Weekend Reads

  1. Meghnad Desai in the Indian Express on how the Cauvery water dispute pits citizens of two states against each other and the danger this poses to cosmopolitanism. 
  2. "This absolute refusal to say misogyny involves all men because it is a system by which the abuse of women acts as a guarantor of masculinity is part of the problem," says Suzanne Moore in The Guardian as she analyses the latest controversy surrounding Donald Trump and his views on women.
  3. Weighing in on the controversy over the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Ghana, Neera Chandhoke writes in The Hindu on the contradictions of Gandhi's past and how to approach him from our position in the present.
  4. How did the ban on jallikattu affect the indigenous cattle breeds and the rural economy of southern Tamil Nadu? Aparna Karthikeyan's portrait in aravan of the broader issues surrounding the cultural sport. 
  5. "Test cricket needs that parochial flavour when it comes to pitches." As India wears down New Zealand on spinning tracks in a home series, Dileep Premachandran writes in Mint on why pitches need their spice back.
  6. One of India's largest conservation project is underway to restore the Qutb Shahi tombs in Hyderabad. Govind Krishnan in Fountain Ink brings you the fascinating tale of the restoration work. 
  7. Namita Bhandre in the Hindustan Times on why the shroud of secrecy around Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's health needs to be lifted.
  8. Is India hurting itself by refusing to acknowledge the Kashmiri's right to self-determination? Farhan Mujahid Chak in Al Jazeera on militarised brutality in the contested Valley. 
  9. Have we dehumanised the subject of Economics? Can economics serve human purpose without being humane? MA Oommen in Business Line argues for a more sensitive economics. 
  10. Did proponents of Colombia's peace deal underestimate the strength of its opponents? Forrest Hylton writes for the Jacobin on the failed deal and its repercussions.