Two Olympic bronze medals renew focus on Gita

By Uma Ram & KS Ram Manu Bhaker has won two medals at the Paris Olympics and will try for a third. At 22, she is the youngest Indian to win an Olympic medal. On...

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Can Kamala Harris make Hinduism and Buddhism great again?

We are living in a historical moment. In less than a hundred days the daughter of an Indian scientist and mother could become the first female president of the strongest country in the world. In...

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A state of being undisturbed by externalities

By Vijay Hashia Is desire the fundamental nature of human existence, or does it inevitably lead to suffering and discontent? The question permeates the essence of every human experience. The Hellenistic philosopher Epicurus diverges from...

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When justice goes wrong

Imagine you’re playing a game, and the referee keeps making unfair calls. That’s kind of what’s happening in some of our courts, especially when it comes to letting people out of jail before their trial...

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Budget 2024-25 — Neglect of existing individual income tax returns filers!

On Tuesday, July 23, ’24 – the finance minister presented the Budget to Parliament for the year 2024-25.  This was the first budget of the NDA Version 3.0 Government and there were huge expectations by...

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Overhear everywhere

On the pros & cons of the craft of eavesdropping Not all tempting things in life are illegal or expensive. They are just out of earshot, say those for whom eavesdropping is second nature. One...

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Working together: Why India’s leaders need to cooperate

Imagine if your school had a big meeting to decide important things, but half the class leaders didn’t show up because they were upset with the principal. That’s kind of what happened recently in India’s...

from Times of India Opinion https://ift.tt/3S86X2N

Assam’s pyramids: The Ahom dynasty’s unique burial mounds

Charaideo Moidams inscribed as Unesco world heritage site On July 26, the Charaideo Moidams, a unique 700-year-old burial mound system from Assam, was added to the Unesco world heritage list during the 46th session of...

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Therapeutic fasting

Fasting can be challenging for beginners, with hunger often dominating thoughts by noon. Despite this, fasting has long been used therapeutically in places like Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, and California. Upton Sinclair’s 1911 book, “The...

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Welfare gets a bad name, but not all social sector spend is unproductive

Most Budget analyses these days assume that capital expenditure by the govt represents high-quality spending that is going to have a multiplier impact on the GDP, whereas revenue expenditure is low-quality without any long-term benefits....

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Newton, Aristotle & scientific essence of religions – Academia must not allow preachers to divide into my vs your religion/God!

Science, Vedanta, and the essence of all religions is to seek the truth of truths – ‘Know the truth and the truth shall make you free’! During the time of Newton there was a controversy...

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Should India host the Olympics or the World Cup?

The Olympics are happening in Paris soon, and India wants to host them in the future. But is that a good idea? The Olympics are super expensive! Most countries that host them end up losing...

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Conspiracy of silence

These past few weeks, one sound you may probably have heard, is that of feces hitting the fan. This has been so ever since the Army has been at the receiving end of actions by...

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The Right to Information Act is in danger

The Right to Information (RTI) Act is a law that helps people in India get information from the government. It’s like a tool that lets you ask questions about what the government is doing. But...

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What’s in a name?

If you call rose by another name, it would smell just as sweet…said Shakespeare in his play Romeo and Juliet to convey the fact that names are irrelevant. In my house, same logic was conveyed...

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The big count: When will we know how many we are?

Imagine if your school decided not to count how many students were in each class. That would make it hard to know how many books, desks, or lunches to prepare, right? Well, something similar is...

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Nirmala Sitharaman and her B-Day

The other day, I happened to glance over the husband’s shoulder as he sat cross-legged on the sofa placidly reading the newspaper. The headlines on the finance page went something like this – FM’s A-team...

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The working formula doesn’t quite work

The budget reflects some of the concerns of a bruising electoral battle. It has several pointers to govt’s approach to coalition politics, and to the challenge of employment that made its presence felt in the...

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June 4 changed July 23. But how effectively?

When politics changes, so does budget-making. But can employer incentives create enough jobs? The budget is the first clear proof that BJP has understood the election message. Not only are its numbers down in LS,...

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A fair food rule

Imagine you’re on a long walk with your friends, and you’re all hungry. You see lots of food stalls along the way. Would you care who’s cooking the food, or would you just want to...

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Attention recession

We now read tweets not books, watch reels not movies   What’s going to kill humanity, even before rising oceans and climate change, is our collective inability to concentrate. Tests became ODIs, ODIs became T20s, long-form...

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Let’s go down agnipath: A rejoinder

In his piece Mr. Somnath Mukherjee correctly points out OROP is a grade- and-inflation index defined benefit. It is based on the premise, accepted by Parliament, that equality in the military has two major facets...

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Trouble in Bangladesh

Bangladesh, our neighbor country, is having some big problems right now. Let me explain what’s happening: There was a rule that said some government jobs should be saved for the children and grandchildren of people...

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Diversity is dynamic, organizations must adapt

For most of us the acronyms around diversity are confusing. Currently, we have D&I, DE&I, DEIA, and DEIBA frequently used when we talk about diversity. Are these terms interchangeable? What does each term imply? What...

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Pakistan’s multiple tug of wars, and the new wave of terror attacks

The string of terrorist attacks in J&K merits a widening of the frame to look at what is happening in Pakistan. The announcement that a ban on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and trying Imran Khan...

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Nepal’s never-ending power flips, and why India needs a new strategy

As another political drama unfolds in Kathmandu, Nepal’s transition from a constitutional monarchy to a federal democratic republic looks unending as well as chaotic. It has been marked by frequent changes of govt, opportunistic switching...

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If Faith can move mountains, it can save trees!

On the third consecutive day, I noticed the same woman standing in the exact same spot and position.  Three days ago, on my way to college, I had first seen her across the road, well-dressed...

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The IT Blues

About outage in a hyper connected world Yesterday, when Windows machines simultaneously started BSODing worldwide, it looked like the much prophesied ‘cyber Pearl Harbour’ was upon us. Then, the critical error indicated by the blue...

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Check if you avoid learning either of these skills

“In our fast-paced society, we often focus on academic achievements for career success but overlook some crucial life skills. These skills are the foundation of personal and professional growth. In this blog, I will illustrate...

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Be a sport

India’s cricket team hasn’t played in Pakistan for a long time. Some people think they shouldn’t go there because of problems between the two countries. But mixing sports and politics isn’t a good idea. Here’s...

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The real welfare

Govt schemes keep multiplying. But they are no replacement for regular jobs. All parties must recognise this Maharashtra govt has instituted a monthly stipend of ₹6,000 to ₹10,000 for men aged 18 to 35, and...

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Trump’s Telugu touch

Telugu diaspora is affluent, largely in tech & finance. Usha Chilukuri has got them excited politically Trump VP pick JD Vance’s wife Usha Chilukuri’s Telugu origins has sent the Andhra-Telangana diaspora in US into a...

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Don Cochlearone

Usually shoots his mouth off.  Then he got an earful ‘Ear today, gone tomorrow’. Threat turned to photo-op. On July 13, Teflon Trump proved he’s also literally unputdownable. After being shot in the ear, he rose,...

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Maps & macs

It’s time to turn tables on those who make all these unwanted and annoying phone calls  My phone rings. I know who the caller is: a spammer, trying to sell you a 2BHK apartment, or...

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Play on, don’t hang on

Djoko (tennis), Messi (football), Anderson, Dhoni (cricket), Woods (golf)…their long careers carry a big message Last month Messi turned 37. This week he led Argentina to a Copa América title, two years after a World...

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What’s happening in Jammu & Kashmir?

The Indian government has made some changes in how Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) is run. They’ve given more power to the Lieutenant Governor (LG), who represents the central government there. This is happening just before...

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Inner strength

They said, go see him before you start anything new I got on the road and didn’t stop until I got there There was a huge line at his house, just to get a view...

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Oneness

We are bound as one Any city, city block Any street, street walk Any state, statewide Any country, countryside Any form, formation Any destiny, destination Any face, facet Any plane, planet We are bound as...

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The deeper message and geopolitics behind the Modi-Putin bonhomie

Defying predictions of a stagnating relationship, PM Narendra Modi and Russian president Vladimir Putin have once again shown the world the bonhomie they share. Putin added a charming touch by conveying his remarks through a...

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Munro, Motherhood and Morality

On my 49th birthday, before the family woke up, I was bent over my laptop, like every other morning in the previous month, working on my first-term submission that focused on the disruption of time...

