Hello and welcome to another edition of the Weekly Vine. This week we explain why ‘oil’ is not well, decode why Trump is the Jungian composite of other US presidents, and finally discuss the tyranny of choice at 35,000 feet. Oil not well The modern world runs on three liquids: water, coffee and crude…
Amit Kumar Amit Kumar was trained as a Mechanical Engineer with specialization in thermal engineering from the University of Roorkee (now Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee) where he was awarded the University Gold Medal. Post his graduation, he decided to pursue a career in renewable energy, a novelty in the early eighties. He had retired…
When we talk about economic growth in India, the conversation usually gravitates toward expressways, industrial corridors, semiconductor plants, logistics parks and many other such key aspects. Rarely do we begin with waste. Yet, in my experience running a waste management company that operates across multiple cities and countries, the real test of an urban economy…
The Pundoles Fine Art Sale on March 12th , 2026 , is a testimony to an art lover’s paradise in terms of acquisitions as assets of multiple orders and moods. Collecting art is a passionate and well loved pastime that reveals personal choices. In 71 lots that go under the hammer here are seven stellar…
“I have a dream,” said Martin Luther King. “Tell me your dream,” says M K Stalin. The Tamil Nadu govt’s ‘Ungal kanavai sollungal’ (Tell us your dream) outreach claims to have got response from 1.9 crore households to shape the ‘Tamil Nadu Vision 2030’ roadmap. Based on summaries presented by the govt, the top ten…
Right now, gas supply isn’t a crisis. GOI should communicate smartly Markets are fickle, but on Tuesday they seemed confident Iran war will end soon. Their optimism stems from Trump, who’s now calling his war a “short-term excursion”, one that is “very complete, pretty much”. When war ends, oil and gas supplies through Strait of…
AK Merchant Recent reports suggesting that Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is setting the hypothetical ‘Doomsday Clock’ to 85 seconds to midnight, meaning closer to a global catastrophe, have triggered a variety of responses from geopolitical commentators. Bahá’í interpretation treats apocalyptic imagery – tribulation, Day of Judgment, cosmic signs – as symbolic of spiritual and…
Over the past few days, Trump has said there are “no time limits”, on the war he initiated with Iran. Meanwhile, Iran’s leaders want to convey the message that they can endure the attacks. They hope US attention span will prove short. Israeli leadership is committed to changing the Iranian regime, even if this means…
India is bracing for a hotter-than-normal summer. The India Meteorological Department forecasts above-average temperatures and a rise in heatwave days across much of the country between March and May 2026. Even minimum temperatures are expected to remain elevated, prolonging heat stress into nights that once brought relief. Earlier summers, longer heatwaves, and warmer nights are…
Air travel is one of those modern experiences that sits delicately between aspiration and mild disappointment. Somewhere between the optimism of the boarding gate and the philosophical resignation of the baggage carousel lies a curious little theatre called in-flight dining. Tuesday, I was flying into Kolkata when a small miracle occurred. The airline’s upgrade algorithm,…