Sandeep Madan

@Aabhas24 Superb detailing Aabhas. But as he says, little knowledge is a dangerous thing, it is true and apt for him 😂

Mughals—more precisely, the Timurids; did not “enrich” India; they extracted it. And invoking Maddison it utter foolish act. Start with the same data often cited to glorify that era. In 1 CE, India held ~32% of global GDP. By 1000 CE, ~28.1%. By 1500 CE, ~24.4%. But under Akbar, by 1600 CE, India had already slipped to 22.4%, while China stood at 29%. Now the more telling metric: GDP per capita. Maddison shows India’s per capita growth turns negative only in two long phases—1500–1820 (Timurid/Mughal rule) and 1913–1950 (British rule). During the Mughal period, it stagnates at around –0.01%. That single number is a quiet indictment: the empire’s خزانہ (treasury) swelled, but the people thinned into poverty. In other words, wealth was not created; it was concentrated. The state grew richer as society grew poorer. A classic extractive regime. And this isn’t just statistical abstraction. Contemporary observers saw it unfold. As François Bernier noted in Travels in the Mogul Empire (1656–1668, p. 223): “ Gold and silver are not in greater plenty here than elsewhere; on the contrary, the inhabitants have less the appearance of a moneyed people than those of many other parts of the globe.” Bernier informs us about the Aurangzeb’s period by stating as below (p. 225): “Labourers perish due to bad treatment from Governors. Children of poor are carried away as slaves. Peasantry abandon the country driven by despair. As the land throughout the whole empire is considered the property of the sovereign, there can be no earldoms, marquisates, or duchies. The royal grants consist only of pensions, either in land or money, which the king gives, augments, retrenches or takes away at pleasure.” “The artisans who manufactured the luxury goods for the Mughal aristocracy were almost always on starvation wages.” Artisans were not participants in a free market; they were subjects of coercion. Prices were fixed by imperial buyers; refusal could invite imprisonment, even death. This was an extraction with a velvet glove. François Bernier records the grotesque contrast: the same weavers who produced the world’s finest brocades walked half-naked. Wealth did not circulate; rather it was siphoned upward. Even Thomas Roe, at Jahangir’s court, stood dazzled by diamonds and rubies, yet struck by the poverty he witnessed from Surat to Delhi. The empire glittered; but only at the top. And where did this wealth go? Not just hoarded, but exported and consumed. Roughly 15–20% of state wealth fed the court’s excesses. As noted by Irfan Habib and S. M. Ikram, even Akbar’s regime leaned heavily on extraction. Babur, after Panipat, shipped enormous wealth to Samarkand, Khurasan, Mecca, and Medina; distributing coins even in Kabul, a symbolic drain outward. Under Akbar, in 1576 alone, ₹6 lakh was sent to Mecca; when a barber earned ₹0.5 a day. That single transfer equalled the daily wages of ~12 lakh people; nearly 8% of the population. And this outflow did not stop; it continued under Jahangir, Shah Jahan, and Aurangzeb. So regular were these transfers that a saying emerged: when caravans arrived from Hindustan, the Arab world gathered to claim its share. This was not a civilisational golden age; it was a pipeline wherein wealth moved upward, then outward, while those who created it were left threadbare. For those who want the full anatomy of this extraction; with primary sources and data; see Appendix A of #BaburTheChessboardKing. The glitter of the Peacock Throne was not prosperity; it was compression. I’m glad @priyankachopra compared Timurids (Mughals) no less than other Portuguese, Dutch and other invaders. Btw @PoMoGandhi challenge still holds: prove Timurids (Mughals) made us richer in debate with me, and carry crores as prize money. Tip: Read my book to decide if your arguments would sustain or not.

@vijayshekhar Is it true though?

This is such a heart warning message ! 👌🏼

“Cricket is a simple game. We have Jasprit Bumrah, you don’t” ☺️🇮🇳

Earned it. ⭐⭐⭐ #T20WorldCup #INDvNZ

Champions ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Phenomenal win for Team India in Ahmedabad. Absolutely no match for the explosive cricket played by us throughout the tournament. Brilliant character shown by the boys to keep fighting in tough situations and become world champions once again. Congratulations to all the players and all the members of the management for achieving this feat. Jai Hind 🇮🇳❤️

This International Women’s Day, we celebrate the different roles women play in shaping the word of advertising. #HappyInternationalWomensDay2026 #GiveatoGain #TeamAmazing

Indian Captains reaching ICC Finals 1983 - Kapil Dev (WC) 2000 - Sourav Ganguly (CT) 2002 - Sourav Ganguly (CT) 2003 - Sourav Ganguly (WC) 2007 - MS Dhoni (T20WC) 2011 - MS Dhoni (WC) 2013 - MS Dhoni (CT) 2014 - MS Dhoni (T20WC) 2017 - Virat Kohli (CT) 2021 - Virat Kohli (WTC) 2023 - Rohit Sharma (WTC) 2023 - Rohit Sharma (WC) 2024 - Rohit Sharma (T20WC) 2025 - Rohit Sharma (CT) 2026 - 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘆𝗮𝗸𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗿 (T20WC)*

Mark Ritson: WPP cannot be both a branded house and a house of brands thedrum.com/opinion/mark-r…

This is an amazing use of AI Tech. bbc.com/future/article…

Court dismisses case against Ritz Cartlton camp in Maasai Mara the-star.co.ke/news/2026-02-2…

KQ204. KQ 304.

@KenyaAirways no wonder the brand & the business is suffering. @rebecca_miano @davis_chirchir 1. Flight delayed by over 5 hours and no information. 2. A different connection booked after cancellation. That flight is also delayed. No information. 3. At the last minute a gate change is done with no information on any screen. It’s not just a gate change but a terminal change. 4. The customer service desk manned by VERY tired, disinterested staff and unbothered people with no interest in solving an issue. No wonder that the #PrideOfAfrica is suffering badly.

Explosive internal emails reveal Meta’s secret strategy to recruit under-13s nation.africa/kenya/news/wor…

Source: Exchange4Media share.google/5GLuW39umizQQs…

Who could have thought that in 2026, this will be happening to EVs.

Winning! share.google/vuQbO6EDs6Bg6T…

In Kozhikode, Kerala, an elderly woman confronted a scooty rider using the footpath. She blocked his way, refusing to let him pass. Rider tried to push ahead. She took out her Phone, photographed the Number plate. Eventually, he returned to the road 🔥

A day to be proud of, on and off the pitch. Thank you for the support, Reds 👏❤️