In the neighbourhood of two world heritage monuments, the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort, Agra’s famous Vaidya Gali has been a favourite of kings, politicians and the common man for over a century and more, but these days the number of patrons has dwindled, as allopathy has come to dominate the health sector.

Clear signals suggest that the Trump tariff shocks have jolted India awake, wounded its self-respect, and eroded trust in friendships. The positive aspect is that self-reliance will pave the way for a new India.

Are our bedrooms becoming blood-soaked battlegrounds? The Indian home, once a symbol of warmth and intimacy, is rapidly becoming a crime scene. Wives bludgeon husbands with bricks, lovers hide corpses in cement drums, and honeymoon suites double as murder spots.

Imagine if India had never adopted its family planning program, today our population would be between 2.5 to 3 billion. The pressure on land, water, and food resources would have been catastrophic. Agricultural expansion is already limited, while water resources are projected to shrink by nearly 50 per cent by 2030. Such a scenario would have led to widespread hunger, mass migration, and chaos.

The political temperature is soaring — slogans fill the air, enthusiasm has gripped the streets, and hearts are aflame. From Patna to Purnea, one question echoes everywhere — “Who this time?

Student uprisings once shook Nepal, Bangladesh, and, decades earlier, Egypt. Governments toppled, but democracy never quite found its footing. Why then does democracy endure in India and the United States, while faltering elsewhere? The answer lies in one word… diversity.