India’s Heaviest Communication Satellite # CMS03 successfully launched by LVM3-M4 from SDSC-SHAR, Sriharikota . https://x.com/ISRO/status/1985027440645972189 — ISRO (@isro) October 31, 2025 India launched its yet heaviest satellite weighing close to 4.5 tons today - a monumental achievement in itself. But this achievement is more significant when seen in context of India’s aspiration to launch a Space Station within the next decade. Demonstrating the maturing strength of ISRO’s heavy-lift infrastructure, beyond symbolism, this capability directly relates to the next great frontier: deploying the homegrown space station. Artist’s illustration of India’s Bharatiya Antariksh Station . Credit: ISRO ISRO has already announced its intent to place a “Bharatiya Antariksh Station” in low-Earth orbit by the early 2030s . To do this, India will need to routinely lift large, pressurized modules, crew capsules, and cargo vehicles into orbit - much like what the ...

The government recently came up with a proposal to allocate ₹2,000 crore - nearly a fifth of the outlay of ₹10,000 crore from the PM eDrive initiative - to setting up 72,000 EV chargers nationwide. The Union Government has asked states to secure land and install infrastructure (such as transformers and sub-stations) to avail the subsidy, enabling rapid deployment of 72 k chargers across the country. Since the government has not announced a detailed structure for setting up the chargers, it is likely that this fund may get utilized more in urban areas where more EVs are being sold. I would argue however that we should be doing just the opposite. This may sound counter-intuitive, but one of the largest hindrances in rapid adoption of EVs is the range anxiety people feel when—even if only occasionally—they embark on a longer drive, typically on highways. Many potential buyers think: “I drive locally 80 % of the time—but what if that one out-of-town trip leaves me stranded?” In Indi...

In 2016, amid global calls to revive domestic manufacturing, I had argued that government pushes  - from Make in India to Make America Great Again -  would not spark an employment-led industrial revolution, but rather catalyze automation-led manufacturing transformations. Nine years later, India’s own manufacturing trajectory confirms this prediction with surgical clarity. Despite record-breaking capital inflows, thriving exports, and the China+1 strategy playing to India’s advantage, job creation in manufacturing has been lackluster. The gap between factory output and factory employment is no longer just a trend - it is now a defining feature of India’s industrial rise. The False Promise of Mass Job Creation At the core of India’s manufacturing push lies the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, launched with grand ambitions of creating 6 million direct jobs and adding US$500 billion in output by FY27. Yet, by June 2024, only 584,000 direct jobs had materialized—jus...

When I read this recent Livemint piece on how China has methodically diluted the power foreign oil suppliers once held over it, I couldn’t help but tumble down a rabbit hole: How is India doing on the same front? What I found is worth sharing — so here’s a snapshot of how India is working, on multiple fronts, to make sure its oil bill — and the geopolitical pressure that comes with it — keeps shrinking. India’s energy playbook over the past 15 years reads like a multi-track sprint: put millions of EVs on the road, carpet the countryside with solar panels and wind turbines, squeeze more ethanol into every litre of petrol, revive an ambitious nuclear program, and coax crude from deep-sea rocks that once looked unreachable. The goal is bluntly strategic—trim a crude-import bill that still meets 85% of oil demand and deny potential suppliers the pressure point that New Delhi has worried about since the 1970s oil shocks. A Quiet EV Boom Accelerates Annual electric vehicle (EV) sales in...

TLDR; India’s strike on militant bases following the Pahalgam attack is not just a military response — it’s the culmination of decades of investment in indigenous defense, space, and technological capabilities.  This post reflects on the quiet revolution that my generation of Indians has witnessed , the unsung heroes behind it, and why China, not Pakistan, is the real competition India must measure itself against. Today, India struck 9 militant bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir in response to the dastardly attack on tourists at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir. As I sat at my home enjoying a cup of tea, made more enjoyable by the unseasonal rains in Mumbai, I felt nothing but a deep sense of gratitude towards so many fellow countrymen who made this possible. So many of my generation have been witness to the quiet revolution that we have seen in India — not just of economic progress but also of indigenous military superiority. On one hand, we enjoyed the fruits of ec...

