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Thursday, August 14, 2025
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Around Town

Ashok Vajpeyi’s Nehru lecture was all about Modi. And the state of ‘free’ institutions

According to Vajpeyi, ultimate freedom is not found in any constitution of the world. So how can it be found in the Constitution of India?

Aurangzeb’s favourite biryani had an ingredient found only in Kashmir—sorrel flower

Historian Neha Vermani spoke about the role of food in Aurangzeb's court. Mughals were also selective vegetarians, she says. It was a Sufi method of 'soul purification'

Three women talk about love – desi, dissenting, disruptive

Debotri Dhar's 'Love Is Not a Word', which was recently launched in Delhi, has essays on love jihad, love as a Dalit woman, the Kama Sutra, and more.

Modi’s India must bring back Nehru’s excitement for nation-building – Karan Singh

Seasoned Congressman Karan Singh delivered an hour-long lecture in Delhi that focused on the governance challenges faced by India’s ‘steel frame’.

Rocky, Tipsy, Kallu—This animal lovers WhatsApp group is bringing Diwali runaways back home

The WhatsApp group with more than 200 volunteers, emerged during G20 when the civic body was rounding up strays. It has redirected its resources this festive season.

There’s a new way to study US-China divorce. Memes

Memes affect the global perception of China. One such meme is the use of the word ‘assertive’ to describe the country. Until 2010, the English media rarely used it.

Chariots, warriors, burials — ASI has finally found proof Aryans were no invaders in India

The excavations at Sinauli now form the earliest record of a warrior tribe in the subcontinent. The unearthed chariots are reminiscent of the Aryans.

Delhi’s RML Hospital is ready with a pollution clinic. But where are the patients?

Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital has an OPD dedicated to pollution-related illnesses, which operates every Monday from 2 to 4 pm.

Who are the ‘guests that never left’? New book documents India’s invasive alien plants

Mexican Poppy, a toxic yellow flower that is found on roadsides & near fields is one of India's many invasive species. In Hindi, it is aptly called ‘Satyanashi’ or destroyer. 

Delhi is a city of ‘jalis’, not djinns. No other city has so many of them

Navina Najat Haidar’s ‘Jali: Lattice of Divine Light in Mughal Architecture’, maps the long story of perforated screens that adorn India’s mosques, temples, palaces and forts.

On Camera

Trump is swinging on Russia again. What this means for Europe’s security architecture

The dynamics between Europe and Russia have gone so south that mending fences looks like an uphill task—even as the US swings between sanctions and olive branches.

Slashing GST on waste can unlock Rs 1.8 lakh crore, high tax hurting circular economy goals—CSE

Centre for Science and Environment in new report makes case for rationalising GST on waste material, saying most informal operators can’t afford high tax & it also hinders recycling.

Hit by mortar shell, but still fighting—BSF heroes of Op Sindoor honoured with gallantry medals

President of India has honoured 16 BSF personnel with gallantry medals for show of exemplary courage in the 87-hour ‘war’ between India and Pakistan that followed the launch of Op Sindoor.

Modi’s ready to risk it all for farmers. Farm reform can answer Trump with new Green Revolution

Standing up to America is usually not a personal risk for a leader in India. Any suggestions of foreign pressure unites India behind who they see as leading them in that fight.