Shivnath Thukral

You should get hold of books authored by a IIM A professor Dwijendra Nath Tripathi who is considered as the father of Indian business history! First ever documented research on businesses and families behind it Remembering Prof. Dwijendra Tripathi: The Doyen of Indian Business history indianexpress.com/article/cities…

India has a rich business history. Almost none of it has been documented. This apathy applies broadly, but especially to business, finance, and markets, and it's something I've found genuinely frustrating for a long time. So I'm really happy that the team at @TheKenWeb decided to take this on. I've been bugging them about it for years. The way I consume content has changed a lot since AI. The internet is flooded with generated slop, and it's made me much more deliberate. I actively seek out things where the effort and craft are obvious. Their new podcast, Intermission, belongs in that category. The care, intention, and craft of the people behind it are immediately apparent. Real curiosity, real effort, real craftsmanship. That matters more now than ever; the internet is drowning in AI-generated slop, and it's making high-quality, effortful work stand out more, not less. The first episode is on Asian Paints, and it's absolutely brilliant. Rohin, Seetha, and the rest of the Ken team have clearly poured a lot into it. One thing that stood out: Asian Paints had a deliberate strategy of hiring people at below-market salaries, and how genuinely they took care of those people once there was a real cultural fit and alignment with the company's long-term vision. The episode is free and live on YouTube and Spotify. Worth your time. Link in the comments. (Disclosure: Zerodha had a small role in making this happen, which I'm glad about, because I think it's important for the history of Indian business to be documented and freely available.)

Sadly it’s the same if you take the bypass which is basically other side of the tracks 😔

Fab 5 minutes of analysis !

This is a superb read !

#Iran War Update No. 11 (focus on Iranian strategic narrative): 🔹There are mounting signs that the war may be moving toward a more dangerous maritime phase. Reports that Iran may have begun mining the Strait of Hormuz have fueled growing concern that Tehran is preparing to impose longer-term costs on global energy flows and maritime trade. 🔹At the same time, some Iranian analysts are speculating that the next phase could involve the Houthis more directly in order to increase pressure on a second strategic chokepoint, Bab el-Mandab. The logic is that simultaneous disruption in both Hormuz and the Red Sea corridor would have a much greater impact on global trade and energy markets than pressure on either route alone. 🔹Political signaling from Tehran appears consistent with that possibility. Ali Larijani said the Strait of Hormuz will either remain a route of peace and prosperity for all or become a place of defeat and suffering for those who wage war in the region, reinforcing the sense that Iran is prepared to escalate further at sea. 🔹Donald Trump warned that any Iranian move to fully stop oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz would trigger a decisive American response. Yet later reports suggested that Iran had begun at least limited mining activity, indicating that Tehran may now believe the costs imposed so far have not been sufficient to alter Washington’s calculations. 🔹Iranian calculations appear to be shaped by several factors at once. One is the belief that the United States is unlikely to end the war soon. Another is concern that continued strikes on Iranian missile and naval assets could eventually make Tehran’s strategy of selective disruption of the strait unsustainable, pushing it toward a more direct closure option. 🔹The maritime front is becoming more serious in military terms as well. According to CENTCOM video footage, the United States targeted a Shahid Soleimani class vessel along with several IRGC Navy missile and torpedo boats. The Fateh submarine, Iran’s only operational domestically built semi-heavy submarine, was also reportedly hit. 🔹This comes as Iranian attacks on Gulf neighbors continued, particularly against Qatar and the UAE, while diplomatic channels with some Gulf states remain open. Qatar said communication with Iran is continuing and emphasized that Doha is still focused on de-escalation and diplomacy. 🔹The economic effects of the maritime escalation are becoming more visible. Reports indicate that major oil producers in the region, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iraq, Kuwait, and Bahrain, have already begun reducing production because of the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, with an estimated 6.2 to 6.9 million barrels per day effectively offline. 🔹Iranian officials continue to signal that they do not want a ceasefire under current conditions. Kazem Gharibabadi said a halt in hostilities now would make little sense if Iran could simply be attacked again a few months later, while the government spokesperson said any mediation would only be meaningful after a complete halt to the war and firm guarantees against renewed attacks. 🔹Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf made Tehran’s position even clearer. He said Iran is certainly not pursuing a ceasefire and instead believes it must deliver a decisive blow that becomes a lasting lesson to the aggressor. In this view, Iran is trying to break what it sees as Israel’s preferred cycle of war, negotiation, ceasefire, and then renewed war. 🔹At the operational level, Iranian officials continue to emphasize the effects of earlier strikes on enemy radar and early warning systems. The Army spokesperson said that after degrading a significant portion of those capabilities, Iranian forces have been able to strike with greater accuracy and effectiveness in recent operations. 🔹Iranian missile strikes on Israel continued during the day, with growing use of cluster-type warheads. According to Iranian analysts, the goal at this stage is not only to hit strategic targets but also to keep Israeli civilians under continuous pressure by forcing them into shelters and sustaining a climate of disruption and anxiety. 🔹Ghalibaf also warned that Iran is now operating under the logic of “an eye for an eye,” saying that if Iranian infrastructure is targeted, Iran will certainly respond by striking enemy infrastructure in return. That suggests the infrastructure war may deepen further in the coming phase. 🔹Israeli and American strikes inside Iran continued to hit infrastructure as well. One of the latest strikes reportedly hit an area along a major highway in Tehran, halting traffic as smoke rose from the strike site. Some Iranian analysts interpret the increasing intensity of such attacks as a sign of impatience in Washington and Tel Aviv over the difficulty of achieving their strategic objectives. 🔹At the same time, the regime is tightening its internal security posture. Additional checkpoints have reportedly been established across Tehran, and the police chief warned that if people take to the streets they will be treated as enemies and security forces will not hesitate to open fire. This suggests that fear of domestic unrest remains high. 🔹The Lebanon front remains highly consequential. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun sharply criticized Hezbollah and called for direct talks with Israel as part of a plan to end the conflict, citing the massive displacement and casualties caused by the war. 🔹The Iraq front may also be heating up again. There were reports of airstrikes targeting several PMF positions in Iraq. 🔹Diplomatically, maneuvering is intensifying on several levels. Gulf countries are reportedly preparing a UN Security Council draft resolution condemning Iranian attacks and calling for an end to Iranian retaliatory strikes, while Russia has circulated its own draft calling on all parties to halt military activities and condemning attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. 🔹Russia and China are both continuing de-escalation efforts, though in different ways. Moscow says Putin has put forward several mediation options, while China’s special envoy is traveling to the Middle East and Chinese officials continue to stress the importance of preserving the security and stability of the Strait of Hormuz. 🔹European concern is also becoming more explicit. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany and Europe have no interest in an endless war or in the dissolution of Iran’s territorial integrity, warning that collapse of the Iranian state could create serious economic and migration consequences for Europe. 🔹Overall, Day 11 suggests that the war is moving toward a sharper confrontation over chokepoints, infrastructure, and endurance. Tehran appears increasingly determined to reject a quick ceasefire, widen the costs of the conflict, and force a new strategic equation.

