Indian Institute of Students

The recent R.M. Lodha panel judgement on the IPL spot fixing case has left many in a fix. The Court has announced the suspension of two of the teams, the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals. Although the official rule-book could have allowed for harsher punishments, the honorable Court has passed the ruling for a two year suspension only. However, there is a flip side to everything: this decision can bring about adverse effects on the future of the cash-rich Indian Premier League. There are a few ramifications that needs to be dealt with urgently. First of all, the Court has not made it clear whether a separate private entity or an individual can rebuild the management, so as to allow for the city's participation. In the history of the Indian Premier League, such a similar action was taken for the Deccan Chargers. When the Deccan Chargers became non-existential, it was renamed as 'Sunrisers Hyderabad', managed by a different network, but with ...

The following is a guest post by Sinchula Banerjee, and it has been accepted as it meets the guidelines. Certain parts of the original has been edited to bring out a more clear picture.  India- standing on her sixty-seventh year of independence- has undergone drastic changes in society, education, ways of living, financial position and a host of other things. It is not practically feasible to enlist all the changes that man has evolved through, and thus I will make a humble attempt to cover as much as possible. Part 1: Society and Development Change is the only constant. Society changes with change in technology, change in people's outlook, and more obviously, change in generation. The much-revered freedom fighters of yesteryear are only names to memorise today. Subhas Chandra Bose, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Mahatma Gandhi are names of personalities to be mentioned only on the eve of the Independence day. Do people nowadays actually feel for the nation when they sing t...

To begin with, what is terrorism? According to Oxford, "Terrorism is the use of violent action in order to achieve some political aim or force a government to act". It affects each and every nation, and even us on a personal level. The Middle East and nations of South East Asia are the most infested with the problem of terrorism, as per statistical data. Over the last few decades, the number of terrorist organizations have grown exponentially. As the old saying goes, unity is strength. In Iraq, the Islamic State, nicknamed 'ISIS' is the most brutal of all terror networks till date. It shocked the world with its series of beheadings of Western journalists and resource men. The group has no respect for anyone suspected to be an infidel- that is, anyone who is a non-Muslim is unwelcome. It highlights their policy of intolerance- which is in stark contrast with one of the fundamental pillars of Gandhism. What people should realise is that war cannot be ended...

It is common knowledge that Modi likes to brag about his achievements, comparing them in a "before me" and "after me" style. However, his remarks abroad have not lifted up the pride of Indians, but rather shoved it down. His normally flamboyant Twitter page has been shamed for the first time, with Twitterati reacting strongly against Mr. Modi's downgrading comments in Seoul and Shanghai in his latest string of foreign tours. From archives, it is clear that this habit is no stranger to the PM: Last month itself, the Congress accused Modi of eroding the country's stature by calling it as a "beggar" nation in Germany, and a "Scam India" in Canada. This time though, he has touched new heights. In the recently concluded three-nation tour, the Prime Minister seemed rather happy to announce that Indians, before him, were "ashamed to be born in India". Political complacency is acceptable- but not when it starts to hurt a n...

The recent earthquake of Nepal will certainly go down the annals of history as one of the most devastating quakes. With a death toll that estimates a figure of 6204, the figure is only a rough estimation- there maybe thousands still trapped, and who are desperately looking for help. These natural calamities cannot be predicted beforehand, and as such we cannot take concrete steps to win the battle against Mother Nature herself. Although the situation does seem really gloom, there are a few things that we can (and should) learn. The Government of India must be praised for their sincere effort to help and rescue not only its citizens, but also people of foreign nationality in Nepali soil. The Indian Air Force had dispatched aid and rescue workers on the quick prompt of the government, reportedly within fifteen minutes of the catastrophic tragedy that struck Nepal. #5: Nothing stands before Nature's fury A 7.8 magnitude earthquake releases enough energy equable to 7...

We all have to work. After all, jobs are very much in demand today, given the percentage of unemployed youth in the country. Some are self-employed, having the freedom to do their work according to their convenience. But, what if, someone suffers such a fate that he/she becomes incapable of doing work, how would they sustain themselves? That's where Income Protection Insurance comes into play. As Wikipedia describes, " Income Protection Insurance (IPI) is an insurance policy, available principally in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, paying benefits to policyholders who are incapacitated and hence unable to work due to illness or accident ". Before you get too excited, India doesn't figure in the list of all countries allowing Income Protection Insurance. It certainly doesn't help to have a bankruptcy attorney who would claim a fortune for restoring your accumulated wealth of a lifetime. Neither would it be profit...

Switzerland is the highest ranked nation in the list. A recent report by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, an initiative by the United Nations, has just revealed the list of the happiest countries of the world. Before you start developing suspicions about the freshly published report, it would be good to tell you that the list is compiled by a team of renowned economists, neurologists, and statisticians. It also has a scientific edge to it, too. Happiness is essential for the complete growth of a nation. According to earlier researches, happy people can make a lot of impact- both at workplace and in their personal lives. In the report, India is staged at (almost) the median. Switzerland is rated at the highest position with a mean index of 7.587 out of 10. The United States holds a rank at 15th. Here are the top thirty countries, according to the presented report: There were some nations that didn't really fare all that well in the list. Her...