Long read: Labelled As Witches In Rajasthan, Women Face Harassment, Torture And Ostracism
Living in the comfort of India’s megacities, we in Marcellus merrily write about the ascent of India’s women (click here for our latest piece: https://marcellus.in/blogs/the-rapid-rise-of-female-entrepreneurs-in-india/). Meanwhile, back in the ranch in rural India, a different – more medieval – reality rumbles on. As Jigyasa Mishra explains in this piece, “On September 11, 2022, Seeta*, 43, branded a […]
Long read: Why it’s boom time for India’s movie makeup designers
Did you know that “There are at least 9,000 make-up artists in the Hindi film industry alone and close to 20,000 across the country”? Neither did we until we stumbled upon this fascinating piece on makeup artists by Nandini Ramnath. Apart from being entertaining, the piece is a great case study of how when a broader economy […]
Short read: Israel is still winning the political war
Whilst wars are tragic by any definition, they are indeed a political manifestation. It is in this context we found this piece from the fairly outspoken Edward Luttwak, of interest. Professor Luttwak is a strategist and historian known for his works on grand strategy, geoeconomics, military history, and international relations. His most recent book is The Art of […]
Short read: Why the Davos Smart Set Sounds Dumb
It is that time of the year when the world’s rich and famous get together in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum to discuss and hopefully solve the world’s problems. Yet, as this article in the Politico shows, the discourse on some of the most pressing issues concerning humanity doesn’t come across as particularly […]
Short read: ‘It hasn’t delivered’: The spectacular failure of self-checkout technology
At a time when the usual worries about technology replacing humans are heightened because of the advent of AI, this article highlights a ‘labour-saving technology’ which hasn’t worked in the West (and thankfully has never made it to India). The tech in question is ‘self-checkout kiosks in supermarkets’. When we visit Europe or America for […]
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 […]
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