Reflections

It is still too early to tell if this was a mistake or not. A few days back, after a gap of almost 50 years, I went inside a house that we had lived in when I was a child....

Nesting is one of the most intriguing facets of a bird’s life and is, perhaps, as diversified as the creatures themselves. From a scrape in the ground lined with straw (quail) to a hole drilled into a tree (woodpecker) to...

In many ancient cultures, mythology and nature are deeply entwined. Ancient people followed what is today known as Paganism. They worshipped the elements which were strange and inexplicable to them to calm natural occurrences beyond their understanding. In Indian mythology,...

Military courier flights serve as an air bridge between the operational areas and the communication centres or administrative bases located in the hinterland for transportation of personnel and stores. The reduction in travel time also affords an opportunity to troops...

On his 150th birth anniversary, remembering Dr Sam Higginbottom of Allahabad

Immigration is now a lively topic of sociological and political discussion and at the centre of theories about voting patterns and important policy considerations. Even advanced democracies such as the US, France, Canada and Britain have identified vote banks just...

If only we could learn to listen to the voices that hesitate to speak loudly, what a great country we could be

My first meeting with Ratan Naval Tata left an abiding positive impression. It took place in Bombay in 1991, a few months after he had taken over from his illustrious predecessor, JRD Tata, as chairman of both Tata Sons and...

I have yet to come across consumers who do not have a complaint about chatbots that are being increasingly deployed by e-commerce sites to deal with customer queries and complaints. Initially, compared to the highly frustrating experience of going through...

Markhor (Capra falconeri), known for its spiralled horns, quietly roams the rugged mountains in the landscapes of Jammu and Kashmir. Known for its grace and strength, the markhor is more than just a wild goat — it’s a symbol of...

It’s been a tough ride, but the Vietnamese have gone from strength to strength

I can write this now as the person around whom this episode hinges is no more and can’t be harassed, harried, or worse. Yet, for safety’s sake, let’s not take his name and simply call him Mr X. My father,...

The biggest impediment to conservation is the conflict between humans and wild animals

GOOD SPORT: Mahavir seems unaware that even a child should have agency — and that a woman of 30, his niece Vinesh, a decorated wrestler, absolutely must

Sportspersons turn cynics when quite young, for their experience tells them that the sports administrator is venal and undependable

What exactly should a column contain, or proclaim, or aim for? It’s a task that has its own challenges

We need to take ownership of improving our traffic ecosystem

The Solan ragging incident is yet another episode where the desire for aberrant superiority unleashes in the most vile form

Resist clicking on links sent on email, WhatsApp or SMS, or downloading applications sent by anyone

One bright morning in March 1981, my journey to Gangtok was interrupted by a sizeable landslide, about 20 km short of the destination. A functionary of the PWD estimated three hours for the resumption of traffic. Noticing my camera and...

A tribute to Sitaram Yechury, who was often at odds with his fellow travellers, but was also a consensus builder par excellence

DAV College is also the site of samadhis of three members of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s family

In the mid-1970s, I was posted along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Chhamb sector of Jammu and Kashmir. Bunkers and tents were our abode and also the place to secure weapons and other warlike materials. During the monsoon,...

Imagine being a species so old as to be called a ‘living fossil’, which has outlived dinosaurs only to be imperiled in anthropocene because of plastic and beautified stone-pitched water bodies. The species under discussion here is the turtle, which...

Supreme Court needs to enlarge scope of the National Task Force, set up to suggest safety norms for healthcare staff