Splainer FREE: War on Dogs
Aaj ki taaza khabar includes the Supreme Court’s war on Delhi’s streeties, FSSAI’s new requirements to serve meat & good news about grasslands in Gujarat. The weird bit: a leopard being tied a rakhi.
Hello, splainer LITE subscriber! Welcome to the paid version of our daily headlines. One: you can now read extended headlines every day (For example: deets on SC's controversial ruling on Delhi's street dogs, today). Two: A deep dive on a big story each month—so be sure to read our free Big Story on the launch of Souk and why splainer is shutting down.
A special gift for subscribers: Please note that our paywalled two parter Big Story on the Rajendra Chola fantasy is free to read this week. In fact, you can check out all the sections in the weekly premium edition using the gift link. Enjoy!
The Rajendra Chola fantasy: Conqueror, sorta; Hero, nope!
TLDR: In this week’s Big Story, we have the delayed part two of our series on Rajendra Chola. In part one, we looked at how the ancient king is being recast as the great South Indian Saviour of Hindu pride. In part two, we cut through mythmaking to trace the history of the Chola dynasty and the conqueror par excellence—who presided over the not-so ‘golden age of Tamils’. Fair warning: our hero has feet of A-grade clay—and is not quite the Dravidian hero Stalin hearts.
Editor’s note: There aren’t many Big Stories left in the calendar—before we shut the newsroom on August 29. So be sure to write in if you want us to do one on a burning topic of your choice. Email us at talktous@splainer.in.
Splainer lite subscribers can read both parts (Part I and Part II) of this paywalled series—and the rest of the edition, in fact—using the gift link below. No login required.
Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Raghav Bikhchandani & Yash Budhwar
Our daily list of Souk picks
Editor’s note: As you may have noticed, we just unveiled a beta version of Souk—which has one simple goal: To help you find unique, high quality products that are worth your time and money.
One: This is for all the cheese lovers out there! Have you tried Brunost yet? What is it, you ask? It’s made by caramelising whey till it turns golden brown—giving it the flavour of salted milk fudge, and a texture that’ll remind you of peda. This one’s made by Eleftheria in India, and has actually beaten some of the world’s best cheeses at the World Cheese Awards (Super Gold in 2023, Silver in 2021).
Two: We spotted this Matchbox Ashtray and grinned—because it looks like it belongs in a museum gift shop, in the best way. A ceramic ashtray that says “Drugs” in that bold, kitschy matchbox style you’d usually find in old paan shops or tucked into someone’s drawer of oddities. It’s all retro charm—graphic, slightly absurd, and entirely conversation-starting. Originally meant as an ashtray, but we love it for earrings, safety pins—or our favourite: prescription meds, or your emergency stash of Eno.
Three: The Handmade Bubble Mug from Klay List is less 'basic drinkware' and more 'mini sculpture with a side of drama.' Its stacked bubble silhouette is playful and a little retro, while the chrome glaze catches light like a pearl that decided to go rockstar. Sure, you could sip coffee from it—but it really shines as a flower vase, brush holder, or that one piece on your shelf that makes people stop and ask, “Where did you get that?”
PS: This is a beta launch and feedback—good or bad—is key. So please email the team at dearsouk@splainer.inwith your thoughts. We want to get this right!
The Supreme Court’s war on Delhi streeties
In a bizarre ruling, a two-judge Supreme Court bench has issued a sweeping order to round up all the street dogs—and put them in shelters. The target: to ensure there are shelters to house at least 5,000 dogs within six to eight weeks.
What the ruling said: The ruling issued by Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan which directs authorities of the NCR—Delhi, Noida, Gurugram and Ghaziabad—is sweeping:
The ruling... directs civic authorities to capture all strays, sterilise and vaccinate them and relocate them to newly built shelters. The court gave authorities eight weeks to create the facilities and install CCTV monitoring to ensure no animals are released back on to the streets. The bench stressed the need for immediate action. “Round up all stray dogs from all localities … whether sterilised or unsterilised,” Justice JB Pardiwala declared.