This is a big move by @RIL_Updates ! Way beyond his regular foreign policy and diplomacy !

Reading this and wondering about the question asked ! Are we focused and fighting the wrong war ?

Mira Murati’s Thinking Machines strikes multibillion chip deal with Nvidia ft.trib.al/stsIdYU

The Very First Interview of #SanjuSamson Took By Asianet News Years Back 🔥🔥🔥

More I read about #SanjuSamson more am impressed with his humility and belief in values, faith and doing good for people ! Maybe to do with where he was born or how he was raised. Need more like him to spread the positivity all around! @IamSanjuSamson @SanjuSamsonFP

The Hidden Advantage of Being Over 50 in the Age of AI ⁦@vayah_vikas⁩ flip.it/bsKRNr

@IPL2025Auction Interesting that no spotted LN Mittal in this picture , seems one of the worlds richest Indians was also there !

9. Minister Piyush Goyal with his family

Celebrities' presence at Wankhede last night #INDvsENG A threads 🧵 1. Aditi Hundia

@anandmahindra Good counter thought but pls all see this 👇

In the past few days, markets have been whipsawing in response to various AI scenarios, most recently the Citrini thought experiment. The report sketches a fictional 2028 in which agentic coding tools drive the cost of software production close to the cost of electricity. In that scenario, corporations sharply reduce or cancel outsourcing contracts, revenues at major Indian IT firms decline, IT exports shrink, India’s balance of payments comes under strain & in its most dramatic passage, even the IMF is imagined to be in preliminary discussions with New Delhi. It’s a great thought exercise. But I can’t resist quoting Mark Twain who once said, “Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” Let me add another possible scenario to the debate. I do not claim to have a foolproof counter-scenario. The future remains magically uncertain. Markets are swinging because they are trying to price that uncertainty & in that sense, perhaps they are behaving rationally. AI will undoubtedly put pressure on IT services companies. Yes, they will need to become more efficient, reduce cost structures, rethink headcount models and move away from pure effort-based pricing toward outcomes & value delivery. But what if AI does not eliminate service providers & instead makes the best ones even more central? As AI systems scale across enterprises, someone still has to ensure secure data foundations; integration across legacy and cloud systems; governance, compliance and auditability; mission-critical reliability. Especially for medium and large enterprises, integration is messy, regulation is heavy, and failure costs are high. The differentiator may not be who supplies effort but who can deliver outcomes, manage risk and help deliver ‘Scale at Speed’ as we like to say at @tech_mahindra That role doesn’t disappear. It evolves. So an alternate scenario, offered with humility and not certainty, is that services firms that pivot decisively toward AI orchestration and outcome-based delivery will remain extremely relevant.

Major sahab as we would call him when he first walked into NDTV and sat next to us; his baritone voice & tall presence impressed us all but what really inspired was his eagerness to roll up his sleeves and get on the ground to report and run back to edit rooms! RIP #MaroofRaza

Rare story where the driver who caused the accident takes the victim to hospital, given the rarity of such acts one should shine more light on his good deed! yes he may have caused the accident but seems hasn’t forgotten his human values ? @timesofindia @gurgaonpolice

What a fab series this #Kohrra2 is! Powerful acting by #Monasingh and actors who played #Garundi , script to acting to execution just outstanding @NetflixIndia

I’m excited to share that we’ve launched an AI-powered natural language search on @PhonePe, built using Microsoft Foundry. We are moving from traditional menus to intent-based routing—allowing users to navigate the app, make payments, and track insights using simple voice or text commands. What I’m most excited about is the architecture behind this which uses a hybrid model that combines local on-device and cloud inferencing, while keeping all processing secure and ensuring privacy with no personal or transactional data leaving the PhonePe environment. At PhonePe, we believe Payments should be built for people, not just for transactions. Proud of the team for shipping this. phonepe.com/press/phonepe-…

Kudos to @rahulchari9 and @_sameernigam as well as the entire @PhonePe team for leading a quiet but impactful tech revolution from within! This is a unique example of how the DNA of the founders and company believes in leading change & drive India’s march into the future !

Nothing to do with the AI Impact Summit but more a reflection of the AI industry, did anyone find something missing in the group picture ? #allmen and NO #womenfounders , am sure that’s not the case in real ? @miramurati #joellepineu @fidjissimo

Well said @Rudra_81