Best of BS Opinion: Cancelled plans, uncertainties, and unkept promises

Here are the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

You know the type. You’ve made dinner plans, cleaned your house, and even put on an ironed shirt. And then, poof! Your friend sends a text with an excuse. Maybe real, maybe not. Disappointment mixed with déjà vu. It’s the kind of thing that doesn’t break the world, but still throws you off balance. Much like the world today. From superpowers fumbling their soft touch to political allies eyeing other tables, from ad giants erasing once-golden names to sports heroes stepping off the pedestal to just breathe — it’s all moving, reshaping, hesitating. A bit like that flaky friend. Only, the stakes are global. Let’s dive in. 

The US is that friend right now. Once the most reliable presence at the party in Asia, now leaving allies checking their watches. Karishma Vaswani writes that moves like pushing out international students from Harvard and trimming foreign aid show a retreat from the very soft power it once wielded masterfully. China's stepping in with the tact of someone who brings homemade food to a potluck and stays to do the dishes. Meanwhile, America’s erratic foreign policy feels like it’s trying to win hearts with a stand-up set nobody asked for. 

Bihar’s political scene is just as jittery. Aditi Phadnis brings us a party that insists Nitish Kumar will continue as CM if the NDA wins, but watch the backdrop: there’s Chirag Paswan, young and ambitious, planting hints like party favours with his “Bihar First” pitch. One moment he’s an ally, the next he’s hanging out with the opposition. He’s playing both guest and host, testing if he can throw his own bash without burning bridges. Trust, like alliances, is proving fragile in Patna. 

Sandeep Goyal gives us the ad world’s equivalent of a friendship breakup text: WPP is collapsing its legacy brands into a one-size-fits-all identity, wiping names like Mindshare and Grey off the roster. It's a move dressed as efficiency, but feels more like erasing history. The industry’s wondering: if the name on the door keeps changing, who’s really answering the bell? 

And Shekhar Gupta sees India’s own trust issues playing out on the global stage. After Pahalgam and Op Sindoor, India wants global support, but dismisses global opinion. The desire for validation clashes with disdain for criticism. It’s not just about Trump’s tone-deafness, it’s about India’s mixed signals. 

Finally, in Chintan Girish Modi’s cultural lens, we find the rare pause. Virat Kohli stepping away from Test cricket isn’t just an end, it’s a gentle rebellion. It’s saying no to hustle culture’s constant RSVP. The stories of Cheteshwar Pujara, R Ashwin, and MS Dhoni echo a similar theme: behind greatness are people who sometimes just want to go home early, leave the noise behind, and sit quietly with their kids or their thoughts. 

Stay tuned!