A Made-in-India Economic Slowdown

While the news in and out of India in recent days has been, quite rightly, hogged by the Kashmir issue, I would like to draw your attention to the economic slowdown in India. There probably isn’t a soul anywhere in the world who hasn’t heard of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation to foreign investors, “Make… Continue reading A Made-in-India Economic Slowdown

From Gateway to China to Getaway Island?

The recent wave of protests in Hong Kong are making news headlines for a variety of reasons. From the draconian nature of the extradition bill proposed by Mainland China, to the intensity and massive turnout of the protesters, to the violent reaction by the Hong Kong police, everything was captured by television news channels. The… Continue reading From Gateway to China to Getaway Island?

Lockdown Valley

All my life I have wanted to visit Kashmir, but have been unable to go there. These are my thoughts as Kashmir continues to be in a state of lockdown after the Indian government's decision to revoke Article 370 which had guaranteed Kashmir its special status all these years. It is a travesty of the… Continue reading Lockdown Valley

Person Brands: The Importance of Being Ernest or, Scott

When one is thinking about brands, it is our favourite products or services that come to mind. Sometimes, a few companies. Rarely does one think of a person. And when one thinks of people, and I mean the well-known ones, we don’t necessarily think “brands”. It would be rather odd, if we did. But is… Continue reading Person Brands: The Importance of Being Ernest or, Scott

The Relevance of Hannah Arendt

If you happen to own Arendt’s books and read them a long time ago, it’s time to dust them off your bookshelves and read her all over again. I regret I did not read her earlier, but I am glad I have discovered her wonderfully sharp intellect and detailed expositions of totalitarian regimes now. Why… Continue reading The Relevance of Hannah Arendt

Bird of Burden

Meet Ms WhistleWise, who flew in recently from Dortmund, Germany. Created by my cousin, her mum and her twin boys with leaves, twigs, berries and cornflowers, all found in owl territory, against a beautiful summer watercolour wash background, Ms WhistleWise, is evocative of my blog’s newsletter, The Whistle, of course! Nothing worth noting escapes Ms… Continue reading Bird of Burden

Why Brand Purpose Must be Aligned with Business Purpose

Sharing an article that I just wrote for LinkedIn on brand purpose, since there is so much discussion around it these days. I came across a 1970 article by Milton Friedman in The New York Times that spurred me to put my thoughts down on the subject and refute some of his theories or arguments.… Continue reading Why Brand Purpose Must be Aligned with Business Purpose