Innholdsfortegnelse for December 11, 2017 i India Today

In the 1980s, then Gujarat chief minister Madhavsinh Solanki created a vote-catching acronym that worked for the Congress party, KHAM, which sought to address Kshatriyas, Dalits (the acronym was based on their description as “Harijan”), Adivasis and Muslims as one consolidated vote bank. The formula worked, with the party winning 149 of the 182 seats in the Gujarat assembly in 1985. More than 30 years later, Congress leaders are speaking of a KHAP formula, where Muslims have been replaced by Patels, who had once aligned completely with the BJP. But the three young men who are prime interpreters of Gujarat’s maladies have little or nothing to do with the Congress originally. There is Hardik Patel, at 24 too young to contest elections, but leading the powerful Patel community in Gujarat…

A combination of recent reports, including the Global Nutrition report released recently in Milan and a book-length study by the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment, show that while Indians continue to suffer in huge numbers from malnutrition, they also suffer in increasing numbers from diseases associated with diets rich in processed foods and sedentary habits. Tens of millions of people in India are obese, leading to increased rates of cardiovascular disease, hypertension and diabetes. The majority of deaths in India are now caused by so-called non-communicable diseases, illnesses that are the result of lifestyle choices from smoking to drinking to eating poorly. And the costs of not treating obesity will, within the next decade, become astronomical. 22% Of adult Indian women are obese, says Global Nutrition Report 2017, compared…

Princess Syndrome Coined in Southeast Asia, a ‘princess sickness’ afflicts girls who grew up affluent in the tiger economies and whose world-view is infected by entitlement. In India, we should recast ‘princess sickness’ to refer to those of us who cannot stop fawning and doffing our caps in the presence of ‘princesses’, preferably blonde ones. Ivanka Trump’s arrival in Hyderabad for an entrepreneurship summit prompted the Indian media to prostate itself at her pedicured feet. Our prime minister, a connoisseur of the photo-op, couldn’t fly to Hyderabad fast enough to open the conference by her side. Meanwhile, newspapers in the US wondered about the irony of Ivanka waxing lyrical about women entrepreneurs while her company routinely underpays and overworks the women they employ in countries such as India. Internet of…

Hard taskmaster that he is, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been trying to make allrounders out of the party’s Lok Sabha MPs, exp ecting them to become experts in economic, social, diplomatic and strategic affairs. However, having realised he might be expecting too much, he sent out a circular early November asking each MP to nominate at least five young people from their constituency who are domain experts in these fields. The MPs, perhaps afraid to create political rivals, did not comply. Annoyed, the PM asked again, this time with a deadline of November 26. Again, nothing. Furious perhaps, the PM is believed to be preparing a fresh circular—one with harsher penalties, such as no tickets for the 2019 elections. That should get their attention.…

OWNERSHIP OF THE LOGO WOULD HAVE MEANT 10 PER CENT IN ROYALTIES TO ABHISHEK FOR ITS USE Chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s plans to promote nephew Abhi shek Banerjee as ‘No. 2’ in the ruling Trinamool Congress may be in jeopardy. Mukul Roy, the CM’s long-time confidant who recently quit to team up with the BJP, has blown the lid off a closely guarded secret: the Biswa Bangla logo, emp loyed to hard-sell Bengal and promote official programmes, is allegedly owned by Abhishek and not the state, as people were apparently led to believe. Roy alleges that even the FIFA Under-17 World Cup finals, hosted in Kolkata by the state government and promoted using the Biswa Bangla logo, was in fact sponsored privately by a company owned by Abhishek. The allegations…

Q. Shiksha mitras held huge protests in UP recently... A. A large number of teachers were appointed under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and RTE. It’s impossible to confirm all of them at one go. Since education is a state subject, every state has its own rules. However, the Centre had mandated TET as a qualification. The appointment of those who did not clear TET has now been reversed in UP. The government has organised a second TET exam. After RTE, teachers were given the option of getting a diploma in education. Some 4-5 lakh teachers did, but another 15 lakh did not. Now they have been given another chance, till 2019. Q. Last December, you told Parliament there were close to nine lakh primary school teacher vacancies. A. That is…

