A routine airport transit turned into a full-blown diplomatic flashpoint last week, exposing once again the fragility of India-China relations and the growing assertiveness with which Beijing pursues its territorial claims. The 18-hour detention of an Indian citizen at Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport was no ordinary immigration dispute — it was a direct challenge to…
In the bright desert air of Dubai, where technology and spectacle often converge, the Indian Air Force’s Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) took center stage—an embodiment of indigenous aviation prowess and the aspirations of a nation reaching for the sky. Yet, amidst the anticipation and pride, a shadow unfurled: a fatal crash punctuated by a…
Beyond the Barbed Wire—A Surge of Change in Bengal’s Heartland In the vast expanse between lines etched by history and those guarded by relentless vigilance, West Bengal has become the stage for a drama both poignant and seismic. The recent churn along the Bengal–Bangladesh border has revealed a landscape of hurried departures, shaken identities, and…
India’s modern political imagination often returns to historical moments that shaped its democratic instincts long before they matured into institutions. Among these sits a lesser-discussed episode from the late 1940s—one that resurfaces whenever the country debates leadership, lineage, and national allegiance. It revolves around the Holkar dynasty of Indore, a young Republic defining its constitutional…
In the heartlands of Bihar, a troubling new migration begins—not one of aspiration, but of retreat. As the dust settles on the NDA’s sweeping electoral victory, unsettling images and metaphors dominate public discourse. Like startled field mice fleeing thunder, sudden movements of communities across borders raise an urgent question: what fuels this restless exodus after…
In the grand theatre of Indian democracy, the recent Bihar Legislative Assembly elections unveiled a paradox both startling and instructive. Like a river that spreads wide yet fails to carve a deep channel, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) secured the highest statewide vote share but fell far behind in the race for power. This contradiction—winning…
In the sprawling mosaic of modern India, the loud proclamations of border skirmishes and external aggression often drown out quieter, more insidious battles unfolding within. The story of India’s “0.5 Front” is not about soldiers in uniform or tanks on contested terrain. It is the tale of invisible adversaries—subtle, embedded, ever-shifting forces working deep inside…
Nagaraj Neelakantam In the cavernous corridors where the heartbeats of nations echo, few moments resonate strongly enough to shake the established order. The Hungarian Institute of International Affairs’ report on Operation Sindoor does precisely that—ripping away facades and laying bare truths often concealed within the arsenal of state diplomacy. What unfolds is not merely an…
The 2025 Bihar mandate has done more than redraw the political map—it has shattered some long-nurtured dreams. Nowhere is this more evident than in Seemanchal, the northeastern cluster of districts where Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM hoped to script a revival. For years, this region—Shahpur, Kishanganj, Araria, Purnia—has been portrayed as fertile ground for minority-led parties. Yet…
In the vibrant chaos of India’s capital—a city that pulses with history and echoes with the clamour of everyday ambition—news sometimes arrives not as gradual revelation, but as seismic shock. The recent disclosure by intelligence agencies, revealing the presence of over 5,000 Pakistani nationals residing in Delhi, landed with the jolt of a sudden monsoon…
