In Focus by The Hindu

Nalini Netto, a retired IAS officer and former Chief Secretary of Kerala, looks back on the State’s seven-decade journey. She explores the foundations of Kerala’s development model, literacy, healthcare, migration and tourism. She also examines women’s freedom, institutional justice, Sabarimala, environmental pressures and the need for governments to confront failure, reassess grand projects and govern within their means.

Dr. Sadasivan S. Iyer, a Bengaluru pain-medicine specialist and Indian Society for the Study of Pain leader, discusses a major global study on pain. Why do women report more pain than men? How do hormones, caregiving, stress, poverty and midlife changes shape chronic pain? The conversation also examines why unexplained pain is dismissed and India’s slow move toward comprehensive pain care.

Christophe Jaffrelot, a French political scientist specializing in Indian politics and Hindu nationalism, and Irfan Nooruddin, a Georgetown scholar of elections and democratic institutions, examine whether the global far right is losing momentum. They discuss Trump’s influence, youth anxiety, housing and inequality, social media’s fragmented public sphere, voter distrust, and what resilient democratic institutions must do to counter populism.

Amol Karhadkar, The Hindu’s cricket journalist, examines Hardik Pandya’s blockbuster move from Mumbai Indians to Punjab Kings. He explores the breakdown between Pandya and Mumbai, the fallout from replacing Rohit Sharma, and Punjab’s plans for their new all-rounder. The conversation also considers Pandya’s injuries, changing role, and route back into India’s World Cup plans.

V. Ravichandar, an urban policy expert on Bengaluru’s BBMP restructuring, and N. S. Megharik, the city’s former police commissioner, discuss the city’s bold governance experiments. They explore splitting the police commissionerate, designing boundaries around crime and growth, grassroots policing, civic decentralisation, bureaucratic layers, and whether Bengaluru is creating a model for mega-city governance.

N. Sudarshan, The Hindu’s sports correspondent with over a decade covering football, cricket and tennis, examines Gianni Infantino’s likely fourth term at FIFA. The discussion explores his failed privatisation bid, alliances with powerful leaders, tensions with UEFA, and why Africa, Asia and India may back him. It also considers potential challengers and the forces shaping world football’s future.

Surat Parvatam, Senior Program Director for Research and Toxicology at Humane World for Animals, examines India’s draft animal-testing rules. The discussion explores expanded use of strays and wildlife, weaker oversight, subjective classifications of suffering, and risks to research quality. It also considers organ-on-chip technology, organoids, computational models, and how India could advance humane, human-relevant science.

John Xavier, The Hindu’s Technology Editor covering cybersecurity and digital platforms, breaks down Binance’s record $6.3 billion heist. He explores the fake-recruiter attack, malicious code and stolen assets, why crypto is so hard to recover, and how frozen funds challenge decentralization. He also examines state-backed hackers, Binance’s regulatory troubles, and safer storage for investors.

K. M. Gopakumar, a pharmaceutical regulation and public health expert, and Indu Bhushan, economist and former Ayushman Bharat CEO, examine whether lower cancer-drug MRPs mean affordable care. They discuss patented therapies, hospital and supply-chain margins, biosimilars, screening, insurance gaps, catastrophic household costs, and the case for a dedicated national cancer mission.

Amol Karhadkar, The Hindu’s Deputy Editor for Sports and an Indian cricket specialist, examines the power behind India’s selection room. He explores Ajit Agarkar’s legacy, Pragyan Ojha’s challenge, captain-coach influence, and the vast scouting network. The conversation also covers Test cricket’s transition, succession planning for Kohli and Rohit, and India’s 2027 World Cup dilemmas.