Back to normal.

India hosted the 18th BRICS summit in New Delhi on 12-13 September. "Today BRICS comprises 11 countries: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the UAE. Collectively, these members represent 49.5% of the global population, 40% of the global GDP and 26% of global trade." pib.gov.in. Of all the members, China's economy, with a GDP of $20.85 trillion (IMF), is greater than the other 10 combined, and, at 2,889.5 million, the combined populations of India and China  (worldometer), is greater than all the rest combined. "Chinese President Xi Jinping told PM Narendra Modi the current momentum in bilateral ties anchored in resumption of institutional exchanges, expanding cooperation agenda and increasing trade is hard-won and deserves to be cherished." TOI. Of course he would cherish it because, in 2025-26, India's exports to China rose 36.62% to $19.47 billion while imports rose 16.03% to $131.63 billion, giving a difference of $112.16 billion in favor of China. ET. Despite a wide difference of opinions, India succeeded in getting a joint declaration which condemned the Pahalgam attack without naming anyone responsible, called for restraint in the Middle East, opposed tariffs and carbon tax and asked Israel to withdraw from Lebanon. India Today. So anodyne that no one can find a flaw. Photos of Delhi's makeover have gone viral: "recliner lounges with no rush, market corridors clear of hawkers for the first time in years, curated regional gifts for delegates. But behind the wonder is a sharper, more familiar Delhi question - why does the city only look this good when the world is watching?" News18. It is not the whole city, only highly selected areas where foreigners will be shepherded. Come to the middle class area of Vasant Kunj, South Delhi, a 20-minute drive from the airport, and see broken roads, piles of strewn garbage, and uncontrolled, dangerous extensions to buildings everywhere. While delegates were receiving curated gifts, "A YouTuber in Uttar Pradesh's Bijnor was allegedly thrashed and chased down after  he posted videos highlighting the condition of roads and other civic issues in a village. The victim claimed the attack was carried out by the husband of a village head and his supporters." HT. Villages are administered by an elected body known as the Panchayat and one-third of the seats are reserved for women by law. ECI. However, women are put forward for show while their husbands run the Panchayat in the backward areas of north India. "This phenomenon, described as the 'Pradhan Pati' (husband of the chief) or 'Mukhiya Pati' practice (where husbands of women village heads do proxy governance for their wives), has long been explained as a distortion expected to recede as representation deepens." SAM. Foreigners know the real state of India. If BRICS "becomes an effective group at all, it is likely to become one that China will use to promote its interest and isolate India, and to undermine India's interest in the Indo-Pacific." "India's interest thus lies in sabotaging BRICS to the extent it can, lest it becomes a juggernaut that flattens India's interest," wrote Rajesh Rajagopalan. Not to worry, BRICS is just a talking shop with numerous photos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with heads of governments. "What does BRICS do? "Mostly, it is a messaging platform. Countries use it to signal to the US and the West. Where a member can negotiate with Washington, it negotiates, bilaterally and quietly. Where it does not agree, cannot agree, or will not agree, it comes to a forum like BRICS and makes a polemical statement," wrote Happymon Jacob. While the gala dinner hosted by Mr Modi, skipped by Xi Jinping (TOI), was in progress, "Amid a high alert in Delhi, more than 20 men went on a late-night rampage in northeast Delhi's Nand Nagri, pelting stones and opening fire at three or four houses before damaging vehicles and fleeing the area." India Today. Now that the furriners have left, Delhi can go back to being the filthy, crumbling, lawless, violent, brutal and uncivilized city that it actually is. Phew, what a relief!