The usually measured SEBI Chairman, Tuhin Kanta Pandey, turned a little testy when the weekly chatter on ‘expiry’ days came up yet again at Friday’s post-board meeting briefing. “Stop speculating in the media every day,” he told reporters, clearly fed up with the will-they-won’t-they headlines, even when SEBI isn’t sure yet as it is a complex issue and consultation will take some time.The subtext was simple: let the process play out, for regulators don’t have time swatting half-baked stories.Double standardsThe India head of a global firm was recently saying in an interview that the country holds a significant place for the company’s global business and it values local talent.However, just a few hours before he said it, there was a rather different scene that played out in his enterprise. The guests invited to the company facility for an event walked up to a neatly arranged buffet only to be stopped by company representatives, who said that the offerings were ‘exclusively for foreign executives’.Indians, whether company staff or guests, were asked to head to the company canteen for their meals. So much for localisation and India-first strategy!Festival politicsThe Karnataka Government’s decision on writer-activist Banu Mushtaq — a Booker prize winning author — being the chief guest to inaugurate Dasara celebrations has not gone down well with a section of the populace and BJP supporters. The government and Congress supporters point out that there have been precedents where non-Hindus like poet KS Nisar Ahmed, apart from self-declared atheists, have inaugurated the festivities.They say it is a State-sponsored event and not a religious one. The BJP and its supporters say that Dasara is a quintessential Hindu festival and only believers can partake in it.Hotels, travel agencies and other locals dependent on the tourist economy are hoping that the controversy will not dampen the festivities or inflow of visitors in the busiest season of the year for them.‘Gyan Bharatam’The Ministry of Culture had launched the ‘Gyan Bharatam’, an initiative dedicated to preserving, digitising, and disseminating India’s manuscript heritage.To mark the occasion, it held an event in Delhi recently where Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, was the Chief Guest. He said that the knowledge preserved in written form after ‘Shruti’ and ‘Smriti’ is now being revived through the ‘Gyan Bharatam Mission’ by the Ministry.He emphasised that this process should not be seen merely as an academic exercise but as part of a cultural renaissance.Though the intent is to ensure that this heritage reaches future generations, how many will be really interested, a critic questioned.Published on September 15, 2025