It took Haryana twenty long years to bring up the child sex ratio (in the age group of 0 to 6 years) to 900 as per the Civil Registration System, January 2016 though it still remains lower than the generally accepted national norm of 950 girls to 1000 boys. Nevertheless, [...]

A lot of dust has been raised, not by the bulls participating in Jallikattu, but by people who speak for and against this ancient sport. Those who speak in favour of the sport are more vociferous than those who support a ban. Rightly or wrongly, the many people in Tamil [...]

The Supreme Court ruling reiterating that private unaided schools in Delhi built on land provided by the government must take permission for fee hike has been met with sharply polarised reactions. On one side are the Delhi government, the community of parents and those who are not in favour of [...]

Since the late 1970s, the term ‘empowerment’ has been liberally applied by academics and aid workers in the English-speaking world, including in social services, social psychology, public health, adult literacy and community development. The field of international development has also embraced the term enthusiastically and the idea of empowerment features [...]

Women have had a long history of being discriminated against and exploited in Indian society. The 73rd Constitutional Amendment introduced measures to reverse these indignities. Yet, there remains strong resistance against their participation in the public sphere. […]

‘Udta Punjab’ by Anurag Kashyap has brought the crisis of drug abuse that has gripped the State into mainstream discourse. The movie provides rare glimpses of the extent of the menace that affects all, without the bias of gender or class. The following section provides succinct previews about the worsening [...]

For all of us in the 21st century, Bastar is a landscape of forests, tribals and a bloody battleground for security forces and the armed insurgents known as Maoists. One way, it is a landscape of perceptions. Unless one ventures into this area in Chhattisgarh. From Jagdalpur to Dantewada, the road [...]

“Education is not solely an academic pursuit; it is a pursuit of moral wisdom.” Young monks study in their school inside Thikse Monastery in Ladakh. […]

In a seminal paper, ‘Complexities of 21st Century Policing’, published last year, Professor David Bayley of the State University of New York, Albany was categorical that the traditional notion of police professionalism was dead, and that the plea for ‘policing with consent’ must be rethought. In the paper, Prof. Bayley, [...]

Note:- UPSC has asked an essay a while back on Gross Happiness Index and since then it has been more or less became a theme and was asked in the exams repeatedly. For example – In one of its ethics papers UPSC had asked “What happiness means according to you [...]