Nanditesh Nilay

Dear NEET aspirant, you didn’t fail. We, your guardians, did

June 16,2026 16:42:24 PM

Accountability isn’t a word reserved for newspaper editorials or press conferences. It must be lived, and it must be distributed honestly across everyone who failed you

UPSC Ethics Simplified | How can India’s civil services and governance rebuild Gen Z’s trust?Subscriber Only

June 14,2026 13:59:19 PM

UPSC Ethics: If trust is the foundation of democratic governance, what is driving the growing trust deficit among India's youth and Gen Z, why is it becoming a crisis, what ethical questions does it raise, and how can trust be rebuilt? Ethicist Nanditesh Nilay answers.

UPSC Ethics Simplified : CBSE row as a case study on accountability when technology failsSubscriber Only

June 07,2026 15:55:58 PM

What lessons does the CBSE digital evaluation controversy hold for future civil servants? Through the lens of ethics, accountability, empathy, and citizen-centric governance, Nanditesh Nilay examines why technology can improve administration but can never replace ethical responsibility.

UPSC Prelims 2026 shocks aspirants: Why Ethics-style questions signal a major shift in civil services testingSubscriber Only

June 06,2026 18:39:54 PM

UPSC may or may not repeat this pattern, but aspirants stand to gain by integrating an ethical lens into everything they study. The Commission may be signalling that ethical decision-making is not confined to UPSC Mains Ethics paper anymore; it is intrinsic to public service itself.

NEET Paper Leak: What is ethical governance in public examinations?Subscriber Only

May 17,2026 15:39:42 PM

Ethics Simplified: The NEET paper leak is not merely an examination scandal but a deeper crisis of ethical governance and public trust. Nanditesh Nilay, our ethicist, discusses its implications for administrative ethics, institutional integrity, and meritocracy. 

Dear UPSC aspirants, how do you know what’s ethical in everyday lifeSubscriber Only

April 26,2026 19:25:41 PM

UPSC aspirants’ ethics doubts answered. Are everyday actions ethical? Do small decisions reflect deeper moral questions? Ask more—answers will follow. Explore the 3-question ethics framework.

Ethics Simplified: UPSC aspirants ask — Are humans failing ethically in the AI age? Here’s an answerSubscriber Only

April 12,2026 14:53:09 PM

Ethics is not confined to UPSC GS Paper IV. It lives in everyday decisions—resignations, compromises, and even algorithms. The questions aspirants ask often mirror real ethical dilemmas unfolding around them. Here is one. Ask more. Answers will follow.

UPSC Ethics Simplified: How fake success claims by aspirants reveal a deeper moral crisisSubscriber Only

March 15,2026 08:56:34 AM

Controversies over alleged misrepresentation of UPSC results have raised uncomfortable questions about integrity in aspirant culture. In the age of aspirants–toppers celebrity culture, why does ethics still matter? Don't miss the 'Post Read Question'.

UPSC CSE 2025 Final Result Out : To those who didn’t clear the exam this time — this letter is for youSubscriber Only

March 06,2026 14:19:21 PM

UPSC CSE 2025 Results out : “A quiet message arrived today: ‘Sir, I could not clear it this time.’ Behind every UPSC result lies a story that cannot be contained in a PDF file,” writes Nanditesh Nilay.

In Good Faith: To build trust, AI needs to be anchored by human agencySubscriber Only

March 04,2026 06:22:01 AM

For AI to be successful, it must adjust to a world of billions of humans who, whether literate or illiterate, refuse to fail in their hosting of honesty

UPSC Ethics Simplified : When an honest civil servant resigns, is it a failure of the ‘system’ or a test of ethics?Subscriber Only

February 08,2026 10:49:52 AM

Upright officers may feel isolated as unethical behaviour becomes normalised and practicality is confused with compromise. Does the system merely encourage unethical practices, or does it actively promote them? Do those who refuse to participate in such practices ultimately have to resign? Also, what lessons does history offer? Ethical reasoning offers clarity.

UPSC Ethics Simplified : This Republic Day, understanding idea of ‘Self-Sovereignty’ and why ethics matterSubscriber Only

January 25,2026 15:15:36 PM

Why talk about ethics on Republic Day? Nanditesh Nilay answers. Don't miss the Post-Read question and links to previous articles for UPSC exam towards the end of the article.

Ethics Simplified : How does Vivekananda’s philosophy take us from ‘I’ to humanity?Subscriber Only

January 11,2026 13:43:50 PM

Swami Vivekananda's birth anniversary: A chance train meeting, an unexpected letter from Harvard, and a speech that stunned the world—what lay behind Vivekananda’s global impact? Let us explore how his philosophy transforms personal ethics into universal responsibility.

