On January 3, 2026, US forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a military operation that shocked the world. His former vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, was sworn in as acting president two days later. The operation ended one chapter of Venezuela’s crisis but opened another about sovereignty, democracy, and what happens when a nation’s institutions…

Last summer, I met a doctor friend, Rakesh, who works in a primary health centre in Samastipur. Over sticky chai, he didn’t talk about fancy medicines. He pointed to a glass of murky water on a nearby stall. “Our biggest OPD is right there,” he said. That sentence stuck with me. We celebrate healthcare development in…

I visited my mama’s village near Madhubani during Chhath last year. Kids were everywhere—running around the pond, helping with puja preparations, their laughter cutting through the crisp November air. But something felt off. These children looked tired by the afternoon. Thin arms. Pale faces. Eyes that seemed older than their years. An aunt from the…

A doctor friend who works at a government hospital in rural Bihar called me late one night last year. His voice was heavy. He’d just lost a newborn—a perfectly healthy baby boy whose mother had ignored severe abdominal pain for three days. The family thought it was “normal pregnancy discomfort.” By the time they rushed…

Today is the day Bihar gets its election results. Everywhere I turn—tea stalls, social media feeds, family WhatsApp groups—there’s breathless speculation about who will win. Red versus saffron. Alliance arithmetic. Exit poll dissections. The noise is inescapable. But I find myself surprisingly detached. Not because I don’t care about Bihar’s future—quite the opposite. I care…

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) of India has designated several Sikh militant organizations as banned entities, including Babbar Khalsa International, Khalistan Commando Force, Khalistan Zindabad Force, and International Sikh Youth Federation. These groups have been proscribed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) due to their involvement in separatist activities, terrorism, and threats to national…

Let’s be honest. When most people hear “schizophrenia,” they see a cracked mirror. A fractured reality. A person, lost. I know this because I’ve seen that look in people’s eyes when I mention my diagnosis. It’s a look of pity, fear, or morbid curiosity. They see the cracks, but they never imagine what it’s like…

My grandfather died at 68. Heart attack, sudden, no warning. He exercised daily—walked 5 km every morning. Ate clean, avoided junk food, never smoked. Did everything “right” by conventional health standards. My neighbor is 82. Still drives, still gardens, still cracks jokes at the vegetable vendor. I asked him once about his secret to longevity….

A friend who works with an NGO in Patna called me last month, exhausted. “We’re distributing nutrition kits in villages,” she said, “and I’m seeing the same malnourished children my organization saw fifteen years ago.” Her voice cracked. “Nothing’s changed.” Bihar has asked for special category status for years, citing backwardness and poverty. The state…