Putin’s Russia, Sanctions and Global Pain
In his column for The New Indian Express, political economy analyst Shankkar Aiyar remarks on the appreciation of the Russian rouble to 60 roubles for a United States dollar, from 104 in February, at a time when the euro, the rupee, the yen, among others have fallen.
Against the background of the Russia-Ukraine war, Aiyar discusses the role of economic sanctions as an instrument of deterrence, and how the supposedly "unprecedented" sanctions have resulted in higher household energy bills for UK residents.
"The harsh fact is that in an inter-dependent globalised economy, measures such as sanctions are ineffective against major trading nations. It has been argued, and there is much lather about it, that sanctions will eventually debilitate Russia and its war machine. Eventually! The phrase eventually has a seductive allure for the long term. The here and now fact is that sanctions have been less than effective and have got the global economy on the edge of a recession."
He goes on to talk about how, despite the energy crisis caused due to these sanctions, Russia's earnings from fuel exports are projected to cross over $347 billion.
Faith Full
As people across the country celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi, Upala Sen questions the sudden rise in the number of Ganesh puja pandals in Kolkata. In her column for The Telegraph, Sen reminisces on how in September 1995, news of a Ganesh idol drinking milk created a frenzy across the city.
In the Burrabazar area in central Kolkata, local tea stalls stopped selling tea and started selling milk to devotees at an inflated price of Rs 10 per earthen cup. Sen then ponders what may have caused the rise in Ganesh puja pandals in a city which was knowns for its Durga pandals, as Kolkata reportedly saw 350 pandals for "Ganesh Dada" across the city.
"Forget politicians, who are the same everywhere doing things for their own ends, even actors from the Bengali television and film industry posted pictures of themselves with Ganesh idols in a manner previously associated only with Bombay and those of Bollywood. Yes, yes, Jeetu Kamal of Ray resemblance did too! The second male lead in a TV show was shown breaking into frenzied prayer-dance and chant in jeans and white shirt before a Ganesh murti in Benaras!"
A Padyatra to Nowhere
In her weekly column for The Indian Express, Tavleen Singh writes about Congress' 'Bharat Jodo Yatra,' speaking about how an "outdated" concept of foot journey from Kashmir to Kanyakumari may do very little to help the party at the polls, or its image. Clarifying that she is "no fan of the Dynasty," Singh finds it would be wiser for senior party leaders to remain in Delhi and work on a strategy to battle the ruling party's "electoral juggernaut" at the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party has taken full advantage of the Congress' hereditary democracy, or "parivarvaad," she writes, mentioning that it is likely that announcements of Rahul Gandhi sleeping in a shipping container would make him look more like "an entitled prince instead of a modern politician."
"In the past eight years that the Congress Party has sat in opposition and despite having lost two general elections, there have been no more than cosmetic attempts to understand what led to these massive electoral defeats. Eight years should have been a long enough time for the party’s senior leaders to honestly examine the reasons why the people of India no longer show enough interest in their ideas or their leaders to give them their votes."
Offering the reader a short list of reasons for the party's failure, Singh mentions that the lack of strong charisma may be one of them. She remarks how Modi's speeches, full of numbers of scheme beneficiaries – such as people who were given toilets, gas connections, bank accounts, and so on – hit the spot for voters, who believe that his government has delivered on its promises.
Gorbachev’s Shaky and Wavering Hand Still Casts a Long Shadow
Following the demise of the last president of the Soviet Union on 30 August 2022, former Indian ambassador to Russia DB Venkatesh Varma pens his thoughts on Mikhail Gorbachev's life's work for the Union.
Writing for The Times of India, Varma talks about Gorbachev's rise to power in 1985, and his actions to empower Soviet republics to take charge of their own growth. Varma credits the leader with cutting down on the Union's external losses in Afghanistan, the arms race with the United States and reducing subsidies to Soviet allies in Europe.
He notes how the pitfalls of Gorbachev's leadership, later exacerbated by Boris Yeltsin, are now showing up in the contested areas around the Russian Federation's borders, most notably in Ukraine.
"He will bear, along with others, the cross of Russia’s humiliation and the suffering of millions during the 1990s. The consequences of his shaky and wavering hand in addressing future challenges to European security are now well in evidence in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. More may be in store."
What 13.5% Reveals And Hides
In his weekly column for The Indian Express, Congress leader P Chimbaram analyses the National Statistical Office's (NSO) estimates for the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the first quarter of 2022-2023, and what it means for the layperson. The NSO pegged India's growth rate for the April-June period at 13.5 percent.
