Opinion

PAGE 3

BJD eyes an opportunity in federal politics

Opinion

Published on Apr 20, 2025 08:30 PM IST

A long stint at the helm and an inability to fully decouple from BJP's politics has left BJD unable to perfect an oppositional pitch in its voice

That Patnaik, at 78, remains the party’s choice for leadership underlines the failure to let the second rung of leadership evolve (PTI)

ByHT Editorial

The right language for political revival

Thackeray cousins Raj and Uddhav may unite against BJP's rise, prompted by language politics in Maharashtra.

Regionalism, through the privileging of local language and culture, is being seen by many parties as a countervailing force against the unitarian politics of the BJP

Opinion

Updated on Apr 20, 2025 08:25 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

In Murshidabad riots, rerun of an old story

Only the faces of the perpetrators and the victims change, the failure of the State and statements of the leaders are the same

The truth is that the scourge of communalism has been festering in some parts of West Bengal for years now. Now, the schism is out in the open (PTI)

Opinion

Updated on Apr 20, 2025 08:21 PM IST

ByShashi Shekhar

Book Box: Raju Tai’s Guide to Disobedient Creativity

Discover how romance novels and poetry become ways of healing and rebellion in this conversation with Raju Tai. Plus upcoming summer writing workshops.

Opinion

Updated on Apr 20, 2025 12:45 PM IST

BySonya Dutta Choudhury

Science behind Indic calendar & time-cycle

Students should be aware of the remarkable tradition of science behind our sophisticated cycle of time

We don’t have to necessarily follow all the rituals of the past, but we must not be so deracinated as to be completely ignorant of our own heritage (PTI)

Opinion

Published on Apr 19, 2025 10:40 PM IST

ByPavan K Varma

In rape cases, stop victim-blaming and morality talk

The temptation by judges to attach moral homilies when adjudicating on rape cases goes back all the way to the 1974 Mathura judgment of a sessions court

The Supreme Court had intervened in another Allahabad high court judgment that found the action of two men in grabbing an 11-year-old girl’s breasts, breaking the string of her pyjamas and dragging her under a culvert could not be seen as an attempt to rape

Opinion

Updated on Apr 19, 2025 10:36 PM IST

ByNamita Bhandare

Farooq Abdullah and the predicament of Kashmir

The Farooq Abdullah story Amarjit Singh Dulat relates centres around three great betrayals the former has faced

Dulat is very insightful of a conundrum that separates Kashmiri politics from the rest of the nation (AFP)

Opinion

Published on Apr 19, 2025 10:30 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

India-China relations at 75: An uncertain thaw

Despite the recent positive overtures, structural problems in the bilateral relationship could resurface as a source of tensions

Beijing’s frequent references to New Delhi’s policy of “strategic autonomy” are simply code for concerns about India abandoning a perceived neutrality in favour of the West (AFP)

Opinion

Published on Apr 19, 2025 10:26 PM IST

ByJabin T Jacob

Liberal public intellectual who wrote realist fiction

Mario Vargas Llosa, a Nobel laureate, evolved from Marxism to liberalism, critiquing socialism and exploring political themes in his fiction.

Llosa was vastly different from other Latin American writers of the Boom period, of which he was also a progenitor (REUTERS)

Opinion

Updated on Apr 18, 2025 08:48 PM IST

ByDamodar Prasad

Delhi’s balancing act in Western Indian Ocean

India’s Western Indian Ocean diplomacy may yet evolve into something more consequential. But for now, it remains more aspirational than strategic

Maritime diplomacy is resource-intensive. Deploying ships, hosting joint exercises, and offering training programmes may look impressive on paper, but they demand considerable time, funding, and logistical commitment

Opinion

Published on Apr 18, 2025 08:42 PM IST

ByAbhijit Singh

In the defence of Urdu, the case for linguistic diversity

The Supreme Court judgment in the case involving use of Urdu on a municipal signboard is an eye-opener.

The bias against Urdu showed its face during the framing of a Constitution for independent India, but the noble architects of that wonderful charter of governance adopted in 1950 did their best to nip it in the bud (HT Photo)

Opinion

Published on Apr 18, 2025 08:36 PM IST

ByTahir Mahmood

The Taste by Vir Sanghvi: Why Hermes is now worth more than the whole LV group

As the Chinese market falters and the US imposes tariffs, real luxury is overtaking label-mania.

