Best of BS Opinion: Lessons from governance, markets, and culture

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

A garden can be stunning — a patchwork of blooms, fragrances, and vivid colours that captivate. But what makes it thrive? Careful weeding. Removing the overgrowth lets the garden flourish. In today’s stories, as we walk through the garden of policy, governance, markets, and culture, we find instances where pulling out entrenched practices or ideas can pave the way for vibrant progress. Let’s delve in.  The Mahakumbh Mela showcases India’s capacity to orchestrate human gatherings on an unimaginable scale. Yet, it also exposes a thorn in our governance — reliance on "mission mode" efforts over systemic capability-building. Our first editorial argues that it's time India transplanted the Mahakumbh's learnings into a broader governance framework — one that doesn’t rely on overpersonalised victories but grows a robust ecosystem of consistent public service. 

Meanwhile, the UGC's draft regulations for vice-chancellors have churned state-centre tensions into a storm. Our second editorial highlights that centralised power in appointments risks uprooting the autonomy of state universities and reshaping academic leadership for the worse. A garden of higher education cannot flourish under the shadow of dominant ideologies. 

The US equity market resembles a flourishing flower bed, dazzling in its current bloom. But as seasoned gardeners know, over-fertilized plants often topple under their own weight. Elevated valuations and economic volatility hint at storm clouds ahead. Read Akash Prakash’s column for more. 

India’s regulatory maze is akin to an overgrown garden — chaotic, dense, and overwhelming. The proposed International Institute of Regulatory Studies could act as a careful landscaper, pruning inefficiencies while cultivating expertise. By training professionals in smart, multidisciplinary frameworks, this initiative could help businesses and regulators grow in harmony, writes MS Sahoo. 

In today’s book review of Manisha Pande’s Middle Class India: Driving Change in the 21st Century, Chintan Girish Modi writes that Pande’s book explores the middle class as a dynamic yet contradictory force, shaping India’s destiny while grappling with its own biases.