Special Reports
MS Shanker In 1955, British naval historian and author C. Northcote Parkinson published an observation in The Economist that began as satire but evolved into one of the most enduring criticisms of bureaucracy: “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” Seven decades later, the principle remains remarkably relevant. Its real…
MS Shanker When a few hundred protesters become a national movement, has journalism mistaken a street for a country? A WhatsApp post making the rounds raises an uncomfortable question about Indian journalism: Has a small stretch of road in New Delhi acquired the extraordinary power to speak for 1.4 billion Indians? Or has a section…
Special Correspondent Time’s Up. Set HCA Free The Apex Council’s term cannot be extended by convenience. Justice P. Naveen Rao’s real legacy must be to professionalise HCA, expose wrongdoing, remove entrenched power brokers and end the association’s permanent dependence on court-appointed supervision. Can Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) ever sing “Yahan Ke Hum Sikandar” and mean…
BG Srinivas India has one of the world’s largest foreign-exchange reserves—about US$734.6 billion as of early October 2026. Yet it cannot reliably manufacture several critical inputs on which its economy depends, from rare-earth magnets to active pharmaceutical ingredients. When China restricted magnet export licences in 2025, Indian electric-vehicle manufacturers faced supply-chain disruptions. A country with…
Drought-Proofing Bharat by 2047 The Four Waters Concept offers a cost-effective pathway to strengthen water security, protect agriculture and reduce the recurring economic and human costs of drought. El Niño is not a one-off climate event. Observed for centuries, it will continue to influence weather patterns and pose recurring challenges to agriculture and water security….
Cricket has evolved dramatically over the years. The arrival of T20 cricket has changed batting philosophies, coaching methods and the way players prepare for matches. Aggression is celebrated, innovative strokes are encouraged, and batters are increasingly expected to score at a rapid pace. Yet, amid all these changes, one fundamental question deserves serious consideration: should…
Nearly a thousand years ago, a medical prescription originating in India travelled thousands of kilometres across the Silk Road into Central Asia, carrying with it more than a medicinal formula. It carried a fragment of India’s rich medical heritage, preserved in a language that would eventually help modern scholars unlock a centuries-old mystery in the…
India’s external position is becoming more fragile, even though the country still has important sources of strength. Rising energy costs, a weaker rupee, portfolio outflows, and record gold imports are widening the gap between the foreign exchange India earns and the foreign exchange it spends. At the same time, services exports and remittances—India’s two most…
Our Special Correspondent Is HCA Heading Towards a Constitutional Crisis? Come October 20, the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) could plunge into a constitutional crisis. One may ask, what? Yes, the term of the present Apex Council ends. Then what? Could HCA be left without a duly mandated elected council? Once that happens, who will run…
PL Srinivas Jantar Mantar 2.0: A test of protest, public order and constitutional authority The much-publicised Jantar Mantar 2.0 agitation called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, has turned into a major confrontation over the right to protest, the responsibility of the police to maintain public…