What has surprised and angered the large luxury conglomerates the most has been the stunning success of Hermes in the midst of all this gloom. (AFP)

Opinion

Updated on Apr 18, 2025 09:22 PM IST

ByVir Sanghvi

A red carpet for anchor US firms

India stands to benefit as American firms pivot production away from China

The stance of the Trump administration has sent a clear signal to American companies — pack up your bags and leave China (AFP)

Opinion

Updated on Apr 17, 2025 08:36 PM IST

ByAshish Dhawan

Reimagine PMRF scheme to energise R&D ecosystem

PMRF has significant potential, but limited reach. Better infrastructure, balanced funding, and policy reforms are essential to strengthening it

PMRF’s limited funding reach can be addressed by involving industry. As an extension to PMRF, industry can co-fund research aligning with its interests (REUTERS)

Opinion

Published on Apr 17, 2025 08:24 PM IST

ByAvinash Shet

Finding the right balance between public needs and private interests

Effective governance in the 21st century demands a scalpel, not a sledgehammer, when navigating the complex terrain between public needs and private interests

Instead of broad-stroke privatisation drives, governments should ideally examine their policies after rigorous analyses of underlying consumer elasticity

Opinion

Updated on Apr 17, 2025 08:14 PM IST

ByChirantan Chatterjee

Academia vs Trump is a high stakes ideology war

The administration is seeking to weaponise grants and funds to force universities to align with its thinking

Harvard, the richest university on earth with its own independent endowment of more than $50 billion, might resist in spite of the sudden loss of $2.2 billion in federal grants, but not every US university can afford to lose government funds (REUTERS)

Opinion

Published on Apr 16, 2025 07:45 PM IST

BySreeram Chaulia

Infant care policies needs to be gender neutral

Fathers must equally be responsible for infant-care and childcare. Paternal involvement leads to multiple positive outcomes both for children and mothers

Creating gender-neutral infrastructure sends a strong signal from the state that men are capable of, and ought to be equally responsible for, feeding infants, changing their diapers, pacifying them, etc (© UNICEF/UN0217452/Bhardwaj)

Opinion

Published on Apr 16, 2025 07:43 PM IST

ByJwalika Balaji

It’s time women authored Bihar’s political script

Candidate lists, rallies, and back-rooms are still dominated by men while women are still cast as foot soldiers, never as theorists, never as architects

While women have long shaped the state’s moral and material grammar, their presence has not translated into proportionate power. (HT Photo)

Opinion

Published on Apr 16, 2025 07:39 PM IST

ByShubhrastha

Now is the time for India to build its AI

India must immediately train its own AI models, leveraging offshore computing environments such as Singapore while rapidly expanding domestic AI infrastructure

The next five years will determine AI superpowers. Those who move swiftly will shape the AI-driven economy (Getty Images)

Opinion

Published on Apr 15, 2025 08:40 PM IST

ByArun Subramaniyan

Weigh US’s market access push against farm aid gap

The US policy support for its farmers spans the entire agricultural value chain. In contrast, India’s is fragmented and often ends up disadvantaging farmers

The American farmer’s fight for greater market access is the Indian farmer’s fight for her livelihood and survival (AFP)

Opinion

Published on Apr 15, 2025 08:36 PM IST

ByShweta Saini

India’s long pursuit of nuclear power

Involvement of the private sector and the focus on self-reliance should help the country achieve target set in the Union budget

Notwithstanding the over-optimism of India’s ambitious nuclear target announcements, our scientists have overcome many constraints (Wikipedia)

Opinion

Updated on Apr 15, 2025 08:32 PM IST

ByArun Prakash

Education in India: Why NEP has so far failed to move the needle

Education reforms will not yield results unless the problem of plenty and the ambiguity over profit-making are addressed

Education has been the single biggest failure of successive governments. (Representational image)

Opinion

Updated on Apr 15, 2025 12:28 PM IST

ByAnjuli Bhargava

HistoriCity: How caste evolved in ancient India

The Dharmashastras, among which Manusmriti remains preeminent, clearly distinguishes between Shudras and the twice-born castes

Opinion

Updated on Apr 14, 2025 08:09 PM IST

ByValay Singh

India gets a marketplace for creative work

WAVES Bazaar hopes to provide a dynamic space for media and entertainment industry professionals to network, collaborate, and grow their businesses

WAVES Bazaar is a one-of-a-kind e-marketplace that brings together stakeholders from across the media & entertainment spectrum (AFP)

Opinion

Updated on Apr 14, 2025 07:55 PM IST

ByAamir Khan

Uniform civil code key to true secularism

It is time we understand that while all our energy was diverted towards preserving its diversity, the country’s unity took a catastrophic hit

There are two examples already available within the country : Goa and Uttarakhand (@pushkardhami)

Opinion

Published on Apr 14, 2025 07:50 PM IST

ByAankhi Ghosh

Treat heatwaves as a health emergency

India must adopt an aggressive, integrated approach that embeds climate resilience in public health programmes

The health consequences of heatwaves are widespread, affecting both urban and rural populations

Opinion

Published on Apr 14, 2025 07:38 PM IST

ByAparna Roy

“We will see change only if we keep talking”

For 23 years, Khabar Lahariya has been reporting the news from Bundelkhand, a hilly region between northern Madhya Pradesh and southern Uttar Pradesh.

