Best of the Week: Languages evolve, but politics may not

Mint

21-06-2025

It's been more than six months since I've written an edition of Best of the Week, so forgive me for taking you back to a barbershop—my go-to place for ideas.
Though I am sure folks cutting hair and trimming beards would prefer that I use the term salon.
On my last visit a month ago, I asked for a new haircut: one with volume at the top and back, but a little fade on the sides. This hairstyle has recently become popular in India, so I thought I'd give it a try.
The man didn't really understand my description. So, I showed him a picture.
'Arey sir, bullet bolo na seedha. Bohot chalta hai aaj kal,' he quipped. (You should have just asked for the bullet haircut. It's quite popular these days.)
I was thoroughly intrigued by this name. In the middle of the haircut, I kind of figured out how this name must have caught on.
Perhaps some of you are familiar with the 'mullet' haircut, which first became popular in the 1970s and 80s. But since the modern age can't admit that what's old is back in (see bell-bottoms), we now call it a 'modern mullet'.
Of course, that term would have been fine at a barbershop. At a salon, such terms are useless. But at some point, someone called it a mullet; a barber heard it as 'bullet', and that's how we got here.
Languages are always evolving and endlessly fascinating. As a kid, my mother used to worry that my English would be ruined due to the lack of vowels in text messages. She would implore me to read newspapers.
This anecdote is perhaps funnier in the current political climate, when some have chosen to ridicule those who converse in English.
Today, we use emojis and hashtags in headlines. Perhaps tomorrow, what's old will yet again be new, and we shall all go back to typin lyk dis.
On to Mint's best works from the week gone by:
📉 As we still recover from the tragic crash in Ahmedabad, a lot of questions remain unanswered. While the authorities will take their time, the stock market waits for nobody. Our partners at howindialives.com take a look at the duopoly between Airbus and Boeing, and why the latter's stock price has been battered and bruised of late—even before the crash itself.
🍎 As far as stock performances go, it'll be tough to beat out Apple at the Nasdaq. However, in 2025, the company has fared quite poorly: it's down nearly 20% so far this year. Howindialives.com also examined Tim Cook and Co. and what's gone wrong for the world's most valuable company.
👩‍🔧 One of the factors covered in the previous story included a workers' strike at Boeing. Closer home, automaker Hyundai's factory in Chennai is undergoing something similar. A section of the workers (who are backed by the CPI (M)) are threatening to strike and halt operations if the current wage hike discussions don't go according to their demands. Another politically unaffiliated union has denied that it would cause disruptions. Varun Sood and Ayaan Kartik bring you the details of the looming strike.
☀️ Varun, along with Satish John, covered another tussle this week: one between two brothers. Dayanidhi Maran, a former telecom minister and a current MP representing the DMK, has sued his brother Kalanithi for the control of Sun TV. Sun TV, a Tamil-language network, is India's largest listed media entity. Dayanidhi wants to revert to a shareholding structure from more than 20 years ago, from which Kalanithi is absent.
🛢️ Israel's strikes on Iran have huge implications for the Middle East. Since the region is a corridor for both producing and transporting oil, N. Madhavan takes a look at the potential ramifications of further instability in the region —particularly on oil prices.
⛽ Manjul Paul examined statistics to understand the crisis unfolding in the Middle East and reached a pleasing conclusion: it is not likely to inflate petrol and diesel costs for you and I.
We had two stories this week that covered foreign education—they would be complementary.
🎓 Samiksha Goel wrote about the increasingly harsh reality of pursuing higher education outside India. US President Donald Trump's recent policies have made life generally more difficult for citizens and outsiders alike, and Indian edtech startups are suffering hard.
🇩🇪 The US was always a top choice for those who wanted to go abroad for their education. However, Anil Poste suggests Germany as an alternative—it's cheaper, more welcoming, and has a viable job market for you to join after your education is complete.
⚖️ Losing weight is a tough task. For some, it is perhaps the toughest. But the introduction of the wonder drug Ozempic showed that one could rapidly lose a bunch of weight, with just a few jabs. T. Surendar and Jessica Jani write about Indian pharma companies' quest to make these weight-loss drugs in India and make them cheaper.
👋 As the previous fiscal year's appraisals have concluded, you might be disappointed with your final hike. Thinking of quitting your job? Devina Sengupta suggests you don't. She writes that due to a myriad of geopolitical and economic concerns, job switches aren't recommended. Stay put and slog a bit more—better things might come later.
That's all from me in this week's edition of Best of the Week. Please feel free to write back if you have any thoughts on Mint's newsletters. I'll be sure to get back to you.
Hope you're having a nice weekend!
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