Counterview

By Chirantana Bhatt  ​For 4,500 years she survived, standing exactly the way the artist had crafted her. A raised head, a straight neck, hands on her waist, arms adorned with bangles, and not a single shred of clothing that could even be called nominal. There was no hesitation, shame, or inhibition in her standing in this tribhanga (three-bend) posture; for 4,500 years, she has always appeared full of confidence.

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan   Every year on June 21, millions of people across the world roll out their yoga mats to celebrate International Yoga Day. The occasion is widely regarded as one of India's most significant diplomatic achievements in recent decades. In 2014, India successfully persuaded the United Nations to adopt a resolution recognising June 21 as International Yoga Day, with an unprecedented 177 countries co-sponsoring the initiative.

By Vijay Prashad    The Iran–US Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) emerged not from reconciliation, but from exhaustion and strategic failure by the United States and its allies. It was the product of a war that had reached its political limits. Washington and Tel Aviv presented their illegal war of aggression as a necessary response to Iran’s nuclear energy programme, missile capabilities, and regional alliances. Yet behind this language of security lay a broader objective: to weaken Iran decisively and restore a regional order centred on unquestioned US and Israeli dominance.

By A Representative    Global health, legal and gender rights experts have urged African governments to reject a proposed Draft African Charter on Family Sovereignty and Values, warning that it threatens decades of progress on gender equality, sexual and reproductive health rights, and broader human rights protections across the continent.

By Harsh Thakor*  Few sights in English cricket were as captivating as Ted Dexter in full cry, punishing fast bowling with a blend of elegance, audacity, and classical command. To many experts, Dexter was the finest English batsman of his generation. For sheer style, he had virtually no equal; for counterattacking brilliance when the chips were down, he was the man you wanted walking out at No. 3. In a crisis, Dexter could overshadow even the likes of Peter May and Colin Cowdrey. His strokeplay fused technical purity with aristocratic flair, his full‑bladed driving—off either foot—executed with a mastery few have ever matched. At his best, Dexter seemed to sit beside the Gods of Olympus.

By Ravi Ranjan   In an era of rising polarisation, Hari Bhatnagar's short story 'Talwar' (Sword) offers a chilling exploration of how hatred, fear and prejudice are transmitted from one generation to the next. The story does not depict direct scenes of communal violence—there are no riots, no inflammatory speeches, no violent mobs. Instead, Bhatnagar enters that subtle social sphere where society shapes the consciousness of its future generations, revealing how a child learns to see the human being before him not as a person but as a hostile identity.