THE famous huddle behind closed doors in Chennai kickstarted the new season for the Indian team which is eager to go out and make a solid statement against visiting Bangladesh. Both the teams are scheduled to play a two-Test series, totally mindful of the..

WEST Bengal Chief Minister Ms. Mamata Banerjee is trying to hoodwink the nation by offering to resign -- by so-called respecting popular wish. It is naive to think that a woman of her method and manner would make a genuine offer to step down. If she were a woman of honest means, she would have stepped aside long back when the whole nation agonised over the details of the terrible violation of human rights in her State during her regime of the past 15 years. But Ms. Mamata Banerjee is not a person ..

ANATIONAL debate is raging in the middle of the controversy and commentaries surrounding the web series ‘IC814: The Kandahar Hijack’, opening up a disturbing chapter in India’s security mechanisms. The web series has come with its faults and some illogical “artistic liberties” but at the same time it has redirected focus on the Indian response to the hijack drama played out in 1999. The hijacking of IC 814 flight from Kathmandu to Kandahar and the way the sordid saga was handled by the security and ..

THE brazen statement by Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Mr. Rahul Gandhi in the United States about India being a land where skilled people are sidelined is nothing but a complete distortion that pertains to no reality on the ground on any count. That a person occupying a constitutional position of Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha should indulge in such deliberate statements on foreign soil does not mean anything less than taking an anti-national stand with no connect with truth whatsoever. ..

SOME interesting duels are being witnessed in Duleep Trophy this season as established players are vying for a comeback in the national side while their competitors are leaving no stone unturned to impress the selectors. With a long red-ball season ahead for India, the domestic fixture has gained remarkable significance and coverage in media much to delight of young players. It will be a challenge for the selectors to mark players for the limited spots available in the Test side. At the same time, ..

PRIME Minister Mr. Narendra Modi has talked of India wanting to create ‘several Singapores’ of its own. He has insisted that Singapore offers a great model of development that India wishes to follow. There should be no contesting this vision of the Prime Minister -- since it gels well with the national developmental aspirations. In other words, the Prime Minister is actually leading the larger Indian society’s aspirational thought-process by talking of replication of Singapore’s model of development. ..

THE unanimous passage of the ‘Aparajita Woman and Child Bill (West Bengal Criminal Laws and Amendment) Bill 2024’ by the West Bengal Legislative Assembly certainly has its own importance in the current, highly politicised scenario. That it symbolises certain constitutional approach to the terrible barbarism that rape -- of any kind -- stands for, is only one aspect of the story. The other aspect refers to the political compulsion under which West Bengal Chief Minister Ms. Mamata Banerjee felt cornered ..

EXTERNAL Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. S. Jaishankar pushed himself to the centrestage of the diplomatic discourse when he insisted that India has a ‘special China problem’ over and above the general problem the world has with Beijing. This statement is bound to linger in international thought-process for quite some time since it proposes an altogether different China proposition and perception. Dr. Jaishankar suggests, in a way, a special approach India must take and is taking to deal with China. The ..

EXTERNAL Affairs Minister Mr. S Jaishankar has once again made clear India’s definite position on relationship with Pakistan by indicating that India will respond to evolving situations with equal and effective reaction to every action initiated by the neighbour. By dismissing resumption of talks with the neighbour, while noting that “the era of uninterrupted dialogue with Pakistan is over”, Mr. Jaishankar has effectively ended all hopes harboured by the leadership in Pakistan about a relationship ..

PRESIDENT Mrs. Droupadi Murmu has touched everyone’s emotional chord when she appealed to the nation to wake up and end crimes against women. ‘Enough is enough’, she has insisted, as she grieved deeply that women are not as safe as they should be in a civilised society. Hence her appeal to ensure that crime against women is eliminated from the larger Indian society and that any perpetrator of such crimes is brought to book as immediately as possible without any protection to him or her from any quarter. ..

Sexual violence against women continues unchecked in schools, workplaces, on the streets, public transport, and within homes. Anger may arise, but the outcry over a case is swiftly overshadowed by the retelling of a new one. The laws and recommendations must be implemented quickly and within a specific timeframe. We have inefficient standing committees for addressing sexual harassment issues. Women’s commissions in all States should be independent and active rather than relying on political appointments. ..

AS A society we collectively agree to abide by certain rules and regulations and enforce them as a group. Laws are set by the government to establish some kind of discipline and ease the way we live. These are for the good of the people and their life. Small examples of legislations are putting on seat belts in a car, wearing helmets while driving a two wheeler, following traffic rules, smoking in public places, spitting anywhere, littering or even eve teasing. Life is beautiful if as a group we agree ..