While many superlatives come to mind when defining an iconic brand like Breguet, creativity, innovation and flawless aesthetics are closest when it comes to the brand’s true blue character. In an attempt to reinterpret the unique heritage of this brand, Breguet has launched the Breguet Marine équation Marchante 5887—a sophisticated horological complication with a stunning finish. It simultaneously indicates civil time and true time by means of two separate minutes hands. The complexity that the running equation of time summons to this model is naturally complemented on this Grande Complication by a perpetual calendar. The date appears inside the chapter ring by means of a retrograde hand tipped with an anchor motif, sweeping across an arc running from 9 to 3 o’clock. The watch also flaunts a third complication: a…

UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE SCHOLARSHIP The University of Twente, Netherlands, is offering scholarships at masters level in the field of applied mathematics, health sciences and public administration for international students from both EU/EEA and non EU/EEA countries. The scholarship value ranges from €3,000 - €25,000 for a year. The deadline for round one applications is February 1, 2018. Check www.utwente.nl MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP Macquarie University, Australia, has announced scholarships worth AUD $1.5 million for Indian students. This includes women’s scholarship for postgraduate students, undergraduate academic excellence scholarship and Vice-chancellor’s international scholarships. They cover tuition fee for full duration of the course. The deadline is January 31, 2018. Check www.mq.edu.au…

PREPARING FOR AN AUTOMATED UNIVERSE If the Indian education system has to prepare its students and young work force to meet the demands and expectations of an increasingly advanced technological world, then it has to be very robust and integrate technology within the system. The first step that needs to be taken is to educate people differently, so they’re prepared to work alongside automated machines or do the jobs that machines cannot. We need to perceive technology as an extension to human brains. We don’t know how quickly machines will displace people’s jobs, or how many they’ll take, but we know it’s happening and it’s happening across portfolios. Schools need to teach traits that machines can easily replicate such as creativity, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, adaptability and collaboration. The government…

As you rise in your career and grapple with the challenges within your organisation, the knowledge of management becomes imperative. On several occasions, my limited business perspective acted as a hindrance. What was obvious to me was that I needed to do an MBA. What was not so obvious was the process of selecting a good programme. I was enjoying my job and did not want to quit or take a break for a year. At the same time, I was not keen on an online education. IIM Bangalore’s (IIMB) postgraduate programme in enterprise management (PGPEM) was the ideal solution. It is a two-year postgraduate diploma designed for working professionals. Classes are held on weekends at IIM Bangalore’s campus on Bannerghatta Road. At IIMB, you get a chance to learn…

The present VUCA (a managerial acronym used to reflect on the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity of the situations) world is witnessed by both opportunities and challenges and important determinants such as globalisation, immigration issues, income inequality and diversity, climate change, digital disruption against digital learning, the future of jobs and changing leadership trends. The environment demands creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship which are going to decide the future of tomorrow’s workplace. The role of management institutions and their need to adopt to current trends in building talent workforce of tomorrow is important. A mix of professional skills with leadership styles developed through rigorous teaching and hands-on experience helps in preparing them to outperform the challenges posed by the business environment. DIVERSITY IN STUDENT PROFILES This benefits both institutions and students…

“UNIVERSITIES CAN NO LONGER BE TEACHING CENTRES; THEY HAVE TO BE KNOWLEDGE GATHERING CENTRES” Not every brilliant scientist can be an excellent institution builder but Rupamanjari Ghosh, 59, has had lots of practice. Vice-Chancellor of Shiv Nadar University (SNU) at Greater Noida, the physicist who specialises in quantum mechanics/quantum optics also help build the School of Physical Sciences at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi. “We did a lot of dreaming there,” she says of the institution where she was between 1988 and 2012. “We believed in excellence without compromise,” she recalls. “JNU gave us a lot of space for arguments and dissent. The Academic Council meetings were a delight.” As committee chair, she played a critical role in the review of JNU admission rules, which makes JNU so distinctive.…

