The Cholas occupy a hallowed space in Indian imagination for their pioneering experiments in democracy, but one needs to look beyond their basilica-like monuments, gilded Natarajas and temple vimanas piercing the skylines of Thanjavur, Gangaikonda Cholapuram, and Darasuram.

Elizabeth is the favourite of her dad, the intelligent, witty parent, while throughout the book, Jane is taking care of their mother, the petulant, embarrassing parent. While Elizabeth goes vacationing with her aunt and uncle, it is Jane who is best suited to “play with, teach, and love” their four small children.

The failure of intelligence and the absence of security forces in Pahalgam led to the tragedy. No one in the government has taken responsibility. The military’s gains in Operation Sindoor will have a deterrent effect on Pakistan but the political leadership’s timidity before the US and China may cancel the gains and give encouragement to Pakistan

Ahead of elections next year, political space in the country is open for fresh players

The lives lost in Pahalgam are not isolated tragedies. They join the unbroken line of innocents who have paid with their lives for our failures of anticipation. We must allow that reality to haunt us — not in despair, but as a driving force for better vigilance, stronger systems

His words spoke to the indigenous traditions of collective decision-making, anchored in ethics, equity, and participation

Raising a Point of Order is a legitimate parliamentary tactic. The Chair cannot, and must not, look away

The real test is not AI, but how swiftly Indian tech can build its next competitive moat

IIT Kharagpur, in assigning women such as faculty or non-teaching staff as emotional points of contact, has not created support structures

Considering that the IT sector has provided millions with pathways to upward mobility — the great Indian middle class grew on the back of this sector — new drivers of growth are needed

If the SIR leads to a Bihar-like drop in the Electors to Adult Population Ratio in the entire country, we are looking at potential disenfranchisement of about nine crore Indians

Meghnad was kind, a gentle and modest soul, with a lot to be immodest about. In many ways, he had no equal.

The soft power of the West remains a powerful magnet to those who see themselves as suffocating under the Eastern regimes

It sends a disconcerting message that even the most thorough and well-reasoned acquittals in sensitive cases may be suspended on the basis of assertions by the state

PRS survey provides district-level insights, and it is now the responsibility of states, districts, and school systems to translate these findings into granular, need-based interventions

The nation trusts the sagacity of the highest court to configure a just constitutional equilibrium of power so that the country’s democratic order is not held hostage to the unfettered impulses of any single branch of the Indian state

India must navigate litigation risks, enforcement gaps, and fossil fuel dilemmas; align duty with dignity.

Physical affection, language of closeness has brought us closer in more ways than one, and I wish I had this with my parents, too

Regional prejudice feeds into the trend of linguistic vigilantism that is increasingly spreading across the nation. These tendencies are not secessionist, but they undermine national integration

As we journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047, our greatest strength will be in our capacity to imagine, narrate, and innovate. Let’s build an India where every child is a creator

Criminal justice failures capture our imaginations because they speak so profoundly to the human condition, to fundamental questions about punishment, ambition and ethics. Throughout history, in mythology and in reality, there have been people who couldn’t get a fair trial.

While a silent behind-the-scenes tussle between Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and the BJP high command had been brewing for months, both sides were caught off guard by the speed at which matters blew up.

What broke the cordial ties between Mr Dhankhar and the RSS/BJP? The speculation is that Mr Dhankhar’s decisions on the two motions broke the camel’s back. I disagree; the two motions were light straws. Obviously, there were more

The problem with dynastic political parties is that they keep real leaders out as far as possible so that the heir never sees a threat to his authority. This is why ‘potted plants’ are truly the biggest threat to democracy.