scorecardresearch
Add as a preferred source on Google
Thursday, April 23, 2026
HomeGround Reports

Ground Reports

ASI’s ghost campus in Noida—grand new Rs 289-cr facility, 15 students, no faculty

The sprawling new Noida campus of ASI’s storied Institute of Archaeology was supposed to be a monument to new India. Seven years on, there's barely anyone to use it.

Nagaland’s musicians are finally hitting the big time. ‘Used to get paid in fried rice’

From Abdon Mech opening for John Mayer to Moko Koza's Paatal Lok track ‘Aladdin’, Nagaland's musicians are coming of age. Original sound, indie labels, and state backing are making it a 'land of music'.

Delhi’s Project Otenga pairs Northeast fine dining with mental health. ‘Not a restaurant’

First there were supper clubs, now there's a food studio. Project Otenga combines Northeast flavours with ‘eating design’.

Erased from Kashmir’s grief—Muslims killed as ‘informers’ lie buried, forgotten for 3 decades

The two young men—Ali Mohammad Bhat and Mohammad Maqbool Bhat were killed for being ‘informers’. Their unmarked graves have seen no rituals. No martyrdom marches and oral histories either.

The Big Battle for transgender certificates—official apathy, confusion, red tape, bias

The cloud of confusion for India's transgender community has been compounded by the 2026 amendment, which many say could make the tyranny of bureaucratic paperwork a Sisyphean endeavour.

A year after Pahalgam, Lt Vinay Narwal’s death haunts family. Guilt, grief, lonely evenings

‘I don’t feel like staying at home. I just leave, go to a friend’s place or to my sister’s nearby,’ said Rajesh Narwal, who hasn’t found peace since his son was killed by terrorists.

Bohra Muslim women are fighting against FGM anonymously—they fear community boycott

After more than seven years of pendency, the Supreme Court is set to hear a PIL regarding a complete ban on Female Genital Mutilation within the Dawoodi Bohra community.

Kashmiris with Pakistani MBBS degrees are desperate for jobs. ‘My father was militant, not me’

Kashmiri students began going to Pakistan for MBBS in the early 2000s. Pakistan offered a special quota for students from Kashmir, covering lodging and tuition fees.

The anatomy of an unorganised protest—How it spread from Manesar to Noida

The protests have exposed deep fault lines in the region’s labour economy, forcing authorities into damage-control even as political blame games intensifies.

Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad RWAs are fighting among themselves. Temples are the new flashpoint

‘Temples have become a new source of power in these gated societies,' said a resident of Fortune Residency in Ghaziabad. 'We only want transparency, no matter who holds power.’

On Camera

Mumbai woman who shouted at minister spoke for many Indians, exposed BJP’s protest politics

Had it been a poor woman shouting at Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan over the roadblock, the police would likely have arrested her, raided her home, and terrorised her family members.

India’s online gaming rules to take effect on 1 May; most games exempt from registration

The rules, which come into force on 1 May, establish an Online Gaming Authority which will determine whether a game is an online money game or online social game in only three situations.

Japan overhauls post-World War II pacifist military approach, lifts restrictions on defence exports

Since October last year, Japan PM Sanae Takaichi has planned to increase defence spending target to 2 percent of GDP.

Trump, Netanyahu’s Iran gamble: The regime change rebound

American objectives are unmet. They neither have muscle nor motivation to resume the war. As for Iran, the regime didn’t just survive, it’s now led by more radical individuals.