Historically, various forms of governments have emerged, ranging from coercive– authoritarian, totalitarian, dictatorial, despotic, fascist, autocratic, to participative models like democracy. Somewhere between the spectrum lie forms of governance like monarchy, oligarchy, kleptocracy, and the very recent ones like broligarchy. These terms may sound similar and at times used interchangeably, but their essence does differ- Same, Same but Different! Illustration by The Geostrat

Embedded in our history, scriptures, and sciences, the transgender community has made an indelible mark on what we proudly deem to be our culture. Composed  of Hijras , eunuchs, Kothis, Aravanis, Jogappas, Shiv-Shakthis etc, the community finds its roots tracing back to the Vedas, Puranas, and other significant oral and written traditions like the Ramayana. Illustration by The Geostrata The community is often referred to as ‘napunsaka,’ which means someone with the inability

The framers of the Constitution of India were wise enough to understand the vast, dynamic and expansive nature of the country. Therefore, by placing the sovereignty of India in its Constitution, it allowed for a quasi-federal relationship between the centre and the state. The administration of the evolving urban areas comes under the domain of each state, respectively. Illustration by The Geostrata Thus, one can say it's an individual performance-based public management of re

Held from the 4th of March, 2026 to the 12th, the “Two Sessions” , the annual meeting of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) — the People's Republic of China’s national legislative body  — and the 4th session of the 14th  National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China’s paramount political institution, marked   a critical event in shaping Beijing’s agendas for the year 2026. Illustration by The Geostrata An estimated 5,000

In Myanmar, the ruling military authorities, namely, the State Administration Council, projected the 2026 elections  as a move toward political normalisation. In reality, the polls occurred during a worsening civil war, forced migration and severe political repression. Massive chunks of the country’s territory remained beyond effective control of the state (the Tatmadaw), major opposition forces had refused to participate, and millions were deprived of their vote by insecurit

The recent strike  by delivery partners on New Year's Eve brought the inherent issues of the gig economy to the surface. The strike conducted by thousands of delivery partners   working on delivery-based apps put forward their demands for a fair minimum income, compensation including fuel & maintenance, better health and insurance coverage for accident protection, along with formal recognition as “workers” rather than merely “partners.” Illustration by The Geostrata These dem

The fighting spirit which the women folk of Iran have shown, will someday become a folk Lore to inspire character, consistency and credence. IRAN'S HISTORY - MESOPOTAMIA TO PERSIA AND TODAY'S CONUNDRUM Iran’s present-day struggle over women’s rights cannot be understood without looking far beyond the modern Islamic Republic. The roots of gendered control in Iran stretch deep into history, long before contemporary political Islam, and even before the formation of Persia itself

“Leaders like Ajit Pawar continue to earn respect even in their absence as their work speaks volumes”.  28th January was a business-as-usual day for the late Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar . A flight to his favourite karmabhoomi  (workplace), Baramati, and addressing the people of his own constituency for the ongoing local body elections in the state. Yet, what wasn't thought of was that this would be the last and final take-off of Maharashtra's development

In a world that is increasingly interdependent, with crime and commercial disputes occurring across jurisdictions, international cooperation with respect to the legal and judicial aspects of these disputes is critical.  Illustration by The Geostrata On July 31, 2025, India and Morocco, two nations with a long diplomatic relationship, took the next steps toward furthering international cooperation by issuing a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT)  and a related Memorandum of

He spoke the language of poetry, but he thought in the grammar of geopolitics. Jawaharlal Nehru was not only the political architect of independent India; he was also the architect of its identity in the world. When he took over as leader in 1947, India was a battered, partitioned country, impoverished from colonial exploitation and unsure about its future. Illustration by The Geostrata But Nehru envisioned something more significant than survival; he imagined an India that c

“When the state whose Babasaheb Ambedkar gave India its constitution, stumbles, it's truly a time to do political course correction.” The election season of the year is back in full swing, and this time the boiling pot is Maharashtra. The state with the highest urbanisation index is currently undergoing the process of electing all its urban local bodies in the form of municipalities and municipal corporations. Illustration by The Geostrata It is these elections that matter fo

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