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

The Ghost of 1947: When Geography Became Destiny The 1947 Partition of India is a chapter of history that refuses to stay in the past. While watching the recent Freedom at Midnight series, I was reminded of the eponymous book by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins that I read during my childhood. It depicts a period where political brinkmanship collided with a complete breakdown of administrative order. The cruelty of the Partition lay in its execution. As both countries celebrated independence on August 15, many towns across Punjab and Bengal remained in a state of terror. They did not know which country they were part of because the boundary commissions had not yet released their final report. This administrative secrecy turned neighbors into refugees overnight. The Oral History: Memories of the Uprooted To understand the granular reality of this collapse, we must look to the "folk histories" that br...

I was still carrying the scent of rain and spice from my recent trip to Kerala when I sat down to watch Sarvam Maya . There is a specific rhythm to life in the backwaters—a blend of ancient tradition and sharp, modern wit—that often gets lost in translation on the big screen. But within the first few frames of Akhil Sathyan's latest work, I realized I wasn't just watching a movie; I was witnessing a masterclass in nuance. ❖ Beyond the Supernatural Gimmick Most people assume that a supernatural comedy needs to rely on jump scares or broad slapstick to keep an audience engaged. This is where most storytelling fails—it chooses the easy path of tropes over the difficult work of character development. We often mistake loud gags for "smart" comedy, forgetting that the real intelligence lives in the pauses between the jokes and the authenticity of the setting. The Art of the Reluctant Performance The brilliance of Sarvam Maya lies in the friction of its protagon...

Published on January 31, 2026 The Dunbar number keeps coming up in conversations about networking. 150 relationships—that's supposedly the limit of what our brains can handle. I used to think about it differently than I do now. My philosophy is simple: connections are for life. When I meet someone, I'm not calculating whether they fit into some system. I'm not thinking about the immediate transaction or what I can get from it. I'm thinking about whether this is someone I want to know years from now. It's All a People Business I've worked across different industries, different companies, different roles. The one constant I've noticed is this: there isn't a single business that isn't fundamentally a people business. You can have the best product, the smartest strategy, but if people don't trust you and the relationships aren't solid, it doesn't matter much. ...

Q1 Tech Realignment Deep Dive: Strategic Implications & Investment Thesis Shashi.co Strategic Analysis | January 31, 2026 Separating signal from noise: Capital deployment strategies for a bifurcated tech ecosystem Risk Profile: Elevated Geopolitical Exposure Executive Summary. The first quarter of 2026 marks a critical inflection point in global technology strategy. Three simultaneous shifts—enterprise AI monetization, chip independence movements, and strategic resource consolidation—are creating both unprecedented investment opportunities and material execution risks. This analysis goes beyond headline observation to examine what these moves mean for capital allocation decisions in the coming 18 months. Unlike the optimistic narratives dominating tech media, the underlying dynamics reveal a world fragmenting along geopolitical lines. Companies that successfully navigate this realignment will be thos...

Ready Thoughts Daily The Signal January 30, 2026 Markets shake, geopolitics shift, and winter bites—here's what matters today. Welcome to your daily briefing. We synthesize top insights from Bloomberg, Axios, The Economic Times, The Baltimore Banner, Foreign Affairs, and more to keep you ahead of the stories shaping our world. Today's Sentiment: Mixed to cautiously pessimistic. Legal risks and market volatility dominate globally, while domestic concerns center on infrastructure resilience and extreme weather readiness. Global Markets & Finance Adani Group's Strategic Pivot The conglomerate shifts toward local debt markets while mounting a defense against US bribery allegations, signaling confidence in domestic capital availability. Federal Reserve Leadership Shift Kevin Warsh emerges as the Trump administration's expected pick for Fed chair, potentially sig...

Gold Peaks and AI Stakes The flow of information today is relentless, but the signals behind the noise tell a story of a world searching for firm ground. As we look at the data from January 29, 2026, we see a striking contrast between the physical certainty of precious metals and the digital ambition of artificial intelligence. The Misunderstanding Many observers view the current market "pessimism" as a sign of stagnation. They see the gold rally and geopolitical friction as a reason to pause. However, treating defensive market moves as a lack of progress misses the strategic realignment happening beneath the surface. Capital isn't disappearing; it is being concentrated into the few areas that promise genuine future value. The Shift We are moving from a period of speculative growth into a period of "hard value" infrastructure. Whether it is $60 billion in OpenAI investment talks or India's focus on fiscal discipline while maintaining 7% growth...

Single Salma: The Unexpected Choice of Independence The Shashi Take While many found the ending of Single Salma difficult to believe, it is exactly that unpredictability that highlights the film's core message: independence isn't a straight line. Huma Qureshi brings a regal dignity to a character who transitions from the weight of Lucknowi "ex-royalty" expectations to the liberating air of London, proving that the most important choice a woman can make is the one for herself. The Hook We are often conditioned to expect a wedding at the end of every romantic comedy. But what happens when the most romantic relationship a protagonist builds is with her own future? The Misunderstanding The common critique of Single Salma is that the ending feels unearned or "unbelievable." After watching Salma navigate the earnest pursuit of Sikandar and the modern allure of Meet, audiences were primed for a final choice betw...

