The initiative was born when four researchers found the research ecosystem was not preparing scientists for institutional responsibilities; a 30-member BODH session costs Rs 3,000-5,000 per participant, although the team itself does not charge a fee.

India’s laboratories are expanding, research funding is growing, start-ups are emerging, and Indian researchers are increasingly contributing to scientific knowledge. Amid this expansion, who is preparing scientists to become leaders?

A researcher may spend years mastering experimental techniques, analysing data, publishing papers, and writing research proposals. But when that researcher becomes a principal investigator, a faculty member or a laboratory head, their expertise alone will not suffice. Leading a research group requires the ability to mentor young researchers, communicate effectively, build trust, resolve conflicts, inspire teams, and create an environment where people can do good science.

It is this oft-overlooked dimension of capacity building that four researchers have sought to address through a programme called ‘Building Opportunities & Driving Hope’ (BODH).

Making time

The initiative was born in September 2025 from the shared experiences of Veda Krishnan of the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi; Sriparna Chatterjee of CSIR-Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar; Chandra Shekhar Sharma of IIT-Hyderabad; and Pooja Devi of CSIR-Central Scientific Instruments Organisation, Chandigarh, while working with the Indian National Young Academy of Sciences.

The four researchers, from diverse disciplines, had found that the Indian research ecosystem was preparing scientists for scientific work but less so for the institutional responsibilities they would face.

BODH has multiple capacity-building modules, catering to diverse stages and dimensions of researchers’ professional needs. For example, one, called ‘PRABODH’, is designed to help PhD scholars communicate their knowledge to various audiences, develop professional networks and collaborations, and explore alternative career pathways across academia, research organisations, industry, policy, scientific publishing, and communication. The programme also addresses how scholars can navigate stress, burnout, imposter syndrome, setbacks in research, and work-life balance.

According to Dr. Krishnan, the team does not charge for conducting BODH sessions. Instead, the host institution is expected to cover the speakers’ travel and boarding expenses. Altogether, she estimated, a 30-member session usually costs around Rs 3,000-5,000 per participant. Host institutions have usually mobilised these funds through research projects, strategic partners, funding agencies, industry, and CSR initiatives. The flexibility also means individual BODH programmes can be structured according to the needs at each institution and the funding norms there.

India’s laboratories are expanding, research funding is growing, start-ups are emerging, and Indian researchers are increasingly contributing to scientific knowledge. Amid this expansion, who is preparing scientists to become leaders?

A researcher may spend years mastering experimental techniques, analysing data, publishing papers, and writing research proposals. But when that researcher becomes a principal investigator, a faculty member or a laboratory head, their expertise alone will not suffice. Leading a research group requires the ability to mentor young researchers, communicate effectively, build trust, resolve conflicts, inspire teams, and create an environment where people can do good science.

It is this oft-overlooked dimension of capacity building that four researchers have sought to address through a programme called ‘Building Opportunities & Driving Hope’ (BODH).

Making time

The initiative was born in September 2025 from the shared experiences of Veda Krishnan of the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi; Sriparna Chatterjee of CSIR-Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar; Chandra Shekhar Sharma of IIT-Hyderabad; and Pooja Devi of CSIR-Central Scientific Instruments Organisation, Chandigarh, while working with the Indian National Young Academy of Sciences.

The four researchers, from diverse disciplines, had found that the Indian research ecosystem was preparing scientists for scientific work but less so for the institutional responsibilities they would face.

BODH has multiple capacity-building modules, catering to diverse stages and dimensions of researchers’ professional needs. For example, one, called ‘PRABODH’, is designed to help PhD scholars communicate their knowledge to various audiences, develop professional networks and collaborations, and explore alternative career pathways across academia, research organisations, industry, policy, scientific publishing, and communication. The programme also addresses how scholars can navigate stress, burnout, imposter syndrome, setbacks in research, and work-life balance.