Beyond the ‘Word of the Year’: Why 2026 needs a ‘Value of the Year’ and what should it be?Subscriber Only

January 01,2026 08:46:10 AM

As 2026 begins, UPSC Essentials of The Indian Express asks a deeper question beyond trends and buzzwords: what should become the Value of the Year in an anxious world? Nanditesh Nilay, our ethicist, offers an answer.

In 2026, questions the young should ask themselvesSubscriber Only

January 01,2026 07:56:18 AM

Right is what you can share without fear with your parents, sister, grandparents and juniors. Wrong is what you would never want to pass on. And “not right” is that dangerous space justified by “only once”. Your ability to tell these apart will become your identity

UPSC Ethics Simplified: How IndiGo Crisis is a case study on ‘Safety, Trust, and Service’Subscriber Only

December 14,2025 12:02:46 PM

IndiGo Crisis and Ethics: Usually service providers fail because they do not realise that customer service is not lip service but ethics in action. Nanditesh Nilay, our ethicist, explains the IndiGo crisis through the lens of ethics.

Gen Z in UPSC : What happens to civil services values?Subscriber Only

November 30,2025 14:31:45 PM

UPSC Ethics Simplified: Gen Z is emerging as a major force in UPSC, bringing new communication styles, ethical dilemmas, and digital-first attitudes into governance. Will the ethical foundations of the civil services be impacted by their presence? Nanditesh Nilay, our ethicist, examines.

UPSC Ethics Simplified | Politicians, Athletes, UPSC Aspirants: Do Results Matter? Aristotle has an answerSubscriber Only

November 16,2025 14:39:49 PM

UPSC Ethics GS Paper 4: Bihar Assembly Election Results, Women’s Cricket World Cup Results, UPSC Mains Results — the word common to all three recent events is “results.” Nanaditesh Nilay, our ethicist, draws from philosophers and contemporary examples to explore the ethical dimensions of results.

Nehru believed children shape the future. His political dynasty highlights tension between inherited power, earned placeSubscriber Only

November 14,2025 06:35:47 AM

The issue is not that a politician’s child cannot be capable; it is that they seldom need to establish capability before being granted power. Democracy is weakened when public leadership resembles inheritance more than responsibility

UPSC Ethics Simplified | What can a doctor’s story teach future public servants? Revisiting medical ethics after the cough syrup tragedySubscriber Only

November 09,2025 14:01:51 PM

When systems fail, like in the recent cough syrup tragedy, the consequences are catastrophic. It’s time to ask: how and why should we uphold the ethics of care that define both medicine and public service? Nanditesh Nilay, our ethicist, answers through a case study.

UPSC Ethics Simplified | How must a police officer choose between a VVIP and a common man at ‘Ram Lalla’ Darshan? Here’s a caseletSubscriber Only

October 19,2025 17:59:54 PM

UPSC Ethics Case Study : When duty meets compassion, a police officer faces a quiet ethical test during a high-pressure situation. This caselet challenges our ideas of responsibility, fulfillment, and what it truly means to serve.

How Gandhi can help shape India’s response to US tariffsSubscriber Only

October 02,2025 08:17:10 AM

India need not fear Trump’s rhetoric. Instead, it should embody a politics that refuses to reduce global relationships to ego contests

UPSC Ethics Simplified | When the file comes with cash, what should a young DM do?Subscriber Only

September 28,2025 13:50:54 PM

How should a civil servant respond to the first test of power? When young bureaucrats falter under the weight of temptation, Nanditesh Nilay, our ethicist, reminds us of the true meaning of power.

UPSC Ethics Simplified | How and why Civil Servants should be ‘enablers’ of growth, not mere ‘regulators’Subscriber Only

September 14,2025 13:47:06 PM

UPSC echoed PM Modi’s call for bureaucrats to be growth enablers in its Civil Services Mains 2025 Ethics question paper. Nanditesh Nilay, our ethicist, discusses this in light of the ethical foundations of civil services.

UPSC Mains 2025 Ethics Paper Review: What was the Ethics Paper trying to tell aspirants?Subscriber Only

August 31,2025 15:15:08 PM

UPSC Mains 2025 Ethics paper wasn’t just a test — it was a call for deeper introspection. The questions push aspirants to move beyond rote learning and embrace values, knowledge and competency as a way of life. Here’s a review of what the paper was really trying to say.