Most of the iconic structures of Bombay were built by the profits from the cotton trade. To understand this, one needs to grasp how cotton emerged as the key commodity driving imperialists, plantation owners and bankers for almost three hundred years. Columbus’ discovery of America and Vasco da Gama’s discovery of the sea route to … Continue reading The Empire of Cotton
Month: April 2023
The Chip Wars
China used more cement between 2011 and 2013 than the U.S. used in the entire 20th Century. Yes, you heard that right! Now, with this knowledge, it’s not unnatural to imagine China importing lots of crude oil, heavy machinery or vehicles. But the fact is that China’s largest category of imports is an entirely unrelated category … Continue reading The Chip Wars
Order without Design
China has 1100. South Korea 86, Malaysia 61, Indonesia 48 and India a paltry 24. What am I referring to? If you guessed ‘billionaires’, the answer is wrong. It’s the number of skyscrapers taller than 200 meters! Why is India an outlier in this otherwise pan-Asian phenomenon? One answer to this is the low Floor … Continue reading Order without Design
Principles for a Digital Republic
With tech increasingly becoming ubiquitous and intrusive day by day, at what point do we cease becoming engaged citizens and transform into mere consumers of information? The rights, liberties, and privileges that we derive from citizenship are a fruit of centuries of engagement around the ideas of justice, ethics, freedom, equality etc. Today, when our … Continue reading Principles for a Digital Republic
