A moment of reflection
There’s a strange stillness that follows chaos. Maybe it’s exhaustion. Maybe it’s clarity. Or maybe it’s just the sound of truth finally pushing through the noise. I’ve spent my life being forthright and unafraid. I’ve…
The dangerous allure of freebies: India’s fiscal populism and its hidden cost
Can a nation truly progress when its political priorities are defined not by productivity, but by promises of free electricity, loan waivers, and cash transfers? The rise of freebie culture in India has reshaped the…
When I met Zohran Mamdani’s father
Sometime in 2004, I received a call from a friend informing me that Mahmood Mamdani was in town. He checked if I would be interested in interviewing him. The name Mahmood Mamdani rang a bell….
AI set to bolster its role as force multiplier for climate action at COP30
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has already marked its real presence for the upcoming UN Climate Conference in Belém, Brazil, with the launch of Maloca by the COP30 Presidency. The digital platform aims to facilitate real-time access…
The right to information in practice
October 2025 marks 20 years since the implementation of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005. A landmark piece of legislation that was the result of a grassroots movement for transparency and accountability, the act gives every Indian citizen…
Why India can’t fence out its stray dogs or its responsibility
The Supreme Court’s latest order — directing that every educational institution, hospital, sports complex, bus stand, railway station, and public facility be fenced off and “liberated” from the presence of stray dogs, and that…
Walk backwards
Laddu Pintu was the kind of charismatic person everyone loved to have around. He was seen always cheerful, full of ideas, and shining with optimism. He had an unusual dream to open a small cafe…
TOI Bharat Abroad: Salaam New York!
Hello and welcome to TOI Bharat Abroad This week, New York turned cinematic. Zohran Mamdani, the Indian-origin socialist from Queens, made history as the city’s first Muslim and South Asian mayor — ending his campaign…
The blue skies of the United States of America
I have been roaming the entirety of the United States of America over the past many months transversing cities, countryside, desserts, beaches, downtowns and have observed that only a few things capture the vastness and…
43-year-old Illinois woman charged after allegedly conceiving child with her daughter’s 14-year-old dance date
A 43-year-old Illinois woman, Robyn Polston, faces serious charges including criminal sexual assault. She allegedly conceived a child with a 14-year-old boy who attended a junior high dance as her daughter’s date. Investigators uncovered digital evidence and DNA confirmed the boy as the father. Polston was arrested and is held without bail.