He provides a clear table detailing Gross Value Additions (GVA) for the first quarter across five sectors for the fiscal years 2019-2020, 2021-2022, and 2022-2023, leaving out 2020-2021 as the COVID-19 lockdowns had hit the economy badly.
Chidambaram finds that the economy had indeed recovered in 2021-2022, sectoral growth had not reached the level of output in 2019-2020 – which he calls "the normal year" – except for the agriculture sector. While growth in agriculture and the "Finance, Real Estate etc." sector looked promising, the lack of it in the other three sectors considered show that the economic growth has not been up to the mark.
"My conclusion is that manufacturing growth is still sluggish because of inadequate new investment or low demand or both. Intuitively, I conclude that the MSME sector is still in the doldrums. The crucial question is what are the implications for the future, especially for employment. The status of farmers and farm labour will remain the same and there will be little movement to non-farm jobs."
Relief, Rebuff: On Teesta Setalvad Bail Plea
An editorial piece published by The Hindu discusses the interim bail granted to journalist and activist Teesta Setalvad by the Supreme Court, in connection to the 2002 Gujarat riots case. Calling the bail "a strong pushback" against the Gujarat government, the article notes that the move was one of "real significance" for those fighting to seek justice for victims of the communal pogrom.
An earlier judgment endorsed the Special Investigation Team's (SIT) findings absolving former Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, whereas Setalvad, along with former police officers RB Sreekumar and Sanjiv Bhat, were accused of conspiring to forge documents to present false evidence to implicate political leaders.
"A key consideration was the unusually long postponement of the bail hearing before the Gujarat High Court, which had issued notice to the police returnable after nearly six weeks. While the Solicitor General raised a technical objection to Ms. Setalvad approaching the Supreme Court even while the High Court proceedings were on, the Bench was of the view that such a long adjournment may warrant interim bail until it is heard."
The piece opined that the relief granted to Setalvad "should be welcomed by those who value personal liberty as well as activism in support of the vulnerable."
The Happy Family. But Who’s Family?
Writing for The Indian Express, director Leher Kala speaks about the Supreme Court upholding a woman's right to maternity leave despite having previously availed it for a step-child, as the Court acknowledged the changing family dynamics in the country. The Court remarked that "atypical" families are just as deserving of protection under the law, and the benefits available under social welfare regulations as "traditional ones."
Kala writes that the younger generation has discovered that "family" need not be restricted to blood-ties and relationships forged through sacrament, highlighting that young adults prefer the company of their peers whom they can meet as equals, and not as people who wield authority over them.
"That the Supreme Court recognises that deep connections can come after early missteps is important, even for those smugly ensconced in socially sanctioned relationships; because death and divorce can happen to anyone."
Wind In The Sail: On INS Vikrant
As India commissioned its first indigenously designed and manufactured aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, on Friday, 2 September, it joined a small group of nations – Russia, USA, France, UK, and China. The act took 17 years and Rs 20,000 crores for the naval aircraft carrier to become a reality, an editorial in The Hindu notes.
Building a flourishing domestic defence industry has been a priority for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Calling the carrier an "engineering marvel," it mentions that Vikrant has approximately 2,200 compartments capable of housing a 1,600-strong crew. It adds that due to the ship's construction, India now need not import warship-grade steel like it used to.
"A strong Navy is also critical to India’s ambition to grow its share in global trade, which is largely maritime — INS Vikrant significantly expands the Indian Navy’s footprint in the backdrop of increasing Chinese activity in the region and New Delhi’s closer cooperation with the U.S."
Why ‘Kala Chashma’ Has The World In Thrall
As Bollywood dance number 'Kala Chasma' trends across the globe as a popular song of choice for social media influencers, Shefalee Vasudev examines the cross-cultural and border-surpassing phenomenon that led to the world grooving to this Punjabi song in her piece for The Times of India.
With people such as late night show host Jimmy Fallon to a children's dance group called 'SmashTalentKidsAfrica' dancing to the tune, Vasudev talks about the "addictive fandom" for Punjabi music globally, that entices its listener to dance along, regardless of demographic or class barriers.
"Yet, despite much socio-cultural writing on the intoxicating enjoyment of Bollywood item songs and their choreographic cheesiness, this particular surge of Kala Chashma is a sign of cultural diplomacy’s new face. Especially those renditions without a filmy, fat, Indian wedding with dozens of designer lehengas in the backdrop."
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