Screen grab from the popular Indian TV serial of the 90s: Vikram-Betal As I have written in my previous post  here , Vikramaditya was not just the founder of the Vikram Samvat Calendar still in use in Indian subcontinent, but also a fabled king who is considered the benchmark when it comes to principles of governance. He captures popular public imagination even today , as the yardstick by which matters of jurisprudence and social justice are measured.  But there is no historical clarity on who Vikram was - and I try to explore various dimensions of the mystery.  The period after Ashoka and the Decline of the Maurya Dynasty The Maurya Dynasty, founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, reached its zenith under Ashoka the Great (268–232 BCE). Ashoka’s reign was marked by territorial expansion, Buddhist patronage, and administrative brilliance. However, after his death, the empire began to disintegrate: Internal Weakness : Ashoka’s successors lacked his vision and autho...

  A statue of Vikramaditya at  Vikramaditya ka Tila / Vikramaditya's Singhasan Battisi On a recent visit to Ujjain, I found myself drawn to the city's extraordinary blend of history, mythology, and spirituality. As I stood before the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga, I reflected on its significance as one of India’s most revered shrines. Yet, amidst these sacred surroundings, I encountered narratives of Vikramaditya - the legendary king of Ujjain, celebrated for his valor and wisdom, who's name resonates from the folklore of locals to every part of India. Every time we celebrate a festival in India, it is marked with a tithi i.e. date as per the Indian calendar - which is called the Vikram Samvat calendar, attributed to being founded by Vikramaditya of Ujjaini (the then name of Ujjain). What struck me, however, was the curious fact that despite Vikramaditya’s pivotal place in Indian cultural memory, his existence as a historical figure lacks definitive evidence. My exploration l...

Photo by Chelsea Aaron on Unsplash Elections are currently underway in India, the world's largest democracy. However, the political discourse appears to be disconnected from the pressing issues faced by its populace, particularly the youth. Instead of addressing the genuine concerns of the electorate, candidates from both the ruling and opposition parties seem preoccupied with religious polarization on one side or empty dole-out promises on the other. India boasts the world's largest young population, yet even the political rhetoric, leave alone the political action, fails to resonate ideas for the young and productive generation. Rather than offering relevant agendas, the electorate is inundated with divisive narratives and superficial pledges. For a young population, the most critical area that urgently requires attention is education. India's education system poses the most significant challenge for a country with the largest base of young population.  India's publi...

  Photo by Documerica on Unsplash They built a new 4-lane road near my house - a spanking new concretized stretch now exists in place of a dusty swamp which the locals negotiated on foot until recently. But its state is more like the Hindi idiom - गाँव बसा नहीं, लुटेरे आ गए (meaning: Robbery committed even before the Village could set up). Buses, trucks, and tempos park on one side, making it a single lane road. Most of these vehicles are parked all day - not just during the day or during the night. Why do these vehicles park on new roads all the time? For some, like taxis waiting time is much higher than driving time - certain cabbies can make enough in one trip across the city to earn a day's living (and they are often lazy not to make more!). Few other cars belong to residents who use public transport for daily commute, but need a car for occasional usage, and while they can afford to buy a car, they don't have parking space in their building. Further, India is far behind o...

These two headlines caught my attention in this morning's newspaper. Juxtaposed next to each other, both of them make the patriotic Indian in me jump with joy - these are the kinds of news headlines we longed for since adolescence. Albeit, while the adolescent me would have jumped with joy on reading these, the older mature me is circumspect, even borderline skeptical of the effect these will have on the Indian economy in general, and well being of Indians in specific. My skepticism follows from a series of policy news that has been emanating from the South Block off late. On 3rd August, Government of India (GOI) banned the import of laptops and other electronics used heavily in India's booming IT sector. Prior to that, as a post pandemic stimulus measure for Make In India, the Modi administration had announced several PLI Schemes ( Production Linked Incentive ) for various sectors. These schemes claim to incentivize setting up of industries in strategic sectors or expedite the...