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Monday, August 18, 2025
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The FinePrint

Instead of trying to beat China in Sri Lanka, New Delhi needs to change the game

The Ming dynasty’s aggressive expansion in the Indian Ocean has lessons for both India and Xi Jinping.

Yogi, Vijayan, Bhagwant Mann — why so many CMs would rather hold most portfolios themselves

Adityanath holds 34 departments, Bhagwant Mann and Pinarayi Vijayan 27 each, and 17 CMs handle home. Meanwhile, Kejriwal and KCR are among those who have kept few to no portfolios.

You’re wrong to think Hindu Right turned anti-America. It’s American Left that’s anti-India

American 'experts' have an anti-India bias that started with Bush's tilt towards Delhi. With Trump, it was the perfect storm for US Left to react.

Male leadership won’t do. India’s Muslim community needs a woman in charge

India needs a modern Muslim woman who floats from English to Urdu, who is culturally Islamic but doesn’t necessarily dress the part. We need a hustler, not a rabble-rouser.

Merit must be the benchmark for armed forces’ hiring, not Recruitable Male Population Index

The demand of an Ahir Regiment is a reflection of the existing system that still carries some of the legacies of discrimination practised by the British.

Many in race to be Modi’s successor but here’s one who can step into Amit Shah’s shoes

Being ‘Mr Indispensable’ isn't always a good thing. Remember when Modi didn’t let Amit Shah become Gujarat CM after Anandiben Patel resigned?

Sweatshops behind Sarojini: Masterjis and women who run Delhi’s ‘pocket-friendly’ fashion

There's a reason Delhiites can live up to their forever dressed-up, decked-up reputation. And it's hidden in the gullies of Ashok Bazaar and Tank road.

Shaken, stirred & appreciated — these clubs are making connoisseurs of India’s liquor consumers

The idea behind clubs like All Things Nice & Dram Club was the realisation that whisky-obsessed India 'knows little about the spirit — or any other alcohol for that matter'.

India amended rape laws — forgot about police attitude, delayed action, humiliation in court

The 2012 Delhi gang rape case led to sweeping reforms in India's rape laws. About a decade later, victims' families say the justice system still makes them feel like they are on trial.

Modi govt’s order to reduce AFSPA in Assam, Manipur & Nagaland bold. Kashmir should be next

For generations, Indian discussions on counterinsurgency have been curiously amnesiac. Modi govt needs to see that the problem isn't AFSPA.

On Camera

Postcards from Hyderabad—stories Europeans told about the city

For all their colonial underpinnings, postcards from Hyderabad also inadvertently preserve a trace of local memory: a glimpse of a street, a face, a forgotten name.

Navigating Trump’s tariffs is no child’s play. Indian toymakers are losing out on orders, enquiries

Indian toymakers are now exploring new markets, but they want govt to negotiate a trade deal with US soon, introduce incentives and subsidies to make the industry more competitive.

What is Project Sudarshan Chakra, announced by Modi from ramparts of Red Fort

The project is meant to be a ‘protective shield that will keep expanding’, the PM said. It is on the lines of the ‘Golden Dome’ announced by Trump, it is learnt.

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?