University Education in Peril
"Indian universities enjoy no autonomy," writes P Chidambaram in an article for The Indian Express, "thanks to laws made by Parliament and the manner in which the UGC has worked the University Grants Commission Act, 1956."
The former finance minister says that the "pervasive" control of universities has not helped the cause of higher education in India, adding that no Indian university ranks among the top 100 universities of the world.
Providing solutions to rectify this malady, he says:
"Unless the UGC Act is repealed, re-imagined and re-enacted, University autonomy will be a distant goal. Unless endowments are created with alumni support, academic freedom will be illusory. Instead of self-reliant public universities, there will be a proliferation of private universities promoted and funded by wealthy families and corporates (with exceptions). The intention may be philanthropy but the result will be commerce."P Chidambaram
Majoritarian Buffet
In an article for The Telegraph, Mukul Kesavan says that the Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025 is nothing but an exercise in bad faith and its provisions are designed to denotify historical Muslim charitable endowments and give government officials sweeping powers over them.
Arguing that the Act infringes on the constitutional right of Muslims to practise their faith and maintain and run their religious and cultural institutions, Kesavan says that the only saving grace here can be the Supreme Court of India.
"The mere fact that the Supreme Court has made it clear that it is willing to stay crucial parts of the Act suggests that the judicial deference that Modi’s government commanded as its due is not so readily available. India, in this Modi interregnum, is the world’s largest experiment in illiberal democracy. The fate of the Waqf law might be a straw in the wind."Mukul Kesavan
Stop US-China Trade War, Manage Interdependence
In an opinion piece for Deccan Chronicle, Manish Tewari speaks about the rationale behind the US' announcement of a 90-day pause to reciprocal tariffs for its trading partners, barring China.
Tewari opines that the US' decision is rooted in structural tensions that have long haunted the US-China trade relationship. For instance, in 2018 the US trade deficit with China swelled to a staggering $418 billion, driven by Beijing’s export-led growth model, marked by subsidies, state-backed credit and industrial overcapacity, compounded by the US' chronically low household savings rate.
"What’s unfolding between Washington and Beijing is no longer a narrow bilateral skirmish. It marks the beginning of a new chapter in international commerce shaped by shifting geopolitical alignments, contested rules and fragile institutions. Navigating this future will require more than reactive policy. It will demand renewed thinking on global economic governance, including revitalising institutions like the WTO and crafting new rules for digital trade, green technologies and cross-border data flows."Manish Tewari
Expanding FIFA World Cup to 64 Teams is a Bad Idea
"The bigger, the better. This seems to be the philosophy of football administrators around the world in recent times," writes Tushar Bhaduri in an article for The Financial Express, speaking about the news of FIFA mulling the idea of expanding the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams.
Bhaduri argues that apart from the logistical issues arising out of a "bloated" and spread-out World Cup, the matter of quality also needs to be addressed.
"The World Cup is the biggest football spectacle on the planet and FIFA’s showpiece event. Hence, only deserving teams should find a place," Bhaduri opines, adding:
"In recent times, we have seen nations as pedigreed in football as Italy missing out on the World Cup because their current teams were simply not good enough. Making it easier may take away some charm and intensity of the qualification cycle."Tushar Bhaduri
The Mercantile Side of Buddhism
In an article for The New Indian Express, Devdutt Pattanaik says that while Buddhism in India today is strongly linked with social activism and anti-caste movements, the reason Buddhism thrived from the Ashokan period in the 3rd century BC to the Pala period in the 8th century CE is deeply linked to mercantilism.
Pattanaik argues that merchants played a significant role in the spread of Buddhism. For instance, he says, that across Southeast Asia, where Buddhists travelled, we find Buddhism spreading along river routes frequented by sea merchants who took advantage of the monsoon winds.
