Life's Fun and Silence

The recent Alaska talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin ended without progress. That outcome should not surprise anyone. Wars rarely end because a third-party mediator walks in and proposes a compromise. They end only when the main fighters themselves decide to negotiate. India has long taken this position. When Trump once offered to mediate between India and Pakistan after the brutal Pahalgam attack on unarmed Hindu pilgrims by Pakistan-backed terrorists, New Delhi was clear: outsiders can’t solve what doesn’t directly concern them. Our own epics offer timeless lessons here. Hanuman’s peace mission to Lanka and Krishna’s appeal before the Kurukshetra war were both noble attempts at mediation. Yet both were destined to “fail” because the real issues were never addressed by both parties uniformly. Where the cause of conflict remains untouched, mediation only delays the inevitable. The Illusion of Peace Mediation Modern history has often confused symbolic gestures with ...

  In my late twenties, I found myself standing at a crossroad that many face but few speak about openly: Should I marry, or should I remain alone? At that time, life felt wide open. I had begun to taste professional stability, had enough freedom to travel and explore, and I carried a certain restlessness—an urge to keep life unconstrained. Marriage, in contrast, seemed like a binding commitment. It meant stepping into responsibility, compromise, and the everyday demands of nurturing a family. Staying single, on the other hand, promised independence, the possibility of pursuing solitude, and even the faint pull of a life close to renunciation. I remember watching my friends and colleagues. Some were married, settling into routines that brought them both joy and struggle. Others were single, free to live as they pleased, but sometimes weighed down by loneliness or a lack of deeper grounding. In one such moment of confusion, I spoke to an elder mentor, who told me with disarming s...

My Perspective on India’s Rice Export Prospects (31July 2025) Study and Assumptions In preparing this personal analysis, I reviewed publicly available trade statistics, news reports, and policy announcements through 31 July 2025. My aim was to understand how recent tariff actions by the United States affect India’s ability to export rice, particularly basmati, and to determine practical strategies that could mitigate any negative impact. The analysis draws heavily on Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) data for U.S. import shares, on reported tariff rates from U.S. government announcements, and on news accounts of currency movements and export taxes in competing countries. I assume that reported import values in the OEC represent the most current full‑year picture (June 2024 – May 2025) and that U.S. tariffs announced in April 2025 will remain in place at least through late 2025. I also assume typical export prices and currency exchange rates r...

  Beyond the Metrics – The Policies, the People, and the Great Wealth Blind Spot In the first part of this analysis, I deconstructed the "what" and "how" of the World Bank's recent, transformative update on Indian poverty and inequality. We established that the dramatic fall in the Gini index was overwhelmingly driven by a methodological recalibration, creating a new, lower baseline from which to measure progress. Now, I want to move beyond the statistical machinery and explore the "why." What does this new, albeit partial, picture tell us about the real-world policies that have shaped the lives of over a billion people? And, more importantly, what does its great blind spot—the complete absence of wealth data—mean for our understanding of India's economic trajectory? To do this, I will examine the report's implications through the four critical lenses of economic well-being: 1) access to income, 2) the policies that shape it, 3) access to wea...

  Part 1: The Recalibration of India: Deconstructing the World Bank’s New Poverty and Inequality Numbers When the World Bank releases a major update to its Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP), it’s a significant event for global development watchers. But when that update involves India, a country home to one-sixth of humanity, the implications are monumental. The "June 2025 Update" is just such an event. At first glance, the numbers are startling, suggesting a dramatic and rapid decline in both poverty and, most strikingly, inequality in India. It’s a narrative that aligns with a story of broad-based progress. Yet, as I began to delve into the accompanying technical note, a far more complex and layered picture emerged. The story of India's improved metrics is not a simple tale of policy triumph; it is an intricate interplay of genuine progress, profound methodological shifts, and critical data omissions. This update is less a photograph of India and more a recalibration...

Every now and then, I stumble across a quote or idea that sticks with me for days. These are moments in life when a single statement can shift your perspective and inspire deep self-reflection. In recent times, I found myself thinking about some of the bold statements made by Dr. S. Jaishankar, India’s Foreign Minister. Even though he’s talking about world affairs, I couldn’t help but see how his words could apply to my own life. From the many profound statements, I choose four “MegaVakkyas” – profound statements. Though rooted in international relations, I found that each one held a mirror to my own life, offering lessons that could elevate not just in professional journey, but personal happiness as well. Here’s how each of these “MegaVakkyas” got me thinking—and potentially changing my perspective. 1. "Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe's problems are the world's problems, but the world's problems are not Europe's problems." Meaning: Dr...