The Darjeeling Express Makes a Stop at the PGP...
"There was no roadmap in front of me. You didn't see anyone like me on food media. Well, how could I even imagine that this was something I could do? It didn't even occur to me, because you cannot be what you cannot see. And I saw nobody in their forties, the colour of skin I am, without having the connections and the mentors and the backing that the few women who were in hospitality had."
In 2013, Asma Khan found herself studying law at King’s College London, and did exactly what she ostensibly set out to do: graduate with a PhD in British Constitutional Law. However lurking beneath her otherwise widely lauded accomplishment was her true desire to pursue a career in hospitality, and she registered her food business the same night she completed her PhD viva.
In 2012, nearly 20 years after she had first arrived in London, she slowly began testing the waters by starting a supper club at home in South Kensington, inviting strangers for a paid meal and offering her earnings to charity.
But this continued to be a regular occurrence: supper club after supper club, soon accompanied by the helping hands of a local community of other Indian immigrants. Word soon spread of her homemade meals to a friend who invited her to host a small residency at a local pub. Asma admits of her what would have been her first experience cooking in a professional kitchen:
It was a very steep learning curve. It was always me who would go downstairs to say sorry when we made mistakes – and we made a lot of mistakes.
Rave reviews from her brief stint at the pub meant that she was offered a professional space in Kingly Court, which is now home to Asma’s globally renowned restaurant, opened in 2017: The Darjeeling Express.
Soon, Asma’s accomplishments spilled over into the literary realm with her book, Ammu, centered around simple home meals, being named ‘The Times Cookbook of the Year 2022’. 2024 saw Asma herself named on ‘Time Magazine’s List of 100 Most Influential People of 2024’ as well as the UN World Food Programme’s Chef Advocate.
Could we invite you to draw inspiration from Asma, dear reader, and take a single step toward a fulfilling and meaningful career in public policy? We promise however what was lacking in Asma’s own career journey: a road map and a supportive network.
Takshashila’s flagship 48-week Post Graduate Programme (PGP) in Public Policy is a-knockin’ and now’s your chance to answer.
We offer you an internationally competitive public policy curriculum, taught by the best minds in the country.
With a series of online webinars and in-person workshops, we provide you with the knowledge, skills and network needed to pivot to a meaningful career in public policy. Unconvinced? Hear directly from our past PGP cohort on their experience with our workshops.
Apply here before May 1, 2025 to avail of the 10 percent early bird scholarship and join our 9th cohort!
P.S.: To find the recipe for Ammu’s Famous Biryani recipe, as penned by Asma, follow this link.
US-Led Economic Carnage: Narayan’s Take…
Takshashila Co-Founder, Narayan Ramachandran, casts light on markets that bear the brunt of the“carnage” waged by US President Trump, namely those for: US Treasury bonds, foreign exchange, crude oil and volatility.
In his recent column in The Mint, Narayan writes:
In an environment in which the only certainty appears to be uncertainty, one must brace for further price volatility in these liquid markets. From the US point of view, higher long-bond yields, wavering confidence in its dollar and a potential economic recession are self-defeating; they will cause much pain. For the rest of the world, this is an ill-timed setback to an economic recovery from the covid years. Global prosperity will likely be impacted.
To read his astute analysis in full follow this link.
Chinese Policy Signalling to Taiwan?
Since the inception of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leader Lai Ching-te’s presidency in Taiwan, China’s policy signalling vis-à-vis the island has become much harsher and more aggressive”, writes Takshashila Indo-Pacific Studies Programme Staff Research Analyst, Anushka Saxena.
But what could be some of the clues that lead Anushka to these assertions? In her recent Op-Ed in The Indian Express, Anushka pulls at a few unravelling threads in the China-Taiwan bilateral relationship, including the reveal of the Shuiqiao amphibious vessels, Beijing’s criticism of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te and China’s publication of a revised Cadre Reader on the Taiwan Issue of China, among others.
To read her article in full, follow this link.
A Trail of Questions From Pahalgam…
Both the scale and casualty figures of the April 22 attack on tourists in Pahalgam suggests a “significant escalation” in militant attacks in J&K, but points to greater questions around human intelligence capabilities and counter-militancy strategy for India to wrestle with, asserts our Pakistan Studies Research Analyst, Aishwaria Sonave, in her recent Op-Ed in The Diplomat.
She argues:
The attack leaves behind a trail of questions. Did the Indian government’s Jammu-centric counter-militancy strategy compromise response time in Kashmir?...Does this suggest a gradual erosion of human intelligence capabilities among Indian authorities in J&K?...As such, under the current governance structure, the lieutenant governor administration, which has been directly overseeing the union territory since 2019, will have to address questions regarding the effectiveness of the counter-militancy grid.
Follow this link to take a closer look at her thoughtful analysis on the nuanced considerations around this evolving geopolitical event.
Arrival of the De-Extincted Dire Wolf: All Things Policy Episode of the Week!
This week’s All Things Policy episode in the spotlight is a discussion between Shambhavi Naik and Sarthak Pradhan focused on de-extinct animals, including the now famed dire wolf. But what does this development mean for science, ecosystems, and society?
Listen into the episode here to begin to piece together your own opinion.
Takshashila Tabletop Trove!
Welcome to the Tabletop Trove of Dispatch! As you may well know, this section is intended to be a virtual repository of the books that sit at a high-table located in Takshashila’s physical office space in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
This week’s theme is one that is re-curated by ‘Theory & Practice of Identity’ our Indo-Pacific Studies Staff Research Analyst, Anushka Saxena:
Devi: The Goddesses of India (John Stratton Hawley, Donna Marie Wulff)
India's Experiment with Democracy (S.Y. Quaraishi)
Why Liberalism Failed (Patrick J. Deneen)
The Great Tribal Warriors of Bharat (Tuhin A. Sinha)
Economics of Religion in India (Sriya Iyer)
This edition of the Dispatch was written by Kripa Koshy, Programme Manager for Takshashila’s Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy.