Author: Deshwale National Desk

A few months ago, the Indian government made a proud announcement. India, it declared, had become the world’s fourth-largest economy overtaking Japan. Ministers celebrated. Headlines cheered. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s economic vision, the government said, was reshaping the nation’s destiny. This week, the International Monetary Fund quietly told a different story. According to the IMF’s April 2026 World Economic Outlook, India is now the sixth-largest economy in the world, not the fourth. It has been overtaken by both Japan and the United Kingdom. The country that was being positioned as an economic superpower in waiting has, at least on paper,…

GE Aerospace has signed a contract with the Indian Air Force to establish an in-country depot facility for the F404-IN20 engines that power India’s indigenous HAL Tejas fighter jets. The move is expected to strengthen India’s defence self-reliance and significantly improve aircraft availability. The new facility will be set up within India and will be owned, operated, and maintained by the Indian Air Force. GE Aerospace will provide technical expertise, training, support staff, and supply of critical spare parts and specialised equipment. Once operational, the depot will eliminate the need to send engines abroad for repairs and overhauls, reducing downtime…

On a warm March morning in Jewar, somewhere between the marigold garlands and the helicopter flypast, India quietly crossed a threshold it had been building toward for nearly two decades. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Phase 1 of the Noida International Airport on 28 March 2026, handing Uttar Pradesh its fifth international airport and the National Capital Region its second. Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were on the dais. Conch blowers had come from Kanpur. Drummers had travelled from Mahoba. Trumpet players arrived from across the state. The…

The arrival of Kamada Ekadashi on 29 March 2026 marks a significant moment in the Chaitra month for millions of devotees, with Chaitra being the first month of the Hindu lunar calendar, typically falling between March and April in the Gregorian calendar.. This specific fast is the first Ekadashi following the Hindu New Year. It carries a heavy weight of tradition and spiritual expectation. In the lanes of Varanasi and the temple towns of South India, the atmosphere is one of quiet discipline. People believe this day has the power to cleanse one of the most deep seated sins. It…

Mumbai’s public transport system is often praised for keeping the city moving. The suburban railways carry millions daily. The red buses of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking, widely known as BEST, remain a lifeline for neighbourhoods that trains do not reach. Yet a recent inspection at the Bandra bus dépôt by leaders of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) has pulled back the curtain on a problem that many transport workers have quietly lived with for years. Workers described unsafe shelters, poorly-maintained canteens, ageing electrical systems, and basic facilities that have deteriorated to the point where staff say their…

There is a question that nobody in Raisina Hill asks out loud, but which sits, unspoken, at the centre of every major Indian foreign policy decision of the last two decades. It is not a complicated question. It goes like this: can India actually do what it wants, or does it need to check first? In March 2026, that question stopped being rhetorical. India, the world’s fifth largest economy, a country of 1.4 billion people that routinely describes itself as a Vishwaguru and a rising civilisational power, formally approached the Trump administration to ask for permission to buy liquefied natural…

The floodlights at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium are so bright they can probably be seen from the orbit of a mid-sized communication satellite. On 28 March, as Royal Challengers Bengaluru begins its title defence, the electricity bill for a single over could likely power a small village in Vidarbha for a week. But consistency has never been the strong suit of the Indian conscience. We are a nation that can simultaneously mourn a geopolitical catastrophe and check the projected strike rate of a Finnish-born associate player bought for Rs. 4 crore. Tomorrow is March 28, 2026. It is the day…

Mumbai witnessed a vibrant celebration of flavour and creativity as Mondelez India hosted a one-of-a-kind event titled ‘Every Way to Biscoff’. The festival was more than a brand activation. It became a hub for food enthusiasts, home bakers, and creators to explore the iconic caramelised taste of Lotus Biscoff in imaginative ways. The event brought together passionate food creators and influencers from across India, who showcased their innovative Biscoff-inspired desserts. Following a nationwide social media recipe challenge, 15 standout creations were selected to be featured live at the Mumbai festival. Each dessert offered a unique story, ranging from decadent cheesecakes…

The truck arrives before the city wakes. It is a battered green compactor, older than some of the buildings it passes, grinding through a lane in Kurla at half past five in the morning. It leaks. It always leaks. A thin, dark trail follows it down the road, waste fluid seeping from a floor that was never adequately sealed and, in truth, was never adequately maintained. The sanitation worker riding the back has no air conditioning, no shelter from the heat already gathering at that hour, and no particular expectation that today will be different from any other day in…

Mumbai has always lived by a simple promise. If you keep moving, the city will carry you somewhere. The suburban trains never quite empty, the streets rarely pause, and the skyline keeps inching upward, as if it has no patience for stillness. But beneath this rhythm of constant motion, there is a quieter question that has begun to surface in drawing rooms, office corridors, and late night conversations on Marine Drive. Is the city still sustaining its people, or is it slowly exhausting them? This is not an alarmist claim. It is an observation that emerges from multiple realities that…