How To Build, How To Grow
In his weekly column for The Indian Express, P Chidambaram criticises the public construction of national projects, arguing that even though these projects do not suffer from constraints of land or money, often times "highways and new roads cave in and sewer lines burst flooding the road".
He makes the case for "phasing out" of public agencies that build public goods and prioritising privatisation and healthy competition.
"Privatisation and healthy competition have improved the quality of public goods in telecommunications, distribution of electricity, transportation, mining, and oil exploration. That is the way to go forward in public construction. In the short term, there will be an increase in costs. Cartels will be formed. Weaknesses will emerge. We must make corrections and keep faith in the new path — private enterprise to build public goods amidst genuine, healthy competition."P Chidambaram
Beauty Junkies, Beware
Leher Kala, in an article for The Indian Express, reflects on the recent wedding between Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, arguing that the ceremony provided much grist for the rumour mills, from the foam parties to the love lives of attendant A-listers.
Kala says that to everyone watching footage of the bejeweled guests disembarking the gondolas, what seemed magnified exponentially and unusually was the display of décolletage, "prompting both — a slew of opinion on plastic surgery, and discussion on when, exactly, does risqué-ness tip over to crass exhibitionism?"
"The Venice extravaganza left the world gawking not just for its 50-million-dollar price tag but also the voyeuristic pleasure of observing those so committed to self-mutilation. What does it say — that the desire to look like an Only Fans model is the current cultural conditioning among those who have everything? It’s one thing to indulge in some minor tweaking but entirely another to reconstruct a new self to keep up with the trend everyone’s sporting, of a luscious mouth and high cheekbones."Leher Kala
Why India Urgently Needs Some Governance Reforms
Manish Tewari, in an article for The Deccan Chronicle, says that having been elected to the Lok Sabha from three different Parliamentary constituencies with diverse topographies, demographics and aspirations, the one common thread that runs through all of them is the absolute "ramshackle state" of the administrative and governance system.
He argues that it is imperative for the legislature to step in and provide a remedy for this issue as no government, irrespective of its political colour and character, will be able to effectively perform "cosmetic administrative reform".
"The Parliament must constitute a permanent financial committee like the public accounts committee or estimates committee to study, update, recommend and legislate through even the private member bill process a comprehensive across the board administrative reform in the country. Since the Parliament was elected barely a year ago it has a full 48 months to complete the single most important task confronting the nation."Manish Tewari
A Pilgrimage of Harmony
In an opinion piece for Greater Kashmir, Irfan Raina says that the ongoing Amarnath Yatra is a unique symbol of communal harmony as it is performed by people of one faith and facilitated by the people of another.
Raina says that thousands of Kashmiri Muslims join the Yatra every year, offering their services to pilgrims as workers, ponymen and palanquin-bearers.
"Local Muslims are seen carrying pilgrims either on ponies or their shoulders. Risking their lives and braving the difficult trek, rains, hot and humid weather conditions and mud along the route up to the holy cave, ponywallahs and palanquin bearers manage to provide a safe and comfortable journey to the Amarnath pilgrims. The treacherous route to the holy cave is abuzz with Yatris chanting ‘Jai Bhole’ and Kashmiri Muslims simultaneously advising pedestrians to stick to the hill end and not move to the valley end lest they fall down."Irfan Raina
When an Opaque Election Commission Demands Voter Transparency
Venkatesh Nayak, in an article for Deccan Herald, argues that the recent order of the Election Commission of India (ECI) requiring every voter in Bihar to prove their place and date of birth by furnishing documentary evidence or risk disenfranchisement smacks of imperiousness.
He says that even 20 years after the implementation of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, which emphasises records maintenance, it is shocking that the ECI has claimed that it is unable to produce a copy of a similar order for the intensive revision of voter lists in Bihar issued in 2003.
