Remembering D. Sitaram: The Firebrand Who Made News Before News

MS Shanker There are journalists, and then there are legends. Dharmavaram Sitaram firmly belonged to the latter tribe. Rough-edged, sharp-tongued, and merciless in his mentoring style, he was as much a tormentor as a teacher. But ask those who came under his wing—often unwillingly—and they will tell you that his harassment was actually his version…

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World Teachers’ Day 2025: Inspiring Learners, Building Collaboration

Teaching has long been regarded as a noble profession—one that shapes not just the careers, but the very character of future generations. To honour the invaluable contributions of teachers to education and society, Teachers’ Day is celebrated across the world on different dates. In India, Teachers’ Day is observed every year on 5th September, commemorating…

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It’s Time for BCCI to Recognise Telangana Cricket Association

This week, we momentarily step away from our ongoing “How to Revive Hyderabad Cricket” series to focus on an equally urgent question: why does the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) still refuse recognition to the Telangana Cricket Association (TCA), despite its credibility, reforms, and grassroots impact—while continuing to prop up a dysfunctional…

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Vindictive Witch-Hunt at NIPER: How Rules Were Twisted to Target a Director

I served as Director of the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Mohali. During my tenure, I became the target of a relentless and vindictive campaign engineered by Dr. V. M. Katoch and Mr. Rajneesh Tingal. Their collusion, primarily aimed at shielding a Registrar whom I had suspended for multiple acts of omission…

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Rot Runs Deep: Even U-19 Selection in HCA Turns Controversial

Special Correspondent The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) seems to have learnt nothing from repeated court humiliations and rising public outrage over its opaque, irregular, and often dubious functioning. The truncated Apex Council, far from introspection, looks determined to deepen the crisis. Now, even the selection of the state’s Under-19 team — a space that should…

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