Forthright
West Bengal today stands at a perilous tipping point where democracy is no longer merely under strain—it is being brazenly subverted. The shocking developments in Malda, where judicial officials, including women, were allegedly held hostage by political goons, are not stray incidents. They are stark indicators of a deeper institutional collapse that has steadily eroded…
In the theatre of modern warfare—where technology, sanctions, and shock-and-awe tactics are expected to deliver swift victories—one uncomfortable truth has resurfaced: nations with deep civilisational roots and hardened political will do not collapse on cue. If anything, the ongoing confrontation between Iran and the United States has once again exposed the limits of brute force,…
As India formally rolls out its long-awaited Census 2027 from March 1, the contours of a historic digital transformation are already becoming clear. Setting the tone, Amit Sharma, Chief Principal Census Officer and Director of Census Operations in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, has outlined a meticulous roadmap for the twin Union Territories, where self-enumeration…
In an age where politics is often reduced to noise, name-calling, and carefully choreographed outrage, gestures of quiet dignity stand out like a lighthouse in a storm. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to an ailing Sonia Gandhi—widow of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi—was one such moment. She has since been discharged, but the symbolism…
One month into what increasingly looks like a pilot episode of World War III, the West Asian theatre has achieved what decades of diplomacy could not—it has shattered illusions. Not just geopolitical ones, but the kind that think tanks, media studios, and Twitter warriors had carefully manufactured for years. Let’s begin with the obvious embarrassment….
At a time when Donald Trump is openly flaunting a dangerously transactional worldview—boasting of expanding American strategic footprints and even hinting at places like Cuba as potential future targets—the global order appears to be slipping into an era reminiscent of old-style power projection. This is no longer about alliances or stability; it increasingly resembles a…
In any functioning democracy, the right to assemble is not a favour granted by the state—it is a constitutional guarantee. When that right is selectively denied, especially in the heat of an election season, it ceases to be a law-and-order issue and becomes a direct assault on the integrity of the electoral process. The controversy…
The latest push by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to nudge companies into bringing call centre jobs back to the United States—and to mandate “American Standard English” proficiency—has been packaged as a consumer-first reform. It fits neatly into the political grammar popularised by Donald Trump and his “Make America Great Again” doctrine. But beneath the rhetoric…
When two former occupants of India’s highest offices casually redefine terrorism, it is not merely a difference of opinion—it is an indictment of a political culture that blurred the line between dissent and destruction for far too long. A recent video featuring Kapil Sibal and Hamid Ansari has reignited a deeply uncomfortable debate. Both men,…
In a landmark ruling that cuts through decades of ambiguity, the Supreme Court of India has delivered a verdict that goes to the very heart of India’s reservation framework—and its integrity. A bench comprising Justice PK Mishra and Justice NV Anjaria has categorically ruled that a person who converts from Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism to…
