Ramesh doesn’t remember the last time he woke up naturally. For fifteen years, he’s lived in a ground-floor apartment on the Ring Road in Delhi, and for fifteen years, his mornings have begun the same way: jolted awake by the thundering convoy of trucks that starts at 5 AM. By 6 AM, the honking begins….
Picture this: You’re lying in bed at 2 AM, staring at the ceiling. The distant honking of trucks, the hum of a nearby AC unit, and the occasional bark of a street dog keep your mind racing. You’re not just annoyed—you’re exhausted, anxious, and struggling to focus at work. This isn’t just a bad night’s…
Winter is coming. Not the ‘Games of Thrones’ kind from HBO’s dragons and politics, but the real one heading to Northern India. The AI-generated image tells part of the story. Here’s the rest. Winter is coming. And for 30 million people in Northern India, it doesn’t bring snow; it brings a toxic smog that chokes…
Introducing “The Problem of Social Cost” The issue of rice stubble burning can be framed in the context of Ronald Coase’s essay “The Problem of Social Cost.” Coase argued that when property rights are clearly defined, and transaction costs are low, parties can negotiate to resolve externalities. In this case, farmers burn stubble to save…
After years of intense negotiations, the India–UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is nearing the finish line. Touted as a landmark deal, it promises mutual economic gains: India gains better access to UK markets for textiles, pharmaceuticals, software, and more, while the UK secures a foothold in one of the world’s fastest-growing consumer economies post-Brexit. Lower…
The numbers don’t lie—childhood obesity in India is skyrocketing. The Hard Truth: This isn’t just a statistic—it’s a public health emergency fueled by a toxic food environment where ultra-processed junk is aggressively marketed to children. A UK study found: Just 5 minutes of junk food ads can lead kids to consume 130 extra calories/day—equivalent to…
India is facing a silent epidemic—one that doesn’t make headlines as often as infectious diseases but is far more insidious. Obesity, diabetes, and metabolic disorders are skyrocketing, not by chance, but by design. Large food corporations have mastered the art of manipulating our tastes, cravings, and even our brain chemistry to push processed, ultra-processed, and…
Imagine buying a packet of “lightly salted” chips, only to realise it contains nearly half your daily recommended sodium intake. In India, where non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease are surging, food labels are no longer just technical details – they are a matter of life and death. The Reality Behind Labels…
Imagine a world where the same society that hypersexualizes breasts in ads and movies shames women for using them to feed their infants in public. A world where corporations profit from powdered substitutes linked to infant deaths, while calling breastfeeding “inconvenient.” Welcome to our reality—one that’s long overdue for dismantling. Ancient Civilizations Revered Breastfeeding. Modern…
Forget alarm clocks. The first thing I notice each morning is the gritty taste of the air in my mouth, a reminder that, in Delhi, even breathing feels like a risk. I pull back the curtain and see my housing complex shrouded in a thick, gray haze. It’s not winter fog. It’s PM2.5, PM10, and…