The authorities must also keep daily records of captured dogs—and set up a helpline for bite or rabies complaints. They must pick up the offending dog within four hours.
Quotes to note: The language used by the Justices was exceptionally harsh:
You will have to launch a drive with some force… society should be free from stray dogs. You shouldn’t find a single stray dog moving around anywhere in any locality of the city or outskirts. That’s the first step. Then we will decide what is the next step.
The vitriol bordered on the absurd:
“Have you seen Western movies?. There is one called ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’. When Ugly is lying in a soap-filled bathtub, his assailant comes to kill him. The man says he had been searching for Ugly for a long time. Ugly shoots him without a word, and says ‘if you have to shoot a man, shoot and don’t talk’... So, no talk. It is time to act and now,”
The justification: India has the highest number of rabies cases in the world. Each year, about 5,700 people die from rabies, according to government figures—the WHO estimate is as high as 20,000. As for Delhi, the city reported 35,198 animal bite incidents and 49 rabies cases—between January and June of this year alone. That’s around 2,000 bites a day.
Data point to note: According to a 2013 estimate, there were at least 60,000 stray dogs in Delhi—that number has now risen to one million.
Shut up, dog lovers: The Court explicitly dismissed any concerns and petitions of animal activists:
All intervention applications rejected. In the larger interest of the people, having regard to the grim situation prevailing, having regard to the manner in which young children, babies… have fallen prey to these dog bites, we would not like to hear anyone except the Solicitor General and amicus curiae (Senior Advocate Gaurav Agarwal)... All these animal activists, all these so-called (animal) lovers, will they be able to bring back those children who have fallen prey to rabies?
The Court also issued this warning: “[I]f any individual or organisation comes in the way of picking up stray dogs or rounding them up, we will proceed to take action against any such resistance.”
Astonishingly this: When asked if the ruling applies to pet dogs, the Justices responded, “Your stray dog should not overnight become a pet dog”—suggesting adopting a streetie won’t save it.
The most notable fact: This was a suo motu ruling—in other words, the Justices decided to intervene without any petition asking them to do so. But, but, but: the government’s Attorney General supported the ruling—and Delhi’s ruling BJP CM Rekha Gupta promised “our foremost priority is to provide relief to the citizens of Delhi.”
Is this unprecedented? It is certainly the most sweeping edict ever issued by the Court. But the Delhi government has a track record of rounding up strays—with great haste and little compassion. Example: The ‘On Duty G20’ squads sent out to clean up the city ahead of the global summit.
Cruel, unusual and unfeasible: Critics of the ruling make three key points. One, it creates “chaos and suffering” for the dogs. Two, it is “financially unviable.” As Maneka Gandhi points out:
To make those shelters, you have to spend at least Rs 15,000 crore... You'll have to find 3000 places for shelters in places where no one lives. How will you find these many places?... This can't be done in two months... You'll have to employ 1.5 lakh people to just be sanitation workers, which will again cost crores.
Three, it simply won’t work:
"Displacement and jailing of dogs has never worked. Such actions will not curb the dog population, reduce rabies or prevent bites, as dogs eventually return to their territories," said Dr Mini Aravindan, senior director of veterinary affairs at PETA India. She added that the government should instead boost the sterilisation and vaccination programmes, shut down illegal pet shops and breeders, and encourage adoption.
Point to note: The Court claims sterilization doesn’t prevent rabies—but didn’t acknowledge that vaccination will.
What’s next: There were spontaneous protests at India Gate yesterday—many of those who attended were detained. But it isn’t clear who can stop this SC+sarkaar juggernaut. No one seems to be willing to listen to reason—or look at reasonable solutions for what is a very real menace.
Reading list: Indian Express and The Hindu have the details of the grim ruling. Hindustan Times has reactions to the ruling from animal rights campaigners. The Guardian and Associated Press have international coverage of the verdict. Read Reuters for details on the drive conducted before the G20 summit.