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Listen to Rishi

His post-defeat House speech shows what India’s missing As a new Labour govt takes charge of UK, Sunak’s first post-defeat speech in Parliament is likely to have struck many as remarkable, in its ordinary civility....

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Your friends define your personality

If I ask you to list the names of your three best friends, which three names come to mind immediately? Well, these three names could fall under either of the following five categories: Your close...

from Times of India Opinion https://ift.tt/RovOJ1r

Fed up with London

The capital city of Britain serves up the whole wide world on a plate Over the past few weeks, Bunny and I have eaten in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, China, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Türkiye, Jamaica,...

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Killing the right to die

Delhi HC erred gravely in its euthanasia decision. It showed no empathy, and paid no heed to a landmark SC ruling  Apart from being insensitive, Delhi HC has doubly erred in the case of a...

from Times of India Opinion https://ift.tt/GO8z6ks

A difficult decision about life and death

A Delhi high court’s ruling in a case about a very sick person has been criticised. Here’s what happened: A young man, who is 30 years old, has been very ill since 2011. He can’t...

from Times of India Opinion https://ift.tt/dhNwtUz

Let Them Bid: Fancy number plates are fun. More seriously, auctions are best way to allocate scarce national resources

Delhi’s transport department is raking it in. Its auction for the coveted 0001 vehicle licence plate in March fetched a staggering Rs 23.4L. Figures for other fancy registration numbers are almost as impressive. It’s time...

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Bieber’s boxers

Every Indian male is Captain Underpants at heart Fashion may have begun with bark, foliage and animal skin as a simple matter of modesty and keeping warm, but is today a zillion-dollar industry with bling,...

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All that extra baggage

Today’s airlines wouldn’t be able to handle yesterday’s trunks  People have matching luggage these days and it’s all so delicate and fashionable no wonder baggage handlers at airports have fun breaking it. And I was...

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My Take 5 (Edition 23): The week that was in international affairs

Welcome to another edition of My Take 5, your weekly wrap of international news. We had a break in between so let’s quickly catch up:   Labour wins big in UK: Britain’s Labour party won...

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Driving social change through CSR funds

As India commemorates a decade since the implementation of mandatory Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) under the Companies Act of 2013, the landscape of corporate philanthropy has undergone significant evolution. This landmark legislation has not only...

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Reimagining colonial power: The role of material and visual culture in British India

In the comprehensive historiographical landscape of British India, the material and visual dimensions often played a secondary role to political, economic, and cultural narratives. Christopher Pinney’s work, as detailed in “The Material and Visual Culture...

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Beauty lies on the shoulders of the beholder!

My bestie was in a terrible mood. She felt self-conscious because she had gained a few pounds, and people kept pointing it out to her, which only made things worse. To me, she has always...

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More fun parades, please!

Have you ever wondered why we don’t see many fun parades in India? Let’s talk about it! What We Have Now Right now, most of our big parades are organized by the government, like the...

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The spoon test

Leaked question papers and other forms of cheating prove our education system is a total failure We addressed him as Sir or Mr Peterson, but among us schoolboys he was always Gup, as in gup-shup,...

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It’s elections again

There are state assembly elections upcoming in India, focusing on three states: Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Haryana. Here’s a simplified summary for a 123-year-old reader: Jharkhand: – Hemant Soren has returned as Chief Minister after a...

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My doctored life

Thank you, but hope to never need you again  Since my column doesn’t appear on Mondays, I’m saying ‘Happy Doctors’ Day’ to all my wonderful saviours now. I could add ‘Better late than never’, but never...

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Atlantis revisited

A thousand years from now archaeologists might find evidence of a repeatedly sunken civilisation Two archaeologists, Prof Indiana and Prof Jones, in a museum full of ancient manuscripts, fossils, and crumbling statuary. A digital calendar...

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Desultory desilting & a national pastime

Going by the newspaper reports before monsoon approach the Indian cities, one gets a sense how hard the urban local bodies, the municipalities, are working to ensure that the citizens do not have to face...

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The failure of Modi’s G7 visit: Missed opportunities and concerns

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in the G7 summit has been met with disappointment and criticism. From his exclusion from the core group to the limited focus on pressing global challenges, Modi’s visit to the...

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Lawful, liberal

India just got some new rules about crime and punishment. These new rules are called BNS, BNSS, and BSB. They’re replacing the old rules that have been around for a really long time. The tricky...

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