Only those whose strategic imagination is stuck in the 1990s would continue to argue that a subordinate, diktat-taking relationship with the U.S. is the only path to #India’s rise. That page has been turned, mainly because of three structural factors. We live in a post-unipolar world where great power competition is heating up. America, faced with intense economic and security competition, is trying to firm up its position through coercion. Both allies/partners and rivals would be targeted. Two, there is a bipartisan consensus in DC that the US should not continue to help India grow -- like how they helped China grow from the 1970 until recently. American officials today say this openly--they don't want another China to rise in Asia with American help and access to American markets. Three, India exercising strategic autonomy is unacceptable in DC. Look at America's relations with its allies since the mid-1940s, including with China in the last two decades of the Cold War, America prefers acquiescing allies, not equal stakeholders. All three factors suggest that what is happening in bilateral relations today is not just a trump phenomenon. India should be ready to withstand economic coercion for a long period to come, with or without trump in the White House.
On August 15, 2026, exactly 92 remote villages in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region hoisted the Indian national flag for the first time since 1947.
Just months earlier, on March 30, 2026, the Home Minister declared India Naxal-free.
But insurgencies don't just run out of bullets; they die when the State alters its posture.
We quantified 22 years of political will vs. kinetic outcomes.
A Thread. 🧵
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This Independence Day 🇮🇳, I asked, "What will the next century of young Indians look like?"
$0.01 Drone Deliveries. UAVs that never land. Groceries in under 10 minutes.
Meet The 22nd Century Indian. A Documentary on a New India.
The thing about Jammu's rain is that it comes, it pours, and it goes, leaving everything washed, but nothing truly changed. Just a brief, dramatic pause before the heat takes over again. 🌧️✨
🎶 Na tum hume jaano
na hum tumhe jaane
magar lagta hai kuchh aisa
mera humdum mil gya
The thing about Jammu's rain is that it comes, it pours, and it goes, leaving everything washed, but nothing truly changed. Just a brief, dramatic pause before the heat takes over again. 🌧️✨
🎶 Na tum hume jaano
na hum tumhe jaane
magar lagta hai kuchh aisa
mera humdum mil gya
The silent storm that’s brewing in Jaiswal’s head. A young, super talented guy, achieved the pinnacle of Test batsmanship by opening the innings in Australia, is being outclassed here by an even younger guy. Like a star close to the sun. Like a 4 year old, sad about all the love the 2nd new born is getting. Tough!
In the context of West Bengal, we’re hearing many intellectuals normalize violence by citing ‘culture’. Culture, however is a lazy explanation in general. 17 years back, we had challenged ‘culture’ as an explanation for corruption. Read our paper: ‘Determinants of Corruption: Government Effectiveness vs. Cultural Norms’. https://t.co/C7FpRlZAoH
Kerala, Breasts, and the Tax that Wasn't. A long read on Kerala's historical clothing practices and the (silly) "breast tax" controversy: https://t.co/g0jafUaOvz
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗺𝘂 & 𝗞𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗶𝗿 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 ✨
How the support of ICC Chair Mr @JayShah, the vision and leadership of BCCI Hon. President Mr @MithunManhas, the efforts of Head Coach Ajay Sharma & Captain Paras Dogra, and the contribution of Brig. (Retd.) Anil Gupta fuelled J&K’s historic #RanjiTrophy 2025-26 campaign 🙌
@IDFCFIRSTBank
In this week’s newsletter, I explain why manufacturing uniquely powers innovation, trade, job creation, and the foundation for a strong economy. https://t.co/e2I8vmyDn3
In the quest/knowledge of the self, there's no one to wait for you, no one to wake you, and no one left alone. It’s neither freedom nor loneliness, because ALL IS YOU.
I have lived this way for a decade, and I have made peace with it. It is neither loneliness nor freedom, it is simply my way of existing, it is the understanding of who I am. It's the paradox of surrender