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In a time when language is often wielded as a tool of division in political discourse, a young girl’s academic achievement offers a quiet yet powerful counterpoint. When D. Jiya Kumari, a Bihar-born student, topped the Tamil paper in the Class 10 state board exams of Tamil Nadu, she did more than just excel in school—she challenged a narrative. Her success has prompted Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to call it an "eye-opener" for those who seek to stoke linguistic divides.

In this insightful piece, we unpack how a single student’s journey can symbolize the deeper currents of national unity, cultural integration, and the potential of India's multilingual ethos. At the intersection of politics, policy, and identity, Jiya Kumari’s story reminds us that education has the power not just to bridge gaps—but to dissolve them entirely.

Speaking about the example of a student belonging to Bihar-origin topping the Class 10 Tamil examination in the southern state this year, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan remarked that her tale is an eye-opener for "those who are attempting to make divisions on the basis of language".

Pradhan was addressing a function on Monday to inaugurate a Bharatiya Bhasha Summer Camp, which is being organized in government schools this summer to introduce children to the study of Indian languages. He also inaugurated learning material like primers and special modules in Indian languages. He had dedicated the event to D Jiya Kumari, the Bihar student who achieved 93 out of 100 in the Tamil paper of the Tamil Nadu state board.

We have noticed this in the paper recently. She was born in Bihar, and her father came to Chennai to make a living 17 years ago. His three daughters have now learned Tamil in school. Jiya Kumari got 93 out of 100 in Tamil and 467 out of 500 total," Pradhan said.

Pradhan's remark comes after the Centre and Tamil Nadu had a confrontation over the State's refusal to adopt components of the National Education Policy 2020, including the three-language policy. The State, which has a two-language policy and students learn English and Tamil in school, had viewed the three-language policy as a move to implement Hindi.

In what is being hailed as a turning point in school health policy, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has sounded a national alert over the shocking escalation of Type 2 diabetes among children, a disease previously detected mostly among adults. As rates of childhood obesity and metabolic disorders rise throughout India, CBSE's reaction is at once urgent and prophetic: it has instructed schools to create "Sugar Boards" to inform children of the risks of excessive consumption of sugar.

As per the circular of CBSE, the increase in childhood Type 2 diabetes is closely related to unrestricted access to soft drinks, processed foods, and junk food—foods commonly available on or off school grounds. While sugar now accounts for 13%–15% of total child caloric intake, well above the recommended threshold of 5%, the board cautions that it poses a long-term risk to children's physical health, academic achievement, and general well-being.

These new Sugar Boards are not for show. They're being imagined as health education tools, bearing essential information including:

• Safe daily sugar allowances
• Sugar levels in popular foods and drinks
• The health effects of too much sugar
• Smart food swaps and healthier options

CBSE has also required schools to upload implementation reports and photos by July 15, and hold workshops and awareness seminars for children and parents.

The movement has received praise from high-profile figures such as Zerodha CEO Nithin Kamath, a leading voice of India's wellness movement. Describing it as "a step in the right direction," Kamath stressed parental involvement and cultural sensitization concerning diet and health. "Now to work out how to make parents care about it," he posted on X, noting that this fight requires both institutional thrust and family-level change.

A lot of the motivation behind CBSE's shift comes from the bottom-up campaigns of health influencer Revant Himatsingka, commonly referred to as Foodpharmer, who initiated the Sugar Board Movement a mere 18 months ago. Himatsingka, who repeatedly alerted through viral videos and deconstructing food labels about sugar's underlying effect, referred to this as "India's largest step so far against childhood diabetes and obesity.

Speaking to Dr Amit Dias from Dept of Preventive and Social medicine, Goa Medical College, who was the Co Principal Investigator for the ICMR- INDIAB study on the epidemiology of Diabetes, we found that Goa has the highest proportion of diabetes in the country amounting to 26.4 % in adults. We need to take action right from childhood 

“In a nation grappling with both undernourishment in certain segments and lifestyle conditions in others, this directive might prove to be a game-changer. If done in earnest, CBSE's Sugar Board program can very well emerge as a national example for preventive health education among students.

This shift is now a reality driven by rising obesity, consumption of junk food, physical inactivity, and excessive screen time. I strongly believe that we must take proactive and creative steps to address this epidemic—starting with motivating children to embrace healthier lifestyles and activity, healthy food, and de-addicting them from mobile phones. Schools can play a pivotal role in this transformation by educating students about the risks of excessive sugar consumption and empowering them to make informed food and activity choices early in life - This will not only prevent diabetes but a whole range of non communicable diseases”

In a tragic but somber move, the Himachal Pradesh government is about to consolidate two of Dharamsala's most ancient schools—Government Senior Secondary School (GSSS) for Boys (established in 1926) and GSSS for Girls (established in 1932). Once gold standard institutions of learning in the hill station, these heritage schools are now suffering from dwindling enrollments, thus the state's first major step towards restructuring as part of its education reform agenda.

Underlying this decision is a harsh truth: students increasingly choose private schools over traditional government setups, making most old schools obsolete. "We need to rethink school education. It's time to renovate and rebuild for quality." This was declared bluntly by Education Minister Rohit Thakur after a review meeting with the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HPBOSE).

The merger, officials say, is not just about cutting cost—this is a strategic move to update old models into new centers of excellence. With pooled resources, the state aims to revitalize public education through improved infrastructure, technology-facilitated classrooms, and most effective faculty deployment. The merger could be replicated by other low-enrollment schools across the state.

