Beyond the Freebie: Rebuilding an Economy

For India, have hinged on the promise of "freebies." These short-term populist measures—from free electricity to subsidized goods—are an easy way to win votes, but they come at a steep price.¹ They stifle innovation, weaken the foundation for long-term growth, and ultimately trap a society in a cycle of welfare dependency.

It’s a truth I’ve explored in my book, From Freebies to Factories: Rebuilding Telangana's Economy for India's Future.

Buy here from Pothi (Pothi.com)

This book is a direct challenge to that philosophy. It's a call to action for policymakers, entrepreneurs, and citizens to look beyond the quick fixes and embrace a more sustainable, and ultimately more prosperous, future. Using Telangana as a central case study, I lay out a strategic roadmap for a new kind of growth—one grounded in decentralized, grassroots industrialization.

I believe the path to prosperity isn't paved with handouts, but with factories. In the book, I delve into the economic history of India, critically examining the pitfalls of "vote-bank economics" and contrasting our experience with the strategic approaches of global manufacturing titans. I argue that by empowering local mandal clusters and nurturing localized industry, we can not only create jobs but also build a resilient, innovative, and equitable economy.

This work is personal to me. It is born from a deep-seated belief that a country’s true strength comes not from what its government gives to its people, but from what its people are empowered to build for themselves. This book is a blueprint for that future—a future where innovation is rewarded, hard work is celebrated, and growth is both sustainable and shared.

Welcome to the Crossroads

Hello, and welcome to my corner of the internet.

For over two decades, I’ve navigated two seemingly disparate worlds: the high-stakes, data-driven reality of business and the boundless, imaginative cosmos of speculative fiction. In one, I was a strategist trying to make sense of profits and losses; in the other, a storyteller grappling with cosmic paradoxes and the nature of reality. The more I wrote, the more I realized these two worlds aren't so different after all.

This blog is where those worlds collide.

Here, you’ll find me exploring the very same themes I tackle in my books—whether it's the uncomfortable truths of an industry or the profound, mind-bending questions about our universe. You can expect posts on:

• The Business of Reality: No-holds-barred takes on entrepreneurship, economics, and the policies shaping our world. I'll be sharing lessons learned and candid insights from the business world's front lines.

• The Fabric of Fiction: Dive deep into the philosophical and scientific ideas that fuel my writing. We’ll talk about consciousness, memory, the nature of truth, and how to build a universe from scratch.

• The Craft: I'll pull back the curtain on my writing process, sharing my thoughts on storytelling, character development, and the art of shaping a narrative, whether it’s a policy blueprint or a sci-fi epic.

In essence, this is a space for those who are just as fascinated by the bottom line as they are by the final frontier. Thank you for stopping by. I'm excited to have you on this journey.