Best of BS Opinion: From classrooms to capitals, India is in prep mode

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

There’s a certain anticipation in the kitchen when you’ve turned on the stove, added the oil, maybe even tossed in the mustard seeds, but the real cooking hasn’t begun. You’re there, apron on, spatula ready, waiting for something to bubble, sizzle, transform. And in that quiet moment of in-between, you realise this isn’t just about food. Things are heating up, shifts are underway, intentions are declared, but the meal, the impact, the endgame, it’s still simmering. Let’s dive in. 

Take the Centre’s proposal to double the deposit insurance limit. On paper, it’s a solid step towards securing people’s savings, especially with digital banking making money feel more ghost than metal. But until this idea gets through regulation, implementation, and bank compliance, we’re still in prep mode, notes our first editorial. The flame’s on, the ingredients are in place, but depositor trust is a dish that takes time and more than just ‘insurance.’ 

Then there’s the CBSE’s latest directive: “sugar boards” in schools to warn children about the sweet poison hiding in every cola, cereal, and birthday cake. It’s well-meaning, even commendable. But without holistic changes like sports facilities, healthier meals, and empowered teachers, it risks becoming a poster without a punch, argues our second editorial. You can’t reduce a health crisis to a chart on a wall. The dough needs kneading, not just display. 

A K Bhattacharya writes about India’s FDI numbers and it’s another example of heat without flavour. Record gross inflows, yet a collapse in net investment. Foreign money is flowing in, sure, but it’s also flowing out just as fast, like a leaking pot. And Indian firms? They’re cooking abroad, leaving the home kitchen cold. Something’s missing in the domestic recipe, and we better find out what. 

Meanwhile, Deepak Mishra notes that India’s diplomatic stew is back on the boil, this time over the IMF’s loan to Pakistan. India smells bias, even hypocrisy. And while we’ve started talking about strategy and reform, our presence in global institutions still feels undercooked. Influence isn’t just about being in the room, it’s about seasoning the soup. 

Even in the private space of homes, Gyanendra Pandey’s Men At Home: Imagining Liberation in Colonial and Postcolonial India, reviewed by Ashwini Deshpande, reminds us that transformation has only begun. Patriarchal norms around domestic labour have been simmering for centuries, but the fire hasn’t cracked them open yet. Men’s absence in the kitchen isn’t just literal, it’s metaphorical. 

Stay tuned!