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India is a nation state with many nations within it: UCLA Historian and Professor Vinay Lal
Mumbai : There is a realisation that it is only as a nation-state that you can earn any kind of capital in the world said UCLA Historian and Professor Vinay Lal.
Speaking at ABP Network’s second edition of the ‘Ideas of India’ summit, he said, “It is the project of the government to trace India’s history from 5,000-12,000 years and then suggest that this civilization has been essentially a Vedic civilization right from that period of time.”
Speaking about India being a nation-state, he said, “India is a Nation-state within which there are many nations, this distinction is somewhere elementary but an important distinction to make.”
Drishti IAS founder Vikas Divyakirti, also speaking at ABP Network’s second edition of the ‘Ideas of India’ summit, emphasized on parental training. He said, “Parents should provide a safe space to their child instead of thrusting pressure on them.” He also believed that “English is overvalued” in our society. “The language we speak has nothing to do with the intelligence of an individual. However, there is pre-notion in our society that English-speaking people are smarter than those who don’t.”
The summit promises an energising lineup of speakers, including prominent figures from business, politics, the Hindi film industry, authors, and other eminent sectors. The two-day conference brings together diverse ideas from various industries to help India become a rising global leader.
News Broadcasting
Network18 Q4 revenue grows 9.7 per cent, EBITDA at Rs 30 crore
PAT improves to Rs 306.6 crore, margins steady amid cost pressures.
MUMBAI: Not all news is breaking, some of it is quietly improving. Network18 Media & Investments Limited appears to be doing just that, tightening losses and stabilising margins even as costs continue to weigh on the business. For FY26, the company reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,955.1 crore, up from Rs 1,896.2 crore in FY25, signalling modest top-line growth in a challenging media environment. Total income stood at Rs 1,978.2 crore, compared to Rs 1,913 crore a year earlier.
Profit after tax came in at Rs 306.6 crore for the year, a sharp turnaround from Rs 3,225.4 crore in FY25, largely reflecting the absence of large exceptional items that had inflated the previous year’s numbers. On a more comparable basis, the company’s operating performance showed signs of gradual stabilisation.
However, the quarterly picture remained under pressure. For the March quarter, Network18 reported a loss of Rs 53.1 crore, narrower than the Rs 98.1 crore loss in the same period last year, but still indicative of ongoing cost challenges.
Expenses continued to track high. Total expenses for FY26 stood at Rs 2,235.7 crore, up from Rs 2,197.8 crore in FY25. Key cost heads included operational expenses of Rs 765.9 crore, employee benefits of Rs 475.9 crore, and marketing, distribution and promotional spends of Rs 427.1 crore, underlining the continued investment required to sustain reach and engagement.
At an operating level, margins remained under strain. Operating margin stood at 2.33 per cent for FY26, marginally higher than 1.77 per cent in FY25, while net profit margin remained negative at -13.02 per cent, though improved from -14.89 per cent.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose to Rs 8,957.6 crore as of 31 March 2026, from Rs 8,317.5 crore a year earlier. Equity strengthened to Rs 4,958.7 crore, while borrowings increased to Rs 3,112.8 crore, reflecting a higher reliance on debt to support operations.
Cash flows told a mixed story. While financing activities generated Rs 83.9 crore, operating cash flow remained negative at Rs -24 crore, highlighting ongoing pressure on core cash generation. Cash and cash equivalents, however, improved to Rs 33.9 crore from Rs 1.8 crore.
The numbers point to a company in transition growing revenues, trimming losses, but still grappling with structural cost pressures. In a sector where scale often comes at a price, Network18 seems to be inching towards balance, one quarter at a time.
