Reading Room India

Indians often wait until the last minute to take care of their health. Increasingly, when it comes to matters of the heart, the price we are paying is death. This post is not to cast a bad light on Jaspal Rana, one of India’s aces shooters. It is an attempt to make people be proactive when their body is in discomfort.
Jaspal Rana's competitive record was extraordinary. Born on 28 June 1976, he became India's most successful Commonwealth Games athlete with 15 medals — nine of them gold — and was honoured with the Arjuna Award (1994), the Padma Shri (1997), and the Dronacharya Award (2020). At the time of his death he was the high-performance coach of the Indian pistol team.

What is happening in Pune is absurdity of the highest level. Pune faces severe water scarcity, forcing the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to implement alternate-day water supply starting June 15, 2026. As Khadakwasla dam reservoirs plummet to just 20% capacity, the city confronts a looming shortage exacerbated by a delayed monsoon.
Ironically, despite rationing surface water, the PMC is pushing ahead with controversial road and twin-tunnel projects through Vetal Tekdi. Environmentalists and hydrogeological studies warn that boring through this crucial green hill will destroy vital underground aquifers and groundwater recharge zones. Pune is halving its water use while simultaneously threatening its own natural water security.
All images by the talented .pianostudio

The MMRDA in Mumbai has launched car-free Fridays for BKC (Bandra Kurla Complex) but Mumbai's premier business district is woefully short of public transport options. If people ditch their cars, they will still have to take rickshaws and that means replacing one car with one rickshaw. It won't reduce traffic. The Aqua Line metro is great but it's limited to people who live near one of the metro stations. If you don't, it means changing at least 2 transport systems before you get on it (home to station, station to metro).

Punekars, do you want to save 5-12 minutes in traffic or do you want to cut down thousands of trees at Vetal Tekdi?

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) proposes a 2.1 km bypass to save a disputed 5–15 minutes of traffic. The ecological cost: Clearing 1,700 to 3,000 trees, including 48 tree species and 45 bird species. Citizen resistance has been on since 1982—utilizing RTIs, court petitions, and mass protests of over 1,000 residents—has protected this critical urban hill forest, carbon sink, and groundwater recharge zone from development.

Major General Shabeg Singh's life is a perfect encapsulation of a Greek tragedy. He was a major reason why India won the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. He trained the Mukti Bahini there, and many East Pakistan Army officers who had deserted their posts (including future President Zia-ur-Rehman and Army Chief Mustaq Mohammed) were under his command. But he later fought against the country to which he had sworn his loyalty. The end result was terrible.

This is a chapter of history that will never be taught in schools. A celebrated patriot became the chief military strategist for a separatist movement led by Jarnail Bhindranwale, defending the Golden Temple during Operation Blue Star.

A Greek tragedy typically requires a decorated, noble hero of high status who experiences a massive reversal of fortune. This downfall is driven by a fatal flaw like intense pride (hubris), alongside an unavoidable conflict with authority or fate, ultimately culminating in total devastation and death.

The forests of what is now the Pench Tiger Reserve was the inspiration for Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. But while Kipling’s Mowgli grew up among the animals, today’s new-age female Mowglis are returning to the forest to learn how to live with animals. This is such a great piece of reporting by The Migration Story. DM or comment (if you have a public profile) for the whole story.

The Pune Municipal Corporation wants to cut down almost 1,500 trees at the Mundhwa Botanical Gardens. You have until June 9, 2026 to send in your objection. The link is in the bio under "Object to Mundhwa Tree Felling".

India Today’s investigation into Rajasthan’s higher education sector reveals how nearly ₹3,000 crore in public funds was allegedly spent on “paper universities” with empty campuses, zero enrollments, and minimal academic activity. Institutions like Baba Amte Divyang University and Vishwakarma Skill University reportedly continued receiving funding for salaries, vehicles, infrastructure, and maintenance despite lacking students and operations. Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagde flagged universities with no admissions for years, exposing what the report calls “monuments of political announcements” funded by taxpayers.

Elephants are entering villages in eastern India in search of food and water. Leopards are moving through sugarcane fields in Maharashtra. Tigers are straying into settlements near shrinking forest corridors. These are not isolated wildlife incidents. They are climate stories unfolding in real time.
It’s time to change the way we report climate change. Reading Room India has partnered with to drive change. Want to read the whole manual? Comment or DM, and we’ll send it to you.
Report the cause, not just the conflict: Human–wildlife encounters should not be treated as isolated incidents. Investigate the larger drivers behind them: Habitat loss, climate stress, deforestation, mining, highways, railways, and shrinking forest corridors.
1. Avoid sensational language: Terms like “killer beast,” “elephant rampage,” or “terrorised village” distort animal behaviour and fuel fear.
2. Frame coexistence as an actual reality: Millions of Indians already live alongside wildlife every day. Coexistence is not an idealistic concept, but as an ongoing negotiation involving risk, adaptation, and survival.
3. Local and Indigenous voices: Coverage should go beyond official statements and include forest-dwelling communities, Adivasi elders, women, local conservationists, and ecologists who understand how environmental change is affecting both people and wildlife.
4. Treat human–wildlife stories as climate and justice stories: Crop loss, migration, compensation failures, damaged homes, and disrupted livelihoods reveal how ecological breakdown disproportionately affects vulnerable communities. Connect wildlife reporting with climate change, development, and inequality.

According to Dainik Bhaskar, Indian Railways cut 54,578 trees across 315 hectares in Panna Tiger Reserve during 2022-23 for the Lalitpur–Singrauli rail corridor, spending ₹27.78 crore. After finalising the 2021 design and clearing forests, officials reportedly changed the route due to six dangerous curves, triggering plans to cut 50,000 more trees and carve seven tunnels through hills. The reserve has also opposed debris dumping inside the protected tiger habitat.