The Morning Context publisher enters business-book publishing with journalist Harveen Ahluwalia’s account of ambition, excess and the collapse of one of India’s most recognised craft beer companies.
Slowform Holdings Ltd, the publisher behind The Morning Context, has entered the business-book publishing space with the launch of Slowform Publishing House, a new division focused on deeply researched and rigorously fact-checked business books.
The publishing house will make its debut with ‘Bad Hangover’, a forthcoming book by journalist and The Morning Context co-founder Harveen Ahluwalia, which chronicles the rise and fall of Bira, one of India’s most recognised craft beer companies.
Scheduled for publication on 9 October 2026, the 288-page hardback looks beyond the familiar startup success narrative to examine a decade shaped by ambition, extravagance, relationships going south and a hustle culture taken too far.
Inside The Rise And Fall Of Bira
Titled Bad Hangover, the book offers a behind-the-scenes account of how Bira emerged as a much-loved craft beer company in India before eventually collapsing.
Ahluwalia, who has spent a decade reporting detailed, narrative stories around India’s consumer boom, describes the book as an attempt to document not just Bira’s rise, but also the decisions and failures that accompanied it.
“In any startup, what fails is as important to understand as what works,” said Ahluwalia. “I have followed Bira since its early years. It is a phenomenal consumer story to have come out of India, and this book is my attempt to document that ambition, rise and fumbles.”
Rather than presenting entrepreneurship solely through the lens of success, Bad Hangover positions failure as an equally important part of understanding a business. The book examines what happens when ambition, relationships and startup culture collide—and the lessons that can emerge from an avoidable collapse.
From Long-Form Journalism To Business Books
For Slowform Holdings, the launch represents an extension of the editorial approach that has defined The Morning Context since its founding in 2019.
The digital news organisation has built a global subscriber base of more than 300,000 readers across India, the Middle East, the United Kingdom and the United States. Its new publishing division aims to bring that same emphasis on depth and rigour to business books.
Ashish K. Mishra, co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Morning Context, sees books as a natural progression for an organisation whose journalism is rooted in long-form storytelling.
“Books are a natural extension of The Morning Context’s journalism with our specialization in long-form writing. The space is ripe for disruption where business books must be written by practitioners who understand how to serve the best interests of readers.”
Slowform Publishing House says it intends to create business books that function as lasting records of business history. Its stated approach stands in contrast to what it describes as an industry increasingly inclined towards uncritical and celebratory business narratives.
A Different Take On The Indian Startup Story
The choice of Bira as the subject of the publishing house’s first title places the new division at the intersection of India’s consumer boom, startup culture and entrepreneurial ambition.
Bira’s journey has long been associated with the evolution of India’s craft beer and modern consumer economy. Bad Hangover approaches that journey not simply as a brand success story, but as a study of what went wrong.
The result, according to Slowform, is intended to be an Indian startup story told through the less celebrated realities of entrepreneurship—unchecked ambition, extravagance, strained relationships and the consequences of pushing hustle culture too far.
For a business-book category often dominated by founder memoirs and success stories, Slowform Publishing House is positioning itself around a different editorial proposition: understanding businesses through both their victories and their failures.
‘Bad Hangover’: Publication Details
Title: Bad Hangover
Author: Harveen Ahluwalia
Publisher: Slowform Publishing House
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 978-1-0668987-0-1
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 9 October 2026
With Bad Hangover, Slowform Publishing House enters the market with a story that goes beyond the conventional startup playbook—one that asks readers to look closely at what happens when ambition succeeds, expands and ultimately begins to unravel.
