HIS large pictures and posters are still found in Government buildings and institutions of agricultural studies in Mexico. Colourful murals depicting him while distributing bread to poor Mexican people also adorn halls and auditoria in that country. Back home in India, however, Dr. Pandurang Sadashiv Khankhoje is remembered only by a handful few -- while the larger society just does not know anything about the man who is revered in Mexico as a modern God. Of course, ..

IT IS good to see that buyers are no longer willing to wait. This October-December festive season hopefully promises to be a buyers’ paradise. The country’s marketing and sales Efirms have long been waiting for such a situation. Buyers are no longer scared of the pandemic, which is on the decline anyway. India’s busy economic season seems to have started with a big bang. After a 20-month hiatus, Indian consumers are rushing for goods and services — from real estates, automobiles, white and brown ..

RIGHTLY counting the resurgence of North-Eastern States in the last few years, Vice-President Mr. Venkaiah Naidu has touched a delicate subject of people’s ignorance and lack of appreciation of the wonderful gem in India’s necklace. The observation is on the coin, for, the general attitude by rest of India is still ruled by stereotyped image of the North-Eastern region despite the massive strides it has taken towards integration with the mainstream. Mr. Naidu’s appeal for an attitudinal change towards ..

THE reported offer of the Congress High Command to the Group of 23 (G-23) unhappy leaders to hold a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) suggests an attempt to fudge the otherwise troubling organisational issues. G-23 has been pressing for organisational elections to be held post-haste and for a full-time President of the party. Though the Congress High Command now appears willing to hold the internal polls, those who know the inner working of the party in the past some years suspect that ..

    l Mumbai, October 7 (PTI): A court here on Thursday sent Aryan Khan, the son of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, and seven others in judicial custody in connection with the alleged seizure of banned drugs from a cruise ship off the ..

  AFTER the reciprocal action imposed on British nationals arriving in India after the UK refused to accept the CoWIN certificates of fully vaccinated Indian travellers, the British Government has wisely chosen to withdraw its discriminatory tra..

DR. Rajendra Singh Paroda has been working on the ground, close to the ground, all his life, in a very successful effort to give Indian agriculture a scientific substance of rare merit. So signal have been all his contributions that this man has not become a living legend just in Indian agriculture but also an iconic name in world agricultural sciences -- so much so that many institutions such as Gene Banks in several countries have been named after him. Even at an advanced age of 79 years, Dr. Rajendra ..

   OFF-SPINNER R Ashwin has yet again stoked a debate over the highly exaggerated term called ‘Spirit of Cricket’ when he took a run after the ball had ricocheted off his batting partner during an IPL game. Reacting to the incid..

 THE pace of development works going on in various sectors of the country is a soothing change from the earlier culture of “laying only foundation stones for electoral benefits”. A hard taskmaster that he is, Prime Minister Mr. Narendra M..

NEW battle-lines are being drawn as some officials who fled Kabul after the Taliban take-over have formed a Government of Afghanistan in exile. This development has added a fresh twist to the situation that is getting complicated by the day. Even as the Taliban forms a sort-of interim Government in Kabul, a parallel Government in exile has emerged on the horizon. This obviously means that this time, the fight against the Taliban is going to be fought on an altogether different ground that is fully ..

THE latest United States Congressional report on terrorism has yet again proclaimed a truth that the entire world knows but inexplicably dithers on action. The report has identified Pakistan as a base of operations or target for numerous armed and non-State militant groups. The finding is further endorsement of what India has been telling the international community with truck-loads of proof. Pakistan playing a safe haven for proscribed militants is a reality that the world cannot afford to avoid ..

THE dissolution of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) should certainly be described as a real big step the Government took -- with far-reaching, positive ramifications for the country’s defence production sector, which is expected to get a big dose of a much-needed verve in the line of thinking as per the concept of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Now all the ordnance factories will come under full control of seven Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) and will spruce up ordnance production in the country ..

A policy being pursued by the Government is to improve air connectivity with tourist places like Assam and Andaman Islands. Here the problem is systemic to the tourism sector that is beset with problems of law and order, lack of social cohesion and lack of investment in marketing. Tourism-oriented civil aviation will succeed only if tourism succeeds which shows no signs of happening in the near future...

THIS interpretation of art by one of art’s greatest practitioners of all time, carries a tremendous sense and significance. There is little doubt that it has enhanced human comprehension of what art can be in its multiple facets. No matter his rather rebellious persona -- and his controversial indulgences -- Michael Jackson certainly comes across as an icon in arts of western music and dance. ‘Moonwalk’ certainly offers a wonderful insight into the man who rocked the music fans all over the world ..

