Counterview

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat  Former Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh—better known as V.P. Singh—would have turned 95 today. Born on June 25, 1931, in Manda, Allahabad, he passed away in November 2008. Yet, his memory endures among admirers scattered across the globe, even without an organized political machinery to champion his cause.

By A Representative   A broad coalition of more than 100 citizens, academics, human rights advocates, faith leaders, women's rights activists, trade unionists and civil society organisations has issued a public appeal calling for urgent peace, justice and constitutional intervention in Manipur as violence enters what the statement describes as a "more dangerous phase."

By A Representative   Power and climate policy analyst Shankar Sharma has written to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, urging the Centre to initiate a high-level policy review of India's energy and water management strategies in light of mounting environmental and climate-related challenges. In a representation addressed to the Finance Minister and copied to the Vice Chairperson of NITI Aayog and the Prime Minister, Sharma highlighted what he described as growing evidence of ecological stress, including groundwater depletion, land degradation, deforestation, pollution and the impacts of global warming. He argued that these developments necessitate urgent policy deliberations on the relationship between energy production and water security.

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan   There is a peculiar paradox unfolding in modern India. Never before have Indians been so visible, successful, and influential on the global stage. From Silicon Valley to London, from Toronto to Singapore, Indians occupy boardrooms, universities, hospitals, and technology companies with remarkable distinction.

By Harsh Thakor*  Hanna Batatu remains one of the most influential Marxist historians of the modern Middle East, a scholar whose work transformed the study of class, state formation, and revolutionary movements in Iraq and Syria. Born in Jerusalem in 1926 and passing away in exile in Connecticut on June 24, 2000, he left behind a body of research that continues to shape contemporary scholarship. His centenary offers an opportunity to revisit his intellectual legacy and the radical tradition he helped cultivate.

By Ravi Ranjan*   Soumitra's "Sabse Pehle Sandesh"  (The First Message) stands as a remarkable literary achievement that transcends its historical setting to explore universal questions of human existence. Set against the backdrop of the First World War and colonial India, the story weaves together the lives of ordinary people and pigeons, creating parallel worlds that reflect and illuminate one another. Through the experiences of Salim, a reluctant butcher turned soldier, his wife Rukh-sana, and the homing pigeons Indiagate and Phirangan, Soumitra crafts a narrative that interrogates the nature of home, loyalty, and humanity in times of crisis.