India
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Pakistan’s Extraordinary Diplomacy
X.T.M argues that Pakistan, though feudal, fragile and low in human development, has shown near-perfect tactical diplomacy since the Pahalgam conflict. He rejects the US–Mexico analogy for India–Pakistan, doubts a…
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Trump Has Birthed Eurasia
X.T.M argues that Donald Trump’s treatment of India has pushed Narendra Modi towards the SCO summit alongside Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, and reads the occasion as the start of…
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Why Travelogues?
A short post on why the author reads travelogues, recommending Shueyb Gandapur’s “Coming Back”, an account of a Pakistani chartered accountant’s 2017 journey through India, and asking readers for suggestions.
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India’s sugar was bitter, until her first female scientist made it sweet
X.T.M retells the story of E.K. Janaki Ammal, born in Kerala in 1897 to a Thiyya family, the first Indian woman with a doctorate in botanical science, who crossbred sugarcane…
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Hinduphobia Exists, But Pakistan Was Not Born from It
X.T.M argues that Hinduphobia exists, mostly as dismissal and erasure in academic and diasporic discourse, but that Pakistan was not born of it. He sees the Partition as a Muslim…
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GST reform – go big Modiji, let the bizmen breathe
A guest writer argues that Narendra Modi’s planned GST reform, cutting rates from four to two, will not fix the system’s deeper problem: discretionary powers to block input tax credit,…
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Come Fly with me to Far Bombay
Writing from Bombay, X.T.M ranges across commentariat debates, praises Sher Shah Suri over the Mughals, comments on Hindutva and liberal intelligentsia, argues renaming Indian cities cost brand value, and sees…
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Open Thread: Rasam, Stray Dogs, and the Battle Over India’s Story
Open thread from Chennai. X.T.M links rasam, Delhi’s stray-dog removal order, Pakistan Cricket Board revenue-sharing and fresh claims on Aurangzeb to a single struggle over who owns the narrative of…
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USA, India, Pakistan.. an eternal prickly braid
Omar Ali argues that the US–India relationship has soured since May 2025 as Trump attacks India’s protectionism, probably over Russian oil, while Pakistan benefits. He sets out his guesses on…
