There are no pure vegetarians. That’s just advertising, and it is time we called its bluff. A grammatical error cannot be a shortcut to salvation. One can, of course, be purely vegetarian or onlyvegetarian, but purity doesn’t enter into it. Yes, all cultures and religions have “purity laws” when it comes to food, but the […]

The COVID-19 pandemic transformed biological research from a specialised scientific pursuit into a subject of global political debate. High-containment laboratories, pathogen surveillance, biosafety and gain-of-function (GoF) research, once discussed largely within scientific journals, have become matters of public policy and national security. The recent disclosures by the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence […]

The sixth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6, 2023-24), released recently, does not present a flattering picture of the nation’s health, and of women’s and child health in particular. Indicators such as body mass index levels lower than normal for both men and women show that nutrition for neither is anywhere near ideal. […]

Like most of us, I am part of several school, college, and neighbourhood WhatsApp groups. Apart from politics and civic issues, the one unfailing subject that attracts intense, and sometimes angry, discussion is the sudden illness of a family member or friend and the experience families face in hospitals. This, I suspect, is a common […]

The West Bengal government has handed over mid-day meal preparation in Kolkata to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Eggs have disappeared from the menu. So have onion and garlic. West Bengal is not an isolated case. ISKCON, the Akshaya Patra Foundation (APF), and other religious charities that dominate the centralised supply of mid-day […]

Globally, India has the highest number of children and adolescents living with type 1 diabetes, yet for years, very little has been done to set up a structured model of care for them at the grassroots and district levels. This changed on April 30, 2026, when the Centre officially brought diabetes in children under the […]

India has crossed an important public health milestone in its battle against dengue. Nearly six decades after the country’s first recorded dengue epidemic, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) on July 20 approved the QDENGA vaccine from Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical, making it the first dengue vaccine to receive marketing approval. The decision marks the […]

What will it take to ensure high-quality healthcare with dignity for every person regardless of age, gender, socio-economic status, religion, or citizenship status? Who is excluded from such care and why? Is such a goal even affordable, and if so, how? Can private provision of care ensure equitable healthcare? These and other questions related to […]

The inadequacies of India’s healthcare system are an oft-repeated refrain in civil society and policy advocacy circles and are quite familiar to those engaged with providing healthcare services directly. Yet, the book Staying Alive: Dispatches from the Margins offers an unusual voice and depth that demands that it be read and reread to keep our humanity refreshed. […]

Asmita likes that time of the month when she gets to swing on the weighing scale, with all eyes on her until the needle stops. Then, hoisted down, she is made to stand with her back against the vertical ruler of the stadiometer. Loving hands cup her cheeks to hold her head straight as they […]