Beating Retreat in a New Key On the evening of 29 January, as dusk gathers softly over Raisina Hill and the sandstone façades of power begin to glow in amber light, India performs one of its most understated yet evocative rituals. The Beating Retreat ceremony, held three days after Republic Day, brings the grand pageantryContinue reading “When Dusk Sang Vande Mataram”
Tag Archives: india
A Budget of Consolidation in an Uncertain World
The Union Budget 2026–27 has been presented at a moment when the global economic and political environment remains deeply unsettled. Wars continue to disrupt trade routes, financial markets remain sensitive to interest rate movements in advanced economies, and supply chains are increasingly shaped by geopolitics rather than efficiency alone. For an economy like India—integrated withContinue reading “A Budget of Consolidation in an Uncertain World”
The “Mother of All Deals”: India, Europe, and the Re-Making of Global Trade
When India and the European Union concluded what leaders on both sides have described as the “Mother of All Deals” in January 2026, the moment marked the end of one of the longest and most tortuous trade negotiations of the modern era—and the beginning of a new geoeconomic alignment in a fractured world. Negotiations forContinue reading “The “Mother of All Deals”: India, Europe, and the Re-Making of Global Trade”
A Star on The plate-Part IV
Beyond the Star — India, a Culinary Continent, and the Limits of Measuring Taste If the Michelin star began as an act of classification, and matured into a global language of culinary excellence, its encounter with India feels less like an arrival and more like a reckoning. India is often described as a country, sometimesContinue reading “A Star on The plate-Part IV”
A Star on The Plate-Part III
The Star Arrives in India: Presence, Practice, and the Limits of Adoption If the Michelin star’s journey across continents demonstrated its ability to travel, adapt, and recalibrate, its encounter with India introduces a different order of complexity. Here, the question is not simply whether excellence exists—few would doubt that—but whether a system designed to recogniseContinue reading “A Star on The Plate-Part III”
India in 2026: Her Moment of Measure Part-II
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”
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”
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