Climate Change as Business: Crisis, Opportunity, and Everything in Between
T N Ninan writes in his column for Business Standard that India has to "destroy less of the old" in order to meet the net-zero goals. He argues that India being a late-comer in this race has an unplanned advantage.
He further writes that some businesses will suffer in this de-carbnonisation of human activity. But these could spur longer-term lifestyle changes. Like moving away from metros in newer places with supporting infrastructure. While the Ukraine conflict has pushed many countries to carbon dependence, Ninan states that countries still have to meet emission targets and are prompting incentives and subsidies for these investments.
"Why not live in more spacious homes in less hurried Chandigarh or Jaipur, and commute to Delhi when needed if the journey takes only a couple of hours? Or Meerut if you are so inclined, with a train commute of less than an hour?"TN Ninan in Business Standard
Punishment Without Proof
Tavleen Singh writes in The Indian Express about how democracy cannot prosper if the process of justice is turned into a weapon to curb dissent. Taking the case of Umar Khalid and Siddique Kappan, she argues that if India wants to redeem its image from an elected autocracy, an excellent start would be to release the two men, as they didn't deserve to be in jail in the first place.
"For a country that gave Ajmal Kasab a fair trial before hanging him for his proven role in the 26/11 attack on Mumbai, why have we reached so low a point that journalists and student leaders can be jailed for years without trial?"Tavleen Singh in The Indian Express
Shared Luminosity: Context Shapes Even the Most Brilliant of Minds
In an insightful column for The Telegraph, politician and former diplomat Gopalkrishna Gandhi draws up an intellectual link between the "five powerful minds that have influenced the world's thinking" – Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Mahatma Gandhi, and Albert Einstein.
He talks about how the books they read influenced their thoughts and helped in their respective works. He lists the books that connect Darwin to Einstein and how each of them interpreted these writings into works that impacted the world.
Towards the end, he asks whether a single book in the last seventy-five years of freedom captured our thinking as a people.
"Minds that impact other minds are not born ‘ready-made’ to do their impacting. Contexts and the intellectual environment shape minds, all minds. Books, which in point of fact are the subject matter of this column, form an essential part of that environment."Gopalkrishna Gandhi in The Telegraph
When Diversity Isn’t the Right Kind of Diversity
American journalist Pamela Paul writes in The New York Times on the new British Prime Minister Liz Truss's Cabinet and the larger question of diversity in leadership positions.
Even though her Cabinet boasts of being ethnically diverse, Paul argues that ethinic and racial diversity might not be enough if the Cabinet isn't diverse in ideology.
"It seems odd to have to point out in 2022 that “diverse” hires can be every bit as diverse on the inside as they are on the outside. For every Ketanji Brown Jackson, you’re liable to get a Clarence Thomas. Apparently, we need constant reminders that there’s more to people than meets the eye and that in multicultural societies, an acceptance of diversity must be more than skin deep."Pamela Paul in The New York Times
Azadi, Autonomy, and Mr Azad
Congress leader and former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram writes in The Indian Express about the two ideas of Kashmir, and how his former colleague and MP Ghulam Nabi Azad voted for honoring Article 370 in a Congress Working Committee meeting in August 2019.
But he asks, why then does Azad say that a political party promising to restore Article 370 would be "telling lies" to the people.
He states that in his interaction with the people of Kashmir, he was convinced that they do not demand azadi, or freedom, or secession. They seek a larger degree of autonomy. And the abrogation of Article 370 was a step back in this direction.
"As CWC member, MP and Leader of the Opposition, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, lent his voice to the original idea of Kashmir. It is an unfortunate turn of fate that Mr Azad, minus the status of MP, has embraced the opposite idea of Kashmir."P Chidambaram in The Indian Express
Why a Revival of Mandal Politics at the National Level Is Unlikely
In his piece for The Times of India, Badri Narayan argues that Nitish Kumar's break-up with the BJP should not be seen as a revival of Mandal politics against the ruling party. He states that the political nature of the Indian public has changed drastically in the recent past. Along with caste and religious identities, development issues play an important role in determining political choices of Indians. And in such an India, caste-based political assertion may not be fully realised.
"After all, the revival of Mandal-inspired political assertion can’t be based just on caste calculations but also on the issues that may evoke identities and translate into electoral votes. We need to see what kind of programme Nitish Kumar and his new alliance is going to propose to mobilise OBC and other social communities in their favour."Badri Narayan in The Times of India
Narayan also writes that another reason why Nitish's move would not be able to transform into a Mandal kind of politics is that Hindutva mobilisation has shown its capacity to submerge caste-based assertations. He sees Kumar's act influencing Bihar politics in some sense but says that it is unlikely to influence the national politics in any transformational way.
The Revenge of the Indian Canines
Palash Krishna Mehrotra writes in his column for Economic Times about the "attack mode" of Indian dogs in the recent past. Referring to the Ghaziabad and Lucknow pit bull attacks, Mehrotra makes a point about the fascination of breeds like dalmations and the White Indian Spitz, owing the trends to movies like Hum Aapke Hain Kaun.
He claims that he saw a change in the behaviour of stray dogs. The empty streets brought out "the worst aggression" in them, he states. He then jokingly remarks about how in England, the pet dogs were polite.
"In England, I was amazed at how polite pet dogs were. They would never bark when you rang the doorbell. They'd walk over politely, and disinterestedly sniff you when you entered someone's house. When they went out with their owners, they would often be leashless and walk alongside their 'parents', across the zebra crossing, by the river, in the park. Maybe they would read PG Wodehouse at home, too."Palash Krishna Mehrotra in The Economic Times
Halfway Through 2022–23, the Economy’s Report Card
Chanakya writes in his piece for Hindustan Times about the performance of the Indian economy in the financial year 2022-23. He states that halfway through the year, the Indian economy is in a good place, things could have been better, but they could have also been worse.
He talks about the three largest economies "the United States, China and the EU," and how they are slowing down sharply. He also mentions that even though food security may work to India's advantage, our energy insecurity could work to its disadvantage.
"The pressing economic challenges for India, then, remain internal. For economic policymakers, this is good news because it means the issues are within their direct control. But it is also bad news because many of the challenges are not new – and therefore, obstinate, if not systemic."Chanakya in Hindustan Times
Risk, Amorality, and a Rusting Steel Frame
Author and former diplomat Pavan K Varma writes in The Asian Age about how bureaucrats have become yes men, willing to do whatever is required to win approbation so that their careers are not jeopardised.
He talks about a time when bureaucrats could fearlessly give impartial advice to their political masters. He then mentions a story he used to hear as a child about a king and a wazir. Through this story, Varma argues that it is immoral to change one's views to agree with the king.
"For a democracy, the dominance of unprincipled yes men is a very worrying situation. It leads to unchecked power, wrong decision making, and venality and corruption. Ultimately, the common citizen suffers. It is for this reason, that in the Arthashastra, Kautilya repeatedly stresses that the senior advisers guiding the king must be people of the highest integrity, chosen for their merit and capable of stating their views fearlessly."Pavan K Varma in The Asian Age
More From The Quint
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)