Madhavan Narayanan

New Delhi

Senior Editor, Writer, Columnist, Commentator, and Media Consultant at Freelance

Journo/Writer Economy/politics/policy/music/movies. ex @reuters, HT,ET Gigs: @WIONews @thequint @newindianxpress @mirrornow @ETnow @thesouthfirst RTs just are

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Articles

When a Bromance Becomes a Coup

3 weeks ago | thequint.com | Madhavan Narayanan

Neither Trump not Musk need the money; both want the power. But Trump is a dealmaker who likes to negotiate. If it were Africa, the ugly spat between US President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk would be called an attempted coup. But in the US, they call it attempted impeachment. We have the world’s richest man endorsing a rebellion within the Republican Party, so that Trump would be replaced by his vice-presidential pick, JD Vance.
Mind your language, Kamal! Tamil-Kannada debate is academically fascinating but practically futile

3 weeks ago | thesouthfirst.com | Madhavan Narayanan

I hope this storm in a linguistic teacup passes off peacefully, but it pays to remember that fair play is critical, and politics — be it of language, caste or religion — happens when sound governance is sacrificed at the altar of rhetorical populism. Synopsis: Kamal Haasan is currently in the news for a controversial foot-in-the-mouth statement on Kannada having originated from Tamil.
Madhavan Narayanan - Author, NDTV.com

1 month ago | ndtv.com | Madhavan Narayanan |Dinesh Narayanan |Mahesh Sachdev |Nishtha Gautam

Opinion | So, Why Has Apple Stuck To Its Chennai Plan Despite Trump's 'Warning'? Tim Cook is likely bothered more about what shareholders and analysts think of the way he manages his company's huge cash pile - estimated at well over $300 billion - than an oddball statement from Trump about moving all production to America.
In south, fortunes head north

1 month ago | newindianexpress.com | Madhavan Narayanan

It showcases Kerala's Roshni scheme, designed to help migrant children overcome language barriers and improve educational outcomes. Roshni is part of a series of initiatives in Kerala that help migrant workers. Tamil Nadu has comparable government benefit initiatives that live up to an old saying Tamilians are increasingly fond of: " Vandharai vazha vaikkum Tamizhagam " (Tamil country makes visitors thrive). Migration patterns can be fascinating.
Opinion: Opinion | Why Are Tomatoes Selling So Cheap? A Much Bigger Problem Is At Play

1 month ago | ndtv.com | Madhavan Narayanan

A friend who owns a small farm on the Delhi border calls me to bring a large bag as we prepare to meet at a mutual friend's place. He loads me with four kilos of ripe tomatoes, and I have to say “Stop” while others before and after me get parts of the rich harvest. Tomatoes are aplenty and selling cheap this summer across India, and, as they say, there is a problem of plenty, thanks to crop rotation, hybrid seeds and nature's bounty.
Opinion: Opinion | So, Why Has Apple Stuck To Its Chennai Plan Despite Trump's 'Warning'?

1 month ago | ndtv.com | Madhavan Narayanan

Tim Cook is more likely bothered about what they think of the way he manages his company's huge cash pile - estimated at well over $300 billion - than an oddball statement from Trump about moving all production to America. There is a Tamil idiom that comes in handy as we discuss US President Donald Trump and his engagement with a global technology giant like Apple: "Like trying to extricate a saree from a thorny shrub".
Talking Turkey: India’s Sindoor diplomacy must be creative, not simplistic

1 month ago | thesouthfirst.com | Madhavan Narayanan

The military gains of the recent operation need to be deftly managed by diplomatic initiatives that show more creativity and soft power than hardline bluster. Synopsis: Turkiye grabbed headlines last week after its President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stood by Pakistan, which is reeling under Operation Sindoor. Indian tourists in their thousands have begun boycotting Turkiye and its diplomatic tail, Azerbaijan. It is time to pause and think if all of that is justified or not.
Caste census starts a new political soap opera, hides complex puzzles

1 month ago | thesouthfirst.com | Madhavan Narayanan

What we need for meaningful policies is a socio-economic survey to determine backwardness and change among communities, not just a simple headcount based on caste or community.
Dramatising the lives of others

1 month ago | newindianexpress.com | Madhavan Narayanan

There is a joke among Telugu speakers that if Lord Krishna were to appear today, people would exclaim: "Who is this person who looks so much like N T Rama Rao?" The actor became chief minister of the undivided Andhra Pradesh on the back of powerful mythological roles.
Waqf, Urdu, Governor: 'Third Umpire' Supreme Court sheds light but faces heat

2 months ago | thesouthfirst.com | Madhavan Narayanan

Synopsis: The Supreme Court is evidently under stress – and it is for citizens and the legal community to wake up, become more constitutionally literate, and speak out on the nuances because we seem to be in danger of frequently facing monarchical interpretations of a democratic republic. This has been a phenomenal month for the Supreme Court of India.