Unrefined Language
Marco Rubio had a tough time in India trying to respond to questions about Donald Trump's "hellholes" remark regarding India and China. Did Rubio describe the statement as "stupid," or was he referring to its author? In any case, bizarre utterances of every kind are normal enough in Trump's mouth, whether aggressive or naïve, irrelevant or idiotic. He has never sought to be "politically correct."

Trump's admirers are thrilled by the spontaneity and apparent ingenuousness of his responses; his critics are convinced of their cluelessness and crudity. Nevertheless, Rubio's visit concluded on a positive note, with Modi promising to purchase goods worth $500 billion from the United States. After all, the market counts most in our times. America's debt has risen to $36 trillion.

Flatter the Big Man
In a unipolar era, rare in history, people slowly learn to accommodate the oddities of the strongman. Flatterers and opportunists know how to take advantage of their leader's weaknesses. Historians remember how self-interested courtiers kept eccentric Roman emperors happy during the period of imperial decline, flattering their follies and exalting their blunders. Mere babblings were held up as concentrated wisdom; empty boasts were carried to the ends of the empire as astonishing achievements. But truth eventually speaks for itself. It will also expose Trumpian fallacies.

While Trump claims "total victory" over Iran, the Islamic Republic dismisses such claims almost immediately. Iranians remain convinced that they are fighting "the Great Satan," the United States. Apocalyptic language comes as naturally to them as tough language comes to Trump. As words grow harsher, actions grow more hurtful. Referring to peace talks, Iranian leaders say they have little trust in Trump's words and will judge him only by his actions.

Hate Words in India
For India's ruling regime, opposition leaders are often portrayed not as fellow citizens, co-builders of the nation, or co-creators of a shared future, but as anti-nationals, architects of sedition, anti-Hindu elements, or pro-Pakistani groups. "Go to Pakistan" has become a favourite expression of those who wish to demonstrate their patriotism.

Suvendu Adhikari, upon assuming office in West Bengal, reportedly warned so-called "migrants" with the words, "Jaldi bhago." Will 91 lakh people, deprived of voting rights, really be expelled from India, even with Amit Shah's determination? Do such words carry any practical meaning?

Meanwhile, we hear that Tushar Kumar, a 23-year-old of Indian origin in the United Kingdom, has become the Mayor of Elstree and Borehamwood. Earlier, Rishi Sunak served as Prime Minister. How is citizenship understood in civilised nations?

Misuse of Power
Wherever the BJP is in power, critics argue that misuse of political power increasingly characterises governance. In Tripura, anti-drug campaigner Shubham Biswas was arrested for criticising BJP functionary Rajesh Ghosh.

Similarly, following the political defeat of Pinarayi Vijayan in Kerala, the Enforcement Directorate reportedly raided 10 premises linked to Vijayan and his family. The speed with which these actions were undertaken was eloquent in itself: those who oppose the Hindutva agenda, critics say, seem to enjoy fewer protections.

Yet limits are eventually reached. A Delhi court has reportedly issued notice to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma concerning alleged hate speech at Digboi, following a petition filed by Harsh Mander.

Before elections, Himanta had allegedly threatened to remove four to five lakh "Miyas" (Muslims) from the voters' list. He suggested that they would leave the country only if subjected to sufficient hardship. Was this the India Gandhiji dreamt of?

Don't Categorise and Condemn People in Haste
Curiously, when difficulties arose in India–US relations during Trump's first term, Jaishankar advised: "Analyse, don't demonise." It is good advice and one that the ruling majority might impose upon its own overzealous supporters. Hasty condemnations rarely help. We should not rush to decide who is anti-national, which buildings are illegal, or which citizens deserve no voting rights. Jaishankar himself may occasionally need to remember his own advice at international forums, where realism often serves better than bombast.

Regime Change: Social Codes Get Rewritten
Suvendu Adhikari promised to do great things for Bengal. Consider the novelties he has introduced. Welfare rolls are reduced. OBC reservations are cut from 17% to 7%. The police welfare board is dissolved.

In compensation, critics say, subsidies are expanded in ways that increase dependence on government and encourage support for saffron ideology. Vande Mataram is mandated in government schools. Alcohol sales are restricted within one kilometre of schools, colleges, and temples.

He goes further. A Trinamool Congress office in Konnagar, Hooghly, is demolished. The bulldozer has arrived in Bengal. Tagore would not have remained silent.

Mamata Banerjee has accused the BJP of "stealing" 150 seats and making a mockery of democracy, alleging that nearly one crore names were removed from electoral rolls. Meanwhile, four TMC leaders have been arrested on charges of extortion, intimidation, and money laundering, while Abhishek Banerjee and Kalyan Banerjee have reportedly been attacked in Hooghly.

