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The Signal Brief

At The Signal Brief, we don’t do hot takes—instead, we bring you deep dives into the ‘how’ and "why" of consumer trends. Join journalist and host Kudrat Wadhwa for a new episode every Friday.

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00:16:26

Rethinking College in India: Liberal Arts,...

The Signal Brief ·

2025/07/04

In the past two decades, there’s been a wave of liberal arts universities in the country – these challenge the traditional Indian model that sequesters students into strict streams. FLAME set up shop in 2007, then Azim Premji, Shiv Nadar, and Ashoka University in 2014. This year, Nayanta University of Pune will take its first batch of students. Liberal arts universities encourage students to take classes in lots of different departments. They also generally have smaller class sizes and focus on the

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00:16:30

Luxury On A Budget: Why Young Indian Women Love Minis

The Signal Brief ·

2025/06/27

India’s beauty market is huge – the country has the sixth largest market in the world. But, our per capita spending on beauty products is still low: only about 15 dollars. That’s 1200 rupees. For context, in the US, per capita spending on beauty is 335 dollars and the global average for this figure is 72 USD. That’s also one reason why ‘minis’ of beauty products are particularly popular in India. In the West, people use minis as samples or as travel packs. With more luxury brands like Rare Beauty,

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00:15:57

The Quiet Boom of India’s Online Ayurvedic Cannabis...

The Signal Brief ·

2025/06/23

Cannabis is technically illegal in India. But, for the past few years, it’s been relatively easy, though expensive, to obtain it. Some entrepreneurial Indians have set up online websites — there’s trost.com, itshemp.in, cbdstore.in, among many others. These websites sell both the non-psychoactive CBD (cannabidiol) as well as the psychoactive THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). They advertise it as an ayurvedic medicine in addition to using euphemistic language to describe their offerings. So, they say

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00:14:44

What’s Behind India’s Labubu Doll Craze?

The Signal Brief ·

2025/06/20

Seen those little dolls hanging off of people’s bags? Those are called “labubu dolls.”They’re about 25 cms long. Popular American celebrities like Rihanna and Kim Kardashian started sporting them in 2024, which is when they became a hot item in the US. Now, they’ve become big in India too. I’m your host Kudrat Wadhwa and you’re listening to The Signal Daily. We don’t do hot takes. Instead, we bring you deep dives into the how and why of consumer trends. In the latest episode of The Signal Daily,

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00:12:40

Will Cinema Theatres Survive the Streaming Era?

The Signal Brief ·

2025/06/16

India makes more movies than any other country in the world. A lot of us also grew up with a regular habit of going to the cinemas and catching the latest film.But, COVID changed that. Cooped up in our homes, we got addicted to OTT platforms, and never really went back into movie theatres. Even the Hindi film industry’s success metrics changed – before, a 100 crore movie was a box office success. Now, that benchmark is at 50 crore rupees. I’m your host Kudrat Wadhwa and you’re listening to The

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00:14:35

Inside India’s Booming Private Members-Only Club Scene

The Signal Brief ·

2025/06/13

India’s elite have been fraternising at old-school clubs for decades – I’m talking of your Gymkhanas and Golf clubs in Tier 1 cities. But, for the uninitiated, becoming a member at these historic institutions is virtually impossible. Some of them have waiting times of as much as 30 years!India’s new elite need another space; a growing private members-only club scene is coming up to fulfill that need. Some of these clubs are Soho House, Quorum, Jolie’s and The Bay Club, for example. A study from

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00:16:09

Inside India’s Art Market Boom

The Signal Brief ·

2025/06/09

If you know anything about Indian art, you’ve probably heard of MF or Maqbool Fida Husain, one of India’s most popular modern artists. Though people compare Husain to Picasso, historically, his paintings have not fetched the prices that Picasso’s do. Well, that’s until now. The Indian art market is seeing its moment. From 15 crores rupees in 2000, the Indian art market is worth 3,000 crore rupees today. And it’s only going to keep growing. Estimates say that by 2030, the market will grow to 10,000

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00:15:20

How Do You Break Free From Dark Patterns?

The Signal Brief ·

2025/06/06

Ever found yourself in this position – you want to read something behind a paywall, so you begrudgingly sign up for a subscription. It’s so easy peasy. But when you try to cancel, it’s as if the site is actively working against you?That’s not a coincidence, but rather, an intentional design strategy, called a ‘dark pattern’. I’m your host Kudrat Wadhwa and you’re listening to The Signal Daily. We don’t do hot takes. Instead, we’ll bring you deep dives into the how and why of consumer trends. In the

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00:14:56

Why Did Your Binge-Watching Bill Go Up?

The Signal Brief ·

2025/06/02

In May, Amazon Prime announced that it will add ads to its basic plan starting June 17. If you don’t want ads, you need to either pay an extra 129 rupees per month, or 699 per year. OTT was supposed to disrupt television, but it’s begun to look a lot more like its predecessor now. What’s up with that? Find out more in this episode of The Signal Daily, featuring Vanita Kohli-Khandekar of The Media Room and Aroon Deep of The Hindu. The Core and The Signal Daily are ad supported and FREE for all

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00:13:32

How Friendly are Pet-Friendly Hotels?

