Counterview

By Rajiv Shah   In a detailed discussion on the Unmute podcast, leading labour scholars Professor Ernesto Noronha and lawyer-researcher Anusha Ravishankar have issued a stark assessment of India’s newly notified labour codes , arguing that the long-pending reforms are designed to attract capital at the expense of worker security, weaken collective bargaining , and exacerbate the vulnerabilities of the country’s vast informal workforce .

By Dr. P. K. Gupta   Medical education in India was once regarded as a noble pursuit characterized by merit, discipline, rigorous training, and dedicated teaching. Over the decades, however, profound structural, economic, and institutional changes have transformed both medical education and healthcare delivery. The consequences of these changes deserve serious examination.

By Ram Puniyani  Eid-ul-Adha (Bakra Eid) is the second most important festival for Muslims. Widely known as the Festival of Sacrifice, it commemorates Prophet Ibrahim's (Abraham's) unwavering faith in Allah and his willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail in obedience to God's command before Allah provided a ram in his place. Muslims who can afford to do so perform the ritual sacrifice of an animal such as a goat, sheep, cow, or camel. This serves as a physical and symbolic re-enactment of Prophet Ibrahim's sacrifice.

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak  On 9 June 2026, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan handed letters of approval to two British universities—the University of Bristol and the University of York—and one Australian institution, the University of New South Wales, permitting them to establish campuses in Mumbai and Bengaluru. He described the move as a major step toward fulfilling the "internationalisation vision" of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, formulated under the BJP-led government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat   American forces attacked Indian sailors in the Persian Gulf, reportedly killing several of them. Yet the Government of India, along with its prime-time cheerleaders and devoted supporters, has remained conspicuously silent. There has not been a single strong word of condemnation directed at the United States. Instead, we are being lectured about "international law" and the "legality" of the incident. Ironically, it was Iran that condemned the attack and described the United States as an international pirate.

By Dr. Ruchi Shree   Is a River Alive? (By Robert Macfarlane , 2025, Hamish Hamilton, an imprint of Penguin, London) is a narrative of hope in despair. The author, a nature writer and Professor of Literature and the Environmental Humanities, has written numerous bestselling books. Some of them are Underland , Landmarks, The Old Ways, The Wild Places and Mountains of the Mind , which have been translated into many languages and won numerous prizes around the world. His writings have been widely adapted for different modes of creative expression, namely music, theatre, film, radio, and dance. Macfarlane's book, a detailed account of his journeys along three rivers across three different continents — South America, North America and Asia — is equally personal and political. This book on rivers is equally about mountains, seas, birds and all other living beings.