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Opinion

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Weaponising law and a lie to attack Indo-Islamic heritage

Opinion

Published on Jun 28, 2024 09:02 PM IST

The truth is that the architecture built by the Muslim monarchs in India – Indo-Islamic architecture – is our collective heritage as South Asian people and as members of a collective humanitys

Muslims offer prayers at a mosque in New Delhi, India, Thursday, April 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) (AP)

ByFahad Zuberi

Goodbye to greed-centric conservation paradigms

Changing our perspective on nature is the priority. We must not consider nature to be a separate entity from whom we must reap benefits, but consider ourselves a part of nature itself, as much as any other species on the planet

Wild Asiatic water buffalos graze in the Pobitora wildlife sanctuary on the outskirts of Guwahati, India, Thursday, June 20, 2024. The sanctuary is known for its Indian one-horned rhino population. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath) (AP)

Opinion

Published on Jun 28, 2024 09:01 PM IST

ByTejas Singh Kapoor

Recalibrating relations with China, Pakistan

Having dealt successfully with major security challenges, the country now needs to cement its success with some effective neighbourhood diplomacy.

This picture taken on May 19, 2024, shows Rezang la War Memorial in Eastern Ladakh. (Photo by TAUSEEF MUSTAFA / AFP) (AFP)

Opinion

Published on Jun 28, 2024 09:01 PM IST

ByManoj Joshi

Reading continuity in a fractured verdict

In the third term, the NDA government will have to engage with multiple governance challenges and an energised Opposition

New Delhi, Jun 12 (ANI): NEET aspirants protest against the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination at Jantar Mantar, in New Delhi on Wednesday. (ANI Photo/Ritik Jain) (Ritik Jain)

Opinion

Published on Jun 27, 2024 08:48 PM IST

ByRajdeep Sardesai

Why sentencing norms need to be streamlined

A structured approach to sentencing can mitigate disparities, enhance transparency, and foster public confidence in the judiciary

Sentencing decisions in India are influenced by the socio-economic status and gender of the accused, background of the judges, and quality of legal representation. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Opinion

Published on Jun 27, 2024 08:33 PM IST

ByEesha Shrotriya andShantanu Pachauri

Building on the gains in the foreign policy realm

Evoking respect is the necessary first step to eliciting a neighbour’s trust, not the other way around. A strong and prosperous India is bound to evoke respect.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan at a meeting, in New Delhi, Monday, June 17, 2024. (PTI Photo) (PTI)

Opinion

Published on Jun 27, 2024 08:27 PM IST

ByMohan Kumar

What Julian Assange did to western world order

The hesitation in Washington to directly intervene in costly unwinnable wars abroad, which we see these days, may even be termed a moral victory for Assange.

TOPSHOT - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange gives thumbs up after arriving at Canberra Airport in Canberra on June 26, 2024, after he pleaded guilty at a US court in Saipan to a single count of conspiracy to obtain and disseminate US national defence information. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange returned home to Australia to start life as a free man June 26 after admitting he revealed US defence secrets in a deal that unlocked the door to his London prison cell. (Photo by WILLIAM WEST / AFP) (AFP)

Opinion

Published on Jun 26, 2024 09:16 PM IST

BySreeram Chaulia

Reaching for the sky on a wing and a prayer

The history of aviation in India has been littered with such examples, where the abilities, financial worthiness, intentions, credentials and antecedents of the founders of various aviation-related businesses have been more than suspect and which led to many failed ventures

Kolkata, India - May 26, 2024: A view of the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata, India, on Sunday, May 26, 2024. (Photo by Samir Jana/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Opinion

Published on Jun 26, 2024 09:13 PM IST

ByAnjuli Bhargava

India must act now to beat extreme heat

A modified definition of a heatwave to incorporate humidity would be a key first step to correctly quantify the scale of the problem in summer

A woman with her face covered walks near the India Gate on a hot summer day during heatwave in New Delhi on June 17, 2024. (Photo by Money SHARMA / AFP) (AFP)

Opinion

Updated on Jun 26, 2024 09:11 PM IST

ByShruti M Deorah, Ashok Gadgil

The indispensability of revival of political process in J&K

Many J&K watchers suggest that elections should be held before the grant of statehood, drawing an analogy with the Constitutional status of Delhi.

Women stand in a queue at a polling station to cast their ballot during the first phase of voting of India's general elections in Jammu, some 230 Kms from Srinagar on April 19, 2024. (Photo by TAUSEEF MUSTAFA / AFP)(AFP)

Opinion

Published on Jun 26, 2024 06:52 PM IST

ByShashank Ranjan

Why New Delhi needs a national security strategy

What’s holding New Delhi back from promulgating a National Security Strategy that would streamline such decision-making and help its aatmanirbharta campaign in defence?

