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Friday, January 30, 2026
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First Person Second Draft

A bloody miscalculation called Blue Star

Operation Blue Star was as much a story of incompetence as it was about incredible military courage. The Indian Army generals misread and miscalculated. As did Bhindranwale.

India’s ‘dirty little war’ in Jaffna, heroism amid ineptitude & new friendships under fire

30 Years after IPKF: The passing away yesterday of Col. Anil Kaul, decorated hero of Op Pawan, brings back the truth of a military disaster.

30 years of IPKF: From finding rebel camps in Tamil Nadu to checking on friends in Colombo

Covering a most brutal fratricidal war for a decade, I had never imagined returning to a serendipitous Sri Lanka as a tourist without fear, writes Shekhar Gupta, Editor in Chief, ThePrint.

Life and death of Bhindranwale, one of India’s most dangerous men killed in Op Blue Star

My account of the last months of the dangerous man who Indira Gandhi unleashed her Army on, and sacrificed her life. Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale

On Camera

India’s tech ambitions need private sector investment in R&D. Budget 2026 holds the key

India’s private sector remains hesitant to invest in R&D. This is understandable, as the domestic market often fails to reward differentiated technologies adequately.

India’s public debt stabilising post pandemic hike as Centre cuts burden, but states lag—Economic Survey

While Centre makes progress lowering debt from pandemic peak and cutting borrowing costs, states face slower adjustment with limited market discipline, survey finds.

‘LCA man’ Ravi Kota, key in operationalisation of IAF’s Tejas fleet, picked as next HAL CMD

Mechanical engineer & alumnus of IIM-A & IAS France, Kota was General Manager in HAL’s Light Combat Aircraft division. He was selected from a pool of eight candidates.

Non-alignment is coming back in a new avatar: Trump-peedit alliance

No nation other than China can negotiate one-on-one with Trump on an equal footing. That’s why the middle powers who so far formed the core of multilateral bodies now feel orphaned.