   CLIMATE change is as much a security threat as terrorism if the mortality rate triggered by the two is taken into consideration. A simple act of breathing polluted air contributes to seven million deaths a year. This is a staggering numb..

UNION Minister Nitin Gadkari recently inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for about 35 major road projects in MP, totalling 1,530 km and worth around Rs 11,311 crore. Paving the way for development of MP, these roads will enhance better connectivity, convenience and economic growth in and around the State. Movement of people and goods to and from the State of Madhya Pradesh will also improve substantially especially with the neighbouring States of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh etc. ..

VAGARIES of climate change have tremendously increased the clean energy needs for India that needs a paradigm shift in its overall energy policy. It will ultimately change almost all aspects of human development. To make the transition smooth, India will have to devise better plan for changing the present mix of unclean and clean energy to achieve net-zero emission level, preferably by 2050. In 2020, Indian Industries were using 53 per cent fossil fuel, 31 per cent biofuels and waste, 16 per cent ..

AMONG the multiple definitions stemming from spontaneous considerations of great personages, this one can be rated as the most precise statement of the origin of both, art and science. Of course, Professor Albert Einstein’s capacity to make formula-like statements has been legendary -- for their aptness and for their brevity. But as he made this statement combining the two seemingly diverse -- or disparate -- elements, Prof. Einstein reaches supreme height of comprehension about the origin of the ..

New Delhi, September 9 (IANS): A research study has shown that China has lavishly spent huge sums of money to buy influence in India’s film world, universities, social institutions, research think-tanks, social media, and the tech industry, posing a..

   IT IS beyond doubt a good news that the Government is working seriously on the concept of ‘emergency landing strips’ on highways for Indian Air Force aircraft or any rescue-and-relief operations aircraft in case such a need a..

TIME and again, the media is abuzz with news of how the Government is allowing an ever-expanding space for women in various wings of the famed Indian Armed Forces. Lt. General Dr. Madhuri Kanitkar, AVSM, VSM became the third woman to be elevated to be a Three-star rank, after Lt. General Ms. Punita Arora and Air Marshal Ms. Padma Bandopadhyay. Women are being given position as full Colonels. Women are being admitted to the National Defence Academy (NDA)...

THE description of the Taliban Government under different stages of formation by four of India’s top former diplomats is on the mark when they say that whatever is happening in Kabul is nothing but putting ‘old wine in a new bottle’. Considering the cumulative experience these four -- Mr. K. Natwar Singh, Ms. Meera Shankar, Mr. Anil Wadhwa, and Mr. Vishnu Prakash -- bring to the table, their assessment of the Afghan situation is critical to Indian thinking on the issue. Factually, this assessment ..

Of the truth in the ‘lie’ called art A TYPICAL Picasso cynicism, this, but eminently quotable! In its wake, it leaves one nearly spell-bound, in the sense one feels compelled to think about it many times over -- only to continue remaining as confused as one was when the idea began storming the mind. Of course, art is not always an abstraction. It has certain element of concreteness -- in the sense it is an expression of human thought in whatever form and discipline. A poem. An essay. A work of fiction. ..

DESTINY chose Professor Satish Dhawan to succeed the legendary Dr. Vikram Sarabhai and lead India’s space programme into the next generation. Destiny chose him as the most capable follower of Dr. Sarabhai’s footprint in creating generations of capable scientists and administrators of India’s space programme. And Destiny chose him to be regarded as Father of India’s experiential fluid dynamics research. But there were raised eyebrows when the young Prof. Satish Dhawan returned to India and joined the ..

THE defeat and withdrawal of United States (US) from Afghanistan opens an opportunity for us to rise and shine on the global scene. The US is in sunset mode. Its technological prowess is eroding. China has made its own fighter jets, nuclear arsenal, landed craft on the Mars, made temperatures equal to those of the Sun in its laboratories, and its apps like Zoom and Cam Scanner by far dominate the global app space. Indeed, the US still leads in a number of technologies like Artificial Intelligence ..

THROUGH an order of far-reaching importance passed on August 26, 2021, regarding protection of children, who have lost either parent or both of their parents after March, 2020 in the pandemic due to COVID-19, Justice L. Nageswara Rao and Justice Aniruddha Bose, at the Supreme court have directed the State Governments to confer with private schools to waive the fee of the distressed children for the current academic year. The SC has stated in the order that in case, the private institutions are unwilling ..

