Culture & Heritage

The Question That Explains Everything About Modern Economies

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Modern economies aren’t driven primarily by survival needs. They’re driven by status, belief, coordination, and symbolic competition. From money and markets to luxury brands, finance, and social media, this essay explores how human civilization became an economy organized around shared fictions, prestige, and the management of collective desire.

Baliyatra and the Arithmetic of Disappearing Craft

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Once a vibrant showcase of Odisha’s artisanal heritage, Baliyatra now reflects the quiet erosion of traditional crafts under economic pressure. Rising costs, stagnant wages, and shifting market incentives push vendors toward mass-produced goods, turning a cultural institution into a generic marketplace and threatening the survival of skills built over centuries.