By A Representative   The Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to impose a 60-day ban on 11 pesticides commonly used in Basmati rice cultivation has been hailed as a landmark move for public safety and sustainable agriculture. The order, issued on August 17, 2025, covers 30 Basmati-growing districts and targets chemicals such as tricyclazole, buprofezin, acephate, chlorpyrifos, tebuconazole, propiconazole, thiamethoxam, profenofos, imidacloprid, carbendazim, and carbofuran. 

By Prof. Hamentkumar Shah*   Since the time of Jawaharlal Nehru, despite India’s many efforts, China has always remained a political adversary. Yet, trade with this adversary has never stopped. Even during times when China intruded into Galwan Valley in Ladakh, built settlements in Arunachal Pradesh, or pushed into Doklam in Sikkim, India’s trade with China kept increasing. For the common Indian, China is viewed much like Pakistan—an enemy. But the Indian government, at least in terms of trade, does not treat China as an enemy. That is the undeniable reality.

By N.S. Venkataraman*  Many opinion makers argue that in international relations there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies. They point to the current strain in India–U.S. ties, noting that only a few years ago Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then U.S. President Donald Trump went out of their way to display personal warmth and friendship. 

By Dr. Manoj Kumar Mishra*  The 50 percent tariffs imposed by the administration of US President Donald Trump on Indian exports are set to impact India’s economy severely. They are likely to shut down many enterprises and cause widespread job losses in sectors such as garments, gems and jewellery, furniture, chemicals, footwear and fisheries.

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak  Students are among the most idealistic members of society. Their youthful pursuit of ideals, fuelled by passion, innocence, and creativity, represents limitless potential that society can harness for progressive transformation. Throughout history, students have not only participated in but also shaped progressive movements. What defines them is their selfless sacrifice for the greater good of society. 

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  The judiciary today is not so much denying bail to undertrials languishing in jail for five years—it is reinforcing a far more dangerous belief: that the state can incarcerate anyone without reason, and without consequence. Accountability is absent. Bail is granted selectively, often justified with lofty references to "human rights" and "personal liberty." But these rights, it seems, are reserved for the powerful—those with expansive legal teams and deep pockets.

By A Representative   The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has criticised what it described as attempts to silence civil society groups highlighting alleged unconstitutional evictions and detentions in Assam. The organisation has demanded the withdrawal of criminal cases filed against Syeda Hameed, a member of the “People’s Tribunal on Assam: Evictions, Detentions and the Right to Belong.”

By A Representative   The Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) has written to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, urging him to immediately reopen the Seventh Day Adventist School in Maninagar, Ahmedabad, where classes have been suspended for nearly two weeks. The MCC claims that the suspension, following a violent incident, violates the constitutional right to education of thousands of children.

By Maju Varghese*  The climate crisis has triggered multiple crises across the world. One of the worst impacts on the frontlines is being faced by fishing communities, with increasing climate extremes leading to loss of livelihood, destruction of coasts, homes, and basic infrastructure. In Kerala, the shorelines are battered each year by sea surges and erosion, displacing thousands. In the Sundarbans, rising sea waters are redrawing the maps. This story, however, is about the struggle of fisherpeople from a tiny island called Pari Island in Indonesia, which has become the face of one of the most important climate justice struggles of our time.

By A Representative   Civil society voices have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to resist United States pressure over agricultural tariffs, warning that any concession could devastate Indian farming and food sovereignty. In a letter dated August 31, 2025, public policy expert Dr. Narasimha Reddy Donthi and Supreme Court petitioner Aruna Rodrigues argued that U.S. demands for greater access to India’s agricultural market are based on a false notion of “comparative advantage.”

By A Representative  When Jahlma Nallah starts roaring, “we cannot sleep,” said 80-year-old Devi Singhji of Himachal Pradesh last October. His fears came true this monsoon, as the Himalayan rivulet once again flooded catastrophically, blocking the Chenab and adding to the devastation across the region.

By A Representative   A new peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology has revealed alarmingly high levels of toxic metals, particularly lead, among tribal fishermen in the Pichavaram mangrove region of Tamil Nadu.

By A Representative   Shankar Sharma, power and climate policy analyst from Sagara in Karnataka’s Western Ghats, has strongly objected to the in-principle approval of the proposed 2,000 MW Sharavathi Pumped Storage Project (PSP) within the Sharavathi Lion-Tailed Macaque Sanctuary. In a letter to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, with a copy marked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sharma warned that the clearance process appears compromised and urged an indefinite postponement of the scheduled public hearings in Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada districts.

By Alejandra Amor, Mansee Bal Bhargava  The concept of water as a commons has been fundamental to human understanding for centuries. Yet it faces unprecedented challenges in today’s rapidly changing world—not only due to increasing water crises but, more importantly, because of growing social disparities over who gets access to water, when, where, and how much.

By Prof. Hementkumar Shah*  The Indian rupee has once again fallen sharply against major foreign currencies, with the exchange rate touching around ₹88.15 to a U.S. dollar and ₹119.25 to a British pound last week. This decline is not unprecedented—the rupee has been losing value against foreign currencies since India gained independence. The question, however, is how fast and why it is falling this time.

By Gagan Sethi*  The Ahmedabad-based legal rights voluntary organisation, Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), has led a long and sustained struggle to legitimize the role of paralegals in India’s justice delivery system, advocating for their recognition as indispensable actors, particularly in supporting marginalized communities ( CSJ LinkedIn , Education Times , IDR ). This struggle reached a milestone, as the Supreme Court formally requested that the Election Commission appoint volunteer paralegals to assist citizens in obtaining their voter ID cards, recognizing them as essential facilitators in India’s democratic process ( Bar & Bench , The Leaflet , LiveLaw ).

