Author: Pyali Chatterjee
India’s healthcare ambitions have never appeared more expansive. The Union Budget 2026 allocates over ₹1.06 lakh crore to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, promising new medical hubs, stronger pharmaceutical manufacturing, and a larger role for India in the global medical tourism market. Yet beneath this narrative of expansion lies a troubling policy contradiction. While infrastructure spending is rising and international ambitions are growing, recent changes to postgraduate medical admission criteria raise difficult questions about whether the country is simultaneously weakening the very academic standards that underpin healthcare quality. The Union Budget’s emphasis on strengthening healthcare infrastructure reflects the…
By Pyali Chatterjee & Maitreyee Tembhekar Once considered unshakeable and timeless, the Aravalli hills, among the world’s oldest mountain ranges, have suddenly found themselves at the centre of heated debates in courtrooms, policy circles and public discourse. What was once regarded merely as the backbone of north India’s history and culture has today become a contested battleground between development and environmental survival. From shrinking forests and rampant illegal mining to the looming threat of desert winds advancing towards Delhi and alarming groundwater depletion, the Aravallis are no longer just ancient mountains. They are living guardians whose fate will decisively shape…
By Pyali Chatterjee & Maitreyee Tembhekar Beneath rapidly expanding cities and seemingly quiet villages, a largely invisible tragedy is unfolding. There are no alarms, no sirens and no warnings, only the slow and silent betrayal of the water people drink. Water flowing through handpumps, wells and household taps, assumed to be cold, clear and safe, often carries arsenic, fluoride, industrial chemicals and agricultural runoff. None of these contaminants can be detected by taste, colour or smell. This absence of sensory warning is precisely what makes groundwater contamination so lethal. For millions, alternatives do not exist, and by the time symptoms…
Haq delivers a powerful, emotionally layered interpretation of one of India’s most defining legal battles, and does so with performances that anchor the film in both sincerity and gravitas. Yami Gautam and Emraan Hashmi rise remarkably to the occasion, bringing depth and conviction to a story rooted in real legal history. Their restrained yet affecting portrayals lend the film its emotional weight, turning a landmark judgment into a deeply human narrative. At the heart of the film lies the 1985 Supreme Court judgment in Mohd. Ahmed Khan vs. Shah Bano Begum. Haq resists the temptation to fictionalise its core and…
For any newly married couple or young parents, contraception plays a crucial role in family planning. When it comes to family planning, most contraceptive methods are designed for women, and it is usually the woman who must choose a suitable option in consultation with her husband and healthcare provider, depending on her health and comfort. For parents, it is important to plan and maintain a healthy interval between pregnancies, and for this, they must be properly counselled by healthcare providers about the different contraceptive options available, so they can choose what best suits their needs and health. But imagine waking…
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s bizarre statement in the wake of yet another rape incident involving a medical student in West Bengal’s Durgapur may jolt many, but the fact is that such instances of victim blaming are alarmingly common in our society. The CM blamed the rape victim for stepping out of the premises late at night. Victim blaming is a deep-rooted malaise in India, reflected even in ancient mythological narratives such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata, where Sita was accused of adultery and Draupadi unfairly blamed for alleged unchastity, suffering that tore through their families and deeply scarred…
By Pyali Chatterjee By now, most of us are aware of the tragic case of Sonam Raghuvanshi. Many rightly focus on the gravity of the incident—but how many of us truly reflect on its root causes? Can such offences be prevented early, perhaps even within the confines of our homes? Do we fully grasp that the law alone cannot prevent such tragedies? The Family: Root of the Problem or Pillar of Strength? These issues originate within our most fundamental social institution: the family. It is within the four walls of our homes that values, behaviours, and attitudes are first shaped.…
