Agriculture
Green thumbs up
In his retirement years, G. Raghava Reddy, a former IPS officer, has turned his interests to more down-to-earth matters -- he wants to prove that agriculture is commercially viable, especially to convince unemployed youth who migrate
to urban areas because ``farming doesn't pay''.
Consumer Notes
From convenience to consumerism
Gone are the days when Indian housewives had to use a grinding stone or a chakli or a pestle and mortar to prepare food for the family. Not only did this involve physical exertion but it also took a longer time to prepare the various chutneys, masalas, e
tc. Even cooking rice and dals was an act of drudgery.
Corporate
Wheels of fortune
We all know that e-commerce is the new gateway to corporate success. But ever heard of m-commerce? No? Well, those into it say m-commerce or mobile commerce can literally put wheels on your business and take you places.
A moving performance
Who would buy a mini-van, convert it into a science laboratory and drive from village to village teaching students -- who are normally deprived of even a decent classroom -- the joys of modern science?
Swaying power
Mark Antony's speech in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar is a case study of a perfect persuasive message. It contains a wealth of persuasion techniques that can be applied to any situation and with any audience.
Environment
Skeletal impact
When three activists and a `cow' from the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) demonstrated outside the India International Leather Fair at Chennai in January this year, they were using a method perfected by activists over decades. They were le
veraging the presence of the media as a force multiplier for their small presence.
Hotels
Hungry for change?
They're soft, succulent and juicy. Bite into one and you'll find yourself reaching for another without much ado! Momos -- those white dumplings stuffed with mince-meat or a vegetarian filling and eaten with a special momo sauce, a fiery c
hilli-hot concoction -- are selling like hot cakes at Pamling, a Tibetan restaurant which opened in Chennai recently. Four to a plate and priced at Rs. 24 for non-veg and Rs. 17 for the vegetarian ones and they're over in no time at all.
Miscellaneous
Silver lining
Helpage India seems to have taken a few tips from development organisations working with women. It has introduced a micro-credit scheme for senior citizens, offering collateral-free loans at low interest rates to those in need.
Telecommunications
New show on the block
Chris Cramer, President, CNN International was in India the other day to announce the launch of CNN's new South Asia channel. ``The last time I was here -- early this year -- I had promised we would make a difference,'' he said. ``Well, here it is.'' If
you had tuned in to CNN on July 3, you would have noticed what Cramer calls the broadcaster's ``biggest strategic development -- the first sub-regional channel''. It's a modest start, he says, with a five-hour prime time block and if all goes well in the
future, they might even use a local language, not necessarily the national language, Hindi. Local language versions in Germany, Spain and Turkey are a huge success, Cramer says.
Travel & Places
Get off at Bhopal
I was lucky to be staying in the perfect place. Sitting on the terrace of the Omar Taj Suite at the Noor-us-Sabah Palace while dusk fell, I was able to watch the glorious sight of the sun setting over the lake. As the sky turned orange, the re
flections in the lake took on the same hue... fading into an orange-grey and then into darkness. This was Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, a city that I had wanted to visit for a long time. The Bhopal tragedy was still fresh in my mind bu
t sitting in this serene spot, it was difficult to reconcile the disaster with this beautiful city.
Forever bright
The sun shines for many months in the year here and things are buzzing in this Scandinavian corner. The city is big but not entirely impersonal. There are still some small-town touches that endear it to visitors and enhance its value.
French countryside
Beyond Paris, France is a mosaic of tiny villages, walled medieval cities and fishing ports. There is an old-world charm about these villages -- the narrow cobbled streets, the shops stocking souvenirs and bric-a-brac, the old men ambling along and stopp
ing to have a chat with a fellow citizen at an unhurried pace. This hermetically sealed world offers a tourist a peep into a charmed world as folks go about their business with nonchalance.
