"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
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
There’s something about beginning a new year. Besides the usual greetings and celebrations, there’s also a more mundane aspect to it. Many folks like to make a new year resolution, for example. And it usually has to do with giving up some of your favourite – and not-good-for-you – habits like smoking, late nights, or… Continue reading Of Calendars and Clocks
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
Let me start by confessing that I am embarrassed that it has taken me a year to read the books that I had bought last year, and write about them. There has just been so much to read through the year, that I kept putting off reading the books that I had bought at last… Continue reading When Lady Courage Wields Her Pen
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
Peripatetic Perch 