Shakuni To Share Markets: How Political Decisions Shape Economic Outcomes

The Hindu epic Mahabharata is far more than just an epic poem featuring noble ideals,

supernatural characters, and atrocious conflicts that end in a manufactured peace. It's not a moral and theological discourse built around a long story, as many academics would have us believe; it stands for the very contemporary notions of policy and diplomatic tactics that we see in the world today, and its lessons echo through our administrative institutions.

Illustration by The Geostrata

Shakuni ‘Mama’, a crucial member in the event, is often referred to as a negative, evil, and manipulative maternal uncle to the protagonist's brother clans. According to Vyasa's Mahabharata, Shakuni's malevolent mind is motivated by his physical deformity and hatred for order and harmony, rather than a particular cause. 

DICE AND DHARMA  

The reason that motivates Shakuni’s introduction in a politically and economically-centric article is his plotting and planning, which eventually led to the disintegration of the almost utopian political structure upheld by Yudhishtira, the eldest son (and heir to the throne) of the Pandava clan, through a rigged dice game. Shakuni's quest for power turned the federal government of Bharatvarsha into a brutal monarchy, resulting in the total transfer of the Pandava clan's holdings.

While the ancient conflict that took place in the court of Hastinapur had to be resolved through war, with such colossal magnitude that it continues to be an essential cog in understanding human behaviour, morality, and war psychology. 

In conclusion, Shakuni’s frail political decisions led to a major transfer of economy in the form of estates and wealth pertaining to the respective period, Dvaparyuga. A conclusion pertains to such a scenario that major economic decisions based purely on economic logic are rare. Economic development is inextricably linked to political decisions. 

MODERN ECONOMIC TRENDS

Analysing the contemporary 21st century, we realise the trend of producing economic ripples through heavy political rocks (decisions) is still perpetual. In India, an annual Union Budget is proposed that aims to implement policies that directly affect the common man’s financial conditions. Recently, the Union Budget 2025-26, titled "Sabka Vikas," emphasises balanced growth across regions. It identifies agriculture, MSMEs, investment, and exports as significant growth drivers.

The Prime Minister's Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana for agriculture, help for first-time entrepreneurs, and a drive for domestic manufacturing through customs duty rationalisation are some of the initiatives. The budget also prioritises education, healthcare, and infrastructure development, including plans for 50,000 Atal Tinkering Labs and new medical institutions. 

The government officially has six central financial schemes directly impacting economic outcomes, with a minimum of 5 crore (50 million) enrollments in each programme. Apart from direct correlational activities, certain low-level activities also affect economic conditions. For instance, political uncertainty derived from political events has a strong influence on stock performance. 

Given the recent example, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become one of the most trusted global leaders according to survey reports. Another feather has been added to India’s cap, as it steadily aspires to be one of the most promising platforms in the trade landscape. Thus far, the government has signed 13 regional/free trade agreements (FTAs), each of which differs in form and extent.

The partners include South Korea, Japan, and Sri Lanka, as well as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Australia, the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Mauritius, and the United Arab Emirates.

In the multi-lateral facet, PM Modi has been credited with showing ‘reliable’ and ‘trustworthy’ characteristics when visiting countries across the global fabric, has contributed to increased trade activities, and stock investors are increasingly observing the PM’s visits and decisions. 

In light of the most recent visit by PM Modi to Namibia, a visit presumed to solely affect cultural ties and expand soft power.

It would be drastically erroneous to ignore the economic aftermath of such a visit. In accordance with the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC), India-Namibia trade export reports, “In May 2025, the top exports of India to Namibia were Petroleum Products ($36.5 million), Drug Formulations, Biologicals ($2.54 million), and Rice (Other Than Basmati) ($301 thousand).”

The biggest Indian origin petroleum exporter currently is Indian Oil. This fact is relevant as we unravel that the official recorded stocks for this particular company touched its pinnacle on July 11, exactly two days after the Prime Minister had visited a country known for importing Indian Oil. 

While this is just an example that has been presented, there are several such calculated investments taking place every day, weighing the choices our leaders make. Albeit this liaison could very easily be put down by the notion that “This is just how the market works”, when in fact, each economic decision that disguises itself clad in ‘market-run’ and ‘independent’ evaluations is just an impeccable web of micro-managing by the political institutions. 

THE DICE IS STILL ROLLING

The parallel between Shakuni, an important character from the Mahabharata, and the present world political actors aims to underscore the inevitable intertwining of economic conclusions with long-drawn political assumptions. Similar to the magical (rigged) pair of dice from the Mahabharat, that seemingly decided the economic fate of Aryavarta, as the citizens of an ever-changing global world order, we need to be aware of the political decisions, even the ones disguised to be “culturally motivated”, and factor them into our economic proclivities.

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BY SAMRIDDHI

TEAM GEOSTRATA

info@thegeostrata.com