मेरे मन के राम

एक राम दशरथ का बेटा,
एक राम घट-घट में बैठा,
एक राम ने जगत पसारा,
एक राम जगत से न्यारा।

Is Communalism Decreasing in India?

Riots have been declining in India. Prof. Shamika Ravi says India is most peaceful in last 50 years. But how much of it is true? A deep statistical dive to find out the answer.

Alia Bhatt is Responsible for Economic Slowdown in India

How does Alia Bhatt join the league of Beyonce and Taylor Swift? Why are we gullible? Why are experts so confident? Why do we blame others?

Road Trip Economics

My trip to Chota Kailash can tell us about a very important economic concept. It can give us an insight on: Why do we have poor roads? Why did the Ahmedabad stadium leak? Why do we take short-cuts? Why do School Teachers cheat?

I Was Wrong

In my last blog, I predicted India’s GDP to grow by 4% in quarter 4 of financial year 2022-23. The official numbers are out. And they have gone past every prediction. India grew by 6.1% in the last quarter and 7.2% in the whole year. Even the RBI’s estimates were a little short of the actual data. This is good news for the economy, yet there are some nuances that we have to take care of.

Video Call Economics

My video call with cousins can teach us some valuable economics lessons: How can we buy a cheap apartment in Mumbai? How can we read GDP numbers like an economist? Are we so gullible to be tricked by a broker?

Our Limited Worldview

If we are badly mistaken about statistics, we’re likely to be badly mistaken about the way world is. It is all too easy to convince ourselves that whatever we have seen with our own eyes is the whole truth; it isn’t.

On Nationalism, Emotions, and Politicians

Karl Marx is one of the most influential philosophers till this date. His writings and views, which are commonly referred to as Marxism, served as the primary source of inspiration for how history developed throughout the following century. Yet, the interpretations of his work by the likes of Mao, Stalin, and Lenin caused immense crime, destruction, and cruelty in the nations they ruled. Communism went on to become violent and Marx’s love for a strong leader created authoritative dictators after his death. But, why did it last so long?

Rising Encounters and Degrading Rule of Law

The recent encounter or as we euphemistically call it, extra-judicial killing, has once again brought up the debate of its moral and legal correctness. While politicians of the incumbent party call it a measure to enforce law and order in the country, what does the data tell us? But first, let us take a look at what the law says.

WFH Has Boosted Corporate Profits, but Why is the Economy Not Growing?

The corporate profit to GDP ratio reached a 10-year high in FY 2021-22. India is witnessing record levels of corporate profits, yet after the base effect subsided, GDP grew by a measly 4.4% in Q3 of 2022-23. Work From Home (WFH) has enabled firms to cut expenses and register record profits, but it has come at a cost.

Why is the ripple effect of corporate profit not visible in the economy? What is the psychology and economics behind WFH? Let’s take a look.

Not Historical Revisionism, But Distortion is the symbol of The New India

The recent changes in the NCERT textbooks have caused controversy lately. While the NCERT reasoned the move by calling it a step to “reduce the curriculum load” during the Covid-19 pandemic, the deletions are a big question mark on whether they were politically motivated.

The Single Most Critical Problem in the Indian Economy

Investment is the driver of economic growth in a nation. It is based on the fact that the creation of fixed assets increases the output of a nation, employs millions of people, and increases people’s income, which in turn increases investment and the virtuous cycle goes on. Moreover, investment in social infrastructure like schools and hospitals increases welfare in an economy. It also affects other components of the GDP as more income would mean more spending by the consumers and increased output would mean an export boost. Hence, Investment is the key to the prosperity of a nation.

Myths about High Petrol and Diesel Prices

There have been a lot of explanations going around on WhatsApp, trying to justify the high petrol and diesel prices in India. Hence, I had to write this piece, although, my original plan was something else. So, without wasting any time, let’s get into it.

India’s Youth Unemployment Data Shows Exponential Growth

Unemployment has become a major problem in India. And in the past decade, it has seen a sharp increase. This is something that all of us can see around us. A few weeks back, around 35,000 posts for Indian Railways attracted 1.25 crore applications. This alone shows the desperation among youth for employment.

Amrit Kaal, or is it? My Take on Budget This Year

It has been some days since the finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget for 2022-23. There was some hope that considering the upcoming elections there would be massive giveaways and the creation of narratives. Although, narratives were created, but not through giveaways. The budget remained quite “Thanda”, in the words of Vivek Kaul, or very “non-populistic”, in the words of Swaminathan Aiyar.

Why Exit Polls Go Wrong?

It is 2022 and the election season is around in India. In the next few months, we are going to have State Legislative Elections in five states. This includes elections in politically the most important state in India: Uttar Pradesh, and the heart of the Farmers’ protest: Punjab. But, before the results will be announced, we will see a lot of news channels conducting exit polls in these states to show you the probable winners.

The Best (and the Worst) of 2021

Another year has come to an end. We saw a lot of ups and downs in 2021. It started with the inauguration of the forty-sixth US President Joe Biden, replacing Donald Trump, which was followed by a disastrous and horrifying second-wave of covid-19 in India where nearly everyone lost some of their kins. After that, Neeraj Chopra made India proud by winning gold at Tokyo Olympics, and the year ended with India becoming the first Asian nation to win a test match at Centurion, as they registered a 113-run victory over South Africa. These are just some of the moments of 2021. There were many moments that defined the year. Here’s my list of the best (and the worst) of 2021.

Should You Buy Christmas Gifts?

Christmas is over and considering that, this piece is a little too late. But, no worries, it may help you ponder over something which you may have witnessed a couple of days back.

Role of Indian Politics in Income Equality

The World Inequality Report 2022 categorizes India as a ‘poor and very unequal country, with an affluent elite.’ The report further shows that 57% of wealth is held by the top 10% of the population, while the bottom 50% hold just 13%. What are the reasons behind such inequality? What role do policies and politics play in it?

Gandhi, and Group Polarisation

Kangana Ranaut’s statement has once again created a controversy. In an interview, she said that India got its real independence in 2014. “…what we got [in 1947] was not Independence but alms.”
Statements like these by a national awardee are a disgrace to our society. And it also teaches us a couple of things. But first, let’s talk about some statistics.