Editorial

Politics has no conscience, although Gandhi upturned, th­r­o­ugh the idea of Satyagraha, the moral turpitude of Ma­chiavellian politics, or Aristotle’s logic of the hierarchy of slaves, women and citizens. Is there a moral ground for politics? Ahimsa created a whole new vocabulary of how non-violence could be the way in which dissent could transform the treachery of crime in politics.

The first half of 1947 was a critical period in India’s history. The end of colonial rule was certain and so was India’s partition but what was uncertain was whether there would be more than one division. Prices were rising, food shortages were common but over and above everything else, the unity of India was under severe strain.

It wouldn’t be an overestimation to say the success of the ‘Uber model’ inadvertently paved the way for certain developments in the banking and financial space. Many people may question the impact of a ride-sharing app on a mammoth-sized ind­ustry like banking, but it’s nevertheless true. What differentiated Uber from other, more well-established ride-ha­iling service providers pre­s­ent then, was the customer experience it offered. Power­ed by a mobile and easy interface, Uber was one of the first brands to deliver a customer experience that was defined by end-to-end digitisation.

Whether it’s shifting the work to a digital platform – or using the newest technologies to enhance the productivity, the BFSI segment has always been at the forefront when it comes to the adopti­on of automation. With the growth in technology follow­ed by revolution in the smartphone space and internet penetration, new allied verticals like fintech firms have cemented their position.

An extraordinary crisis needs an extraordinary response. And, it’s an extraordinary situation in CBI indeed today. But unlike what a section of the media wants us to believe, it’s not a CBI vs CBI case, neither allegations of erstwhile number one CBI officer vs those of the number two.

Transposing the learning from the Bofors case, whi­ch capsized his father Rajiv Gandhi in the late 1980s, Rahul Gandhi believes with Rafale he can wing it to scupper Narendra Modi. Turning it into a hot button political issue, he is targeting the prime minister by insinuating that a dirty deal was struck between Modi and industrialist Anil Ambani, aka cronyism. Zipping on a wing and a prayer, he has pushed this agenda of a dirty defence deal incessantly and turned it into a poll issue. Lifting himself from a downward spiral of hopelessness, he has chosen to make this issue his centrifuge.

First the news. Deputy foreign minister MJ Akbar quits facing sexual harassment allegations fr­om 36 women, so far. Pri­me minister Narendra Modi went by NSA Ajit Doval’s advice to seek ex-editor’s exit and the mounting charges swung decision for sure. The decision, it is said, was driven by Akbar’s failure to provide a clear picture of how many mo­re women were likely to co­me forward as witnesses ag­ainst him and what the content of their testimony mi­ght be – leaving the government open to a barrage of criticism.

Religious pe­ople have to abide by the ru­les of the co­untry, and this involves acce­p­tance of the Indian Constitution, which promoted equ­ality and citizenship rights. Sabari had no sense of distance from Rama, when she gave him chewed fruit, whi­ch he ate out of his courtesy to her love for him. So also Ramanamaharshi promoted dialogue between celibates and householders, men and women and people of all faiths. (www.Ramanamaharshi.org).

Monsoon made such a splash in Kerala last month that it swept away not just precious lives but also rich flora & fauna leaving in its wake a trail of unmatched destruction. One without any precedence since the past century. India is suitably ranked as a region most prone to the world’s worst both natural and man-made disasters, clubbed with pollution and other environmental damages.

While India grapples with an unimaginable pushback from a sitting minister in the government to its #Metoo moment, here comes a good news from another part of the world. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Tuesday unveiled a downsized cabinet where, in a first, half the members are women.