with PM Narendra Modi In The Hague, the Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen An exclusive interview with Sachin Parashar explains the geopolitical imperative for the new India-Netherlands strategic partnership, semiconductor focus and trust-based relationship.This is PM Modi’s second visit Netherlands And for the first time since the announcement of India-EU FTA. As one of India’s leading trading partners in Europe, what are the major takeaways you see from this visit? In a world that is increasingly unpredictable, where international tensions are rising and geopolitical relationships are constantly changing, strategic cooperation is not a luxury, but a necessity. The Netherlands is actively seeking new partnerships outside traditional alliances. One country stands out: India. For the Netherlands, India – as the world’s largest democracy and an emerging player in the Indo-Pacific – is a logical and promising partner. Rapidly growing as a partner not only in the field of business, but also in the field of security and innovation. As both our countries wish to enhance our cooperation, we have decided to enter into a strategic partnership focused on trade and investment, security, innovation and people-to-people ties. By uniting, we will be better able to ensure our earning capacity and security in the future. The India-EU Free Trade Agreement could open up even greater cooperation and strengthen supply chains at a time of global uncertainty. The strategic partnership between the Netherlands and India forms a solid foundation for jointly finding solutions to the major geopolitical challenges of our time, as by purposefully investing in this relationship both our countries are building a resilient future – based on shared interests, innovation and strategic trust. Given the global pressure to focus on semiconductor partnerships and create resilient supply chains, how do you propose to link your advanced semiconductor ecosystem with India’s semiconductor mission and manufacturing expansion? Semiconductors have become central to economic resilience and technological leadership around the world. The Netherlands has a highly advanced semiconductor ecosystem, while India brings vast engineering talent, innovation capabilities and growing manufacturing ambitions. This is a very powerful combination. We aim to create long-term innovation partnerships by connecting universities, research institutes, startups and industry on both sides. There is also a broader strategic logic. Recent global disruptions have shown the importance of diverse and reliable supply chains. India’s rise as a semiconductor hub can play a major role in building a more resilient global ecosystem, and the Netherlands has a lot to offer in that journey. The Prime Minister is expected to discuss the current situation in both West Asia and Ukraine. Are you considering any specific type of cooperation with India to mitigate the impact of these conflicts? For the Netherlands, the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine is the most serious security challenge facing Europe in decades. This is not only a war against Ukraine and its territorial integrity, but a direct challenge to the principles of sovereignty, international law and the rules-based international order that underpin global stability and are enshrined in the UN Charter. Its consequences extend far beyond Europe. The war in the Middle East and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz have further intensified pressures, particularly around maritime security and global trade flows. These wars have disrupted energy markets, food supplies, shipping routes, and supply chains around the world, demonstrating how deeply interconnected today’s economies and security environments are. In this context, close cooperation between trusted partners like India is essential. Both countries have a strong interest in economic resilience, safe sea routes and stable global supply chains. We both have a strong interest in the peaceful resolution of disputes and upholding international law. Credible strategic partnerships are no longer optional; They are necessary. And the interests of the Netherlands, the EU and India clearly converge here. There is also a focus on developing defense cooperation as a key pillar of the partnership. Can we expect progress in discussions for more frequent joint naval exercises and technical cooperation, co-development and co-production of defense equipment? Will India’s relations with Russia impact these efforts? The Netherlands and India are exploring a deeper and more strategic defense partnership, particularly in the maritime, cyber and technology domains. In the coming years, cooperation is expected to become more operational and technology-driven, including greater naval engagements, maritime exchanges, cyber security cooperation and stronger industrial partnerships. In this light, earlier this month a Dutch frigate called at the port in Kochi to strengthen naval ties between India and the Netherlands. There is also a growing understanding across Europe that India is diversifying its defense partnerships and emerging as a major strategic actor in its own right. The Dutch approach is therefore pragmatic and visionary: the focus is on expanding areas where Dutch and Indian security interests increasingly converge. How does the Dutch Indo-Pacific strategy align with India’s focus on maritime security, freedom of navigation and promoting a free, open and inclusive region amid Chinese assertiveness? The Netherlands and India increasingly view the Indo-Pacific through the same lens: stability at sea is essential to prosperity on land. As trading nations, we both depend on open shipping routes, secure supply chains and respect for international maritime law. India plays an important role in the Indo-Pacific and the Netherlands sees India as a natural strategic partner in maintaining a free, open and inclusive region. That is why we are expanding cooperation in maritime security, cyber resilience, smart ports and naval engagement, including in frameworks such as the Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative, which the Netherlands recently joined as co-lead of the Capacity Building Pillar. Our approach is not confrontational. It is about ensuring that all countries can trade freely, connect securely and operate under clear international rules. In today’s geopolitical environment, trusted partnerships matter more than ever. That is why the new strategic partnership between our countries is so important.

