Best of BS Opinion: Farewell to the wise wanderer, a map for progress

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

In the realm of ideas, there was once a traveller—an ever-curious, highly intelligent being who ventured across landscapes of knowledge. This traveller was not bound by the limits of time or place but roamed freely, gathering wisdom and shaping futures. Alas, this traveler has been lost to death, leaving us to grapple with the echoes of his profound insights.

 

Take, for instance, the recent Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE). The traveller would remind us that while a 13 per cent rise in informal establishments may look like progress, it’s often a mask for economic distress. Like solo wanderers starting their own path due to dwindling roads, these own-account enterprises reflect an economy where formal jobs are scarce, and structural transformation stalls. Read our first editorial to find out more. 

  Meanwhile, a study on domestic migration trends reveals fewer travellers moving between destinations, their journeys slowing. Is it because opportunities bloom where they are rooted, or have urban dreams lost their allure? The rise of counter-magnet cities — small yet bustling hubs like Thane or Ghaziabad — hints at new maps being drawn. Our second editorial today urges caution against complacency, to balance growth across regions to prevent overburdening a few stops on the map. 

  Even in reform, such as the evolving GST regime, the traveller saw potential crossroads. Simplify, streamline, but tread carefully, he’d say — don’t trip on hasty steps that might burden the weary or overlook the small yet essential corners of the economy. Electricity in GST? Yes, a bright idea, but only if it powers long-term progress, writes R Kavita Rao asks in her column. 

  In cricket analogies, the traveller would chuckle. Strategy and uncertainty, adaptability and foresight—aren’t these the very tools of a wanderer’s trade? Read Suveen Sinha’s column to know more about the perennial metaphor of our times. 

  Perhaps the traveller’s greatest gift was optimism. And in the realm of technology, as highlighted in Genesis: Artificial Intelligence, Hope, and the Human Spirit by Kissinger, Schmidt, and Mundie, AI offers humanity a chance for renewal — teeming with potential but demanding ethical safeguards. Read the book review by Ajit Balakrishnan to know more.

 

Stay tuned and remember- the traveller may be gone, but his map remains - a guide urging us to journey forward with wisdom, curiosity, and hope!