"Monasteries played a key role in providing shelter to merchants, offering medical care, translations, networking, maintaining balance sheets, and providing credit, thus becoming financial institutions. Buddhists texts are full of stories of how wealth and accounts of Buddhist monks were managed, especially after death. Buddhism was like prosperity theology. Buddhism was deeply connected with the rise and spread of trade-routes from Central Asia to Southeast Asia via South Asia. This aspect of Buddhism needs to be highlighted."Devdutt Pattanaik
A Discovery of ‘New’ India
In her weekly column for The Indian Express, Tavleen Singh reflects on a recent experience during which she was "trolled" on X by some people for saying that Urdu was among the most beautiful languages in the world and should be celebrated in India.
She says that while these trolls usually spout venom from anonymous handles, this time they did not try to conceal their links to the BJP and RSS, and proudly declared that they were members of Modi's 'parivar'.
"Since these trolls identified themselves as belonging to Modi’s family, they share the ideology and worldview of the RSS. When the Prime Minister praised his Alma Mater for being the banyan tree of India’s ancient civilization it is surprising that he did not notice that the fruits of this tree are all religious? The RSS ‘thinkers’ appear to be oblivious to those vital components of civilization like art, music, literature and poetry. Where are the scholars, writers, historians and intellectuals in that vast RSS tent? Why is it trolls that swarm angrily and violently around in that tent instead of people who have a basic idea of what the word civilization means?"Tavleen Singh
Beyond the Cold Text, Can Law Define Gender Identity?
In an article for Deccan Herald, Rahul Bajaj speaks about a recent judgment by the UK Supreme Court, which ruled that the term "sex" means biological sex and, by extension, the definition of "man" or "woman" means a biological man or biological woman.
Bajaj says that while the court seemed to reassure the trans community that its ruling would not strip them of legal protection, in such sensitive cases judges need to play a critical role to ensure that statutory provisions are interpreted in a manner which keeps pace with changing societal realities.
Further, he says that Indian courts are yet to grapple with matters of criticality such as this.
"What can be stated with confidence is that questions of this nature will soon confront our courts, in the context of education, employment, shared communal spaces, sporting competitions and beyond. They would do well to be alive to the human lives that stand to be impacted by the cold and bloodless text up for their consideration. Only then would they be able to ensure a just resolution of such controversies."Rahul Bajaj
Without Wu, Will Top-End Luxury Be Luxurious?
In an opinion piece for The Economic Times, Indrajit Hazra speaks of a new trend, whereby Chinese manufacturers have been suggesting that they produce luxury goods for top brands – offering the same quality without the hefty logo markup.
He argues that such a trend challenges the pillars of luxury, quality and brand prestige.
"Like Iago implanting the idea in Othello's head that Desdemona is unfaithful, Chinese creators of luxury branded goods are embedding the notion that they are the ones producing handbags for the likes of Hermes, Louis Vuitton, and Dior. Not 'genuine-fake' Guccis et al, but the vero affare, with valued logos and 'Made in Italy' tags."Indrajit Hazra
The Politics of Thinness
In an opinion piece for The Indian Express, Leher Kala argues that in a fashionable circle of a certain age, the conversation has shifted from who's had the best work done when it comes to Botox, fillers and lip jobs to who's chasing the "holy grail" of beauty via Ozempic.
However, she says that there is an inherent discomfort while talking about the aesthetic advantage of Ozempic, disregarding a fundamental truth: losing weight and looking good makes people happy.
"Is that so bad? Assuming they’re relatively safe, wanting to conform to a beauty standard is an entirely pardonable vanity. But in this woke age of relentless posturing, that’s hard to admit," Kala says, adding:
"Gossipy Internet sleuths derive great pleasure in closely watching celebrities and salaciously pointing out who’s on the drugs. In the current jargon of signalling, it’s superior to get thin the hard way. That will eventually change. Either way, there’s something to cheer that svelteness is an achievable goal — other than freeing the mind from a useless preoccupation, the natural next step is striving to be healthy."Leher Kala