A selection of the best news reports, analysis and opinions published by ThePrint in 2018.
Pakistanis threw a crazy party themed on Ambani-Piramal wedding
After making waves on social media in India with its decadent riches, the Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal wedding found an unusual echo in Pakistan’s Karachi with a weekend ‘theme party’, wrote Yusra Askari.
Madhumala Chattopadhyay, woman who first contacted the Sentinelese, Jarawas in Andaman
Sudipto Sengupta wrote on the journey of braveheart Madhumala Chattopadhyay, then a researcher with the Anthropological Survey of India, who went on to spend six years studying the various primitive tribes of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Modi govt’s new direction for allocation of IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS to civil service entrants
In May, the Modi government considered a significant change in the existing rules to allocate the service as well as the cadre or state to those qualifying in the prestigious All India Civil Services Examination, reported Amrita Nayak Dutta.
What happened to students who topped CBSE ten years ago?
Being a topper helps for a while. But it also comes with added pressure to stay on top. In July, Kritika Sharma and Manisha Mondal took a look at the past CBSE toppers.
Modi government only itself to blame for India’s tattered foreign relations
After the US postponed the “2+2 dialogue” in June, Shekhar Gupta wrote about how Modi government’s missteps broke its foreign policy momentum.
Why UPSC invited applications for lateral entry into IAS, again
Due to a reported poor draft of the original advertisement and understatement of eligibility criteria, the UPSC had to invite fresh applications for lateral entry into IAS in December, reported Sanya Dhingra.
Bollywood hasn’t offered me a role since I started speaking out against Modi: Prakash Raj
In the run up to Karnataka elections in May, actor Prakash Raj said he was sidelined by Bollywood after his criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “chilling silence” over journalist Gauri Lankesh, reported D.K. Singh.
Veere Di Wedding’s terrible depiction of masturbation
Even in a progressive Bollywood movie on female friendships, masturbation is seen as an activity to be ashamed of, and to hide from your lover, wrote Diksha Madhok.
‘Sanju’ is so busy abusing media that it forgets how evil 1993 plot was
The Sanjay Dutt biopic isn’t just dishonest, but it’s a funnily dark, endoscopic peek into the entrails of Bollywood, and shows you exactly what’s rotten there, wrote Shekhar Gupta.
Only reason why Narendra Modi will return in 2019 is Rahul Gandhi
Narendra Modi may be looking like a poor shadow of his 2014 self, but Congress president Rahul Gandhi is not even trying to defeat him, wrote Shivam Vij.
This Delhi man was called a ‘pervert’ in viral post 3 years ago — and he’s still stuck there
Three years after an alleged incident of molestation on a Delhi road, Saravjeet Singh says he can’t clear his name of the ‘criminal’ tag because the woman, Jasleen Kaur, hasn’t attended a single hearing, reported Ananya Bhardwaj.
Sardar Patel was adamant, give Kashmir to Pakistan, take Hyderabad. Nehru saved it: Soz
Prominent Kashmiri politician Saifuddin Soz made a startling claim that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was happy to let Kashmir go to Pakistan in exchange for Hyderabad and it was Nehru’s insistence that kept it with India, the Congress leader told Shekhar Gupta.
Indian Army is worried now that men can legally have sex with other men
The Supreme Court judgment decriminalising homosexuality is said to have got the military brass worried over what it exactly means for Indian soldiers, reported Amrita Nayak Dutta.
When attacking Navjot Singh Sidhu, keep in mind Punjab’s most famous live-in couple
The romance between Pakistani Aroosa Alam and Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh is the state’s worst-kept secret, wrote Shobhaa De.
The IAS officer who everyone believes is Maharashtra’s ‘second CM’
Praveen Pardeshi, a 1985-batch IAS officer also known as ‘super’ bureaucrat, is Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ right-hand man, reported Manasi Phadke.
Why one of Modi’s biggest champions on Twitter turned a critic
Economist Rupa Subramanya wrote about the shrinking space for independent voices such as hers, who refuse to take partisan sides.
After Amazon, Netflix said to have agreed to censor its content in India
Streaming service Netflix, celebrated by lakhs of Indian viewers for giving them access to uncensored content, agreed to self-regulation in October, reported Sanya Dhingra.
From a much-loved show, Amitabh Bachchan-hosted Kaun Banega Crorepati became an agenda-setting exercise, wrote Harnidh Kaur.
Holier-than-cow Indian liberal elite is actually Narendra Modi’s best friend
Liberals can go ahead and pour scorn on Narendra Modi. It will only strengthen his base and reaffirm the myth of his victimhood, wrote Shekhar Gupta.
Why an Indian Army Major can’t just meet a woman at a hotel anywhere
After Major Leetul Gogoi’s altercation at a Srinagar hotel in May, Deeksha Bhardwaj reported that there are clear rules that govern the conduct of military officers.