All Indians Matter

While ‘Hicky’s Bengal Gazette’, launched in 1780, was India’s first printed newspaper, the country has had sophisticated and widespread information and news systems for centuries. The evolution of Indian media, therefore, has its roots farther back in time than most believe. Recently, two journalists launched Reality Scribes, a podcast that tells the story of Indian journalism. All Indians Matter...

The latest India-Pakistan conflict has cooled but, for a while, many felt that the threat of a full-scale war was real. What would such a war cost? Experts estimate that India would spend Rs 1,460 crore to Rs 5,000 crore a day in a short-term war. If it prolongs, the cost could rise to an eye-watering Rs 1.34 lakh crore per day. The impact would be felt across the world in terms of disruption of t...

It’s not just the massive and fast-growing market that is driving India’s space ambitions. At stake are also political and strategic objectives. Space is now very much part of international relations that encompass military, civilian and commercial needs. So, while the space programme was launched for socioeconomic benefits, there has been a shift in recent times towards other goals. This also pre...

Lithium and rare earths are vital for industries and applications needed to secure our future, from renewable energy systems to EVs and healthcare to modern defence systems. However, India’s dependence on China and its lumbering progress on local extraction and processing are worrying. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...

There is an increasing prevalence of poor mental health among adolescents, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Rural students face a tougher situation because access to mental healthcare is often non-existent in their villages. Snehal Joshi, a psychologist and mental health educator who has worked extensively with rural students, speaks to All Indians Matter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Global trade stresses are forcing Chinese manufacturers to dump goods in markets like India. New Delhi has responded with anti-dumping duties to protect local industries. More could follow. What exactly is dumping and what is its impact on the target country? Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

286 lions died in Gujarat over the past two years, a significant number of them due to unnatural causes. While Gir’s conservation story has been laudable, it may be falling prey to its own success. The growing lion population, necessitating larger territories, has resulted in greater conflict with humans and accidental deaths. There is also the spectre of disease and genetic weakening due to exces...

While the US is not experiencing a recession yet, concerns about its onset are growing – despite the pause on reciprocal tariffs. If one does hit, it would have a significant impact on India, churning stock markets, shrinking exports and economic growth, and raising unemployment. However, there are ways you can prepare for such an eventuality. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Mat...

When I think of the evolution of Indian news media, I divide it into phases: post-independence, a nation finding its feet, the age of despair when the promises of freedom seemed distant, the Emergency, the political churn that followed, the economic reforms, the digital revolution, and so on. There would have been very few who’d have seen it all first-hand. All Indians Matter is privileged to have...

Study after study points to a “generational shift” in cancer cases. In other words, there is a rising incidence of cancer among Millennials and Gen Z. These findings bring into sharp perspective the challenges of modern lifestyles and diseases. Researchers say dietary choices, sedentary lifestyles and exposure to environmental pollutants are among the major reasons for the rise. Please listen to t...

Censor board officials, while reviewing a movie on legendary Dalit poet-activist Namdeo Dhasal, asked who he was, stunning the filmmaker and sparking political and social outrage. Dhasal gave voice to not just the Dalit experience but also that of those forced to the fringes of society. His was the voice of all the oppressed. Dhasal’s words transformed into action which, in turn, transformed into...

President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the WHO could weaken the world’s ability to respond to modern health challenges. More than ever, this is a time to collaborate on disease prevention and management. The milestones WHO has achieved while working with India are a great example of what can be achieved, although a tremendous amount is left to be done. Please listen to the latest episode of A...

Corporate loan write-offs are justified as necessary to improve banks’ financial situation and to stimulate economic activity. However, they increase the fiscal deficit and government debt, reducing the money available for social welfare and development programmes. The burden is borne by taxpayers and we now also have to make do with fewer public services. Large loan waivers also distort the marke...

Like with so many industries, artificial intelligence is transforming personal investing. It offers analysis and services like portfolio management at speeds and depth that were only dreamt of earlier. However, along with these benefits, there is also the spectre of data breaches and errors that can prove very costly to the small investor. Portfolio management expert Rohit Jha, co-founder of the A...

India’s energy demand will grow faster than that of any other country due to its sheer size and growth potential. Given the climate challenge, most of this new demand must be met by renewable sources. However, that’s anything but easy. The push faces a variety of challenges, from financing to community opposition and policy uncertainty to grid integration. Please listen to the latest episode of Al...

After the invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions, India took the opportunity to start buying cheap Russian crude. From 12% earlier, Russia went on to account for 40% of India’s oil imports. Now, fresh US sanctions mean our days of buying cheap Russian crude could be over. If India’s oil import bill increases, so will inflation. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter. L...

The goal is to have 30% of newly registered private cars to be electric by 2030 but range anxiety caused by the lack of adequate charging infrastructure could put paid to that. India has 200 EVs per commercial charging point, which compares very poorly to the average of 20 in the US and less than 10 in China. What’s needed very quickly is greater investment in the sector, clear land acquisition no...

‘City on Fire: A Boyhood in Aligarh’ is a superb memoir of a boyhood spent in Aligarh on volatile communal faultlines. The author, Zeyad Masroor Khan, details the pains associated with growing up, of joy and grief and loss and evolution. Its greatest success, however, is in portraying how the relationship between Indian Hindus and Muslims ebbs and flows, at once symbiotic and conflicting. All Indi...

If you consider mean solar times, there is a two-hour difference across India’s breadth. So, sticking to a single time zone impacts sleep patterns, health, education outcomes and economic output. Yet, governments over the decades have rejected scientific advice to switch to two time zones. They have cited “strategic reasons” and the risk of events like rail accidents caused by the confusion when c...

The term ‘shrinking middle-class’ is now common and there are several indicators that it is based in fact. Consumption is down. Last year, two-wheeler sales fell and car inventory rose. The cost of living is through the roof and real wages are stagnating. The once-thriving middle-class is struggling with significant economic challenges that have significantly impacted its consumption patterns. Lea...

China is building a dam on the Brahmaputra in Tibet, which will be thrice the size of the Three Gorges project. It will mean China has control over flow of the water into India, raising serious security and economic concerns. What’s more, it lies on an earthquake fault zone and presents a threat to the riverine ecology as well as local communities. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indian...

Especially after liberalisation and the era of high growth, the demand for MBA degrees skyrocketed. This led to the establishment of several public and private institutions offering the degrees. However, over time, several challenges arose – not least that many of the graduates were not employable. Also, facing technological disruption in a fast-changing business landscape, management education fi...

In the last part of the series on India’s march towards oligarchy, All Indians Matter looks at what can be done to arrest the slide. If we are to return to a state that truly cares for everyone, if we are to have strong social welfare and economic safety nets, we need a new kind of politics – the kind that breaks the stranglehold of wealth on power and is invested in social and economic justice. S...

Oligarchy is a political system in which power lies in the hands of a few individuals or a single class. The source can be wealth, connections, political influence... Joe Biden referred to it in his farewell speech as President, warning of its consequences. After Russia, India has the most billionaires in the world per trillion dollars of GDP – which indicates that income and capital are accumulat...

What is a nation? And who does it belong to? In India, the far-right project aims for a nation defined by Hindutva, a single language – Hindi – and a tight control on what we eat, think, who we can marry, and a hierarchy based on religion and caste when it comes to rights, freedoms and resources. There is no space for cultural diversity. Sectarianism, casteism and authoritarianism have inflicted a...