Bolarum is a tiny suburb — or rather a Cantonment pocket — of Secunderabad, the twin city of Hyderabad. Historically known as Chinna Lashkar, military folk once took immense pride in the “rum” in Bolarum. And, as only we can, we’ve spelled and respelled it as we pleased, giving it a full metamorphosis into “Bolaram,”…
The Jubilee Hills byelection, necessitated by the sudden and sad demise of popular MLA Maganti Gopinath, has become a contest charged with sentiment and symbolism. The BRS has fielded Gopinath’s wife, banking heavily on the goodwill he built over three consecutive terms. His widow and two daughters have taken it upon themselves to ensure that…
Is the wheel of development turning a full circle? Are the so-called developed nations now confronting a dead end, while developing and underdeveloped countries prepare for their turn to rise? Look across Europe — from the UK to Germany, France to the Nordic states — and the picture is increasingly bleak. Demographic shifts are being…
This October brings the centenary of two remarkable men who took up journalism both as livelihood and as mission—armed with nothing but conviction and courage. Today, October 3, marks the 100th birth anniversary of Sri M.S. Acharya of Warangal, while October 6 will mark that of my father, D. Sitaram. Both faced turbulence in their…
D Nagarjuna There are 8,222 islands in Australia. A lifetime may not be sufficient to visit them all, as some are uninhabitable. The same is true for beaches—there are 10,865 according to official sources, while unofficial counts claim over 11,761. This slight variation hardly matters, because even at the official number, visiting one beach per…
Donald Trump’s politics increasingly resemble Disneyland rides—full of drama, reversals, and dizzying speed. The only question is: is he putting roller coasters to shame? Just ask Elon Musk, who often seems trapped in the same carnival of contradictions. In Telugu, there’s a saying: keedu chesi melu cheyyi—“doing something bad leads to something good.” There’s also…
The headline is not necessarily a signal of eulogy on Narendra Modi. But as he celebrates his 75th birthday, Modi deserves to be showered with encomiums for all the facts that brought him to a stage of invincibility. Either as longest serving Chief Minister of Gujarat and going to be one as the Prime Minister…
Nothing could have been more satisfying for the aggrieved TGPSC aspirants than the High Court delivering a caustic verdict, clearly stating that the General Ranking List was illegal and unsustainable. The Court further observed that the evaluation process lacked uniformity, transparency, and moderation. It also pointed out discrepancies in candidate numbers and skewed results across…
Bihar is a state to reckon with, though its population is just under 10% of India’s citizenry. It is often viewed as the frying pan of India—its people are volatile, hardworking, aggressive, and, not to forget, immensely talented across spheres, much like the rest of the country. Three decades ago, this writer attended a get-together…
No one would have imagined, even in their wildest dreams, that the Kalvakuntla family would end up scripting its own political obituary barely a decade after creating a formidable regional party. The only consolation is that, unlike the Mughal-style dynastic traditions where blood relatives eliminated each other, this family has so far confined itself to…
