By Venkatesh Nayak*  Our elected representatives seek information on a wide variety of topics from the Union Government when Parliament is in session. Ministers respond verbally on the floor of the House to only a handful of them. These are called Starred Questions. In response to the Unstarred Questions, which run into thousands, the Government only tables written replies without responding to them verbally. The text of the MPs' queries and the concerned ministry/department's replies are uploaded on the respective House websites. 

By Ram Puniyani  Choosing one’s religion is both a social and a legal right guaranteed by the Indian Constitution. Yet organisations that pursue politics in the name of religion often refuse to accept this fundamental principle. Dr. Mohan Bhagwat, the Sarsanghachalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has repeatedly asserted that all people living in this country are Hindus. At the same time, he has expressed concern that the Hindu population is declining due to conversions to Islam and Christianity, even suggesting that Hindu couples should have three children to address this “worrying” trend.

By Vikas Meshram   The farmer in India is not merely a food provider; he is the soul of the nation. For centuries, enduring natural calamities and bearing debt generation after generation while remaining loyal to the soil, this community now finds itself trapped in a different kind of crisis. In February 2016, the Modi government launched the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) with the stated objective of freeing farmers from the shackles of debt. It was an ambitious attempt to provide a strong safety net to cultivators repeatedly devastated by excessive rainfall, drought, and hailstorms.

By Syed Osman Sher  South of the Himalayas lies a triangular stretch of land, spreading about 2,000 miles in each direction—a world of rare magic. It has fired the imagination of wanderers, settlers, raiders, traders, conquerors, and colonizers. They entered this country bringing with them new ethnicities, cultures, customs, religions, and languages.

By Ravi Ranjan*  In the vast, often tumultuous landscape of contemporary Hindi literature, the voice of Ranjana Mishra emerges not with a shout, but with a melody. It is a voice steeped in the ancient grammar of Indian classical music, yet intimately familiar with the quiet rebellions of the modern heart. Her recent poem, “Raga Malkauns,” from her acclaimed collection Patthar Samay Ki Seedhiyan (Stone Steps of Time), is a masterful example of this fusion. It’s a work that transforms a midnight melody into a profound meditation on sorrow, feminine identity, and the very nature of creation.

By Nava Thakuria*  Heartbreaking news arrived from Dhaka as the vibrant city lost one of its most active and committed citizens with the passing of journalist, author and progressive Bangladeshi national Saleem Samad. A gentleman who always had issues to discuss with anyone, anywhere and at any time, he passed away on 22 February 2026 while undergoing cancer treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He was 74. 

Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan*  Bangladesh's latest parliamentary elections have delivered a sweeping mandate to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), marking one of the most consequential political shifts in South Asia in recent years. The party secured 212 of 300 parliamentary seats with close to 50 percent of the vote — a commanding victory that signals a dramatic reset in the country's political landscape.

By Darshan Desai*  There is a storm brewing within me, threatening to burst into an ocean of tears, but he would not like to see me weak—not one bit. If there is anything unbelievable for me at this moment, it is the bitter fact that Misraji is no more. I struggle to keep the lid shut; I am not allowed any tears. And why should tears be shed for someone who must be celebrated? Misraji has left behind countless memories, countless lessons, countless stories for everyone. Each person who met him carries exclusive memories of RK Misra, the veteran Gujarat journalist who passed away in the wee hours of February 23, 2026.

By Raj Kumar Sinha*  The historical ills in the relationship between capital and the environment have now manifested in areas commonly referred to as the "environmental crisis." This includes global warming, the destruction of the ozone layer, the devastation of tropical forests, mass mortality of fish, species extinction, loss of biodiversity, poison seeping into the atmosphere and food, desertification, shrinking water supplies, lack of clean water, and radioactive pollution.