Opinion

Published on Apr 14, 2025 06:00 AM IST

ByNamita Bhandare

Pragmatic stand on trade with the EU

As a hard-to-ignore potential partner, India has the leverage to force the EU to rethink and even push for exemption from tariff barriers such as the carbon tax

India recognises this, and is ready to be wooed, but, as commerce minister Piyush Goyal’s recent statement shows, this has to happen under its own terms (PTI)

Opinion

Published on Apr 13, 2025 08:04 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

Ballot: Panacea for every peril democracy faces

From Sukma to Srinagar, peaceful elections in these regions have proved that in a democracy, it is the ballot, not the bullet, that determines outcomes

Rana’s extradition isn’t just a success of our legal and security experts but also our diplomatic channels and their tireless efforts

Opinion

Published on Apr 13, 2025 07:44 PM IST

ByShashi Shekhar

Grand Strategy: Europe’s re-arming and the potential for India

Trans-Atlantic tensions and Europe’s return to classical geopolitics will mean India will have more options on the table

New Europe’s demographic challenges and rearmament requirements will need partners such as India for joint defence production, ammunition, and skilled, cheaper labour (Hindustan Times)

Opinion

Published on Apr 13, 2025 07:25 PM IST

ByHappymon Jacob

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News / Opinion

Opinion

A long stint at the helm and an inability to fully decouple from BJP's politics has left BJD unable to perfect an oppositional pitch in its voice

Thackeray cousins Raj and Uddhav may unite against BJP's rise, prompted by language politics in Maharashtra.

Only the faces of the perpetrators and the victims change, the failure of the State and statements of the leaders are the same

Discover how romance novels and poetry become ways of healing and rebellion in this conversation with Raju Tai. Plus upcoming summer writing workshops.

Students should be aware of the remarkable tradition of science behind our sophisticated cycle of time

The temptation by judges to attach moral homilies when adjudicating on rape cases goes back all the way to the 1974 Mathura judgment of a sessions court

The Farooq Abdullah story Amarjit Singh Dulat relates centres around three great betrayals the former has faced

Despite the recent positive overtures, structural problems in the bilateral relationship could resurface as a source of tensions

Mario Vargas Llosa, a Nobel laureate, evolved from Marxism to liberalism, critiquing socialism and exploring political themes in his fiction.

India’s Western Indian Ocean diplomacy may yet evolve into something more consequential. But for now, it remains more aspirational than strategic

The Supreme Court judgment in the case involving use of Urdu on a municipal signboard is an eye-opener.

As the Chinese market falters and the US imposes tariffs, real luxury is overtaking label-mania.

India stands to benefit as American firms pivot production away from China

PMRF has significant potential, but limited reach. Better infrastructure, balanced funding, and policy reforms are essential to strengthening it

Effective governance in the 21st century demands a scalpel, not a sledgehammer, when navigating the complex terrain between public needs and private interests

The administration is seeking to weaponise grants and funds to force universities to align with its thinking

Fathers must equally be responsible for infant-care and childcare. Paternal involvement leads to multiple positive outcomes both for children and mothers

Candidate lists, rallies, and back-rooms are still dominated by men while women are still cast as foot soldiers, never as theorists, never as architects

India must immediately train its own AI models, leveraging offshore computing environments such as Singapore while rapidly expanding domestic AI infrastructure

The US policy support for its farmers spans the entire agricultural value chain. In contrast, India’s is fragmented and often ends up disadvantaging farmers

Involvement of the private sector and the focus on self-reliance should help the country achieve target set in the Union budget

Education reforms will not yield results unless the problem of plenty and the ambiguity over profit-making are addressed

The Dharmashastras, among which Manusmriti remains preeminent, clearly distinguishes between Shudras and the twice-born castes

WAVES Bazaar hopes to provide a dynamic space for media and entertainment industry professionals to network, collaborate, and grow their businesses

It is time we understand that while all our energy was diverted towards preserving its diversity, the country’s unity took a catastrophic hit

India must adopt an aggressive, integrated approach that embeds climate resilience in public health programmes

For 23 years, Khabar Lahariya has been reporting the news from Bundelkhand, a hilly region between northern Madhya Pradesh and southern Uttar Pradesh.

As a hard-to-ignore potential partner, India has the leverage to force the EU to rethink and even push for exemption from tariff barriers such as the carbon tax

From Sukma to Srinagar, peaceful elections in these regions have proved that in a democracy, it is the ballot, not the bullet, that determines outcomes

Trans-Atlantic tensions and Europe’s return to classical geopolitics will mean India will have more options on the table

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