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Rahul Shivshankar

Rahul Shivshankar

The Times of India

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Opinion | 40 Days Of War, A Fragile Pause: Trump’s Ceasefire Notches More Questions Than Wins

Opinion | 40 Days Of War, A Fragile Pause: Trump’s Ceasefire Notches More Questions Than Wins

The guns have fallen silent for now, but the fundamentals of the conflict remain unresolved, and the balance of leverage has only shifted, not settled

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Trump’s 'Nuclear Rhetoric' Is Collapsing Diplomacy

Opinion | Trump’s 'Nuclear Rhetoric' Is Collapsing Diplomacy

Aside from Trump’s tactical shortsightedness, the threat exposes his total disregard for moral propriety

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Selective Outrage: When The West Applauds Its Myths But Judges India’s

Opinion | Selective Outrage: When The West Applauds Its Myths But Judges India’s

Why suggest that when Western filmmakers rewrote the narrative on Vietnam it was catharsis but when Indian filmmakers take a leaf out of the same...

31.03.2026 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Capability Versus Causality: The Great US-Israel Miscalculation On Iran

The US-Israel alliance may succeed in retarding Iran’s nuclear programme. But it is far harder to extinguish the motivations that sustain it

26.03.2026 10

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | This Is Not India’s War To Mediate

While there is a compelling case to be made for India inserting itself in a manner commensurate with its regional stature, this isn’t that conflict....

25.03.2026 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Fury In The Gulf: Why Is China Missing In Action?

If Iran were to become a US client state, as Donald Trump hopes, China would suddenly find itself vulnerable in a region where it hopes to exercise...

10.03.2026 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Could Iran End Up Becoming Trump’s Ukraine?

US President Trump's goal of regime change in Iran seems unattainable. Tehran uses asymmetrical tactics and proxies to stretch enemy defenses, leading...

03.03.2026 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Trump Has Brought Devastation To Dubai’s Efforts To Reimagine Its Future

The very security umbrella that enabled Dubai to reimagine its future now risks turning it into the frontline of someone else’s conflict

01.03.2026 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | SC Versus NCERT: Can Contempt Replace Confidence?

Institutional legitimacy is not secured through blanket bans. It is secured by structural transparency and demonstrable accountability

26.02.2026 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Baniyans & Bedlam: Congress Party Scales Summit Of Political Pettiness

Of late, under the more impulsive leadership of Rahul Gandhi, the Congress party has embraced a brand of gonzo politics

20.02.2026 10

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | India’s MANAV Moment: Humans Above Algorithms

The MANAV model sees AI not as a race for power but as a shared human project. It puts people first and insists that technology must serve society,...

19.02.2026 40

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Bofors To Rafale: Has PM Modi Successfully Ended The Scam Veto On Defence Procurement?

The Modi administration has cut out middlemen and adopted an institutional mechanism, preferring government-to-government procurement

17.02.2026 10

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | A Memo From History For Sergio Gor

History cautions against confusing tactical alignment with strategic partnership. US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor would do well to remember that

16.02.2026 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Verdict Bangladesh: Dhaka’s New Pivot, Delhi’s New Dilemma

Henceforth, an 'India-baiting' BNP will rule, and an allegedly Hindu 'genocide' normalising Jamaat-e-Islami will sit in Opposition

15.02.2026 30

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Supreme Choke On Woke War Over The ‘Main-Screening’ Of Anti-Hindu Bias

Today, being Hindu, especially upper caste, increasingly comes with the presumption that your faith is fair game

13.02.2026 40

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Restoring Vande Mataram, Rejecting The Politics Of 1937

Since 1937, when Muhammad Ali Jinnah took offence, Indians have only ever sung the first two stanzas of their National Song

12.02.2026 10

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Rs 10 Crore Wheels, A VIP 'Brat' And The Impunity Of New Money

If proven, the Kanpur Lamborghini case will be yet another grim illustration of a strain of nouveau riche culture that confuses money with moral...

10.02.2026 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Trump Got The Message: India's Autonomy Is Not For Trade

India clearly has not budged on its most closely held red lines. The India of an era gone by would not have been able to go toe-to-toe with the United...

04.02.2026 10

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | UGC Rules Row: The Woke Drift Inside A Nationalist State

It is a striking irony that the Centre should now find itself pulled up by the Supreme Court for adopting rules that appear to cut against the grain...

30.01.2026 10

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Rahul Shivshankar

Are Temples Public Parks? Badrinath-Kedarnath Proposal Is About Autonomy, Not Exclusion

If a religious institution lacks the ability to determine who may enter and under what conditions, religious freedom is reduced to symbolism rather...

28.01.2026 10

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Delhi Instead Of Davos? Why WEF Is Sliding Down The Wrong Mountain

As Asia now contributes over 50% of global GDP growth, a forum meant to shape the future cannot remain anchored in the economic past

22.01.2026 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Gaza To Greenland: Trump’s Unilateral World And India’s Red Line

A US-led, Trump-chaired Gaza “Board of Peace” that sidelines traditional multilateralism, and renewed talk of asserting control over Greenland,...

20.01.2026 40

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | BMC Polls: More Than A City’s Mandate That India Needs To Track

Mumbai’s municipal ballot carries consequences far beyond the city. It touches the health of India’s democratic ecosystem

16.01.2026 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Trumpianism: How The West Morally Hollowed Out The Order It Built

Donald Trump has eviscerated idealism with the wrecking ball of neo-imperialism

13.01.2026 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Somnath And The Unfinished Reckoning

From Somnath to Kashi, reconciliation cannot be demanded from only one side. Until history is confronted honestly, closure will remain incomplete

10.01.2026 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Khalid & Imam: Has The Supreme Court Rewritten Bail Jurisprudence?

