India may be the world's most populous country, but major shifts in its underlying demographics – and their massive implications – have gone unnoticed. On @casipenn.bsky.social's India In Transition, we present a new series on India's Demographic Dilemmas, by Rukmini S, of @dataforindia.bsky.social

In this CASI Deep Dive IiT Interview, Managing Editor @rohanvenkat.bsky.social speaks to @louisetillin.bsky.social (King's College London) about "'Freebie Politics' and the History of India’s Distinctive Welfare State." casi.sas.upenn.edu/iit/casi-dee...

For our last @politicalcycle.bsky.social before summer break, @rohanvenkat.bsky.social and I talked Mamdani's win, what it does and doesn't mean, Israel and antisemitism discourse, and how the news is being greeted in India. Listen here or wherever you pod emilyctamkin.substack.com/p/the-politi...

In this CASI Deep Dive IiT Interview, Managing Editor @rohanvenkat.bsky.social speaks to author Swapna Kona Nayudu (Yale-NUS College) about "Non-Alignment as Civil Disobedience and Nehru’s Blind Spots" casi.sas.upenn.edu/iit/casi-dee...

Keep going back to these paras from @abuaardvark.bsky.social right around the Gulf trip, when it seemed there was a spat with Bibi, w/ Trump decrying "the interventionalists... intervening in complex societies that they did not even understand themselves." abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io/what-does-tr...

Thanks to @rohanvenkat.bsky.social for inviting me on his great podcast, the political cycle, to discuss India's stance on the Israel-Iran conflict. Many moving parts and complex webs to decipher shows.acast.com/the-election...

Arvind Panagariya, chairman of 16th Finance Commission, said that *22-23* of India’s 28 states had made a case for increasing their share in the divisible pool from 41% to 50%. But... the Commission is likely to keep states’ tax share unchanged www.livemint.com/economy/sixt...

"In 2005, India exported $10 billion worth of goods to China, which has only increased to $14.9 billion in 2024, while imports from China have grown tenfold from $10 billion to over $100 billion during the same period." www.usip.org/publications...

The BJP has always been more than willing to describe its political opponents as 'anti-national.' So what then explains its decision to rely on a cross-party effort to make India's case abroad, following Operation Sindoor? On India Inside Out this week: rohanvenkat.substack.com/p/what-promp...

For @casipenn.bsky.social's India in Transition, I spoke to Tariq Thachil about his tenure as director through a complex time, the role of 'India Centers' in US academia, the disconnect in how India is studied in the US and why it's important to build academic bridges.

Trump the dealmaker: is the President's aggressive trade policy paying off? @rohanvenkat.bsky.social and @emilyctamkin.bsky.social discuss on this week's episode. Listen now. pod.fo/e/2d5dd6

Re-hyphenation? Excellent pc from @rohanvenkat.bsky.social for India Inside out & Scroll

On India Inside Out: "In some ways, the fallout of the Pahalgam attack has meant that the hyphen is once again hovering over India. If Operation Sindoor does indeed establish the deterrence India has long sought, then it may well be shot down." rohanvenkat.substack.com/p/the-hyphen...

Can I recommend this episode of The Political Cycle as an aid to understanding the broader context of what's happening in Kashmir? @emilyctamkin.bsky.social talks to @rohanvenkat.bsky.social about the dangerous situation between India and Pakistan.

I love this story so much. We leave our marks on the world, even when they try to erase us.

On India Inside Out: This week's @politicalcycle.bsky.social pod in where we spoke to @cfhorgan.bsky.social about Canada and whether Mark Carney is now the 'model' for anti-Trump politics. Plus links to important pieces on caste census, Pahalgam & more. rohanvenkat.substack.com/p/the-politi...

I wrote this a couple of years ago about the demands for a 'caste census' in India, which the Modi government – following much reluctance – has now approved. Read this for a backgrounder: rohanvenkat.substack.com/p/india-insi...

Out in the US and UK in less than six months! Pre-order here, pretty please — it makes a world of a difference to sales. And please RT / spread the word! www.amazon.co.uk/Web-Beneath-...

While Western AI discourse tends to focus on the mirage of AGI, in India it is sold as a quick fix that will bring 'development' to the masses. For @casipenn.bsky.social's India in Transition, @bulletprooflama.bsky.social examines the Indian flavour of AI hype: casi.sas.upenn.edu/iit/mila-t-s...

What is the overlap between Elon Musk's DOGE and Modi's India? A (misguided) fetish for government efficiency above all else. This week on the Political Cycle, I speak to Yamini Aiyar, co-author with @danhonig.bsky.social of a recent piece on the subject. rohanvenkat.substack.com/p/the-politi...

My books (and many of my stories) have all been fed to Meta's (& other) genAI without consent or compensation to feed tech's anti-art crusade, so I'd appreciate if a few more humans bought/read my books. ICYMI, I've a mythic realist novella out about extradimensional refugees living in Calcutta:

For @casipenn.bsky.social's India in Transition, I spoke to @paliwalavi.bsky.social about India's Near East, why he chose to the 'near east' framing – mixing domestic and international – and how history is 'rhyming' in Bangladesh: casi.sas.upenn.edu/iit/rohan-ve...

We lost my thatha – my grandfather – this week, though he was lucky enough to go serenely, in his village, surrounded by family, well into his 90s. A few years ago I had the chance to write about him for the Museum of Material Memory: museumofmaterialmemory.com/220000-piece...