What does it mean to have free will in 2026?Why are young people across the world filming themselves eating lunch on ladders, rearranging their homes into fake hotel suites, or doing completely irrational everyday activities simply because they can?And how did a 19th-century philosopher who believed human beings were never truly free become strangely relevant to a generation raised by algorithms, lockdowns, surveillance and social media?Across social media, thousands of young users are posting videos under captions such as “POV: You suddenly realise you have free will”. The intent is to carry out the daily mundane activities in deliberately impractical but harmless waysVideos of people climbing the maintenance ladder while having lunch just to finish the meal in the air or other laying out buffets of the same meal just to recreate a wedding vibe have become a well-participated trend.What looks like unserious internet humour has almost become an emotional reaction to a world that feels increasingly controlled by economics, technology, politics and invisible systems.In a time when algorithms predict behaviour, governments shape consumption habits during crises and social media constantly influences thought patterns, free will is no longer viewed as a stable philosophical truth. For the new generation, it has become a feeling, a performance and, in many ways, a vibe.

From philosophy to TikTok rebellion

Long before social media transformed rebellion into short-form content, German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche had already questioned whether free will existed at all.In his 1886 work Beyond Good and Evil, Nietzsche argued that human beings do not make choices in the pure, independent way they imagine. Instead, he believed people are shaped by instincts, conditioning, emotions, physiology and social structures that operate beneath conscious awareness. According to Nietzsche, free will was less a spiritual truth and more a psychological sensation.“The will is not only a complex of feeling and thinking, but it is above all an emotion, and in fact the emotion of the command,” Nietzsche wrote.In simple terms, Nietzsche believed people experience freedom when one desire inside them defeats another. A person feels powerful not because they escaped cause and effect, but because they managed to overpower competing impulses within themselves.That framework unexpectedly mirrors the current internet trend.A person eating lunch on a ladder is not operating outside social conditioning. Rather, they are experiencing the thrill of temporarily defeating the instinct to behave normally. The action itself may be meaningless, but the feeling attached to it is emotionally real.

A generation shaped by crises and control

This modern obsession with “performative autonomy” is emerging at a time when many young people feel their actual control over life has sharply decreased.The Covid-19 pandemic left a lasting psychological mark on an entire generation. Lockdowns suddenly restricted movement, social gatherings and everyday behaviour. Basic actions such as travelling, meeting friends, or simply being outside became matters of public regulation. As trainee clinical psychologist Yukta Sharma puts it, “Free will feels less like “I can do anything I want” and more like: “With all the limitations that the world is placing on me, what are things that I can still choose to do happily and not feel guilty or ashamed or wrong about doing and find satisfaction and joy, without offending anybody in?”,” as she adds that these were the very things that shaped the generation’s response to the Covid-19 lockdown.And while many accepted these measures as necessary for public health, Suyog Shetti, 26, recalls resisting social pressure during the Covid pandemic.“I think people still have free will,” Shetti maintains. “People’s own fear and self-consciousness are what hold their free will back. Like during Covid, I didn’t take the vaccine. Although everyone was telling me to, I felt some scam was happening and thought the whole situation was a tool being used to push the vaccine on us.”

