Sarthak Ahuja

Do you know what are the top 3 international and domestic destinations people from India are traveling to this Diwali? As per a recent report (Cleartrip Peekaboo Travel Trends)… There are some destinations which are seeing the highest growth in tourists… This year, Diwali travel bookings have increased to 2.35X compared to previous years… I mean there is 135% increase in travel bookings for November compared to last year… And the places people are going to are super offbeat… Let’s look at flights booking data for Indian destinations first: At no. 3 is Dimapur in Nagaland with a 1.8X booking compared to the same time last year No 2 is Gaya with double the bookings from last year No 1 in India is Agatti, which is Lakshadweep with a 2.3X times bookings compared to last year In hotel bookings data for India, no 3 is Jaipur, no 2 is Bangalore and no 1 is Udaipur… with Udaipur getting a 316% growth, so more than 4X the tourists compared to last year The data for international destinations is even more interesting… where 4 destinations see more than double the bookings… 4 is Phu Quoc in Vietnam At No 3, 110% increase in bookings to Dublin in Ireland No 2 is Cebu in the Philippines with a 117% increase in bookings No 1 is Taipei in Taiwan with a 2.46 times the number of bookings as last year And this is not because travel has become cheaper or people are making more money… Clearly, this is the impact of change in priorities of spending this year, where D2C founders are saying they are seeing a dip in sales, but travel is where these budgets seem to be clearly moving. #casarthakahuja

Gold has fallen by 28% globally, but has fallen only 19% in India… (When you compare Jan 26 peak prices to current price of Rs 1.42L per 10 grams in India as of 23 Oct 2026) Does this mean that it will fall more in India soon and should you be buying gold right now, given Dhanteras is just around the corner? Firstly, we understand that because oil prices are high, inflation is high, and interest rates are high, people sell gold to invest in bonds… so gold falls… But the real game is understanding why it has fallen lower in India… It’s because of the Indian Gold Price Equation… Indian gold price is a function of three things: Global Gold Price, the Rupee to Dollar forex rate, and the Import Duty on Gold… Now, because the Rupee has fallen to the Dollar… importing gold has become expensive as you now pay more Rupees for the import… Second is the import duty on Gold which was raised from 6% to 15% in May… So these two things have kept gold price high in India, and hasn’t made it fall as much as global rates… The Indian govt had raised import duty on gold even in 2022… and then brought it back to a lower rate in 2024… If this happens, that will make gold fall in price overnight by about 8% And if the Rupee strengthens against the dollar, gold prices could fall further… Which is also a big “if” On the other hand, Goldman Sachs has set a target price of USD 5400 per troy ounce for end of 2027… So that’s actually 33% up from here… Which means if you buy and can hold till the end of 2027, the story remains positive… Again, no one can predict exact prices or what will happen in the world… But try and keep gold no more than 15% of your total investment portfolio… and for your individual case, please consult a professional. This is not investment advice. #casarthakahuja

#collab Whenever a large brand like a Guess, Armani Exchange, Lacoste or Calvin Klein sells online, about 25% of the margin goes away in platform commission and ads... And when they sell offline, rentals at premium malls are mostly structured as revenue share of close to 18%... and with employee cost, etc, the cost of operating at a mall also comes to 25%... The third channel is similar to say, a Bicester Village outside London or the Outlet Malls outside Vegas... and I’ll tell you how Outlet Malls which have now come into India, actually make better profits despite selling their products at a 70% discount to customers all year round... Let’s take the example of the Outlet Mall of India in Bhiwandi... There are 3 cost optimisation levers they use... 1/ Rental Cost - The rent per square feet in premium malls comes to about Rs 1200-1500... whereas in outlet malls outside the city, it is at Rs 150-200 per sq.ft, which is about 90% lesser... 2/ Ownership - 90% of the times, the outlets operated in Outlet Malls are brand owned and not franchisee owned, so think a 7-8% royalty fee is further optimised... 3/ Basket Size - where as per anecdotal reports, if you look at the top fashion brands selling in Central Mumbai and in Outlet Mall in Bhiwandi, the average order value in Bhiwandi is 3X because people go there and buy in bulk because of the discounts... so it opens up a new aspirational customer segment for the brands, and with every new brand opening its store, it also expands the ecosystem to bring more customers to it... One myth or incorrect belief people have is that these malls have lower quality goods... that’s not true for the Outlet Malls in India because it won’t make financial sense for brands to produce in a lower quality for such small quantities given India mostly has just 2 big Outlet Malls at the moment... for people in NCR, there’s one at Jasola... and for those from Mumbai, there’s one in Bhiwandi #casarthakahuja

