How Much Tourism and Airbnb is Too Much for the Economy?

Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic waned and economies started to slowly get back to business, tourists were the first to take off! Travel and tourism which were the worst-hit sectors of the economy during the pandemic-induced recession, surged back to life and how! But, tourism, often touted as an important part of an economy, can… Continue reading How Much Tourism and Airbnb is Too Much for the Economy?

How Livable Are Our Cities in India?

As most of India was celebrating the festive season last year, Cyclone Michaung hit South India and wreaked havoc in parts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh inundating the city of Chennai once again. TV news reports were full of the levels of flooding in the city, where streets had turned into rivers and the… Continue reading How Livable Are Our Cities in India?

Protected: Turning the Page for The New Year

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

When Fashion Goes Retail and Retail Goes Fashion

In India, organized retail is a fairly new phenomenon and it coexists with the traditional corner-shop or kirana store as it’s called here. Despite fears of the former destroying small mom and pop shops, the two have happily coexisted for a couple of decades now. That’s also because the Indian government didn’t allow large foreign… Continue reading When Fashion Goes Retail and Retail Goes Fashion

COP28 Ending on a Timid Note

In my last few blog posts on climate change and how it affects the poor, I had wondered how a COP summit being held in hydrocarbon heartland would go. On the one hand, it could be stymied by all the powerful interests in fossil fuels present in the region as many of their economies are… Continue reading COP28 Ending on a Timid Note

What To Expect from the Global Economy in 2024

We’re nearing the end of 2023, and it appears that most economies have managed to stave off a recession, except Germany, Austria, Poland and Sweden among advanced economies that might still close the year a little in the cold. Ireland too looks surprisingly weak in 2023, but not if you consider the previous two years… Continue reading What To Expect from the Global Economy in 2024

Advertising and Media in The New World

Recently, I wrote a piece here on my blog examining how much had really changed in the way consumers make their brand purchase decisions in today’s world. And I concluded that while plenty had changed in the technology dimension of advertising and marketing, consumers still make their brand choice decisions the way they always have.… Continue reading Advertising and Media in The New World

India State Elections 2023: It’s Raining Revdis!

It’s the old familiar theme when elections come around. And they have arrived at five states in India to elect new state assemblies. It’s a good time as any to review Prime Minister Modi’s phrase of revdi culture (culture of freebies) first used against the Aam Aadmi Party of Arvind Kejriwal to criticize his promise… Continue reading India State Elections 2023: It’s Raining Revdis!

What a Bonanza of Cricket and Advertising!

The ICC ODI Cricket World Cup could not have come to India at a more opportune time. Just when the country’s economy is weathering the global slowdown and actually growing at a decent clip, it could do with a booster dose of high energy sporting action and consumption. Just when beleaguered Disney Star is recovering… Continue reading What a Bonanza of Cricket and Advertising!

Stalemate or Larger Regional War in the Middle East?

October 2023 began with all the omens of a Middle East conflict once again, when Hamas launched a series of rocket attacks on Israel and Israel responded in its typical fashion. Everyone in media wondered how Israel could be caught so off-guard and about the failure of its world-renowned intelligence. This only adds to the… Continue reading Stalemate or Larger Regional War in the Middle East?