New Column Series: Vedanomics

India is on the way to becoming one of the world’s largest economies, growing faster than any other major economy. Long forgotten are the days when India was derided for its slow ‘Hindu rate of growth’. Today, India is known the world over as the land of unicorns, innovation, and enterprise. We are celebrating ‘Make in India’ as a mark of pride that India is not just a land of consumers but can innovate and produce for the world.  

But are we truly sailing into uncharted waters or just retracing the paths of our ancestors?

Most people associate our ancient past with an age of spiritual enlightenment, but ancient India was also remarkably prescient and advanced in its thinking on economics and business, in many ways, pre-dating the Western thinkers who dominate today’s discourse on these topics. Perhaps, it’s no wonder that India was reputed to be the world’s largest economy back in the time of the Guptas, in the 5th century AD, contributing to as much as 35 percent of the global GDP.  

Vedanomics is an attempt to look at this fascinating intersection of the bright future ahead for our economy and the inspirational and pathbreakinag thinking in economics and business from our ancient past. This column aims to entertain, inform and above all, create pride in the fact that far from being a nation and people doomed to be the ‘third world’ or seeking to be a ‘rising economy’, we are a nation rooted in progressive and world-leading thinking on how to run the economy and businesses. We have not just today’s policies, innovations and investments fueling our growth, but rather, millennia of accumulated wisdom and insights that we can tap into and be inspired by.

Aaditya Sengupta Dhar loves using his writing to make a difference in causes he’s passionate about. His novel, Legend of the Broken Blade (2022), was among the ‘Top 15 must-read books of 2023’ (The Morning Standard). The Teen’s Guide to Saving the World (2023) won Silver at the Non-Fiction Book Awards and was the #1 Bestseller in its genre on Amazon India. His novel, Kaalchakra (2024), an Amazon bestseller, aims to make young readers appreciate our cultural heritage and roots. A short story on this theme won Gold Finalist at the prestigious Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition. When not writing, Aaditya’s busy with schoolwork, following Cricket with a passion and practicing Karate, in which he holds a black belt. Aaditya is fifteen years old, lives in Mumbai and has six published books to his name

ARTICLES IN VEDANOMICS

Made in Meluha: The Hidden History Of Branding In Ancient India

Dhanda in Dholavira: The Entrepreneurial Heritage Of Our Ancient Past

From Ayodhya To Adam Smith: The Roots Of Free Market Economy In Ancient India

THE CEO AS KARMAYOGI - The Roots Of Purpose-Driven Leadership In Ancient India 

SHRENIKS Of The World Unite

Nudgeshastra: Ancient India’s Contribution To Behavioural Economics

The Real East India Company: How Ancient India Led The Way In Global Commerce

Gold Of The Gods: Roots Of The Banking System In Ancient India

Aaditya Sengupta Dhar

Guest Author