Special Reports
Somashekhar Ganta The headline could well be a cryptic clue to what is reportedly unfolding in Beijing. Social media is abuzz with speculation that “She” (Xi Jinping), the all-powerful General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and President of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), is being quietly dethroned by “Who” (Hu Jintao, his…
How a Former Cricketer Hijacked a Supreme Court-Mandated Reform Panel MS Shanker In a damning new chapter in the saga of Hyderabad cricket’s administrative collapse, fresh revelations by former Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, Justice N.A. Kakru, expose the internal sabotage of the very Supervisory Committee that was tasked with cleansing the…
Alberto Juantorena’s Unmatched Olympic Reign Some athletic feats stand so far apart from the norm that they enter the realm of legend, transcending specialization, redefining human limits. At the very peak of such rare accomplishments lies Alberto Juantorena’s historic double gold at the 1976 Montreal Olympics: victories in both the 400 meters and 800 meters….
Jagmohan Thaken In India, 69 percent population lives in villages, where most of the populace is associated with agriculture and allied activities, but snatching the agricultural land by the governments in the name of urban and industrial development leaves these Ruralites in the lurch with a stigma of landless, unsettled, and unemployed. However, the Governments…
Veteran Umpire Ramaswamy Breaks Silence: “Blame the Club Secretaries” MS Shanker After weeks of speaking to former Hyderabad cricketers—disillusioned, dejected but not defeated—I took a detour. On the advice of some wise old players and my former colleague Jagannath Das, I turned my attention to those who watch the game from the other side of…
N Nagarajan I write this as someone who completed secondary education in a century-old school in Delhi, where both Tamil and non-Tamil students studied together. From Classes 1 to 3, Tamil was the medium of instruction, while English was taught as a language. English wasn’t our home language, but we gradually picked it up, thanks…
MS Shanker It began with a phone call. An innocuous ring on a Monday evening. Within ten days, KN Radhakrishna (name changed), a 60-something retired resident of Mehdipatnam, Hyderabad, saw his entire life’s savings—over ₹1.36 crore—vanish into the digital ether. Not to a robber with a weapon, not to an elaborate Ponzi scheme, but to…
So, MS Dhoni wants to trademark “Mr Cool”. Yes, you read that right. Our man from Ranchi has moved the papers in Kolkata to officially own the tag that millions of cricket fans unofficially stamped on him long ago. As someone who’s shared dressing rooms with hotheads and heartbreakers, I’ll say this upfront—Dhoni has every…
MS Shanker If anyone believed that public outrage, investigative exposés, or even central agency scrutiny would clean up the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), last Sunday’s Annual General Body Meeting (AGM) proved otherwise. What unfolded on June 29 was nothing short of a farcical power-sharing exercise, where tainted officials, past manipulators, and compromised figures re-emerged in…
Girja Shankar Dixit Premjit Lal remains one of the most luminous names in Indian tennis history. In his prime, he was not just a formidable presence on the court but also a symbol of dedication, resilience, and grace. His journey through the sport left an indelible legacy—one that continues to inspire players and admirers decades…
