Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Padma Shri for Courage

The decision to confer the Padma Shri on former Union Home Ministry official R.V.S. Mani is much more than recognition of a diligent civil servant. It is an acknowledgment of bureaucratic integrity under political pressure. More importantly, it exposes one of the most controversial political narratives manufactured during the Congress-led UPA era—the attempt to coin…

Read More
Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Bharat’s G20 edge

At a time when many advanced and emerging economies are grappling with slowing growth, stagnant wages, and rising tax burdens on ordinary citizens, Bharat has quietly crafted a taxation framework that stands out among G20 nations. The numbers tell a compelling story. While most countries begin taxing citizens at or near their average income levels,…

Read More
Columnist-M.S.Shanker

A Tight Slap

Truth has finally delivered a tight slap — not merely to Pakistan’s propaganda machinery, but also to sections of Bharat’s Opposition and even to US President Donald Trump, who chose to amplify falsehoods rather than facts. The Indian Air Force’s latest Request for Proposal (RFP) seeking bridge maintenance support for all 36 Rafale fighter aircraft…

Read More
Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Pakistan’s Global Humiliation

Pakistan never ceases to astonish the world. A nation that once dreamt of strategic parity with Bharat is today grappling with a far more humiliating reality — its citizens are being deported in thousands for organized begging from one of its closest financial benefactors, the United Arab Emirates. Nothing exposes the collapse of a state…

Read More
Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Pandora’s Collegium

The Supreme Court’s latest observation that “we don’t want to open a Pandora’s box with regard to the proceedings of the collegium” may have been made in the context of a Himachal Pradesh judicial officer challenging his non-elevation to the High Court. Yet, the statement has inadvertently reopened a much larger debate: if the collegium…

Read More
Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Britain’s Great Decline

There was a time when Britain taught the world how to build institutions, enforce law and govern societies. Today, it struggles to govern itself. The nation that once ruled vast parts of the world now finds itself trapped in political chaos, social fragmentation and a dangerous identity crisis of its own making. The turbulence surrounding…

Read More
Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Judiciary Stands Firm

The Supreme Court’s refusal to entertain urgent petitions challenging the Centre’s temporary restrictions on Telegram services in the aftermath of the NEET-UG controversy is a welcome and sensible decision. At a time when the country is trying to restore faith in one of its most important competitive examinations, the apex court has rightly chosen not…

Read More
Columnist-M.S.Shanker

BCCI’s Welcome move

At a time when modern society is increasingly distancing itself from its cultural roots in the name of professionalism and competition, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has taken a remarkably refreshing and humane decision. Its move to allow the parents of teenage cricket sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi to accompany him on the…

Read More
Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Can Bharat Trust Trump?

The optics were unmistakable. The smiles were broad, the handshake was warm, and the camaraderie between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump appeared to have returned to the days of the grand “Howdy Modi” spectacle. After a gap of sixteen months, the two leaders met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit…

Read More
Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Bring back patriotism

Bharat today is witnessing an uncomfortable and dangerous trend. Forces operating from within and outside the country are increasingly attempting to divide society along religious, regional, caste and ideological lines. Political battles have become so bitter that national interest often takes a back seat to electoral calculations. Amid this growing fragmentation, the time has come…

Read More