Who will have the last laugh?

After 14 days of protests and sloganeering, the opposition got the Indian Prime Minister to finally speak in the Indian parliament. The expectation was for the Prime Minister to address the crisis in Manipur, where in an ongoing 88 day bloody conflict, at least seven tribal women were reported to be raped, several abused, three…More

What you don’t know can’t hurt you, but might kill you

81% of deaths globally is caused by healthcare and lifestyle related illnesses. The second largest factor at 12% is due to malnutrition, absence of basic sanitation and healthcare. So 94% or a total of 50 million deaths out of 54 million global deaths are WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) and health related. But somehow global investments into public healthcare tell a different story to the numbers. In this blog I attempt to tell a story through the contradictions data can throw when juxtaposed . More

El Tren de la Muerte

El Tren de la Muerte, literally translates to the train of death, but it refers to a freight train that starts its route in Chiapas state in southern Mexico, near the border of Guatemala heading to different points on the American border. Many of the dangers posed by this journey result from the train itself…More

Is Sengol the marker of a new age

I usually wind down after a busy day listening to the ruckus of Indian politics, usually while multi tasking. Indian TV debates are almost like being in a busy Indian railway stations. It is a cacophony of a few hundred people talking all at once and somehow managing to yell loud enough to be heard…More

Vaccine Conundrum: 2023 Update

I had said in my earlier blog, “What all of this tells us with some near perfect execution and some optimistic modelling India may be able to vaccinate their target age group of 18 and above with a single shot by mid 2022, they may be able vaccinate the total population with the second dose by Mar 2023”. Today as of 26 May 2023, India has managed to vaccinate 73% of its population with a first dose and 68% of its population with a second doseMore

Adani does a Houdini

I honestly did not have much confidence in the intent of the SC Expert Committee report, yet since there were some eminent names such as Supreme Court judge Justice AM Sapre, OP Bhatt, KV Kamath and Nandan Nilekani, there was reason to believe the report must have substance. But the first few paras of the…More

Adani Allegations Demystified

Part 2: Creation of the Adani empire
In a series of blogs, I continue to unravel Adani’s enigmatic rise to becoming the world’s 3rd richest man and within weeks crashing down to being the 17th richest man as a result of a slew of allegations. While in the previous blog I clarified the nature of Adani’s shareholding in its public entities, with specific focus on the offshore holdings,..More

Adani allegations demystified

Part 1: The Offshore Connection
I was a bit perplexed with all the hoopla over the Adanis in the recent weeks. In this blogpost I hope to cover a few key themes on concerns about the company in the media.

Firstly, does Adani have any offshore connection. There is absolutely no mystery to me. They have direct offshore links…More

COVID-19, it’s just business nothing personal

This blog could easily be an excerpt from a Robin Cook novel. In this blog I carefully sequence a strange set of coincidences that could at the least be one of the most imaginative works of fiction. If one cares to join this adventure with me, they must be a time traveler of sorts, following…More

The Vaccine Conundrum

India must not have a significant funding issue this year, with a budget allocation of 14 billion USD, however with committed export contracts and the limitations in production capacity India is likely to struggle with supply for the next 6 months. Beyond 6 months the constraint may not be supply as manufacturers will be able to expand capacity, but will be the cold storage, transportation and manpower. Unless significant investments are made in expanding cold storage facilities and training up an effective labor force, administering the vaccine will be bottlenecked and India will struggle to administer more than 3 million doses a day. What all of this tells us with some near perfect execution and some optimistic modelling India may be able to vaccinate their target age group of 18 and above with a single shot by mid 2022, they may be able vaccinate the total population with the second dose by Mar 2023. Will India’s creaking healthcare infrastructure hold up for so long? How many people are likely to die in this time, as the death toll mounts? How much more can the economy take before it breaks? India has more questions than answers in this rather grim crisis.More