scorecardresearch
Thursday, August 21, 2025

PoV

Dilemma of the Indian middle class — dependent on ‘didis’ but can’t welcome them too soon

Indian middle class fears for their safety during the Covid crisis but that is in conflict with their dependence on domestic workers.

The American Karen is the Indian Suresh, the WhatsApp Uncle who thinks he knows best

Social media and memes have never been about nuance. Given the pandemic and the lockdown the world is struggling with, they have become something to cling to.

Durex says stay inside, Nike says just do it — Admakers are the new bards of Covid lockdown

The coronavirus lockdown has become a strong stimulus for the Mad Men of the world. Budweiser, Ixigo, Durex are all stepping up to the challenge.

Dear privileged, stop saying #MeTooMigrant. You don’t know anyone who died walking home

#MeTooMigrant began as a way of standing together with migrant workers in the Covid lockdown, but the privileged have ended up mocking the migrants’ plight.

Modi gained popularity in Covid, but real test comes later. Don’t judge a leader in crisis

During the 2008 financial crisis, leaders like Gordon Brown, Tara Aso and Kevin Rudd gained popularity, but vanished after the rise of nationalist populism.

Adele to Katrina Kaif — Stop obsessing about ‘revenge bodies’, it just shows fatphobia

When singer Adele posted a picture of herself on Instagram on her birthday, little would she have known that her fans would only praise her weight-loss.

Lawyers weren’t amused by Hasmukh Vir Das on Netflix. But Delhi HC had the sense of humour

I was avoiding Vir Das' standup comedy on Netflix thinking it had something to do with lawyers. Spoiler alert, it doesn't, barring the offence-takers.

First Arab world, now Canada saying enough is enough to Muslim-hating overseas Indians

A firm in Canada ended ties with an Indian over his Islamophobic tweet. But little has changed in India despite Arab world calling out rising hate against Muslims.

Winning a Pulitzer is not ‘anti-national’. Photographs don’t lie or judge

Pulitzer awards the best in journalism. But many in India were troubled when three Kashmiris — Dar Yasin, Mukhtar Khan and Channi Anand — won the prize this year.

The unruly Indian flier is about to get a crash course in airport civility thanks to Covid

As Delhi airport readies its plan to resume operations with social distancing norms in place, handling the unruly Indian passenger will be its biggest headache.

On Camera

Tariffs, chips, and China — how Trump’s trade playbook affects India

Trump’s OBBB is framed to augment domestic semiconductor production and enhance trade protection, even at the expense of certain social programs such as Medicaid, food stamps, and student loans, as well as a projected ballooning federal deficit from US$2.8 to 3.3 trillion

New insolvency frameworks to shorter timelines, how 2025 amendment bill proposes to transform IBC

New bill aims to fix key issues with IBC 2016, including delays & patchy implementation, and protect creditors, with window for genuine promoters to retain control of their companies.

First-of-its kind tri-services conference Ran Samvad to take place in Army War College next week

Billed as the military’s own version of Raisina Dialogue, the event will spotlight on tech-driven warfighting, lessons from Operation Sindoor and release of three new doctrines.

War of IAF, PAF doctrines: As Pakistan obsesses over numbers, India embraces risk, wins

Now that both IAF and PAF have made formal claims of having shot down the other’s aircraft in the 87-hour war in May, we can ask a larger question: do such numbers really matter?