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The recent ascension of Bhupendrabhai Patel and Charanjit Singh Channi to the posts of Chief Minister of Gujarat and Punjab marks the triumph of the B-player. Both were low profile individuals, not known to be particularly ambitious until they were unexpectedly named by their bosses to take over as CEOs of their two very prosperous […]
Brand Amul’s rather slavish advertisement thanking Narendra Modi for “20 years of service to the nation and unwavering support to the dairy cooperative movement” has understandably caused a stir. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, for one, has put out a tweet saying it is “utterly butterly atrocious” that Mr Modi should be given credit for something […]
In awarding model Aashna Roy damages of Rs 2 crore for a botched hair cut at the ITC Maurya hotel in Delhi, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) has created a history of sorts. Foreign networks have picked up on the news, with headlines like “Indian salon must pay more than 230,000 euros for […]
Most people loath to say no to promotion, especially if it comes with a higher salary, bigger cabin and better perks. Thus, salesmen become sales managers, software programmers become project managers and reporters become editors. But the transition from being an individual contributor to being a people manager (a boss) can actually be traumatic. From […]
Returning to Ahmedabad two years ago, after 20 years in Mumbai, I decided to apply for a liquor permit. At the Prohibition office, a quaint old red-brick bungalow at old city end of Ellis Bridge, I was told I first needed to submit my income tax returns for the past five years. I was rather […]
Thoughtfulness is when you take food over to the house of a sick neighbour. Politeness is when you hold open a door for someone getting out of a car. Social mindfulness, on which India has one of the lowest scores as per a global study published last week, is a more subtle concept. Like politeness […]
Milk production in Gujarat has now reached such proportions that the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) is unable to sell all of it. This year GCMMF (owner of the Amul brand) was obliged to convert the surplus into milk powder and sell this in the international markets at a loss. Last month, the Gujarat […]
Speaking at the Global Dairy Congress recently, Amul managing director RS Sodhi declared that plant based products like almond, soya and cashew milk are a major threat to the traditional milk industry. He then went to say these are “lab-based, artificial, highly processed” products and those who promote them are unethical. Some may say he’s […]
Way before India’s own LGBT community organized itself, there were organizations created by the South Asian diaspora. Trikone in the USA, Khush in Canada, Shakti in the UK: these organisations set the pace in the 80s and 90s and helped provide the LGBT community in India with much-needed support in the form of an international […]
Manbag, murse, city bag, it goes by many names, but the term that captures the essence of what it does is ‘man purse.’ Like its female counterpart, the man purse is meant to carry items men think of as essential when they are going out. And like the women’s purse, they are an important fashion accessory, speaking volumes about their […]
The cafes on SG Highway are a quick and easy measure of Ahmedabad’s mojo levels. Lining the three kilometer stretch from Thaltej to Bodakdev, these outdoor joints are buzzing again, after three months of partial lockdown. The ‘takeaway only’ period saw the cafes operating at minimal capacity, with customers picking up the occasional cups of […]
In March 2020, I was visiting a friend in Goa when the lockdown was announced. What was meant to be a week-long visit suddenly turned into a ten-week stay. Those who’ve been through such an experience would know this doesn’t bode well for a friendship. First of all, it breaks down the distancing required for […]
It has been two weeks since cinemas were allowed to open in Ahmedabad, but a quick check on BookMyShow reveals that only two have risen to the occasion so far. Located in the Western suburbs, both are screening old films like Godzilla vs Kong and Love Aaj Kal. Still, they may have an audience, for […]
Zydus Cadila Healthcare was one of the first to announce plansfor a Covid vaccine, more than a year ago, so its application for emergency approval for the 3-dose ZyCov-D last month is long overdue. The company has been cautious, but innovations like the needle-free applicator, which introduces the vaccine through the skin instead of the muscle, will probably make the delay worthwhile. Zydus has also tested the vaccine […]
Way back in 1968, I saw my first Hindi film at the age of seven. It was Ram Aur Shyam, starring Dilip Kumar in a double role. We lived in the US then and screening was courtesy of an NRI association in the town of Syracuse. It must have been a spur-of-the-moment plan, leaving my […]
I must admit, I was shocked when I heard the news that Citibank is planning to exit consumer banking in India. For those of a certain vintage era, Citi is an iconic organization, once considered the best job on business school campuses, offering Indians a global career. Citigroup even had an Indian-American global CEO in Vikram Shankar Pandit for five years, […]
Ever wondered what happened to the companies that once highlighted the entrepreneurial spirit of Gujarat? Well, these companies have now passed into the realm of history. Twenty-five years ago, when I was a journalist with The Economic Times, we had produced a listing of Gujarat’s Top 50 Corporate Giants. Such listings are common enough on […]
Gender stereotypes and years of conditioning, don’t really leave a choice for children in India, to choose their ‘true’ gender beneath their skin. A gender more acceptable to their soul than the society they breathe in. Take the case of a distant friend, who I took to be a lesbian, recently informed me that he […]
Gujarat is all set to house a unique Queer Bagh. The Queer Bagh has been conceived by the first gay prince of India and perhaps the world, Manvendra Sinh Gohil. It is modelled on an American LGBTQ community centre. Talking to Vibes of India (VoI), Prince Manvendra Sinh said, “The Queer Bagh is aimed to […]
