Our cynical neighbour Sharmaji was lamenting how the old circus troupes had vanished. “In our days, there was Kamla Circus, Oriental Circus, Gemini, Apollo... Oh, what fun! Clowns, elephants, acrobats!” he sighed.

At Taj View Apartments in Agra, homemaker Padmini was busy preparing for Diwali. Fed up with traffic jams and pollution, she spotted an online Diwali deal late in the evening and clicked ‘Order Now’. Little did she know she was becoming part of India’s new retail story! Within minutes, flowers, lamps, lights, fruits, and sweets, all neatly packed, arrived at her doorstep. A young biker delivered the goods, took a UPI payment, and rode off...

The next time you see or hear of another innocent ‘Nirbhaya’ dying, ask yourself, has the conscience of this so-called cultured nation already perished? Can women in today’s India live freely, without fear or judgment? Are our daughters safe in their homes, their schools, their workplaces, even in police stations meant to protect them?

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.