Jugaad is a South Asian term, from Hindi, for solving problems with ingenuity and whatever scarce resources are at hand. It means finding a clever, unconventional workaround rather than waiting for the perfect tool or budget. Over time it has become a management idea, often called frugal innovation: companies such as Tata, Renault-Nissan and Google have used jugaad-style thinking to cut research and development costs. The idea also covers repairs and redesigns by users, such as machines adapted to run on whatever power is available. Some economists argued in 2013 that the same resourcefulness could help developed economies recover from crisis.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.