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

"The dosti lies in a shambles," says P Chidambaram in an opinion piece for The Indian Express, speaking about the dent in India-US ties following President Donald Trump's claim in May that he mediated a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. Chidambaram says that PM Modi has truly been "stumped" by the behaviour of President Trump, and that the Indian government needs to go back to the drawing board to "re-draw" its American policy. Speaking about the possible reason that led Trump to claim credit, the former finance minister says: "It is becoming clearer by the day that the Trump family’s commercial interests were the moving force behind Mr Trump’s intervention. The Trump family’s crypto currency firm, World Liberty Financial (WLF), had negotiated with Pakistan, met Pakistan’s prime minister and army chief, and signed a deal with Pakistan Crypto Council on April 26 — barely four days after the Pahalgam terror attack. As the war intensified, Mr Trump abandoned his initial ‘hands off’ approach. Frenetic activity began after May 7 and concluded with Mr Trump having the last word, as he claimed."P Chidambaram"The unravelling of the Hindutva majoritarian dispensation is underway," says Parakala Prabhakar in an article for The Telegraph. The basis of this strong statement, he says, lies in the fact that the Union government finally accepted the demand for a caste census. Prabhakar states that Hindutva's votaries view the caste census as inimical to their mission of "homogenising" Hindu society as they fear that it would foreground divisions among Hindus. He goes on to say that full-blooded Hindutva never found purchase in India's electoral democracy. Hence, acceding to the demand for a caste census is akin to the BJP's earlier retreats in order to become "acceptable" to the Indian electorate. "The current dispensation’s bid to power rests on its electoral strategy of turning Hindus into a monolith on the basis of religion while, at the same time, breaking the Muslim monolith on the basis of gender, sect, and caste. Caste census renders this strategy fruitless as the enumeration will highlight not only the population count of various castes in Hindu society but also the educational and the occupational disparities among them. It has the potential to undo the kamandal project and resuscitate the Mandal plot."Parakala PrabhakarIn an article for The Indian Express, Leher Kala speaks about a recent viral video in which French President Emmanuel Macron was purportedly "smacked" in the face by First Lady Brigitte Macron before disembarking an aircraft. Explaining how one may perceive the French president getting "slapped" by his wife, Kala says that all of us have a particular set of values from an "abstract, messy space" in our heads based on how we grew up, past regrets, future plans and pointless rumination. "Watching others’ lives play out is one way of understanding our own," she says, adding: "Chances are, someone who’s in a physically aggressive relationship will gloomily believe there’s more to the French President’s harmless scuffle than meets the eye; while someone happily married may take a more charitable view of it. Alas, however rigorously we believe we’re critiquing our thoughts and ideas, our judgement can’t be divorced from ourselves; so, one, absolute truth about anything is impossible. Answers, usually in multiples, are arrived at through an ongoing process of inquiry. Only someone living in fairyland will fully believe the playful banter story between long-marrieds but that doesn’t mean the opposite is true, that the first couple of France are violent codependents."Leher KalaIn an article for Deccan Chronicle, Shashi Warrier explains a key aspect of the debate over Rohingya and Bangladeshi immigrants in India through the visit of a couple to his home. "There are jobs no one is willing to do,” said Mrs Raghavan, one of the guests. "I think we should find a way to get Bangladeshi immigrants to do some of these things. That way, we all benefit, and I’m sure it’s easier than trying to throw them all out.”However, her husband, Mr Raghavan, says that it would be foolish to do that as many of them have been committing crimes in India and that their loyalties are suspect. His wife rebuts him, saying, "There’s no evidence that Rohingyas or Bangladeshi immigrants have any more criminal tendencies than the rest of us."The couple goes on arguing, without coming to a common ground. “Just sneaking into the country is a crime,” said Mr Raghavan. “They’re here without legal sanction.” “Look,” said Mrs Raghavan, “They came here because they were in bad shape back home: no work, no shelter, and children to feed. I don’t think you can impose that kind of restriction on people that poor. Besides, some of them have been here for generations.”Shashi WarrierAshraf Zainabi, in an article for Greater Kashmir, speaks about the need for a domestic film industry in Jammu and Kashmir. "You’d think a place like Kashmir — wrapped in poetry, brushed with snow, and humming with ancient stories — would have birthed a thriving film culture by now. Not just as a pretty backdrop for someone else’s movie, but as a place with its own cinematic heartbeat, its own voice behind the camera." Alas, he says, that has not been the case. Zainabi says that even the smallest towns and villages are producing short films, documentaries, web series — anything to tell their stories. However, Kashmir, a place overflowing with texture and emotion, remains largely