Make the deal!

India and the United States are trying to make a big trade deal. If it works, it could really help India’s factories and give people more jobs. That would also take pressure off farming, where...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/h0mVTjN

Groups without gravity: The emotional hollow of digital belonging

Ding! Your old school WhatsApp group stirs to life at 11:03 pm A blurred photo of your decaying alma mater appears, captioned: “Still remember those golden days?” Soon, the digital chatter explodes with declarations of...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/wyC4prc

Courts vs governments

Who gets to decide what in a democracy? In both the United States and India, there’s often a fight between the people who make the rules (the government) and the people who check if those...

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The sapling in an untended garden

“In the wilderness there was a seed sown by some hands unknown. It might be the supreme watching the dance of entwined old souls!” Lakshmi’s biggest escape from the drama of her life was —...

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From cab drives to nail polish hunts: The strangest ways we beat boredom

Some weeks ago, a strange little story from Bengaluru made the rounds… A young woman booked a cab and was surprised to find her team lead behind the wheel. He wasn’t moonlighting for extra money,...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/HNz3C7O

Breathing Problems: A Systemic Condition

All diseases exist on a continuum, and the damage often begins early—sometimes as soon as a child is weaned off breast milk and starts consuming regular table food. In a previous blog, I discussed COPD....

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/i9QudwW

Right angled wrong

Bhopal sets a new standard for weird bridges Make sure it’s at the right angle, architects to civil engineers to builders are wont to say. This provides safety and durability to so much construction. Like...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/qmgaD0A

Why are houses so expensive?

Imagine saving all your pocket money every day – for your whole life – and still not having enough to buy a house in Mumbai. That’s what’s happening in real life! In India, buying a...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/Dhdzwy4

Optically brightening ourselves

A recent advertisement of a toothpaste reminded me of adage `the more things change, the more they stay the same’. The ad was of an advance whitening toothpaste that coats teeth in shade purple while...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/lOhbPuZ

We are the world

And like that only everywhere If you want to feel homesick, don’t travel. Means, I’m not saying, ‘Why you want to travel? Simply stay home, no.’ Opposite I’m saying: ‘Go, go, travel, travel.’ Kyon ki,...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/gX30C6Y

Anatomy to analogy

At the pharmacy’s front shelf sat a row of slick bottles, a good quarter of them crowned with chrome or beige lids: Radiance Boost Serum, Anti-Aging Serum, Deep Repair Serum. What these had in common,...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/lrcYexf

Atom Of Truth

Experience shows economic strength and conventional military superiority matter more than nukes in a war Trump’s truce may prove only as permanent as his tariffs, with both Israel and Iran alleging attacks through Tuesday, but...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/OCsphSw

No more hot air

DGCA waking up to aviation safety won’t change much unless audit is unsparing & findings are made public Nothing shows more starkly why nothing should be taken for granted than aviation regulator DGCA’s ‘comprehensive safety...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/bOSA7W3

Captain America’s new coach

Bibi’s an edgy chap who’s rewriting the playbook: Now every duck by a player is a coded attack signal America has just been made great again. It’s thrown out the dusty constitution, the will of...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/Rx9JIs6

My journey to Everest Base Camp & setting of a ‘World Record’

The first story of my life that I heard from my father was the story of Kailash Mansarovar. How people walked there for days carrying food and water. How mesmerising the Kailash Mountain is. How...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/xJOeR3W

Cancer: A systemic disease

Most lifestyle diseases are systemic in nature, primarily caused by poor diet and unhealthy lifestyle choices. These diseases often begin gradually—starting at birth or soon after a child is weaned off breast milk and begins...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/9lADsIg

From national crisis to national cure: Lessons from Indore’s clean sweep

We are a nation of stark contradictions: deeply spiritual, revering rivers like the Ganga and Yamuna in our mythology and rituals yet ranked among the world’s most polluted nations. If we are ashamed, it’s not...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/9HyO52F

Bhalo thaka: In the quiet joys of being

Bhalo thaka. In Bengali, it’s a simple wish: ‘stay well.’ Unassuming words. But they carry more than just a standard get-well-soon sentiment. There’s something soft in them. Something steady. A kind of quiet wellness that sits deeper...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/Vb5HwYM

Tourists welcome, not their cars! It’s time to rethink hill tourism

The deputy commissioner, Shimla, announced on Tuesday that 300,000 vehicles had entered the town in the last two weeks due to the tourist rush. That is 15,000 vehicles per day; Shimla has parking for just...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/LYzNcqu

