Why TV Coverage of Howdy Modi Tour Has Made Me More Than Slightly Ashamed
Tavleen Singh feels that PM Modi’s ‘Howdy, Modi’ event in Texas was covered by the Indian media with “humiliating hysteria”. In her weekly column for the The Indian Express, she points out that this was mainly to project that the PM was better received than his Pakistani counterpart. She laments the fact that this genre of reportage ends up dragging India down to Pakistan’s level.
“It used to be Pakistan that always behaved as if its very existence was defined by its eternal enmity with India. This made Pakistan seem like a small, petty country compared to India, so it is deeply saddening to see us bring India down to the same tawdry level of hostilities and enmity.”Tavleen Singh in The Indian Express.
Give It Time. Kashmir Ki Kalis Can Bloom by Next Spring
In her column for The Times of India, author Shobhaa De writes on the concern about Jammu and Kashmir, expressed by those who have never been to the state. She takes an optimistic view of how the situation might turn out, supported by her conversations with people with “clear perspectives, convincing analysis and open minds .”
“Those who ‘worry’ about Kashmir, should think positively — not about themselves, but about those who call Kashmir home and have done so for generations. The wretchedness of their existence is about to end. Let countless ‘Kashmir ki kalis’ burst into full and glorious bloom in the Valley… and in our hearts by spring 2020.”Shobhaa De in The Times of India.
Out of My Mind: People or Parliament Sovereign?
Who’s the true sovereign, the Indian people or their representatives in parliament? wonders Meghnad Desai, in his column for The Indian Express. He takes the example of UK PM Boris Johnson’s attempt to prorogue the Parliament, which was declared illegal by the Supreme Court, because it prevented Parliament from doing its work and compares it with Indira Gandhi’s imposition of emergency which was, in contrast, deemed “perfectly constitutional”.
“The Indian president is chosen by legislators at the Centre and in states. In effect, the president is chosen by the prime minister. In the UK, the Head of State is not chosen effectively by the ruling party but is a hereditary monarch. This is why Indira Gandhi got away with promulgating Emergency signed by the president.”Meghnad Desai in The Indian Express.
Howdy Modi: Spectacle Diplomacy Can Be a Letdown Without Real Gains
With a different perspective on the ‘Howdy, Modi’ mega event, Sagarika Ghose writes in The Times of India that 24x7 media coverage is destroying people’s perception of history and their sense of context and that politicians are using this to their advantage.
She points out that several erstwhile diplomatic breakthroughs have been forgotten because they weren’t made spectacles. Does this brand of diplomacy have any substance behind it?
“Soundbites like “Modi is India’s father” or “Abki baar Trump sarkar” grab headlines, but what about real deals or any significant breakthroughs? It would be a real let down if spectacle-driven diplomacy does not in the end sort out hard realities of free and fair trade or concerns on both sides about H1-B visas for Indian techies. The trouble with real-time news is that today’s breaking news is tomorrow’s history.”Sagarika Ghose in The Times of India.
Hard Road beyond Corporate Tax Cut
Shankkar Aiyer in The New Indian Express argues that while the government’s decision to slash corporate tax to 22% has undeniable potential benefits in the medium and long term, it must be accompanied by real income growth to fulfil its true purpose. A tax cut improves ability, but does not necessarily nudge desire to consume—that depends on expectations of uncertainty or well-being, he writes.
The hype, hurrahs and hoopla aside, the harsh truth is that the tax rate cut alone is not enough to lift the economy from its current orbit into one that is more productive and delivers higher growth. The template needs a series of reforms—particularly to sustain the government’s revenue-expenditure model—and to propel demand, investment and job creation.Shankkar Aiyer in The Indian Express.
How Educators Can Encourage More Greta Thunbergs in Their Quest to Save the Planet
Janani Iyer, in her piece for The Indian Express, writes that the impact of climate change on the mental and emotional well-being of teenagers hasn’t been talked about. She argues that schools should encourage free discussion on climate change and start taking climate-friendly actions to set an example.
“And I am not even talking about the physical and mental toll on people and teenagers who actually go through the hurricanes, floods or wildfires, few of the outcomes of the rapidly changing climate. Experiencing personal injury and/or being witness to the injury or death of their loved one can have significant psychological harm. If we want the emotional and mental well-being of the current and the coming generation, it is important to constantly have conversations about the subject.”Janani Iyer in The Indian Express.
Congress Leaders Lack Knowledge of Own History
Writing for The New Indian Express, Anirban Ganguly suggests that the Congress of today is populated with a majority of leaders who have little or no knowledge or understanding of their own history, especially when it comes to the abrogation of Article 370. He takes the example of leaders who argued for the integration of Jammu and Kashmir on the basis of equal treatment, not as a communal issue.
“Had a majority of them retained a modicum of their sense of history, they would have realised that a number of their own stalwarts had, in the past, repeatedly argued for the abrogation of Article 370. Interestingly, the echoes of those arguments were found in Amit Shah’s interventions and not in those from the Congress benches who rose to try and outshout him or argue against his submission.”Anirban Ganguly in The Indian Express.
Abused Women Need the Support of Their Families
Lalita Panicker, in her column for Hindustan Times, writes that if the families that girls are married into knew that they have a strong support system at home, they might think twice before attacking them. She argues that the victim’s family is often aware of what she’s going through and needs to shed the false sense of familial honour that prevents them from helping.
“If avaricious in-laws are to be blamed for their vicious attacks on their daughters-in-law, then I blame the girls’ families equally for not helping them in their moments of need, when such help might mean the difference between life and death. It is true that in many families, a disproportionate amount of money is spent on the marriage of their daughters, and the breakdown of the marriage is a huge loss, not just of face, but also of finances.”Lalita Panicker in Hindustan Times.
Renaming of Kotla Stadium After Arun Jaitley Was a Hasty Show
Feroze Shah Kotla, Delhi’s iconic Stadium, was renamed in haste and without following due process, writes Coomi Kapoor in The Indian Express. Furthermore, the renaming ceremony had a light-hearted and glitzy tone, instead of a sombre and dignified atmosphere befitting Arun Jaitley’s recent demise.
“Rajat Sharma seemed more interested in an immediate re-naming ceremony to showcase himself, perhaps with an eye on eventually taking over the BCCI, which is presently controlled by Supreme Court appointees. He had not bargained that chief guest Amit Shah, till recently the President of the Gujarat Cricket Association, is a cricket enthusiast and would steal the show.”Coomi Kapoor in The Indian Express.
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