2/8 New restaurant rules: A special licence to serve meat?
India’s food safety watchdog—the FSSAI—is introducing new regulations that will require restaurants applying for a licence to declare their “menu type”—as in veg or non-veg…
3/8 Very good news about grasslands in Gujarat
A quick definition: A carbon sink “is anything that absorbs more carbon than it produces, especially if it can store captured carbon indefinitely.” The natural versions include oceans, forests and grasslands…
MAP Academy fellowships alert!!
Editor’s note: As you know, the wonderful MAP Academy is our content partner for Advisory. It is one of the few Indian institutions deeply invested in cultural research and education. They also offer rare funded opportunities for researchers, designers, archivists, journalists, writers and educators. The Nalli Fellowship is one of them.
Over to MAP Academy…
We’re pleased to announce that a new cycle of the MAP Academy & Nalli Fellowships will open to applications soon. Designed to support research and practice in South Asia’s diverse textile traditions, the Fellowship is born out of a collaboration between MAP Academy and Nalli Silks, a heritage textile brand based in India.
Programme Details: Four fellowships, each with a grant of INR 5,50,000, will be awarded.
The programme is open to a wide range of people, from individuals to collectives, from researchers to practitioners. We’re hoping to receive applications on a range of subjects, and these include:
Histories of clothing and costume
Community or personal textile archives
Textiles in religious or liturgical contexts
Environmental impact of textile production and consumption
Endangered or disappearing textile traditions
Critical perspectives on revivalism
Labour in textile production, with a focus on caste, class, and gender
Textiles in relation to other cultural forms—storytelling, poetry, music, architecture, and material culture
Textiles in the context of archaeological study
Textiles as symbols or metaphors in literature or mythology
Techniques and tools used in specific textile traditions
You can read more about the Fellowships here. We will begin accepting applications starting 18th August 2025.
To register your interest and receive a reminder when applications open, please visit this link. For any queries, contact us at: fellowships@map-india.org
For more in splainer LITE…
The Opposition puts on a big protest
Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif’s message
Only in India: A leopard being tied a rakhi!
New ICC rules in action for Glenn Maxwell’s catch
A real band stars in the teenage rock band series titled ‘The Runarounds’
what caught our eye
business & tech
Nvidia and AMD will hand 15% of their Chinese AI chip revenues to the US government in exchange for export licenses.
Economic Times has all you need to know on Tesla opening its second India showroom in Delhi’s Aerocity, a month after debuting in Mumbai.
OpenAI has restored its popular GPT-4o model and raised usage limits for paying users after a botched GPT-5 launch sparked a revolt among its most loyal customers.
sports & entertainment
The Madras High Court has ordered the trial to begin in MS Dhoni’s Rs 100 crore defamation case over being linked to the IPL betting scam.
Netflix has renewed its deal with Prince Harry and Meghan’s production company, but for a smaller payout than their previous arrangement.
The Hindu has a good read on how the pirate flag from 'One Piece' has become a global symbol of resistance, rattling real-world governments.
U2’s members have spoken out on the Israel-Gaza conflict, with Bono condemning Netanyahu’s government's usage of starvation as a weapon.
health & environment
Eating three servings of potatoes a week may raise diabetes risk by 5%, while the same amount of French fries could push up the risk factor by 20%, a study finds.
An AI system in Tamil Nadu’s Madukkarai forest has enabled about 2,800 wild elephants to cross railway tracks safely since February 2024.
Thousands of young adults in China are using adult-sized pacifiers to cope with stress and sleepless nights.
A meteorite that smashed through a Georgia home in June is about 20 million years older than Earth, scientists say.
meanwhile, in the world
Farmers in Vietnam facing eviction for a $1.5bn Trump-backed golf resort are reportedly being offered rice and as little as $12 per square metre in compensation.
The US has designated Pakistan-based Balochistan Liberation Army and its alias, the Majeed Brigade, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation—a diplomatic win for Islamabad.