  INDIA’S Tokyo Olympics gold medal-winning athlete Neeraj Chopra has proved he is a hero in real sense by trashing elements who were trying to further their vested interests by using his media statement on fellow Pakistan javelin thrower ..

A MAJOR development in recent weeks in the financial sector has gone largely unnoticed – Reserve Bank of India’s announcement that the central bank is considering phased introduction of its own digital currency and the Modi Government’s proposal to come out with a legislation to regulate virtual currency in the country. These are steps that may not happen in the next few weeks but the thinking is that RBI may bring in a digital currency of its own and likely to unveil a model by the end of the year. ..

Oh, what an excellent, heart-warming thought! If the one real power upon which all human boasting and arrogance rests, it is this capability of humans to be able to think, to generate thoughts and to be known as thinking animal. But what glory can this thinking man achieve if ‘thoughtfulness’ is not his attribute! The above lines from an old poem by an anonymous muser, found perhaps in all school books for good reasons, is all about this little withering quality of mankind - thoughtfulness. To understand ..

the candle has often formed a fantastic symbolism in human thought! The Candle, the little oil lamp, any inconsiderable source of light (that we often miss)! It burns itself fully and finds in that burn-out the consummation of its purpose of existence. It is only natural that in philosophical mood, man is often attracted to the terrific metaphor the candle represents. People of faith (all faiths), and ones without such an alignment, have found the candle good enough as a symbol of goodness in its ..

 By Vijay Phanshikar : HE WAS one of the most unsung scientists of India of all time. His work as a scientist attracted as many as seven nominations for Nobel Prize, but did not get that coveted honour. Unmindful of that, Dr. Meghnad Saha continued to work tirelessly not just in his chosen field of expertise -- Physics -- but also expanded his versatile genius to fields of larger societal interests. In that sense, he came to be known as one rare visionary who promoted a successful interface ..

United Nations, August 19 (PTI): Pakistan-based terror groups like LeT and JeM continue to operate with both impunity and encouragement, India told the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Thursday, calling on it not to take a “selective view” on the scourge of terrorism and “to have the courage to call out the ‘double speak’ of those who extend State hospitality to individuals who have innocents’ blood on their hands. ..

The problem that has led to repeated US military fiascos like Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, in the view of Dr George Friedman, founder of Stratfor and later of ‘Geopolitical Futures’, is that the United States has become addicted to what he calls ‘non-strategic wars’. Or ‘wars of choice’, in the common usage. The humiliation in Afghanistan is a chance for Americans to reconsider their country’s behaviour...

PRIME Minister Mr. Narendra Modi’s interaction with the Indian contingent headed for the Tokyo Paralympics was another heart-warming gesture from the head of the family caring for every member. Mr. Modi’s encouragement for the athletes would go a long way in boosting their morale as the PM was clear in his message that “New India will not pressure our athletes to win the medal. You just need to give your 100 per cent”. These words carry untold amount of love and warmth that every sportsperson craves ..

    THE current Afghan crisis has brought Indian diplomacy to a new cross-roads tackling which is a major challenge the like of which the country’s foreign policy planners and handlers have never faced before. This challenge is pushing the foreign policy managers to have a cumulative rethink of what they have done in the past four decades. Successful handling of the Afghan crisis by India will depend much on how this foreign policy imbroglio is gotten over with. This exercise ..

TB IS a major disease in our country. Its treatment requires that the medicines be taken continuously for nine months. The bacterium becomes resistant if the medicines are not taken regularly for the specified time. The Government has done well to appoint health workers to reach the medicines to the patients. The Government officials buy the medicines and field workers reach the medicines to the patients. This process opens up a number of opportunities of corruption. The officials can collect commission..

   l New Delhi, August 12 (IANS): Condemning the Opposition’s ‘behaviour’ in the just-concluded Monsoon Session of the Parliament, the Government, on Thursday, demanded the Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha to take strictest possible action against the unruly members of Opposition, who should apologise to the nation for their conduct. l New Delhi, August 12 (PTI): Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, on Thursday, expressed ..

  TECHNICAL anomaly in the cryogenic stage of launch resulted in the failure of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) attempt to send the country’s latest earth observation satellite into the orbit. The GSLV-F10 rocket carrying the EOS-03 observation satellite had performed naturally and really well in first and second phase but ignition at the cryogenic stage could not take place forcing the agency to declare the mission as “not accomplished”.  The ..

