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

In his weekly column for The Indian Express, P Chidambaram expresses his views on the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts. He says that despite billions of dollars of arms and military equipment supplied by Western countries to Ukraine, Kyiv seems to be fighting a losing war. "Ukraine is on the right side of morality and legality in this war, but is helpless because of a vacillating US and an impotent UN." On the other hand, he says that while Israel was justified to retaliate against Hamas' 7 October 2023 strike, its retaliation is "totally disproportionate and prolonged" and its objective "illegal and unacceptable"."The world needs leaders with the moral authority of Jawaharlal Nehru, Dag Hammarskjold, Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela. The world needs nations that can come together and exert influence over the quarreling countries and restrain the superpowers. The world needs new institutions unlike the present United Nations. For the present, there is only darkness and no dawn in sight."P Chidambaram "In my view, if anyone deserved a Nobel Peace Prize, it was Dame Jane Goodall," says Bittu Sahgal in an opinion piece for The Tribune, paying homage to the celebrated primatologist and anthropologist who passed away on 1 October. Sahgal says that Goodall made a huge difference to the world of biodiversity conservation, not only through documentaries and books, but also by repeated personal visits to biodiversity parks. "Jane Goodall has been a hero of mine for as long as I can remember," writes Sahgal, himself an environmental activist, adding: "Gentle in her ways, I have never known a tougher, softer, more charismatic person whose entire life was taken up by the most difficult job in the world—understanding and protecting the wildernesses and wild denizens of Planet Earth."Bittu SahgalWriting for Deccan Chronicle, Manish Tewari says that the recent Pakistan-Saudi Arabia defence agreement sent shockwaves across the world whose aftershocks are sure to redefine the contours of West Asian security. He argues that following the pact, the fence on which India is perched has become increasingly narrow—especially following the diplomatic chill between New Delhi and Washington, which has led President Donald Trump to warm up to Pakistan. "Ultimately, the designation of Pakistan as a net security provider is a catastrophic misnomer. It is, in fact, a net insecurity provider. The snakes in Pakistan's backyard, once bred for proxy wars in Afghanistan and Kashmir, have a documented history of turning on their masters and biting regional and international patrons. A state that brandishes nuclear blackmail against its neighbours, exports cross-border terrorism, and celebrates UN-designated terrorists as national heroes is not a source of stability; it is pure fuel for the Middle Eastern fire."Manish Tewari"Our efficiency-driven culture at work can weaken our conversational muscles outside work," writes Utkarsh Amitabh in an article for The New Indian Express. He argues that modern work culture has trained us to see "unstructured time" as a waste. For instance, lunch breaks turn into desk meals. Coffee meetings come with agendas. Even social gatherings often feel like networking opportunities in disguise. While he says that it is, of course, important to get work done, it seems that we have become so accustomed to purposeful exchanges that we lose fluency in the art of talking for its own sake."When every interaction is designed to extract or deliver information efficiently, we gradually forget how to simply enjoy each other’s company without an outcome in mind. The irony is obvious: we optimise our schedules to save time, then fill every saved minute with more tasks. But what’s the point of efficiency if not to create space for what matters? Some of that hard-won time should go toward the simple pleasure of unhurried conversation with people we care about."Utkarsh AmitabhThe deaths of top Maoist leaders Katta Ramchandra Reddy and Kadari Satyanarayan Reddy in an encounter with security forces near the Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra border serves as a bellwether to the Maoist movement's imminent death well before the Indian government's 31 March 2026 deadline, writes MP Nathanael in an article for Deccan Chronicle. Nathanael says that additional security forces are being pulled out from Jammu and Kashmir following the peaceful conclusion of the Amarnath Yatra and rushed to Maoist-affected states, adding to an already heavy deployment. This will force the Maoists to surrender unless they wish to face the bullets of security forces, the writer says. "That the Maoists' morale is at its lowest ebb is evident not only in the large surrenders but also in the overtures for cessation of operations for peace talks. The operation of security forces even during the monsoon sent clear signals that their days are numbered, leaving no choice but to surrender and avail of the lucrative incentives offered to them."MP NathanaelFollowing the Indian Cricket Team's decision to refuse to shake hands with Pakistani players following their matches in the recently concluded Asia Cup 2025, Shivani Naik traces the long history of handshakes (often times, the lack of them) in the sport in an opinion piece for The Indian Express. She says that in the recent case, the absence of handshakes ceased to be an enduring image the moment Captain Suryakumar Yadav gave a press conference after beating Pakistan for the first time to explain why he had refused to shake hands. "Not missing the point exactly, but embellished so starkly that it lost its assured poise," Naik says, adding: "A withdrawn hand had sufficed for Surya. Incessantly talking about how they were not talking, however smacked of an overkill. The lasting effect: hands not shaken, hearts barely stirred."Shivani NaikIn an opinion piece for Deccan Herald, psychologist Shaifali Sandhya dives deep into the root causes of "estrangement" and cutting off ties with family members. She says that for some individuals, ending relationships is not a tragedy but a means of survival. Through detachment, they can escape cycles of abuse or manipulation that familial bonds often excuse. What older generations may see as selfish individualism may also be a cultural shift: younger generations redefining healthier family boundaries and a move towards mutual respect in their chosen connections, Sandhya asserts. "Across cultures, the family is idealised as a sanctuary; however, being related by blood does not guarantee a sense of belonging. In a world where walking away is all too easy, we must find the courage to reconnect. But we must recognise when reconciliation is not the answer. True acceptance and healing can sometimes lie beyond family ties."Shaifali SandhyaFormer Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao says that while President Donald Trump's recent meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir is being hailed in Islamabad as a long-awaited rehabilitation, the embrace actually reflects the US' short-term needs, not a long game. There isn't much reason for India to fret as the US-Pakistan rapprochement is "transactional", Rao writes in The Times of India, adding that the recent closeness does not herald a new '2001 moment', when Islamabad rallied behind the US in its war against terror following the 9/11 terror attack. "History warns that US-Pakistani embraces empower generals and weaken democracies. Tactical gains in Gaza or Afghanistan may come at the cost of entrenching military authoritarianism in Islamabad. For Washington, the challenge is to avoid mistaking short-term utility for long-term strategy. For India, the challenge is simpler: do not be distracted by the puppet show. Pakistan remains a fragile state, strategically located but perpetually unstable."Nirupama RaoTavleen Singh, writing for The Indian Express, says that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has for the longest time been surrounded by "sycophantic" voices. They never take credit for a single achievement without first saying that it was possible only under the "visionary leadership of the Prime Minister". Singh argues that at this stage in his tenure, PM Modi may find that there isn't a single person in his inner circle who would dare tell him the truth about anything anymore. "All leaders need advisors who can help them manoeuvre through the complex political and economic issues that exist at every turn in the difficult business of running a country the size of a continent. Sycophants are what they do not need because they cause more harm than good."Tavleen SinghIs Centrist Thought Re-emerging in Intensely, Insanely Polarised America?From Parliament to Pavements: Hate Politics Goes Mainstream in the UKFarewell, Jane Goodall: The Primatologist Who Taught Us Our Place in the WorldThe Makeover is Now Complete: PM Modi is the Undisputed Rewdi King of IndiaIndia's Climate Policies Fall Short Because They Refuse to See Caste

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

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