Speak freely

Why all courts must protect your right to speak your mind In India, the Constitution says you have the right to speak freely – as long as you don’t break certain fair rules (like spreading...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/HTVugyQ

Justice Varma: Impeachment or resignation

A committee of three judges of Supreme Court and two senior most chief justices of high courts was appointed to lay down the “in-house procedure”, for taking suitable remedial action against judges, who by their...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/PXzolFM

The importance of being Shashi Tharoor

Shashi Tharoor is a charismatic leader who has a huge fan-following among the urban middle class, notably women who find him irresistibly charming and flock to him at literary events. He is a bon vivant...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/N7VWAUq

President strangelove

Even by realpolitik standards, US loving terror sponsor Pak is a new low. India should assume worse will come  Trump saying ‘I love Pakistan’ must be understood both in the historical and current context of...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/NBe0Yqk

“Nice” wasn’t enough: Ocean promises must become global guarantees

From June 9–13, under the Riviera sun, more than 15,000 leaders, scientists, coastal stewards, and youth voices gathered in Nice, France for the third United Nations Ocean Conference — a high-stakes summit for a planet...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/V8djz0l

Kyiv to Tehran

Why can’t India fix its medical education so that youngsters aren’t forced to go overseas It’s a sad replay of events in Ukraine – 1,500-2,000 Indian students studying medicine in Iran are caught in a...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/UihEaBj

Is Manusmriti that bad?

That the Indian politics is caste-based goes without saying. The projected caste census is the culmination of such politics. With each passing day, the casteist discourse will become shriller, for sure. However, it is a...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/PbcvZ5K

She was killed for posting videos. That should never be okay

In a town called Bathinda in Punjab, a young woman who made fun videos on social media was killed. She didn’t hurt anyone — she just liked to post videos of herself dancing or acting...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/RwCGe63

Friends with benefits

Most countries today prefer keeping options open rather than locking in ties. That may help stave off WWIII Modi’s visit to Cyprus – the first by an Indian PM in 23 years – is being...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/jRvXuU9

Middle age and machine learning: A lost algorithm

There are few things more tragic in life than watching a middle-aged man try to look enthused during a corporate upskilling workshop on Artificial Intelligence. Politely nodding practised expressions and eagerly looking forward to day...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/wI8PtcD

Bravo, Bavuma’s boys

In sports, being called a choker is like being told you’re good, but you panic when it really counts. Sadly, for many years, South Africa’s cricket team was known for just that. They often lost...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/ksnXQxq

India’s invisible millions: Why the 2026–27 census must finally count every person with disability

At a crowded train station in India, a wheelchair user sits motionless as waves of people rush past. The scene is familiar, yet jarring—thousands in motion, one person still. Nobody stops. Nobody looks. It’s not...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/GbH8W4E

Love, lies, and the price of deception: The silent crisis within Indian marriages

As headlines continue to emerge about the brutal murder of a newlywed in Shillong and the chilling honour killing in Muzaffarnagar, we are reminded that something is broken in the way we approach marriage. Not...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/wNRAEUL

Yes, JEE! IITs are closing the gender gap, but there’s still a long road ahead

IITs continue to remain at the centre of the middle-class dream of pride and prosperity. But for many years, female students were left on the margins of this aspiration. While the 2025 results underline the...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/5UJ7bAL

The tragic AI171 accident: Safety, complexity, and probability in the face of the unlikeliest events

The aviation industry prides itself on safety. Today, flying is considered one of the safest modes of transportation—so much so that statistics suggest that traveling by large commercial aircraft is safer than crossing the street....

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/mokBvTr

Modi’s eleven years- making of a brave new India

Counting number of people benefitted materially and creating impressive graphs to showcase progress of the nation under the leader is not the right and proper way to judge him. How many of us remember Shivaji...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/bKStCkv

Fight & Flight

When countries fight, planes can’t fly as freely. That’s what happened recently when Israel attacked Iran. Airlines had to avoid flying over not just those two countries, but also nearby ones like Iraq and Jordan....