THE appreciation by American defence establishment Pentagon that India played a constructive role in Afghanistan has its own value not just for India but also for the whole world. By its constructive approach to the highly volatile Afghan situation in the past few years, India has put before the world a genuine example of good international conduct that can reduce tensions and create new possibilities of peaceful resolution of conflict. Even though the United States withdrew its troops from Afghanistan ..

LARGER focus on building operational capabilities along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the form of infrastructure and advance landing grounds (ALGs) marks the major shift India has made to its China policy post the eastern Ladakh stand-off. Both the Indian and Chinese troops are now in the process of disengagement from friction points, the latest being Gogra, but the covert plane on which China’s PLA operates has made it necessary for India to stay in a permanent alert mode..

THE three-and-a-half-minute video made by Opposition parties with title “Mr. Modi, Listen to Us” makes little sense -- as usual. The video shows leaders of various Opposition parties making accusations against the Government on the floor of the two Houses of Parliament. Each one is seen and heard alleging in effect that the Government was trampling upon the Opposition’s right to free speech, or demolishing values of democracy etc. The main refrain is that the Government must allow discussion on ..

WHEN his javelin soared high, piercing the Tokyo sky in only the second attempt in the final, Neeraj Chopra did not even bother to look at it. Bringing his sprint to a screeching halt he swivelled into a reverse turn and threw his hands up. It was a rare belief of a champion, cocksure of the final result, telling India that her moment has finally arrived in the Olympics. The spear descended with a curve and went straight into the ground to give India a magical figure that it will savour for posterity. ..

THE disengagement of Indian and Chinese troops at Gogra in eastern Ladakh should be treated as a watershed moment from multiple angles. Though partial disengagement of troops had already been underway for quite some time, the withdrawal at Gogra adds a special value to the success of India’s handling of one of the toughest military, diplomatic and geopolitical challenges in recent years. Even the hard-headed diplomats from the international community also realised the strength of character in India’s ..

THE Olympics 2020 is in session and many a sports lover is feasting on the top quality visual and sporting delights on TV. While the thrills are exciting enough, there are also many examples of heartwarming sportsmanship and exemplary noble behaviour that are on display at the Games. And there is much to learn from observing the conduct of these great sportspersons, both during, and after, their competitive battles. ..

THE battle against COVID-19 has become tougher in Kerala. The dubious distinction the State has gained of being the best performer and having the worst in new cases of infection. For Kerala, the second wave is hardly over, but the third wave is already predicted to strike the country anytime this month. There is clearly a lesson to be learnt for all the States in the country because the situation in Kerala indicates the level of preparedness needed to stamp out the pandemic, which all the States of ..

The implications of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) legislation by the European Union enacted recently has, both, positive as well as negative fall-outs for Indian industry as also the policy planners in the Government. This presents multifarious choices and also opportunities in equal measure to Indian industry and the Government, presenting new challenges to them in terms of technology options and upgradation to meet the targets for reduction in the levels of emissions of greenhouse ..

Of inner flow SIMPLE words -- one may say. Yet, what psychologist Mihalay Csikszentmihaly talks of smashes down almost all the frills of intelligence we so often wear. Only tentatively do we realise from what source human creativity emerges. Only superficially we pay tributes to excellence in performance -- in any field -- without actually understanding the dynamics of human inputs. A deeper thought, however, leads to the very same finding that Mihalay Csikszentmihaly reached through terrific research ..

MANGTE Chungnejian Mary Kom summoned the best from her reserves as she made a desperate effort for a comeback in the women’s flyweight boxing category in Tokyo. A split decision ended her Olympics in a heartbreak. Manu Bhaker was on course for a place in final of the 10m air pistol event when her gun malfunctioned. Despite her tremendous effort in the remaining time she ended her campaign in tears. Similar tales emerged from many other disciplines where the Indian medal prospects faltered at crucial ..

I hate all things categorised as ‘necessary evil.’ War, politics, rules, taxes, some quirky relatives, formal dinners, Mondays, dieting, cabbage, gourd etc. etc. etc. Well, so many necessary evils in life! I say, why should anything evil be necessary? But since we live in the world which is more evil than necessary, one has to live with a little of necessary evil, or so I am told. The recent ‘necessary evil’ to have drawn everyone’s attention is spying. Most governments and agencies, world over, ..

IS Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal, President of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) suggesting a third front for the next Lok Sabha elections in 2024 -- asking the country’s regional political parties to come together ? If that is the case, then he is almost sure to harm the Opposition cause -- of forming a national front parallel to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its partners in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). ..