scorecardresearch
Friday, September 5, 2025
HomeThe FinePrint

The FinePrint

Pashmina takeover, debt traps—Kashmir’s dying handwoven carpet industry hurts Pasmandas most

With dwindling demand and low wages, Kashmiri carpet weavers are increasingly turning to Pashmina shawls, a comparatively lucrative profession.

A temple in the Taj Mahal? What Mughal-era documents tell us about tangled claims

Allahabad HC Thursday dismissed a plea to open sealed rooms of Taj Mahal to investigate 'real history', while BJP MP Diya Kumari claimed monument stands on Jaipur royal family's land.

I reviewed Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande’s performance 27 years ago. This is what I found

COAS Gen Pande was a humble, unassuming and clever officer who only ‘spoke when spoken to’.

How CNG prices have taken the gas out of Delhi’s auto drivers and their livelihoods

Rajesh Pandey, who plans to go back to Nepal as driving auto becomes unsustainable, says he sits idle during most hours of the day without a passenger in sight.

Modi is a polarising figure and that’s not a bad thing. But we need answers to 3 questions

Concerns of Modi critics are valid, but not enough to justify the horror and fear. TV debates and the press are wrong about why he's so polarising.

Buddhist Asia had a globalised script 1,000 yrs before the West. It spread from north India

Siddham is, in some ways, the McAloo Tikki of the medieval world.

In Myanmar, a new ‘criminal’ State is rising. And China is paying to build it

Myanmar’s narcotics warlords are finally becoming the arbiters of the State. While China quietly moves in, India will have to make tough choices.

Temple posters, orders to priests: How Telangana district is fighting ‘auspicious’ caesareans

In April, Karimnagar collector issued instructions to doctors & priests against needless surgery. Hope is if 'auspicious date' perk is removed, parents will opt for natural birth.

Plea to worship Hindu idols, survey row — the latest Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi legal tussle

Fresh bone of contention is a court-ordered survey of ‘Maa Shringar Gauri Sthal and other areas’ within Gyanvapi mosque complex. Survey team has been stalled twice.

Don’t reduce BSF from first-class border guarding force to third-class police force in states

The BSF was created to guard borders, it hasn't been trained for police function. Expanding its mandate will dilute its core competence.

On Camera

Giorgio Armani brought a feminine touch to men’s tailoring — and taught them how to suit up

Armani built a multibillion-dollar global brand from something as simple as an unstructured jacket, and broke down the walls between formal and casual.

GST 2.0: India streamlines indirect tax regime amid Trump tariffs & what it means for consumers

Goods and Services Tax Council paves way for a broad two-slab structure of 5% and 18% with a demerit rate of 40% for super luxury and 'sin' goods.

HAL team to visit US this month for talks on joint production of GE 414 engines

The engines are meant for Tejas Mk 2 and the first tranche of Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

For Indian Mercedes, Asim Munir’s dumper truck in mirror is closer than it appears

From Munir’s point of view, a few bumps here and there is par for the course. He isn’t going to drive his dumper truck to its doom. He wants to use it as a weapon.