According to Dr. Krishnan, the team does not charge for conducting BODH sessions. Instead, the host institution is expected to cover the speakers’ travel and boarding expenses. Altogether, she estimated, a 30-member session usually costs around Rs 3,000-5,000 per participant. Host institutions have usually mobilised these funds through research projects, strategic partners, funding agencies, industry, and CSR initiatives. The flexibility also means individual BODH programmes can be structured according to the needs at each institution and the funding norms there.

Professional journeys

The transition from researcher to research leader is not always an easy one. A smart scientist may know how to formulate a hypothesis or design an experiment but managing a laboratory involves a different set of competencies. They need to figure out how best to mentor a doctoral scholar who is struggling, how to handle disagreements in a research group, how a principal investigator should build a collaboration, how to communicate a difficult decision without damaging morale, and so on.

The founders of BODH recognised this gap through their own professional journeys. Their association with the Indian National Young Academy of Science, and for three of them with the Global Young Academy, exposed them to different approaches to leadership and mentoring. The experiences strengthened their conviction that India needed a leadership framework designed by scientists, for scientists, rooted in the realities of Indian academia. The idea then evolved through conversations at conferences, scientific meetings, airports, train journeys, and informal gatherings.

To achieve its goals, BODH uses an experiential, activity-based approach. Participants debate, negotiate, collaborate, communicate, solve problems, and reflect through situations inspired by real encounters in laboratories and universities. The objectives include teaching participants what good leadership looks like and to encourage them to examine their own behaviour and understand how their actions affect others.

They are also taken through ways to tackle uncertainty, failure, rejection, and other challenges that arise in a complex research environment, to improve their and their teams’ resilience, and to better manage collaborations.

Research is often portrayed as an individual intellectual pursuit but contemporary science is increasingly collaborative. Large research projects involve multidisciplinary teams, institutions, industry partners, and international collaborators. The ability to communicate, negotiate, empathise, and work across disciplines is therefore as important as technical expertise for India’s scientific leadership. 

Next generation of leaders

Within its first year, BODH has conducted ten leadership workshops involving more than 300 participants from over 70 institutions across India. Its programmes have reached faculty members, scientists, and research scholars at IIT-Hyderabad; IIT-Kharagpur; Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Thiruvananthapuram; the Indian National Science Academy; ICAR-IARI; ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi; National Institute for Technology Raipur; Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad; and Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore.

The geographical and institutional diversity of these participants is important as India’s scientific ecosystem is expanding, albeit slowly, beyond a handful of premier institutions.

The team makes time for the programme on weekends and holidays, without affecting their official work. According to Dr. Krishnan, over the last year, the team has not taken any special leave or duty leave for BODH activities.

Beyond bringing their workshops to new centres, the team also envisages digital learning resources, facilitator manuals, leadership fellowships, scholarships for young researchers, women-in-STEM leadership programmes, and a nationwide mentorship network involving scientists across disciplines.

BODH is a reminder that scientific progress is ultimately a human enterprise. And as India seeks to establish itself as a leading knowledge economy, investing in infrastructure and technology will remain indispensable. But equal attention must be given to the people who lead research teams and shape institutional cultures.

Biju Dharmapalan is an adjunct faculty member at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, IISc campus, Bengaluru, and dean, Academic Affairs, Garden City University, Bengaluru. bijudharmapalan@gmail.com

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

India’s star men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty produced a spirited comeback to defeat China’s He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu in three games and clinch the China Masters Super 750 title on Sunday.

The world No 5 Indian duo recovered from losing the opening game to register an 11-21, 21-13, 21-17 victory in a thrilling final that lasted one hour and 10 minutes.

The triumph marked Satwik and Chirag’s second title of the season, following their victory at the Singapore Open Super 750. They had also finished runners-up at the Thailand Open Super 500 earlier this year.

The victory was particularly significant for the Indians as they finally went all the way in their third China Masters final. They had finished runners-up in the 2023 and 2025 editions of the tournament.

The Indian pair, who had a 2-0 head-to-head record against the Chinese duo before the final, endured a difficult opening game. He and Ren raced to a 5-0 lead and maintained their advantage through aggressive attacking play.

