and the ongoing protest in Ranchi, in isolation. Or,…

August 11, 2026, 10:28 AM IST

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Cow as daughter of cosmic matter

August 11, 2026, 9:55 AM IST

By Satish K Kapoor The cow stands for fertility, prosperity, and life, and is often called a mother-ancestor. While Hindus venerate the cow as mother, go mata, ancient Egyptians identified goddess Hathor with the cow; her image…

August 11, 2026, 9:55 AM IST

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Free to fee: UPI needs to change

August 10, 2026, 10:46 AM IST

The debate around reintroduction of merchant discount rate (MDR) on Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions has resurfaced after Lok Sabha passed the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026. If implemented, the proposal is expected to restore MDR…

August 10, 2026, 10:46 AM IST

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Man & drone: On the battlefield, and off it, to attack civilians

August 10, 2026, 10:42 AM IST

The 2025 conflict with Pakistan accelerated India’s drone development, with both sides deploying reconnaissance drones, FPV drones, drone swarms, and electronic warfare. India also uses drones for border security, military operations, intelligence gathering and civilian applications. As India expands drone…

August 10, 2026, 10:42 AM IST

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A mathematician’s proof of life after death

August 10, 2026, 8:09 AM IST

By Jug Suraiya Can life continuing beyond death have a basis in logic? Kurt Godel – hailed by many, including Einstein, as one of the greatest logicians and mathematicians of all time – was convinced that…

August 10, 2026, 8:09 AM IST

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Real to Reel

August 10, 2026, 5:00 AM IST

When Bollywood tells true stories  It’s widely believed that cinema reflects life, all that’s happening outside the darkened auditorium. Quite true, if one’s to go by what one’s been watching in Bollywood in recent years….

August 10, 2026, 5:00 AM IST

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Turbulent Times

August 10, 2026, 5:00 AM IST

Air turbulence incidents will only increase with climate change. Airlines and passengers should focus on safety Commercial planes are the safest way to travel, statistically. Yet, people dread flying more than any other mode of…

August 10, 2026, 5:00 AM IST

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Wrong Prescription

August 10, 2026, 5:00 AM IST

Dual registration is a bad idea, and will weaken patient welfare without addressing shortage of MBBS docs in rural areas  Should doctors trained in one system of medicine, prescribe medicines of another system, in which…

August 10, 2026, 5:00 AM IST

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Assam can’t be a charity case every monsoon

August 9, 2026, 5:00 AM IST

A few days ago, I travelled to flood-affected villages in Sivasagar, Betbari, Ligiripukhuri, and Nepalikhuti. Coming from Chhaygaon in Kamrup district, floods have been part of my life since childhood. Floods do not end when…

August 9, 2026, 5:00 AM IST

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Tejpal case shows that justice can’t demand a ‘perfect victim’

August 9, 2026, 5:00 AM IST

There is a particular cruelty in vindication that arrives 13 years late, because the temptation of a moment like this is to mistake relief for justice. On Aug 6, 2026, a division bench of the…

August 9, 2026, 5:00 AM IST

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