Event commemorations, temple inaugurations, and multi-faith parades can coexist with the strict protection of every citizen’s right to belief and dissent.
Coal-based power generation fell 3% in 2025 while renewable capacity surged to 40% of India’s installed power mix, according to India Power Sector Review 2025 by CREA.
Pakistan military said it has assured Bangladesh of fast-tracked delivery of Super Mushshak trainer aircraft during high level defence meet held Tuesday.
Many of you might think I got something so wrong in National Interest pieces written this year. I might disagree! But some deserve a Mea Culpa. I’d deal with the most recent this week.
The lessons of 1857 has been lost on the army. Cartridges laced with pork and cow fat triggered a massive revolt. Will a muslim officer drink wine during a army christian prayer service or a hindu officer eat beef with a christian soldier? Will a muslim officer eat pork with a christian soldier?
The Supreme Court’s verdict on Tuesday, upholding the termination of Lt. Samuel Kamalesan, highlights a reality that many civilians often overlook—the unique, uncompromising standards required in a disciplined and cohesive institution like the Indian Armed Forces.
In my view, the Supreme Court’s order is clear, consistent, and absolutely correct. The Armed Forces operate on unit cohesion, regimental identity, and unquestioned discipline. These values are not negotiable, because they are the very foundation on which every soldier places his life in the hands of another.
And frankly, no external body—bureaucratic, civilian, or political—should attempt to teach the Armed Forces how to function. The military remains one of the few institutions left in this country that commands genuine respect, delivers results under pressure, and upholds integrity even in the worst circumstances.
When bridges collapse due to corruption, when floods or earthquakes overwhelm civil administration, when riots break out and law-and-order machinery fails—
the same system that questions the Armed Forces quietly steps aside and calls in the Indian Army to restore order.
In those moments, nobody lectures the Army; they simply rely on it.
Meanwhile, recent reports have exposed several junior civil service officers with crores in unaccounted wealth. Very few questions are raised, and accountability is often missing. If we truly want India to progress, then we must be willing to reform or overhaul corrupt, inefficient administrative structures, rather than criticising the one institution that consistently performs with honour.
The Armed Forces deserve respect—not interference. And the Supreme Court’s judgement has reinforced a principle every soldier understands deeply:
Discipline is not optional. It is the backbone of national security.
An old adage comes to mind – the armed forces are there to protect democracy and not practice it. The gentleman in question was in the wrong for the moronic stance of not respecting his troops beliefs. They won’t follow him anywhere. The beauty of democracy is that he can do anything else but be in uniform.
The lessons of 1857 has been lost on the army. Cartridges laced with pork and cow fat triggered a massive revolt. Will a muslim officer drink wine during a army christian prayer service or a hindu officer eat beef with a christian soldier? Will a muslim officer eat pork with a christian soldier?
The Supreme Court’s verdict on Tuesday, upholding the termination of Lt. Samuel Kamalesan, highlights a reality that many civilians often overlook—the unique, uncompromising standards required in a disciplined and cohesive institution like the Indian Armed Forces.
In my view, the Supreme Court’s order is clear, consistent, and absolutely correct. The Armed Forces operate on unit cohesion, regimental identity, and unquestioned discipline. These values are not negotiable, because they are the very foundation on which every soldier places his life in the hands of another.
And frankly, no external body—bureaucratic, civilian, or political—should attempt to teach the Armed Forces how to function. The military remains one of the few institutions left in this country that commands genuine respect, delivers results under pressure, and upholds integrity even in the worst circumstances.
When bridges collapse due to corruption, when floods or earthquakes overwhelm civil administration, when riots break out and law-and-order machinery fails—
the same system that questions the Armed Forces quietly steps aside and calls in the Indian Army to restore order.
In those moments, nobody lectures the Army; they simply rely on it.
Meanwhile, recent reports have exposed several junior civil service officers with crores in unaccounted wealth. Very few questions are raised, and accountability is often missing. If we truly want India to progress, then we must be willing to reform or overhaul corrupt, inefficient administrative structures, rather than criticising the one institution that consistently performs with honour.
The Armed Forces deserve respect—not interference. And the Supreme Court’s judgement has reinforced a principle every soldier understands deeply:
Discipline is not optional. It is the backbone of national security.
An old adage comes to mind – the armed forces are there to protect democracy and not practice it. The gentleman in question was in the wrong for the moronic stance of not respecting his troops beliefs. They won’t follow him anywhere. The beauty of democracy is that he can do anything else but be in uniform.