The Chinese pair continued to dominate the exchanges and led 11-5 at the interval. Despite attempts by Satwik and Chirag to fight back, the hosts maintained their momentum to take the opening game 21-11.

The Indians returned strongly in the second game, improving their defence and forcing longer rallies. Satwik’s flick serves and Chirag’s sharp interceptions helped them gain control of the proceedings.

After a tight start, Satwik and Chirag moved ahead 7-6 and entered the interval with an 11-7 advantage. They continued to apply pressure after the break, forcing the Chinese pair into errors and extending their lead.

The Indians eventually earned seven game points before closing out the game 21-13 to level the match.

The decider saw the Chinese pair make another strong start, moving 7-3 ahead. However, Satwik and Chirag displayed remarkable composure and fought their way back into the contest.

Four consecutive points brought the Indians level at 7-7. Although He and Ren managed to hold a slender lead at the interval, Satwik and Chirag remained firmly in contention.

The final stages turned into a tense battle, with both pairs engaging in rapid flat exchanges. The Chinese duo led 15-13 before the Indians levelled at 16-16.

Satwik and Chirag then seized the initiative, moving 18-17 ahead after an error from He. A fortunate net cord gave the Indians three match points, and Chirag sealed the championship with a powerful smash.

The China Masters crown adds another major achievement to the Indian pair’s impressive season and provides a significant boost ahead of the upcoming Asian Games in Japan, where they will aim to defend their gold medal.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

GSLV-F17 places2,367-kg EOS-05, India’s first imaging satellite, into the intended Sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit .

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Friday (September 4, 2026) successfully launched its advanced Earth observation satellite EOS-05 aboard the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F17).

The GSLV, on its 19th flight, placed the 2,367-kg EOS-05 into the intended Sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (Sub-GTO) about 18 minutes after lifting off from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 2.55 a.m.

The EOS-05 is India’s first imaging satellite designed to monitor the Earth from geosynchronous orbit, about 36,000 km above the Earth.

“I am very happy to announce that the GSLV-F17 vehicle has successfully and precisely injected the advanced Earth observation satellite EOS-05 into the intended and required orbit, “ ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan said.

He said this was the 107th launch from the spaceport in Sriharikota and the 19th mission of the GSLV.

“The first launch of the GSLV- D1 was done with a payload of 1,536 kg. From that, we have gradually improved the performance of this vehicle by optimising the structural mass, improving the propulsion systems. Today, we have injected the heaviest satellite, a 2,367-kg satellite, using this launch vehicle,” he added.

Dr. Narayanan said that once operationalised, EOS-05 would become India’s first dedicated imaging satellite operating from the geosynchronous orbit, providing important strategic data for our country.

“From the satellite data, we confirm that all the valves are operating perfectly, the solar panel is deployed, and the health of the satellite is perfectly alright. In the coming days, we will raise the orbit and take it to the required orbit and place the satellite in the Geo platform for national activities,” he said.

The EOS-05, dubbed the “Eye in the Sky”, will provide real-time imagery, helping sectors like agriculture, environment and disaster management, among others.

Success after 8-month lull

The successful launch comes as a huge relief for ISRO, which has not carried out a launch since the failure of the PSLV-C62 mission carrying the EOS-N1 earth observation satellite on January 12, 2026.

The space agency, following the back-to-back failures of the PSLV-C62 in January 2026 and the PSLV-C61 on May 18, 2025, had taken a cautious approach and refrained from carrying out further launches.

Though seven missions, including the GSLV-F17/EOS-05 mission, had been scheduled to take place in the first quarter of 2026, ISRO did not launch any satellites during the period.

The successful launch of the 2367-kg EOS-05 also puts behind the failure ISRO had encountered in August 2021 with the GSLV-F10/EOS-03 mission.

Back then, the GSLV-F10/EOS-03 performed normally during the first and second stages. However, the cryogenic upper stage ignition did not happen due to a technical anomaly, rendering the mission unsuccessful.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

Calcutta is unusual among world cities for having so little war in its past. It is more unusual still for having let the one real brush it did have slip almost entirely out of its own telling or memory.

