Best of BS Opinion: Sizing up the present and prepping for tomorrow

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

Have you noticed how a good tailor doesn’t just note down size. They examine the grain of the fabric, test its stretch, study how it drapes and where it may crease. Precision in measurement matters, but it’s the understanding of the material that determines how well a garment fits in motion, not just on paper. Much like today’s world where the complexities don’t lie in their surface figures, but in the hidden tensions, subtle shifts, and structural weaves beneath. Stitching the world together requires more than tape measures, it demands feel and a keen eye for detail. Let’s dive in. 

 

Take Donald Trump’s proposed second-term economic plan, for instance. On the surface, it’s just another size-too-big tax cut, but Kenneth Rogoff reminds us the fabric is strained, federal debt is at 122 per cent of GDP, interest payments outpacing defence spending, and the bond markets growing increasingly restless. The stitchwork that held Reaganomics together no longer fits. Yet both parties seem reluctant to tailor in tighter fiscal seams, even as the dollar's credibility frays. 

In Tamil Nadu, Kamal Haasan’s foray into politics reveals the limits of star power when not matched with political grain. Aditi Phadnis traces his trajectory which contains flashes of brilliance but little drape with the electorate. His alliance with the DMK may buy him a Rajya Sabha seat, but it’s clear that charisma alone isn’t a cut above unless it’s lined with deeper grassroots stitching. 

Sandeep Goyal draws the contrast between Zeenat Aman’s nostalgia-laced but weak Netflix return and Bobby Deol’s sharply recut villainous turns. Reinvention requires understanding not just the old silhouette but today’s fabric. Campa Cola nailed that, relaunching not with sentiment but with savvy pricing and strategic placement, showing us how legacy can be re-tailored to fit modern demand. 

Meanwhile, Shekhar Gupta threads through the geopolitical shift along India’s borders. Pakistan’s brief military flare-up wasn’t a standalone patch, but a piece from China’s strategic pattern. The drape of conflict has changed, subtle, layered, and stitched from multiple fronts, with Beijing quietly trimming the edges. 

And finally, Jyoti Mukul brings us to a repair shop in Gurugram where old gadgets are being brought back to life. Sunil Kumar’s soldering iron is perhaps the truest metaphor, a reminder that good fixes aren’t about replacing parts, but respecting the integrity of what’s already there. With India’s new Repairability Index and global moves toward circular economies, we’re slowly learning to value mends over disposals. 

Stay tuned, and remember, true mastery lies in seeing how the cloth looks when worn in the real world!