Friday, Jun 02, 2023 | Last Update : 08:43 PM IST

Patralekha Chatterjee

Rescue operation underway after a car got stuck in a waterlogged underpass following heavy rain, in Bengaluru. (PTI Photo)

Patralekha Chatterjee | The Bengaluru drowning should be a wake-up call

The city lacks a functional system to drain out the water when the water level reaches a certain level following heavy rain.

26 May 2023 12:11 AM

Imphal: Vehicles in flames after violence broke out during the 'Tribal Solidarity March' called by All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM), in Imphal. (PTI / File Photo)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Shutting down Internet: Govts need to do rethink

This is a worrying trend and one we ignore at great risk

13 May 2023 12:10 AM

Joblessness and the craving for overseas work has led to many selling off family land, gold and other assets. (AFP Photo)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Why are so many Indians going abroad to find jobs?

India has the largest overseas diaspora -- over 32 million who are non-resident Indians or people with overseas citizenship

29 Apr 2023 12:10 AM

There will be a steady and gradual rise in maximum temperature by 3-5 degrees Celsius over most parts of the country during the next few days. (AA File Photo)

Patralekha Chatterjee | As India gets hotter, it’s time to act 'hyper-local'

In a hotter world, India urgently needs hyper-local heat action plans based on granular heat vulnerability assessment

13 Apr 2023 12:00 AM

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot. (DC File Photo)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Right to health in India: Raj law to be test case?

Rajasthan is the first state in the country to introduce a law that makes access to healthcare a legal entitlement.

31 Mar 2023 12:24 AM

Societies evolve. Social norms evolve. Currently, there are 32 countries where same-sex marriage is legal. (Representational Image)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Why will same-sex unions pose threat to our society?

Why is govt so strongly opposed to giving legal recognition to same-sex marriages when same-sex relationships are no longer criminalised?

16 Mar 2023 12:05 AM

ndia's economic growth slowed further in the December quarter as pent-up demand eased and weakness in the manufacturing sector continued. (Photo: Twitter)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Fix today’s problems first, stop dwelling on the past

This is India’s moment to seize opportunities and deftly navigate crises along the way, and beyond its G-20 presidency.

03 Mar 2023 12:44 AM

Rescuers search for victims and survivors amidst the rubble of collapsed buildings in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country's southeast on February 7, 2023. (Adem ALTAN / AFP)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Turkish lesson: Ignoring building codes perilous

If buildings in an earthquake-prone area are constructed to withstand the shaking, then the people inside are much safer

16 Feb 2023 12:12 AM

Troubling revelations in recent days calls for deep introspection and course-correction. (Representational Image)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Drug regulators in India must do better oversight

India’s drug regulators must do a better job to detect non-standard quality drugs before an international alert

09 Feb 2023 12:00 AM

In the Indian context, social policy, which includes social protection, is critical. How have some of the government schemes and interventions fared in this regard? (Representational Image/PTI)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Ensure growth with jobs: Don’t leave poor behind

This “jobless growth” has left millions of Indians in precarious conditions, scrounging for whatever work they can get

27 Jan 2023 12:00 AM

Children’s basic reading ability has dipped sharply to pre-2012 levels. (Representational image: PTI)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Dip in basic skills a worry for India children’s future

A critical challenge in boosting children’s foundational skills will be state capacity.

21 Jan 2023 12:53 AM

The residents of Joshimath staged a massive protest when the district administration tried to demolish two hotels that fell in the “dangerous” category. (Photo: PTI)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Joshimath’s lesson: Don’t ‘over-develop’ Himalayas

Media reports say that cracks have appeared in more than 670 of some 2,500 buildings

14 Jan 2023 12:05 AM

China’s Xi Jinping has been forced by public pressure to reverse his “Zero Covid” policy, and China is in the middle of a pandemic resurgence. (Photo: AP)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Where does India figure in a very uncertain world?

India is better prepared even if the coronavirus knocks again as a new variant.

30 Dec 2022 1:19 AM

Comments by renowned Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid, jury head of IFFI, Goa, at the closing ceremony, and the strong backlash thereafter put the film back on the front pages. (Photo: Twitter)

Patralekha Chatterjee | In a democracy, we need all the stories, all voices...

Why should criticism of a cinematic approach to portraying a topic be conflated with criticism of the topic?

02 Dec 2022 12:00 AM

The impact of climate change will affect the most vulnerable populations from class and gender, with inter-generational impact and from a race point of view. (Representational Image/ANI)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Climate change crisis is deepening inequalities

What is being done? How seriously are we taking the looming challenges triggered by climate change?

19 Nov 2022 12:05 AM

Rescue personnel conduct search operations after a bridge across the river Machchhu collapsed at Morbi in Gujarat on October 31 (Photo by Sam PANTHAKY / AFP)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Safety, maintenance key in infra, other projects

What are the lessons in the wake of one of the worst public safety tragedies in India?

03 Nov 2022 12:00 AM

India ranked 107 out of 121 surveyed countries on the GLobal Hunger Index (Representational Image/PTI)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Why so prickly? Is there a plot to defame India?

India’s officialdom rubbished the findings and called the GHI 2021 assessment of India as “shocking”

21 Oct 2022 12:53 AM

This year, Durga Puja, the biggest festival for Bengalis, was celebrated with more aplomb than ever since Unesco included “Durga Puja in Kolkata” in its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity last year. (Photo: PTI)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Festivals need to celebrate inclusion, not just diversity

In a fractured and increasingly polarised society, festivals offer a fantastic opportunity to be inclusive in its broadest sense

07 Oct 2022 12:00 AM

India now has the fifth largest economy but its per capita GDP is only around $2,500.

Patralekha Chatterjee | India’s pride, prejudice and its global rankings

The India of the future will depend on which metrics and indicators we choose to play up, and which ones we try to gloss over.

23 Sep 2022 1:55 AM

A boy pushes a table in a flooded locality of Bellandur after heavy monsoon rains, in Bengaluru, Wednesday, Sep. 7, 2022. (Photo: PTI)

Patralekha Chatterjee | India’s sinking story: Can we reimagine our cities?

Bengaluru continues to reel from torrential rains, flooded homes, widespread power cuts, submerged roads and more

09 Sep 2022 12:00 AM

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Anand K Sahay