In Focus by The Hindu

Dr Arvind Kasthuri, head of St John’s Geriatric Centre and professor of community health, speaks on India’s fast‑ageing population and looming care needs. He discusses shortages of geriatric specialists, gaps in medical training, the pyramid of older‑person needs, weak community and public health systems, adult immunization, mental health, social isolation, and scaling trained caregivers.

Dr M R Rajagopal, palliative care leader and policy advocate, explains living wills and advanced medical directives. He outlines legal basics and why directives restore dignity in end‑of‑life care. He discusses ICU practices that can prolong suffering and practical steps for drafting and discussing your directive with family and medical proxies.

Professor Ashwini Deshpande, an economist focused on gender and labour, and Sanjoy Ghose, a senior Supreme Court advocate in labour law, debate paternity leave. They discuss why paternity leave matters for children and how caregiving norms limit women’s work. They examine legal protections, risks of discrimination, international models, and practical design and implementation challenges for India.

Vijay Lokapally, veteran sports journalist and commentator, breaks down the FIFA World Cup dilemma as geopolitics intrudes on sport. He outlines how security, travel and logistics are strained. He discusses the hurdles of relocating matches, the credibility risks for organisers and the sporting loss if a top Asian team cannot participate.

Stanly Johny, International Affairs Editor at The Hindu, offers concise geopolitical context on the Iran conflict. He unpacks Trump's tactical five-day pause and whether it signals de-escalation. He explores who might have mediated talks, Iran's retaliation patterns, US–Israel coordination, domestic political pressures shaping decisions, and the limitations of targeted strikes.

Air Marshal Ravi Kapoor (Retd.), former AOC-in-C of Central Air Command, brings air‑defense and logistics expertise. He discusses why interceptors struggle against cheap drones. He explains production bottlenecks, costly missile usage, and fragile supply chains for critical minerals. He also outlines how strategic timing and China’s export control risks shape military readiness.

Mehdi Razmahang, an Iranian parliamentary researcher and policy analyst, explains Iran's mood under sustained strikes. He discusses infrastructure damage, targeted assassinations, and economic shocks. He outlines Iran's supply routes despite sanctions, what Tehran would seek in negotiations, and how India might secure maritime passage.

Kalki Subramaniam, Southern Regional Representative of the National Council for Transgender Persons and transgender rights activist, reveals how the Council was bypassed in drafting the 2026 amendment. She flags removal of self-identification, mandatory medical tests, exclusion of trans men, and harsh sentencing disparities. Kalki outlines protests, planned letters to leaders, and her readiness to resign if the bill becomes law.

Isha Suri, independent researcher on telecom and internet governance, and Raman Jit Singh Chima, digital rights lawyer focused on the Asia Pacific, debate government use of AI. They discuss where AI can help public services, risks of replacing humans, privacy trade-offs, data commodification, procurement pitfalls, and why India should build sovereign, public-interest AI capacity.

Angshuman Choudhury, a researcher doing doctoral work on Assam politics at NUS and King’s College London, breaks down the state's election dynamics. He discusses muted anti-incumbency and Himanta’s identity-driven approach. Delimitation’s impact on Muslim representation and shifting cleavages toward Hindu-Muslim politics are explored. He also touches on welfare schemes, alliance failures and the political fallout of Zubeen Garg’s death.