pm modi warsaw png Courtesy:
22 August 2024

Bombay’s Polish legacy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on an official two-day visit to Poland, the first by an Indian leader in 45 years, commemorating 70 years of India-Poland diplomatic relations. His trip has emotional significance for Poles, as India hosted thousands of Polish refugees during the Second World War. Bombay was the fulcrum from where the rescue, housing, health, and education of Polish children, women, and elderly were undertaken.

20231118_TWLDD002 Courtesy: The Economist
4 January 2024

Reading the tea leaves for 2024

After a year affected by a sustained polycrisis, global geopolitics in 2024 remains a delicate dance between hope and realism. Ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza cast uncertain shadows, while Taiwan and the South China Sea present potential flashpoints. Indian diplomacy will have to navigate old and new challenges, while promoting India’s expertise in digital technology, as also managing its own upcoming parliamentary elections.

Members of a pro-Russian association support a decision of the Kharkiv city council to make the Russian language official in the city. From left to right, their placards say: "[City] Councillors! Ensure language equality. Don't forsake your fellow Slavs!" "For half of the population of Ukraine - Russian is a native language!" "Authorities - bring back the Russian [language] schools!" "Russian language [is] not foreign! And we [are] not foreigners!" Courtesy: Gennadiy Makarov/Wikimedia Commons
3 November 2022

The battle for Russian language in Ukraine

Language, nationality, and belonging have always been contentious issues in Ukraine. At least until February 2022, Russian remained the main language of business in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, as well as the main lingua in the streets. Now there’s a parallel battle ongoing to eliminate the Russian language from Ukraine.

Putin's Speech Valdai Courtesy: Valdai Discussion Club
3 November 2022

At Valdai, Putin’s vision of emerging world order

The reference to India by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Valdai Discussion Club may be interpreted as encouragement to New Delhi to use its good offices to nudge the warring sides to the negotiating table. Mediation is a big power game, and this may be the right time for India, at the cusp of the G20 Presidency, to start with a record of success

Armenian's in Bombay Courtesy: Zabel Joshi
25 August 2022

Bombay’s Armenian legacy

Bombay was once an important Armenian settlement in the 18th and 19th centuries, as the English East India Company was keen to relocate the successful Armenian merchants of Surat to the Company’s new outpost of Bombay. Today, no Armenians from Bombay’s historic community remain, but their church and cemetery survive, the subject of study for Armenian expatriates keen to rediscover their history.

renergy crisis photo Courtesy: Economic Times
26 May 2022

India in the global commodity shock

The warning signs were visible long before the Ukraine conflict. Years of insufficient investment into oil and gas production resulted in high price, and shortages. With investors keeping away from traditional fuels, the conflict in Ukraine precipitated the inevitable. Energy-dependent India must now insulate its supply chains.

jai shankar n ursula Courtesy: Twitter - Dr. S. Jaishankar
27 April 2022

The EU pivots to India

The EU has been working on an India engagement for two decades now – a strategic partnership and a free trade engagement. It is finally being realised – the outcome of the visit of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Delhi this month. The upgraded, ambitious partnership Europe’s long overdue pivot to India.

xi putin bbc Courtesy: BBC
17 February 2022

Signalling at the Beijing Olympics

The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics came to a close on 20 February. It was marked by Covid restrictions, athlete dramas, and a united diplomatic boycott by Western democracies citing human rights concerns in Xinjiang, a boycott India later joined for Galwan-related issues. In contrast with the unity presented by China and Russia with summit meetings in the lead up to the Olympics, shifting alliances are now the norm.