silent on the cinematic front. "Change won’t come overnight. But it’s possible, and it starts small. First, Kashmir needs film education — not necessarily fancy degrees, but practical training. workshops, online mentorships, collaborations with indie filmmakers from elsewhere — anything that helps young people learn the craft. Even schools could introduce media literacy or storytelling projects. The spark needs to be lit early."Ashraf Zainabi"When you have been trolled on social media as often as I have, you learn to ignore the garbage that is flung at you," says Tavleen Singh in her weekly column for The Indian Express. She says that recently, the BJP's "army of trolls" accused her of being a Pakistani agent and "having an agenda". This came after she posted a video on X of Donald Trump mocking the Indian Air Force with a rider that if this was not fake, "then we should realise that Trump is not on our side". "I did this because I truly was not sure that it was a fake. And because it has angered me that instead of supporting our war against terrorism, the American President has equivocated and made India and Pakistan sound like juvenile, querulous neighbours," she said, adding:"Also, I have heard from friends in foreign countries that the impression they have formed of Operation Sindoor is that it was a draw. That Pakistan was attacked by India and that it fought back. This narrative is so prevalent that our Prime Minister has sent all-party delegations to countries across the globe to correct the narrative. So, it did not surprise me to see a video of Trump making fun of the Indian Air Force."Tavleen SinghTushar Gore, in an opinion piece for The Economic Times, says that "perceived value" has been alluring to human beings for as long as the species has existed: Things are coveted for the single and simple reason that they are coveted by others. While this "covetousness" was limited to precious metals and stones, he says, it has now been extended to brands. "If one brand signals status, then two must signal a higher one? Except if they are on the same product. I recently came across a real example. I saw a Maruti Omni mini-van sporting a Toyota logo - quite a jarring sight. It took me back to my school days in Pune, where on a 'Chor Bazaar' street in the cantonment area, you could find shoes bearing a Nike logo on one side and Adidas on the other. Now imagine a BMW with Jaguar's leaping cat gracing the hood, or a Louis Vuitton bag adorned with Chanel's interlocked Cs."Tushar GoreIn an article for The Times of India, Pranay Kotasthane speaks about the recent developments that have taken place regarding Centre-state relations, including the Tamil Nadu government suing the Centre in the Supreme Court for allegedly withholding Rs 2,000 crore under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme.For greater cooperation and cohesion between the Centre and states, Kotasthane speaks about four possible ideas. First, An ‘umpire’ for bargaining: The National Development Council, created for this purpose, is defunct, he says.Second, More funds with less strings: As long as there are centrally sponsored schemes, which are designed by Union ministries and only implemented by states, the Centre is within its rights to change the scheme’s design.Third, All-party delegations to states: Kotasthane asserts the need for a domestic mechanism where states send delegations to other states explaining their visions for development. And fourth, Union-state sub-groups: "Another interesting idea comes from Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu, who proposed three sub-groups at NITI Aayog on GDP growth, population management, and leveraging artificial intelligence. While these themes are not set in stone, this approach could allow states to partner with each other and with the Centre."Pranay Kotasthane "Manchester United had the likes of Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen, but the current lot of fans wonder why they have to keep supporting a club that’s not winning anything," writes Tushar Bhaduri in an article for The Financial Express. Bhaduri says that the once-great club faces an identity crisis, on and off the pitch: Whether one considers this sojourn a pre-season or post-season, it showed the fall the 20-time English champions have suffered over the last dozen years since Alex Ferguson stepped down as the man in charge.Bhaduri says that while several pedigreed managers have tried their hand since the days of Ferguson, expectations around Old Trafford have gone down to such an extent that Ruben Amorim, their manager, considers the second place the club finished at during his stint among his finest achievements."Nobody has a divine right to perennial success. Manchester United was, for a long time, the torch-bearer of English football, before others took over. Everything works in cycles. But the hallowed club, with a footprint around the world, needs to get its act together – on the pitch and the touchline, and also in the boardroom. The decision-makers have to focus on the bottom line – and not just the financial one."Tushar BhaduriBy Ending a 20-Year Injustice, the SC Has Given CAPF Officers Their DueMumbai's Monsoon 'Mayhem': The Annual Disaster We're Told to AcceptIndia vs Japan: The GDP Numbers Say One Thing, Reality Says AnotherThe Caste and Class Politics Behind Mocking Chikankari KurtasValmik Thapar: The Man Who Made Tiger Conservation an Aspirational Brand

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

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