Thursday, Apr 18, 2024 | Last Update : 11:30 PM IST

Patralekha Chatterjee

India — one of the world’s greatest fusion stories — cannot be divided into insiders and outsiders without splintering its soul. (Representational Photo:PTI)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Unpacking cultural pride in election-bound India

Exploring cultural pride amidst diverse Indian narratives, embracing unity beyond religious divisions, in a country of myriad influences

12 Apr 2024 12:00 AM

All the jaw-dropping data about inequality points to distress on the ground. (Uzmi Athar/Press Trust of India via AP)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Why isn’t rising inequality turning into a poll issue?

Despite India's penthouse prosperity, staggering inequality persists, raising questions about its sustainability and societal implications.

30 Mar 2024 12:11 AM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (PTI File Image)

Patralekha Chatterjee | All that glitters isn't growth, well-being for most Indians

Beyond political rhetoric, India's election must confront real issues: unemployment, healthcare, environment, and tech impact.

16 Mar 2024 3:47 AM

The latest household survey offers some stark facts about the gaps -- between the richest and the poorest, between states, between cities and villages and between social groups.

Patralekha Chatterjee | Acute poverty falls in India, but not extreme inequality

Amidst political narratives of progress, a recent survey reveals stark economic disparities, fueling debate on India's development trajectory

29 Feb 2024 12:00 AM

Farmers face tear gas used by the police to disperse them during the second day of their 'Delhi Chalo' march, at the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border, near Patiala, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. (PTI Photo)

Patralekha Chatterjee | India@2024: A portrait of power and fragility

Farmer demonstrations highlight the delicate balance in India's political landscape.

16 Feb 2024 12:05 AM

Smoke billows during Israeli bombardment in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on February 6, 2024 amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Photo by Mahmud Hams / AFP)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Keep migrants safe as they seek jobs in conflict zones

Last May, Israel and India officially signed an agreement that allows 42,000 Indians to work in Israel in construction and nursing.

07 Feb 2024 12:04 AM

ASER 2023 Sheds Light on Gender Disparities in Education and Skills Development. (AA Representational Image)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Narrow the gender gap in usage of digital tech

ASER 2023 Reveals Stark Gender Gap in Rural Youth's Skills: A Deeper Dive Into the Data

23 Jan 2024 10:47 PM

BJP President Amit shah at the inauguration of Selfie booth at khan market in new Delhi. (Image: Bunny Smith)

Patralekha Chatterjee | How ‘selfie booths’ are changing India politics

The 3D selfie booths at the centre of the current political storm take the BJP strategy a step further.

12 Jan 2024 12:05 AM

India’s general election, the world’s largest, is likely to be held sometime in the first half of 2024. (Image by Freepik - pikusuperstar)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Several questions as we look back at 2023, ahead to 2024

Looking ahead necessarily means factoring in the country’s contradictions and working much harder on the problem areas

28 Dec 2023 11:33 PM

Traditionally, remittances have come from the Middle East but this scenario is changing. (Photo: AFP)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Remittances at a new high, but there’s a dark side too

India’s inward remittances may account for only 3.4 per cent of the country’s GDP but it is the highest recipient of remittances globally.

21 Dec 2023 11:04 PM

What distinguishes a citizen from a beneficiary? (PTI File Image)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Basic services a citizen’s ‘right’ or ‘gift’ from govt?

The questions are not new. Nor is the debate around the “citizen versus labharthi” template.

09 Dec 2023 12:42 AM

NDRF personnel and others at the under-construction tunnel between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri national highway, days after a portion of the tunnel collapsed trapping several workers inside, in Uttarkashi district, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. (PTI Photo)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Blunders in the Himalayas: Have we learnt any lessons?

Uttarakhand and the Himalayas are in the news once again. And the inconvenient truth rears its head once more.

23 Nov 2023 12:12 AM

A bird sits on a railing during a smoggy morning, in New Delhi, Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023. The air quality in Delhi was recorded in the 'severe' category on Thursday morning. The Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 420 at 8 am, compared to 426 at 4 pm on Wednesday. (PTI Photo/Kamal Singh)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Toxic air: Get serious on avoiding death by breath

Health must be the prism through which we view and address air pollution.

09 Nov 2023 11:37 PM

A Palestinian stands outside the building destroyed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in Rafah, Wednesday, Oct 25, 2023. (AP/PTI)

Patralekha Chatterjee | It’s time to ‘rehumanise’, to shun hate, cease ‘othering’

We urgently need rehumanising narratives to counter the dehumanising narratives swirling around inside the country and beyond.

26 Oct 2023 12:05 AM

Successive Indian governments have evacuated Indian nationals at varied times from war-torn regions, as during the First Gulf War in the 1990s and Operation Rahat in Yemen in 2015, and Ukraine last year. (File Image: DC)

Patralekha Chatterjee | As migrants in war zones return, do more to help

This is not the first time Indians have been trapped in a war zone. Nor is this the first rescue flight

18 Oct 2023 12:00 AM

Job creation continues to be India’s main challenge: State of Working India 2023. (AFP File Image)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Bring jobs back to the top of India’s political agenda

Unemployment is falling, but remains high.

28 Sep 2023 12:03 AM

Patralekha Chatterjee | Many challenges for India as voice of ‘Global South’

India seeks to champion the concerns of the “Global South” at a time when there are glaring fault lines in the world and within the country

14 Sep 2023 12:19 AM

Many incidents go unreported. All these instances point to the horrific situation within many classrooms in India. (Photo: AP)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Confronting bigotry and violence in the classroom

Many teachers see nothing wrong in using violence to teach a lesson to a child, though corporal punishment is strictly prohibited by law.

02 Sep 2023 12:25 AM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation from the historic Red Fort on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day, in New Delhi, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023. (PTI Photo/Manvender Vashist Lav)

Patralekha Chatterjee | The ‘Developed India’ Story: Conversations we must have

India remains a “poor and very unequal country, with an affluent elite” where the top 10% holds 57% of the total national income

18 Aug 2023 12:33 AM

Tomatoes are now part of the subsidy regime in many states. (PTI Photo)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Tomatoes and turbulence: Indians face harder times

For context, in 2021, 418 million Asians experienced extreme hunger, indicating a rise from the previous year.

03 Aug 2023 12:35 AM

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Syed Ata Hasnain