Modern times

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat told people in New York that a Hindu who believes Muslims should be driven out of India “cannot remain a Hindu.” (PTI)

Manu Joseph: Why we should trust the RSS when it says good things

4 min read . 06 Sept 2026

Escaping India within India is now more expensive than escaping it by leaving it. (ANI Video Grab )

Manu Joseph: If you know how to live, you have nowhere to live in India

5 min read . 30 Aug 2026

The issues consuming the country are schools, roads, exam leaks and unemployment. (PTI)

Manu Joseph: Is India’s stamina for useless issues finally on the decline?

4 min read . 23 Aug 2026

In May, Tukaram Mundhe took over as Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration commissioner. (PTI)

Manu Joseph: Why do good things happen in India? Here's a theory

4 min read . 16 Aug 2026

In any endeavour where tens of thousands apply or create something, there is no human way to fairly analyse all of them. (AI-generated)

Manu Joseph: How AI could rescue us from the gatekeepers of acclaim

6 min read . 09 Aug 2026

When speaking one’s mind is risky, people shut up. (AP Photo/Mahendra Kolhe)

Manu Joseph: Why a muzzled India grants a low bar for satire

5 min read . 02 Aug 2026

India is so vast that even the top 10% who have ‘made it’ are a huge number, and their disenchantment is a powerful political force. (HT)

Manu Joseph: The BJP appears in trouble but the reason isn’t what it seems

5 min read . 26 Jul 2026

Much of Nolan’s success comes from a combination of special factors.

Manu Joseph: Why is Christopher Nolan such a famous filmmaker?

4 min read . 19 Jul 2026

The street hero is vital when people don’t expect the government to show up or make a big difference even if it did. (PTI)

Manu Joseph: Does the Indian street hero capture what’s wrong with India?

5 min read . 12 Jul 2026

The murder has made Indians lament arranged marriage and parental dictatorship. (X)

Manu Joseph: The Siya Goyal case reveals a naive hunt for motives

4 min read . 05 Jul 2026

Scholars differ on how strenuous daily exercise must be to be meaningful, but broadly there is no dispute that it has to be strenuous. (AP)

Manu Joseph: why state-sponsored yoga is largely a pointless exercise

4 min read . 28 Jun 2026

An audience member at a comedy show revealed how millions of young men might think: that paying for dinner buys something more.

Manu Joseph: why even bad biryani jokes should pass as free speech

5 min read . 21 Jun 2026

The Cockroach Janata Party is the 2026 version of an amateur political storm. (HT)

Manu Joseph: an idea that could help the Cockroach Janata Party

5 min read . 14 Jun 2026

People drive their vehicles on the wrong side of the road in full public view.

Manu Joseph: what rising wrong-side driving says about India's future

5 min read . 07 Jun 2026

A Catholic priest’s understanding of the world may be reflecting a broader intellect than that of the tech savants who shape this era. (AP)

Manu Joseph: why the pope is right about one danger of AI in particular

5 min read . 31 May 2026

An Englishman called Roger Bannister ran a mile in under four minutes in 1954 and it was considered one of the greatest feats in sports at the time. (AP)

Manu Joseph: One of the most famous motivational stories is a myth

4 min read . 24 May 2026

Poverty is not a temporary misfortune of the fortunate. (AI-generated)

Manu Joseph: Why some people put on poverty as if it’s make-up

4 min read . 17 May 2026

Vijay made a spectacular debut in politics. (AFP)

Manu Joseph: Why does a classmate’s fame feel personal?

5 min read . 10 May 2026

There is a symbiosis between business class and coach. (AI-generated)

Manu Joseph: What the business class seat says about inequality

4 min read . 03 May 2026

When expression is suffocated, what emerges are clichés and propaganda. (AI-generated)

Manu Joseph: Why India cannot film itself—even for a documentary

4 min read . 26 Apr 2026