Bombay and Calcutta were more than colonial capitals, they embodied imperial urban planning, economic integration, and cultural hybridity. From segregated ‘white’ and ‘black’ towns to thriving ports, industries, and nationalist thought, these cities reveal how British rule reshaped India’s urban life while leaving enduring legacies still visible today.
From the Arab Spring to Sri Lanka’s Aragalaya, street revolutions have ignited extraordinary hope, toppling entrenched rulers and inspiring global headlines. But history shows a harsher truth: these uprisings rarely deliver the transformation they promise. Once the euphoria fades, fractured coalitions give way to elite capture, military takeovers, or outright collapse. Without resilient institutions, the energy of the streets is easily co-opted, leaving ordinary citizens facing the same injustices under new faces.
South Asia’s democracies are being hollowed out by the cult of celebrity-politicians. Charisma is eclipsing competence, leaving institutions weakened.
Since the Taliban’s return in 2021, Afghanistan has plunged into isolation, economic collapse, and humanitarian disaster. Security threats from ISKP, worsening poverty, healthcare breakdown, the rollback of women’s rights, and mass displacement have left millions facing unprecedented hardship.
Afghanistan’s descent into chaos has transformed into a global crisis, driven by terrorism, narcotics, and human suffering. Since the Taliban’s return, the country has re-emerged as a dangerous incubator for extremist groups and a global hub for narcotics production, creating a vicious cycle that threatens regional stability and international security alike.
AI will change jobs, but high costs, regulations, and human skills mean it will partner with us rather than replace us entirely.
From economic revival to global diplomacy, Pakistan’s transformation offers a blueprint for turning adversity into sustainable progress.
India’s 2019 revocation of Article 370 marked the beginning of a settler-colonial project in Kashmir, echoing methods seen in Palestine, Crimea, and 1947 Jammu.
On July 22, 2025, Sufyan Baloch, a student, turned turned militant, got killed during a security operation against terrorists in Turbat, Balochistan. At just 25, he had a university degree, access to government-sponsored scholarships, and a promising future. But by the time of his death, he was a armed terrorist affiliated with the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).
South Asia’s megacities are a brutal paradox—gleaming towers overshadowing crumbling infrastructure. As cities like Delhi, Dhaka, Karachi, and Lahore buckle under pollution, inequality, and dysfunction, the urban crisis can no longer be ignored.