India should be worried, there is talk in Pakistan that the army is trying to mainstream jihadi groups The series of events in Pakistan over the past two months that culminated in the siege of its capital Islamabad by adherents of the Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYRA)—and the following abject surrender of the state—are an ominous warning of the rise of the religious right in the country. The TLYRA is a Barelvi group formed following the execution of Mumtaz Qadri, the police guard who killed Punjab Governor Salman Taseer in 2011 and was hanged for the crime in February 2016. In September-October 2017, the political wing of the TLYRA called the Tehrik-i-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) and the JUD/ LeT-linked Milli Muslim League (MML) burst on Pakistan’s political scene by doing surprisingly…

A presidential ordinance tweaking the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code to bar promoters of defaulting companies from regaining control of their assets—those being sold under the bankruptcy process—has professionals divided. The amendments aim to keep out wilful defaulters, those associated with non-performing assets (NPAs) or habitual non-compliers. Shardul Shroff, executive chairman of law firm Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas, says such promoters have led their firms to insolvency and caused banks loss of income, which is enough to disqualify them. Others feel the amendm ents will disrupt nearly all pending insolvency proceedings. With a majority of promoters ineligible, the potential value of the assets could reduce considerably. Brokerage firm Kotak Securities says reduced competition can increase losses for banks during recovery. M.R. Umarji, a senior member of the committee on bankruptcy law, says…

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is not a man to waste time. He is on course to move out of Hyderabad into his state’s new capital Amaravati well ahead of the June 2024 deadline. Next on his to-do list: move his TDP from its present VIP zone in Banjara Hills to its new headquarters in Amaravati before May next year. The TDP supremo laid the foundation stone for the new office on November 26—three five-storeyed blocks on 3.6 acres between Vijayawada and Guntur. Welcome to Amaravati’s VIP zone.…

AADHAAR MAY HAVE WEEDED OUT ‘BOGUS’ FARMERS, BUT IT’S ALSO CONFOUNDED THE OFFICIALS MAKING THE LIST More than six months after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced his ambitious farm loan waiver, government officials are yet to even identify all the legitimate recipients, never mind transferring the promised money to the bank accounts of beneficiary farmers. Speculation about blunders in finalising the list of beneficiaries began mid-November, when it became known that some 80,000 farmers had furnished the same Aadhaar number to avail of the waiver. On November 28, principal secretary for IT, V.K. Gautam, was transferred out to the less prestigious treasury department. While the use of Aadhaar has brought a measure of success in weeding out ‘bogus’ cultivators—bringing down the total number of recipients from 8.9 million to 5.9…

Hasina Khatun, a Class IX student at a Hooghly madrasa, was living a nightmare. The six kilometres between her home and school included long deserted stretches. Chased by goons one evening, she barely made it home, breathless and miserable. It was the last straw. Her parents threw out her books and began looking for an acceptable groom. It would have been the end of Hasina’s dream to become the first graduate of her locality if not for a fortuitous gift from the Mamata Banerjee government—a brand new bicycle under the ‘Sabooj Saathi’ scheme for students in Classes IX to XII. The green initiative has so far listed 6 million beneficiary students in government schools, state-aided ones and madrasas. Analysts say at one bicycle per family, Mamata is looking to reach…

Subhas Chandra Bose is one of the most fascinating figures in India’s independence struggle, not only because his belief in armed struggle saw him part ways with Mahatma Gandhi but also because his real-life exploits seem straight out of John le Carré. His adventures included a daring disguised escape from British India, a journey through Stalin’s Russia and Hitler’s Germany, and finally an alliance with Imperial Japan’s General Hideki Tojo, where he raised an army from captured British Indian army soldiers. His death in an air crash in present-day Taiwan in August 1945 continues to be the subject of enduring mystery and conspiracy theories—which seem credible only because of Bose’s extraordinary life. Despite all that, he has hardly made a blip in recent cinema. The one recent biopic, Shyam Benegal’s…

THE MIDNIGHT LINE Random House, 599 Lee Child’s iconic soldier hero, Jack Reacher, is back for more. This time, the spark of the adventure is the discovery of a pawned West Point class ring once worn by a woman cadet who graduated the prestigious military academy in 2005—amid two US wars. ARTEMIS Random House, 599 Fresh off the bestseller-turned-blockbuster success of The Martian, Andy Weir brings his snarky voice and hard sci-fi for dummies genius to the moon—now a mining colony and vacation spot for super-rich tourists. This time, there’s sabotage afoot. THE ROOSTER BAR Hodder & Stoughton, 399 John Grisham, king of the courtroom thriller, returns to the world of The Firm—inaway.Thistime it’s not a Harvard valedictorian sucked into a corrupt monolith, but three student-loan trapped grads out to…

