Songs, silence and the spectacle of power

Zubin Mehta’s silence, precisely because of what his presence had always meant, was louder than any symphony

Shelley Walia

Updated At : 06:58 AM Jun 19, 2026 IST

Contrast: The day Trump was celebrating his 80th birthday, Jane Fonda had a different idea. Reuters

In the dark times

THE TRIBUNE, India’s oldest, daily English-language newspaper, was first published on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan), and save for 40 days in the immediate aftermath of Partition, has come out every day over the last 145 years. THE TRIBUNE was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist of the time. The newspaper is run by a five-member Trust, which is chaired by Shri N N Vohra, former Governor of J&K State (2008-2018); as well as Justice S S Sodhi, former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court; Shri Gurbachan Jagat, former Governor of Manipur; Lt Gen. Shamsher Singh Mehta, former Western Army Commander; Shri Paramjit Singh Patwalia, Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court.

THE TRIBUNE is free, objective, and independent. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language, are the hallmarks of the paper.

The Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).

Remembering Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia

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Songs, silence and the spectacle of power

Zubin Mehta’s silence, precisely because of what his presence had always meant, was louder than any symphony

Shelley Walia

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