Modi ji in Kuala Lumpur in his address to the diaspora ticked all the right boxes, roti canai, teh tarik, Netaji, Azad Hind Fauj, Tiruvalluvar chair at UM, movies, heritage etc. Modi ji in my rather deep interactions in Malaysia is popular with the Hindu Diaspora, and he paid homage to this very community in the address.
Modi ji called for more Malaysians to visit India in particular the Malay Muslim community, for greater people to people ties. India has a definite cache thanks to its large diaspora, but more needs to be done with larger investments in watering the goodwill.
Entering a space is often an invitation to an exhibition of photography, a sensory attempt at learning the visual language. The exhibition on Ustaad Zakir Hussain photos by the legendary documentary photographer and artist Dayanita Singh was an education on how an archive to remember an icon, which captured the public imagination for decades, is done. The photos tell a story, of the artist, of the photographer and the act of taking the photo, and when to not take one is a story is itself. The editing of the photos and the sequencing of it, with the music of Zakir Hussain in the background is a way to remember the icon of ‘Wah Taj’ in a particular way.
The writer, Geoff Dyer who is an erudite commentator on the world of photography over many books and essays, led the dialogue with a deftness which only an acute observer of the realm of art and music can facilitate. An hour of conversation, was equal to a deep lesson on the art of taking the image. I had met, Mr. Dyer in Kuala Lumpur where Seni Pusaka had organised a dialogue at the tony Cult Gallery with the Malaysian public intellectual, Mr. Eddin Khoo. The tuak had nicely watered the conversational setting.
I am a compulsive photographer and writer, and do it in the spirit of documentation, in the same vain as Dayanita Singh. It gives me great joy that documentation itself is an art, or a means to it. The role that access and social capital plays in the art was a significant acknowledgement in the dialogue. As the final moments literally before the exhibition closes, it was a moment of celebration for the work of Dayanita Singh and the memory of Ustaad Saab, who was ‘charm personified’. These archives are what remain of an icon, as the photo returns the person from death, paraphrasing Barthes.
An animated Dayanita Singh with Geoff DyerA prized photoA memento Fortunate to catch the exhibition in time With Geoff Dyer The archives Piramal Gallery, NCPAThe Exhibition Such a wonderful line The photo book
We write all the time, for work and regular communication in daily life, but we hardly take a class in writing ever. I am an engineer who always wrote but never ever took a class in writing. An MFA was never on the radar, so one made a reading list, such as this one. An important reference on the tactics of writing.
At the Infosys Science Foundation’s event at the majestic Asiatic Society in Mumbai with Harvard PhD Candidate, Mohit. Professor Kooria speaks of stories as indigenous sources. Dr. Amitav Ghosh generously cites Professor Bishara’s work, Sea of Debt and Monsoon Voyagers as examples of innovative histories. He provokes Indian Ocean historians to work with other miracle stories, especially from Indonesia. Sparkling and Imaginative, beyond the h-index hegemony.
The trouble with ESG compliance and real problems (read air pollution, waste management etc) is the detachment with the politics of public health and the disclosure which is risk based, but risk for whom? The investor, community or the government?
Unless environmental issues matter at the ballot box, what will corporates, disclose? Zilch.
Such a brilliant book, swallowed this read on professional services venture building in two days. As a consulting venture builder who has gone from minus one to one, this book spoke to me loud and clear. I wish i had read this a decade ago.
Trilegal: The Making of a Modern Indian Law Firm by Akshay Jaitly is a must read for any professional in the professional services space, the why, the how and the what of building through innovation and integrity.
The ‘End of History’ has clearly not ended. The Great Power Games have returned, and how we structure purchases in an era of great volatility, which is the act of inducing deliberate disorder and chaos, will be a reality.
We are in year two of the age of hot wars: Ukraine, Sudan, Gaza and now Caracas show that wars are a tool of necro-capitalism, as Klein and Zizek had written many years back. With Taiwan and Greenland (read AI and Critical Mineral Value Chains) joining the proverbial war zone, the global economy is up for turbulent headwinds.
We are in the Age of Entropy. The playbooks since 1991 have been torn.
The hot war environment continues, with a Trumpian Eye-Raan on the anvil. Oil and Gas prices will spike and eventually reduce, giving renewables a tough run. Power Geopolitics is back for good, will be the case even after the mid terms. Geopolitical consultants will laugh their way to the bank while sustainable buys will struggle unless it is a resilience play, and where it structures financing to the places, capital is needed the most.
Great power struggles will frame how we think about transaction risk.
Reporting and Disclosures are the resultant actions of a long process to gather, curate and disclose for meeting regulatory requirements across value chains, it is hygiene- the basic which is expected to be done in line with sectoral requirements on climate action, scope 3, CBAM, and financed emissions for the investor set. These are not excuses for not going further if needed. Hidden value gets unlocked when doing good becomes culture. Poor climate record is a proxy for the lack of innovation, or accident statistics is a temperature check for a toxic culture, as can be seen from Deepwater Horizon or Bhopal.
Risk can be read by seasoned eyes through a close reading of sustainability disclosures.
There has been an avalanche of commentary on Dhurandhar, the film and well on its way towards being a cult classic as the music and the dialogues have seeped into meme culture.
The movie is right up the alley as far as cinematic geopolitics is concerned, as does the Bond franchise among others. The movie has a distinct political tilt, yet has struck a a raw nerve as real characters and plots have been referenced with archival footage such as 26/11 and the parliament attack.
The movie has a feel of a web series, which is why it works so well given its length. But great casting, and the movie is unapologetic about its politics to be fair.
Change Thinker 