By Bharat Dogra   In 2003, Harvard economist and demographer David E. Bloom coined the term "demographic dividend" to refer to the economic boost or momentum acquired by a country or economy that has a high percentage of its population in the working age group.  While this concept serves a useful purpose in several contexts—for example, emphasizing the importance of better education and skills for youth in such situations to enable society to benefit adequately from this dividend—it is sometimes wrongly used in a negative sense to characterize the high share of older people in a country, now or in later stages of development, as being burdensome. This may not be stated very openly, but this kind of thinking is prevalent widely enough to influence policy.

By A Representative   A commentary published by the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS) has drawn attention to the challenges governments face in responding effectively to global public-health risks. In an article written by Laurie Kazan-Allen and published on March 5, 2026, the author examines how the discovery of asbestos contamination in children’s play products has raised questions about regulatory oversight and international product safety. The article opens by reflecting on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that governments in several countries were slow to respond to early warning signs of the crisis. Referring to the experience of the United Kingdom, the author writes that delays in implementing protective measures contributed to “232,112 recorded deaths and over a million people suffering from long Covid.” The commentary uses this example to illustrate what it describes as the dangers of underestimating emerging threats. Attention then turns...

By Neha Desai*  In the early months of 2026, the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly convened for its fifth session in February, passing a handful of amendment bills that, on the surface, promised administrative refinements. Yet beneath this veneer of legislative activity lies a troubling pattern: a body that appears more adept at symbolic gestures than substantive solutions. As the state continues to grapple with entrenched issues such as corruption, healthcare deficits, unresolved scandals and uneven development, the assembly’s output reveals a worrying inability to tackle the deeper causes affecting millions. Critics argue that these sessions often amount to little more than procedural theatre, allowing the same problems to persist year after year without meaningful resolution.

By Garima Srivastava* Kumar Ambuj stands as one of the most incisive voices in contemporary Hindi poetry. His work, stripped of ornamentation, speaks directly to the lived realities of India’s marginalized—women, the rural poor, and those crushed under invisible forms of violence. His celebrated poem “Women Who Cook” (Khānā Banātī Striyāṃ) is not merely about food preparation; it is a searing indictment of patriarchal domestic structures that reduce women’s existence to endless, unpaid labour.

By Ravi Ranjan*  Ranjana Mishra’s poetry emerges from a rare confluence of Hindustani classical music and literary imagination. A disciple of Pandit Jasraj, she carries forward the Mewati gharana’s legacy, weaving its discipline and resonance into her verse. Her poem "Rāga Alhaiyā Bilāvala"  exemplifies this synthesis, transforming the grammar of a morning raga into a meditation on existence, fragility, and resilience.  

By Prantik Deka  Founded in 1976 by writer, journalist and playwright Pabitra Kumar Deka, the cultural organisation Aikyatan has grown into an enduring centre of artistic activity in Guwahati. As the institution marks its 50th anniversary this year, its journey reflects decades of sustained engagement with theatre, literature and performance culture in Assam. Even after the passing of its founder, the organisation has continued its work through the efforts of his sons, cine-journalist Prantik Deka and filmmaker Prodyut Kumar Deka, along with a network of artists and cultural enthusiasts who remain associated with the platform.

By Rajiv Shah  The other day, a discussion broke out among ten friends on love marriages—a contentious issue in Gujarat following moves in the corridors of power to regulate them by making parental consent mandatory. One of us claimed that, unlike in the past, nearly 70 percent of weddings today are love marriages. Another person, who had eloped to get married years ago, remarked, “Problems exist everywhere, whether it is a love marriage or an arranged one.”

By Sunil Kumar*  The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) was established in 1958, having previously operated as the Delhi Transport Undertaking (DTU). It was granted full corporate status in 1971, along with several forms of autonomy — including the ability to maintain a Board of Directors, purchase buses, hire staff, implement fare policies with government approval, and receive financial assistance. The state government can manage the corporation's finances and cover its losses. 

By A Representative   A new year-end review by the New Delhi-based research group Land Conflict Watch has revealed that land conflicts across India in 2025 have impacted a combined area larger than the state of Sikkim , stalled investments worth over double the central government’s annual agriculture budget, and affected nearly 3.6 million people.