The Cosmic Prank of Life's Timing Life has a very specific, very funky sense of humor. It is less of a journey and more of a cosmic prank where the punchline always arrives exactly five minutes after you have lost the ability to laugh at it. The Misunderstanding We are taught to spend our youth and energy chasing the "upgrades." We assume that once we reach the peak of the mountain, we get to sit in a comfortable chair and enjoy the view. We treat life like a linear progression where hard work eventually buys us the right to be comfortable, well-fed, and well-traveled. The Shift The reality is that life operates on a delayed fuse. It waits for your bank account to be full before it hands the controls over to your doctor. It’s the ultimate satire: by the time you can afford the dream, you’re physically required to live the struggle again—but this time, you’re paying for the privilege. The Irony Cycle: ...

I recently found myself watching Tere Ishk Mein . It is fiction, yes, but it serves as a mirror to the very real nuances that people in love must navigate today. We often talk about these stories as a "clash of cultures"—North meets South, East meets West—but the reality is far more layered. The "crossing" isn't just a map; it is a journey through identity, exposure, and social standing. The Misunderstanding There is a common misconception that regional identity is the primary hurdle. We assume that if we can just bridge the gap between Dosa and Paratha , or Hindi and Tamil, the path is clear. But this ignores the Cosmopolitan Quotient . Where you were brought up, how many cities you have moved to, and how cosmopolitan your views have become will mold you more than your birthplace. A "South Indian guy" and a "North Indian girl" who both spent a decade in London or New York likely share more in common with each other th...

This January marks exactly three years since I joined Info-Tech Research Group. It is a fitting coincidence that this same week, the company was named to the Forbes list of Canada's Best Employers . Lists and awards are excellent validation, but for those of us inside the organization, the reality of the culture is found in the moments that happen when no one is watching. The Culture Test: Before Day One Most companies talk about culture during the onboarding process. I experienced Info-Tech's culture before I was even on the payroll. Three years ago, right in the middle of my interview process, my father passed away. It was a chaotic, emotional time. In many corporate environments, a candidate "dropping the ball" or needing a pause during hiring is a red flag. Here, it was treated with humanity. The leadership and HR team supported me through that loss with a patience that told me everything I needed to know about the people I would be working with. They he...

I haven't stepped foot in a railway station since 2013. Back then, coincidentally, we took a mix of train and bus to reach Kannur. This year, the experience was markedly different. We took the Vande Bharat Express from Kannur to Ernakulam. The gap between my last visit and today highlighted a massive shift in infrastructure. The most telling change wasn't just the high-speed train waiting on the tracks—it was the station itself. It had elevators. The End of Friction To some, an elevator might seem trivial. But I found myself thinking back to the choices we had years ago. You had to navigate stairs across tracks using the overbridge. If you had heavy luggage, your only real option was to hire a porter—or "coolie"—who would carry the load on their head while balancing bags in their hands. This was a system born of friction. The infrastructure was difficult to navigate, so we relied on manual human labor to bridge the gap. Th...

I distinctly remember sitting indoors years ago, reading A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute. I was perfectly still, but my mind was building a city in the Australian outback. I wasn't just receiving a story; I was constructing the streets, the heat, and the people in my head. The Contradiction We often assume that movies or documentaries are the best way to "see" the world before we travel. They offer 4K visuals, surround sound, and perfect color grading. It feels like the closest thing to being there. But I’ve noticed a flaw in that logic. When you watch a movie, the director has done the imagining for you. You are a passive observer. The dream is served to you on a platter, fully formed. ❖ Why We Miss It When you read a book, the process is different. The text gives you the raw materials—the bricks and the mortar—but your brain has to be the architect. You have to visualize the mountains of Peru or the str...

Invitation: Why the C-Suite Needs Analyst Relations Now We have enough data. What enterprise buyers lack today is trust. While AI provides quick answers, it cannot provide the risk mitigation that comes from a trusted analyst. On Sunday, February 1, 2026 , I am discussing this shift with Sneha Kapoor (Kea Company). We will focus on how to use Analyst Relations to build the credibility that actually closes deals in a noisy market. Join the conversation: Sunday, February 1, 2026 9:30 AM ET | 8:00 PM IST A special thank you to Garima Aneja and the WIPM community for organizing this important conversation. If you are in Product Marketing or GTM leadership, I hope you will join us. Register Now Links: Registration Page

Revolver Rita Review There is a specific kind of joy in watching a birthday party go horribly, criminally wrong. It reminds us that our own family chaos—while stressful—usually doesn't involve hiding a gangster's body. I recently watched Revolver Rita on Netflix, and it struck me as a film that defies its own plot holes simply by being fun. ❖ The "Mom & Me" Dynamic We Didn't Know We Needed The film, directed by J.K. Chandru, is a dark comedy parody that leans heavily on the shoulders of its two leads. Keerthy Suresh plays Rita, an "exceptional" female hero who works in a fast-food joint, but the real magic happens when she teams up with her mother, played by the legendary Radhika Sarathkumar. Most action movies isolate the hero. Revolver Rita does the opposite: it drags the family into the crime. Watching a mother and daughter bicker while navigating a criminal underworld offers a strange, humoro...

I was reading the Washington Post recently and saw a graphic that stopped me. It was a visualization of a poll regarding New Year's resolutions. The data showed a near-even split: 48% of people made a resolution. But 52% did not. To resolution, or not to resolution? I realized looking at those dots that I am firmly among the 52%. It isn't because I lack ambition or a desire to improve. It is actually the opposite. I have decided that I can't make promises to myself that I cannot keep. ❖ The Shift to "Permanent Resolutions" The problem with the January 1st resolution is that it treats improvement like a project with a start date. But life isn't a project; it is a process. Instead of annual wishes, I have developed a list of "Permanent Resolutions." These aren't goals I try to hit once; they are simply the way I operate. My list is simple, but non-negotiable: Eat healthy and reduce s...