Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, what is needed is an admissions system that combines the score of an aptitude test with the academic performance of students to make the merit list.

In this issue

26-07-202431 STORIES

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NEET Fiasco — The Lede

The fallacy of one nation, one examination

Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, we need a system that combines aptitude test scores with academic performance to make the merit list.

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Editor’s Note: Dirty skeletons in the NEET closet

In something as crucial as higher education, the idea should be to generate debate on the education scandal, not shut it down.

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NTA’s dangerous obsession with centralisation

The testing agency’s incompetence has a lot to do with the government’s fetish with centralisation; it jeopardises the future of lakhs of students.

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Is NTA’s MCQ fixation failing India’s higher education?

Exclusive use of MCQ format in entrance examinations falls short in assessing critical thinking, problem-solving, and creative abilities of aspirants.

T.K. Rajalakshmi

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Is NEET designed for exclusion?

NEET’s low cut-offs let in less qualified candidates. High costs for coaching and fees create economic barriers, making the exam exclusionary.

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Indian Railways: On the wrong track

The recent incidents in the Railways involving accidents and passenger safety point to a decade of muddled priorities.

R.K. Radhakrishnan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha

From the sidelines

Hindi, Hindu, Hindustan

The most important challenge for the BJP and RSS after the Lok Sabha election is their social project coming undone.

Bihar reservation Musahar community

Bihar’s reservation conundrum: High Court ruling puts BJP, JD(U) in a tight spot

As Patna High Court invalidates Bihar’s increased reservation policy, Congress urges Centre to amend Constitution, remove 50 per cent reservation cap.

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Narendra Modi: The roar is now a low growl

Dependent on allies, the Prime Minister appears to be observing a little restraint.

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Back as Chief Minister, Hemant Soren aims to ride sympathy wave in Jharkhand Assembly election

The JMM leader is now out on bail but a determined BJP and new aspirants will make it a keenly contested affair.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee

Mamata Banerjee’s corruption crackdown: Calculated move or genuine reform?

In an attempt to win back urban votes, the Chief Minister openly admitted to systemic corruption and malpractice across various sectors.

Suhrid Sankar Chattopadhyay

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Political Theatre

The slow, steady march of Hindutva in South India

From Kerala to Telangana, the RSS plays the long game. As it challenges the notion of a secular South, local parties struggle to respond effectively.

Greeshma Kuthar

Samajwadi Party MP Iqra Hasan

Iqra Hasan: Balancing tradition and progress

The Samajwadi Party politician from Uttar Pradesh’s Kairana overcame communal tensions and patriarchal norms to become one of India’s youngest MPs.

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Economic Perspectives

India’s foreign reserve buildup is a double-edged sword

Growing capital inflows mask underlying economic vulnerabilities.

C.P. Chandrasekhar

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India’s bulldozer raj: Over 1,50,000 homes razed, 7,38,000 left homeless in two years

Muslims and marginalised groups bear the brunt as massive yellow machines force their way through brick walls.

The trade war has been described as “the largest commercial conflict in modern history”.

US-China Relations

US-China trade war: What does it mean for global security?

As Washington and Beijing trade blows over tariffs and tech, old friends drift apart, new alliances take shape, and world order hangs in the balance.

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Xi Jinping’s European gambit: Courting allies, challenging US dominance

Chinese President’s strategic outreach to France, Serbia and Hungary aims to strengthen economic ties, but faces challenges from EU-US alignment.

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R. Sampanthan (1933-2024): A pragmatic voice for Tamil rights in Sri Lanka

The veteran politician advocated for Tamil rights within a united Sri Lanka, and his demise leaves a void in the country’s quest for reconciliation.

R.K. Radhakrishnan

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And unquiet flows the Yamuna

The river might be on the verge of dying, but it leads parallel lives in the beliefs, legends, and historical structures it birthed.

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Souza’s monsters mirror society’s ugly truths

A moving tribute to artist Francis Newton Souza in his birth centenary year.

Janhavi Acharekar

Love, Sex Aur Dhokha 2.

COUNTER CULTURE

LSD 2: Looking sin in the eye

Dibakar Banerjee’s film Love, Sex aur Dhokha 2 invokes the horror of being online, and being present in the crosscurrents of our attention economy.

Prathyush Parasuraman

Alpa Shah

‘Bhima Koregaon case is a bellwether for the collapse of democracy in India’: Alpa Shah

The anthropologist discusses her new book, The Incarcerations, state-sponsored cyber espionage, the controversial Bhima Koregaon case, and more.

Demystifying J.C. Bose

Sudipto Das explores the rise and fall of the “founder of modern science” in India.

Nandita Jayaraj

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The die is caste

Ilangovan Rajasekaran looks at the ways caste operates in Tamil Nadu through accounts of inter-caste marriages that ended in “honour killings”.

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The life and times of Asaf Ali

In ‘Circles of Freedom’, T.C.A. Raghavan profiles the forgotten freedom fighter and his friends, set against the independence movement and Partition.

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Paradise in flames: Rana Safvi’s novel resurrects Delhi’s doomed glory

A “Firestorm in Paradise” weaves history and fiction to paint a vivid portrait of 1857 Delhi.

Madhulika Liddle

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The Remains of the Body: Sexuality’s ambiguous terrain through immigrant scholars’ lives

Saikat Majumdar scans the relationships among Indian immigrants in America, focussing on the oft-neglected bisexual experiences.

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New books on the shelves

A suspenseful novel in the cli-fi genre, the much-awaited biography of Kamal Haasan, and much more.

Poppies in Flanders

The fallen soldiers of the First World War are a living presence at the memorial in Ypres, Belgium, dedicated to their valour.

‘The Dystopian Times’ by Appupen

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Letters

Readers respond to Frontline’s coverage.

Archive

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