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The FinePrint

Between idealism & survival: The Left’s long life in Bihar & its electoral pragmatism

Despite criticism, pragmatism makes the Left endure in Bihar as seen in the 2020 poll results & that too at a time when its existence is restricted to small pockets in India.

An auto driver, trucker & delivery man. And India’s tryst with working-class influencers

On social media, painters, mason, construction workers, labourers, delivery boys, truck drivers are owning their work-lives unapologetically with swagger.

From front bencher to ‘X factor’ in Bihar: The trajectory of ‘Tu-Tu Bhai’ Prashant Kishor

A topper in school, Prashant Kishor is still aiming high, his Jan Suraaj party is contesting 238 of Bihar’s 243 seats. His ancestral village in Rohtas awaits his return.

Shafali Verma is Rohtak’s favourite daughter. Inspiring girls like Sachin Tendulkar did

At Shafali Varma’s home in Rohtak, guests keep pouring in to congratulate the family. The common refrain is ‘Beti ne naam roshan kar diya’— a daughter has done us all proud.

In India, pushing through a policy is easier than changing a culture. Period

Karnataka’s menstrual leave policy is worthy of applause. But it exists in a country where menstruating women can be stripped and humiliated any time, without a hiccup.

Bulldozers demolish ‘Connaught Place’ of Meerut. A story of master plan vs organic markets

Shastri Nagar market grew and thrived in Meerut for over three decades until a Supreme Court order brought in the bulldozers. Some call it illegal, others call it ‘organic’.

Bihar’s Buxar ethanol plant is BJP election postcard. Is it changing lives?

It's small beginning but a big win for the Bihar story. And politicians are desperately using it to show that the turnaround has begun. It’s been a long time coming.

How is ‘Vikas Raj’ going in Bihar? Roads shining, cracks in classrooms, clinics

After 20 years of Nitish rule, Bihar remains India’s worst-performing state overall, ranking among the lowest in health and education despite massive budget increases.

Anant Singh vs Suraj Bhan: Enduring relevance of Mokama strongmen in Lalu & Nitish’s race to win Bihar

Mokama has a bloody history of crime & politics. Gunfire, stone pelting between political opponents are commonplace, and a Jan Suraaj supporter’s killing has marked a new chapter.

War was the norm between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Asim Munir is bringing it back

Pakistan massively enhanced the funding for Islamists in Afghanistan, hoping to bury ethnic nationalism. That strategy has now backfired spectacularly.

On Camera

Nur Jahan to Chand Bibi—Indian women in sports have been erased from history

Dice have been found dating to the Bronze Age in various Harappan sites in present-day northwest India and throughout Pakistan. And it’s very possible that some had female owners.

Vodafone Idea AGR case, explained: SC breather to cash-strapped telco & what it means for industry

Telecom industry keeping close tabs on the case. Government is single largest shareholder in Vodafone Idea, at 49 percent.

‘Let them see’: Putin says new nuclear-powered missiles in the making, in message to Washington

At a ceremony felicitating Russian military engineers, Putin highlights Moscow’s 'parity' in defence technologies for the next century.

Trump’s trade wars have rewritten powerplay, but India didn’t get the memo

This world is being restructured and redrawn by one man, and what’s his power? It’s not his formidable military. It’s trade. With China, it turned on him.