ONE of the worst aspects of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is that all Governments have used PoK as a political ploy rather than a serious issue of national interest. There was a time when one after another Indian leaders of the Government of the day -- directly or indirectly related to security and defence establishments -- kept shouting from the roof-top that PoK was the next, best and nearest target and India would grab it back. This was nothing but a serious hoodwinking of the unsuspecting millions ..

The caving in of the statue of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has drawn significant attention, given its emblematic value and the prominence of the event at which it was unveiled by none less than Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December last year. The statue was installed as a tribute to the legendary Maratha warrior who is celebrated for his contributions to the establishment of the Maratha Empire in the 17th century. The statue was not only a symbol of Chhatrapati Shivaji’s valour ..

EVEN as the world deals with raging conflicts in different regions between nations, insurgents, terrorists and rebels, North Korean leader Mr. Kim Jong-un keeps rattling his threats in the form of different weapons. Latest addition to Mr. Kim’s threatening arsenal are the suicide drones which were tested on designated targets as part of“enhanced warpreparedness”. ..

  By Vijay Phanshikar :   “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” - Ernest Hemingway THIS is no oversimplification. Actually, it is very complex -- no matter the straightforward manner Erne..

IT WAS a Saturday and I had called a friend over to my house. It was the first time I was playing a host, and I was trying to be the best host possible, sticking to our Indian ethos. Soon we found ourselves chilling in my room, and conversations veered to personal ones over chocolate cookies, mangoes and choco-chip slice cake. The evening was unfolding in a chilled relaxed way. Her phone rang. It was our colleague. The next day was a Sunday, and she wanted my guest to put in for her the next day at ..

CLOUD computing has emerged as a crucial element in today’s technology, serving as the backbone for global connectivity. It empowers businesses, governments, and individuals to employ and construct cloud-based services and forms the foundation for a huge range of systems we use every day including telecommunications, transportation, healthcare, banking, and even streaming services. Such systems, like any hardware or software, are susceptible to failures and cyberattacks that can occur unpredictably. ..

Developments that are constructive & systematic take years to build the nation. Senseless destruction, in contrast, takes just no time to push the country back by several years, leaving all the efforts & hard work made over a period go down the drain. India has been optimally utilising all the international platforms available to prevail on the world community for maintaining peace & tranquillity across the globe. Especially, in this advanced age of information, communication..

SO India is a “big country” with a“big influence” on the Russian economy and Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy wants India and Indians to “change their attitude” towards Russia. For then, there will be peace as Russian President Vladimir Putin will then end the war. Apparently, Zelenskyy doesn’t like Modi’s crude oil deals with President Vladimir Putin. President Zelenskyy does not like India’s“record breaking” deals for oil from Russia. India’s energy purchases from Russia figured in the discussions ..

FEARLESS is the best description of Shikhar Dhawan’s career in international cricket. The day he entered the Test arena against Australia in Mohali, the world got the full display of how a resolute player goes about his task without any fear for reputation or history. In his debut Test innings, Dhawan simply slaughtered the Aussie bowlers, putting up a grand spectacle which the world hailed without any hesitation. As he announced retirement from international cricket, the southpaw opener has left ..

AS THE United States and Russia watched with keen interest Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi’s visit to Ukraine, India managed a skillful rebalancing act by yet again de-hyphenating its engagements on its own terms. Mr. Modi’s meeting with President of Ukraine Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has once again put India in a position to act as a bridge between Kyiv and Moscow and seek an end to the long-stretched conflict which has put vital interests of the entire world in peril. Within six weeks of his ..

Exactly fifty years ago, Parvesh two years senior to me, in engineering, a below average student like me but a Casanova of our city and a celebrity of sorts had finally managed to graduate. Stunningly handsome, fashionable, stylish and fun loving was a perfectly fit element for films. Though a talented standup comedian those days, he was twice rejected by Film Institute, Pune saying he lacked talent to generate required expressions and emotions. Finally, the ‘stick’ of his father Col Ahuja succeeded ..

l Srinagar, August 22 (PTI): An alliance with the Congress party is final on all 90 seats in Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference President Dr. Farooq Abdullah said on Thursday. The announcement came after Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge called on the NC leadership at Abdullah’s residence. l New Delhi, August 22 (ANI): Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar claimed on Thursday that some forces were attempting to disrupt the upcoming Assembly ..

THE assertion of West Bengal Governor Mr. C.V. Ananda Bose that democracy is degenerating in West Bengal, needs to be taken in complete seriousness not just by the people but also by the Centre. For record, democratic framework is quite operational in West Bengal -- with elections taking place, with administration structurally sound, with bureaucracy properly in place ... ! But, even as the structure is in place, there is something critical missing in West Bengal’s system of governance -- the right ..