Pop culture and collapse of certainty

Popular culture has started reflecting this anxiety in increasingly direct ways.Indian comedian Kenny Sebastian has repeatedly explored the absurdity of human behaviour through observational comedy. His routines often focus on how people unconsciously follow social scripts in relationships, public spaces and daily interactions.Fantasy-comedy series Good Omens also explores similar philosophical territory. Based on the novel by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, the show questions whether human beings genuinely possess agency or merely act within systems controlled by larger cosmic structures. Throughout the story, characters constantly struggle between obedience, fear and moral independence.Meanwhile, neuroscientist and author Sam Harris has become one of the most influential contemporary voices arguing that free will does not exist at all.Harris believes human thoughts arise from prior neurological and environmental causes that individuals never consciously chose. According to his framework, understanding the illusion of free will can actually become liberating. Instead of obsessively blaming themselves for every impulse, mistake or emotional reaction, people can develop greater self-awareness and compassion.For many young adults overwhelmed by the constant self-improvement culture, this perspective feels strangely comforting.The modern economy constantly tells people they are fully responsible for their success, productivity and happiness. At the same time, those same individuals are navigating unstable job markets, impossible housing costs, digital addiction and algorithmic manipulation. The contradiction creates emotional exhaustion.As a result, the idea that “free will is limited” no longer sounds depressing to many young people. Instead, it feels realistic.

What young people think free will means today

That realism becomes clearer when listening to how young adults themselves describe freedom.

The pragmatic view

For 26-year-old Kamal Mishra, free will exists, but only within practical limitations.“Free will is not absolute independence, but maximum ownership of one’s choices,” Mishra explains. “Free will is like having your own shop, where you are not bound by anyone else’s control, order, or dependency and you make your own decisions. But yes, you will have to open that shop to earn a living.”Mishra’s comparison reflects a broader generational compromise. Young adults may desire independence, but they also recognise that survival still depends on participating in economic systems they cannot fully escape.

The sceptical view

Others are far more sceptical.Aanshi Kanaujia, 25, believes modern information culture has deeply compromised individual thought.“I believe free will is a golden cage,” she says. “Most of our will is influenced by people, and rarely do individuals have their own mind. Yes, it is polarised to a great extent, especially in this era of unstoppable information consumption, where our will and thinking are systematically borrowed from someone else. Yes, there are some doing their own mind, but that’s not a big number. The question is: Is your thought of free will truly yours?”Her argument reflects growing concerns around algorithmic influence.Social media platforms increasingly curate what users watch, buy, believe and discuss. Recommendation systems shape political opinions, aesthetics, humour and even emotional reactions. As these systems become more sophisticated, distinguishing personal desire from manufactured preference becomes increasingly difficult.

The fatalist view

For some, this has produced outright fatalism.“Free will does not exist; it’s just an illusion,” says 26-year-old Sumant Singh. “Everything depends entirely on the situation, and that same situation decides our will. Overall, nothing is ‘free.’ My thoughts might sound a bit extreme, but I feel this is the ultimate reality.”Singh’s view reflects a generation raised amid repeated crises.Many people currently in their mid-to-late twenties entered adulthood during economic uncertainty, climate anxiety, political polarisation and a global pandemic. The belief that individuals fully control their destinies feels increasingly disconnected from lived reality.

The restrained view

Yet not everyone believes freedom has disappeared entirely.Some young adults argue that free will survives in smaller forms.Chirag Thakur, 27, describes free will as the pause between impulse and action.“I think free will is like any other power or impulse that you have, which is often restrained by your mind which is, of course, a necessity,” Thakur states. “Without the mind as the charioteer, it would be like an aimless chariot, which can be chaotic and quickly turn into a disaster. In any ‘free will’ decision, the pause that makes you think about whether to do it or not is the real free will. And of course, this can change with changes in region, society, and circumstances.”His interpretation aligns closely with modern mindfulness practices, where awareness itself becomes a form of agency.Rather than viewing freedom as unlimited action, many younger people now define it as conscious interruption. In a world designed to trigger instant reactions, the ability to stop, reflect and resist impulse feels increasingly valuable.

