Firstpost Editor's Picks: Article 370 revoked in Jammu and Kashmir, Sushma Swaraj passes away, RBI's rate cut; today's must-read stories

Kashmir in shock: Citizens say 'it looks like 1947', draw comparison with military occupation of Palestine While there are reports that police have cracked down on the activists of political parties across the Valley, there is little information on the status of former MLAs and Cabinet ministers of the Kashmir’s mainstream political parties. The abrogation of Article 370 also, in many ways, marks an end to the mainstream pro-India politics in the Valley. while the Valley is still recovering from the shock of what unfolded in Parliament over the last two days, Kashmir might be gearing up for another lethal season of bloodshed. “This shouldn’t have happened. I feel we have been robbed of our identity,” a Jammu and Kashmir police official, guarding a government building in Srinagar, said. Sushma Swaraj and Ayodhya-Ram Janmabhoomi movement: Feisty BJP leader who wore Hindutva identity, politics on her sleeve Unlike the usual crop of Hindu leaders which the BJP brandishes, Sushma Swaraj was quite unusual. Known especially for her “oratorial”, “administrative” and “kind and compassionate” nature, the former Union Minister was probably one of the very few BJP leaders who has not been cast as a Hindutva leader. Swaraj had the maturity to not appropriate Hinduism at every chance she got. So, the few times that Swaraj spoke in favour of Hindutva and Hinduism, it stuck. With a 35 bps rate cut bonanza, Reserve Bank of India gifts govt what it has been asking for; what now? By gifting an unconventional 35 bps rate cut, the Monetary Policy Committee has delivered what the government wanted. There are more rate cuts on the way. The rate-setting panel itself is promising future rate cuts in the policy statement: ‘Even as past rate cuts are being gradually transmitted to the real economy, the benign inflation outlook provides headroom for policy action to close the negative output gap.’ But the important question is this: Can mere monetary stimulus work wonders in an economy that is battered by severe structural slowdown? The answer isn’t hard to find out. Once Upon A Time In Bollywood: Understanding the lack of buddy films in Hindi cinema Hollywood is replete with uncountable instances in the buddy film genre. But there have been only between few and far in Bollywood. While the Khan triumvirate seem to be friends off the screen, they have never worked together in full-fledged roles, in the last 20 years. Shah Rukh Khan has even requested the media not to judge his friendship with Aamir Khan through the cameos they make in each other’s films. ‘Cameos’ has been the glue of SRK and Salman Khan’s friendship instead. While they have done cameos in each other’s past films as well, their rekindled friendship seems to hinge on their tendency to exchange cameos in each other’s potential blockbuster. Dalima Chhibber: Chose to study and play in Canada because I need to sustain myself financially while playing football While women’s football in India is still in its infancy and needs more players like her to stick around, Dalima Chhibber says that her move is to make sure she learns from abroad about football and can come back as a better player and help the national team. At the same time, her decision has a lot to do with how she can pursue her dream of playing the sport for a long period of time knowing the financial difficulties for a women player to not only grow as a footballer but even play it. Canada, as per Dalima, gives her the ground to come one-on-one with international talent and exposes her to more football.