Special Reports
Last evening at the R. Premadasa Stadium, cricket once again reminded us why the game is played with bat and ball — not with press statements, political posturing or television theatrics. India didn’t respond to provocation. It responded to length balls and loose deliveries. And that is precisely why Pakistan, or anyone else for that…
By Vinay Rao The Hyderabad cricket ecosystem today resembles a long-running soap opera — selection controversies, corruption whispers, byelaw acrobatics, election drama and administrative flip-flops unfolding episode after episode. The latest instalment, surrounding the B-Division League semifinals under the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), reads less like sport and more like a screenplay — with the…
Most celebrations make us lose awareness. Mahashivratri does the opposite. It is a celebration wrapped in restful awareness — a night that brings deep rest to the body, quietude to the mind, and dissolution to the ego. In that stillness, a seeker awakens to the highest knowledge of the Shiva Tattva — the all-pervading consciousness….
When the 84th Meeting of the Board of Governors of NIPER S.A.S. Nagar was held on June 7, 2024, one of the agenda items—84.2—was about showcasing the Institute’s achievements and building stronger collaborations with national and international academia and industry. On paper, it sounded promising. In reality, it exposed a deeper malaise. A Board member…
This is a strong opening—evocative and dignified. I’ve tightened the language, corrected minor errors, and improved flow and grammar while preserving your tone and emotional weight. On February 13, 1893, a young monk in saffron robes stood before an eager audience at Mahaboob College in Hyderabad. His words were not merely a speech; they were…
By Vinay Rao Hyderabad cricket is no longer merely battling on the field. It is battling for institutional credibility. For over a year, the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) has resembled an organisation trapped in administrative turbulence rather than a professional sporting body. Opaque selections. Disputed appointments. Byelaws allegedly stretched to convenience. Leadership legitimacy under challenge….
As a woman—and a first-generation political practitioner with the benefit of academic grounding—I watched last week’s developments in the Lok Sabha with deep dismay. What allegedly unfolded was not mere parliamentary disorder, but something far more disturbing: reports and widespread parliamentary chatter suggesting that a group of Opposition women MPs had planned a coordinated commotion…
Special Correspondent If parliamentary conventions carried constitutional immunity, Indian politics would be far less noisy—and far more convenient for those who mistake designation for distinction. Unfortunately for such assumptions, the Indian Constitution is refreshingly blunt on one crucial point: it does not recognise the office of the Leader of the Opposition at all. Not by…
Special Correspondent Parliament has once again been paralysed—not over economic distress or a national security failure, but over selective leaks and political interpretations attributed to an unpublished memoir of former Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane. The Congress-led Opposition’s decision to stall the Budget Session over unverified claims marks yet another low in its increasingly…
Having played Ranji Trophy cricket for Hyderabad in my younger days and continuing to coach tiny-tots even in my late seventies, I often hear people ask whether India can still produce world-class cricketers. My answer, without hesitation, is yes — abundantly so. Talent is not India’s problem. Guidance, patience, and timely correction often are. When…
