The algorithm and the alchemy
Tnce upon a stovetop, a chef learned to cook by kneeling at the altar of French technique. Sauces whispered secrets in mother tongues—bchamel, velout, hollandaise—each a step in the sacred choreography of cuisine. To be a 'real' chef meant to master the classics: the stiff whites of culinary school, the ballet of knife skills, the reverence for Escoffier. That was the gospel. That was the gold standard. That was cuisine.
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India Today
14 hours ago
- India Today
The algorithm and the alchemy
Tnce upon a stovetop, a chef learned to cook by kneeling at the altar of French technique. Sauces whispered secrets in mother tongues—bchamel, velout, hollandaise—each a step in the sacred choreography of cuisine. To be a 'real' chef meant to master the classics: the stiff whites of culinary school, the ballet of knife skills, the reverence for Escoffier. That was the gospel. That was the gold standard. That was cuisine.
India.com
19 hours ago
- India.com
10 Jaw-Dropping Facts That Prove Chandigarh Is India's Coolest Planned City
The capital city of Punjab and Haryana known as Chandigarh unites contemporary design structures with orderly urban development alongside picturesque surroundings. Chandigarh stands out as the 'City Beautiful' because of its neat structure and energetic local atmosphere. Chandigarh contains 10 significant facts which will astonish all visitors. 1. Chandigarh Was Designed by a French Architect Chandigarh stands out because of how it came into existence. When India gained its independence in 1947 the Punjab territory experienced partition creating a new border which separated India and Pakistan and placed Lahore as their capital in Pakistan. When the Indian government initiated the construction of a new national capital it took the decision. Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier became the designer of the city when the government contracted him for his expertise in 1950. Through his architectural and urban planning ideas Chandigarh became a modern symbol that defines both aesthetics and organization. The designs created by Le Corbusier focused on both functionality alongside spacious areas and greenery. The design of Chandigarh features a rectangular system with distinct sections to demonstrate his methods of creating an effective urban community. Major business services operate independently from one another in separate sections that retain educational centers, medical services and shopping opportunities. 2. It Is India's First Planned City India established Chandigarh as its very first organized urban development. From traditional Indian times until its foundation the majority of Indian cities developed spontaneously through centuries of spontaneous growth instead of planned development. Le Corbusier worked with architects Pierre Jeanneret and E. Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew during the complete design of Chandigarh from the beginning. The master plan of Chandigarh has distinct zones that separate residential from industrial from commercial from educational and recreational parts of the city. The considered design structure of the city makes Chandigarh rank as one of the cleanest and most habitable cities in India. 3. The Capitol Complex Is a UNESCO World Heritage Site Chandigarh features one of its most famous architectural achievements through its Capitol Complex situated in Sector 1. Le Corbusier designed the complex which includes three remarkable buildings: the Secretariat alongside the Legislative Assembly as well as the High Court. The structures at these buildings express Le Corbusier's particular design sense through their combination of large geometric structures and exposed concrete materials and creative lighting patterns. The Capitol Complex received UNESCO World Heritage Site status during 2016 because its modernist architecture qualifies it as an outstanding example for the site designation. The landmarks await visitors who want to view their historical significance together with their cultural value. 4. Rock Garden: A Unique Artistic Creation The Rock Garden of Chandigarh exists as a masterpiece that showcases how people can creatively combine creativity with environmental awareness. Artist Nek Chand constructed this magical 40-acre territory by transforming discarded broken tiles and bangles along with crockery and industrial waste into sculptures for his masterpiece. A clandestine secret development initiated during 1957 transitioned into one of India's most popular travel destinations. Thousands of tourists see the Rock Garden each year because they come to view its interconnected stone pathways and whimsical art statues and waterfalls. The concept demonstrates that art and sustainable practices can exist together peaceably. 5. Chandigarh Has a High Quality of Life Chandigarh stands as one of India's leading cities in terms of safety and cleanliness resulting in a superior life quality. Public spaces together with extensive roads and abundant green areas make Chandigarh recognized as a prime exemplary city. The Swachh Survekshan rankings frequently show Chandigarh taking positions at the top for maintaining cleanliness throughout the city. High-quality healthcare facilities together with educational institutions and recreational opportunities make up the advantages of the city. Residents and tourists can enjoy the peaceful landscapes of Sukhna Lake Rose Garden as well as Zakir Hussain Rose Garden for recreation. 6. The City Is Divided Into Sectors The city of Chandigarh follows a grid pattern distribution system that divides its territory into sectors which range from sector 1 to sector 56 while skipping specific numbers. Each 800 by 1,200 meter sector section includes all necessary amenities that residents can access through walking distance. The zoning arrangement works to reduce traffic problems while keeping movement routes simple. Each sector contains its market located at the central point which provides easy accessibility for all people. Both main roads named Madhya Marg and Dakshin Marg have been designed to enable comfortable movement of traffic throughout the city. 7. Chandigarh Hosts One of Asia's Largest Rose Gardens The Zakir Hussain Rose Garden occupies 30 acres space where visitors can find more than 50,000 rose bushes which belong to 1,600 distinct types. The aristocratic establishment dates back to 1967 to become one of Asia's largest rose gardens attracting numerous nature enthusiasts. The month of February transforms the garden through the Rose Festival that brings together colorful flowers and performances along with cultural activities. The celebration of spring through this event welcomes people from different regions across the entire nation. 