One of India's longest-standing insurgent groups ULFA recently signed a memorandum of settlement with the Indian government. Journalist and author of 'ULFA: The Mirage of Dawn', Rajeev Bhattacharyya talks to TOI's Jayanta Kalita about what the latest peace agreement means, and how ULFA rose and then lost influence in Assam

Decoding the rise, and fading away, of ULFA

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Author and mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik talks about the idea of a non-biological birth across faiths, why the idea exists and how it has been used to shape history. 

Ask Devdutt Pattanaik: Why does the idea of 'non-biologically born' matter across mythologies?



Two cases - one in Pune and the other in Uttarakhand - bring to the spotlight juveniles and the criminal justice system again. Sidharth Pillai, co-founder of the Rati Foundation, talks to TOI's Ambika Pandit about the challenges of tackling online sexual abuse that involves teenagers. Then Monica Kumar from the Manas Foundation talks about why the reformation of underage accused shouldn't be ignored. And finally, Gitanjali Prasad from the Azim Premji Foundation talks about what the Pune case reveals about the juvenile justice system. 

Juveniles in justice system

At a time the serial Heeramandi is making waves, Manish Gaekwad - who wrote the 'The Last Courtesan' - talks about chronicling his mother's life, the death of kothas in Mumbai and how his mother adapted to life after leaving the kotha.



The decline of the courtesans

Political scientist and author Hilal Ahmed from CSDS explains what we get wrong about the Muslim voter and what's wrong with the many preconceived notions that are there about Muslims and politics.   



What we continue to get wrong about the Muslim voter

The Indian cricket board is seeking a new coach for the men's cricket team as Rahul Dravid's tenure winds down. Columnist and author Anand Vasu talks about Dravid's tenure, explains who are the frontrunners to replace him, what sort of candidate the board is seeking and the benefits (and pitfalls) of being Team India's coach. 



Decoding the rise, and fading away, of ULFA

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