RajivBuzz

In an important development for intellectual and social activism in Gujarat, a comprehensive memorial book titled "Ek Kiran - Rationalismnu" (A Ray of Rationalism) has been released at a formal function at the Ahmedabad Management Association. The book compiles the definitive thoughts, analytical writings, and lifelong contributions of the late Kiran Nanavati , a pioneering figure who spearheaded the rationalist and humanist movements across the state from the late 1970s until his demise. 

Years ago, when the Soviet Union existed, a joke used to poke fun at the authoritarian system prevailing in the country. Two persons, one Russian and another American, were arguing about the freedom of speech prevailing in their countries. The American said, "Anyone can shout slogans against the US president standing in front of the White House, and it's perfectly normal. Nobody would stop him doing it." The Russian replied: "Same in Moscow. You can shout slogans against the US president standing in front of the Kremlin, and you wouldn't be stopped."

Currently in Los Angeles, the other day I was taken to the sprawling Swaminarayan temple, about an hour's drive from where we live. We were asked to reach there around elevenish, just ahead of the time of daily aarti. After passing through the reception, we were taken to the main temple, whose inside, I was told, was made of snow-white Italian marble, exported to Rajasthan, where expert artisans had meticulously carved out its different parts before being sent to Los Angeles for assembling them for the temple. Must have been pretty costly, I surmised!

The other day, I saw an interesting article, "Does China have a caste system or is it a figment of imagination of Indians?" It wonders whether "China, the world's manufacturing powerhouse and a socialist state governed by a Communist party", has a birth-based caste system that shapes access to education, healthcare, and opportunity.

As the Right to Information (RTI) Act completed 21 years since its enactment on June 21, 2005, a detailed analysis of the Central Information Commission's (CIC) Annual Report for 2024-25 has raised questions about reporting accuracy, transparency practices and the overall implementation of the law across Union government institutions.

A new study released by HelpAge India reveals that more than three-fourths of older persons in rural India have experienced climate-related hazards in the past three years, with those living alone, widows, and persons with disabilities facing the most severe risks to their health, livelihoods, and dignity.

  In a detailed discussion on the Unmute podcast, leading labour scholars Professor Ernesto Noronha and lawyer-researcher Anusha Ravishankar have issued a stark assessment of India’s newly notified labour codes , arguing that the long-pending reforms are designed to attract capital at the expense of worker security, weaken collective bargaining , and exacerbate the vulnerabilities of the country’s vast informal workforce .

By Rajiv Shah   Recently, I received a message from someone I had known since my Gandhinagar days, when I represented the Times of India from 1997 to 2012. He wanted to send me the English translation of a memoir he had written: " Homes Without Windows ". Thin, short, and darker in complexion than me, he would occasionally come down to my office in Akhbar Bhawan. His name is Chandu Maheria .

The world's 65 largest banks collectively committed $906 billion to fossil fuel companies in 2025, an increase of nearly 8 percent from the previous year, according to the seventeenth edition of the Banking on Climate Chaos report released in June 2026. The report , produced by a coalition of environmental and advocacy organisations including Rainforest Action Network , tracks lending and underwriting by major financial institutions to companies across the oil, gas, and coal sectors. Since the Paris Agreement went into force in 2016, the report finds that these banks have together channelled $8.7 trillion into fossil fuels — an amount the authors argue, had it been directed toward renewables, would have made the global energy system significantly more affordable, resilient, and climate-proof.

A massive gathering in the national capital last month has thrust a long-simmering political demand into the mainstream — the removal of Scheduled Tribe (ST) status from tribal individuals who convert to Christianity or Islam. The development has set off alarm bells across Northeast India , where tribal identity, religion, land, and political autonomy are inseparably intertwined.

The heavy military presence and frequent communication blackouts in Jammu and Kashmir are taking a disproportionate toll on female education, reversing years of progress and driving up school dropout rates for girls, according to a recent analysis published in The Conversation . ​Writing for the publication, Shambhavi Siddhi , a PhD candidate in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies at Western University , highlights that while the Indian government cited " women's empowerment " and the eradication of gender discrimination as key motivations for revoking Jammu and Kashmir's semi-autonomous status in August 2019, the reality on the ground has told a vastly different story for young women seeking an education. ​Rising Dropout Rates and Low Literacy ​According to data presented before the Indian parliament in March 2026, the secondary-level dropout rate for girls in the region peaked at 12.6% during the 2023–24 academic year—surpassing India’s national average of 9....

A shocking episode of mass fish death in East Delhi’s Sanjay Lake has sparked outrage among environmental groups and citizens. While initial reports attributed the incident to the ongoing heatwave and climate change, the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP) has squarely blamed mismanagement and prolonged disruption of water supply as the primary cause.  

In a  sharp rejoinder over the proposed Kalpasar reservoir project in the Gulf of Khambhat, with former Government of India Secretary Babubhai Navalawala has dismissed the alternatives floated by veteran sociologist Prof. Vidyut Joshi as mere “supplements” rather than substitutes for the mega project. In the rejoinder to Prof. Joshi’s recent column Samudra Manthan  in Gujarati daily  Sandesh  (see news item here ), Navalawala has argued that the scientific options suggested by the sociologist cannot replace Kalpasar. 

A high-stakes controversy has erupted in the Indian Himalayan Region following the abrupt publication and immediate withdrawal of a major infrastructure tender. The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) issued a public tender notice for the proposed "Chenab-Beas Link Tunnel Project (Link 3)" only to cancel it abruptly just three days later.

The death of Rajesh Awasthi , a long-serving employee of Dainik Jagran , has left the journalistic fraternity shaken. His suicide, reportedly by consuming sulphas tablets, was not just an isolated tragedy but a reflection of the silent struggles faced by countless journalists across India .  

As Bangladesh approves a vast new barrage, experts caution that unilateral river engineering is outpacing diplomacy, with potentially severe ecological and geopolitical consequences. In a development that has raised alarm among water security experts, Bangladesh has given the green light to one of the largest river engineering projects in its history: the Padma Barrage . The massive structure, designed to restore water to the country’s drought-prone southwest, comes at a moment when upstream neighbours China and India are also accelerating their own dam-building programmes.

A comprehensive investigative report published by BehanBox and authored by Sarasvati Thuppadolla reveals the pervasive, systemic caste-based discrimination faced by Dalit Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) across rural India. Even though India’s one million ASHA workers were collectively honored by the World Health Organization with the Global Health Leaders Award in 2022 for their pivotal role in reducing maternal and infant mortality, their marginalized caste identity frequently dictates the harsh terms of their acceptance by the communities they serve. 

Prof. Vidyut Joshi, a prominent sociologist and one of the leading protagonists of the mega Narmada dam project, has raised critical questions regarding the viability of Gujarat’s ambitious Kalpasar project. Writing in the Gujarati daily Sandesh under the headline "Let us consider alternatives scientifically for the Kalpasar project," Joshi argues that rather than remaining trapped in a "civil engineering mindset" focused solely on constructing massive dams, the state must pivot to modern, sustainable, and technologically viable alternatives to quench the thirst of the arid Saurashtra region.