The Signal Brief ·

2025/05/30

Imagine this: you’re a pet parent of a relatively well-behaved dog. It’s been a few months since you took a real vacation from work, so you decide to get away for a week. Luckily, you come across a resort in the hills, which advertises itself as “pet-friendly.”But when you actually arrive at your destination, you find out that you can’t take your pet out of your room. That’s the state of a lot of so-called "pet-friendly" hotels in India right now. In this episode of The Signal Daily, we’ll learn

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00:12:57

Can Dishwashers Revolutionise the Indian Kitchen?

The Signal Brief ·

2025/05/26

The modern Indian woman is a force to be reckoned with. In the India our parents grew up in, gender roles were clear. The man worked outside the house and brought in the dough. The woman managed the home – cooking, cleaning, and raising the children. But, today’s women do it all – working outside, and inside the house. Thankfully, there’s technologies that have made domestic work easier. There’s mops with long handles, so we don’t have to get on our knees. There’s vacuum cleaners and washing

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00:15:49

What's Behind the Rise in India’s Uber Luxury Housing?

The Signal Brief ·

2025/05/23

Have you ever wondered what the super rich in India live like?Though the other segments of real estate aren’t doing so well, as The Core has covered before, luxury and specifically the ultra luxury segment – that’s residential property worth 50 crores and above – grew at a rate of 483% last year, from 29 units in 2024 to 169 in 2025. When we say uber luxury, we’re not talking about your apartment condos with shared pools and gyms; instead, we’re talking whole floors, and sometimes several, combined

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00:13:01

Ban Or Regulate: India’s E-Bike Dilemma

The Signal Brief ·

2025/05/19

Have you seen those tiny e-bikes in big cities? You know, the ones that mostly gig workers ride. With the new quick commerce trend, they often need to deliver within minutes, and sometimes zoom past you. There are many pros of electric bikes. They are nice vehicles to cover short distances. They also, in part, contribute to reducing India’s air pollution problem. But then, there’s cons too. Several people from Delhi and Bengaluru have complained about how riders on these e-bikes don’t respect road

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00:10:54

Buy Now, Regret Later–The Rise of Consumer Debt in India

The Signal Brief ·

2025/05/16

A lot of Indians grow up with an anti-debt and anti-credit card mentality. But, the data shows that’s changing now. In 2018, credit card spending in the country was at 4.6 lakh crore rupees. In the last quarter of the recent financial year, that figure grew by four times, and is now at 21.2 lakh crore rupees. Credit feels easy, but sometimes, we fail to read the fine print. A lot of Indians are also finding themselves in a never-ending debt trap. How does that work? What can you, as a consumer do to

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00:11:39

Mumbai’s New Airport: A Solution or a Commute Nightmare?

The Signal Brief ·

2025/05/12

Mumbai’s Chattrapati Shivaji Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. Last year alone, it handled 528 lakh passengers. Most people in Mumbai agree that their city needs another airport. To reduce the congestion at the Chhatrapati Shivaji airport, the Maharashtra government has decided to build another one, in Navi Mumbai. The Navi Mumbai airport is supposed to ease the stress that travelers experience. But, when The Core’s Zinal Dedhia traveled from Lower Parel to Navi Mumbai, and later

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00:12:50

Zara Who? We Thrift Now

The Signal Brief ·

2025/05/09

In 2019, The New York Times published H&M’s dirty secret. Every year, the Swedish multifashion brand discards billions of dollars worth of new and perfectly usable clothes to landfills across the Global South or ships them to be incinerated. H&M is but one of many guilty clothing companies. Fast fashion brands – you know your Zara, Adidas and H&M – are some of the worst polluters on the planet. They regularly overproduce clothes by 30-40%, according to some estimates. That’s because in

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00:09:48

India’s Rental Market is Out of Control!

The Signal Brief ·

2025/05/05

We’re all familiar with India’s boom story–rising salaries, more disposable income and a demand for a better quality of life. But, with many more young Indians migrating to big cities to work and earn, they’re finding it supremely challenging to pay rents, even on their relatively good salaries. A 2024 report by AON group, a consulting company, found that salaries in India are rising at a rate of about 10% each year. At the same time, rental costs are rising at a phenomenal rate, of 16-20%, and

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00:12:12

Zepto, Blinkit and Swiggy Now Deliver iPhones Within...

The Signal Brief ·

2025/05/02

Right now, it feels like Blinkit and Zepto are everywhere. In Delhi, where I live, it's as if people’s days are incomplete without ordering one thing or the other through these apps. Delivering groceries and shampoos in ten minutes is one thing, but now, quick commerce is expanding. In March, Zepto announced that it’s going to join Blinkit and Swiggy and also begin delivering...iPhones. But, who's buying? In this episode, we’ll learn about the rapid expansion of India’s quick commerce

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