Across all these traditions, a small minority of extremists sometimes distort religious teachings to justify violence. This is not unique to any one faith. In recent decades, for example, some fringe groups have invoked highly selective interpretations of jihad to justify suicide attacks, claiming spiritual reward. Mainstream Islamic scholars overwhelmingly reject these interpretations. Similar distortions have appeared in other traditions as well

Myanmar links India with ASEAN and BIMSTEC. The Asian Highway is to run to Thailand through Myanmar and much can be done to enhance linkages and cooperation with these organisations through stronger links with Myanmar. Proximity and first mover advantage should not be lost.

There are also questions being raised, quietly in some quarters - more openly in others - about whether broader strategic objectives are at play, including the possibility of regional influence being exercised through existing alignments. Whether such perceptions are accurate or not, they exist and they shape how actions are interpreted.

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.

Conflicts today often lack clearly stated aims, making end states difficult to define. The ongoing engagements involving Russia, Israel, and the United States illustrate this ambiguity. In such situations, conflicts risk being driven more by national ego than by achievable objectives, prolonging destruction and human suffering.

Nevertheless, ethanol is a homegrown, renewable fuel which can being great advantage to the country, increase the remuneration to the farmers and help in expanding industrial crop production base in India.

India, for one, can offer to create - if required - segregated facilities for education, IT services and upskilling training centres in those communities as there are both kinds of establishments in the country and the economic capacity to be generous to neighbours in need without expectation of a quid pro quo.
 

If “security” is to have real meaning, it must be grounded in the lived experiences of those it is intended to protect. This requires a shift from state‑centred metrics to civilian‑centred measures of stability; where continuity of daily life, equitable protection, and psychological well‑being are integral to how we define security.

Assuming leadership requires both inherent strength and ideological positioning. While the world covets India as a market, India should also become a market leader in strategic areas where it needs to be self-reliant and has export potential. These include space, defence, aeronautics, AI, semiconductors, and skilled manpower. India must leverage economic diplomacy and soft power 

There is also a subtle but perceptible fatigue with the continued reliance on polarisation as a political tool. Identity-based mobilisation, while effective in the short term, risks diminishing returns when overused. If these undercurrents - internal dissent, governance gaps, and narrative fatigue - begin to converge, they may not immediately overturn electoral outcomes, but they could signal the early stages of a more substantive political challenge to the BJP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be cognizant of the fact that the crash occurred in Ahmedabad, in his home state. People will come to their own conclusions as to whether they saw Modi standing up to American pressure or give in. India has not forgotten the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, that Warren Anderson and Union Carbide Chemicals went scot-free, that India settled for a meagre $470 million compensation – 25 years later – for the families of the thousands who died and the millions who were adversely affected.

The social media takes advantage of the reward systems in the brain, especially the dopamine circuits within the basal ganglia and the prefrontal cortex. Using signals of micro-engagement, including the duration of time a user hovers over a video or the number of times a user rewatches a clip, algorithms develop a feedback loop that over time redirects the feed of a user to more intense or provocative content.

To step into the role of mediator in a conflict of this nature would inevitably test that balance. It would invite scrutiny, of intent, of tilt, of perceived bias. Even the most well-intentioned effort could be interpreted through the prism of existing relationships. In such a situation, neutrality is not merely a matter of policy; it becomes a matter of perception, and perceptions are notoriously difficult to manage.

One notable point is that Awami League (AL) supporters and minority community voters reportedly did not vote for any of the contesting parties. This narrative may have been constructed to justify inflated vote counts. It may also suggest that none of the contesting parties—including the BNP, Jamaat alliances, and others—command the level of public support often claimed. Additionally, it can be inferred that communal politics has not achieved the level of social penetration in Bangladesh as was talked about.

The loss of 403 young lives is a stark wake-up call for Bangladesh. Schools and colleges are meant to nurture dreams, not silently witness the suffering of students. A collaborative effort involving the government, educational institutions, and families is urgently needed. With empathy, awareness, and institutional support, many of these young lives can still be saved.