The structuralist view

At the same time, conversations around free will are also becoming deeply political.Srabastee Biswas, 25, argues that freedom is unevenly distributed and shaped heavily by class, gender and social privilege.“Free will is not absolute, total independence,” Biswas argues. “It is more like what one creates out of the given resources and only where access is allowed to choose for themselves. If we take a feminist point of view, that space has never been equal. Gender roles, safety concerns, and economic gaps, especially for women and marginalized people, have always created a narrower lane of acceptable choices.”Biswas believes recent years have exposed just how fragile autonomy can be.“When we look at our generation, we’ve witnessed massive backtracks of individual rights, from the stripping away of bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom to economic crises and a massive surge in digital surveillance. This reveals how incredibly fragile it truly is. When the state deprives people of basic rights and autonomy, so-called free will becomes a luxury accessible only to the privileged class. For many of us, practicing free will isn’t just picking what we want, it’s questioning the central belief of what we were told to want.”Her comments reflect a broader shift in how younger generations discuss freedom.For previous generations, free will was often framed as personal ambition or individual achievement. For many Gen Z adults, however, freedom is increasingly understood through systems of power. Access to safety, money, healthcare, privacy and rights now determines how much autonomy someone can realistically exercise.

The commercial view

The role of technology in shaping behaviour remains one of the strongest recurring concerns.Riddhi Jain, 25, believes modern consumer culture actively narrows independent thought.“We don’t move by free will,” Jain reflects. “In my opinion, it’s like the more choices we are presented with, the more our actual free will is limited. We are not just influenced; we are rather controlled by brands and conditioned to think about things in a very specific, curated way.”Her observation reflects what psychologists often call the paradox of choice.While digital platforms offer endless options, many users ultimately end up following highly predictable patterns shaped by advertising, trends and algorithmic recommendations.Ironically, this has also made small acts of irrationality feel emotionally significant.Choosing to behave inefficiently, absurdly or unpredictably becomes a way of resisting optimisation culture. In a world obsessed with productivity, branding and measurable outcomes, doing something pointless simply because it feels amusing can feel deeply personal.

The subversive view

At the opposite end of the spectrum, some young adults believe the greatest act of autonomy today may simply be disengagement.“Our generation grew up with algorithms, lockdowns, trends, and constant chaos deciding things for us,” says 25-year-old Anurag Krishna. “So honestly, maybe real free will today is me choosing not to answer this question at all… which I almost did out of pure freedom.”That quiet refusal captures the exhaustion sitting beneath many contemporary conversations about agency.Young adults today are constantly asked to perform opinions, maintain online identities, produce content, optimise careers and remain permanently visible. In such an environment, withdrawal itself can feel rebellious.

The rise of micro-rebellions

This is precisely why the internet’s strange “free will” trend resonates so strongly.The videos are not revolutionary in any traditional political sense. Nobody is overthrowing governments by eating noodles on ladders or pretending their bedroom is a five-star resort.Yet these acts matter symbolically because they interrupt predictability.Algorithms thrive on patterns. Modern institutions thrive on compliance. Consumer economies thrive on habit. Absurd behaviour momentarily breaks those systems, even if only emotionally.In that sense, Nietzsche’s philosophy has accidentally found new life online.He believed free will was never pure freedom. It was merely the sensation of command, the emotional experience of asserting one desire over another.Today’s generation appears to have transformed that insight into cultural practice.They may fully understand that algorithms influence them, capitalism constrains them and crises shape their futures. They may even agree that absolute autonomy is impossible.But instead of responding with complete despair, many are choosing irony, absurdity and micro-rebellion.The result is a generation that no longer treats free will as a grand philosophical certainty.Instead, free will has become something smaller, stranger and more emotional.It is the pause before reacting.It is the decision to log off.It is refusing to optimise every second of existence.It is questioning inherited desires.And sometimes, it is climbing halfway up a maintenance ladder with a plate of lunch in hand simply to remind yourself that, despite everything, you can still choose to do something completely pointless.For Nietzsche, free will may have been an illusion.For Gen Z, the illusion itself has become the experience.

BJP leaders and workers outside the police station protesting demanding ban on liquor in Srinagar.