"Much like the no-data-available governments holding fort across the country, the ECI is turning crucial election-related information into sarkari secrets, especially that which is required to establish its accountability. The citizen-State relationship envisioned by the Constitution to guarantee the dignity of every individual is in danger of becoming a master-servant fetter. Bihar seems to be the laboratory for an iniquitous experiment that might soon be repeated across the country."Venkatesh Nayak
Father Time Catching Up With the Great Serb
"There’s something inherently sad about watching a sporting legend struggle in front of the whole world as their playing days wind down," says Tushar Bhaduri in an article for Financial Express, reflecting on Jannik Sinner dominating tennis great Novak Djokovic recently in straight sets.
Bhaduri says that Djokovic’s diminishing returns are in full media glare as he endured three successive defeats on hard courts and clay earlier this year – a prospect which was unthinkable a couple of years ago.
"When he was in his prime, Djokovic made no secret of his feeling that he didn’t get the crowd support and adulation that he deserved, and most of the love was reserved for his two greatest rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Hence, it was more than a bit ironic that the cheering was the loudest when arguably the greatest men’s tennis player of all time was nowhere near his best. As they say, one often doesn’t appreciate something unless it’s gone."Tushar Bhaduri
Gurugram: This Disneyland Will Certainly Be Immersive
"It rained for an hour on Monday in Gurugram. Not torrential rains, but a normal, steady shower. The result: my fancy society gate was under 2 ft of water," says Rajyasree Sen in a piece for The Economic Times, reflecting on the yearly woes faced by the city's residents during the monsoon.
Sen says that Gurugram's infrastructure issues, exposed by routine rains, stand in sharp contrast with Haryana's ambitious plan to build a Disneyland-style park in Manesar.
"The vision of a pristine theme park clashes with the reality of daily life in the region," she says, adding:
"Since July 2023, the Manesar civic body has been unable to secure a private entity for waste management. Mountains of trash haven't been treated for the last two years. Instead of the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Ride, we can certainly have the Big Trash Mountain Ride. Don't like stinky mountain rollercoasters? Fret not. Maybe Disneyland will just put everyone in dinky cars and tell them to drive through the streets of Haryana. Instead of Peter Pan's Flight - a rail-suspended dark ride over London - visitors can be asked to drive through Manesar and Gurgaon's unlit streets."Rajyasree Sen
India’s Struggle Continues With Gender Equality: A Long Way To Go
In an opinion piece for Deccan Chronicle, John J Kennedy argues that as per the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Global Gender Gap Report, while some countries are seen to be inching forward in an effort to close the gender gap, some others, including India, remain stagnant or are regressing.
Ranked 131 out of 148 countries, India’s gender parity score is just 64.1 per cent, making it one of the lowest globally, Kennedy says, begging the question:
"What is going wrong for India?"
"The problem isn’t a single policy failure or a cultural flaw. Studies reveal a layered crisis: intertwining social norms, economic exclusions, weak policy commitments, and systemic political indifference. On paper, India has made strides in some areas. Education, for example, is one such area, with female literacy improving and a gender parity score in education close to 97 per cent. Health indicators, too, have shown some improvement. However, these achievements are only surface-level gains. Dig a little deeper, and a different picture emerges."John J Kennedy
Maratha Latecomers
In her weekly column for The Indian Express, Coomi Kapoor reflects on recent incidents wherein members of Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena were seen on camera slapping residents of Mumbai for not speaking in Marathi.
Kapoor says that an effort is ongoing to exhibit "Marathi chauvinism" by compelling residents of the cosmopolitan, multi-cultural metropolis to speak the same language as the rest of the state.
"The champions of ‘speak only in Marathi’ forget that Mumbai’s history and heritage is distinct and different from the rest of Maharashtra. The Marathi manoos are actually relatively late migrants to Mumbai and the city precedes the state. Mumbai attracts people from all over, not just for job opportunities but because of its vibrancy, urbane outlook and Bollywood. Today the number of north Indians from UP, Bihar and MP probably equals the native Marathi speakers. There are sizable numbers of Gujaratis, Goans, Punjabis, South Indians and Sindhis as well."Coomi Kapoor