Counterview

Dr. Ponnada Srinivas*  The recent Nepal flash floods that killed thousands of pilgrims near the China-India-Bhutan border is not an isolated tragedy. The involvement of Isha Foundation and Jaggi Vasudev drew attention this time, but the 2013 Chardham floods that washed away 6,000 pilgrims—mostly Telugu-speaking—caused equally devastating pain. That most northbound pilgrims originate from South India, particularly Andhra and Tamil Nadu, raises uncomfortable questions about the economic and cultural dynamics at play.

By A Representative   A call for unity among OBC, SC, ST and minority communities to defend constitutional rights took centre stage in Ahmedabad, as scholar and social activist Dr. Laxman Yadav’s two books, “Professor Ki Diary” and “Jati Vasti Ganana,” were launched at a public dialogue on democracy and social justice. Speaking at the event, Yadav urged marginalised communities to overcome divisions, build a collective voice and organise around issues of rights, representation and social justice.

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan  A video has been doing the rounds, and it stopped me mid-scroll. A thirsty crow lands beside an outdoor tap that is already running. It simply puts its beak under the stream and drinks. No searching. No experimenting. No problem to solve. Just an open tap. It is hard not to think of the other crow—the one from our childhood story.

​By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*  ​Amid ongoing debates over the expanding influence of artificial intelligence, commercial developers are experiencing an unprecedented financial boom. Industry estimates suggest global AI revenues reached $229 billion by mid-2026, tripling year-over-year, with projections indicating a potential disruption of up to $4.7 trillion in enterprise profits by 2035.

By Tings Chak  The television series Asking the Vast Earth (问苍茫, 2023) opens with a scene of a young Mao Zedong swimming in the Xiang River, swollen from the heavy rains. A fisherman calls from the bank to the lone swimmer: ‘You fool, you’re asking to die! The river is raging after the storm—there are boats, why are you swimming?’ Mao laughs and calls back: ‘Never mind how fierce the water is. Once you understand its temper, you can handle it. Just like you with your fishing—where the fishing is easy, there are no fish. Where the swimming is easy, there is no joy.’

By Vikas Meshram*  Very few writers in the history of American literature have shaped not just the world of literature but the very direction of a society's thinking through their pen. Toni Morrison is one of those rare names. Throughout her life, she gave voice through her writing to the injustice, oppression, and marginalisation faced by the Black community. She is regarded as one of the most respected names in American literature. Over the course of her long literary career, she wrote eleven novels along with children's literature, plays, and numerous essays, mastering nearly every form literature has to offer. Her writing was never confined merely to storytelling; it became a living document reflecting the pain, resistance, and struggle for existence of an entire community.

Counterview News   On the eve of the 18th BRICS Summit, a new report has accused the New Development Bank (NDB) — the multilateral lender set up by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — of failing to deliver on its founding promise of people-centric, sustainable development, even as the harms from its projects mount and affected communities are left with no way to seek redress.

Counterview News  A citizens’ audit of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Y Block, Mangolpuri, has challenged the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer’s defence of deletions from the draft electoral roll, alleging that in four of six cited cases the official explanation rests on “an unrecorded, unnamed ‘local inquiry’ or oral statement” rather than documented evidence. The detailed response follows a four-hour public hearing on 5 September 2026 before a citizens’ jury chaired by Justice (Retd.) Madan B. Lokur, former Judge of the Supreme Court of India.

By Vikas Gupta   India loves the photograph of a certificate ceremony. A minister on a stage. A banner bearing the word “skill.” Young people holding folders that promise a future. It is a reassuring image because it tells us the problem has a manageable answer: train the young, make them job-ready, and work will follow.