Author: Sanjay Shah

By Sanjay Shah Just like some fortunate people born with a silver spoon in their mouth, could some lucky films be born (or rather, released) the same way? Quite possible. Otherwise, a film originally planned as a single one – two-and-a-half to three hours long – which then ended up being split into two parts making a combined eight hours or so, wouldn’t have been this blessed. After years, there is such an explosive, film-crazy atmosphere in the country before any Bollywood release. The situation is such that those who watched the film early can walk two feet above the…

It is 2026, and the world remains fragile. Not despite the extraordinary might of nations like the United States, China, and Russia, but partly because of it. No superpower has managed to usher in true, lasting peace. Their rivalries, interventions, and neglect have, time and again, fuelled the very fires they claimed to extinguish. America’s Broken Promise The United States has long positioned itself as the self-proclaimed beacon of democracy and the world’s policeman. The record tells a different story. Under a second Trump administration, the U.S. has retreated further into isolationism. Tariffs and “America First” rhetoric strain long-standing alliances.…

Amid rising urban pollution across India, a few regions still offer a rare luxury: remarkably clean air. While many major cities struggle with persistent smog and hazardous particulate levels, some parts of the country continue to maintain fresh and breathable atmospheres. These locations record significantly lower levels of particulate matter compared with India’s heavily polluted metros. As air quality worsens in many urban centres, such places highlight how geography, conservation, and responsible development can protect environmental health. Recent data from early 2026 shows that PM2.5 concentrations in certain regions remain comfortably below national standards. Based on assessments conducted in 2025,…

As I conclude this series, reflecting on unrest’s scale, superpowers’ lapses, and internal divides, a sense of urgency grips me. In 2026, the world teeters not from inevitable doom, but from choices we can still make. I have shared my unhappiness: how fragility persists despite our advancements, how peace eludes us, and how prosperity mocks the many. Yet, as a journalist who has seen glimmers of hope, from peace accords in Colombia to youth movements in Africa, I believe change is possible. A World of Widening Divides The fractures are not confined to superpowers. They are global, deep, and worsening.…

The year 2026 finds our planet not at peace, but fractured. According to data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, the International Crisis Group, and the Council on Foreign Relations, approximately 59 ongoing armed conflicts are active across the world right now. When the scope is widened to include political instability, social unrest, economic collapse, and military insurgencies, the number of significantly affected nations rises to between 40 and 50. The World Bank classifies 39 states as fragile or conflict affected, a grim roster that includes Afghanistan, Yemen, and the Central African Republic. These are not abstract…

India has approximately 62 million stray dogs, the largest free-roaming dog population on earth. Every year, more than 15 million Indians receive post-exposure rabies treatment, a multi-injection course that costs money rural families frequently do not have, requiring clinic visits to facilities that frequently do not stock the vaccine. India accounts for roughly 36 percent of all rabies deaths on the planet. Rabies, once symptomatic, kills with near-perfect reliability, turning the brain against itself, through confusion first, then terror, then the inability to swallow water, then death. Children die from it in disproportionate numbers because they are shorter, slower, and…

From happiness’s quiet realms, we cross hemispheres to where vast horizons promise renewal New Zealand and Australia, lands of dramatic landscapes and laid-back vibes. In 2026, these scores highly: New Zealand seventh in World Happiness (7.12), Australia tenth (7.06). Numbeo notes Australia’s quality at 194.8. Livability here merges adventure with security, ideal for those fleeing density. New Zealand, Aotearoa, stuns with diversity from Auckland’s harbours to Fiordland’s mists. Pollution low (21.4), environment protected 30% national parks. Healthcare universal, scoring 73.8, life expectancy 82. Safety index 52.4, though urban crime rises slightly. Education free, innovative. Economy resilient, salaries NZ$5,000 monthly, work-life…

Having scaled alpine heights, we now seek deeper wells of contentment in Finland’s vast forests and Bhutan’s Himalayan enclaves. These lands, though distant, share a philosophy: happiness as a measurable goal. In 2026’s World Happiness Report, Finland reigns supreme at 7.84, Bhutan, though unranked in some due to data gaps, pioneers Gross National Happiness (GNH). Numbeo places Finland sixth (204.7). Here, livability transcends material wealth, embracing mental well-being, community, and ecology vital in our anxious era. Finland, the land of a thousand lakes (actually 188,000), weaves nature into daily existence. Helsinki’s design promotes biking and public saunas dot the city.…

From the fjords we’ve descended to the peaks, where Europe’s heart beats steadily amid towering Alps. In my journeys, I’ve found solace in Switzerland’s chocolate-box villages and Austria’s melodic valleysplaces where order and beauty conspire for exceptional livability. Building on our Nordic exploration, these nations rank highly in 2026 indices: Switzerland fifth on Numbeo (205.1), Austria ninth (198.3). U.S. News places Switzerland third for quality of life, praising its neutrality and innovation. Here, livability means pristine environments, economic prowess, and social cohesion antidotes to global turmoil. Switzerland, a confederation of cantons, embodies precision living. Zurich’s efficient trams glide past lakeside…

Bengal deserved better after 34 years of Left misrule. It got a leader who was personally incorruptible but built a system around herself that was anything but. History will struggle to know what to do with her. There is a woman in her seventies who sleeps four hours a night, walks barefoot as an act of political identity, paints in her spare moments, writes poetry nobody reads, and has won three consecutive assembly elections in a state that has humbled every opponent she has ever faced. She has survived assassination attempts, a broken leg from a political attack, the full…