National security is just not about defence but is a whole-of-government approach that needs orchestration by the political executive head, not by the defence minister. (Photo by Rakesh BAKSHI / AFP) (AFP)

Opinion

Published on Jun 25, 2024 09:08 PM IST

ByManmohan Bahadur

The BJP’s poll showing and Dalit anxiety on reservation

The Dalit anxiety about the abolition of reservation seems to have impacted electoral outcomes in those states where the BJP has suffered major losses.

Noida, India- April 14, 2024: People seen on the occasion of the 133th birth anniversary of Dalit icon BR Ambedkar at Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal, sector 95, in Noida, India, on Sunday, April 14, 2024. (Photo by Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times)

Opinion

Published on Jun 25, 2024 08:59 PM IST

ByAyan Guha

Pulpit offers Biden his comeback opportunity

Donald Trump has the clear edge but the presidential debate offers Joe Biden a big chance to address an image deficit. Like in India, the final lap of the campaign will shape the outcome

FILE - President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden participate in the final presidential debate at Belmont University, Oct. 22, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) (AP)

Opinion

Published on Jun 25, 2024 08:55 PM IST

ByPrashant Jha

Case against NEET goes beyond failings of NTA

NEET-UG 2024 results lead to controversy, retest for 1,563 candidates after SC intervention. Larger issues of fairness and equity in NEET remain unaddressed.

Kolkata, India - June 24, 2024: All India Democratic Students' Organisation (AIDSO), affiliated with Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) (SUCI(C) supporters staged a protest rally against recent scam in NEET and UGC-NET exam at Moulali in Kolkata, India, on Monday, June 24, 2024. (Photo by Samir Jana/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Opinion

Updated on Jun 24, 2024 08:22 PM IST

ByManuraj Shunmugasundaram

Can India keep its net zero by 2070 promise?

Tackling decarbonisation in transport and industry is a complicated matter. One can keep saying we are on the net zero path, but the reality is something else!

FILE PHOTO: Labourers work next to electricity pylons in Mumbai, India, October 13, 2021. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo (REUTERS)

Opinion

Updated on Jun 24, 2024 08:16 PM IST

BySomit Dasgupta

The importance of being the Speaker

Constitutional reform that guarantees the independence of the office– and removes some of its contentious roles – is of utmost importance to ensure the sanctity of parliamentary democracy

The Parliament House in New Delhi, India, on Monday, June 24, 2024. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vast domestic agenda is in jeopardy after his party failed to win an outright majority in parliament for the first time in a decade, forcing it to work with a coalition of parties and grapple with an expanded opposition bench. Photographer: Prakash Singh/Bloomberg (Bloomberg)

Opinion

Published on Jun 24, 2024 08:10 PM IST

ByGautam Bhatia

Remembering Akira Endo, the scientist who revolutionised heart care

Endo’s discovery, which came from a mold like the kind that grows on oranges, marked a significant advance in medicine, yet remains relatively unknown

This undated photo released by Jiji Press on June 11, 2024 shows professor Akira Endo from the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology in Tokyo. Endo, the Japanese biochemist whose pioneering research on fungi led to the development of cholesterol-lowering statins, has died at the age of 90, Japanese media reported on June 11, 2024. (Photo by JIJI Press / AFP) / Japan OUT(AFP)

Opinion

Published on Jun 24, 2024 08:00 AM IST

ByAnirban Mahapatra

The Swiss “Peace Summit” and the competing impulses of war and peace

For the war to end, it is important to address Russia’s NATO concerns as it is to address Kyiv’s current and future security concerns.

This photograph shows the Swiss flag sets among the flags of the other countries during a plenary session at the Summit on peace in Ukraine, at the luxury Burgenstock resort, near Lucerne, on June 16, 2024. The two-day gathering brings together Ukrainian President and more than 50 other heads of state and government, to try to work out a way towards a peace process for Ukraine -- albeit without Russia. (Photo by URS FLUEELER / POOL / AFP)(AFP)

Opinion

Published on Jun 24, 2024 07:00 AM IST

ByHappymon Jacob

Sowing the seeds of a farm-growth revival

Centre should focus on expanding land under irrigation, pushing greater adoption of horticulture by farmers, and raising agri-R&D spending in the country

Amritsar: Farm labourers plant seedlings in a field during sunset on the outskirts of Amritsar, Sunday, June 23, 2024. (PTI Photo)(PTI06_23_2024_000239B)(PTI)

Opinion

Published on Jun 23, 2024 11:23 PM IST

BySiraj Hussain, Shweta Saini

A code for members of the new Lok Sabha

Dialogue between the government and the Opposition is essential for the smooth running of the House.

The Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) who have been returned may harbour unpleasant memories: Mass suspensions, privilege cases, expulsions, and the denial of opportunities were common threads in the last House(File Photo)(HT_PRINT)

Opinion

Published on Jun 23, 2024 11:04 PM IST

ByPDT Achary

Ganga needs joint efforts to regain its old strength

This river requires regular, phased dredging from Haridwar to Ganga Sagar.

Kolkata: The setting Sun on an evening, seen from the bank of the River Ganga, in Kolkata, Sunday, June 23, 2024. (PTI Photo/Swapan Mahapatra)(PTI06_23_2024_000213B)(PTI)

Opinion

Published on Jun 23, 2024 10:24 PM IST

ByShashi Shekhar

Yoga’s health benefits are proven but a competent instructor is crucial

While Hatha Yoga has taken the world by storm, people are less aware that Yoga is an eight-layered philosophy, of which the exercises are only the first part.

Mumbai, Jun 21 (ANI): Western Naval Command personnel perform yoga on the 10th International Day of Yoga, in Mumbai on Friday. (ANI Photo) (Deepak Salvi)

Opinion

Published on Jun 23, 2024 08:00 AM IST

ByPavan K Varma

SP out to counter BJP with their new temple town hero

Awadhesh Prasad won from Faizabad-Ayodhya after addressing local issues, overshadowing the BJP's focus on the temple.

The poll scenario began changing positively for Congress-SP alliance in Uttar Pradesh once Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav decided to contest the 2024 poll and the alliance won 43 of 80 UP seats. (HT FILE)(HT_PRINT)

Opinion

Published on Jun 23, 2024 12:44 AM IST

BySunita Aron

The interconnected world of Vinoba, Ray and Saul Bellow

This is a story about Moses Elkanah Herzog, after whom the Nobel Laureate Saul Bellow has named his 1964 novel, Herzog.

30 November 1951 - Acharya Vinoba Bhave accompanied by his party arrives at Gandhi Ashram, Meerut from Kharkhoda at his prayer meeting Vinoba Bhave studying Bhoomidan Papers - HT Photo.

Opinion

Updated on Jun 22, 2024 09:03 PM IST

ByAmrit Gangar

A pink auto route to empowering women

The pink e-autos initiative could be replicated across India. It will tick several boxes, empowerment of women, getting more women into the labour force, contributing to a cleaner environment and breaking gender stereotypes about what work a woman can or cannot do

A pink auto in Ranchi. (Parwaz Khan/HT Photo)

Opinion

Published on Jun 22, 2024 09:01 PM IST

ByLalita Panicker

Seditious hearts and mature democracies

Today, when we claim to be vishwaguru, leader of the Global South, deserving of a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council, does not this treatment of Arundhati Roy reveal a sad but inescapable truth about us?

**EDS: FILE PHOTO** New Delhi: In this Thursday, Aug 30, 2018 file photo, writer and activist Arundhati Roy at a press conference, in New Delhi. Delhi Lt. Governor V.K. Saxena has accorded sanction to prosecute Roy under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for allegedly making provocative speeches at an event in 2010, Raj Niwas officials said on Friday, June 14, 2024. (PTI Photo/Kamal Kishore)(PTI06_14_2024_000327B) (PTI)

Opinion

Published on Jun 22, 2024 08:57 PM IST

ByKaran Thapar

Preparing our children to encounter the world

Erasures and deletions of inconvenient truths from textbooks cannot enable them to rise to global leadership

New Delhi, India - Aug. 29, 2016: Students study in ‘model classes’ at Zeenat Mahal Govt.Sarvodaya Girls Sr. School at Jafrabad, in New Delhi, India, on Monday, August 29, 2016. (Photo by Raj K Raj/ Hindustan Times) **To go with Heena

Opinion

Updated on Jun 22, 2024 08:53 PM IST

ByRajmohan Gandhi

Male feminist allies: Why every woman needs one

Baba was my feminist ally, the sort of man every woman should have in her corner. Someone who believes in her, thinks twice before questioning her decisions, and remains her most enthusiastic cheerleader.

New Delhi, India - June 21, 2024: Young women react as they are clicked during rains, in New Delhi, Friday, June 21, 2024. Light rainfall on Friday brought some relief to the people in Delhi after a relentless heatwave in the region for over a month. (Photo by Sanjeev Verma/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Opinion

Updated on Jun 21, 2024 08:59 PM IST

ByNamita Bhandare

Road ahead for PM Modi, India in a China +1 world

India still faces enormous long-term challenges. But Modi’s personal appeal at home and the inroads he has helped open for India abroad make this country’s development one of the most important stories of the next decade.

