"Howdy Modi" was returned with "Namasté Trump" in equal pomp and splendor. No stone was left unturned in welcoming Trump to India: he got to inaugurate the world’s largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad, in Modi’s home state, and the city got a new wall (one that would make Trump proud) to keep the slums and… Continue reading Of Bluster, Braggadocio and Burnt Embers
For the past several centuries the world has made much of its progress on the back of the relationship between citizens, governments and businesses. From the time of the Magna Carta, when aristocratic barons seized privileges and rights from the monarchy, businesses have had the upper hand in the relationship. As agents of innovation and… Continue reading How Illiberal Politics is Impacting Business and Economies
The Indian government just presented the Union Budget for 2020-21 a few days ago, and this one was more anticipated than those in years gone by for the simple reason that the current slowdown in the Indian economy is unprecedented. In this Indian budget special edition of the Owl Wisdom Podcast, I examine the highlights… Continue reading Does India’s Budget 2020 Rev Up Growth: Owl Wisdom Podcast
It's not a New Year resolution, but I thought it might be a good idea for me to attempt podcasting in 2020 as a way of adding another dimension to my blog. And in keeping with the tradition of my blog, the podcasts too will be written at the intersection of business, economics, politics and… Continue reading Five Highs and Lows in 2020: Owl Wisdom Podcast
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
Peripatetic Perch 