Times change, values change, but
Apart from the changing geopolitical dynamics, economic factors further reinforce the China-oriented dimension of the policy shift. China is India’s second largest trading partner with bilateral trade reaching $127.7 billion in FY 2024-2025, and this figure continues to grow. This trade growth however is marked by a significant imbalance, with India’s trade deficit with China widening by about 17% to $99.2 billion from $85.07% in the same FY.
What emerges from this moment is not a singular crisis but a layered one, shaped by global disruptions, local cost pressures, and structural vulnerabilities. Workers are leaving Delhi not because the city has stopped offering work, but because it has become increasingly difficult to live sustainably in the capital city while working.
It is high time South Asian countries not only pass stricter environmental regulations but also strictly enforce them, making sure that there is no factory releasing waste water without adequate treatment. Besides, upholding legally binding labour standards must also be a priority together with ensuring safety of the workplace environment.
The Korean noodle story is not really about noodles. It is about what happens when cultural influence travels faster than commercial infrastructure and faster than regulatory awareness. India's Gen Z - and possibly that of other South Asian countries - did not wait for brands to tell them what to eat. They watched K-dramas, did spice challenges, and built market demand that brands, regulators, and consumer education campaigns have simply not kept up with.
Times change, values change, but
It’s the little ones that a big heaven make,
Presenting a vision for an influential ‘Global Britain’, a leading British think tank has clubbed India in the “difficult four” countries for the future strategic scenario for Britain. Calling India’s importance “inescapable”, the paper said developing the relationship will be a ‘complex task”
The US-India strategic partnership is likely to continue on the same upward trajectory, albeit with some millstones under Joe Biden's presidency which will assume office next week on January 20
Sri Lanka is in discussion with India for procurement of two Covid-19 vaccines. The issue was also raised during the recent visit by Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to Sri Lanka
When I hear my heart sing
India as a nation looks divided. We have serious problems relating to health, defence, and the economy of the nation. Unity is needed to meet all these challenges
Youth are crucial for the success of any country. They are the catalysts for change
The arrow that without feathers, flies
Along your banks, O Revered Mother
The year 2020 gone by has been one of the most horrible years in our living memory
To kill time or fill time
The two intense tank battles of the 1965 Indo-Pak war, matching those in World War II, fought at Phillora (Punjab, Pakistan) by Hodson’s Horse (4 Horse) and Poona Horse (17 Horse), and at Asal Uttar (Punjab, India) fought by 3 Cavalry, 8 Cavalry, Deccan Horse (9 Horse) and Scinde Horse (14 Horse debilitated Pakistan’s armour and depressed it men’s morale
Time to go, Adios, Goodbye
Given that India has set the goal of vaccinating 30 crore/300 million people with COVID-19 jabs by July, can the country procure enough doses to fulfil that goal? To vaccinate 30 crore/300 million people, the country will need 60 crore/ 600 million doses as the two vaccines that are leading the race to get the approval from the government requires two-doses per person for protection