The Supreme Court appeared to suggest that delay in trial cannot be treated as a trump card by accused persons to secure bail

06.01.2026 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Bondi Bloodbath: Is Islamist Hate Whitewashed?

This whitewashing emboldens radicals who read denial as weakness

16.12.2025 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion: Dhurandhar Exposes Not Just Pakistan, But Left-Lib Double Standards

In a truly liberal country, isn’t it hypocritical to chain creativity to a politically convenient correctness?

13.12.2025 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | The $67-Billion Vote Of Confidence: Why World’s Big Tech Is Betting Its Future On India

India is not replacing China as the world’s manufacturing base. But in the digital economy, India is emerging as the main alternative

11.12.2025 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Deepam Row: Is Opposition Impeaching ‘Justice’ For Hindus?

An impeachment notice against a sitting High Court judge is designed to have a chilling effect on the judiciary

10.12.2025 10

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Restore 'Vande Mataram': A National Song Should Not Be Half Sung

A national song by its very definition is meant to evoke patriotic fervour. And 'Vande Mataram', which literally translates to 'Hail...

09.12.2025 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Aviation Emergency: IndiGo Gets Its Exemption, Bharat Gets Betrayed

Citizens of Bharat deserve better than a system where the watchdog and the dominant airline act in concert to lower passenger safety, not raise it

06.12.2025 30

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | The Modi-Putin Meeting Is The Message: Western Paternalism Is On Notice

At a time when global politics is once again being pushed into rigid blocs, India and Russia will hope to reaffirm their long-held belief: strategic...

05.12.2025 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Digital Racism: Not The First Time That NDA's Desi App Faces Attack Foreign Apps Rarely Do

The opposition and some cyber experts are convinced that Narendra Modi-led NDA is also going to use Sanchar Saathi to keep track of citizens and...

03.12.2025 10

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Eulogising Hidma At India Gate: A Warning From The Campus Frontlines

The site of the eulogy to Maoist terrorist Hidma by some university students was within touching distance of the iconic Amar Jawan Jyoti, which is a...

25.11.2025 10

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | The Debate Has Ended: Terror Has An Ideology And Umar Nabi Has Self-Identified

The question is, does the political executive have the will to empower the security agencies to devise fixes that can match the threat?

19.11.2025 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Bihar TsuNaMo: Why Brand Modi Bucks The Global Anti-Incumbency Trend

Brand Modi appears to have transcended conventional identity fault lines to connect with disparate audiences

15.11.2025 10

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | 10/11 Delhi Attack: Why Pakistan’s Deep State No Longer Fears India’s Deterrence

Pakistan’s military establishment may have misread India’s restraint as weakness rather than strategic calibration

12.11.2025 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion: Terror Has A Religion, ‘White Collar Jihad’ Tests Limits Of Political Correctness

Investigations revealed that these radicalised doctors were in contact with foreign handlers operating from Pakistan and other countries

11.11.2025 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | NYC For Mamdani: Why There’s No Shame If All Indians Aren’t Cheering For Him

While Mamdani may have succeeded in energising and appeasing New York’s sizeable Muslim electorate, portions of the Hindu diaspora feel he does not...

06.11.2025 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Trump Drops Pak N-Test Bomb. Time India Alters N-Posture?

The claim has caused jaws to drop across the world and came in response to a question on why Donald Trump wants the United States to resume nuclear...

04.11.2025 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Anthem Of Discord: In Row Over 'Amar Sonar Bangla', One Side's Pride Is Another's Prejudice?

For all its talk of tolerance, the Congress in Assam has taken the side of Bengali speakers

31.10.2025 30

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Age Of Consent: Why 16 Is Still Too Young

It may be true that some 16- to 18-year-olds possess the maturity to decide when, where, and with whom they want to have sex. But the exception...

28.10.2025 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Even Islam Can’t Undo What Pakistan Has Brought Upon Itself

If Pakistan’s rulers still believe faith alone can hold the nation together, they are mistaking dogma for nationhood

14.10.2025 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | 5 Reasons Why India Is Right To Change Its Mind About Taliban

Some have already begun lashing out at the Modi government for its dalliance with the Taliban

11.10.2025 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Statue, Faith, And A Shoe: Has Hindu Patience Become A Burden?

The shoe-throwing incident may be the first indication that prolonged patience is being severely tested

08.10.2025 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | The US-Pakistan Tango Is A Reset That Has Consequences For India

Since the Cold War, the US-Pakistan relationship has always tilted in Washington's favour but never without consequences for India

07.10.2025 30

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | India Bashing Peaks In America: Not Desi Diaspora’s Duty To Speak Up?

The Indian-American community can look across to the Jewish-American community, which is highly organised politically

04.10.2025 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | I Love Muhammad Vs Jai Shri Ram: The Chronicle of A False Equivalence

On the surface, both slogans are religious incantations. Yet, the two are fundamentally different in origin, history, and philosophical underpinning

02.10.2025 20

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Rahul Shivshankar

Opinion | Don’t Mistake India-Pakistan Sport For Virtue: It’s War By Other Means

The Indian team captain’s decision to not shake his counterpart’s hand in Dubai is very much in keeping with the tradition of using cricket to...

30.09.2025 20

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Rahul Shivshankar