Hey folks!

What makes a team win? Skill? Talent? Hard work? Of course! But according to the BCCI, it might also have to do with cutting down on family time for players. Yep, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wants to limit how long players’ families can join them on tours. The new rule could allow just 14 days for long tours and only a week for shorter ones. The goal? Better teamwork and improved performance.

Sure, teamwork is key in cricket. Because it’s not just about one player but the entire Indian team representing the nation.

But this got us thinking… Does this rule sound a bit like companies that expect employees to work extra hours and skip personal time? Remember recently when L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan advocated for a 90-hour work week and said something like "How long can you stare at your wife? Come to the office on Sunday." It sparked outrage because it highlighted how companies often blur the lines between dedication and exploitation.

Now sure, cricketers may earn in crores, but does that mean they should compromise family moments? After all, wasn’t it during relaxed family policies under Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri’s leadership that Indian cricket thrived?

Then the rules also say that players will need to travel together on team buses—no personal transport or personal staff allowed. Plus, players who skip domestic tournaments might lose their match fees. So yeah, all of this might seem too much control or the BCCI could be genuinely onto something.

Will restricting family time really help players focus, or could it harm morale? You tell us!

But here’s a thought we want to leave you with: Where do you draw the line between professional commitment and personal well-being? Reflecting on this might just help you understand how it plays out—not just for you, but also within a team, for each individual, their families, and the delicate balance between success and satisfaction.

For now, we could hope that the BCCI’s new playbook hits the sweet balance and brings out the best in players.

Here’s a soundtrack to put you in the mood 🎵

SHIKAYAT by AUR - Raffey x Usama x Ahad

You can thank our reader, Shiwangi Agrawal, for this rec!

Ready to roll?

What caught our eye this week 👀

Winds of change for Indian Railways?

Indian Railways wants to go green and reach net zero carbon emissions by 2030. And it’s already saving in crores annually with renewable energy projects. But now, they might have an exciting new idea, thanks to a Gujarat-based resident’s suggestion. It’s mini wind turbines! The idea is that these turbines would be placed beside railway tracks and create energy every time a train whizzes past at high speeds. Cool, right?

Here’s how it all started. The 81-year-old suggested the idea to the Prime Minister’s Office. The PMO liked it and asked the Railways Ministry for a feasibility study. And at first, it sounded impossible. But in 2023, Western Railway tested it as a pilot project. They set up vertical turbines along the tracks, and…yes…it worked! These turbines can make 1-10 kilowatts of electricity. Basically, when the trains are running , the wind they create spins the vertical turbine blades and drives a rotor connected to a generator. The generator then converts this kinetic energy into usable electricity—all in real time.

But making this idea work everywhere isn’t so simple.

Experts from Indian Railways say there are problems. For example, many train tracks don’t have strong or steady winds, which turbines need to work well. Also, setting up and maintaining turbines along tracks is tricky and expensive. Plus, if something goes wrong, like a turbine part breaking, it could be dangerous for trains and passengers. And instead, the suggestion is that investing in proven technologies like solar farms on railway land or large-scale offshore wind farms (by partnering with companies) could yield better results.

But the idea of using train motion to create green energy is still pretty exciting.

Indian Railways has always been a symbol of progress in India, from old steam engines to the upcoming bullet train. Could wind turbines along tracks be the next big thing? And even if this idea doesn’t become huge, it makes us think: Could we use similar setups on highways or metros to create energy? Imagine using movement itself to power the future. Now that’s something worth dreaming about.

So the next time you hear a train roaring by, imagine the potential energy it leaves in its wake.

Infographic 📊

This Day in Financial History 📜

18th of January 1903 – Marconi transmits first radio message from the US to England

On this day, Guglielmo Marconi, an Italian inventor, achieved something incredible. He sent the first-ever radio message across the Atlantic Ocean. The message was from US President Theodore Roosevelt to King Edward VII of England.

When we say across the Atlantic, we mean between North America and Europe.

At that time, long-distance communication already existed, thanks to telegraphs. These used wires running above the ground and under the sea to send messages. 

But there was a problem: it was very expensive to set up and maintain these wires. This meant sending a message through telegraph wasn’t cheap either.

That’s where Marconi stepped in with his bold idea: Why not use radio waves to send messages without any wires? And he made it happen! With his invention, he changed the world and the way we communicate. Today, radio waves power everything from mobile phones and Wi-Fi to GPS, radio, and television. Even planes, ships, and navigation systems depend on them. 

By making wireless communication possible, Marconi made it cheaper and faster to send messages. Ships quickly started using his wireless systems. By 1910, approximately 1,500 merchant ships were equipped with wireless telegraphy systems. And when the Titanic sank in 1912, it was Marconi’s radios that helped save many lives.

Wireless systems were also much cheaper to install than undersea cables. A transatlantic wireless setup cost around $200,000, which was far less than cables. Plus, it was much faster. Messages that used to take hours with cables could now be sent in just minutes.

And hey - this speed changed everything for financial markets as well. Stock exchanges in New York and London could now share information almost instantly. It made trade faster and more efficient. By 1915, most of the financial institutions in New York were using wireless communication to stay connected with the rest of the world. This was the start of modern global trading and the financial systems we know today.

Interesting much?

Readers Recommend 🗒️

This week, Atul Sharma recommends reading Nuclear War - A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen.

“Once nuclear armageddon begins, how quickly everything unravels.”, he mentions. 

Thanks for the rec, Atul!

Finshots Weekly Quiz 🧩

It’s time to announce the winner from our last quiz. And the winner is…🥁

Sedhu. Congratulations! Keep an eye on your inbox and we’ll get in touch with you soon to send over your Finshots merch.

That’s it from us this week. We’ll see you next Sunday!

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