Q. From small-town criminals to the largest civil aviation rescue in history, you’ve taken on varied subjects. What draws you to a story? All of a sudden it hits you and you can’t walk away from it. Barah Aana was initially about thehaves and have-nots, but became a story about dignity. Airlift was an incredible achievement that I felt had to be celebratedand Chef got me thinkingabout what it means to live in a modern Indian society. Q. How do you get the most out of your actors? Every actor is different in the way they approach a character. Naseeruddin Shah has a method. He becomes the character both physically and mentally before getting on set. Vijay Raaz is more spontaneous and his strength is his body language. Akshay Kumar’s…

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FAVOURITE INGREDIENTS Garlic, chilli, cilantro, lime, cumin, any type of grains or millet BIGGEST FOOD TREND Comfort food is back in action with a modern twist MOST UNDERRATED INGREDIENT Asafoetida (heeng) and turmeric FAVOURITE COOKING TECHNIQUE Braising is closer to my heart than other methods KITCHEN TOOL I CAN’T FUNCTION WITHOUT My knife, mortar pestle and a hand blender FAVOURITE FOOD COUNTRY India, Japan , Denmark, France, Spain, Italy , Portugal, Dubai, Mexico and every place that inspires…

POK POK THE DRINKING FOOD OF THAILAND Andy Ricker with JJ Goode A collection of 50 recipes of Thai drinking food — a largely unknown subset of Thai cuisine 400 pages 1,456 AT BALTHAZAR Reggie Nadelson A behind the scenes reveal of New York’s iconic Soho brasserie as it steps into its twentieth year. 353 pages 1,220 CHAI, CHAAT & CHUTNEY Chetna Makan A collection of simple Indian recipes inspired by street food across the country. 240 pages 1,399 THE BHOJPURI KITHCEN Pallavi Nigam Sahay A tribute to Bihar’s vast repertoire of traditional recipes. 177 pages 274 SMITTEN KITCHEN EVERYDAY Deb Perelman A collection of easy, fuss-free recipes that will change the course of your day. 352 pages 1,429 CORK DORK Bianca Bosker The tale of elite sommeliers who dedicate…

The process of setting up a blog is quite simple. But it’s important to be clear on boosting visibility, lest it will be left floating aimlessly in cyberspace. CHOOSE YOUR FOUNDATION Get hold of WordPress.org as it allows users to create their own domain (for free users, (dot) wordpress.com comes with the domain) and has a free hosting space. You can pick a theme to match your style and content. From travel writing to maintaining a news blog, WordPress has a number of options. Website www.wordpress.org PAID OR FREE Free DIFFICULTY LEVEL Medium PROCESS An extensive tutorial on Wordpress is available online GET MORE VISUALS Creating content that is engaging, relevant and comprehensive, whether it’s podcasts, articles or explanatory videos, is essential. Use platforms such as Pinterest and Shutter-stock…

Medicine has been and continues to be one of the most prestigious professions in the world. The thrill of constant learning combined with the contentment of alleviating human suffering are prime reasons for students to choose medicine over other career options which promise a faster and more reliable route to wealth. All this, and the joy of delving into the unknown to discover how life operates at all levels—technical, emotional, and philosophical. A physician’s work day is filled with examples of what the rest of the world describes as VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) situations. Doctors and their teams hop from one VUCA moment into another several times in a day. SAVE INDIA India has one doctor for 2,000 people, less than half the ratio recommended by the World Health…

If you are interested in pursuing an MBA degree, it is important that you make a list of vital points you need to consider before taking up what might be the most intense, nerve-wracking and gruelling phase of your career. You will need introspection, planning and execution tips to understand and survive through the B-school journey. START WITH YOUR GOALS What exactly you want from the degree? A better understanding of the business world, an influential network, a career change, or a shot at elite firms such as McKinsey and Goldman Sachs? Don’t assume you can get that clarity after you start the programme. Address the big questions before you begin. IDENTIFY THE RIGHT SCHOOL Start off by looking at institutions where your target firms recruit. That’ll improve your odds…