8. Chandigarh Is Known for Its Green Cover The city receives its name from its 'Garden City' designation because of its extensive green nature. The total land mass of the city comprises about 47% forest area and green zone. Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary serves as a protected reserve which shelters diverse flora and fauna together with migratory birds while positioned near Sukhna Lake. Natural resource preservation stands as a priority focus area for the municipal leadership in the city. Through its park maintenance and eco-friendly practice promotion along with tree planting initiatives Chandigarh has received recognition as a leading green city in India. 9. Chandigarh Is a Hub for Education and Research Several prestigious educational and research institutions establish their presence in the municipality of Chandigarh. The year 1882 marked the establishment of Panjab University as one of India's oldest educational institutions that continues to secure prestigious positions among national higher education institutions. The Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) stands out due to its recognized medical facilities whereas the Chandigarh College of Architecture is a prominent educational institution. The educational institutions in this city draw academic bodies from Indian students as well as international students who help maintain intellectual richness. 10. Chandigarh Reflects Cultural Diversity Chandigarh functions as a modern city that accepts multiple cultural elements and various traditional patterns together with multiple culinary styles. The position of Chandigarh as the shared capital of Punjab and Haryana enables it to showcase cultural elements from both states and it welcomes additional cultural influences from the rest of India. The city celebrates its local festivals of Lohri , Baisakhi along with Holi in an energetic and joyous manner. Throughout the year Chandigarh presents multiple cultural events combined with fairs and exhibitions that display its artistic diversity together with its culinary traditions. Final Thoughts A strong example of effective planning coupled with leadership inspiration can be found through the city of Chandigarh. The city began as a well-thought-out urban project and today constitutes a diverse cultural and educational and sustainable center which generates continuous admiration. Chandigarh offers attractions that appeal to those who love architecture as well as nature fans alongside people in search of peaceful living. The harmonious fusion between contemporary elements and cultural heritage has made this city genuinely exclusive. Tourists and residents should willingly protect and explore it.
Economic Times
21 hours ago
- Economic Times
Muskets, markets and models: Why AI is the new engine of revolution
It began with a 'boundary', unlike with a bang for the Universe. Thousands of years ago, on the banks of the Tigris River, a small group of people did something no human had done before. ADVERTISEMENT It was crude—woven reeds and branches—but it enclosed something: wheat, barley, and goats. It marked, perhaps for the first time, something that was 'owned', and not 'shared'. The agricultural revolution had begun. Until then, homo sapiens moved with the seasons, living in bands. Agriculture brought stability, and with it, abundance. But it also brought division—those who owned land, and those who worked it. The fence didn't just mark a field. It marked the beginning of power. But with ownership came exclusion, and with exclusion came conflict. Once resources could be stored, they could be taken. Raids replaced wandering. Walls replaced kinship. Scarcity was no longer about nature—it was about who held the surplus. The first fortified settlements weren't for wild beasts, but rival clans. Agriculture didn't just change how we lived—it changed why we fought. ADVERTISEMENT If the Agricultural Revolution marked the beginning of ownership, the next great revolutions were about who gets to decide, who gets to rule, and who gets to benefit from growth—enter the Dutch, British and French revolutions. The Dutch Revolution (1568 to 1648) emerged from a prosperous, mercantile society's growing desire for religious freedom and self-rule. The Netherlands had fuelled the Spanish Empire for decades—wealthy, literate, and commercially sophisticated. But when the Spanish crown sought to tighten control through religious conformity and heavy taxation, resistance grew. What began as political unrest escalated into a brutal, drawn-out conflict—the Eighty Years' War—marked by city-wide sieges, economic collapse, famine, and devastation. Yet amid this chaos, something transformative took root. With the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia, the Dutch finally secured independence. In its aftermath, the world witnessed the birth of the first modern republic, the first stock exchange, and a striking new paradigm: that commerce—not aristocracy—could shape the destiny of a nation. ADVERTISEMENT The Industrial Revolution (c1760 to 1840) was ignited by a potent convergence of coal, capital, and invention that fundamentally redefined how humans worked and produced. It took root in Britain's damp textile towns and soot-stained mills, where steam engines, spinning jennies, and ironworks accelerated productivity and reshaped entire industries. Cities swelled with labour, but beneath the promise of progress lay deep human cost. Workers endured punishing fourteen-hour shifts; children were forced into hazardous labour under humming looms. As mechanization displaced skilled artisans, the Luddites rose in fury, smashing the very machines that threatened their way of life. Overcrowded slums bred illness and unrest, and