A group of GIs takes a close look at a snake-wallah’s hooded cobra Photograph by Clyde Waddell © The University of Pennsylvania Libraries

On the morning of September 2, 1945, Japanese representatives signed the instrument of surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, formally ending the Second World War. Over eight decades later, the world’s promise of ‘Never Again’ to war looks thinner with each new conflict. Calcutta’s own reckoning with 1945 is, however, quieter and stranger.

For a city that has lived through empire, famine, Partition and rebellion, Calcutta has an oddly small acquaintance with war itself. Nearly every major city — London, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, Moscow — has stood in conflict’s direct path. In roughly three centuries of its modern recorded history, Calcutta has felt war on its own soil only twice: in 1756, when Siraj-ud-Daulah took Fort William from the British, and between 1942 and 1944, when Japanese bombers reached the city. The second of these has almost vanished from our recent memory. This is odd because it happened alongside the event Bengal remembers most bitterly of all — the Bengal Famine.

By early 1942, Rangoon had fallen, and the Japanese advance through Burma had put Calcutta, the empire’s largest eastern port, within the bombers’ range, a threat that most other major Indian cities did not share. The first raids came on December 20, 1942, and continued till Christmas Eve, striking Kidderpore docks among other targets. A second, larger, daylight raid on December 5, 1943 hit the docks again, killing several hundred and cutting cargo capacity by two-thirds for weeks. Smaller raids continued all through 1944. An estimated 3,50,000 city residents fled in panic. Blackout drills, trenches dug through public squares, and air-raid sirens became part of the city’s daily life.

The bombing did not happen in isolation. It unfolded alongside the Bengal famine of 1943, and the two were more entangled than they first appear. The same fear of invasion that sent bombers over Kidderpore also drove Winston Churchill’s ‘denial policy’: the deliberate confiscation by the British of over 50,000 boats and surplus rice stocks from coastal Bengal was meant to deny an advancing Japanese army the means to move or feed itself. The British also implemented inflation policies during the war that were aimed at making more resources available for Allied troops. The denial policy, wartime procurement, inflation, disruption of rice supplies, cyclone and crop disease — all these miscalculations, layered on administrative failure and speculation — led to the death of close to 30 lakh people. The same military logic that turned Calcutta into a bombing target turned the Bengal countryside into an acute famine zone: both were the price extracted by the British administrators for defending the eastern frontier with the people living in it as collateral damage.

The images that survive of this moment mostly survive by accident, and mostly through foreign hands. Wartime censorship in colonial India was strict around military installations, ports, railway stations, and troop movements, precisely the subjects that mattered most in Calcutta during the war. Indian newspapers and photographers worked under immense press restrictions that made it risky, often impossible, to photograph the docks, the damage, life in the city and in the suburbia, or the famine’s toll. Thus very few indigenous photographic records of these years survive.

What exists instead comes largely from foreign servicemen-cum-photographers who had military clearance to be near the docks, railway stations, and the barracks and were allowed to photograph the city streets. Consequently, two American photographers — they were not part of the Indian press — ended up producing what may be the fullest surviving visual account of Calcutta during the Second World War.

Glenn S. Hensley (June 3, 1919 — January 23, 2018) was one such American serviceman who served in the 40th Army Photography Reconnaissance and was in British India between 1943 and 1945. Along with the official images he captured for the United States army, Hensley produced a series of personal photographs portraying his immediate surroundings and his experience of life during the Second World War in British India and in Burma. He had photographed Calcutta while the danger of war was very real, between 1943 and 1944. He gave away nearly 600 images to the University of Chicago Library where they now form the ‘Hensley Collection’, digitised through the Digital South Asia Library. Despite the size of his wartime contribution, Hensley remains almost absent in Calcutta’s historical writings and museums and from our memory — an odd fate for his unique photographic record of the city was taken during, not after, its brush with the active years of the Second World War.