OPERATIONS AND SUPPLY CHAIN The various business aspects involved in the supply chain include strategic sourcing, production planning, and inventory management. Career prospects involve roles that span across industries and sectors such as FMCGs, pharmaceuticals, e-commerce, automotive, telecom, retail and consulting. Starting salary Between 15 lakh and 35 lakh per annum. MARKETING Compared to other fields of study in management, marketing has very few pre-requisites. While operations and information management would require the candidate to have relevant work experience, there is no such requirement for marketing. If there is anything that is looked for, then it is a bit of creativity. With a management degree in marketing, multiple avenues open up as career options. FMCG is one of the most coveted places to go for. Again, the track could be…

“CONSISTENT ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE PLAYED A PIVOTAL ROLE IN DETERMINING THAT I HAD THE COMPETENCY REQUIRED” From the launch of 104 satellites in space to the Mangalyaan (also known as the MarsOrbiter Mission)—over the course of 32 years, Dr B Valsa, 57, Deputy Director of Systems Reliability, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), a space research centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has been witness to India’s space revolution. A flight of fancy When I was a young girl living in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, the VSSC would conduct rocket launches every Wednesday evening. I remember my family looking forward to this mid-week treat and huddling up in our balcony at sharp six o’ clock waiting for the rocket to take off. I would often think to myself, how wonderful it would…

Whether it is self-driving cars or artificial intelligence (AI) bots used for answering user queries, the impact of technology on businesses is enormous. These innovations have made certain jobs redundant, but they also provide opportunities to people who have the skills to march ahead in their careers. ANALYTICS, GATEWAY TO NEW JOBS In times to come, most jobs that require people to sit in front of the computer and interpret data will be done by software or bots. Therefore, smart players—who know how to analyse data, its structure, and origins, are able to create links and find patterns between discrete but related data sets to make sound decisions—will excel. UPGRADING SKILL SETS Industries are going through a wave of disruption brought about by technological innovations. Those starting their careers in…

AIR FORCE 3 squadrons of surface-to-surface variants in service; air-launched version for 40 Su-30MKIs ARMY Ground launch variant; 3 regiments in service (each with 61 missiles); 4th regiment being raised NAVY Nine major warships equipped with 8- and 16-cell Brahmos launchers SUPERSONIC SCALPEL Weight: 3 tonnes (2.5 for air-launched version) Speed: Mach 2.8 (being increased to Mach 3.5 by 2020) Range: 290 km (being extended to over 600 km) Warhead: 200 kg (300 kg for air-launched) SUBMARINE VARIANT Successfully tested from submerged pontoon in March 2013. Likely fitment on Project 75I submarines under negotiation NOTE: A cruise missile is a guided weapon flying at constant speed to deliver an explosive package at the target The successful November 20 test of the air-launched version of the Indo-Russian Brahmos supersonic cruise missile…

With two seniormost Kerala-cadre IAS offic i als—A.K. Dubey and Aruna Sundera rajan—refusing to return home after their respective stints as Union sports and youth affairs secretary and Union telecom secretary, the third-in-line Paul Anthony is set to become Kerala state chief secretary after K.M. Abraham on December 30. It’ll be a blink-and-miss-it term for the current secretary for industries, though—he retires on April 30, 2018. Sandeep Unnithan with Sujit Thakur, Jeemon Jacob, Romita Datta and Amarnath K. Menon…

Twenty-eight months after the Central Bureau of Investigation took charge of the high-profile Vyapam scam, there are suggestions that the Madhya Pradesh police’s special task force (STF) which initially led the probe may have helped some of the accused. On November 23, owners of four private medical colleges approached the CBI special court in Bhopal seeking anticipatory bail. Each of their applications was rejected at the close of proceedings that went on till 2 am. Earlier that evening, the CBI submitted its chargesheet in the 2012 pre-medical test (PMT) case accusing 592 individuals. Among them were Ajay Goenka, the high-profile owner of Bhopal’s Chirayu Medical College, J.N. Chauksey of L.N. Medical College, S.S. Bhadoria of Indore’s Index Medical College and S.N. Vijayvargiya of People’s Medical College in Bhopal. The list…

ON NOVEMBER 18, THE AIR in Sarbhan village in Bharuch district was thick with anticipation. The day before, three ‘sex’ CDs allegedly involving Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) convenor Hardik Patel had surfaced and were discussed threadbare on several TV channels. A crowd of around 10,000 had gathered to hear Hardik speak. More than the speech, it would seem, people were eager to see how the 24-year-old would react in his first public meeting since the CDs. Hardik’s convoy of SUVs kicked up dust as it arrived in the village. As he alighted, 10 Patel girls welcomed him, applying tilak on his forehead, an indication of what was to come. Hardik climbed on to the stage and proceeded to tear into the BJP. “I have lived as many years as…

IF the measure of good life is counted in years, here’s a bit of good news. Indians are living longer, up from 32 years at the time of Independence to nearly 70 years now, and living healthier: the number of years lost to ill-health, disability or premature death has dropped 36 per cent per capita between 1990 and 2016. The future looks bright. Or does it? Why does India, the rising economic star of South Asia, have the second lowest life expectancy, 11 years less than even tiny Sri Lanka? How come it carries a 72 per cent higher burden of disease than China? The paradox becomes acute when one digs into the state of the nation’s states: as many as 10 of them fall short of the national life…

‘Sacred Games has great crossover potential... we want to do amazing Indian content for the world’ Q Amazon Prime announced a long roster of India originals with big banners. Do you feel the need to speed up your own Indian shows? All of us are small compared to Hot—Star. They have a great subscription service which offers cricket and news. What we are trying to do different is original content like The Crown, Stranger Things, Narcos, and soon, Indianoriginalslike Sacred Games. We want to do amazing Indian content for the world. If we do great shows, people will join Netflix and talk about it independent of what others do. Q Who do you see as your biggest competition here? There’s two ways to think about it. What do people do…

“I think fanaticism is soon going to be as destructive as terrorism” The author of five novels, Kochi-based Anees Salim has won critical acclaim for his subtle, literary approach to tragedy. He spoke with india today about the vision he brings to the page. Q. Who do you like to read? A. My favourite authors continue to be the ones I read when I was barely 20. George Orwell, Graham Greene, V.S. Naipaul, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, William Faulkner… I am a slow reader, and I envy people who finish reading a big book inside a week. Q. About Vanity Bagh, you said, ‘The book is not about hope but about hopelessness.’ Would you say the same about The Small- Town Sea? A. The Small-Town Sea is definitely…

FOOD IS INHERENTLY LINKED TO nostalgia and flavours are locked in biscuit-size packets only to be pulled out and savoured afresh at a later stage when you are desperate to reconnect with the past through a mouthful. Indian food history is peppered with references to the influence of Partition on eating habits, highlighting how certain ingredients have disappeared from our food because no one claimed ownership of them when the country was being split. In this issue, our cover reflects reconciliation between the past and present Indias. Asma Khan spent her early years in West Bengal and is of Bengali (Muslim) and Bihari (Hindu) descent so her food palate was coated with dishes bombarded with flavours that were part of her family’s food lineage. Her new London restaurant, Darjeeling Express,…

Fresh is an oft-violated word when it comes to food. After all, how fresh can the food be at a resort that houses two hotels, twelve restaurants, a spa and a medical wellness centre? Very, as it turns out. Bürgenstock Resort takes its food and drink quite seriously, and it’s a brand philosophy that shines bright with an army of cuisines rolled out across its dozen restaurants and bars; all of which come with a side of stunning views of Lake Lucerne. How’s that for dinner with a view? Starry affair The fine dining experience at RitzCoffier is helmed by three Michelin star chef Marc Haeberlin and resonates with the classic trappings of an 18th century French dining room. The original fireplace from the 1873 Grand Hotel takes centre stage…

WITH AN AIM TO foster academic links, National Skill Development Council (NSDC) and Deakin University, Australia, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for projects on conducting data analytics and impart evaluation studies in the skills ecosystem. The projects would catalyse bridging the skill gap and promote quality training. Both will organise workshops, seminars and conferences for knowledge sharingon research, analytics and impact assessment.…

