BATTLE NOTES

When the world is witnessing two wars, a clutch of war writers at the Jaipur Literature Festival spoke about finding hope amidst hopelessness

The daring of Dongri's darling

The extraordinary story of 32-year-old Munawar Iqbal Faruqui, winner of the 17th season of Bigg Boss (Indian television’s biggest reality show) is worthy of a biopic.

UPSKILL JOURNEY

This unique skilling mission for neurodivergent individuals — people whose brains develop, or function, differently from a typical one — is getting them employed in the IT sector

A battle and a war

As his army chief's popularity surges, President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to dismiss him. The duo also has differences on the war strategy

Trouble in tribal land

Jharkhand politics is in a state of chaos, and it could have serious repercussions for Hemant Soren and his party

No stone unturned

The BJP's robust organisational structure, effective messaging and Modi's appeal have made it confident of a hat-trick this year

Home advantage

As Union home minister, Amit Shah is building a legacy that could well be the yardstick against which his successors are measured

Justice for all Bharat nyay laws are the biggest reform in 160 years

As the sun finally broke through the clouds on a foggy winter morning in Delhi, we walked into the sprawling residence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, undeniably the country’s second-most powerful politician after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for an interaction.

CODE OF CONFLICT

With the Uttarakhand government convening a special assembly session to enact the Uniform Civil Code, the BJP is reasserting its political intent to put in place a common set of family laws for all citizens

Victory for Jinnah?

Who is the big winner from the inauguration of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya on January 22? The hindutvist PM, of course. Yet, is not the bigger winner Muhammad Ali Jinnah? For we are now an avowed ‘Hindu Rashtra’ and Jinnah always maintained that whatever its pretensions to secularism, independent India was in fact a ‘Hindu Raj’.

Check! Castling in the air

Zugzwang is a chess term which, in simple English, is the situation when the player who has to make the next move would lose. The German word, pronounced ‘tsooktsvang’, means ‘compulsion to move’.

A Device That Can Help Beat Brain Deficits Is Exciting

ON JANUARY 30, tech billionaire Elon Musk claimed that his company Neuralink successfully implanted one of its wireless chips inside a human brain.

Newspeak or genocide?

In his famous 1946 essay ‘Politics and the English Language’, George Orwell wrote about how language was being corrupted in “the defence of the indefensible”.

Velvet voice, timeless music

Talat Mahmood: The Definitive Biography is a befitting introduction to a singing genius

TAKE TWO

Kiran Rao on her second film, new production company, brides who go missing and find themselves, and her modern divorce with Aamir Khan

A tight spot

I am not sure what to make of the just concluded Filmfare awards. I cannot imagine Ranbir Kapoor winning the award for best actor in a year when Shah Rukh Khan had the most historic comeback in Indian cinema, not once but twice over with Pathaan and Jawan.

Scribbling a success

Inside Ookhu, the pencil village of India

NMDC can be the first company to get lithium to India

National Mineral Development Corporation, India’s largest iron ore producer, has transitioned itself into a much stronger entity in the recent times with a busy order book, robust results and a dream run on the stock markets.

SALES PITCH

ITC's story through its iconic advertisements

IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT FINANCIAL GROWTH, BUT ALSO ABOUT SUSTAINABLE, INCLUSIVE GROWTH

SANJIV PURI HAD a big pair of shoes to fill when he was chosen to succeed Y.C. Deveshwar as ITC chairman. Though he was being groomed for the role, the sheer magnitude of the responsibility could have been daunting for anyone. But Puri came with a plan that addressed the complexities of the conglomerate and its aspiration to grow bigger. In an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, he explains the role of technology, the separation of the hotel business, the growth of the FMCG segment and the India First policy. Excerpts:

WHAT'S NEXT?

ITC HAS MOVED BEYOND CIGARETTES TO THE MOST VALUABLE INDIAN CONSUMER COMPANY. AS IT SETS OUT ON AN AMBITIOUS EXPANSION WITH CHAIRMAN SANJIV PURI'S ITC NEXT VISION, ITS REAL CHALLENGES MIGHT JUST BE BEGINNING

Hindu awakening important for India's global embrace

The Ram Temple in Ayodhya is being marked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet as a reclamation of India’s rightful civilisational authority.

EXIT WOUNDS

Nitish Kumar’s return to NDA will cause a serious dent in the INDIA bloc plans to fight the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls

FROM PARIS LUVE WITH

She is known to possess an empathetic mind of remarkable maturity that is far beyond her years. Priyanka Das Rajkakati, who is in her early 30s, remains rooted despite rubbing shoulders with the worlds best scientific minds. She was twice part of French President Emmanuel Macron’ team during interactions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She says Macron is very warm, with a sharp wit and a great sense of humour. Having observed Modi and Macron from close quarters, Priyanka feels they share a sense of mutual trust, which has been a vital ingredient in the growing India-France bilateral partnership. The artist-cum-aerospace scientist—she loves the dual identity—gave Senior Special Correspondent Sanjib Kr Baruah an outsiders insider perspective’ of India-France relations.

The Japanese dilemma

The child follows the moving object with its eyes. The girl sashays on the catwalk, smiles, then pouts.

Unveiling the dynamics of large- and mid-cap category

IN THE VAST and everevolving realm of investment opportunities, investors are often presented with a spectrum of choices.

Law and behold

The intervention by the International Court of Justice in the Gaza crisis raises hope, but the court lacks the power to compel Israel to obey its directives

Peace in West Asia impossible without addressing Palestinian issue

Iran is once again in the eye of a geopolitical storm after having decided to articulate a clear anti-US, anti-Israel position in the ongoing Hamas-Israel conflict.

ENDLESS TURBULENCE

Conflict in West Asia could hurt global peace and order, cause major economic shocks, empower aggressive non-state actors and lead to significant political realignments