Ongoing Harassment
Bengal's economy may also be affected. Earlier, farmers sold ageing cattle to fund their daughters' marriages or their children's education. Between 2012 and 2019, they reportedly earned ?35,000 crore from cattle sales for legal slaughter.

Under a new social order supervised by cow vigilantes, many small farmers face severe economic hardship. Similar patterns emerged in parts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where Muslims and Dalits bore the greatest burden of anti-cattle-slaughter campaigns.

Meanwhile, the vulnerable continue to suffer. In Kanpur, four upper-caste men allegedly stripped and thrashed a sixteen-year-old boy for touching a public handpump, broke his arm, and forced him to lick their shoes. His father, who tried to intervene, suffered broken ribs.

In Jhansi, a tribal girl was reportedly gang-raped and abused over a period of two years. We lament the harassment of Hindus in Australia, the UK, the US, and Canada. But what are our own elites doing to fellow citizens—assaulting Dalits, mistreating tribals, and disrupting minorities at prayer?

The Weak Are Targeted
In Uttar Pradesh, members of a Rajput community allegedly threw stones at Dalit wedding celebrations because a portrait of Ambedkar was being honoured. The celebration ended in violence.

If Hindu sentiments deserve respect, so too do Dalit and tribal sentiments.
Aristotle taught, "We are what we repeatedly do." Shall we remain communally biased forever?

Some Muslim men have reportedly been arrested for throwing chicken bones into the Ganges, yet little action is taken against those who dump plastic, industrial waste, and other pollutants into the same river.

In the land where the Buddha preached equality, a few thrive while many struggle. The filthy rich grow richer while creating filthy surroundings. More than a third of the world's dirtiest and richest cities are said to be in India. Is rigid inequality somehow part of Sanatana Dharma?

Recently, SC/ST groups approached Odisha police seeking protection from cow vigilantes so that farmers could take their cattle to the fields. Naveen Patnaik has accused the Mohan Charan Majhi government of encouraging "goonda raj." Violence and rowdyism, critics say, are increasing.

India Has Become "Hindu Pakistan"?
Amit Shah boasted that Modi's government would create a Maoist-free India by March 31, 2026. Critics responded that violence would simply reappear in new forms unless tribal land rights were respected.

As of now, Maoist leader Misir Besra reportedly remains untraced despite a reward of one crore rupees. Restlessness continues.

In Manipur, reports speak of fresh clashes. The formula of "Hindutva first" may not work in tribal regions. It can prove fatal in border areas.

When Amit Shah claims that tribal traditions are not fundamentally different from Hindu practices, does he intend to draw tribal communities into the Hindu fold? Identities and emotions cannot be purchased or imposed.

The Naga Students' Federation opposes the singing of Vande Mataram in Nagaland. Such anxieties are unlikely to disappear soon.

Ramachandra Guha alleges that the Modi–Shah leadership has transformed India into a "Hindu Pakistan." Ruchir Joshi calls the regime "the mother of all incompetent authoritarianisms." Former Vice-President Hamid Ansari fears that India's increasingly exclusivist policies are pushing the country toward the aggressive nationalism of twentieth-century Europe.

A Tense Atmosphere Intensifies
Ansari's fears seem relevant as global tensions rise: China and Japan, China and India, India and Pakistan, Iran and its neighbours. Minorities in China—Tibetans, Uyghurs, and Mongolians—remain restless, as do several marginalised groups in India.

Japan sells weapons to the Philippines with China in mind; India supplies Vietnam. QUAD representatives increasingly speak in strategic and military terms.

Taiwan reports a large number of Chinese vessels around the island. China has increased its defence budget, while the United States proposes spending one trillion dollars on defence. India has become one of the world's largest arms importers. Pakistan describes itself as being in an "open war" with Afghanistan. The atmosphere grows tense.

Hope Beyond Hostility
"Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future," said Robert Schuller.
Thankfully, many countries are attempting to move beyond their aggressive past. The British Museum has returned 2,000 manuscripts to the Jain community. The Netherlands has returned Chola-era copper plates. New beginnings in international relationships remain possible.

Marco Rubio was delighted to visit the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata, still struggling under FCRA restrictions.

Seneca said, "True happiness is to enjoy the present." Mother Teresa would add, "True happiness comes from serving the poorest of the poor."

Christian workers continue serving the nation despite repeated allegations and harassment. They bear no grudges and seek no retaliation. They remain faithful to St. Peter's counsel: "Maintain good conduct among the people, so that even those who speak evil against you may see your good deeds and glorify God" (1 Peter 2:12).

Then hearts and minds can change overnight.

That is true conversion.