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✍️ Written by Saket Suman There is no neat way to say this: the Great Indian Dream is dying. And it’s not being killed in faraway conflict zones, or in newsrooms that peddle noise instead of truth. It is being murdered in back offices of publishing houses and literary circuits, where contracts are torn with a smile, where deadlines are missed with impunity, where one writer's labour of years is discarded over silence, and where reputations are butchered so that the powerful remain unbothered. The very spaces meant to champion creativity are the first to abandon those who try to speak freely, those who refuse to bend, those who dare to write with sincerity. Representational Image: The 1st stamp of independent India shows the Indian Flag, released on 21Nov1947. I have lived through this. I have worked on a book that came from lived experience, research, pain, and a rare kind of stubborn hope. And I have watched that book — like countless others before it — be derailed by a system tha...

Amid intensifying global fragmentation and rising strategic autonomy across the Global South, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed a landmark roadmap to deepen their bilateral economic engagement through 2030, aiming to take trade beyond $100 billion.  Prez Putin and PM NaMo attended the Plenary Session of the India-Russia Trade Forum The wide-ranging Programme for the Development of Strategic Areas of India–Russia Economic Cooperation till 2030 was the centrepiece of the 23rd Annual Summit held in New Delhi on December 5, with the two sides signing 29 agreements spanning energy, mobility, healthcare, customs, polar training, labour migration, media, and advanced scientific cooperation. The summit, Putin’s first visit to India since the Ukraine war began, saw both leaders publicly reaffirm the “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership” between their countries, even as global alignments continue to shift.  “India-Russia ties have...

In a summit thick with strategic symbolism and sweeping bilateral action, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed 29 agreements and issued a joint declaration pledging to elevate their “time-tested progressive partnership” into a deeper geopolitical alignment rooted in sovereignty, stability, and multipolarity.  Indian PM NaMo with Russian Prez Putin At the center of the 23rd India–Russia Annual Summit, held in New Delhi on December 5, was a key policy milestone: the formal adoption of the Program for the Development of Strategic Directions of Russian–Indian Economic Cooperation until 2030.  This is  a forward-looking document that defines new rules of engagement across trade, defence, energy, migration, and critical technologies amid shifting global power centres. The two leaders met at Hyderabad House for in-depth talks before witnessing the signing of wide-ranging intergovernmental and institutional agreements, including on labo...

In a highly choreographed display of diplomatic warmth and strategic alignment, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin held bilateral talks in New Delhi this week. Together the Russian President and the Indian Prime Minister sent a clear signal of continuity and deepening ties between the two long-standing partners even as global tensions mount over the ongoing war in Ukraine and shifting geopolitical alliances. PM NaMo welcoming President Vladimir Putin at Hyderabad House Greeting Putin with a handshake and a rare protocol-breaking hug upon his arrival, Modi hosted the Russian leader at Hyderabad House for the 23rd India–Russia Annual Summit.  “India is on the side of peace,” Modi said firmly, reiterating New Delhi’s consistent message throughout the Ukraine conflict.  “The welfare of the world is only through the path of peace… together, we must look for the pathways to peace.” Putin, addressing the crisis directly, thanked Modi for his att...

In a pointed message amid growing Western pressure on both New Delhi and Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Thursday that the India–Russia partnership remains focused solely on mutual interests and is not targeted at any third country.  Indian PM NaMo presenting a copy of the Gita to Russian Prez Vladimir Putin His remarks came during a high-profile two-day visit to India for the 23rd Annual Summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as both nations seek to expand their decades-old strategic collaboration in the face of increasingly fractious geopolitical alignments. Putin’s visit, his first to India since the Ukraine war began, coincides with a visible downturn in India–US relations.  Tensions escalated after Washington imposed sweeping tariffs on Indian goods, including penalties for importing Russian crude oil — a punitive move widely interpreted as a warning shot to New Delhi for its continued economic cooperation with Moscow.  In response, Putin dismi...

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on Thursday evening for a tightly choreographed two-day state visit. This marks a significant reaffirmation of the India–Russia strategic partnership at a time of deepening geopolitical rifts and growing divergence between India and the West over Ukraine.  Image Source: PM NaMo As Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Putin with a warm embrace at Palam Airport, the visit--Putin’s first to India since 2021 and his first anywhere in the region since the invasion of Ukraine--set in motion a high-stakes diplomatic engagement that signals India’s intent to maintain and expand its historical ties with Moscow despite rising pressure from Western capitals. The visit comes at a time when India–US relations have faced visible strain, with tensions emerging around Ukraine diplomacy, defence alignment, and global leadership postures.  Against this backdrop, the Putin-Modi summit on Friday is expected to focus on expanding bilateral de...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a sweeping call for a reimagined development agenda at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg , setting out six major global initiatives and pressing for a “civilisational” rethink of growth models that leave people and the planet behind.  Image Source: PM NaMo Speaking at the summit’s opening session, Modi urged the world’s largest economies to act collectively to ensure inclusive, sustainable, and secure progress —anchored in equity, knowledge-sharing and resilience. In his address, Modi pitched for rethinking global development parameters, arguing that the current frameworks have left large sections of the world deprived and have led to the overexploitation of nature.  Drawing from India's philosophical ethos of Integral Humanism , he said development must harmonise individuals, societies and ecosystems, and cannot be dictated solely by economic metrics. Modi proposed six transformative initiatives. These include a Global T...

Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Anthony Albanese held a high-level meeting in Johannesburg on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders’ Summit , reaffirming their commitment to the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership , which marks its fifth anniversary this year.  Image Source: MEA India Both leaders welcomed the significant progress made across a wide spectrum of cooperation, describing bilateral ties as “substantially deepened and diversified.” Had a very good meeting with PM Albanese of Australia. This year, the strategic partnership between our nations completes 5 years and these years have witnessed transformative outcomes that have deepened our cooperation. During our talks today, emphasised three key sectors,… pic.twitter.com/SjPixu4iek — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 21, 2025 The two leaders reviewed ongoing collaboration in key areas including defence and security, critical minerals, trade and investment, education, and people-to-people linkag...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Johannesburg on Friday to attend the 20th G20 Leaders’ Summit , marking a symbolic and strategic moment as the G20 convenes for the first time ever on African soil.  The three-day summit, running from November 21 to 23 , is being hosted by South Africa under the theme “Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability”,  a continuation of the development-focused agenda advanced by previous Global South presidencies in India, Indonesia, and Brazil. Image Source: PM NaMo Modi’s visit underscores India’s growing influence in shaping global governance from a Global South lens. In his departure statement, the Prime Minister called the summit “particularly special,” noting that it follows India’s successful 2023 G20 presidency during which the African Union was formally inducted as a member of the grouping. “This summit is an opportunity to discuss key global issues,” Modi said, adding that India would present its views anchored in the civil...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Johannesburg, South Africa from November 21 to 23, 2025 to attend the 20th G20 Leaders’ Summit , marking the first time the summit is held on the African continent.  Hosted under the theme "Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability" , the summit is expected to confront overlapping global crises by amplifying the voice of the Global South, of which India remains a key pillar. File Photo Source: PM NaMo The Johannesburg summit is the fourth consecutive G20 hosted by a Global South country , following presidencies by Indonesia, India, and Brazil.  Modi will represent India’s stance on inclusive growth, climate resilience, and the ethical governance of emerging technologies, participating in all three main summit sessions.  These include dialogues on sustainable economic growth, climate and disaster resilience, and ensuring equitable access to resources like critical minerals and artificial intelligence. On the sidelines of th...

India and Bhutan have restated their time-tested friendship and strategic cooperation during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day state visit to the Himalayan kingdom from November 11 to 12.  The visit coincided with the 70th birth anniversary of Bhutan’s Fourth King Jigme Singye Wangchuck and featured high-level engagements, religious observances, and key bilateral milestones. Image Via: MEA India As guest of honour at the national celebration in Thimphu, Prime Minister Modi joined Bhutan’s royal family and citizens in commemorating the legacy of the Fourth Druk Gyalpo.  Speaking at the Changlimithang Stadium, Modi praised the monarch’s role in guiding Bhutan’s transformation into a democratic constitutional monarchy and his introduction of the globally noted concept of Gross National Happiness.  He thanked both the Fourth King and current King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck for their stewardship of India-Bhutan ties and conveyed warm wishes from the Indian people. PM ...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi closed the Bihar campaign on Saturday with a high-decibel pitch for the NDA, declaring at a packed rally in Chanpatia, West Champaran, that he would return to the state “after the spectacular victory on November 14” for the government’s swearing-in.  Modi Closes Bihar Campaign With NDA Pitch, Vows Return After Victory; Image Via: PM NaMo Addressing two rallies within hours -- the second in Sitamarhi -- PM Modi sought to frame the election as a binary between what he called a development-driven NDA and the “jungle raj” of past RJD regimes. Speaking to a sea of supporters under cellphone lights, Modi invoked the symbolic glow as Bihar’s aspiration for progress, vowing that the state would not allow a return to the lawlessness associated with the Lalu-Rabri era.  He reeled off welfare measures under the NDA government, including the Rs 10,000 direct transfer to 1.4 crore Jeevika didis , 50% reservation for women in panchayati raj, and 35% quot...