Purusārtha
The Long Read

What a republic in a hurry forgets, and what slowing down would cost it

India built its modern self at speed. A quieter accounting — of what growth is for, and who it leaves behind — still has something exacting to say about the bill that comes due.

Illustrative. Photograph: Puruṣārtha.

India built its modern self at speed. A quieter accounting still has something exacting to say.

In Essay, the change was felt first by the people who track it for a living. For now, the people closest to it are reserving judgement.

The story, as ever, is in the distribution: who gains, who waits, and how long the advantage lasts once the initial momentum fades. That is the question this week leaves open.

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