economic stratification hardened into structural class conflict. While the revolution ushered in modern economies and birthed the middle class, it also introduced systemic inequality and sparked radical ideologies like Marxism. Power shifted to those who could master machines, and though the age brought progress, it did not bring peace. The French Revolution, which erupted in 1789, was the culmination of centuries of royal extravagance, mounting economic crisis, and the simmering force of Enlightenment ideals. The monarchy, deeply in debt and indifferent to public hardship, presided over a population that could scarcely afford bread. As grain prices soared and inequality became unbearable, the masses rose in revolt. What began with outrage in pamphlets soon spilled violently into the streets. Paris bled as the Bastille fell, the monarchy crumbled, and the guillotine cast its long shadow over king and citizen alike. Robespierre's Reign of Terror followed, only to be succeeded by the rise of Napoleon, who crowned himself emperor in a republic still searching for stability. Though the revolution ended absolute monarchy and seeded democratic ideals across Europe, it also proved that noble intentions do not shield societies from chaos, especially when power lies unclaimed. ADVERTISEMENT These revolutions may have differed in cause and character, but they followed a remarkably consistent arc. Each began with a group poised to gain rising against those with something to lose. Violence was not incidental but instrumental—a mechanism of transition rather than chaos. Old institutions—empires, monarchies, artisan guilds—collapsed, and in their place emerged new systems of governance, production, and power. They were not always clean or successful, but they reshaped how societies functioned, how economies operated, and how individuals understood their roles. Though past revolutions were chaotic and violent, they were visible—marked by slogans, battles, and treaties. Today's revolution is quieter, but no less transformative. ADVERTISEMENT It runs on servers and learns with every click. Not led by muskets, but by models, this revolution may change what it means to be human. Intelligence, once purely biological, now evolves in machines. As Max Bennett notes in A Brief History of Intelligence , traits like memory, imagination, and reasoning took nature millions of years to develop. AI has been gaining them for decades. We're no longer programming tools—we're training minds. AI threatens to upend every existing hierarchy, not just by replacing roles, but by redrawing the very structure of power. A new class division is emerging—between those who own the algorithms and those who are shaped by them. Platforms become landlords of digital capital; users, the new labour. Influence over elections, markets, and warfare will lie with those who command data and compute. As land defined power in the agrarian age, and capital in the industrial one, intelligence—artificially concentrated—is becoming the new fault line between the empowered and the is inevitable. Jobs will vanish. Nations will clash over technological dominance. Truth itself will blur under deepfakes and disinformation. Education no longer assures an edge. Labour loses primacy. Identity is malleable. Markets react not just to fundamentals, but to synthetic narratives. Most critically, AI is recursive. It learns how to improve itself. It accelerates as the fence marked the beginning of power, the neural net may mark the end of humanity's monopoly over it. We are no longer the sole authors of change. But revolutions don't just rewrite code or law—they reprice belief. And nowhere is belief more foundational than in financial over half a century, the U.S. dollar has been more than a currency—it has been a consensus. Not backed by gold, but by trust: in American institutions, its central bank, and its role as the global stabiliser. The world bought dollars not for yield, but for belief sustained a remarkable imbalance—the dollar's dominance in global finance far outstripping America's share of global output. But belief is brittle. Political brinkmanship, debt ceiling theatrics, and the return of inflation have chipped away at that trust. And as confidence falters, so too does the foundation beneath every dollar-denominated asset—from oil and equities to the scaffolding of global financial stability. In such a world, the old rules of investing—buy good companies, hold for the long term—begin to break. Fundamentals no longer move markets on their own. Instead, flows, liquidity cycles, and sentiment dominate. Valuation models struggle to keep pace with regime shifts. Macro narratives overpower micro truths. Greed and fear displace patience and discipline. Cycles—across stocks, sectors, and market caps—are taking over. And they're getting shorter. What once unfolded over years now collapses into months, driven by the speed and scale of modern capital. The rise of retail participation—turbocharged by social media, zero-cost trading, and an always-on information stream—has added momentum to this churn. In this fractured environment, investing has become less about conviction and more about context. Less about holding through cycles, and more about surviving their whiplash. The half-life of belief is collapsing, and with it, the foundations of traditional investing. We used to price value. Today, we price belief—and belief, increasingly, is built on noise. History does not move in straight lines—it turns on ruptures. From the first fence to the first factory to the first algorithm that wrote a sentence, every revolution has redrawn the contours of power, belief, and conflict. What began with land shifted to machines, then to ideas, and now to intelligence itself. As markets mirror this upheaval—not just reacting to capital, but to chaos—the task for asset allocators is no longer about riding a single trend or trusting a single heuristic. It is about staying anchored in a world of shifting tides. Navigating revolutions, yes—but more urgently, navigating cycles. Because in an age where conviction is fleeting and regimes turn fast, it is the ability to adapt to cycles—across styles, sectors, and sentiment — that will define the path to consistent, risk-adjusted returns.