New Delhi, Jun 10 (ANI): President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar pose for a group picture with the newly sworn-in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Council of Ministers during the oath-taking ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on Sunday. (ANI Photo) (ANI/ PIB)

Opinion

Published on Jun 21, 2024 08:44 PM IST

ByIan Bremmer

NEET fiasco is a test of the govt’s outreach skills

Government mishandles student protests over NEET exam, exposing broken examination system and political nexus. PM Modi's communication strategy needs a revamp.

New Delhi, India - June 20, 2024: Students from various student organizations protest outside the Ministry of Education over the issues of NEET exam at Central Secretariat in New Delhi, India, on Thursday, June 20, 2024. (Photo by Sanchit Khanna/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Opinion

Updated on Jun 21, 2024 08:38 PM IST

ByBarkha Dutt

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Opinion

The truth is that the architecture built by the Muslim monarchs in India – Indo-Islamic architecture – is our collective heritage as South Asian people and as members of a collective humanitys

Changing our perspective on nature is the priority. We must not consider nature to be a separate entity from whom we must reap benefits, but consider ourselves a part of nature itself, as much as any other species on the planet

Having dealt successfully with major security challenges, the country now needs to cement its success with some effective neighbourhood diplomacy.

In the third term, the NDA government will have to engage with multiple governance challenges and an energised Opposition

A structured approach to sentencing can mitigate disparities, enhance transparency, and foster public confidence in the judiciary

Evoking respect is the necessary first step to eliciting a neighbour’s trust, not the other way around. A strong and prosperous India is bound to evoke respect.

The hesitation in Washington to directly intervene in costly unwinnable wars abroad, which we see these days, may even be termed a moral victory for Assange.

The history of aviation in India has been littered with such examples, where the abilities, financial worthiness, intentions, credentials and antecedents of the founders of various aviation-related businesses have been more than suspect and which led to many failed ventures

A modified definition of a heatwave to incorporate humidity would be a key first step to correctly quantify the scale of the problem in summer

Many J&K watchers suggest that elections should be held before the grant of statehood, drawing an analogy with the Constitutional status of Delhi.

What’s holding New Delhi back from promulgating a National Security Strategy that would streamline such decision-making and help its aatmanirbharta campaign in defence?

The Dalit anxiety about the abolition of reservation seems to have impacted electoral outcomes in those states where the BJP has suffered major losses.

Donald Trump has the clear edge but the presidential debate offers Joe Biden a big chance to address an image deficit. Like in India, the final lap of the campaign will shape the outcome

NEET-UG 2024 results lead to controversy, retest for 1,563 candidates after SC intervention. Larger issues of fairness and equity in NEET remain unaddressed.

Tackling decarbonisation in transport and industry is a complicated matter. One can keep saying we are on the net zero path, but the reality is something else!

Constitutional reform that guarantees the independence of the office– and removes some of its contentious roles – is of utmost importance to ensure the sanctity of parliamentary democracy

Endo’s discovery, which came from a mold like the kind that grows on oranges, marked a significant advance in medicine, yet remains relatively unknown

For the war to end, it is important to address Russia’s NATO concerns as it is to address Kyiv’s current and future security concerns.

Centre should focus on expanding land under irrigation, pushing greater adoption of horticulture by farmers, and raising agri-R&D spending in the country

Dialogue between the government and the Opposition is essential for the smooth running of the House.

This river requires regular, phased dredging from Haridwar to Ganga Sagar.

While Hatha Yoga has taken the world by storm, people are less aware that Yoga is an eight-layered philosophy, of which the exercises are only the first part.

Awadhesh Prasad won from Faizabad-Ayodhya after addressing local issues, overshadowing the BJP's focus on the temple.

This is a story about Moses Elkanah Herzog, after whom the Nobel Laureate Saul Bellow has named his 1964 novel, Herzog.

The pink e-autos initiative could be replicated across India. It will tick several boxes, empowerment of women, getting more women into the labour force, contributing to a cleaner environment and breaking gender stereotypes about what work a woman can or cannot do

Today, when we claim to be vishwaguru, leader of the Global South, deserving of a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council, does not this treatment of Arundhati Roy reveal a sad but inescapable truth about us?

Erasures and deletions of inconvenient truths from textbooks cannot enable them to rise to global leadership

Baba was my feminist ally, the sort of man every woman should have in her corner. Someone who believes in her, thinks twice before questioning her decisions, and remains her most enthusiastic cheerleader.

India still faces enormous long-term challenges. But Modi’s personal appeal at home and the inroads he has helped open for India abroad make this country’s development one of the most important stories of the next decade.

Government mishandles student protests over NEET exam, exposing broken examination system and political nexus. PM Modi's communication strategy needs a revamp.

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