Silver has fallen by 53% from its peak of Rs. 4.2L per kg… to now at almost Rs 1.95L per kg… It’s currently at its lowest price in the past 11 months… So what is happening to silver prices and is it a great time to buy? To understand this fall, we have to understand oil… As oil prices rise, inflation rises, as inflation rises, Central Banks including the US Fed raise interest rates… Rising interest rates do two things to silver… 1/ Because silver doesn’t earn any interest, people start putting money in bonds, so a sell off starts 2/ With higher interest rates, industries slow down and because silver is an industrial metal, its demand weakens Now, people are expecting that the US Fed may further increase rates in the end of October so if that happens, it is possible that silver could fall even more… By how much? Let’s look at the gold-silver ratio… It tells you how many kilos of silver, one kilo of gold can buy… In the beginning of 2026, at the time of silver’s peak, that number was around 46-50… Right now, it’s closer to 73… The historical range is seen to be 50-80… So silver is definitely out of bubble territory at the moment… It can further fall, which is a possibility, so no one should think of going all in on silver at this price… but it is a time to start building some allocations to it if you want… And overall, because of the volatility, try never to have more than 5% of your total portfolio in silver… Anyway, always consult an investment professional for your specific case, and don’t treat any such news as investment advice. #casarthakahuja

This week, I unpack how the design of Copenhagen, the city, is built around cyclists. It prioritises cycling for travel and transportation over using cars and other modes of transport. While this is just a glimpse, the entire episode is now on the Aditi Randev YouTube channel. This is Design Language with Aditi Randev :) #casarthakahuja #aditirandev

This Rs 50 fruit from India is being sold in the US for Rs 5000, well above USD 50 a kilo... This is a fruit your grandmother used to love... and even as per recent commodity prices data, in India you can buy it at a mandi for easily between Rs 10-30 a kilo... and bulk exporters quote Rs 60-200 per kilo as a rate to foreign buyers... And look at this listing on Amazon in the US... this brand is selling these berries to US buyers at USD 25 for 16 ounces or USD 50 per kilo... The berries are from India, the bag is from Nepal, packaged in the USA... every country made money on it except the one that grew it... And the premium comes from the ritual on how to use it... They say take these dried berries, put 5-6 of them in a cotton bag, or in a cotton sock... tie it up, leave it in hot water for 5 mins, and then shove it in your washing machine... Because these berries are Soapnut Berries that we call Reetha... And in the US, this is being sold as organic, naturally occurring soap that is chemical free and good for your children’s and baby’s clothes... and you can use each of these tiny bags in up to 4 to 7 washes... Almost all of it comes from one belt: the Himalayan foothills of India and Nepal... a tree yields about 30-35 kilos a year, and there’s barely any organised plantation... most of it is wild-collected by villagers who sell it to local traders... The organic laundry detergent market is expected to grow at 14% p.a. globally... being close to USD 8 Bn by 2030 as per estimates... Brands like NaturOli, Eco Nuts and Ecozone currently sell it in the US.... A few short reels in the US that have gone viral show that “Soap Nuts are Useless”... thus, the next bit of innovation is in whoever turns these nuts into a liquid or powder while increasing the functionality, but retaining natural ingredients and keeping it chemical free. It’ll command an even higher premium for anyone who takes it beyond laundry to haircare... as people are now moving towards keeping chemicals away from their hair. #casarthakahuja

