Skip to content
Launch preview with sample content. Headlines, people and figures are placeholders, not real reporting.
Sunday, 4 October 2026New Delhi 31°C, haze
Write for us
Independent news and guest opinion
for everyday India
Subscribe
Breaking
RBI may raise the repo rate for the first time since 2023 as inflation stays above targetMonsoon withdraws late across north India as cities brace for a short, hot OctoberWinter session to take up three bills on data, cooperatives and urban local bodiesVegetable prices ease in metros as tomato and onion arrivals pick upGST collections rise 14.7% to ₹2.04 lakh crore in September, but imports do the heavy liftingUPI crosses another monthly record as small towns drive growthRBI may raise the repo rate for the first time since 2023 as inflation stays above targetMonsoon withdraws late across north India as cities brace for a short, hot OctoberWinter session to take up three bills on data, cooperatives and urban local bodiesVegetable prices ease in metros as tomato and onion arrivals pick upGST collections rise 14.7% to ₹2.04 lakh crore in September, but imports do the heavy liftingUPI crosses another monthly record as small towns drive growth
Home/Opinion

The Rostrum

Guest editorials and columns from people who live their subject. We publish arguments from across the spectrum, and we ask every writer to bring evidence.

Featured guest editorial

India’s next growth story will be written in its small towns, not its metros

The consumption data already says so. Policy needs to catch up.

Dr. Meera Raghavan
Economist and former professor, Chennai

Our guest writers

Dr. Meera Raghavan
Economist and former professor, Chennai
“India’s next growth story will be written in its small towns, not its metros”
Farah Qureshi
Urban planner, Lucknow
“Our cities were built for cars. It is time to rebuild them for people”
Col. Arjun Sethi (Retd.)
Defence and strategic affairs writer
“A border is held by roads as much as by soldiers”
Lakshmi Iyer
Public health physician, Bengaluru
“Dengue is predictable. Our response should be too”
Prof. Anita Bose
Professor of political science, Kolkata
“Coalitions are not a weakness of democracy. They are its practice”
Vikram Deshpande
Founder of a Pune fintech startup
“Startups need fewer awards and more patient capital”
Rohan Mehta
Senior advocate, Supreme Court
“Bail, not jail, should be the rule in fact and not only in judgments”
Harpreet Kaur
Farmer and agri-activist, Punjab
“Ask the farmer before you write the farm policy”

Latest opinion

Guest editorial

Our cities were built for cars. It is time to rebuild them for people

Farah Qureshi · Urban planner, Lucknow
Guest editorial

A border is held by roads as much as by soldiers

Col. Arjun Sethi (Retd.) · Defence and strategic affairs writer
Guest editorial

Dengue is predictable. Our response should be too

Lakshmi Iyer · Public health physician, Bengaluru
Column

Coalitions are not a weakness of democracy. They are its practice

Prof. Anita Bose · Professor of political science, Kolkata
Guest editorial

Startups need fewer awards and more patient capital

Vikram Deshpande · Founder of a Pune fintech startup
Column

Bail, not jail, should be the rule in fact and not only in judgments

Rohan Mehta · Senior advocate, Supreme Court
Guest editorial

Ask the farmer before you write the farm policy

Harpreet Kaur · Farmer and agri-activist, Punjab

This week's debate

For

Four-day work weeks would make Indian offices more productive

Guest writer (HR consultant) Against

India’s economy cannot afford a shorter week yet

Guest writer (labour economist)
Newsletter

The Morning Rostrum

Five stories and one argument worth your time, in your inbox at 7 am. Free.