Innovation, AI, and a hostage situation

Dear DoorDesi,

I am writing this a few days too early so it is possible that something happened Saturday and you are wondering why I say nothing about it. I am taking the weekend off so I can rest and replenish (and finally break my Dry January resolution in February. I know I am proud of me too).

This week has mostly been quiet in terms of big news for desis abroad. However, not devoid of drama. The AI Summit in New Delhi is not going as swimmingly as one would hope, and it is slightly comical. It is still quite a feat for India to have achieved, hosting some of the biggest names calling the biggest shots in this digital economy in one place. Kudos for that!

Keeping this section short because I have a humble ask for you which I mention below.

Take care, lovelies — you make me very happy!

Just the gist

🔗 India gets a relationship upgrade

As if India's can-do attitude was not strong enough, it is currently high on steroids thanks to the latest India-France bilateral talks taking place in Mumbai. No, I am serious. They are so high on innovation that the two countries just launched the India-France Year of Innovation recognising that innovation does not happen in isolation but through collaboration. The industries most talked about are aeronautics, defense, energy, space, and emerging technology.

A major story coming out of these negotiations is how the world's only helicopter capable of flying to the height of Mount Everest will now be made in India as part of this cooperation. Ready to see billionaires 'summit' Mount Everest by just flying to it? I am. From the depths of hell to the heights of space, they are everywhere, so why not on the Everest.

Anyway, the bilateral relationship between the two countries has been elevated to Special Global Strategic Partnership. This means more resource sharing, long-term cooperation, and broader collaboration across various sectors, such as education, culture, and business.

➡️ For NRI investors, watch aeronautics, defense, energy, space, and emerging technology sectors as they are likely to get a significant boost and get you a good return on investment.

🔗 Reciprocity or economic colonisation?

Speaking of strategic partnerships... one recent negotiation has the Opposition in a tizzy, and rightly so. Also, can I please write one issue that does not have a U.S. story?

India-US just concluded the first tranche of negotiations on a trade deal that put in place an Interim Agreement while the negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement continue. As part of this deal, India slashed tariffs on most imports from the U.S. to near zero while the U.S. brought down its tariff on Indian goods from 25% to 18% and removed the additional 25% it had imposed on India as punishment for buying Russian oil. All India had to do was agree to buy $500 billion worth of U.S. products over the next 5 years. If this feels like a hostage situation, it's because it is. And because Stockholm Syndrome runs deep in our psyche these days, we'll just call this a masterstroke. Okay? OOKAY!

But the Opposition is pointing at the plotholes. Regarding the $500 billion purchase commitment, they argued it would turn India's trade surplus into a long-term deficit. The BJP countered that it is merely an expressed intention, not a binding commitment. Well, that sounds like them - "Uhhh we never committed ourselves to good governance. We just expressed intent. Heh, joke's on you!". India's cotton farmers and textile exporters also stand to get hurt as Bangladesh has reportedly got a zero-tariff deal on textiles in exchange for buying American cotton, potentially cutting it off from Indian cotton imports. Finally, questions around if India has surrendered its energy security by reportedly agreeing to not buy Russian oil still stand.

➡️ How this plays out, is yet to be seen but even as I read the official White House briefing, this agreement felt one-sided. As a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement, a major player in global politics, and having been a strong voice against colonisation, the recent shift in India's international relations is uncharacteristic of the country we claim to be.

🔗 Always the chaotic host

India is hosting a five-day AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, inaugurated by PM Modi, which aims to establish a shared global framework for AI governance. The event is billed as the biggest yet, expecting 250,000 visitors including 20 national leaders, senior tech CEOs (Sundar Pichai, Sam Altman, Brad Smith, among others), and 45 ministerial delegations.

However, the summit got off to a rocky start, with attendees reporting long queues, overcrowding, poor signage, sudden venue clearances for security sweeps, and some speakers still unconfirmed for their panels on opening day.