Clyde Waddell (June 20, 1915 — February 11, 1997) came to Calcutta slightly later. He was a bit more fortunate than Hensley. A Houston Press photographer inducted into the US army, Waddell was attached in November 1943 to the Public Relations Staff of South East Asia Command: a joint Allied, British-led command under Louis Mountbatten but staffed by Americans and British alike. Waddell served as Mountbatten’s personal photographer before moving to the Phoenix magazine, a picture weekly run jointly by both commands. Waddell took his own Calcutta photographs while on leave in 1945 after the bombing had stopped. They include Chowringhee’s trams, the Burra Bazar, Nimtolla’s crematorium, opium dens in Tiretta Bazaar, GIs mixing with street vendors near the Tipu Masjid at Dharmatala crossing and the famine-stricken mother and child. Friends kept asking for copies until he self-published 60 of his photographs as A Yank’s Memories of Calcutta in 1946. It’s often called a nearly lost book, but that isn’t quite right: documented copies survive at the University of Pennsylvania, Southeastern Louisiana University and the British Library besides others that have surfaced at auction over the years. Rare, yes; vanished, no; just scattered widely enough such that few people, in Calcutta or anywhere else, have seen it whole. However, his photographs have been plagiarised and reconfigured by
social media influencers in recent times.

Between them, the two men left behind something rare: one captured the city’s fear, one its exhaled relief, months apart. Almost nobody alive remembers the sirens first hand now; what’s left is second-hand: a grandparent’s mention of trenches near a school, a scarred building in old Dalhousie Square, a photograph nobody in the family can quite place. That is usually how Calcutta’s war memory ends: not with an event, but with the slow disappearance of anyone who can say ‘I was there’.

Apart from Hensley and Waddell, there were at least three other American servicemen photographers — Frank Bond, Lewis Paltz, and Tony Mayo who had photographed wartime Bengal.

Calcutta is unusual among world cities for having so little war in its past. It is more unusual still for having let the one real brush it did have — bombed docks, a starving population, and a city in churn — slip almost entirely out of its own telling
or memory. Part of the reason is geography: the Hensley Collection sits in Chicago, Waddell’s album is scattered across libraries and auction rooms abroad, and no Indian museum, archive or university, to the best of my knowledge, holds a complete set of either.

Recovering that record now is not nostalgia; it would mean bringing digitised copies home so that every Calcuttan can finally see what almost nobody photographed from the inside, before the last people who could say, ‘I was there’, are gone.

Devasis Chattopadhyay is a narrative history writer and columnist

source/content: telegraphonline.com (headline edited) / rare pix above as exception

The home minister clarified that the government has been putting its effort to identify the unsettled area of the Indo-Myanmar stretch.

Manipur home minister Govindas Konthoujam informed the Manipur legislative assembly floor on Wednesday that around 55km Indo-Myanmar border fencing out of 398km has been completed.

He was responding to the calling attention motion raised by Congress MLA Konthoujam Ranjit Singh to the growing apprehension and concern amongst the people of Manipur on the reported proposal for a land swap deal between India and Myanmar.

The home minister clarified that the government has been putting its effort to identify the unsettled area of the Indo-Myanmar stretch bordering Manipur and Myanmar. Adding that “border pillar numbers 75 to 79 remain one of the most sensitive stretches in the Moreh sector”.

“The government acknowledged the necessity of border fencing and we are targeting to complete the fencing work by 2028”, said Konthoujam.

“Out of the 398km from border pillar number 32 to 130, 55km has been fenced in the state,” adding, “there has been a delay in progress due to issues related to transportation of materials,” he added.

On reports of a “land swap” with Myanmar, the minister said, “There has been no information from the Ministry of External Affairs to the state government on the matter.”

Konthoujam said the people of Manipur are always against on any matter if it questioned on the territorial boundary which the government acknowledge.

“Also, before any decision is taken, the affected people will be informed by the central government,” he said.

The minister said the government acknowledged the problems caused by arms, drugs and illegal immigration due to the porous border. “Due to porous borders, the state has suffered from arms, drugs and illegal immigration proliferation,” he said.

