Sunday View: The Best Weekend Opinion Reads, Curated Just for You

In his weekly column for The Indian Express, P Chidambaram says that while both External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw are "urbane" and "well-educated", they do not paint the real picture of the Indian economy. "Numbers have a way of befuddling the best minds," Chidambaram says about the data shared by the two MPs regarding the state of the economy, adding: "First, Mr Jaishankar’s proud take on the size of the economy: 'today, we are a $4 trillion economy with a trade of $800 billion… if you look at Investments of foreigners in India…'. The reality is far different. We are not yet a USD 4 trillion economy. We are huffing and puffing to cross that number toward the goalpost of a USD 5 trillion economy. Mr Vaishnaw was no less effusive while he shared his views on India 'achieving a sustained growth rate of 6 to 8 per cent'. He identified the ‘four pillars’: capital investment, manufacturing, inclusive growth and simplification. However, if we look at data, India’s real GDP growth rate has averaged 4.99 percent in the last 6 years but that included the COVID-affected year."P Chidambaram"India is on the Mars of achievement," says Gopal Krishna Gandhi in an article for The Telegraph, describing Gukesh Dommaraju's historic feat of becoming the youngest undisputed World Chess Champion in the history of the game as a "moment of epiphanic rapture".Gandhi says that while Gukesh's win itself was impressive, what also filled millions of Indians with pride was how he conducted himself after the triumph. "I have not heard in recent times, or even in more than recent times, in a long time, a statement like his [Gukesh's] about Ding: 'He is a true champion'. Wow. I felt proud as an Indian, as a Chennaivasi, that Gukesh should show what being Indian means. Victories have come to be celebrated with fireworks, dance and delirium. Gukesh, you have won in your victory. And you have won more — you have won the hearts of millions by your dignity in victory. I hope millions in China have watched you!"Gopal Krishna Gandhi In an article for Hindustan Times, Tahir Mahmood reflects on the recent challenges to the Places of Worship Act, 1991, and says that the Supreme Court's decision on 12 December to stay any fresh suits to be filed in the matter deserves the "greatest appreciation". He further says that by ordering the Sambhal trial court to not pass any order related to the survey of the Mughal-era mosque there, the apex court has provided the lower court a "timely reminder" about the sanctity of law. "For at least a couple of months, the society will expectedly remain peaceful. There are people here and there who have shown that they could care least even for the apex court directives, but the lower courts will have no choice but to strictly abide by the discipline of the established judicial hierarchy."Tahir MahmoodIn an article for The Indian Express, Coomi Kapoor half-jokingly says that residents of the uber exclusive Mount Pleasant Road in Mumbai’s Malabar Hill will be waiting "anxiously" for their neighbour Eknath Shinde to vacate the chief minister’s bungalow, Varsha. Why? Because, Kapoor says, while all chief ministers of Maharashtra were able to live peacefully with their neighbours over the decades, Shinde was "another ballgame" altogether. "Shinde’s arrival as CM turned the tony Malabar Hill in SoBo upside down. As a hard working grassroots politician, Shinde’s house is open day and night to visitors from all over the state seeking redressal for their grievances. They were all hospitably served endless cups of tea and aloo bondas. The visitors carelessly threw around their paper plates and cups, crowded the narrow roads shouting slogans and plastered walls with political posters. Traffic was held up by the police every time the former chief minister’s cavalcade drove up and down the hill."Coomi KapoorAnuradha Goyal, in an article for The New Indian Express, shares her views on "in-your-face advertisement", which seems to have seeped into every crevice of physical and digital space. "Once, out of frustration, I wondered if the only place left for advertising was our foreheads," Goyal says. She further argues that there seems to be little research on the ill effects on consumers of too much advertisement. "Only such insight can feed into the advertising guidelines by authorities, who in an ideal situation should be the one assessing the impact. Till then, our urban designers and municipal authorities need to establish a fine balance between how much advertisement should be a part of the cityscape. Aesthetics of a place should not be sacrificed at the altar of monetising every possible space available."Anuradha GoyalIn an article for Hindustan Times, journalist Karan Thapar says that he received an interesting letter recently asking him why he doesn't refer to his interviewees as "sir". "I notice you have different ways of addressing the people you interview," the letter began. "Some you call Mr X or Mrs Y, others you refer to as minister and then, sometimes you use their first names. But I don’t think I’ve ever heard you address them as sir. Why? And how do you decide what to call them?"In his response, which he decided to give through the column, Thapar says that the reason behind this is simple. "Sir, as understood in British English, is deferential. It would place the interviewee on a pedestal, above the interviewer. Yet the assumption (or is it an illusion?) of a political interview is that the interviewer and interviewee are equal. That gives the former the right to probe and differ. It also ensures you don’t hesitate to interrupt or cross-question when necessary."Karan ThaparIn an opinion piece for Deccan Herald, Rajeev Srinivasan argues that when a government, not liked by the bulk of people, is overthrown in a coup d'état, everybody engages in jubilant celebrations initially. "Democracy," they chant. But sooner or later, he says, darker things come to the fore and chaos reigns in the form of atrocities against certain sections of the population. "It appears that there is a simple playbook. Arm and support particular groups friendly to you or your ideology, get them to overthrow the person you don't like, and then provide covering propaganda fire for the people you installed. This is despite the inevitable mayhem and revenge that the latter inflict on their erstwhile foes as well as the collateral damage on innocent bystanders."Rajeev Srinivasan In her weekly column for The Indian Express, Tavleen Singh condemns the mayhem being played out in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament over the BJP's allegations of links between billionaire George Soros and the Congress, and a US court's indictment against businessman Gautam Adani. While she blames both the BJP and the Congress for the current scenario, she says that the former is making India seem like an "insecure" country by bringing up Soros repeatedly. "The George Soros hysteria takes first prize for stupidity in the guise of patriotism. So, what if he funds NGOs associated with the Dynasty? So, what if he makes it brutally clear that he dislikes Modi? So, what if he openly charges Gautam Adani with lying about his wealth? Does this amount to destabilising India and threatening our sovereignty? Seriously? And, yet in recent days we have heard senior ministers in the Modi government make the most ridiculous charges in Parliament and outside. When charges like this are made inside Parliament, it makes Indian parliamentary democracy look like something that is fragile and without foundation."Tavleen Singh Mrinal Pande, in an article for The Indian Express, traces the roots of brass bands in India. While brass bands have become a common sight at wedding parties, events conducted by the Indian Armed Forces, and even sports days in schools, such bands were an inseparable part of wars even before the British Raj, she says. "Before colonial rule, Indian kings and princes went to war routinely accompanied by a posse of drummers and trumpet players. Over time, dancing girls and singers were added to the royal armed brigades. The prudish British frowned on the inclusion of courtesans and eunuchs in the Queen’s native army. A large number of musicians and dancing girls were sent packing. In post-1857 India, the sahibs built churches and started schools but men’s wars remained incomplete without music. So by 1918, brass bands and bagpipers taught to play British martial tunes were introduced into all army regiments posted in the hills."Mrinal PandeWhy George Soros & OCCRP Have Emerged as the BJP's Favourite New VillainsJustice Shekhar Yadav's Controversial Speech Undermines the Position of a Judge'Stay' on Places of Worship Act Suits: What Took Supreme Court So Long?Bengaluru Techie's Death: The Complexity of Proving Abetment of SuicideSharad Pawar: A Victim of BJP's Hindutva Project & Strategic Caste Politics

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Sunday View: The Best Weekend Opinion Reads, Curated Just for You

We sifted through the papers to find the best opinion reads, so you won't have to.

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