But the emotional price is impossible to pay. They've educated generations and are more than structures—memory-saturated halls of learning, growth, and tradition. While the merger will provide a close to one chapter of Dharamsala's educational history, officials promise the legacy will be continued both in spirit and approach.

This transformation, which might be disconcerting for some, is the new face of Indian education—where tradition meets convergence with change, and longing is weighed against inevitable change. Within the quiet classrooms of these aged schools, a new chapter is about to be written—one honoring the past but preparing for the future.

Imagine this: A 12-year-old viewing TikTok sees a disturbing "news" video announcing a celebrity's passing. They repost without thinking to their friends, only to discover later that it was entirely fabricated. This has occurred daily in schools and homes around the globe, and it's precisely why educators are rushing to instruct media literacy—not as an elective, but as important as reading and math.

A few nations are taking the lead. Finland, which is regularly referred to as the "media literacy capital of the world," doesn't teach it as an independent subject. Rather, children are taught how to scrutinize sources, identify bias, and approach information critically in all classes—be it history, science, or even physical education. The payoff? Finnish adolescents are the least likely to be fooled by online hoaxes. Meanwhile, in the U.S., states like New Jersey and Delaware now require media literacy education, but many teachers admit they’re underprepared. "I was never trained to teach this," one middle school educator confessed. "I’m learning alongside my students."

So, what does media literacy really look like in the classroom? Not so much fact-checking. Students learn to ask some fundamental questions: Who made this? What's their agenda? What's not in this story? They practice "lateral reading"—a detective-like habit of checking claims against many sources before believing (or sharing) them. They talk about the emotional manipulations behind viral content: Why is this post making me so mad? Is that the goal?

But here's the catch: Experts maintain it's too late to wait until middle school. Children as young as six are on the internet, soaking up (and disseminating) misinformation. "By fifth grade, many already have ingrained habits," says one researcher. The answer? Begin early, properly train teachers, and provide them with interactive tools—such as games that mimic fake news or lessons analyzing memes.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. In a world where AI deepfakes and conspiracy theories spread faster than facts, media literacy isn’t just about grades—it’s about safeguarding democracy, mental health, and even public safety. As one high schooler put it: "If we’re old enough to be online, we’re old enough to learn how not to be fooled.

To the surprise, Allahabad High Court issued notice to Vice Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Banaras Hindu University Vice Chancellor to file compliance affidavit or to personally appear in court on July 3. The above has been directed against the contempt petition of Dr. Sushil Kumar Dubey, a lecturer, who urged that the pending promotion had not been given as ordered by obvious court directions.

Dr. Dubey was recommended by the BHU Executive Council (EC) on June 4, 2021, moving up from the Assistant Professor (Stage 2) rank to Stage 3 but nearly three years later than that, and this action is still pending, with the petitioner having been compelled to approach the courts once again for justice.

Yesterday, January 7, the High Court had also rejected a writ petition in the case and directed that if the EC was reconstituted within reasonable time, it should decide on promotion of the petitioner within three months. Or, if the EC had not been constituted yet, the university should promote Dr. Dubey as per any further order of the EC.

Even though directed expressly by the court, till now, no initiative seems to have been made by the university's authorities. The lawyer of Dr. Dubey on Monday has asserted that to date, there has been no issuance of promotion orders by the Vice Chancellor.

The recent reprimand by the court is oriented more towards imposition of greater bureaucratic lethargy on institutions of learning. The judiciary also shows its strict insistence on accountability in imposing punctuality in the implementation of its orders.

With the July 3 deadline closing in, now all eyes are on BHU administration. The case not only highlights a single individual's lengthy wait for promotion but also highlights larger system lags that persist to haunt India's government universities.

In a shocking expose, Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is reportedly conducting a surreptitious campaign—"Operation Sindoor"—with spoofed Indian mobile numbers to target Indian journalists, activists, and civilians. An investigative report by The Internal News reveals the advanced exploitation of telecommunication devices for cyber-espionage.

Deception at Dial Tone

The operation relies on social engineering—a technique of psychological manipulation to trick targets. Impersonators who are government officials, media recruiters, or emergency responders call targets with +91 Indian phone numbers, which are spoofed by ISI-backed agents.

These impersonators use techniques like:

• Fake job offers or interview calls to lure targets.
• Verification requests claiming to be from agencies or banks.
• False emergencies to instill panic and get information.

Strategic Motives at Play

Despite not making an official statement, analysts indicate the reasons could be:

• Gathering intelligence on civil society players.
• Disinformation operations.
• Recruitment of assets to influence across borders.
• The operation seems to replicate earlier efforts by Pakistani forces to penetrate Indian defense communities and hit Kashmiri journalists.

Security Agencies React

Indian security agencies have made internal warnings to citizens to:

• Establish identity of unknown callers, even with Indian numbers.
• Not give out sensitive information through unsolicited calls or messages.
• Report these incidents to local cybercrime units at once.

"Operation Sindoor" is the new face of espionage, where the war is not fought on borders but via phone connections and chat windows. With the simmering tensions between India and Pakistan, such secret operations highlight the importance of digital watchfulness and public consciousness.

As citizens inadvertently become unwitting victims of geopolitical schemes, it becomes important to remain vigilant, probe the unexpected, and report the suspicious. In the meantime, every ringing call might be nothing more than a ring—it could be a breach in disguise.