India’s Pluralism Will Be Hard to Revive
Speaking about the recent vandalism of churches and Chrismas-related paraphernalia by right-wing groups in recent days, Tavleen Singh highlights the "damage" being done to the fabric of Indian society.
"It was a deep hatred, or perhaps a deep inferiority complex, that inspired young men and women from the Sangh Parivar to attack Christians as they celebrated their most important festival," Singh writes in her weekly column for The Indian Express.
She further says that while Parliamentary democracy can certainly be revived in the future, it will be much harder to revive India's pluralism.
"As of last week, it appears that it is being systematically destroyed by semi-literate thugs who are so blinded by hatred they do not notice that attacking Santa Claus and Christmas are hardly likely to persuade Hindus to resist converting to Christianity. In any case, they have every right to worship in whichever way they want, not just because this right is enshrined in our Constitution, but because it is enshrined in India’s civilisation."Tavleen Singh
Leaf To Life
In an article for The Telegraph, Rudra Chatterjee traces the history of tea: from a once obscure shrub growing wild in the Himalayan foothills of Yunnan to its position now, when enough of it is produced for "each person on the planet to drink a cup a day".
At the root of the popularity of tea, he says, is that it is the world's most affordable caffeine delivery system: "Over centuries, people have sought a gentle way to stay alert, focused and socially connected through long hours of activity".
However, speaking about the many challenges the tea industry faces today, Chatterjee writes:
"Today, under pressure from climate stress, health anxiety and economic fragility, it stands at another threshold. The opportunity is not simply to sell more tea, but to reshape landscapes, livelihoods and daily rituals. Tea once changed the world by turning a herb into a habit. With imagination and reform, it can do so again."Rudra Chatterjee
Too Big To Compete: How Duopolies Are Killing India’s Markets
"From aviation and e-commerce, to digital payments and food delivery, duopolies have become the hidden architecture of India’s modern economy," writes Manish Tewari in an opinion piece for Deccan Chronicle.
Tewari argues that the rise of duopolies affects millions of consumers who now face fewer choices, rising prices, and dwindling accountability. He takes the recent example of the IndiGo Airlines catastrophe, saying that it illustrates how excessive market power can turn dominance into impunity.
"With IndiGo controlling about 65 per cent of India’s domestic aviation market, and Air India capturing most of the rest, no other carrier had enough capacity to absorb the shock," Tewari writes, adding:
"Unchecked duopolies turn private power into public vulnerability. They dictate terms not only to customers but to entire ecosystems of smaller businesses. A competitive economy cannot thrive when choice becomes an illusion. Strengthening India’s competition framework is therefore not just about regulation, it is about safeguarding economic democracy itself."Manish Tewari
Dhurandhar: 2025’s Nationalist Narrative Catalyst
In an opinion piece for The New Indian Express, Prabhu Chawla argues that the multi-starrer film Dhurandhar didn't just break records, it set the "emotional tone" of the nation.
In the film's triumph, Chawla says, lay the signal that the nationalist mood of India had moved from politics to popular imagination, that cinema audiences had begun dictating the nation’s emotional narrative rather than following it.
"The success of Dhurandhar must not be mistaken for the triumph of aggression. Its achievement lay in articulation, not polemic. The director chose precision over bombast. Every emotional beat was earned rather than declared. The protagonist’s resilience was depicted not as dominance but as dedication to purpose."Prabhu Chawla
Jordan and India: The Fight Against Extremism
In an article for Hindustan Times, Kabir Taneja says that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first full-fledged visit to Jordan this month came at a pivotal time not only in West Asia’s own regional geopolitics, but the "unravelling of the global security order as well".
Taneja says that cooperation between India and Jordan is pivotal when it comes to tackling terrorism as both West Asia and India have suffered terror strikes over the past few years.
"While the US remains committed to targeted counter-terror operations in West Asia, regional powers will have to fill the gaps in regional security architectures," he says, adding:
"The threat of terrorism, by all accounts, is expected to rise, and not fall, in the coming years. Extremist groups and organisations are well placed to take advantage of crevasses in the international order as the idea of collective security takes a backseat. In this period of reorientation, countries such as India and Jordan are well placed to solidify their bilateral security cooperation."Kabir Taneja
A Neighbour in Trouble: Bangladesh Returns To the Brink
"At the heart of the turmoil, Bangladesh is facing a collapse of trust: between citizens and the state, between rival political camps, and increasingly, between Dhaka and New Delhi," writes Surinder Singh Oberoi in an article for Greater Kashmir.
Oberoi says that the interim administration of Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel laureate whose moral standing once inspired confidence, now looks stretched and unsure in the face of growing unrest.
Speaking about India's role as an "elder brother" in the region, Oberoi says that New Delhi mustn't only raise concerns about minorities, but also prevent Dhaka from falling into a morass of uncertainty
"Bangladesh needs India more than it did earlier. Bangladesh needs to be protected and allowed to thrive. India, as a neighbour along with global players, needs to see that the dictates of the radicals and extremists should not be nurtured."Surinder Singh Oberoi
The Present Needs the Spirit of Ancient Nalanda
Pavan K Varma, in an article for Hindustan Times, speaks about the former greatness of Nalanda University, and asks the question:
"Why, in a civilisation that produced the first Harvard of the world, and other great universities like Takshashila and Vikramshila, there is today no Indian university in the top 100 educational institutions globally?"
Varma says that perhaps the reason for this is that the ecosystem of support that sustained such an extraordinary institution has died.
"Nalanda did not flourish in a vacuum; it flourished because the Indian polity and society recognised knowledge as worthy of sustained patronage," he says, adding:
"In a global age that frequently privileges technocracy over wisdom, Nalanda’s heritage — its expansive, inclusive, innovative and deeply reflective pursuit of knowledge — must be reclaimed not as nostalgia but as inspiration. In doing so, we honour not only the scholars and seekers of ancient India, but reaffirm that the pursuit of knowledge, when unfettered, remains humanity’s noblest pilgrimage."Pavan K Varma
Famine Relief To Job Scheme: A Forgotten History of Public Works
As political parties spar over the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act (VB-G RAM G Act) replacing the 2005 Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Ajit Ranade traces the history of job guatantee schemes in India.
He writes in an article for The Indian Express that long before the language of “rights”, “safety nets” or “social protection” entered policy discourse, Indian rulers confronted a stark and recurring reality: droughts meant destitution and unrest.
"A response to this challenge was the use of public works as famine relief — not charity, but work that preserved dignity while sustaining livelihoods," Ranade says, adding:
"When India enacted the MGNREGS in 2005, it was a proxy for genuine unemployment insurance. Job guarantees as a concept are not recent inventions nor ideological indulgences. They have existed from the pre-colonial era as famine works."Ajit Ranade
Let’s Be Selective On ‘Facts’ We Ask Kids To Remember, Maybe Memorise
In an article for Deccan Chronicle, Devi Kar says that that memorising isn't at all a bad thing, if the purpose and application are sensible and meaningful. In other words, she says, a child should not have to memorise anything the meaning of which he/she is unable to grasp.
Kar says that when one tries to educate children, they need to be sensitive about the different ways in which they are likely to contribute to society.
"In general, we shouldn’t try to artificially expedite their natural rate of maturation," she writes.
"Sometimes, we give children tasks to perform that are not at all age-appropriate. They may be able to carry out those tasks successfully but without having assimilated their significance in depth. Besides, we must realise children possessing unusual gifts can be proudly exhibited but they are just excelling in showmanship."Devi Kar