By Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ*  The world is witnessing a dangerous military escalation. On 28 February, the United States and Israel initiated military action against Iran. As of this writing, the conflict continues, raising concerns about regional and global stability.

By Venkatesh Narayanan, Sandeep Pandey  The widely anticipated yet unprovoked attack on Iran on March 1 by the United States and Israel has drawn sharp criticism from several quarters around the world. Reports indicate that the strikes have resulted in significant civilian casualties, including 165 elementary school girls, 20 female volleyball players, and many other civilians. 

By Syed Ali Mujtaba*  The trajectory of the Iran war remains uncertain, largely because its objectives are ambiguous and its purpose contested. What is clear, however, is that the conflict reflects deeper geopolitical rivalries rather than narrowly defined military goals. From the U.S. perspective, Iran’s defiance of Western demands has long been framed as a threat requiring containment. 

By Garima Srivastava*  Mangalesh Dabral’s prose-poem A Letter to Children is one of those rare works of literature that transcends its immediate cultural context and becomes a moral compass for our times. Written in Hindi as Baccom Kē Lie Citthī, the poem is deceptively simple in form yet devastating in its ethical force. It is not merely a lament against war but a confession, a collective apology from the adult world to the children whose innocence has been stolen by violence, ideology, and ambition. 

  By A Representative   A group of academics and civil society members has issued an open letter to the leadership of Azim Premji University expressing concern over the filing of a police complaint that led to an FIR against a student-run reading circle following a recent incident of violence on campus. The signatories state that they hold the university in high regard for its commitment to constitutional values, critical inquiry and ethical public engagement, and argue that it is precisely because of this reputation that the present development is troubling.

By A Representative   The National Investigation Agency's Hyderabad branch has issued notices to more than ten individuals in Telangana in connection with FIR No. RC-04/2025. Those served include activists, former student leaders, civil rights advocates, poets, writers, retired schoolteachers, and local leaders associated with the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Indian National Congress. 

  By Rajiv Shah   This should sound almost hilarious. Not only did Subhas Chandra Bose not die in a plane crash in Taipei, nor was he the mysterious Gumnami Baba who reportedly passed away on 16 September 1985 in Ayodhya, but we are now told that he actually died in 1975—date unknown—“in oblivion” somewhere in the former Soviet Union. Which city? Moscow? No one seems to know.

By Jag Jivan*   A major new scientific report reveals that Tamil Nadu has emerged as India's largest contributor to plastic waste, generating approximately 7.82 lakh tonnes annually and accounting for nearly one-fifth of the nation's total plastic pollution, despite having only six percent of India's population. The report , titled "Reducing Plastic Pollution in Tamil Nadu, India: A Science-Based Strategy," was released under the India-Norway cooperation project INOPOL, a collaborative effort between the Norwegian Institute for Water Research, Mu Gamma Consultants, and the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering and Technology.

By A Representative   The Business Inflation Expectations Survey (BIES) for January 2026, conducted by the Misra Centre for Financial Markets and Economy at IIMA, points to a complex economic landscape where easing cost pressures are being offset by rising uncertainty and persistently muted demand. According to the survey, which polled around 1,100 companies, the one-year ahead business inflation expectation in January 2026 declined marginally by 7 basis points to 4.29%, down from 4.36% in December 2025. This slight dip continues a trend of anchored expectations, with firms' average inflation expectation over the past 12 months holding steady around 4.11%. However, this stability in the average figure masks a significant increase in the divergence of opinions among businesses. The uncertainty surrounding these inflation expectations, as measured by the survey, jumped sharply to 2.11% in January from 1.84% in December 2025. Mixed Signals on Costs The data on ...