A special essay to open the Tigerfeathers account for 2026, courtesy of guest writer extraordinaire Debarun Karmakar

What began as a case study and a cold email evolved into a 28,000-word monument to the past, present, and future of Indian healthcare — to what is broken, what is promising, and what is at stake for its boldest innovators.

Along the way, it tells the story of Even Healthcare — a trailblazing Indian startup attempting to rewire the Indian healthcare system so that the most profitable outcome for the system is also the most optimal outcome for the patients at the centre of it.

It’s the kind of piece that will make you look at the world a little differently, or at least at a tiny part of it, so take our advice and carve out some time (lots of time😬), to make your way through this one -