Advertising & Marketing
Khadi courts chic label
I belong to the lost generation which wore khadi as a fashion statement. Teamed with American blue jeans, the oversize gents' khadi kurtas in basic blue and green, flaming red and orange were where it was at. Those not in the know, wore salwaar kam
eez -- as far as we were concerned, the neon-bright, droopy-shoulder-kurtas were the ultimate in campus cool.
Agriculture
The grain story
In a small, musty room, men and women sort small piles of paddy and put them into long brown envelopes. Each rice grain is carefully examined before it is sorted. Under the National Agricultural Technology Project (NATP), on-farm samples are being collec
ted, which is what is being sorted out at the Indira Gandhi Agricultural University, Raipur.
Consumer Notes
Get a complete cover
Two identical cases regarding household and transportation insurance have come to my attention. Mallika, till recently living in Chennai, shifted to Hyderabad, when her husband took up a job there. To transport their household goods, they en
gaged the services of a company, after negotiating and finalising the rates. The company asked Mallika to pay insurance to cover the risk of transportation, so that in case of any damage during transit, the insurance company would compensa
te. The insurance premium thus collected was 3 per cent of the total value of the goods. This was included in the invoice prepared by the company and Mallika paid the total amount.
Corporate
Crusade against counterfeit
The last year or so has seen accelerated activity among Indian corporates to bust the manufacturing of fake products. With flat sales figures despite increased consumer spending, and an urban pilot research study by AC Nielsen indicating that
the FMCG segment in the country alone incurs a loss of about Rs 1,800 crore due to counterfeit products, corporate India seems to be waking from its deep slumber. The enforcement agencies also appear to be getting proactive, considering
that the Nielsen study estimates the Government's loss on account of tax evasions by unauthorised manufacturers to be around Rs 600 crore.
New Vogue in town
There is a new buzz getting around in corporate Chennai these days. `New Vogue', the new dance form has corporate Chennai making Latino moves to the distinct beats of the classical Indian percussion, the tabla. New Vogue is being pioneered by
the Hot Shoe Dance Company, Chennai's premier dance institution. ``In fact, our aim is to enable the body to be supple and hard as well to suit the beats of the tabla,'' says Vardon Jeffery, Director of the company.
Management
Don't settle for just faith
Faith, they say, can move mountains. That's fine, but faith by itself can do little more than wait for someone else to come along and move them for you. Without the capability, without actual action, faith (or belief) by itself is a limp fis
h.
Miscellaneous
Young achievers
Corporate houses, Bajaj Auto and Champagne Indage recently teamed up with Mid-Day Pune which felicitated a group of city youngsters who have excelled in areas as diverse as music, astronomy, film-making and medicine. Manik Chandrachud, a seventeen-year-o
ld who recently bagged the Commonwealth English Speaking Union gold medal while representing India and a young doctor, Ninand Deshmukh seeking to develop low-cost technology for making cancer surgery more affordable for the masses, walked away with the T
op Young Achiever awards.
Reflecting fine taste
In tableware, metal has traditionally ruled Indian tastes for ages. But of late there has been a perceptible shift. A wide range of opalware, bone china and oven-proof opalware, both Indian and foreign, has flocked the market.
Building programmes
As the head of Jog Group, one of India's premier construction companies, Madhav Jog has found himself constantly dealing with government agencies. ``Ninety per cent of one's business involves dealing with the government,'' he says. It has clearly not alw
ays been a pleasant experience.
Textiles
Fading designs
Punjabi entrepreneurship has found expression not only in modern industry but also in traditional crafts. Phulkari, the traditional embroidery of Punjab, is providing livelihood to a large number of women embroiderers in the Patiala dist
rict and the business is today worth crores of rupees.
Travel & Places
The French connection
The weather is fine and you feel the need to take time off from the mechanics of city life to commune with your better-half and a better you. A weekend getaway adds considerably to the spontaneity of a happy holiday and comes with the added
freebie of not having to worry too much about bookings and waiting lists.
A drive to serenity
Sri Lanka has a variety of sights on offer; the ancient monuments speak of the country's two-millennia history, while the sun and sands on its vast coastline promise the comfort of modern holiday facilities with the thrill and excitement of water
sports. However, in addition to these, the tourist who makes it here during summer will find the travel to the refreshing air of the misty mountains really worth his time.
