In Bihar, dry days may not mean sober politics. As election fever grips the state, prohibition, once Nitish Kumar’s proud moral badge, has turned into a political hangover. And now, Prashant Kishor, who sells reason with a reformer’s flourish, has promised to pop the cork if voted to power. For once, the bottle might decide the ballot.

Seventy-five years after independence, a long-suppressed truth demands to be heard: India’s heart beats Hindu. Cloaked under the guise of ‘secularism’ born in political shadows, the nation’s core has been hidden from view. Now, the veil is lifting. It is time to reclaim India’s soul, the ancient, timeless spirit that has shaped its destiny and unity across millennia.

​A nation hypnotised by gold is a nation uneasy within. The surge of gold-buying this Diwali may have brightened showcases and balance sheets, but it has dimmed the country’s economic logic. Record-breaking sales of over ₹60,000 crore on Dhanteras reflect not prosperity, but panic, a collective retreat into the safety of yellow metal as the world’s uncertainties grow.

As dusk descends along the Yamuna’s banks in Mathura, the sounds of temple bells and chanting priests mingle with the fragrance of burning incense. Devotees gather, seeking purity and redemption.

A 24-year-old IT professional, strong, successful, was found hanging from a ceiling fan, still draped in the pink saree that carried the lingering fragrance of turmeric and flowers from her wedding just six months prior. Before her death, she posted a WhatsApp status: "I gave everything, yet it wasn’t enough. Forgive me, Mom..."

After the success of ‘Operation Langda’ in Uttar Pradesh, many states have begun efforts to make the police system tougher and more stringent. But without basic reforms, will giving the police more freedom be in line with democratic values?