Special Reports
Raja Rao Pochiraju In a world where military superiority is often equated with Western or Chinese hardware, India’s blistering three-day response to cross-border terror has turned that assumption on its head. What was widely expected to be a limited engagement spiralled into a showcase of indigenous technological innovation, precision warfare, and strategic autonomy, with India’s…
In the middle of a tense standoff with Pakistan, when the Indian armed forces are on high alert and the country is practically in a war-like situation, guess who decided it was time to talk cricket? None other than Congress MP and BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who, in what can only be described as…
Girja Shankar Dixit Pakistan is broke. But its military isn’t. Fighter jets, drones, submarines, warships—Islamabad continues to amass them all, even as it lurches from one financial bailout to another. With a GDP barely scraping $236 billion and over $7 billion allocated to defence this year alone, Pakistan’s military might seems immune to its deepening…
Amend the Preamble: Emphasize “Security with Sovereignty” Dr Buragadda Srinath In a nation as vast and diverse as India, national security must be a paramount concern within the constitutional framework. Freedom is meaningless without the assurance of life, order, and sovereignty. When individual liberties are exploited to incite terror, sedition, or communal unrest, they cease…
From 2007 to 2022, a shadow regime of bureaucrats functioned at the helm of the National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPERs), making critical decisions worth thousands of crores, without legal sanction under the very law that governs these Institutes of National Importance. The NIPER Act, 1998, did not empower them, yet they controlled…
U Lakshman Rao On a serene full-moon day, as the Vasantha season graced the land with fragrant blossoms, gentle breezes, and birdsong, Queen Mahamaya gave birth to a son in the Lumbini Grove near the Himalayas. The child, named Siddhartha, was born while she was journeying to her parental home. Tragically, Queen Mahamaya passed away…
Dr Buragadda Srinath As India continues its ascent as a global power, the need for decisive, visionary leadership that prioritizes national interest over ideological posturing has never been greater. Today, India needs leaders who place security, sovereignty, and citizens’ well-being above symbolic gestures and global image management. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has exemplified such leadership…
The Barefoot Prodigy Who Ran Through Controversy to Fame Zola Budd, born on May 26, 1966, in Bloemfontein, South Africa, emerged as a prodigious talent in middle- and long-distance running during her teenage years. Known for her slight frame and distinctive barefoot running style, Budd quickly rose through the ranks of South African athletics, winning…
Mohammad Younus, the so-called advisor to the caretaker government in Bangladesh and a controversial Nobel laureate, recently made headlines for his reckless remark: if India were to strike Pakistan, Dhaka would align with China to “occupy” India’s seven northeastern states. Today, Younus is conspicuously silent. So is Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, General Asif Masud,…
MS Shanker A Spinner’s Straight Talk: Venkatapathy Raju on HCA’s Decline and the Way Forward In my continuing series on the downfall—and the much-needed revival—of Hyderabad cricket, I’ve spoken to several former players and insiders. Each has offered a distinct insight into the rot that has gripped the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA). But none have…
