Prakash Kumar

  Ethanol blending is another issue that is gradually taking centre stage. E20 fuel offers several advantages, such as reducing India's crude oil import bill and moving the country towards greater fuel self-sufficiency. However, an important question remains: at what cost? Some people feel that blending 20% ethanol with petrol is simply a way of increasing fuel volume, much like adding water to milk. While this comparison is debatable, it reflects the concerns of many consumers. Government policies should therefore be transparent and supported by clear scientific and economic evidence to build public confidence. Another question that arises is pricing. If petrol contains 20% ethanol, which is generally less expensive than petrol, consumers naturally expect some reduction in fuel prices. However, this is not readily apparent at the retail level, leading to doubts about how the pricing is determined. There is also the issue of consumer choice. Just as petrol pumps provide separate di...

  As we witness the devastating conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and witnessing the rising tide of authoritarianism worldwide, Doris Lessing's 1957 reflections on the artist's role become more relevant. Since the 1960s, the world has moved from testing nuclear weapons to stockpiling large arsenals, while simultaneously creating an ecological time bomb. Today’s conflicts starkly put nuclear power nations against aspiring ones, while environmental destruction threatens all nations regardless of their arsenals.  Writing in the shadow of nuclear testing and the cold war, she understood something profound about how we face civilizational threats—and how easily we retreat into either "the pleasurable luxury of despair" or hollow platitudes. Her words remind us that in times when madmen hold switches of destruction, artists, writers and individuals bear a special responsibility: not to turn away from the nightmare, but to help us imagine what living might look lik...