Over a year ago, I had written a post on identity politics as it exists around the world, including in India, and in it I had referred to an excerpt from Francis Fukuyama’s new book, Identity, that I happened to read online on Quillette. I had then said that I would like to read the… Continue reading A Paean to Thymos
What started out in the state of Assam as a citizenship determination exercise, has now snowballed into a national and constitutional crisis. The government at the Centre justifies its stand on the grounds that they are correcting a historical wrong and are meeting an election promise. And they are determined to make both CAA (Citizenship… Continue reading Revisionism Stirring a Hornet’s Nest in India
Never was there a parliamentary election in the UK more consequential and important than the one that just concluded a fortnight ago. It was supposed to be about Britain searching for her identity, her place in the world. Instead, it was just another referendum on Brexit, as was expected. After all the political theatre around… Continue reading Why Britain Might Be Leaving Its Future Behind in 2019 Election
For as long as I have been in advertising and brand communications, which is several decades, there has been a debate on which is more important: brand strategy or the creative idea. In other words, the message or how that message is communicated. I came across some international campaigns recently which brought up the question… Continue reading Creative vs Strategy: What Difference Does Which Make?
As we draw down to the end of the year, my memories of 2019 will be conflict, protest marches, pellets, pepper spray and tear gas. Hundreds killed too, as in the cities of Iraq over the past two months. It is over a decade since the financial crisis began. And it was believed to have… Continue reading 2019: The Year for Pellets, Pepper Spray and Protests
I am sure nobody was surprised when news of India’s Q2 GDP trickled in a few days ago. It was anticipated that the slowdown will be worse than the previous quarter. In fact, I was surprised to hear business news channels breathing a sigh of relief that GDP growth rate hadn’t come in at 4%… Continue reading Made-in-India Slowdown Made to Benefit the Haves
On August 5, 2019, all clocks stopped in Jammu and Kashmir. Or so, it seemed. Time hasn’t moved since for millions in the state with the lockdown in the Valley well into its fourth month. Thanks to the abrupt and sudden abrogation of Article 370, life as the Kashmiris knew it, has come to a… Continue reading India’s Farthest Frontiers Frozen in Time
Hello, and thank you for visiting and reading my blog. Since Peripatetic Perch has just completed a year, I thought it's a good time to get readers' feedback about the blog. If it isn't too much trouble, could you please spare a couple of minutes to answer a 7-question survey about my blog? It would… Continue reading Whistle Your Thoughts Blog Survey is Here!
You would think that the new digitally powered economy – some of it, internet based – would be more productive, since they depend so heavily on computers and information technology. Not true. Several studies, including those by David Autor and others, show drop in productivity in the US, and especially since the late 1990s. Many… Continue reading Why the Sky Is Not the Limit in the Intangible Economy
President Trump’s recent set of policy gaffs in the Middle East have led to the start of a new conflict in the region. That between Turkey and the Kurds of Northern Syria, of which Trump remarked “it is between the two of them… it has nothing to do with us”. As if he could wash… Continue reading Costs of the West’s Misadventures in the Middle East
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