Counterview

By Dr. A.V. Yadappanavar*  The floods that battered Upper Assam during the July 2026 monsoon crisis were not simply a story of the Brahmaputra rising after days of rain on the plains. In several of the worst-hit areas, the disaster began much farther uphill, in the steep terrain of neighbouring Nagaland, where intense rainfall sent enormous volumes of water rushing rapidly downhill and into rivers that flow across the state boundary.

By Kvita Sharma*  Every monsoon, the Himalayas deliver the same lesson in mud, water and rubble: fragile mountains do not forgive careless development. Floods, landslides and other extreme events are no longer distant warnings but recurring disasters, and the voices urging caution are growing louder. Among them is Sunita Narain, Director General of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), who has repeatedly argued that climate change can no longer be treated as an abstract threat, and that disturbing fragile ecosystems in pursuit of an aggressive development model carries a heavy price.

By Dr. A.V. Yadappanavar   As the floodwaters of the 2026 monsoon finally begin to recede across Assam, the state is left to survey yet another season of devastating ecological and economic ruin. Every year, the Brahmaputra River basin overflows, driven by a toxic mix of intense monsoon rainfall, fragile Himalayan topography, and unchecked human encroachment. But as the recent deluge has starkly demonstrated, our traditional approach to flood management—building higher and thicker concrete walls—is no longer sufficient. 

By Raqif Makhdoomi   The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, held in three phases from September 18 to October 1, 2024, were marked by high expectations, with the ruling National Conference (NC) campaigning on a platform of transformative change. The electoral rhetoric led many to believe that the new Assembly would usher in a revolutionary era of governance. However, the inaugural session of the Assembly has revealed a stark contrast between campaign promises and legislative reality. Rather than focusing on actionable governance, the political discourse has increasingly centered on structural limitations.

By Bharat Dogra  Shankar Guha Niyogi (1943–1991) was a great trade union leader who became a legend within his lifetime, partly because of several significant victories of workers' struggles within a relatively short time of about 14 years (1977–91), but I think even more so because of his highly innovative and creative approach to working-class issues. This included many-sided integrations leading to a comprehensive approach to improving the well-being as well as social consciousness of not just the workers but of all people of the working-class belt, including particularly the surrounding villages.

By Ravi Ranjan*  Gajanan Madhav Muktibodh's long poem "In the Dark" (Andhere Mein) is one of modern Hindi poetry's most searching explorations of the relationship between an individual's inner life and the social and political crises of his time. What distinguishes the poem is that it refuses to treat power, exploitation and social contradiction as purely external facts. It traces how these forces take shape within human consciousness, morality and self-awareness. The darkness of the title is therefore not simply a sign of fear or despair. It becomes a metaphor for a social condition in which a person can recognise the truth yet continues to struggle to translate that recognition into the conduct of his own life.

By Harsh Thakor*  For over seven decades, Dolly Parton stood as a global icon, humanitarian, songwriter, philanthropist, actress, and author. When she passed away peacefully in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 25 at the age of 80, the working class lost one of its most intelligent and boldest champions. Through her art, empathy, and subtle anti-capitalist undertones, Parton won the hearts of ordinary people. Her songs will continue to touch the hearts of people of all ages, and her philanthropic work will leave an indelible impact. 

By Rajiv Shah  ​I was recently forwarded a complaint by social activist Jatin Sheth , who leads Abad Amdavad , an Ahmedabad-based civic rights NGO. The organization regularly takes up municipal grievances in a city that aspires to be a cutting-edge metropolis—one eyeing to hold the Commonwealth Games , followed by the Olympics . It is quite another matter that independent international studies have ranked Ahmedabad among the environmentally least resilient when evaluated alongside 72 global cities.

By Vikas Meshram*  In the hills of southern Rajasthan, where small farms cling to rocky slopes and morning smoke curls above mud houses, a quiet revolution is taking root. The village is Seranagla, in Anandpuri tehsil of Banswara district. Among its residents is 65-year-old Kankudevi Kama Damor, known across the region as Beej Mata or the "Seed Mother." For years, she has been collecting, conserving and sharing indigenous seeds, safeguarding an agricultural heritage that many feared would disappear forever. Her work is not merely about farming. It is about memory, culture, nutrition and resilience in a changing climate.