The structure of labour laws in India for the past seven decades was not only filled with a web of bureaucracy and complex, sometimes overlapping, rules, but also incompatible with the vision of the new industrial and innovative India. Illustration by The Geostrata This reality was embraced by the Government of India and the Ministry of Labour and Employment when Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya introduced four new bills to the parliament, which replaced the web of the previo

A democracy is ultimately judged not only by the laws it enacts but by how swiftly and fairly those laws are enforced. In India, this test is now being failed in slow motion. The National Judicial Data Grid reports over 5.1 crore cases pending across all courts as of December 2025, with district courts alone holding 4.69 crore. That turns the constitutional promise of speedy justice into a distant ideal for millions. Illustration by The Geostrata Every statistic hides a human

Faith, an individual’s glimmer of hope in trying times, the solace one seeks, takes an ugly turn when the state takes charge. The state, in the name of religion, begins to play god, the moral compass shifts and the dual-edged sword of balancing faith and individual liberty takes the limelight. Illustration by The Geostrata Theocratic states have consistently been ranked amongst the least free  countries, receiving the lowest scores on civil liberties and political rights. His

“The 2025 mandate was fought on the plank of a vivid and vivacious Bihar, with a near-perfect campaign pulled off by the NDA, and gaping failures for the opposition.” Illustration by The Geostrata The Bihar Assembly elections that occurred in 2025 provided one of the most resounding surprises and decisive verdicts in the political history of the state. Expected to be a hard-fought contest, the elections turned into a severe defeat for the opposition Mahagathbandhan party and

The Taliban coming to power in August 2021 represents not only a regime change, but it also reinstated one of the most oppressive regimes towards gender in history. To decode their politics, two crucial steps need to be followed: firstly, the geopolitical realities of the Afghanistan-Pakistan relations, and secondly, analysing the usage of state-sponsored violence from a feminist lens. Illustration by The Geostrata As Moghdam states, Afghanistan is the most aggressive cases o

In an ever-evolving, unpredictable world order, a moderate, realistic and flexible country has several opportunities to shape and influence it. It has been observed that opportunities in the international system do not wait for long. There is no true democracy in the global arena. Illustration by The Geostrata A middle-income country like India, which does not hold commanding formal positions at the high tables of bodies like the UN, must try to take the initiative in fields

The legitimacy of Jammu and Kashmir as a part of India is established in law and history, constitutional practice, and not merely a political accident. That is to say, Jammu and Kashmir has a legitimate legal basis, as a result of the Instrument of Accession, the Indian Independence Act of 1947, and the subsequent constitutional integration into the Republic of India. Illustration by The Geostrata THE LEGAL BASIS: THE INSTRUMENT OF ACCESSION On October 26, 1947 , Maharaja Ha

Migration and asylum have significantly influenced India's history, shaping its demographic and socio-political landscape. India’s approach, as a nation that has witnessed some of the largest migrations in history, has been shaped by a complex interaction of historical legacies, security imperatives, and humanitarian commitments. Illustration by The Geostrata India has traditionally adopted a pragmatic approach, providing refuge to persecuted groups like Tibetans and Sri Lank

From a toothbrush to a laptop, everything we need now arrives in under 30 minutes, driven by the engines of our gig economy, its workers. However, beneath all that facade, the paradox stares right back at us when these very convenience providers are today battling for basic protection and labour rights. Illustration by The Geostrata According to Niti Aayog, India had 7.7 million workers  in 2020-21, a number projected to further soar to  23.5 million workers by 2029-30. With

Pakistan, a country often finding itself splattered all across the globe when discussions revolve around its unabashed association with terrorism , yet again finds itself in the spotlight, all for the wrong reasons. The World Economic Forum Global Gender Report 2025   ranks Pakistan as the world’s worst nation for women. Illustration by The Geostrata A country where a woman once held the helm of affairs, today, is struggling to ensure women’s rights to walk safely outside

The culture we consume is the culture we create. Childhood, the very formative stage of an individual’s life, is often symbolised by the moulding of a pot. Too much water, or too much heat, and the vessel breaks. Childhood, too, works on a very similar balance of nurturing and protection.  However, as we transition into the age of digitalisation, with the hands that once held playbooks now being replaced with mobiles, a haunting reality of the generation in the making stares

The Supreme Court of India, in October 2024, questioning the logic behind the exclusion of marital rape as a criminal offence, questioned how preliminary acts of confinement, assault of a wife and criminal intimidation all amount to an offence, but the ‘act of forced sexual intercourse is alone not a crime ’. Illustration by The Geostrata According to the National Health Family Survey , conducted in 2022, nearly one in three women has fallen victim to spousal sexual and ph

Lal Bahadur Shastri is not just a name but a persona in itself. From June 9, 1964, till January 11, 1966 , Lal Bahadur Shastri served as the Prime Minister of India. He was born on October 2, 1904, at Mughalsarai, a small railway town seven miles from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. Lal Bahadur had a normal education in his small town. Despite struggles, he was keen on completing his education. Illustration by The Geostrata As he grew up, Lal Bahadur became more and more interest

Sports are an integral part of our lives. Whether it’s for recreation or survival, humans have been climbing, wrestling, and swimming since prehistoric times. These activities have now evolved into sports – individual or team.  Illustration by The Geostrata In today’s world, sports are not only seen as recreational but also as a career avenue. However, given the unfavourable conditions and the fate of sports as a career in India, efforts in this direction are long overdue; ot

In the digital age, under the constant gaze of prying eyes, surveilling every move and gnawing at every step, the smartphone screen, once meant for communication, has turned into a blackhole with algorithms not just reflecting who people are, but rather actively shaping them. Illustration by The Geostrata Psychologist Erik Erikson, in his theory on psychosocial development, expanded on the concept of identity and role confusion, with 12-18 years of age as the formative stage

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