Essays

Longform writing on markets, startups, strategy, and the founder's journey by Zulkharnain Syed.

All founder macro markets policy startups strategy
01
Essay

What India’s Inflation Numbers Don’t Tell You

A Month That Should Have Set Off AlarmsTake a close look at the events that took place in May and June of 2026, as they offer the clearest evidence to date that India’s inflation problem is accelerating rather than being gradual. For the first time in this CPI series, the headline CPI rose from 3.93% […]
Aug 2026  ·  10 min read
02
Essay

The Middleman Problem: Why Indian Farmers Earn Less as Prices Rise

Introduction India has a penchant for promoting itself as one of the fastest growing large economies in the world. Ironically, those who cultivate the crops that sustain the economy are among the most underpaid workers in the nation. This report addresses a systemic problem in the Indian agricultural market. That is, the disparity between the […]
Aug 2026  ·  10 min read