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Saturday, November 22, 2025
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National Interest

Manoj ‘Bharat’ Kumar sang so Sunny Deol could yell—journey of Bollywood patriotism

This isn’t an obituary of Manoj Kumar. It's about the influence he had in defining patriotism for two generations of Indians across our most perilous decade, say from 1962 until the run-up to the Emergency.

Thank you Trump for putting tariff gun to India’s head. That’s the only way we’d be forced to reform

Trump threatening to pull the trigger might be just what is needed to wake up India’s self-congratulatory establishment from its headline-managing fantasies.

One prime minister’s 19-month legacy is bigger than another’s Emergency

Shastri’s legacy is unfairly overshadowed by peace he made at Tashkent and a visit that also took his life. Among his contributions were Green Revolution and talent-hunting Dr Swaminathan.

Trick or retreat: There’s a grand deception behind Indian military shortfalls, and in this column

It is fashionable to curse Rajiv Gandhi for Bofors and more, but the truth is that 1985-89 was the only period in our history when weapons acquisitions were proactive and futuristic.

Minimum Trump, Maximum Modi—US is gutting bureaucracy, India is turbocharging it

Trump is the insurgent, who sees career civil servants as evil. For Modi, the career civil servant represents continuity, change and loyalty.

Trump has brought the N-word back in fashion

While we’ve all been focused on free trade, globalisation, Ukraine, and Gaza, Trump has already killed and buried the idea of non-proliferation for ever. Nukes are back as a deterrent.

One person’s Deep State is another’s Non-State actor. And Shallow State is where the real power lies

Deep State has now become the engine of conspiracy theories across democracies. America was the first, and India is catching up fast. Many European democracies are on the bandwagon too.

Kejriwal era of ideology-free politics ends. Contradiction of being in INDIA & targeting Congress base

Kejriwal and the AAP are devastated, but not finished. They still have a big state in Punjab, the municipal corporation in Delhi and 43 percent of the vote, even in defeat.

In defence of Murthy & Subrahmanyan: Success isn’t 9-to-5, and no one’s forcing you to work longer

It’s easy to beat up on the corporates. But a society that does not give its entrepreneurs, wealth & jobs creators love and respect, is doomed to be frozen in a low-middle-income status.

Middle class is addicted to Modi. Slowing growth, stalled reform & oppressive taxes don’t matter

Indian middle class seethes at growing phenomenon of political parties taking their tax money and spraying it among the more numerous poorer classes to buy their votes.

On Camera

Trump’s 28 points for Ukraine add up to a no-go at peace

Two questions are pertinent: Why does the Trump administration keep making the same mistakes on the peace proposal? And what does a hurried peace plan mean on the ground?

At Charcha 2025: Local entrepreneurship, not just big IT, will drive next wave of distributed AI work

While global corporations setting up GCCs in India continue to express confidence in availability of skilled AI engineers, the panel argued that India’s real challenge lies elsewhere.

Tejas fighter aircraft crashes at Dubai Air Show, IAF confirms pilot’s death

This is the second such incident after a Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas had crashed into a hostel on the outskirts of Jaisalmer in March last year.

INDIA has a Congress-sized hole. And the fix begins with a little humility

Without a Congress revival, there can be no challenge to the BJP pan-nationally. Modi’s party is growing, and almost entirely at the cost of the Congress.