Donald Trump has extended the US-China tariff truce by 90 days, delaying a potential showdown and leaving room for talks with Xi Jinping later this year.
Colombian senator and presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe has died, two months after being shot in the head during a campaign rally in Bogotá.
Donald Trump has put Washington DC’s police under federal control and sent in 800 National Guard troops, citing rampant crime—despite local data showing it’s falling.
Malnutrition has killed 63 people, mostly women and children, in a week in Sudan’s besieged El-Fasher city, as fighting in the region worsens and many deaths go unrecorded.
Australia will recognise Palestine, PM Anthony Albanese announced, joining France, Britain and Canada amid growing criticism of Israel’s Gaza offensive.
In China, a boy upset over not getting a Labubu toy smashed a glass ceiling and chandelier worth Rs 48 lakh at a relative’s home.
The Trump administration has issued an order giving political appointees final say over all federal grants, including research funding, requiring projects to align with the president’s policy priorities.
Japan’s population of nationals fell by over 900,000 in 2024—the steepest drop yet for the rapidly aging nation.
meanwhile, in India
The US will scrap its popular ‘Dropbox’ interview waiver for work and student visa applicants starting September 2, 2025.
Air India will suspend its Delhi–Washington flights from September 1, citing a reduced Boeing 787 fleet and Pakistan’s airspace closure, with data suggesting the route may not resume until next year.
Diamond firms in Surat have paused Christmas orders from US clients after Donald Trump's latest round of tariffs, a blow to a season that makes up nearly half their annual international sales.
PM Modi spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after Donald Trump claimed India doesn’t care about Ukrainian deaths, discussing the war and Zelensky’s push to curb Russian oil exports.
Nearly four decades after 17-year-old Padmalatha was kidnapped and murdered in Dharmasthala, her family has asked the SIT probing the mass burials to exhume her body and reopen the still-unsolved case.
McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Amazon, and Apple are among US giants facing boycott calls in India as PM Modi’s supporters and business leaders push back against American tariffs.
Odisha has reported its fourth case in a month of a young girl setting herself on fire—a 13-year-old in Bargarh district is now battling for life after allegedly immolating herself on a football ground.
Six men from Bengal allegedly ran a fake police station in Noida—complete with forged ministry certificates, a fake Interpol link, and a logo mimicking a government insignia.
A list of good reads
Wall Street Journal lifts the lid of a $15 billion mystery behind the apparent suicide of the financial advisor to an Hermès heir.
Sandeep Dwivedi of Indian Express explains why Indian cricket doesn’t deserve its greatest fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah.
Financial Times takes a trip to Tierra del Fuego, the wild archipelago at the end of the Earth.
CNN asks why Japan—once a tech giant—is still stuck with fax machines and ink stamps.
NewsLaundry decries that the newly uploaded ‘official version’ of the 1986 cult classic ‘New Delhi Times’ has been ruined by self-censorship.
In an official statement, Medicins Sans Frontieres draws on data to report that the current aid distribution system in Gaza is a form of orchestrated killing.
Good Food Movement makes the case for chicken manure—smelly, potent, packed with nutrients and fueling farms around India.
New York Times warns that you are contaminated by the exposome—the sum of external exposures encountered over a lifetime, from microplastics to pollution particles.
BBC News identifies the mysterious ‘dark comets’ prowling our Solar System—which could also explain how water arrived on Earth.
Scroll has a history lesson on Balasaheb Pant Pratinidhi—the Raja of Aundh who gave away his powers to the praja.
Need an immediate pick-me-up? We have all you need to keep you sane.
One: Meet Ramprasad, the Hindi film villain of billis.
Two: Now that’s an excellent house party.
Three: Who wore the pink tutu best? Answer: Duh! (FYI that’s a Roseate Spoonbill).
Email us over at talktous@splainer.in or just hit ‘Reply’ with your comments, suggestions and advice—or to just say hi:)
