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Monday, May 6, 2024
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Book Excerpts

Does Kashmir really matter to Pakistanis? Most don’t even have any deep attachment to it

In India's Pakistan Conundrum, Sharat Sabharwal shows how the Pakistani establishment seeks the fig leaf of dialogue on Kashmir to keep the issue alive.

How godless China was truly a godsend for the US

In 'Negotiating the New Normal', Saurav Jha writes that China, instead of throwing its weight behind a multipolar world order, has chosen to create a Pax Sinica.

Jamkhed was a picture of death—until these two doctors showed up

In 'Anchoring Change,' Vikram Singh Mehta, Neelima Khetan and Jayapadma RV explore 75 years of grassroots interventions that made a difference.

Mauryan ringstones have been found from Punjab to Bihar. But what were they for?

So far, the only ringstone excavated from outside the Indian subcontinent was found in 2014 in peninsular Thailand and is unlikely to have been made with state patronage.

Why Shivaji’s son came back from Aurangzeb’s Mughal army in less than a year

In ‘Shivaji’, Vaibhav Purandare writes about the rebellion that sent shock waves through the Maratha kingdom.

Kautilya was no Machiavelli, he’s the most pre-eminent economist in history

In ‘Kautilyanomics’, Sriram Balasubramanian writes that even though the name Kautilya is often used in politics today, no one knows much about the man.

Feel, don’t just act like a man—how US, UK set off trans liberty with onstage cross-dressing

In 'Before We Were Trans', Kit Heyam traces a history of impersonation in theatre across Britian and America, which made gender nonconformity possible.

GST’s ‘give-and-take’ attitude has dried up. India needs a system overhaul

In 'The Working of the Indian Constitution', T.M. Thomas Isaac examines the functioning of GST to assess if its high expectations have been realised.

How an accident of geography and history created a people with a bad case of sweet tooth

In ‘Sugar: The Silent Killer,’ Damyanti Datta attempts to understand the hold of sugar in India and demystify the way we eat.

How Vishwanathan Anand joined Sachin Tendulkar, Leander Paes as a ‘superstar’ in the 1980s

In '75 years of Indian Sports', Chandresh Narayanan talks about the spectacular rise of chess grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand.

On Camera

‘Trade, not aid’—Narasimha Rao’s 1991 reforms speech that changed India’s economic landscape

On 9 July 1991, then-PM PV Narasimha Rao addressed the nation days before the Budget presentation, admitting that the job of repairing India's sick economy won't be easy, quick, or smooth.

Air India reduces baggage allowance by 5-15 kg, bringing it in line with rest of industry

Air India’s new policy, effective from 2 May, introduces new weight limits for tickets in each of the different 'fare families' — Comfort, Comfort Plus, and Flex.

China builds road through Shaksgam Valley, India registers protest

New Delhi has, in past, too, objected to Chinese construction activities in Shaksgam Valley. Work in this strategic region gathered pace after the 2017 Doklam stand-off.

Frontrunner is letting the challenger define this poll campaign. Modi still hasn’t found a big theme

A theme has not yet emerged for BJP & people see lack of a contest, which makes it unexciting. For all these reasons, 2024 is turning out to be an unexpectedly theme-less election.