A Call for Balance: Will Delhi balance local needs with border vigilance? Ladakh deserves peace. Peerzada Masarat Shah In the serene heights of Leh, where the Indus River winds through stark, majestic peaks, a photograph from August 5, 2019, captures a moment of heartfelt gratitude. Sonam Wangchuk, the humble engineer and activist known from 3…
Politics apart, conceiving a State Bank to transform lives of his state subjects through economic development tells a story of Maharaja Hari Singh’s progressive thinking. Sajjad BazazLet me begin today’s column with a statement dished out by Zareef Ahmad Zareef, a well known Kashmiri poet, writer, social activist, and environmentalist. During a STRAIGHT TALK (Podcast)…
Mohammad Hanief India’s most sweeping tax reform in nearly a decade has begun to unfold across shop counters, factory floors, and household budgets. The revamped Goods and Services Tax—popularly called GST 2.0—came into effect on 22 September 2025, streamlining the country’s indirect-tax structure and promising a rare combination of cheaper essentials, simpler compliance, and sharper…
Gowher Bhat Schools are shifting. The world is different now, and education needs to keep up. Students aren’t just preparing for tests anymore. They’re preparing for life. That means learning more than just equations and grammar rules. It means learning how to think, how to adapt, and how to handle real-world challenges. Holistic education isn’t…
Apples rot fast. But the rot of governance seems slower, deeper, and more dangerous. Dr Noour Ali Zehgeer Kashmir, often romanticized as the orchard of South Asia, greets the world each autumn with a spectacle of crimson and golden apples. These fruits are more than food—they are heritage, survival, and dignity. Yet this year, instead…
