Counterview

By A Representative   The flood crisis in Punjab has deepened, with tens of deaths and nearly two thousand villages submerged. Official data shows that 3.84 lakh people have been affected, with over 21,000 evacuated and crops spread across 1.72 lakh hectares destroyed. While heavy and unprecedented rainfall during the southwest monsoon has been the immediate cause, questions are mounting over the role of major reservoirs—Bhakra on the Sutlej, Pong on the Beas and Ranjit Sagar on the Ravi—in aggravating the situation due to poor operational decisions.

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak   Older generations in many societies often describe the young with labels such as “lazy, unproductive, lost, anxious, depoliticised, unpatriotic or wayward.” Others see them as “social media, mobile phone and porn addicts.” Such judgments arise from a generational anxiety rooted in fears of losing control and from distorted perceptions about youth, especially in the context of economic crises, conflicts, and wars in which many young lives are lost.

By Harsh Thakor*  Racing lost a great ornament on Wednesday, August 27, with the death of Geoff Lewis, the legendary jockey who won both the Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on the brilliant Mill Reef. He was hailed as “one of the icons of the turf.” Lewis died at the age of 89, just a few days after Bruce Raymond, another of Britain’s most notable Flat jockeys.

By Prof. Ravi Ranjan*  “There was no need to be ashamed of tears, because tears testified that a man had the greatest courage, the courage to suffer.”   — Viktor E. Frankl, “Man’s Search for Meaning” “There are some values that keep pricking us like thorns throughout our lives… we learn to live with those pricking thorns.”   — Garima Srivastava, “Auschwitz: A Love Story” (p. 182)

By Sunil Kumar  On 2 September 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Bihar State Jeevika Nidhi Credit Cooperative Federation Limited through video conferencing. As feared, during the launch he did exactly what many had anticipated. Referring to an incident a week earlier, the Prime Minister said, “A mother is our world, a mother is our pride. What happened in Bihar a few days ago, I could never have imagined. From the RJD-Congress platform in Bihar, my mother was abused. These abuses are not just an insult to my mother, they are an insult to every mother, sister, and daughter of this nation.”

By Harsh Thakor*   Subhashchandra Pandharinath "Fergie" Gupte, born in Bombay on December 11, 1929, was arguably one of the greatest leg-spin bowlers to grace a cricket field. For nearly a decade, he was India’s premier wrecker-in-chief, a bowler whose craft went beyond the ordinary and touched the transcendental.

By Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ   It is Teachers’ Day once again! Significantly, the day also marks the Feast of St. Teresa of Calcutta (still lovingly called Mother Teresa). In 2012, the United Nations, as a fitting tribute to her, declared this day the International Day of Charity. A day pregnant with meaning—one that we must celebrate as meaningfully as possible.

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 Rajiv Shah  The other day, someone very close to me took me to a sub-office of the Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Services (AMTS), where I filled out a form for what has been loudly advertised as a free pass for senior citizens aged 65 and above.

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 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 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.

By A Representative   National Award-winning filmmaker Abhishek Shah has commenced shooting his highly anticipated Gujarati film, Dhabkaaro, featuring a stellar cast led by veteran actor Deven Bhojani and talented performer Aarjav Trivedi. The film, currently in production at various locations across Gujarat, is poised to be a heartwarming entertainer, exploring themes of humor, liberation, and forgiveness against the backdrop of Gujarat’s rich cultural and spiritual tapestry.

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  The massive destruction in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and Punjab due to heavy rains is not just a seasonal tragedy—it is nature’s warning. Yet, the enormity of the crisis has barely found space in mainstream media. The silence is troubling. What is unfolding across these states calls for nothing less than the declaration of a national emergency, an immediate halt to reckless so-called “developmental” projects, and a wider democratic debate about the future of our mountains. Sadly, our political class, across party lines, shows no inclination to engage with such fundamental questions.

By Deepika, Bhaskaran Raman   “Stray dog menace” is the buzzword on social media and certain sections of the media. It was recently reported in the media that the Supreme Court takes suo motu cognisance of “stray dog menace”, although the cognisance order did not use the word. But the final order on 11 Aug 2025 did mention “menace of dog bites”. Regardless, are stray dogs really a menace?

By A Representative   The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has issued a comprehensive response to the concerns raised by Inner Manipur MP Dr. Angomcha Bimol Akoijam (photo) regarding the “Independent People’s Tribunal on the Ongoing Ethnic Conflict in Manipur” report . In their statement dated August 28, 2025, PUCL President Kavita Srivastava and General Secretary Dr. V. Suresh welcomed the parliamentarian’s call for dialogue, while firmly rejecting allegations that the Tribunal’s findings were biased.

By Dr. Gurinder Kaur*  These days, almost all districts of Himachal Pradesh are severely affected by natural disasters such as heavy rainfall, cloudbursts, landslides, land subsidence, mudslides, and flash floods. Due to frequent landslides and falling debris, major highways, including the Chandigarh–Manali and Manali–Leh routes, as well as several other roads, have been closed to traffic. Although this devastation is triggered by natural events such as heavy rainfall, cloudbursts, and flash floods, it is not entirely a natural phenomenon. The destruction in Himachal Pradesh is largely the result of climate change and excessive human interference with the state’s fragile environment.

By Harsh Thakor*  Carl von Clausewitz remains one of history’s most original military thinkers. His writings extend beyond particular conflicts and elevate the study of warfare to a broader theoretical level. By examining the relationship between war and politics, the interaction between governments, military leadership, and society, and the dynamics that drive escalation, he created a body of work that has continued to shape discussions of strategy since the 19th century.