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/y2axnRz

Clear the air

What caused the crash? A thorough probe and corrective action are necessary to reassure fliers Yesterday’s plane crash will count among the worst aviation disasters in history. It certainly is the deadliest in India this...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/NbU54HK

Baby, Baby

A big part of fertility decline is rising cost of raising a child. Govts’ baby bonuses hardly suffice Yes, Indians are having fewer kids. Yes, this trend has enormous social and economic implications. No, it...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/Uys1oHk

The oldest, most enduring relationship

By Narayani Ganesh If you’re guessing that the world’s oldest, most enduring relationship is the one with your mother, you are absolutely right – Mother Earth. The human-environment interface begins the moment you are born...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/J9Z7hwk

Of doors & deaths

Mumbai train network won’t improve with patchwork solutions. Commuters need more trains June 26, 2019 was an unusual day for Mumbai’s trainspotters. Nobody died on the city’s suburban railway network that day. In a transport...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/dtNeUWV

Return of Saudagar

Megalomaniacs turn up the heat, we grab the popcorn We always knew this day would come – the epic fallout between the richest man in the world and the most powerful. A bromance between megalomaniacs...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/H4zg9XK

Take this pre-poll survey, win exciting prizes

The next assembly election in Tamil Nadu is less than a year away, and political parties have kick-started their poll machines. Some of them sputter, some buzz. Some others grind, knock, chug and squeal. Beneath...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/pIHfRoh

Canada calling

Ottawa must take action against Khalistani groups to bring ties with New Delhi fully back on track  Ending days of speculation, Canadian PM Mark Carney has finally extended an invitation to Modi for the upcoming...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/knCBpZo

Longevity

No one should want to live indefinitely. Here are some of the reasons why. With each year on Earth past a certain age, problems compound. The toes deform, the knees degrade, the hips lose motion,...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/u6MKpfG

Atrial Fibrillation

There is a common misconception among many young people (under 50), particularly those who are not overweight and who exercise regularly, that they are fit and healthy. Many people in their 40s become health-conscious but...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/9FVwixe

Safeguarding every bite: The crucial role of World Food Safety Day

Every year on June 7th, the global community observes World Food Safety Day, a United Nations initiative aimed at raising awareness about the importance of food safety and inspiring action to prevent, detect, and manage...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/O4qkWoJ

Who’s afraid of Mysore Pak? The bitter taste of India’s language wars

Languages can either foster peace and understanding or serve as tools for conflict and division. In India, they are increasingly being weaponised. For instance, amid tensions with Pakistan, some shopkeepers in Jaipur renamed sweets like...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/3yME2RT

How To Find Planet B, And Get There Alive

Earth will have a meltdown. What are our options? Tardigrades are little critters that were around before dinosaurs, and will eventually outlast us on Earth. They are so tough they can survive exposure to -272°C...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/vPt9rxp

La Dolce Vita

Among the many things Indians and Italians have in common is a taste for the sweet life In Torino, Italy, with its panoramic piazzas and its graciously galleried porticos, Bunny and I are once again...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/aGZNLi6

Help wanted: Experienced garbologists

Bengaluru generates humongous tonnes of garbage every day. The city’s civic body may give you an official figure but the actual figure could be higher, as it usually is with government data. A lot of...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/ohu1md4

India’s retraction crisis casts shadow over science research

The three pillars of any academic institution are education, research, and innovation. Education equips students with foundational knowledge, while innovation drives societal progress by turning ideas into action. At the heart of this triad lies...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/Jz4f3Rb

Viral truths

Covid is back in some places, but don’t worry—it’s not as scary as before. Doctors, scientists, and even the government say that most people now have strong protection, thanks to vaccines and past infections. For...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/Mbv541c

Bihar’s big hospital problem

Something really sad happened in Patna, the capital of Bihar. A 10-year-old girl who was very sick and badly hurt didn’t get the help she needed in time at the biggest government hospital there —...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/HVUC3Fd

Climate finance must serve communities, not bureaucracies how entrenched inequalities undermine climate justice

Over the last decade, international climate finance mechanisms such as the Adaptation Fund (AF), Green Climate Fund (GCF), Global Environment Facility (GEF), and Climate Investment Funds (CIF) have provided over $25 billion to address urgent...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/8JrvUZm

Tigers and tribals — not one or the other

As humans take over more and more land, a tricky question has popped up: Should we protect the tiger or support tribal communities living in forests? Some people joke about it, but it’s no laughing...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/GsXi6S7

Heal your life – 1: Medical science embraces spiritual wisdom

Life is beautiful—and becomes even more meaningful when it is driven by purpose. At birth, most of us arrive with perfect bodies and pure minds. But as we grow, we unknowingly begin to pollute this...

from Times of India Voices https://ift.tt/zEFBUrk