Srinath Sridharan

Dr. Srinath Sridharan is a Corporate Advisor & Independent Director on Corporate Boards. He is the author of ‘Family and Dhanda’.

Gold’s Rational Resilience in an Irrational World

Opinion

For central banks, gold is not a relic of history but a rational hedge against the politics for & of money, the fragility of debt, and the unpredictability of power.

Srinath Sridharan

October 12, 2025 at 3:33 PM IST

Screengrab from "RBI Unlocked: Beyond the Rupee" series (JioHotstar)

Sarci-Sense: Convenience Has Made Us Comfortable, Not Kind

Basis Life

We seem to have built a world that delivers everything, except empathy. Convenience has spared us effort, but also stripped us of patience, gratitude, and the grace of being human.

Srinath Sridharan

October 12, 2025 at 4:42 AM IST

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When the State Walks into the Boardroom

Reports of the government’s quiet outreach to mediate tensions within one of India’s largest conglomerates raise a question: how far should the State go in preserving stability without undermining corporate autonomy?

Srinath Sridharan

October 7, 2025 at 9:09 AM IST

tata.com

Sarci-Sense: The Networking Delusion Where Everyone’s a Connector, Nobody’s a Friend

Basis Life

We hoard contacts like trophies, confuse politeness with connection, and mistake events for community. Networking promises belonging, but delivers only performance, leaving us abundant in numbers, and impoverished in friends.

Srinath Sridharan

October 5, 2025 at 4:38 AM IST

iStock.com

Sound Corporate Governance Needs Institutional Investors to be More Vocal

India's AGM season exposes the silent majority - institutional investors - who hold power to challenge promoter dominance but rarely exercise it

Srinath Sridharan

October 3, 2025 at 6:50 AM IST

tumsasedgars/Istock.com

The World is No More Flat: Rethinking Globalisation

Globalisation has not ended but entered a phase of rewiring, shaped by nationalism, geopolitical rivalry, climate shocks, and fragile supply chains. What must firms do to adapt?

Srinath Sridharan

September 30, 2025 at 6:56 PM IST

iStock.com

Sarci-Sense: The Tormenting Insignificance of One

Basis Life

We are told to trust the mean, median, and mode in life, as if life takes comfort in graphs. But spreadsheets don’t cry at night; people do

Srinath Sridharan

September 28, 2025 at 6:51 AM IST

iStock.com

Jaguar’s Cyber Crisis: A £2 Billion Warning for Indian Boardrooms

Jaguar Land Rover’s uninsured cyberattack shows how one breach can devastate profits, supply chains, and investor trust.

Srinath Sridharan

September 25, 2025 at 3:19 PM IST

iStock.com

Between Washington and Beijing, Can India Script Its TikTok Future?

India’s TikTok question is not about short videos but digital sovereignty, strategy, and whether Delhi can carve out a distinct “third way.”

Srinath Sridharan

September 24, 2025 at 6:33 AM IST

ASphotowed

Sarci-Sense: The National Pastime of Outrage

Basis Life

We no longer wait for cricket matches to unite the nation - outrage does the job faster. Outrage over food, films, faith, fashion, family, even emojis. Everyone is offended, all the time, and proudly so

Srinath Sridharan

September 21, 2025 at 5:19 AM IST

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Ambition, Morality and the Weight of Prosperity

History shows that punishing wealth creators seldom uplifts the poor; societies endure when ambition is balanced with dignity and responsibility.

Srinath Sridharan

September 20, 2025 at 7:40 AM IST

One Voice, Many Questions, And a Test for Leadership

The resignation of an independent director of KRBL, a listed entity, highlights how a single voice can trigger scrutiny that tests the structures and responsibilities of leadership.

Srinath Sridharan

September 16, 2025 at 3:14 PM IST

iStock.com

Sarci-Sense: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Sounds Like Indian Middle Age

Basis Life

We talk about cholesterol, cricket scores and coriander prices, but not about money, death or desire. Is that the true syllabus of Indian middle age?

Srinath Sridharan

September 14, 2025 at 4:34 AM IST

iStock.com

Preparing Indian Tech for Shifting US Tax Winds

Washington’s talk of a punitive levy on outsourcing may sound improbable, yet its impact would be immediate and profound for India’s technology sector.

Srinath Sridharan

September 10, 2025 at 7:07 AM IST

iStock.com/Kandarp Gupta

Trump Comes Calling with Trick or Treat, But Tweets Can’t Mend Fractures

The Trump-Modi camaraderie on social media may project warmth, but structural divergences and recent trade conflicts reveal its fragility.

Srinath Sridharan

September 8, 2025 at 10:41 AM IST

PIB

Polyglot, I am not: Communication Matters Beyond Language

Basis Life

From half-forgotten mother tongues to the rise of English and the politics of speech, we must reflect why human-connection is larger than fluency.

Srinath Sridharan

September 6, 2025 at 6:41 AM IST

iStock.com

The Unfinished Business of GST 2.0: EoDB

GST 2.0 has rationalised rates, but unless processes are simplified and mindsets modernised, the promise of genuine ease of doing business will remain elusive.

Srinath Sridharan

September 4, 2025 at 4:30 PM IST

iStock.com

The Courage Boards Need When CEOs Cross the Line

Nestle’s board showed how institutions should act when trust is broken. For India Inc, the lesson is stark: true governance is tested not by nice sounding codes, but by the courage to confront uncomfortable truths.

Srinath Sridharan

September 2, 2025 at 2:49 PM IST

iStock.com

SCO Summit: Beyond the Optics of Alignments

The Tianjin summit will offer many images of warmth between India, China and Russia, but the substance lies in India’s careful balancing of sovereignty and flexibility.

Srinath Sridharan

September 1, 2025 at 7:56 AM IST

PMO

There Should Always be Food on RBI’s Inflation Plate

MPC Framework

As India debates whether food prices should be excluded from inflation targets, the RBI will find itself balancing political pressure with institutional credibility. The RBI must remember that inflation is not a percentage point; it is the price of a plate of food.

Srinath Sridharan

August 26, 2025 at 5:20 AM IST

iStock.com

The Bureau

Too Much Paper, Too Little Appetite: State Bond Strains Persist

Markets Cautious Despite Hopes of Trump–Xi Meeting

India’s September Retail Inflation Lowest Since 2017; Core Rises to 4.5%

Gold ETFs Log Record Inflows in September; Equity Fund Inflows Ease for Second Month

Steel Industry Gets Temporary Relief on BIS Rule; GTRI Urges Full Rollback

As Bihar Turns Into a Battleground, Swing Voters Could Rewrite the Map

India’s Biggest Investor Base Is Still on the Sidelines

Will India's Ban on Online Money Games Work? Or Will It Meet the Same Fate as Liquor Prohibition?

Jallikattu: Tamil Nadu’s Ancient Bull-Taming Tradition