You may believe what you wish, provided you first tell the government, survive the suspicion and prove your innocence. Maharashtra’s new law places the machinery of the State between citizens and thei
Fr. Gaurav Nair
Maharashtra's anti-conversion law does not protect religious freedom; it places conscience under surveillance. By making voluntary faith a bureaucratic and potentially criminalised act, it empowers vi
John Dayal
You may be supremely happy that your Freedom of Religion Bill has received the President's assent and has now come into force in Maharashtra. But there is an irony that you may not have noticed.
A. J. Philip
India's children are discovering the power of protest. Their demands are modest. Safe classrooms, clean water, toilets, teachers and dignity. If governments silence those who expose these failures rat
Jacob Peenikaparambil
Gonsalves was born on April 5, 1954, in Munnar, nestled in the Western Ghats in Idukki District of Kerala, into a prominent Anglo-Indian family from Pallippuram in Kochi's Vypin. He was the eldest son
Renjith Leen
A "church-free Odisha" must not become a cause for fear or retaliation. Christians must respond with truth, courage and peace, remembering that our strongest witness is faithful service: building brid
Vande Mataram once united Indians against colonialism. Its appropriation today seeks to turn a shared national symbol into a test of Hindu nationalism and patriotism, diverting attention from governan
Recent cases of infants abandoned in Haryana, Karnataka and Jharkhand expose a legal system built for children who can speak, not infants who cannot. Strict criminal penalties for abandonment push par
The smartphone may be the millstone of our age: a pocket-sized idol that promises connection but breeds distraction. When we surrender ourselves to its endless pull, children learn to imitate us. True
Dolly's faith was heard not only in gospel songs but also in her generosity. Through her Imagination Library, she placed millions of books into the hands of children. She did not merely sing about lov
Robert Clements
A democracy must distinguish between an armed insurgent and a questioning citizen. Calling critics, students, academics or activists "Dimaagi Naxals" is unacceptable. Strength lies not in silencing di
As I watched, I could not help remembering the interview I did with your father, NKP Salve, for Jain TV in the 1990s. Goswami, I presume, was then still "studying for some time in a Jesuit-run school,
A. J. Philip
After years in abeyance, Justice Sunday returns at a moment of profound national crisis. From poverty and exclusion to attacks on minorities and environmental destruction, the Church is called to recl
Cedric Prakash
Israel has transformed from the biblical David into a heavily armed Goliath. Self-defence cannot justify occupation, mass displacement and civilian suffering. The world must find the courage to act.
P. A. Chacko
Pellet guns were fired at protesting students, and nobody can say who ordered it. The issue has transcended one incident. Power remains concentrated, but responsibility is endlessly dispersed.
Beneath India's boasts of growth and power, a deeper restlessness is spreading. Jobs vanish, institutions weaken, citizens move, dissent is silenced, and trust collapses; the CJP's rise reflects this
Thomas Menamparampil
Sanatan borders bruised me In caste societies. Left Ideologies crushed me In European societies. Sharia societies Erased my skin.
Unity is beautiful, but only when united around what is right. Otherwise, unity merely allows everyone to become lost without feeling lonely.
Robert Clements
Bengal once welcomed missionaries who built schools, hospitals and presses, enriching the region's education, healthcare and reform. Today, priests are told to leave their parishes. The irony is devas
With Christians constituting barely 2.3 per cent of India's population, the charge of mass forced conversion defies logic. Yet anti-conversion laws pivot charity into "allurement," suspicion and crime
Chhotebhai
Dr RB Sreekala's work brings out something beautiful in Koodashappana: how a German Jesuit, Kerala's Malayalam tradition and Sanskrit learning came together to tell the story of Jesus in the language
A. J. Philip
Eighty years after Independence, the question is whether Indians remain free. With increasing threats to citizenship, dissent, faith and liberty, Swaraj demands a second struggle to defend freedom for
Jacob Peenikaparambil
The Old Testament is insistent on this point almost to the point of severity. When Moses approached the burning bush, he was told, "Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on
Nehru's Cabinet was surrounded by persons who did not share his ideology. They were retained mostly out of a sense of loyalty to old colleagues, persons who fought side by side for Independence.
You think I am a forbidden fruit, unworthy of your love. But I never think You are a forbidden fruit, Even though India forbids your Nagalim.
The truly confident leader does not need ridicule. He does not humiliate opponents or turn every speech into a performance about his own greatness. His strength is visible in restraint, fairness, humi
Robert Clements
Political independence was never Gandhi's final destination. He envisioned a Republic rooted in constitutional values, social justice and human dignity. Every Independence Day invites a single questio
Joe Eruppakkatt
The Arthashastra counsels engagement, accountability and informed leadership—not disappearance. A government that retreats from Parliament while students demand justice betrays not only democratic con
A. J. Philip
It should not be surprising when a generation denied its future by governments prioritising identity and ideology over employment, education, and opportunity transforms frustration into resistance and
Jacob Peenikaparambil
The battle over eggs is really a battle over India's priorities. A nation serious about defeating child malnutrition cannot allow ideology, caste prejudices, or religious taboos to determine what its
John Dayal
Branding the youth as "misled" is rich coming from a regime whose greatest political asset has been relentless propaganda. Social media narratives can manufacture consent, but they cannot manufacture
You appeared like a moon-flower in 2002, you shone like moonlight until 2004. Where did you go from Pondicherry? For so long, I searched for you among the moon-flowers.
During his visit to Seychelles, Modiji is reported to have spent time meeting the oldest living animal, a 194-year-old tortoise. But in India, he has no time to listen to the younger generation, the u
Thomas Menamparampil
Old men of India, listen carefully. The world has changed. Go home gracefully. And if you have no home to return to, build an old folk's home together. Sit comfortably, play recordings of how obedient
Robert Clements