Real Estate in NCR, Mumbai and Goa... all of it is going in different directions right now... If you look at recent data for last quarter of Jul-Sep... 1/ Real Estate prices in Gurgaon and Noida just went up by ~12% even though sales in these cities have fallen by ~12% in the last quarter of Jul-Sep... So why are prices rising so much in NCR even when sales are lower... It’s because builders did something smart... new launches in Q2 went down by about 14%... so they’re fast reducing inventory and supply... where launches in Noida and Greater Noida have been brought down almost 70% And over a third of all homes launched in NCR this quarter are above the Rs 2.5 crores mark... which means it is going to be a task now for you to like any home to buy which will be below this price benchmark... 2/ In Mumbai though, sales are up by 5%... and launches continue to come in... so average price increase is currently ~4% because the market could get into oversupply if developers don’t hold on launches soon... 3/ Prices in North Goa are down 4-6%... as it’s a market with oversupply of land and mostly a place where people would get second homes... which the economy has hit. I continue to believe, real estate prices leading into 2027 are going to be even higher because it will be the top 0.5% lapping up all the deals and driving up prices. #casarthakahuja

People from this one religion are taught something at age 7 that most of us learn only at 40... And almost no other religion teaches it... Once you see it, it’ll change how you think about wealth creation and business forever... In this religion, nobody created the universe, and nobody is running it... They do have Gods... those Gods can see everything, they know everything... but they will never step in to help you. God shows you how you need to cross the river... they show it, but will never carry you or do anything to change your fate or decide if you go to heaven or hell... Jain gods aren’t cruel. They’re completely free of desire, and helping you would mean wanting something. So Jains grow up knowing that the gods can see you, but nobody is coming down to help... The path has been shown. Whether you walk it is entirely up to you. There’s no god blessing you or punishing you. Your actions simply come back to collect what they’re owed... It’s karma, but there’s no one keeping the books, and no prayer that can write off the debt. Only action. And that’s exactly how wealth works. The market doesn’t care how hard you prayed or how badly you wanted it. The people who actually build wealth don’t wait for a rescue. They find someone who has already crossed the river: a mentor, a competitor, a founder ten years ahead. They study exactly how that person did it. Then they start walking. #casarthakahuja

This one superfood from India was studied by NASA in the 1980s as a crop for space missions... It has more protein than wheat at 14 gms for every 100 gms of grain, similar to that of Quinoa... almost 5 times the calcium compared to wheat with more iron and magnesium too... And is naturally gluten free... So is a preferred grain compared to wheat for weight management... and one of the most recommended breakfast options under Ayurveda... India is one of the largest producers in the world along with Peru and Mexico... and the biggest buyers sit in US, Germany and the Netherlands... Today, health brands in the US and Europe sell it as a superfood, and it has a positioning problem in India... The grain is called Rajgira... or Amaranth or Ramdana... It is looked at as food to be eaten during the Navratri fast in laddoos... not as an everyday staple... And the largest opportunity for the grain exists in breakfast solutions like porridge mixes, chilla batters, or just healthier snacks for adults and kids both in the form of granola bars. Tiny at the moment, but with the health boom, it could become a category in itself. #casarthakahuja

A company is paying Indians to watch cricket matches all day... As per a job listing on Mercor, they are looking for Indians whose job will be to watch the T20 India matches live, and while watching, ask questions to AI on things such as: 1/ What is the probability of this team winning the match 2/ What are the current stats of this team or this player 3/ Provide an expert style analysis of this shot Basically, questions that a cricket fan would ask and be interested in... These questions are to be asked across two AI chatbots simultaneously, capture the screenshots of the answer, and rate the AI’s answers to say if they were good, bad, accurate, or need improvement. The payment being offered is USD 20 per task... While this was just one... there are several jobs listed for you to rate the work of AI as an expert... offering anywhere between USD 20 to 2000 per task If you go to websites like Mercor, Micro1, Data Annotation Tech... You can either search for “India” as a keyword that shows opportunities relevant to India and pay up to USD 45k per annum... Or look for opportunities in your domain like healthcare, accounting, finance, teaching... The hack is to have a solid resume to upload, and an updated Linkedin account, which has enough keywords relevant to the task, so that you get selected. If AI is going to take your job sooner or later, might as well make some while training it. #casarthakahuja