Counterview

By Dr. Mansee Bal Bhargava   A few days ago, several women from Chandkheda, Ahmedabad, staged a protest at the Municipal Corporation office, raising concerns about the lack of water availability in their neighbourhood. These women were labelled "anti-national." This characterisation follows remarks by Nitin Gadkari , Minister of Road Transport & Highways, who recently described those who speak about India's water crisis as "anti-national." While Gadkari made this statement in reference to his ethanol project, the term has increasingly become governmental language for citizens who raise questions and objections. 

By Bharat Dogra  Lakshmi Kushwaha lives in Bahera village in Niwari district of Madhya Pradesh. She belongs to a joint family of ten members. Until recently, she had to walk about one kilometre to a hand pump six times a day to meet her family's water needs. Her sister-in-law shared the burden in a similar way. In each trip, Lakshmi carried about 35 litres of water, balancing a pitcher on her head and a can in one hand.

By Harasankar Adhikari  In a letter to Dr. Patrick Geddes dated January 19, 1905, Sister Nivedita wrote about six interconnected ideas—"place, work, family, ideals, thought and action"—as the foundation for nation-building. She argued that Indians were united by a shared civilizational identity and that national reconstruction required collective effort rather than political divisions.

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*  Naples is the largest city in southern Italy and the third largest in the country. Although widely known as the home of pizza, its culinary diversity and local seafood delicacies can rival any global metropolis. However, the overwhelming focus on pizza often overshadows its other treasures. From art and music to concerts and theatre festivals, there is something for everyone to enjoy every day, and there is never a dull moment in this laid-back, vibrant and beautiful city.

By Biljana Vankovska  These are difficult times for anyone who has consistently criticised NATO. From the era of 'defending the Free World' against communism, through the age of 'humanitarian intervention' and the 'Global War on Terror,' to today’s supposedly existential struggle against almost the entire non-Western world, the Alliance has repeatedly reinvented the narratives that justify its existence. The language changes; the underlying logic does not. NATO remains indispensable, and every new enemy (whether discovered, exaggerated, or actively produced) becomes further proof of its necessity.

By Guillermo Barreto   On 24 June, Venezuela was celebrating two important holidays: the 205th anniversary of the Battle of Carabobo, the battle that sealed the country’s independence, and the feast of St. John the Baptist, declared by UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity , a celebration with deep spiritual significance, especially for the Afro-descendant communities of Venezuela. A day of celebration that was cut short at 6:04 and 6:05 p.m. by two earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, respectively, with 39 seconds between them.