By Steven Jeb, Avyaan Sharma  In the heart of Arunachal Pradesh, the Siang River flows not just as a source of water but as a sacred lifeline—revered by the Adi tribe as “Aane Siang,” the Mother River. Today, this river stands at the center of a fierce and growing resistance against the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), a hydroelectric mega-dam that threatens to submerge ancestral lands, displace entire communities, and irreversibly alter the fragile ecosystem of the eastern Himalayas.

By A Representative   A broad coalition of over twenty community organisations, Gram Sabhas and civil society groups from across Himachal Pradesh has submitted a memorandum to key state and central authorities, urging immediate action to uphold the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 in response to recent High Court eviction orders. Addressed to the Additional Chief Secretary (Tribal Development), Tribal Development Minister Shri Jagat Singh Negi, the Secretary of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, and the Chief Secretary of Himachal Pradesh, the memorandum asserts that the FRA, as a central law, supersedes older legislations and must be invoked to protect eligible claimants from unlawful displacement.

By Prof. Ravi Ranjan*   “ Kimasti kashchidasaviyati loke, yasya nirvikaram yauvanamatikrantam.” —"Kadambari"   (“Is there anyone in this world whose youth passed without a single blemish?”) “I am doing a work which has never been done before. I want to show the whole truth about myself. I am a person who is not like anyone else.”    —Jean-Jacques Rousseau, "Confessions" *** Premkumar Mani, a distinguished Hindi writer, thinker, and politician, has crafted a remarkable oeuvre that includes five short-story collections, a novel titled "Dhalan", and five compilations of essays. His autobiography, " Akath Kahani " (The Untellable Story), published in 2023 by Vani Prakashan, stands as a profound socio-political narrative that transcends the personal to reflect the collective consciousness of marginalized and oppressed communities in India, particularly in Bihar. Spanning 368 pages, this work chronicles Mani’s life from childhood to old age...

By Harsh Thakor  On August 25, 45-year-old Avinash Thadani from Mumbai pulled off one of the most stunning feats in the history of English Channel swimming. For 22 hours, he battled the stormy and gruelling waters of the Channel, symbolising relentless spirit, endurance, and boundless courage in a sporting domain rarely transcended. At moments, the quest seemed futile, but his never-say-die attitude powered him through the gravest adversity. 

By Harsh Thakor  On August 25th, we commemorated the 150th anniversary of Captain Matthew Webb’s historic crossing of the English Channel, a feat that set a timeless benchmark for endurance swimming and physical endeavor. Webb’s achievement, once deemed impossible, ignited a global wave of inspiration, urging countless others to pursue the seemingly unattainable. His swim symbolizes the relentless human spirit, pushing the boundaries of what the body and mind can achieve. Sports historians should delve into the biochemical and psychological transformations that fueled Webb’s groundbreaking journey, exploring the forces that shaped his extraordinary life.

By Prof. K. S. Chalam*  S. V. Rajadurai and Vidya Bhushan Rawat’s joint effort in bringing out a book on the most original iconoclast of South Asia, Periyar E. V. Ramasamy, titled Periyar: Caste, Nation and Socialism, published by People’s Literature Publication, Mumbai, is now available on Amazon and Flipkart . This volume presents an innovative method of documenting the pioneering contributions of a leader like Periyar, and it reflects the scholarship of Rajadurai, who has played a pivotal role in popularizing Periyar in English. 

By A Representative   In a landmark achievement for India's non-profit sector, Educate Girls has been awarded the prestigious 2025 Ramon Magsaysay Award, widely regarded as Asia's highest honor. This makes them the first Indian organization to ever receive the award, which recognizes "greatness of spirit and transformative leadership."

By Shiran Illanperuma  China’s modernisation has been one of the most remarkable processes of the 21st century and one that has sparked endless academic debate. Meng Jie (孟捷), a distinguished professor from the School of Marxism at Fudan University in Shanghai, has spent the better part of his career unpacking this process to better understand what has taken place.

By Bharat Dogra   Baal Singh, a respected elder of the Bhil Adivasi community in Rajasthan’s Banswara district, is a wealth of knowledge on his community's traditional farming practices. When I recently visited him at his home in Nisnawat village, he spoke passionately about the need to protect the diverse, time-honored crops that form the foundation of tribal agriculture. He was equally firm in his belief that the growing reliance on market-purchased hybrid seeds has been detrimental to farmers.

By Bharat Dogra   For as long as anyone in Jhikali village can remember, a traditional pond has been the lifeblood of farming. Located in the Banswara district of Rajasthan, the Bhil Adivasi (tribal) community relies on its water for sustenance. Without it, farming would be nearly impossible.

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak  Click, like, share, and subscribe have become the new currencies of rent-seeking digital capitalism, where the rapid consumption of content is driven by the number of views and subscribers of video shorts and clips. The relationship between digital content and its consumers is shaped by quick browsing and the pursuit of instant fun, infotainment, pleasure, utility, satisfaction, or rejection. These ideals in everyday life influence interpersonal human relationships in the real world beyond the digital sphere. Social life and relationships are becoming like instant coffee.

By Azmat Ali  Across Palestinian villages and refugee camps, in diasporic homes and international museums, small squares of colored thread bear the weight of an entire nation’s history. Tatreez—the traditional art of Palestinian embroidery—has long been more than a decorative practice. Every stitch carries stories: of village identity, of gendered labor, of love and loss, of exile and return. Once part of the intimate fabric of daily life, woven into wedding dresses and household textiles, today it functions as a portable archive of memory, resistance, and survival.