4 Ways That Engineering Has Changed Our Lives In The Last 50 Years
As we look back and reflect on the last 50 years, it is astounding to note not just the sheer number of new engineering breakthroughs, but also the quantum of advancements on existing technologies....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Indiaries, Part One: On Fallen Heroes And Inevitable Changes
This is the first post in a series of my notes on India. Purely for the sake of argument and not to assign any blame, it all started with the death of my universally beloved grandfather. A jovial, wise...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wolf Of Food Street: India's Growing Nutritional Crisis
We Indians love our food. The chaat-pakoris, the ghee-smeared aloo paranthas, the lip-smacking and exclusive Maharaja Macs, the decadent shahi tukda from Chandni Chowk or that irresistible Nani ke...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chetan Bhagat, Twitter Trolls And Some Gentle Advice
Popular fiction-writer Chetan Bhagat's column last week in a mainstream newspaper caused considerable heartburn among hardline right-wing social media fanatics, frequently christened as #ModiBhakts....
View ArticleWhy The Film Industry Needs To Talk About Donating Eyes
Most Indian moviegoers are familiar with the iconic Shirdi wale Saibaba song where a blind Nirupa Roy miraculously gets her eyesight back. Just like that! (It was perhaps the craziest medical 'miracle'...
View ArticleCalling The Bluff Of The Emerging-Market Stereotype
By Dheeraj Sinha I was recently on a panel at Cannes Lions 2015 to discuss the future of strategy. The panel discussed several roles that strategy plays in this fast-evolving, tech- and data-driven...
View ArticleThe Injustice Of It All: An Interview With Avirook Sen About His Book 'Aarushi'
I confess that I never followed the Aarushi case. I stopped watching television many years ago. I also had no idea that Avirook was writing a book on it. I have known him from our school days. I...
View ArticleSwapan's Picks: Unbeatable Places For A Bit Of Rest And Recreation
This year has been horrid, but in a good year I end up taking quite a few short breaks. For these breaks, I stay clear of the usual ritzy hotels. I seek places with character. And all of them within...
View ArticleClik here to view.
8 Things Matchmakers Don't Tell You
Marriages are one of the highest trending topics of late. Be it Richa Chadda's controversial take on arranged marriages, Deepika Padukone's My Choice video or Katrina Kaif's "when is the right time to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Sweet Iftar Morsel From Dhaka
Ramadan is a month of abstinence for Muslims. People practice mercy, compassion and rigorous fasting. They do not eat, drink or smoke from dawn till dusk. But when sundown comes, it's party time. For...
View ArticleAyodhya: The Final Solution
After the literal amputation of it in August 1947, what happened in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992, is arguably the most grievous, still-festering, self-inflicted wound on the original idea of India. I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Has The 'Child' In Childhood Disappeared?
Remember the song 'Bachpan ke din bhi kya din the, udte phirte titli ban?' As I hum the words, I look back nostalgically at my own childhood; those carefree days devoid of gadgets, satellite TV and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Worked To Death
Sarvashresth Gupta, 22 years old and working with Goldman Sachs, was found dead in April this year at the parking lot near his house. Details surrounding his death are still unclear but days before he...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Indiaries, Part Two: Absence Of Angst And Abundance Of Anecdotes
Angst. One of the perhaps most defining characteristics of India and its people is the lack of angst. "Angst" is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as: - [F]ear or apprehension, a feeling of deep...
View ArticleHow Will The Trans-Pacific Partnership Affect India?
On 24 June 2015, the United States President Barack Obama was given the authority by the United States Congress to expedite negotiations for a massive trade deal - the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) -...
View ArticleClik here to view.
3 Ways To Dethrone King Cash
In stark contrast to the US or the UK where 50-70% of retail payments are electronic, in India that number is approximately 3%. Banks have made a conscious effort to encourage the adoption of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Commonwealth Of Kashmir: A 3-Step Proposal
As the borders of Kashmir once again echo with the sound of gunfire and homes in India and Pakistan wake up to news of their people dying, I'm reminded of my friends from the National Defence Academy...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Drinking Unsafe Water In India: What Next?
This May, a sudden outbreak of diarrhoea in Delhi left many of its denizens queuing up to the nearest doctor's chambers. While trips to toilets, doctors and pharmacies summed up another Delhi summer,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Give It Up: MPs Don't Need Subsidised Snacks To Do Their Job
About a million Indians have relinquished their LPG subsidies in less than four months since Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged them to "Give it Up" voluntarily for the benefit of the more...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Try Facial Yoga To Look Younger
If you're thinking about stratospherically priced "miracle" creams, Botox or going under the knife to achieve a wrinkle-free face, pause for a minute. Do you know that facial yoga, if practiced...
View Article