Editorial

The 2023 Asian Games have begun with a flurry of excitement and anticipation, and India continues to comfortably hold its place in the fourth position with a medal tally boasting 15 gold, 26 silver and 28 bronze at this juncture. As we celebrate these early successes, it's crucial to assess the nation's hopes and prospects for the remainder of the games. Over the years, India has managed to impose its presence in the Asian Games, and this year is no different. The 15 gold medals secured so far are proof...

While describing the essence and the real mean ing of education, Greek biographer Plutarch has said that, "The mind is not a vessel to be filled (with education), but a fire (of knowledge) to be kindled." Unfortunately today, the minds of our students are occupied with information but are not knowledgeable enough. Nagaland for long is emulating the same pattern, and the teaching system is torn between two giants - the state and the education sellers. On the one hand with the huge organization and well-qualified human resource, the state...

It's been three years since the National Education Policy 2020 laid out a map for a long-overdue re-imagination of Indian education. As was the case with almost everything else, the COVID-19 pandemic had slowed down the implementation of this aspired transition. Thus, even after the lapse of roughly 36 months, we find that it is still not a big enough sample to evaluate a policy which proposes vital shifts in education: from creating a system in which "children not only learn, but more importantly learn how to learn", to one...

Every human being has a baggage of all good and bad genes. But what matters is that we should not trigger any one of the bad genes through our actions. Unfortunately we, as individuals and community, seem to be bent on nurturing all our bad genes as we have come to believe that our writ will run only if we are rogues, liars, cheats, oppressors, tyrants, thieves and corrupt. This may be the result of the suppression and oppression that we have gone through over the years at the hands...

We are now grappling with the challenge of a burgeoning elderly population. The demographic shift, driven by improved living standards and evolving healthcare, is undeniable. With the decadal growth rate of the elderly population of India currently estimated to be at 41%, and the percentage of elderly population in the country projected to double to over 20% of total population by 2050, the United Nations Population Fund, India (UNFPA) in its 2023 India Ageing Report has said that by 2046 it is likely that elderly population will have surpassed the...

Behind a bright veneer of teaching and learning lies the dark underbelly of our education system. Private schooling has become a ruthless race for amassing more and more in less and less time. That is how an uneducated farmer laments our education system. The epigraph captures the whole philosophy of exploitation done in the name of education. Exceptions apart generally our education industry is becoming a mafia with the only difference is that mafias, to exercise their sinister influence, operate secretly, but this one is open and ironically the 'noblest'...

In Nagaland, as is the case throughout the country, the public's frustration with political parties that time and again fail to deliver on their promises has remained alarmingly consistent. This pervasive disillusionment is not only justified but also indicative of a deeply rooted problem in our multi-party system. As cliché as it comes across, it is, nevertheless, high time for the political parties to recognise the gravity of the situation, introspect and reorient themselves towards addressing the genuine needs and aspirations of the electorate. The glaring chasm between political rhetoric...

We are reeling under a steep price hike. The cost of essential commodities has gone through the roof. The common man as such finds himself hard pressed to manage two square meals a day. But this is not the cause of concern, because inflation remains a fact of life. What is shocking is that price rise is not a part of the political discourse in our state. One doesn't hear the state government speak on the issue, nor does opposition pretend to agitate the matter. Leave price rise aside. Take...

At the end of an emergency meeting among doctors, Dimapur district administration officials and the Health Minister Paiwang Konyak on September 20, the DIPR reported, the authorities came up with certain standard operating procedures (SOP) to address the rapid rise in Dengue cases in the district. Other than forming a Dengue Response Team headed by the Minister, they also devised a contingency plan for Dengue patients requiring hospital admission and treatment. Towards this, the Christian Institute of Health Sciences and Research (CIHSR) and District Hospital Dimapur (DHD) agreed to keep...

For a nation that is home to more than a billion people, one would tend to assume that blood donation ranks among the list of utmost importance. After all, a robust blood supply is the lifeline of a healthcare system. However, the grim reality in India is far from reassuring. The importance of blood donation cannot be overstated and it is high time we address the critical issues that plague this vital aspect of public health. First and foremost, it is imperative to recognise that India faces a perpetual shortage...