Pressures, Possibilities, and the Shape of Influence In the first part of this essay, I reflected on India’s economic scale and the institutional resilience that now underpins it. Yet macro stability alone does not tell the full story of a nation’s moment. Beneath the surface lie social tensions, external pressures, and environmental limits that willContinue reading “India in 2026: Her Moment of Measure Part-II”
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India in 2026: Her Moment of Measure Part-I
Scale, Stability, and the Learning Curve As India enters 2026, it does so at a moment of paradox. The country stands on the cusp of an extraordinary economic milestone: by the close of the financial year, it has overtaken Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy. Yet this achievement unfolds against a backdrop of disquiet—strainedContinue reading “India in 2026: Her Moment of Measure Part-I”
India’s Aviation Paradox: Growth Amid Fragility-Part I
Rise, Dominance, and the Recent Crisis India’s skies have never been busier. Domestic aviation has grown explosively over the past two decades, carrying millions of passengers who would once have regarded air travel as a luxury. Low-cost carriers like IndiGo and SpiceJet have democratized flying, making it accessible even to aspirational lower-middle-class families, while full-serviceContinue reading “India’s Aviation Paradox: Growth Amid Fragility-Part I”
COP30: From a ‘COP of Truth’ to a ‘Theatre of Delay’ ,
India and the Search for a Fair Climate Path COP30 has concluded, but the conversations it provoked continue to echo through diplomatic channels, civil society networks, and editorial pages. When the conference opened in Belém, Brazil, it was hailed—almost with hope and relief—as the “COP of Truth.” By the time it ended, the disappointment for many, insideContinue reading “COP30: From a ‘COP of Truth’ to a ‘Theatre of Delay’ ,”
If Tea Had Stayed Home-Epilogue
The Silence After the Boil When the kettle quiets and the last cup is poured, what remains is not merely warmth on the tongue, but a trail of thought — of centuries steeped in leaves, labour, and longing. The story of tea began in mist and meditation, in the still groves of Yunnan and theContinue reading “If Tea Had Stayed Home-Epilogue”
Vijayadashmi and Yom Kippur
The Triumph Within Today is Vijayadashami! India is alive with the fragrance of devotion, and the rhythm of prayer as the nine nights of Navratri culminate in Vijayadashmi. Across the land, effigies of Ravana stand tall, only to be set aflame, symbolizing the victory of truth over falsehood, humility over arrogance, light over shadow. YetContinue reading “Vijayadashmi and Yom Kippur”
If Tea Had Stayed Home – IV
The World Before Tea Riding on the currents of empire and commerce, tea’s ascendancy became firm, irrevocable and near-universal. Yet before this triumph, the world drank otherwise—and it drank richly. Across continents, cultures had already brewed their identities into cups of warmth, vigour, and ritual. Before Tea’s Arrival In the East, rice wine and fermentedContinue reading “If Tea Had Stayed Home – IV”
If Tea Had Stayed Home – III
The Shadows of Empire The story of tea is never only about leaves. It is also about ships, guns, monopolies, and empires. When tea sailed westward, it was not borne merely in porcelain jars but in the vaults of power. What began as a delicate infusion in the hills of Yunnan and Fujian soon becameContinue reading “If Tea Had Stayed Home – III”
If Tea Had Stayed Home — II
The Rise of Tea and Its Global Triumph Tea Drinking in Tang Dynasty Tea’s story begins, as so many civilizational sagas do, in the folds of myth. Chinese legend places its origin with Emperor Shen Nong in 2737 BCE, when a few wild leaves drifted into his pot of boiling water. Whether accident or providence,Continue reading “If Tea Had Stayed Home — II”
If Tea Had Stayed Home -I
Introduction — The Universal Cup “The cup that cheers but not inebriates,” wrote Tennyson, and in those few words captured the quiet dominion of tea over human life. It is perhaps the most universal of all human addictions, woven so seamlessly into our civilizational history that to imagine existence without it seems almost unthinkable. ItContinue reading “If Tea Had Stayed Home -I”
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