By Vikas Meshram   A quiet yet powerful social movement is unfolding in the Banswara district of southern Rajasthan—one that seeks to prepare tribal society for contemporary challenges without severing its roots in tradition. Through a series of social reform meetings organised under the banner of the Krushi avm Aadivasi Swaraj Sangathan of Vaagdhara, tribal communities have come together to collectively address long-standing social problems and chart a new path forward.

By Raqif Makhdoomi*  Recent unrest in Iran has generated sharply divergent interpretations among governments, analysts, and commentators. While some international actors and media outlets have described the events as anti-government or pro-democracy protests, others frame them as an externally influenced effort to destabilize the Islamic Republic. These competing narratives reflect broader geopolitical tensions surrounding Iran’s political system, regional conflicts, and energy resources.

By Nava Thakuria*  Nepal is preparing for a national election necessitated by the collapse of KP Sharma Oli’s government at the height of a Gen Z rebellion (youth uprising) in September 2025. The polls are scheduled for 5 March. The Himalayan nation last conducted a general election in 2022, with the next polls originally due in 2027.  However, following the dissolution of Nepal’s lower house of Parliament last year by President Ram Chandra Poudel, the electoral process began under the patronage of an interim government installed on 12 September under the leadership of retired Supreme Court judge Sushila Karki. The Hindu-majority nation of over 29 million people will witness more than 3,400 electoral candidates, including 390 women, representing 68 political parties as well as independents, vying for 165 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives.

By Harsh Thakor*  Gabriel Rockhill ’s new book, ‘ Who Paid the Pipers of Western Marxism? ’, presents a challenging thesis that has sparked debate within left-wing intellectual circles. The work investigates the historical and financial foundations of a strand of thought often labeled “Western Marxism,” arguing that its development was significantly shaped by institutions aligned with Western capitalist and foreign policy interests during the Cold War.

By A Representative   The scale of voter deletions during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Gujarat marks a sharp departure from the pattern observed during the previous full-scale SIR conducted in 2001–02, official records indicate.

By Onkareshwar Pandey   In the era of a self-proclaimed Hindu dispensation—under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath—a Shankaracharya has been asked by Mela officials to “prove” his spiritual legitimacy. This alone should alarm anyone who understands the Constitution, Hindu tradition, or the limits of state power.

By A Representative   With Narmada Jayanti set to be observed on January 25 this year, a formal representation has been submitted to the Bharuch Collector urging the release of water from the Sardar Sarovar Dam to facilitate religious observances along the Narmada river in Gujarat. The request has been forwarded through the Collector to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and the Chairman and Managing Director of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited.

By A Representative   The Minority Coordination Committee Gujarat has submitted a formal complaint to the Director General of Police, Gujarat, seeking the registration of an FIR and urgent preventive action over an alleged social media post that it claims contains public threats, incitement to violence, and the spread of communal hatred.

By A Representative  India’s residential real estate market moved into a phase of measured normalisation in calendar year 2025, with housing demand moderating after two years of strong post-pandemic recovery, even as prices across major cities remained firm, according to PropTiger.com’s annual report Real Insight – Residential CY 2025. The report indicates that while buyer activity softened, the market avoided stress due to disciplined supply, resilient end-user demand, and sustained cost pressures that supported pricing.