ThePrint

Modern India might have been conjured up in the image of Gandhi. But India was never a Gandhian state. Founders of the Republic, be it Nehru or Patel, nursed zero such notions.
Watch this week’s #NationalInterest with ThePrint Editor-In-Chief Shekhar Gupta: To read this week's National Interest: https://theprint.in/national-interest/india-hard-state-gandhian-values/3060496/

In the summer of 1991, India undertook an action that no sovereign nation desires: it pledged its gold reserves. Under strict confidentiality, approximately 47 tonnes from the Reserve Bank of India’s vaults were transported abroad and deposited with the Bank of England and the Bank of Japan. This measure secured a $405 million loan, giving the country a temporary reprieve.Critical issue is whether a country’s assets comfortably exceed its liabilities and timing of these obligations. RBI’s data allows for a precise evaluation of this criterion. Watch #Economix with ThePrint Consulting Editor (Economics) Bidisha Bhattacharya:

On Lal Bahadur Shastri’s birth anniversary, watch #NationalInterest where ThePrint Editor-In-Chief Shekhar Gupta argued how Shastri’s legacy is unfairly overshadowed by peace he made at Tashkent and a visit that also took his life. Among his contributions were the Green Revolution and talent-hunting Dr Swaminathan.
 
Originally published on 22 March 2025.

Israel is investigating the FlyDubai incident as a 'jihadist terror attack'. FlyDubai’s FZ1073 was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv on 30 September, when a bloody clash unfolded in the cockpit. The flight made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after Captain Smit Machchhar was stabbed by its co-pilot, reportedly an Omani pilot. The plane landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, minutes after sending the emergency signal. The motive behind this attack is still being investigated. #CutTheClutter Episode 1911 details what unfolded on the FlyDubai flight. ThePrint Editor-In-Chief Shekhar Gupta also explains the facts we know, what we don't and the questions this attack raises over civil aviation safety.

Indian women’s 4x400m relay team ended the nation's wait, by securing our only athletics gold at the Asian Games. The team comprising of Kiran Pahal, M R Poovamma, Prachi Chaudhary and Vithya Ramraj, also won back India's traditional top spot. They are the latest behind India's spectacular success in women's 4x400m relay, since 1982.
Shekhar Gupta traces the story of women’s 4x400m relay as an Indian brand, how our nation rose in this particular branch of track & field, and the generations of women’s 400m relay quartet who have made the nation proud. #CutTheClutter Episode 1910 also looks at the setbacks and hurdles.

US President Donald Trump announced $18-billion investment by Essar-backed Mesabi Metallics. The investment is to build the largest ever US steel plant. #CutTheClutter Episode 1909 traces the journey of the Ruias and Essar— from debt, to $25 billion repayment & and now an $18 billion bet in America. ThePrint Editor-In-Chief Shekhar Gupta also explains why Trump’s celebrating this step, and how his thinking on rejuvenating basic manufacturing in US has remained linear.

Ukraine and Middle East wars show how the battlefield has been redefined. #CutTheClutter draws from comments by Indian Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth's comments at the NDTV defence summit, remarks by former Defence Minister of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov on X and an essay by the recently 'evicted' US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll in the Foreign Affairs. Why are their comments important and what's the common message in them? Episode 1998 looks at some of these crucial questions, and what they mean for the changing nature of wars. ThePrint Editor-In-Chief Shekhar Gupta also explains how technology has changed battlefields and lists the five key lessons for India.

'The Modi government may not be ready to act against Gyanesh Kumar, but allowing the controversy to continue carries its own risks.' Watch #ThePrint #SharpEdge with Vir Sanghvi:
 
To Read: https://theprint.in/opinion/the-gyanesh-kumar-controversy-modi-govt-when-things-go-wrong-the-crises-keep-coming/3053031/

Gyanesh Kumar has now become the second most unforgettable among our 26 CECs. He obviously didn’t seek this ‘fame’. But he can’t shake it off. For Modi government, this has come at a juncture that’s usually troublesome in India: the third year of the incumbent. Watch this week’s #NationalInterest with Shekhar Gupta. https://theprint.in/national-interest/since-indira-govts-drift-in-the-3rd-year-modi-must-restore-ec-image-to-get-out-of-it/3053831/ https://theprint.in/national-interest/narendra-modi-bjp-longest-serving-continuously-elected-prime-minister-challenges/2958655/