Rethinking economics, Culture, and work: One observation at a time - Shashi Bellamkonda

We think of it as ancient culture. The data says it is a modern economic multiplier. The Sanskrit phrase "Atithi Devo Bhava" (The Guest is God) is often dismissed as just a warm, fuzzy cultural sentiment or a government poster at the airport. But if you look at the balance sheets of the Indian economy, it reveals itself as something far more powerful: a high-leverage economic asset. When a culture fundamentally believes that serving a guest is a divine duty, it doesn't just create good hosts. It creates a massive, resilient Service Economy. ❖ 1. The Hard Numbers (The Visible Economy) The most direct application of this philosophy is, of course, tourism. The "Atithi Devo Bhava" campaign was launched to convert this cultural instinct into professional standards—training taxi drivers, guides, and police to treat tourists with safety and respect. The economic receipts are staggering: GDP Contribution: The travel and tourism se...

The Barber, the Cat, and the Turn of Phrase When I wake up unusually early, I use the time to read the newsletters I subscribe to in my email. Even if I have not opened emails from places I like for weeks, I like receiving email. This morning, I read a fascinating piece on Word Smarts about "turns of phrase." It got me thinking about how the sequence of words changes based on where we live. As someone who has lived and studied outside the US, I often notice these differences when I write or speak. My idiom knowledge is closer to British English, but there are thousands of Indian idioms that color my thinking. One Telugu saying came to mind while reading about these English turns of phrase: Panileni mangali pilli tala gorigadanta. ❖ The Meaning Translated literally, it means: "A barber without work shaved the cat's hair." It is a specific turn of phrase used to describe someone doing useless work just to look busy. But my elders ha...

Who Decided Your Favorite Color? (And Why You Can't Escape It) What role does color play in your life? It is a strange negotiation. Somehow, either you decide, or someone else decides for you, what your “favorite color” is. It starts innocently. You pick a blue shirt. It looks good. You buy another. A few years pass, and suddenly, you are “The Blue Shirt Guy.” Then, the trap snaps shut: The moment you try to change—maybe you experiment with a bold new shade—your spouse or friends hate it. You have been branded. The Illusion of Choice I have observed that we have less agency here than we think. Clothing companies seem to act as a cartel, releasing the exact same “new” colors every year. One year, I was inexplicably fascinated by fluorescent green. It was everywhere, so it was in my closet. But my safe zone remains firm: Blue, Pink, and Red for shirts. But pants? I tried...

The Doorman Fallacy: Why Automating “Tasks” Can Kill Your Value If you define a job narrowly enough, you can automate anything. But you might lose the only thing that actually creates value. There is a brilliant concept from behavioral economist Rory Sutherland called “The Doorman Fallacy.” It explains perfectly why so many companies are getting AI adoption wrong. They are looking for efficiency, but they are accidentally destroying their brand's signaling power. What is the Fallacy? Sutherland explains it like this: If a consultant looks at a hotel doorman, they might define his role as “opening the door.” If that is the definition, the solution is obvious: Install an automatic sliding door. It is cheaper, faster, and never takes a break. But then, the hotel starts losing money. Why? Because the doorman wasn't just opening the door. He was providing security, re...

From Moscow Snow to Holiday Chaos: Being Seen Shashi Bellamkonda 2025-12-07 Personal Stories 4 min From Moscow Snow to Holiday Chaos: Being Seen It began long before I arrived in the US. It began with the snow-swept intensity of "The Russia House." Watching Michelle Pfeiffer then, she wasn't just a character; she was a presence that stuck with me through the decades. Just last night, that admiration manifested in a dream. But my mind didn't script a spy thriller. There were no secret manuscripts or dramatic partings on a bridge. We were simply at a social gathering. A dinner, perhaps. I looked across the room and there she was. We didn't save the world; we just shared a space. I handed her a glass; she nodded. It was quiet. It was ordinary. It was the intimacy of "normal life," stripping away the celebrity to find the person. ...

The New Axiom: When Expertise Meets Unconventional Value Shashi | 2025-12-06 | ReadyThoughts.com Inspired by the reporting of Ben Cohen in The Wall Street Journal. The Greatest Liability in Expertise is Certainty The collaboration between Ken Ono and Carina Hong at Axiom Math is not a sentimental story; it is a profound lesson in prioritizing **Exponential Business Value** over secure, linear careers. The True Cost of Certainty Ken Ono, a renowned mathematician, once expressed skepticism about AI’s capacity for original discovery. Yet, at age 57, he left his tenured position at UVA to join Axiom Math, a startup founded by his former student, Carina Hong. The common knowledge take is that AI automates tasks. The thought leader take is this: **The highest Business Value creation today is not automating existing production but accelerating the speed of inte...