On substance, the summit covers a broad range of AI topics — job disruption, child safety, regulation, ethics, and defence — reflecting how these events have evolved from their original narrow focus of 'AI-for-everything-and-everyone'. India is positioning itself as a bridge between advanced economies and the Global South, pointing to its experience with large-scale digital infrastructure (like its digital ID and payments systems) as a model for affordable AI deployment at scale. Ironically, there are reports of these very digital systems not working inside the venue, but, you know... when in India, contradiction is your best friend.

➡️ The summit is unlikely to produce any binding agreements. Like most conferences, and I have been to my fair share, a lot and nothing is said in the same breath. So, expect nothing other than a big moment for India in hosting such an event at this scale.

🔗 Senior health knows no economic bar

Okay, I want to finish with something not so recent, but important nonetheless. Going back to Union Budget 2026, here is something important that has NOT changed and is of massive importance to the likes of us

The Ayushman Bharat scheme (AB PM-JAY) that was set up provides health cover of INR 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary health care to economically disadvantaged families also applies to all senior citizens aged 70 and above irrespective of socio-economic class since 2024. This means, if your parents or grandparents are 70 or above, they qualify for the scheme, covering upto INR 5 lakh in eligible medical expenses per year.

➡️ Note that this scheme exists to provide access to healthcare to economically disadvantaged families, first and foremost. So if you and your family, including those above the age of 70 can afford healthcare without applying for the scheme, do. But know that irrespective of your economic background, your family members above the age of 70 are entitled to this benefit.

Trending on the internet

Yes! After lecturing you guys on mental health and announcing my partial retirement from the social media and therefore, this section, I am back with it. Yes! I have given whiplash to myself too.

But I am back with it because it seems to me (or at least to my Instagram algorithm) that we might be seeing the biggest comeback in the history of the country.

Rahul Gandhi is everywhere. The opposition is everywhere. Now, I know this could very well be a function of my own bubble and social media patterns. But if it is not, it makes me happy. No, not because I am a RaGa or an INC fan, no. I think they have a long long way to go. But I am happy because I am a fan of a healthy opposition. You cannot call yourself a democracy, let alone the largest democracy in the world, if there isn't a healthy opposition.

So it does not matter which party you support, you must always support the existence of an opposition. In the absence of opposition, accountability dies.

Read with me

🔗 A common identity for convenience

In this excerpt from a conversation between historian Romila Thapar and writer Namit Arora, they explore whether a shared sense of "Indian" identity existed before the modern nation was formed.

They discuss how it largely didn't. Arora opens by noting that while foreign travellers like Megasthenes, Chinese Buddhist monks, and Alberuni observed a cultural distinctiveness about the Subcontinent, their perceptions were based mainly on interactions with elite groups (haah, shocking!). Thapar adds that these travellers had very different purposes so their accounts can't be taken as evidence of a unified Indian identity felt from within.

Thapar continues that there was little reason for a common identity to exist in early or medieval India. Kingdoms shifted their boundaries constantly, and the most meaningful identities were local — based on region, caste, tribe, language and kinship. The concept of "us vs them" that did exist was essentially an upper-caste distinction, where those without varna status were labelled mleccha (outsiders or inferiors).

Both authors conclude that a recognisable pan-Indian identity is largely a product of the colonial era, possibly emerging slightly earlier with movements like the Marathas, but even then without a genuine sense of one unified people. Arora goes further, arguing that the popular notion of ancient "unity in diversity" is a projection of early 20th-century Hindu nationalism, designed to legitimise a modern political vision by giving it ancient roots.

➡️ As we live in an era where this idea of a unified identity is becoming the biggest political tool in every country, who imposed this unified identity on us is an important question to ask. Who benefits from this unified identity? What purpose does it serve? Next time you have your super right wing uncle talk about "Us, Indians" while referring to ancient scriptures, bring this up!

👋 That's all for this week. If you are reading this then here, 💌, take my heart because you deserve it.

Take care and see you next week!

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