Sonam Wangchuk

Can Ladakhis' trust be restored by freeing Sonam Wangchuk?

Wangchuk was arrested - he has since been released -  obviously to allow allotment of land to corporates without engaging with the locals. Under the circumstances, how much trust of the Ladakhis the government can regain, remains questionable.

Delivering West Bengal From Its Vice-Laden Politics: Voters Must Draw Strength From Their Electoral Power

As owners of the republic—not merely beneficiaries of electoral inducements timed for political gain—electorates must act as empowered, assertive and demanding citizens, carefully examining party positions on substantive issues. They must insist on time-bound job creation strategies and measurable improvements in key sectors such as education and healthcare, rather than settling for vague manifesto assurances.    

India Needs to Reclaim its Lost Tolerance and Plurality

What has gradually been lost is not faith, but the culture of debate that once accompanied it. Public debate – śāstrārtha - was once central to intellectual life. Ideas were examined, challenged, and defended through reasoned argument. Today much of that space has been replaced by shouting matches, where volume often substitutes for thought - unfortunately even within our legislatures. Questioning, once considered an essential part of the search for truth, is now too easily mistaken for disrespect.

N.Q. Dias: Sri Lanka’s Clausewitz, a Man With a Strategic Vision for the Island

Dias promoted civil–military cooperation on an unprecedented scale, facilitating the large-scale settlement of Sinhalese populations in the dry zone as a bulwark against Tamil separatism. In some respects, this approach resembled the Jewish settlement policies in the British Mandate of Palestine, which may have influenced Dias’s thinking.

More on Perspective

Is The Indian Bureaucratic System Beyond Reform?

The system protects many, but scandals emerge at regular intervals, sending periodic shocks that reveal to us that corruption is endemic in the Indian system and thrives in the bureaucracy. The disease is complex, given that it comes in various forms and flavours and is fuelled by patronage politics. Bribery is but one part of a larger canvas of corrupt practices

India-Russia Relations: What the West Does Not Understand

The mutual respect and empathy developed between Russia and India over centuries are rooted in historical traditions. Neither pursued policies of exploiting other people’s resources. Both have believed in respecting civilizational diversity. This orientation continues today in the context of the BRICS countries of which Russia and India are foundational members.

‘Just Transition’ Process in India’s Coal Industry: Need for a Greater Role for Workers

Importantly, coal reserves are concentrated in economically disadvantaged states, where people rely directly on mining jobs and indirectly on linked activities. Thus, while the closure of coal-based assets is central to a long-term transition, it will be highly disruptive for both the sector and local communities if the transition is not implemented with inclusive stakeholder participation.

Cloud Seeding: Unsure Science, Political Gimmickry

The most important thing to do in cities like Delhi is to plant more trees. There should be a major campaign to plant trees. Each One Plant One could be a good slogan for such a campaign. A green and healthy city normally has an average of > 35% area of city covered by trees and forest. Indian cities have < 10-15% tree cover. This single act of planting more trees in cities can reduce air pollution substantially 

Indian Foreign Policy: Rooted In Moral Conviction In Strategic Autonomy And Multilateralism

India, as a founding member of the NAM and an active participant in the SCO, continues to uphold the values of equality, liberty, justice, and non-violence in international relations. The recent SCO Summit (Tianjin, 2025) and improving India–US ties — including President Trump’s conciliatory gestures on trade — reflect India’s growing confidence and self-reliance in global diplomacy.

Is Globalization Flawed, Or Is It Its Implementation?

Research shows that globalization boosts economies, improves job opportunities, reduces conflict, and increases trade. However, it also widens income gaps and harms the environment. These challenges can be managed through effective institutions and public policies focused on education, health, and sustainability—not by rejecting globalization.

World Needed A Rare ‘Earth Deal’, Not Another Rare-Earth Deal!

The world needed the two largest emitters to show courage in Busan — especially when one of them, China, has already shown how ecology and economics can go hand in hand. Instead, they chose commerce over conscience.And the message to developing nations is painfully clear: When climate ambition competes with commercial bargaining — climate loses.

Taliban's Patriarchy And The Hindutva One: What Is Similar And What Is Different

Every form of politics that cloaks itself in religion tends to preserve feudal values and promote hostility toward the “other.” Even Christian fundamentalism reinforces patriarchal norms. Nazi Germany, too, confined women to the three Ks—Kirche, Küche, Kinder (Church, Kitchen, Children). As we condemn patriarchy and the denial of human rights, we must recognize that all sectarian nationalisms—those rooted in religious or racial superiority—share these regressive traits.

Rethinking Affirmative Action in India’s Universities: Needed Structural Reform, Not Symbolic Arithmetic

Reservation in education has achieved moral legitimacy and expanded access, but it has also created new inequalities and stagnation. Its future lies not in expansion or abolition, but in redefinition. Affirmative action must evolve from symbolic arithmetic to structural reform, grounded in data and fairness.

Are Corporates Driving India’s Ladakh Policy?

In Ladakh, it is not just 150 sq km of pasture land allotted to corporates for solar power projects, but also the mining on land of corporate choosing. Why bother about the ecology, environment and disasters? 

UAE Bank's Acquisition of Indian Bank: A New Paradigm In Growing UAE–India Cooperation

If executed smoothly, this transaction will serve as a template for future cross-border collaborations, especially within the framework of CEPA and the broader India–UAE economic corridor. It demonstrates that when capital, strategy, advisory prowess and bilateral ambition converge, remarkable outcomes follow. 

Afghanistan-Pakistan Truce And The Regional Conundrum

With nine terrorist camps destroyed by India in Op Sindoor, the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) camps in Pakistan are being relocated deeper inside – in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region. This could bring them in conflict with the TTP, unless they decide to join hands. Notably, Pakistan has formed an alliance between the LeT and the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP or ISIS-K)

2025 Economics Nobel Prize: Can India Offer Its Own Development Model?

A possible model based on Spirituality + Technology = Sustainability and Happiness may help in reducing greed, provide equitable distribution of resources and provide a new paradigm of development not only for India but for mankind. Once the mighty engine of innovation starts in India then the Darwinian evolution of the disruptive model of Phillipe Aghion and Peter Howitt will follow.

India’s Silent Crisis: Ignoring Mental Health Can Prove Costly

According to the World Health Organization, neglecting mental health could cost India over $1 trillion in lost economic output over a decade. That figure isn’t just about hospitals or medication; it represents absenteeism, reduced innovation, and the quiet burnout that drains motivation from classrooms, startups, and boardrooms alike.

Sri Lanka’s Delicate Tightrope Walk Between Asian Powers

The island-nation’s strategic location in the Indian Ocean has placed it at the centre of intensifying geopolitical competition and rivalry between China and India. Sri Lanka’s experience in balancing its own priorities and needs with the competing interests and concerns of India and China through the lens of project financing has largely succeeded despite occasional hiccups