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Friday, March 20, 2026
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Opinion

Long before LPG queues, here’s how Indian kingdoms dealt with hoarding and famine

From Kautilya’s Arthashastra to Mughal policies and British non-intervention, India’s response to supply shocks has long been defined by the role of the state.

The BJP’s constant attack on Rahul Gandhi isn’t fear—it is pure political strategy

If Rahul Gandhi is so useless that he functions as an asset for this government and a liability for the Opposition, why is the government trying so hard to keep him in the news?

US-Israel must not light a Jauhar pyre in Iran—Rajput warriors had nothing to lose

History’s most dangerous soldiers are the ones fighting because they have nothing left to lose. America and Israel have just created millions of them.

US headlines offended Trump. He’d better not watch Indian news channels’ Iran war coverage

Trump was enraged by what he called 'misleading headlines' about five US tanker planes reportedly hit in Saudi Arabia. He singled out NYT, WSJ, and other “Lowlife” newspapers.

Iran war is a sign to course correct for India. Navy must step up

The Navy has always been in the forefront of supporting national diplomatic and other outreach efforts beyond India’s political boundaries. Time to step up.

Strait of Hormuz crisis shows limits of US, say Chinese. ‘India most vulnerable’

Chinese online discourse situates the crisis within a broader geopolitical context, particularly the hesitancy of US allies to support Washington.

Salar Jung Museum at 75 is also a story of what Hyderabad lost

The Salar Jung family’s vast collection of rare art objects from around the world became a museum that turns 75 this year.

Kabul hospital bombing unravels the laws of war. It puts our civilisation in danger

Learning from the Second World War, the world seemed to move toward making war subject to law and reason. These ends were, however, almost immediately subverted.

The West’s real crisis isn’t war. It is the weakness within

The West appears to many not only to be declining, but to be flailing around like ‘an ineffectual angel beating its wings in the void’.

Ambani’s $300 billion Texas hedge is a nod to MAGA

Message from the tycoon seems to be clear: No matter who’s at war with whom, conveyor belt to Gujarat must not stop. It’s a masterclass in MAGA diplomacy that will also serve US-India ties.

On Camera

Indian Muslim intellectuals struggling to make sense of Iran crisis. Ummah isn’t the answer

Many Muslim communities, Shia and Sunni alike, often respond through a religious lens. That lens slips into a tribal thinking, shaped by ideas like the ummah.

Why the US shouldn’t try to outsmart the oil market

Selling oil futures would be a desperate ploy, born of panic about rising US gasoline and diesel retail prices ahead of the midterm elections.

Israel’s tolerance for persistent threats on its borders has eroded: US intel on Iran war

When conflict with Iran ends, says the report, area’s key players are likely to reexamine longstanding assumptions & alliances as they determine how best to advance their interests.

Peaceful power transfers followed uprisings in India’s neighbourhood. It’s a sign of mature democracies

Rating democracies is a tricky business. I am only using the simple metric of who in the Indian subcontinent has had the most peaceful, stable, normal political transitions and continuity.