Best of BS Opinion: The rising heat across policy, trade, and power

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

The heat is rising — on the streets, in the markets, around boardroom tables, and beneath policymakers' collars. Not just the kind that scorches skin in the summer sun, but the kind that signals pressure, unrest, acceleration. It seeps into everything: decisions slow to arrive, reforms stuck in the pipeline, tempers fraying at the edge of legacy and ambition. Like a wildfire, it doesn’t ask permission — it spreads. Everything feels inflammable. Let’s dive in. 

India’s economy, for instance, has been fanned into motion by government spending, growing at a steady 6.5 per cent. But as our first editorial notes, the private sector seems to be withdrawing its hand from the flame. A 25 per cent drop in planned capital expenditure for 2025–26, despite last year’s enthusiasm, hints that the blaze may not last. With US policy winds shifting and demand still cooling at home, the hoped-for private investment boom may be burning out before it really catches on. 

 

At the same time, the literal heat is becoming lethal. Our second editorial highlights how April 2025 set new temperature records, pushing India's climate preparedness to the brink. Heatwaves are no longer freak events — they are the new norm, and yet health systems remain underprepared. With inconsistent policy action and rising power demand, the country's climate vulnerabilities are exposed. Unless India moves swiftly on renewables and mandatory heat protocols, the summer may become season of systemic breakdown. 

Global trade, too, is under pressure. Ajay Chhibber captures how Donald Trump’s tariff whiplash has reignited fears of protectionism. China has responded fiercely, and India stands at a crossroads — tempted to turn inward, yet urged by experts to fan the flames of reform. Lower tariffs, deeper FTAs, and manufacturing investments could help India ride this global slowdown, but the window is narrowing. The heat of inaction could cost dearly. 

Even in the cool corridors of Tata Sons, the temperature is rising. Nivedita Mookerji breaks down the high-stakes standoff over its potential IPO. With conflicting interests, regulatory deadlines, and internal power shifts after Ratan Tata’s passing, the pressure is no longer simmering — it’s boiling. The outcome could redefine not just Tata’s governance, but how legacy institutions evolve under scrutiny. 

And then there’s Prosenjit Datta’s review of Legends and Soles, Sonny Vaccaro’s tale of betting everything on a young Michael Jordan. In a world full of rules and resistance, Vaccaro lit a match that transformed Nike, basketball, and athlete branding forever. Proof that sometimes, one bold move in the heat of doubt can set the world on fire. 

Stay tuned!