What happened to the two crore jobs a year? Are our rivers really cleaner? Are our cities smarter, or just better at putting up smart boards? Has corruption gone down, or have we simply learnt to live with it? And after twelve years, how much of the distance between promise and delivery has actually been covered? These are not academic questions. They are questions people ask over tea, at railway stations, in offices and inside their homes.

“Ek kachori, doh samosas, in mardon ka kya bharosa? Ek cigarette, doh cup chaay, mard jaat haay haay!" What a revolution! Kachoris, samosas and cigarettes have become weapons of women’s liberation. Add a plate of biryani, and this revolution might qualify for a royal banquet!

From the streets of Paris and Brussels to New Delhi, young people are running out of patience. What happens when a bigger segment of an entire generation loses faith in its leaders?

If I had to describe my recent journey through Europe in one word, it would be water. I saw more than half a dozen rivers, canals and lakes up close. Sometimes I was on a cruise, sometimes on a ferry, sometimes looking down from a bridge, and sometimes simply sitting beside the water. I spoke with boatmen, ferry operators, cruise managers and gondoliers. I also watched ordinary people sitting along the banks in the golden afternoon light, chatting, watching the water or simply allowing life to slow down for a while.

What has happened to our political leaders? Democracy demands questions, arguments and accountability. Governments must face scrutiny, and opposition parties must challenge those in power.

With no visible wave of public anger and the opposition struggling to find a winning issue, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister appears firmly in the saddle. His supporters credit him with better law and order, stronger infrastructure and a more decisive style of governance. But after ten years in power, can Yogi turn this advantage into a third consecutive BJP victory in 2027? Or will anti-incumbency, unemployment and unmet expectations upset the political equation?