Srinagar: A day after the BJP protested outside the residence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah demanding complete prohibition in the Kashmir Valley, the ruling National Conference (NC) softened its stand on the issue and promised to ban the sale and consumption of liquor in Jammu and Kashmir.Omar and NC President Farooq Abdullah had earlier rejected calls for a liquor ban in the UT.However, on Saturday, NC chief spokesperson and MLA Tanveer Sadiq said, “Liquor will be banned in Jammu and Kashmir and the NC government will do it.” Responding to questions from media persons on BJP’s threat to launch a hunger strike to press for their demand, he said, “despite BJP’s drama on this issue”, the NC government will take a decision soon.The party now appears to be on the backfoot, even as spokespersons and senior functionaries said it was not the NC government that had come up with the current excise policy, which had allowed setting up of liquor shops across Jammu and Kashmir.NC spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said, “I think this issue will be debated, discussed and finalized in the next assembly session.” “Already several private members have brought bills demanding a liquor ban in the last session of the Assembly. These bills are likely to come up in the next session and a decision will be taken on them,” he said, hinting that the NC may support a private member’s bill on liquor ban.There was a change in stance after BJP’s protest on Friday. The party said it would launch protests from Qazigund town in south Kashmir to Karnah area along the Line of Control in the north if the NC government failed to act.The CM had earlier courted controversy as liquor shops were for people who were allowed to drink alcohol as per their religion and no one could be forced to drink alcohol against their will. Rejecting PDP’s criticism, he said that allowing the sale of liquor does not mean promoting its consumption.Farooq, also speaking, said his father Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah had also rejected then Prime Minister Morarji Desai’s call to ban liquor in 1977, as it would have generated substantial revenue. The NC president said that imposing prohibitory orders in Jammu and Kashmir will not stop smugglers from smuggling it from outside.The debate on liquor ban began after LG Manoj Sinha launched a 100-day campaign against drugs on April 11, following which the PDP and BJP demanded that it should be extended to the sale of liquor as well.

New Delhi: India has finally succeeded in retrieving the ‘Chola Plates’ considered one of the most important surviving inscriptions of the dynasty, with the Netherlands formally restoring the property on Saturday in a formal ceremony in the presence of PM Narendra Modi and PM Rob Jetten, marking another success of the Modi government in recovering stolen artefacts in foreign jurisdictions.“A joyous moment for every Indian! 11th century Chola copper plates to be brought back to India from the Netherlands. Prime Minister Rob Jetten attended the same ceremony in presence.” PM Modi Said in a post on X.“The Chola Copper Plates are a set of 21 large plates and 3 small plates and contain texts largely in Tamil, one of the most beautiful languages ​​in the world. They relate to the formalization of a verbal commitment made by the great Rajendra Chola I to his father, King Rajaraja I. They also demonstrate the greatness of the Cholas. In India we are extremely proud of the Cholas, their culture and their sea power.He also particularly thanked the Government of the Netherlands and the University of Leiden, where the copper plates had been housed since the mid-19th century.The compensation marks the culmination of a 14-year-long effort since 2012 to bring them back. Of the 668 antiquities brought back to India from various countries so far, 655 have returned after the Modi government came to power in 2014.The return of the Anaimangalam Copper Plates, known as the Leiden Plates in the Netherlands, will further expand the list. The inscriptions on these plates are among the most important artefacts of Tamil heritage preserved anywhere outside India. The plates record important agreements regarding the rights of a Buddhist temple and several monasteries at Nagapattinam on the revenues of the villages.Dating back to the reign of Emperor Rajaraja Chola I (985-1014 CE), considered one of the greatest rulers in Indian history, one of the objects includes 21 copper plates, weighing about 30 kilograms each. The plates are divided into two volumes: one in Sanskrit and one in Tamil. The second item being restored includes three copper plates with Tamil inscriptions. Both are tied with bronze rings bearing the royal seal of the Chola dynasty.According to sources, India’s efforts to recover the Chola plates received a decisive impetus on October 30, 2023, when India’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to UNESCO formally requested to include the Chola Dynasty Copper Plates in the agenda of the 24th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation (ICPRCP).The 24th session of the ICPRCP found that India’s claim as a nation of origin was legitimate. By November 2023, the UNESCO committee encouraged the Netherlands to engage in constructive bilateral dialogue with India regarding the return of the plates, which ultimately culminated in an agreement to hand over the plates during PM Modi’s visit.The plates were brought to the Netherlands around 1712 by Florentius Camper, who was in India as part of a Christian missionary at the time when Nagapattinam was under Dutch control. The plates were eventually donated to Leiden University in 1862 and have been housed in its library ever since.According to officials, the exact legal and personal circumstances under which Camper obtained the plates from India are not fully documented.