A 2017 Harvard Medical School study found that patients treated by international doctors showed better health outcomes in the US. Indians comprise the largest chunk of immigrant doctors in the US and UK. Academic posts at the newly set-up AIIMS institutions in Indian cities remain vacant due to shortage of doctors. The stress training, skill and resilience gained at India’s medical schools operating in midst of tough and under-resourced social system contribute to stellar performance of India’s doctors.…

A platform that helps one study different aspects of business such as finance, sales, marketing, operations and human resources, management is a life-changing experience for students who pursue it and helps shape their ideas and goals. It also equips them with the requisite skills for their career—those which are needed to run a company, interpret data collected from the industry, hire the right people, create healthy hierarchies and take tough decisions. Pushing the boundaries An MBA forces you to get out of your comfort zone, deal with issues in the business world and learn new management techniques. Management is all about teamwork and collaboration. Our MBA course has made us team players and sharpened our communication skills. The two-year programme has allowed us to experience a new city and culture…

“APART FROM REGULAR CORE AND ELECTIVE COURSES, WE HAVE UNIQUE CORE SUBJECTS SUCH AS SELF-AWARENESS AND PERSONAL GROWTH, MANAGERIAL VALUES, BUSINESS ETHICS AND BUSINESS BEYOND PROFITS” R RAGHU RAMAN Chairman, Amrita School of Business, Coimbatore “THE INSTITUTE OFFERS CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH THROUGH EMPIRICAL STUDIES, OFFERING ELECTIVES, WHICH MIX THEORY AND APPLICATIONS” EASWAR KRISHNA IYER Director, Admissions, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai “WE ARE THE ONLY B-SCHOOL IN INDIA TO OFFER DUAL SPECIALISATION AMONG FINANCE, MARKETING, OPERATIONS, HR AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY” ZILLUR RAHMAN Associate Professor and Head, Department of Management Studies, IIT Roorkee “CREATIVITY, CRITICAL THINKING, TIME MANAGEMENT, AND GOOD DECISION-MAKING SKILLS ARE MOST VALUABLE ASSETS FOR MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONALS” UDAY SALUNKHE Group Director, Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research (WE School), Mumbai…

SHEHLA RASHID SHORA 28, Student of M Phil, Jawaharlal Nehru Univeristy (JNU), Delhi; Member, All India Students Association and former Vice-President, JNUSU Be it leading a students’ agitation demanding the release of Kanhaiya Kumar or fighting for gender equality, Shehla Rashid Shora is a prominent voice in student politics with a wide following on social media. “Student politics teaches us how to ask meaningful questions, which is the basic tenet of science. It gives you an overall perspective on various things, how history has evolved or how technology has shaped things. I use the convergence of law, technology and society in my work,” says Shora. She shot into the limelight when a video of her, addressing students of JNU during the Kanhaiya Kumar controversy last year was shared online and…

In India, education has become like one of those virtual reality games that you play on your smartphone. Our schools are failing to prepare children for the demands of the real world. How can we do things differently? DEPRIORITISE OBSOLETE SKILLS SUCH AS HANDWRITING In a future where we will use our pens only to sign cheques, what is the need to bother about standing lines and sleeping lines? There are many such so-called skills, prioritised by most schools today, which are going to be obsolete tomorrow. We instead need to focus on four skills—language, logical thinking, social maturity and technology applications. BE CREATIVE IN IMPARTING LANGUAGE SKILLS Without being a prolific reader, how can you expect to have an understanding of the world? We all learnt to read well…

Style File TRENDY TWIST Sashi Vangapalli The new-age bride in 29-year-old Sashi Vangapalli’s lookbook is all about drawing from the endless possibilities of modernity, while being deeply connected to one’s roots. Customary reds have been replaced by beautifully embellished whites and demure pinks, contrasted with bold cuts to create subtle drama. Known for her richly detailed and intricately embroidered ensembles, this season Vangapalli offers brides flared lehengas teamed with shoulder-baring crop tops or long-sleeved peasant style blouses. Pretty pastels and intense blues are her colours, “for a carefully curated trousseau featuring diverse looks for the various festivities of a wedding,” she says. The same intricacy of detailing and richness of colours are used in sherwanis and bandgalas for grooms. At Mugdha Art Studio Tel 9010906544 Details facebook.com/mugdhaartstudio REFASHION REUSE Seema…