A ridiculously named film under a top production house of the country made it to its release date with promotions skyrocketing themselves under the garb of 'an outsider' being cast in the project but I have other issues with the creative team that is employed in the movies this production house brings out each year. There was another movie that it released and it was more authentic (received a standing ovation in an international film festival) than the latest release but it wasn't hyped as much as the female character who barely had screentime in the former. If given the right kind of briefing, the production house does bring out gems like an action film which gave the country a new face with talent, the talent who also starred as a protagonist in the most watched show on Netflix India (which is all about Bollywood, if you may want the clue) and then getting the appreciation he deserved. I see a pattern that has emerged in Bollywood in the past few years, especially after ...

Luxury handbags occupy a unique position at the intersection of fashion, economics, and cultural meaning. Traditionally regarded as symbols of status and aesthetic refinement, certain luxury bags have increasingly been recognised as alternative investment assets with measurable resale value. This shift is not accidental; it is rooted in controlled scarcity, brand heritage, and the transformation of desire into economic capital. An examination of how luxury bags function as investments reveals broader truths about value in contemporary consumer culture. At the core of luxury bag investment lies the principle of scarcity. Unlike mass-market fashion, leading luxury houses deliberately limit production, ensuring that demand consistently exceeds supply. Hermès exemplifies this strategy most effectively. Its iconic Birkin and Kelly bags are not available for direct purchase on demand but are acquired through long waiting periods and relationship-based access. This artificial restriction cre...

Everyone I know who has had a missionary or convent education is always upbeat about Christmas because we have only known how magical the world somehow seems during this time. With the frequent doomscrolling one is subjected too on social media and even surfing through movie lists on popular streaming platforms, one does feel a little out of place when they witness gift giving, visiting each other's houses, etc. I remember my school holding competitions for the best decorated Christmas tree a day before the holidays began. That was my best memory as far as school activities were concerned. I still send out Christmas gifts. Decoration is never neutral. What we choose to place in our spaces reflects not only aesthetic preference but also a worldview. Christmas decoration, in particular, stands at the intersection of ritual, memory, and collective meaning. When approached unconventionally, it becomes a philosophical act—one that questions excess, reclaims presence, and reorients celeb...

"For Machiavelli, the ideal ruthless political operator is Moses. Above Caesar, above Alexander, above Cesare Borgia… it is Moses that Machiavelli holds up as the model of how to enter into evil.  How can this be anything but blasphemy?  When we think of Moses we think: good, honest, humble, compassionate. When we think of Machiavelli we think: evil, deceptive, prideful, violent. How can Moses be Machiavelli’s model of entering into evil when he is literally the lawgiver who established the Ten Commandments?  Machiavelli responds, look at how he established those commandments: “since he wished his laws and his orders to go forward, Moses was forced to kill infinite men who, moved by nothing other than envy, were opposed to his plans.”  If you read the Bible closely, you will see Moses massacre, deceive, genocide… all for the greater good. This is why he was Machiavelli’s favorite leader: someone who was willing to do what was necessary to achieve the most noble goals...