Issue 9

The dice are loaded against them, but bowlers make a match

Bowlers have to keep probing at flaws in a batsman’s technique and also second-guess his intent, induce false strokes through changes in line, length, pace and flight. And, they are succeeding

Of lineage and politics: The fruits of the family tree

The Mulayam Singh Yadav clan and Ajit Singh’s RLD have both gone in for partnerships as the old order changes and voter expectations rise. Lineage does help young politicians get a leg past the door, but daddy alone cannot get them elected

Government misspend on defence will widen gap between intent and capability

The path to power runs through the finance ministry. If governments continue to misspend on defence even while signalling muscular foreign policies, the gap between intent and capability will continue to widen

Endgame for the Left in Mamata’s West Bengal?

In West Bengal, the once-mighty Left Front has been in steady decline in the cradle of the communist movement since the Singur and Nandigram fiasco, while the TMC, which replaced it, is portraying itself as the ‘true Left’

Home truths for India as Norway renews Green Revolution

India’s contribution to the reduction of institutional investment in fossil fuel remains modest

President Trump’s maximum pressure tactic a dud; Round two to Kim Jong Un

Kim's rejection of US President Trump’s demand of full denuclearisation prior to the lifting of harsh UN and US economic sanctions leaves the president with few good choices

League of Extraordinary Bureaucrats

Septuagenarian bureaucrats like Nripendra Misra and Bimal Jalan have been reinventing themselves to stay relevant even now

Scotch whisky gets the non-vintage tag

Scotch-makers are doing away with the age tags, as beyond eight years, whiskies run the risk of letting the wood in their barrels overpower the taste

Of Victorian Vices, Virtues and Indian Zipper Morals

As Indians embrace newer ideas of inclusion — regarding gender, class, caste, sexual orientation — and anachronistic Victorian laws are scrapped, it is likely porn searches of the future will approach the global average in terms of trends

In the road to democracy, inheritance without merit is meaningless

Inheritance has to come with inherent mettle. Without meritocracy in democracy, even inheritance is meaningless