Semma!: How James Beard-winning chef Vijay Kumar is making Tamil cuisine international

The article first appeared in The Hindu on June 18, 2025. Chef Vijay Kumar’s poignant speech on winning the James Beard Awards, 2025, for best chef in New York State, is especially powerful because it celebrates a huge change in attitude towards Indians and Indian food, and more specifically South Indians and South Indian food — a change that has been tirelessly fought for in Indian, and foreign kitchens for decades. Semma, set in New York City’s trendy Greenwich, is bright and buzzy, with a menu that embraces the food Vijay grew up eating in Natham, near Madurai, where his parents still live. For a long time, Indian cooking abroad was dismissed as spicy, greasy and generic, with curry houses serving an amalgamation of vaguely Punjab-inspired food: vivid bowls of butter chicken, spicy vindaloo and ‘naan bread.’ Read more The Hindu Find more Global Indian Top Reads

15 Reads

• 
• 
• 
• 

India’s population reaches 146.39 crore, fertility rate drops below replacement level: UN report

The article first appeared on The Hindu on June 11, 2025 India’s population is estimated to have reached 146.39 crore by April, says a new UN demographic report, which adds that the country’s total fertility rate (TFR) has declined to 1.9, falling below the replacement level of 2.1.

The population is expected to grow to 170 crore before starting to dip in about 40 years, the report titled “State of the World Population 2025: The Real Fertility Crisis” says...

15 Reads

• 
• 
• 
• 

In battle of the delegations, real story lies in what went unsaid

The article first appeared on The Times of India on June 15, 2025 In the aftermath of their recent military clash, rival delegations from Delhi to Islamabad converged on various global capitals, each aiming to shape elite opinion, win sympathy, and control the post-crisis narrative. Having witnessed some of the exchanges in London firsthand, the diplomatic duel across briefing rooms, think tank and diaspora events was as revealing for what was unsaid as for what was spoken. Read more on The Times of India Find more Global Indian Top Reads  

15 Reads

• 
• 
• 
• 

Valmik Thapar and the golden light | Tribute by publisher David Davidar

The article first appeared in The Hindu on June 12, 2025 He could have been carved from a granite crag of Ranthambhore, the place he delighted in. A mountain of a man, full-bearded, with a voice like thunder, Valmik Thapar could seem intimidating but was actually gentle and courteous. I enjoyed working with him on several of his books, and not one of my colleagues ever had an unkind word to say about him. That said, he was happiest in the wild, and didn’t much care for the social circuit of Delhi, his home city. He wasn’t one for small talk, preferring to use his voice, as with all the other faculties and resources he could muster, in service of the beloved tigers he had been obsessed with for 50 years... Read more on The Hindu Find more Global Indian Top Reads

15 Reads

• 
• 
• 
• 

In Gujarat, lions are royalty. But what happens when there’s no room for the Crown?

The article first appeared in The Economic Times on June 14, 2025. First, the good news. India’s conservation efforts are working. The population of lions, tigers, leopards — even newly introduced African cheetahs — are on the rise. The bad news. There is just not enough room for all of them together, and humans. With the country's forest cover clocking in at 21.7% of total land, species are crossing path. Lions are pacing Gujarat's village roads, leopards skirting the edges of urbania across the country, and cheetahs are struggling to adapt in Kuno, Madhya Pradesh. Read more on The Economic Times  Find more Global Indian Top Reads

15 Reads

• 
• 
• 
• 

Why China’s going all in on gold and India isn’t, says financial adviser

The article first appeared in The Economic Times on June 11, 2025 China is reshaping global gold demand with a bold, state-led strategy to reduce reliance on the US dollar and prepare for prolonged economic turbulence. From directing insurance firms to buy physical gold to encouraging citizens to hold it, Beijing is shifting the financial landscape. Meanwhile, trade tensions and inflation worries are fuelling global gold prices, raising the prospect of gold breaching $3,400 per ounce. In contrast, India's gold policies remain cautious and restrictive... Read more on The Economic Times  Find more Global Indian Top Reads

15 Reads

• 
• 
• 
•