Technology can be a double-edged weapon. The shocking spate of suicides by teenagers, hooked to the macabre game ‘Blue Whale Challenge’, reveals what an online addiction can do to the impressionable minds. The weird, 50-step online game that leads the users on a path of self-destruction is virtually an instruction manual for suicide. Over 150 t

Ever since the rise of militancy in the late 1980s, Kashmir has been a festering wound. The spiral of violence has shattered the hopes and aspirations of the people in the Valley. Against this grim backdrop, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s emotional Kashmir outreach is a welcome move. In his Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fo

Even the best of script writers might find it difficult to come up with the kind of dramatic twists and turns that the Tamil Nadu politics is witnessing now. Curious sub-plots are being added every day to the Game of Thrones in Chennai. At a time when the two warring factions of the ruling AIADMK, one led by Chief Minister E Palaniswami and another

Dim in the short-term and brighter in the long-term. That is how the Indian economy will look like in the months ahead, particularly in view of the two back-to-back disruptive economic moves — demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax (GST). The second volume of the Economic Survey 2016-17, authored by Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramania

The Gorakhpur hospital tragedy is a national shame. The death of 63 children in the last five days, due to criminal negligence of the hospital authorities, is a grim reminder of the pathetic state of affairs in the state-run healthcare sector. The creaking infrastructure, inadequate funds, overburdened staff, corruption and bureaucratic delays are

Debate, dissent and free expression of ideas are the hallmarks of a mature democracy. They form the core set of values around which the idea of India has been conceived and nurtured. At a time when the perceived intolerance has become the dominant theme of the opposition’s national narrative, outgoing Vice-president Hamid Ansari’s remarks about

War clouds are hovering over the Korean peninsula as North Korea and the United States escalate their bellicose rhetoric, warning each other of imminent attacks. There is an immediate threat to Guam, a tiny American territory with a strategic airfield and naval station as North Korea has made public its plan to launch missile attacks on the Pacific

None of the dramatis personae in the Gujarat Rajya Sabha poll theatrical has covered himself with glory. The cliffhanger election, with all the trappings of a high drama, has exposed the dark corners of both the players—BJP and Congress. The acrimonious battle of prestige between them had all the elements of intrigue, suspense, inducements and be

Stalking reflects a deep-rooted malaise that is often glossed over in a patriarchal society. It is a sign of a sickening culture, popularised by Indian movies, that treats stalking women as a fun activity. The recent incident of a young woman being stalked and harassed at night in a car in Chandigarh comes as a stark reminder of the lurking dangers

India’s education system is plagued by archaic pedagogical practices and teaching tools, flawed evaluation methods, overdependence on rote learning and absence of an eco-system that nurtures innovation and critical thinking. It is not the students but the flawed systems that are responsible for the poor outcomes. The Union Cabinet’s recent deci

The Centre’s intransigence towards public welfare schemes in the GST regime has dealt a severe blow to Telangana, the country’s youngest State where irrigation, drinking water and housing projects have been taken up on an unprecedented scale. It would be a travesty of justice if the State government is made to bear an additional financial burde

After months of gloomy talk and grim projections about the future of Indian immigrants in the United States, there comes a development that can warm the cockles of the hearts of thousands of aspirants back home. A Senate Bill, endorsed by President Donald Trump, has proposed introduction of a merit-based system for issuing visas to legal immigrants

Artificial Intelligence is on the cusp of transforming human lives at a rate never seen before in the history and in a manner that could be even more disruptive than the internet. From assisting pilots to steer the aeroplanes and doctors to conduct complicated surgeries to seamlessly managing all the gadgets at home, offices and factories and cater

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has done its part by announcing the much-awaited rate cut by 25 basis points. It is now for the government to move in and follow it up with necessary policy reforms to spur economic growth. Though the central bank’s decision to lower its benchmark repurchase rate to 6% from 6.25% fell below the government’s expec

India is going through a new phase of tax reform with the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST). The much-awaited and crucial reform implemented on July 1 has seen over 12 lakh businesses applying for fresh registrations, of which 10 lakh have been approved while two lakh are awaiting approval. Businesses with a turnover of up to Rs 20 lak

The turmoil in the Gujarat unit of Congress, ahead of the crucial Rajya Sabha elections, reflects the existential crisis that the grand old party is facing. The failure to learn lessons from the worst drubbing in the 2014 general elections has pushed the party into a virtual comatose state. After a string of defeats in the Assembly elections, it is

It is a contrasting tale of India’s campaigns in the cricket World Cup. In 2005, India reached the final before badly losing the much against a superior Australia. Literally, it went unnoticed. Twelve years down the lane, as India went down fighting to hosts England in last-over thriller by nine runs, the women cricketers won the hearts of the In

The disgraceful exit of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif under the cloud of a corruption case has once again exposed the vulnerability of civilian governments in a country remote-controlled by its army. No Prime Minister had ever completed the full term in Pakistan’s political history. It is for the first time that an incumbent Prime Ministe

The dramatic homecoming of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to the NDA fold is a massive blow to the Opposition’s plans to cobble together a national front to take on the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The dream to replicate the successful Bihar model of Mahagathbandhan at the national level now lays shattered. Ironically, Nitish, a dyed-in-th