Representational Photo

The Winter of Discontent

The dark and dreary robe of winter,
The shroud that takes all light away,

Diwali in Trinidad and Tobago: Renewing faith in Hinduism and Indian culture

The observance of Diwali has its roots for 186 years since the arrival of the first of East Indians who came here from India, principally Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. They not only contributed to socio-economic development, but engineered a religious and cultural platform. The Indian diaspora proudly celebrates numerous East Indian religious festivals

Knowledge Gain via Quantum Entanglement

All great discoveries of the world like Einstein’s gravitation theory, Newton’s theory of light, gravity, motion, great music of Beethoven, Mozart among others, and the knowledge of Universe by sages and scientists has been obtained by this process. 

The Last Words of a Dying Tree

My body is bare from wear and tear,
A victim of the ravages of Man.

More on Open Forum

Need to sensitise Indian Muslims to the knowledge economy

India has made school education free and compulsory for all and even provided additional privileges to minority and traditionally disadvantaged communities. However, the spread of education among the Muslim communities still lags behind the mainstream for a variety of reasons, mostly economic, regressive social practices, and an inadequately enlightened clergy.

Need to build trust among Rohingyas first for smooth repatriation

The Rohingyas will not consent to reside in the "model village" that is being constructed in Maungdoo for the rehabilitation of the Rohingyas. Most significantly, not a single Rohingya wants to go back to Rakhine until they can be assured of citizenship.

Artificial intelligence says ‘India has emerged as significant player in global AI landscape’

ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Bing on Edge are the trending experimental uses of artificial intelligence, harnessing its powers to write reports and collate information.

U75: Historic national launch of carbon neutrality in 75 universities across India

Under SCCN universities are encouraged to kick start the localising and implementing the SDGs and Net Zero on their campuses.

Should PM Modi be spending so much time campaigning in state elections?

The net result is that the valuable time of PM Modi, which should be spent on the governance of the country, has been sacrificed for winning an election in one state.

South Asian peace activists condemn Kashmir terror attack, support Pakistani foreign minister’s India visit

Sapan has long been advocating for bilateral engagements and liberalisation of visas for family members, students, pilgrims, exchange of artists, and cricket bilateral series. The petition #MilneDo (let people meet) coordinated by the group has garnered several thousand signatures.

Bangladesh's Digital Security Act needs amendment, not abolition

The Bangladesh government should quickly consider the amendment to safeguard dissident voices in a democracy. An amendment should find the middle ground between the activists and the government, considering the necessity of such a law.

Understanding the science of Patanjali Yoga Sutras

It seems a little strange that Sage Patanjali who was the first to enunciate the yoga principles of thought control and mind enhancement would not have included the important science of Kundalini Yoga in it. One can speculate that probably that section could have been extracted by some commentators from his sutras and made into a separate science of Tantric Yoga.

Salim Durrani, a cavalier batsman. a lethal bowler, a charismatic presence in the Indian team (1934-2023)

Had Salim Durrani been a cricketer in current times he would have been one of the most admired cricket stars flooded with lucrative endorsement deals. He came at a time when cricket was cricket and not a straight path to insane fame and fortune.

Misconceptions about trees: Power, pulp, fodder and fertilizer from subabul – a multipurpose tree

All three species provide good tree cover and much-needed green lung to cities like Delhi and it will be foolish to eradicate them.

South Asia activists urge governments to convene SAARC Summit

With ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ -- the world is one family -- as the motto for this year’s G20 Summit to be held in India, it is perhaps a good time to remind South Asian governments that they, too, are part of one region

How India can rightly become a 'Vishwaguru'

In the past, all great thoughts from India went abroad after they were practiced in India for quite some time. Thus, there is a need for our own population to be tolerant of different shades of opinion and use technology to light up the lives of the rural poor. 

Protecting families from ruinous healthcare costs

With the very limited government money on offer and the need for protection being almost universal, the states would do well to use that money instead to offer an insurance plan that covers their entire population (the poor and the non-poor) for only a limited number of very expensive and very rare conditions.

Bangladesh has become a role model for other LDCs

Prime Minister Hasina has repeatedly said that infrastructure development has been happening at a massive rate in Bangladesh that will attract foreign investors.

Covid, Chinese lab 'leaks', and the risks of playing with nature

Traditional Indian wisdom teaches us that we are not separate from nature, that all forms of life are connected and inseparable from the rhythm of the planet – the air, the mountains, the forests, the seas and the sun. If this thinking is allowed to take root again, sustainability is already achieved.