The Opposition also sought clarification on account of the atrocities committed in the past two years particularly the abduction and subsequent killing of women and children in Jiribam, the bomb attack at Tronglaobi claiming the lives of two children, the killing of three Kuki church leaders at Saheibung and the ambush along the lmphal-Tamei road resulting in the death of four Naga civilians.

Konthoujam responding to the calling attention railed by Congress MLA Keisham Meghachandra Singh on “justice for victims”, said the government took necessary security measures to control law and order in Manipur despite harsh geographical terrain and additional security forces are deployed in the state.

Four have been arrested by the National investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with killing of six Nagas and the case has been progressing, he said.

“We handed over most of the cases to NIA so that the cases could be solve in a transparent manner as due to the ongoing crisis there is trust deficit among the communities of Meitei-Kuki and Kuki-Naga,” said Konthoujam.

Home minister also informed that a total of 9,647 case were registered since May 3, 2023 clash. Out of the total, 3,020 cases are undergoing investigation after formation of separate Special Investigating Team (SIT) and 312 cases have been charge sheeted while 29 cases have been handed over to NIA and 32 at Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The government is trying hard for reconciliation of peace but cooperation is needed among community leaders to remove trust deficit among each other, he added.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

AVM Sharma was first commissioned into the IAF’s Education Branch in 1994. Since then, she has served across various postings and training establishments.

In a historic milestone for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and defence forces, Air Vice Marshal Shakti Sharma scripted history and became the first woman officer (non-medical) to attain the rank of Air Vice Marshal (or equivalent).

As per a press release from the ministry of defence, AVM Sharma will bring immense experience to the post, having served across Training Establishments, Field Stations, Command Headquarters, and Air Headquarters.

Who is Shakti Sharma?

AVM Sharma was first commissioned into the IAF’s Education Branch in 1994. Since then, she has served across various postings and training establishments. She was also the first woman Group Captain in the IAF outside the medical branch.

She has also worked to strengthen academic and institutional cooperation, owing to her key role in establishing IAF Chairs of Excellence at IIT Kanpur and Pune University.

A historic milestone for the Indian Air Force.

On 01 Sep 2026, Air Vice Marshal Shakti Sharma became the first woman officer (non-medical) in the Indian Defence Services to attain the rank of Air Vice Marshal (or equivalent). She assumed the appointment of Assistant Chief of… pic.twitter.com/9IulN6QjOb

— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) September 1, 2026

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source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

The move comes amid growing reliance on digital and technology-based systems—from banking and payments to telecommunications, railways, power grids and computer networks—that depend on accurate and synchronised time stamps.

The Union government has notified the Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2026, mandating Indian Standard Time (IST) as the single reference for legal, administrative, commercial and other official purposes across the country.

The nodal Consumer Affairs Ministry notified the rules on August 27. Still, they will come into force 180 days after their publication in the Official Gazette, giving government departments, businesses, and institutions time to align their systems.

The move comes amid growing reliance on digital and technology-based systems—from banking and payments to telecommunications, railways, power grids and computer networks—that depend on accurate and synchronised time stamps.

The Union government has notified the Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2026, mandating Indian Standard Time (IST) as the single reference for legal, administrative, commercial and other official purposes across the country.

The nodal Consumer Affairs Ministry notified the rules on August 27. Still, they will come into force 180 days after their publication in the Official Gazette, giving government departments, businesses, and institutions time to align their systems.

The move comes amid growing reliance on digital and technology-based systems—from banking and payments to telecommunications, railways, power grids and computer networks—that depend on accurate and synchronised time stamps.

The Ministry said inconsistencies between different time sources currently in use could affect the coordination and recording of such activities, prompting the push for a uniform national time standard.

The common time reference is expected to support accurate time-stamping of banking and digital payment transactions, coordination among railways, airports and other transport systems, reliable functioning of telecommunication and internet networks, precise time-keeping in power systems, upkeep of government and legal records, and coordination of emergency and other time-critical services, the Ministry said in a statement.

The Ministry said the 180-day transition period would allow stakeholders to review existing systems, carry out necessary technical upgrades, and prepare for full implementation before the Rules take effect.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)