Welcome to the seventy-first edition of '3-2-1 by Story Rules'. A newsletter recommending good examples of storytelling across:
Hey, if you feel that this newsletter offers you value, please forward it to your friends and colleagues who might benefit from it! Here's the subscription link. Alright, let's dive in. π 3 Tweets of the weekEvery major country has used large-scale, low-skill manufacturing to provide mass employment. We seem to be charting a different, untrodden path, with manufacturing's share of GDP falling even as incomes rise. That is a beautiful thought. Couldn't agree more. Mad respect for Ro Sharma. π 2 Articles of the weekβa. 'Sometimes sports can be messy and without any explanation' by Sidharth Monga (ESPNCricinfo)β I know, I know. Two back-to-back Sid Monga pieces in two newsletter editions. You're welcome. I spent an inordinate amount of time on the ESPNCricinfo website last week, especially after India's historic win. Of all the pieces, this one was the most poignant: I can see India are hoisting Rahul Dravid up and catching him on the way down. Behind the podium, where nobody can see them, Quinton de Kock is down on his knees, playing with a little girl in a South Africa top and a pink tutu. Heinrich Klaasen is with another little girl. Daughters, I think. How can your heart not go out to Rohit Sharma: "I believe in destiny," Rohit says when asked if he had begun to start doubting that good things happen to good people. "This was written. Of course, we didn't know before the match that this was written, otherwise it would be so easy. That [to keep doing your best not knowing what's written] is the game." I'm putting in a prayer for the South African team too. Their time will come: It has played with South Africa here, but like Rohit and Kohli and Bumrah and Hardik, they must dust themselves off and give themselves the chance again. In the words of Rohit, that is the game.
βb. 'Why Modinomics has failed to attract foreign investment' by Arvind Subramanian and Josh Felmanβ The article offers an interesting pattern-finding theory as to why India has failed to attract enough private investment, especially foreign. They break it down to two factors: every businessperson looks to maximise return while minimising risk. The authors argue that while the Indian government has taken several steps to shore up investment returns, these steps have been undermined by other actions which have increased the investment risk. They list the measures taken to encourage investment, such as:
The authors find a common pattern across these: Look again at these measures. Many are designed to reduce costs, some to increase revenues and others to enhance after-tax profits. But all share a common goal: increasing the returns to investment. (To be fair, some of these measures also have a risk-reduction impact, especially infrastructure build-up on supply-chain risk and the banking sector clean-up on getting access to credit) They then move to the risk side of the equation and identify three state actions that have had an adverse impact on risk:
On numerous occasions, the government has abruptly changed the policy framework when it saw the opportunity to promote a national champion.
In particularly prominent cases, Cairn/Vedanta and Vodafone invoked bilateral investment treaties to challenge the government's retrospective imposition of taxes. The government dithered when international arbitration upheld their claims.
...manufacturing firms need to be assured that they will have access to raw materials and inputs from anywhere in the world. But every time a tariff is increased or a product ban imposed, or even when such measures are floated by the government, firms worry about their access to low-cost supplies β π§ 1 long-form listen of the weekβa. 'The Life and Times of the Indian Economy' on 'The Seen and the Unseen' podcast with Rajeshwari Sengupta and βAmit Varmaβ I'm part of a WhatsApp group called the Clear Writing Community - composed of students of the writing course by Amit Varma, who also is the host of the peerless podcast, 'The Seen and the Unseen'. Amit's episodes are known for their insanely in-depth dives into the lives, work and philosophy of its guests. The episodes routinely break the 4-hour barrier. Even by these lofty standards, episode #387 is a monster, topping at an epic 9 hours and 53 minutes. In the episode, Amit and Rajeshwari (an Associate Professor of Economics at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research) narrate India's entire post-independence economic history. From the times of Nehru to the present day, the episode covers it all. When Amit shared the episode on the WhatsApp group, his editor had a pithy response on where it ranked among the other 386 episodes. "Greatest" This is not an episode, it is an education. It is a must-listen for any economics student in India (make that the world) and anyone generally interested in economics. Unfortunately, I don't have access to the transcript. But here are some themes that were eye-opening for me:
Don't get daunted by the size of this episode. You can listen to it in 2x and it'll take you roughly 5 hours (or 2 normal Bangalore commutes). That's all from this week's edition. βRavi β PS: Got this email as a forward? Get your own copy here. Access this email on a browser or share this email on Whatsapp, LinkedIn, or Twitter. You can access the archive of previous newsletter posts here. β You are getting this email as a part of the 3-2-1 by Story Rules Newsletter. To get your own copy, sign up here. β |
A Storytelling Coach More details here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravishankar-iyer/
A very Happy, healthy and prosperous Diwali to you! So, I'm on a week-long holiday in sunny Kerala and especially loved the backwaters of Kumarakom and the fascinating multicultural ethos of Fort Kochi. An area called Kuttanad is one of the many interesting places I learnt about during the vacation. It's located just south of the Vembanad lake (India's longest lake). It is among just two sites globally where farming happens below sea level (around about 4 to 10 feet below). More on the...
As I hoped last week, I did get in some book-writing time this week. The chapter I'm writing? Humour in storytelling! That's right - I'm writing about fun (yet safe) ways to use humour in workplace communication. Can't wait to share all of it, along with the other chapters, by sometime late next year. (I know - it's such a long way away!). Meanwhile, here's a great quote I'm keeping in mind even as I write the chapter: "Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. They both die in the process."...
Phew - it's been a busy week with 4 training days out of five and I'm a bit exhausted! (In a rare state of affairs, I'm writing this newsletter at 8.30 pm on Friday night!) Having said that, I did manage to catch a movie during the week (Thalaiva's Vettaiyan; would NOT recommend for Jailer fans). Hopefully, next week will be easier and I can get in some book-writing time. And now, on to the newsletter. Welcome to the eighty-sixth edition of '3-2-1 by Story Rules'. A newsletter recommending...