With the Right to Education Bill being passed by the Parliament, education now becomes a fundamental right. But what about the needs of those who have dropped out of the school system?

Explore other avenues: Create opportunities for personal growth.Photo: B. Velankanni Raj
VIMALA RAMACHANDRAN
Starting with our Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, everyone in the government and […]

India’s massive population base, a threat to sustainable development, demands immediate attention.

Development: Headed the right way?Photo: Nissar Ahmad
PROF. S. C. GULATI
India’s population has grown from 345 million in 1951 to around 1162 million by May 2009 and is still growing by around 16 to 17 million every year. By all accounts, population growth in […]

The idea of making a tractor with a joystick came from the bullock cart 

Simple and strong: Thesia driving his new invention in his field at Jamnagar, Gujarat. — Photo: NIF

M.J. PRABU
IMAGINE A tractor driven like a bullock cart. Instead of using reins, two joysticks turn, accelerate or stop the left and right […]

Let Hiroshima’s tragic past not be the world’s future.  

A photo dated September 1945 of the remains of the Prefectural Industry Promotion Building, which was later preserved as a monument, after the bombing of Hiroshima.

N.S. Sisodia
Sixty four years ago on this fateful day, on August 6, 1945 at 8-15 a.m., Brigadier Paul Tibbetz of the […]

Acclaimed Dalit novelist P. Sivakami talks about the trajectory of her journey from literature to activism to politics.

P. Sivakami: An objective portrayal of self and society.Photo: Sreenisha
SUBASH JEYAN
She stands at the confluence of many personal interests and currents in contemporary public life. One of the pioneers of Dalit writing in Tamil, she published her […]

If you are a victim of violence at home, the law is on your side. The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA) addresses squarely the abuse that women face in their homes. In spite of lacunae, it’s the best bet for freedom and justice…

A basic right: Violence-free homes…
BAGESHREE S.
When she read about the […]

Pakistan is protesting against the alleged Indian involvement in the Baloch insurgency in a careful, calculated and “limited manner.” 

Question of provincial rights: Islamabad cannot get away with blaming India for the unrest in Balochistan. — Photo: AFP
Hamid Mir
Why is Manmohan Singh under fire in India? Many Indians, including the Opposition, are not […]

An open letter to the Union Minister for Health…

Population explosion is not the problem; basic healthcare for the mother and child is… .Photo: A.M. Faruqui
Dear Mr. Azad,
After your intriguing remarks on limiting the growth of India’s population, many people must have written to you. Some, including members of my tribe, have poked fun at you, […]

Every now and then nations must pause and reassess their core values. As a nation, how do we evolve an inclusive nationalism that takes with it the poor and the diverse cultures of the subcontinent?

Rethinking the nation: A cohesive and just space for all…Photo: Shanker CHAKRAVARTY
SOFIA GHORI SALEEM
July 18, 2009 marked the world’s first Mandela […]

Gangubai Hangal, like many women artists of her times, led an arduous life in and out of luck with fame, fortune and family support. 

 Gangubai Hangal. (1913-2009)
SHANNO KHURANA

I must have been about 12 when my ears would perk up every time I heard the music of Roshanara Begum, Gangubai Hangal, Hirabai Barodekar or Narayan […]