obituary

Reformer Pope Francis dies aged 88

Open

The first pope from the Americas dared to confront contentious issues

Mario Vargas Llosa, the colossus of the Latin American novel

Ullekh NP

Peru-born literary giant Mario Vargas Llosa (1936-2025) was a bold, tireless explorer of human nature

The Legacy of Manoj Kumar

Madhavankutty Pillai

He was responsible for turning patriotism into a genre in Bollywood

The Spy Who Saved the World

Sudeep Paul

Soviet double agent Oleg Gordievsky’s intelligence had prevented nuclear war

Gene Hackman (1930-2025): The Discreet Hero

Kaveree Bamzai

The Oscar-winning actor and his wife were found dead at their New Mexico home

He Had a Smile for Everyone

Bhaichand Patel

The pioneer of parallel cinema was also my friend for over 60 years

Dr Singh in History

Rajeev Deshpande

He was the only non-Gandhi Congress prime minister to complete two terms but his achievements were overshadowed by the failure to curb corruption

A Mixed Legacy

Dhiraj Nayyar

Manmohan Singh was the implementer of reforms, not their architect

Being Manmohan Singh

Rajeev Deshpande

Manmohan Singh holds the rare record of a non-Gandhi to complete two terms as a Congress PM but sterling achievements sit side by side with missed opportunities

The Man Who Opened India to the World

Siddharth Singh

With the passing away of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday night the saga of India’s transition from a statist economic system towards an open economy has come to an end