World War 3 in slow motion?

World War 3 in slow motion?

It was in late-2007, I was a young magazine editor invited to a social do at the French Consulate in Mumbai. It was a nice party and I had had one champagne too many. Who else would I be talking to, but the then French Consul General. Having just come off a trip to Paris, I had quite a few things to say to him, mainly on the art, culture and business landscape…but also about geopolitics.

COVID panic factory: UK edition

COVID panic factory: UK edition

Here we are at the cusp of another COVID panic creation campaign just when the global economy has begun limping towards recovery. But the vaccine market (upon which many billions in revenue are riding) cannot really flourish if people get too comfortable living with the virus.

Tenet: Trite and tacky

Tenet: Trite and tacky

The visual spectacle is unfortunately an intrinsic part of Christopher Nolan’s TIRED and TESTY formula that we have seen through Inception and Interstellar. Think of him as a bad mix of film makers Rohit Shetty, Gene Roddenberry, Mani Ratnam, and classic surprise-ending storyteller O’Henry.

Astrology: A bridge between the known and the unknown

Astrology: A bridge between the known and the unknown

Depending on who you speak with, astrology/palmistry/face-reading or any other form of prediction is either a science or a pseudo-science. I had my first encounter with astrology at age 23. It had been a chance encounter with a face-reader, who didn’t charge me a penny while making these two dramatic predictions:

Just not cricket

Just not cricket

Cricket as an escapist fantasy is no more palatable than 80s Bollywood cinema. Hero worship of film stars and cricketers is no longer cool for younger audiences. Expressions of nationalism and religious identity may still be strong draws, but they are transient. Cricketers must compete with film stars, politicians, and TikTok celebrities for eyeballs.

Adventure at Lamington Road: Assault and battery

Adventure at Lamington Road: Assault and battery

The brazenness of his response took me aback,’ DISCLAIMER. You are going to be dealing with me and not with HP World. I will get you batteries from the same vendor who supplies to HP. But you will save money since the vendor doesn’t have to pay royalties to HP.’