Best of BS Opinion: Crossing the river with memory, not just momentum

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

Progress rarely comes with a paved path. More often, it’s like crossing a river barefoot, feet probing for stones beneath cold currents, steadying after each slip. The smarter ones don’t just step; they remember where they slipped last time. Today, India also stands midstream, doing just that, feeling its way forward with care, learning from the stumbles of its past. Let’s dive in. 

Start with the country’s economic statistics. The overhaul of the GDP, CPI, and IIP, long overdue, could finally give policymakers a clearer view of the real economy. With e-commerce data, digital payments, and wider price tracking entering the frame, the next set of figures will be sharper. Yet, as our first editorial notes, we risk stepping on old stones: relying on outdated 2011 Census baselines and omitting a Producer Price Index. We’ve wobbled here before. This time, better grip is non-negotiable. 

That same caution guides India’s approach to the gig economy. A projected 61 million strong by 2047, this workforce could transform livelihoods or fracture under neglect. Gig jobs have grown fast, but their foundations are shaky—lacking basic protections or benefits. A regulatory slip like that of the textile mills could be disastrous, highlights our second editorial. This time, the challenge is to step smart, offering security without crushing the spirit of innovation. 

But even smart feet need firm ground. As M Govinda Rao argues, India’s economic leap, from overtaking Japan to chasing developed-nation status, needs more than momentum. Without reforms in judiciary, contract enforcement, and governance, we’ll keep slipping on the same institutional stones. Foreign capital won’t wade into murky waters, no matter how tempting the destination. 

Kanika Datta adds another layer, that real reform, especially on land and labour, demands political consensus. The ghosts of Singur and stalled SEZs show what happens when politics turns rocky. India needs not bravado abroad, but bipartisan clarity at home, consensus-crafted policies that prevent tripping over turf wars. 

And Aditi Phadnis offers a quieter, emotional reminder in her review of An Unlikely Friendship: The Chief Minister and the Spy by A S Dulat. In Kashmir, where Delhi’s distrust repeatedly unseated Farooq Abdullah, a more sensitive step could have built lasting bridges. That too was a stone misjudged, and remembered. 

Stay tuned, and remember, if we move with memory, not just momentum, we may just reach the other bank steadier!