As the Tricolour rose against the winter sky on India’s 77th Republic Day, its flutter carried more than ceremony. For one among many decorated soldiers who have fought three wars from the frontlines, it carried memory, muscle, and meaning. My eyes followed the marching columns not merely with pride, but with perspective—earned through decades of…
What reportedly unfolded in Caracas early this morning marks a rupture that the post–World War II international order was meant to prevent. For the first time in decades, the United States has openly acknowledged launching large-scale military strikes inside a sovereign nation in the Western Hemisphere and, by the U.S. President’s own public assertion, capturing…
The Telangana government never tires of boasting about its “record-breaking” afforestation drives. Crores of saplings planted, glossy photographs released, and self-congratulatory speeches delivered with clockwork precision every Vana Mahotsavam. Yet, step onto the streets of Secunderabad—or drive through its suburbs—and the reality stares back in the form of empty pits, missing saplings, and stunted plants…
Come October–November and winter, the media once again sensationalises the narrative of Delhi turning into a “Gas Chamber.” In retrospect, this recurring alarmism amounts more to fraud-mongering than informed public discourse. Neither pseudo-intellectuals (across sections of the media and climate “experts”) nor political leaders have ever seriously discussed the specific annual winter meteorological phenomenon that…
US President Donald Trump’s sudden softness towards Pakistan, particularly in the aftermath of India’s decisive Operation Sindoor, is not merely puzzling—it is deeply troubling. At a time when the world has once again been confronted with Pakistan’s enduring role as a nursery of terror, Washington’s selective silence raises uncomfortable questions about America’s credibility in the…
For decades, India’s brightest young minds have been sailing westward, chasing foreign degrees and dreams of prosperity. From IIT to Silicon Valley—the story has repeated for generations. But the tide that once took them abroad must now turn homeward. The time has come for a reverse brain drain, for India to harness the intellectual wealth…
Yesterday, at Chandigarh Air Base, the roar of the MiG-21 echoed for the last time. The famed No. 23 Squadron “Panthers” flew its final ortie, marking the Indian Air Force’s farewell to a warhorse that dominated our skies for over six decades. For me, as a soldier who once watched these jets streak across the…
Brig (retd) GB Reddi At what point does political rhetoric cross into willful subversion of democracy? That is the question the Election Commission of India (ECI) can no longer afford to avoid when it comes to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. His relentless accusations of “vote chori” (electoral theft), repeatedly branded as lies by the ECI…
Indian television debates have long ceased to be debates. They have become gladiatorial arenas, where truth is the first casualty and responsibility is an afterthought. Channels, including those run by self-styled “nationalist” anchors like Arnab Goswami, must accept that they have reduced what should have been serious national conversations into noisy slugfests. Arnab may project…
At 87, I have seen India fight wars, survive crises and rise from the slavery of colonial rule to become a respected power in the world. Having served my country in uniform, led men in battle, and devoted my retirement to studying and writing about national security, I have every reason to take pride in…
