Unknown Indian
We urgently need to find out what makes our deported migrants so desperate to leave the country As planeloads of our deported migrants land in the country a number of questions are being asked. Why...
View ArticleIt’s not just in tax that India’s laws are taxing
Laws are meant to be dense and jargon-infested. Until now. In a bold move, GOI has introduced a simply written new Income Tax Bill in Parliament. The present Income Tax Act, 1961 is the symbol...
View ArticleChoices big and small and why do we feel terrified by them
Every single day, we are faced with choices some small, some life-altering. Yet, so many of us fear making decisions, paralysed by the thought of making the “wrong” choice, worrying about judgment and...
View ArticleVodafone redux: Retrospective taxation in a new avatar
Learning from mistakes is not a virtue our policy and decision makers can boast of. Nothing else explains their recent recourse to retrospective taxation. Last year, the government lost a case...
View ArticleVolodymyr Zelenskyy: From servant of the people to hero of Ukraine
This week, the world marked the tragic third anniversary of the full-scale Ukraine war amid a surreal set of circumstances. The US, since Trump re-entered the White House, has shaken up the...
View ArticleAn artist’s life
Yesterday one of my co-actors died. He is perhaps the first one amongst my friends and colleagues who has departed and while by now I am aware of it and am absolutely OK with it,...
View ArticleWindows to the world: Benediktas Gylys and the Portal project
From a personal epiphany to global installations—explore how the Portal project is redefining public art and urban connectivity. In 2016, after years of chasing Western success symbols and building...
View ArticleIndia’s AI leadership: Blueprint for ethical and responsible AI in national...
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming national security operations, enhancing decision-making, intelligence gathering, and defence strategies. However, as AI becomes increasingly integrated...
View ArticleThe Weekly Vine Edition 32: The Shashi Tharoor conundrum, Lord Shiva’s cosmic...
Hello and welcome to another edition of the Weekly Vine. This we have the Shashi Tharoor conundrum, DOGE vs America’s SBI employees, Vivek’s attempt to get out of MAGA DOGE house, James Bond’s new...
View ArticleArtha Systra
More courts find against govts & for foreign firms, better it’s for India’s reputation as biz destination In 2015, Narayana Murthy said Infosys had never made a profit on a govt contract. Thanks to...
View ArticleWhy India needs to play fair in business
Imagine you agreed to do a big school project with a friend, but at the last minute, they changed the rules, refused to pay for materials, and even stopped talking to you. That would be...
View ArticleHard landing
Plane speaking after mantri agony It was farmer minister’s turn to protest. Agriculture mantri came a cropper, or rather Air India did after unwisely allotting him a ‘broken and sunken’ seat on...
View ArticleHi, Gold. Bye, Green
What India can learn from Trump’s idea of fast-tracking US citizenship for a $5mn fee Green card – you know and envy those who have it. Enter gold card. You’ll envy these cardholders even more....
View ArticleA shortcut to citizenship? What India can learn from Trump’s gold card
You’ve probably heard of a Green Card—the pass that lets people live and work in the U.S. legally. Many people dream of getting one. But now, former U.S. President Donald Trump has a new idea:...
View ArticleVijay rushes in where Rajini feared to tread
TN’s megastar wants to be the next MGR or Amma. But Rajini, Sivaji Ganesan tried & failed. Fan base isn’t a cadre base. And how is his Dravidian pride-social justice politics different from DMK...
View ArticleClarion call for ethics in application of Artificial Intelligence
With the announcement of the Stargate project by POTUS, the governance and technology landscape will have to reorient itself. Undoubtedly, a robust IT framework is inevitable to cater to the...
View ArticleThe disappearing sanctuaries of friendship: A reflection on Manjummel Boys
The earth is changing, and we see it happening in ways that are tangible—places disappearing and landscapes shifting. But there are emotions associated with these places which are also disappearing...
View ArticleIn defence of human capital
Last December, amidst the outpouring of grief over the demise of Manmohan Singh – India’s former Prime Minister and the key architect of country’s economic reforms in 1991- Singh’s last address to the...
View ArticleThe harsh reality of sports in India: Is it only for the rich?
Pullela Gopichand, one of India’s badminton greats and the greatest badminton coaches, has stirred a hornet’s nest by saying parents shouldn’t push their kids into sports unless they are rich or have a...
View ArticleMahakumbh 2025 and Mahashivratri: A grand confluence of devotion and...
Blessed are those who snan (bathe) in the holy river during Kumbh. Their sins are washed off. And those who snan during Kumbh Shivaratri are doubly blessed; the sins of their ancestors are also washed...
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