"Saudi Arabia and UAE represent near-term threats to India’s electronics exports due to their SEZs, competitive manufacturing environments, and potential labour-cost advantages." indianexpress.com/article/busi...

In this CASI Deep Dive IiT Interview, Managing Editor @rohanvenkat.bsky.social speaks to author @paliwalavi.bsky.social (@soaspolitics.bsky.social) about "India’s 'Near East' and How History is Rhyming in Bangladesh" casi.sas.upenn.edu/iit/rohan-ve...

On India Inside Out: Why the 'birthright citizenship' debate in the US made me think of 'Gulfie' Indians, and how Gulf states are a useful model in helping understand Trump. + links to pieces by @abuaardvark.bsky.social and @quinnslobodian.com rohanvenkat.substack.com/p/trump-birt...

"The 30-day rolling average of options contracts traded by individual investors on the National Stock Exchange has declined 77% since the first set of curbs by the Securities and Exchange Board of India took effect in November." www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

We found some of these, though without bronze. It was a very, very odd feeling. They are beautifully made, with multi-process craftsmanship. The sclera was white marble, carefully carved and smoothed to shape, with a high polish to the surface, and the corners of the eyes delicately painted 1/

TRUMPONOMICS KLAXON! Is Wall Street still onboard with the President? @emilyctamkin.bsky.social, @rohanvenkat.bsky.social and @tomhamilton.bsky.social discuss! Listen, and subscribe, below.

If you're at #AAS2025 in Columbus, Ohio, I'll be speaking at this tomorrow. Come say hi after if you're around!

I had no idea that Semal buds could be cooked. Here's Ghazala Jamil pondering foods that "do not fit the market logic of predictability and profit." scroll.in/article/1079...

On India Inside Out: Why is the chief minister of Tamil Nadu asking newlyweds to "have children immediately"? The answer is 'delimitation' – a constitutional process of apportioning Lok Sabha seats by population, which has been frozen for almost 50 years rohanvenkat.substack.com/p/how-will-i...

This week on the pod: What might the visits of Starmer, Zelenskyy, Modi & conversations with Trudeau, Sheinbaum etc tell us about how world leaders are approaching this White House? Plus, on Cycle Recommends: A piece by @katemac.bsky.social and @70sbachchan.bsky.social on Europe's 'metal era'

"Foreign investors are selling India because they need to allocate more funds to China... Investors have been gradually reducing their exposure to India over the past few months and increasing their positions in China." www.livemint.com/market/stock...

On India Inside Out: Why is the chief minister of Tamil Nadu asking newlyweds to "have children immediately"? The answer is 'delimitation' – a constitutional process of apportioning Lok Sabha seats by population, which has been frozen for almost 50 years rohanvenkat.substack.com/p/how-will-i...

Do Muslims need to be represented only by Muslims? Hilal Ahmed takes a look at the underlying concerns embedded in this question, and different ways of engaging with it, in a piece for the @casipenn.bsky.social'sIndia in Transition. casi.sas.upenn.edu/iit/hilal-ah...

How the stock market has gone well beyond the rich in India: "In terms of the extent of geography covered now, one in every five rupee invested in Mutual Funds comes from cities beyond the top 110 cities contributing to MF assets." Beyond the *top 110 cities.* indianexpress.com/article/busi...

Had no idea that makhana ('fox nut'), touted as the next super-food, has to be harvested by manually picking seeds that settle down on waterbeds. indianexpress.com/article/long...

Love this addition to the Arabian vs Persian Gulf debate pointing out that the original Arabian Gulf was... the Red Sea.

What does Trump's embrace of multipolarity mean for Modi & India? rohanvenkat.substack.com/p/what-does-...

What does Trump's embrace of multipolarity mean for Modi & India? rohanvenkat.substack.com/p/what-does-...

This is a 🧵 in which I aim to persuade you to support @freelibsnet.bsky.social and, if your finances permit it, to take advantage of the many fabulous offers in its #LibraryLove fun(d)-raiser.

A series on Urban Informality in EPW edited by Anant Maringanti & Partha Mukhopadhyay: "We begin with the premise that, contrary to the dominant discourse, informality is not an anomaly but a defining feature of urban life in the global South." www.epw.in/journal/revi...

EPW: "Surprisingly, it is the southern states that have registered the largest fall in the fiscal health rankings." www.epw.in/journal/2025...

"India is working on an ambitious plan to provide assured demand for ships built in the country from various state-owned entities and departments as it looks to incentivise investments." www.livemint.com/industry/shi...

"Since Das has been appointed there, the inference can be that the (prime minister) wants a market economist person close to him. This could even include softly nudging the RBI." www.reuters.com/world/india/...

Indus Valley Report offers a nice primer/reminder for those not paying close attention on what India's consumer base actually looks like, particularly how 'India1' – most affluent, ~140 million people, eqv to 'Mexico' – is not widening, but deepening. blume.vc/reports/indu...

From the Blume Ventures' Indus Valley Report: India is the largest derivatives market in the world – mostly retail investors speculating, and 90% of them lose money. a

Niranjan Rajadhyaksha: "One strategic decision that the Indian government needs to make is whether it wants to connect more with the trade in intermediate goods that is dominant in Asia or to geographies of final demand such as the US and Europe." asiadecoded.substack.com/p/charting-i...