Amit's Blog

The Cinematic-Taxonomy: Film, Finance, and Power in India   This note proposes a taxonomy of Indian film industries based on their primary economic drivers and political linkages. We identify four distinct but interconnected models: the  Parallel Economy (Bhojpuri) , the  Politicized Personality Cult (Tamil) , the  Corporate-Studio Hybrid (Hindi) , and the  Director-Led Disruption (Telugu) . The growing  Overseas Market  acts as a strategic financial and reputational layer for all models. Underpinning this entire ecosystem is the pervasive use of film production as a mechanism for capital formation, money laundering, and political influence, challenging the traditional notion of cinema as a story-driven commercial art form.   1. The Bhojpuri Model: The Parallel Non-Theatrical Economy The Bhojpuri industry operates almost entirely outside the conventional theatrical framework, functioning as a self-contained financial loop. The I...

From Yajna to Ahimsa: Dietary Transformations in Ancient India and the Pork Paradox   Ancient India’s dietary practices evolved from the meat-heavy Vedic period (c. 1500–500 BCE) to the vegetarian ethos of later Hinduism, shaped by religion, caste, and economics. Vedic rishis consumed beef in rituals, as described in the Rigveda, while the Ramayana and Mahabharata depict meat-eating alongside emerging ascetic vegetarianism. Jainism and Buddhism’s ahimsa (c. 6th century BCE) pressured Brahmins to adopt vegetarianism, formalized by the Manusmriti (c. 200 BCE–200 CE), with the cow becoming taboo by c. 200 CE. Pork, rarely used in rituals, was stigmatized as impure, a trend amplified by Islamic rule (c. 1206–1857 CE), though pre-Islamic Hindu norms and ecological factors played key roles. Early Buddhism permitted meat, but Mahayana sects in China and Japan embraced vegetarianism, unlike Theravada regions. This essay explores these shifts, highlighting the irony of Buddhism’s influe...

From Chariots to Colossi: The Wild Ride of Ancient Indian Warfare and Its Beastly Obsessions Ancient Indian warfare was a rollicking saga of bold innovation clashing with stubborn tradition, a dramatic evolution from the zippy chariots that dominated Bronze Age battlefields like ancient Ferraris to the lumbering elephants that persisted as oversized, unpredictable tanks well into the gunpowder age. Chariots revolutionized mobility and shock tactics but faded with astonishing swiftness, succumbing to terrain challenges and logistical constraints as cavalry rose. Yet, in a uniquely idiosyncratic turn, elephants endured for millennia despite spectacular defeats by foreign invaders, embodying India's singular blend of tactical prowess and deep-seated cultural flair. Pivotal battles like Hydaspes, Tarain, and Panipat—fought on the open plains dictated by strategic and logistical necessity—reveal how agile foreign horsemen often outfoxed mixed Indian armies. Nonetheless, empires from t...

  China's Reckoning: Navigating Economic Shifts Amid Population Decline in 2025 In 2025, China's economy confronts a multifaceted crisis amplified by a deepening demographic downturn, with fertility rates plummeting to around 1.0 births per woman—far below the 2.1 replacement level—driving annual population drops of over 2 million. This accelerates aging, with projections showing the elderly proportion reaching 39% by 2050, straining pensions, healthcare, and welfare systems amid rising costs and shrinking workforces. Beyond this, key aspects include technological self-reliance under global tensions, green transitions, inequality gaps, stimulus measures, data opacity, trade frictions, and new economy sectors like AI. Drawing on 2025 data from World Bank, UN, and experts, this essay delves into these interconnections, highlighting how demographics exacerbate economic slowdowns to 4.5-4.8% growth forecasts while offering perverse opportunities for automation.   China's ...