Long read: How Esse cigarettes are smoking rivals
India has historically attempted to curb smoking through a combination prohibitively high taxation, a ban on foreign investment and more recently a ban on e-cigarettes. And rightly so given the harmful nature of cigarettes on human health. Whilst this has resulted in slowing growth in cigarette consumption, also helped by increased awareness among the youth, […]
Long read: AI is coming for architecture
Now, let’s do a 180-degree pivot and focus on an article which says that AI and algorithms and Instagram are totally disrupting the field of architecture. This FT article uses breathtaking animation to reinforce its point of view, namely, that architecture as we knew it is dying a new type of tech-savvy AI powered architect […]
Long read: The tyranny of the algorithm: why every coffee shop looks the same
This is a superb long essay which uses an uncontroversial subject – the interior design of cafes and restaurants – to make a powerful point, namely, how social media can utterly destroy your sense of originality, individuality and ultimately your sense of identity. This article is adapted from Kyle Chayka’s book “Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture”. […]
Short read: What does switching from paper to screens mean for how we read?
Most of you would likely be reading this on some device. Indeed, with the explosion in reading material online through blogs and articles, our reading has moved significantly from paper to digital screens. Does this matter in terms of our ability to absorb and digest information? Apparently, yes. Professors at the Macquarie university in Sydney […]
Short read: Huge ring of galaxies challenges thinking on cosmos
Thanks to dramatic improvements in the quality of telescopes over the past two decades, astronomers are making breathtaking discoveries which are challenging the basic guiding principles of astronomy. Pallab Ghosh’s article highlights how astronomers are now frequently discovering gigantic structures in space which are highly unlikely to have been created by random events: “Scientists at […]
Short read: Amid cheers, Uttarakhand women break glass ceiling with cricket bats
Over the past six months we have written a series of blogs on the rapid rise in the incomes & aspirations of India’s women (here’s the most recent blog: The Rapid Rise of Female Entrepreneurs in India – Marcellus). Kautilya Singh’s article explores a different side of this phenomenon – how women living tough lives in […]
Long read: Bengaluru’s darshini wars
Priya Ramani’s recent piece on how a Bangalore Dosa Chain went viral referenced this long read in the Mint from early last year, which talks about a fairly successful restaurant concept unique to the city of Bangalore called Darshini’s. “Darshinis are a quintessential part of Bengaluru’s food culture—they are casual, no-frills, quick-service restaurants (QSRs); no self-respecting Bengaluru […]
Long read: Why economists love “Robinson Crusoe”
Economics is considered to be the study of the use of scarce resources. In this beautiful Christmas special essay in the Economist, the author discusses why the famous 18th century novel, ‘Robinson Crusoe’ by Daniel Defoe continues to draw references from economists even today. “Crusoe has appeared in Karl Marx’s “Das Kapital”, John Maynard Keynes’s “General […]
Long read: 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2024
This superb long read gives you a summary of the ten breakthrough tech innovations which will define 2024 and then allows you to click through to a long, well researched piece on each of the 10 technologies. Rather than doing a bad job of summarizing the 10 technologies (and reducing your incentive for clicking through […]
Marcellus’ Portfolio Leads India’s Capex Change
Whilst public sector capex has grown steadily in India between FY19 and FY23 (14% CAGR in nominal terms), the same is NOT true for private sector capex (7% CAGR in nominal terms). In such a scenario, Marcellus’ portfolio companies have grown capex (i.e., net block) significantly faster than the capex growth in the BSE500 […]
Marcellus Portfolio Update and Performance Snapshot – December 2023
Consistent Compounders Portfolio (CCP) Calendar year 2023 ended with Marcellus’ CCP portfolio generating 16% returns with 6% underperformance against Nifty50 TRI, supported by a recovery in performance from April 2023 onwards (1st Apr 2023 to 31st Dec 2023 performance was 28%, marginally better than Nifty50 TRI). The top-5 stocks in Nifty were Tata Motors, Bajaj Auto, […]
What is resilience? A psychologist explains the main ingredients that help people manage stress
Much like the third long read today talks about how patience can be cultivated as a character trait, so can resilience according to clinical psychologist Rachel Goldsmith Turow. But what is resilience? “The word resilience can be perplexing. Does it mean remaining calm when faced with stress? Bouncing back quickly? Growing from adversity? Is resilience […]
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