Tokyo charmed

The Republic Day celebrations in Delhi impressed the visiting Japanese delegation led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as much as anyone else. Some members of the team were particularly charmed by a tableau put up by the Agriculture Ministry, which showed people receiving information on prices and weather on cellphones. It was a case of straddling two worlds — a large population engaged in traditional farming practices, and the advancements the country has made in technology. The visitors wasted no time in suggesting that the Defence Ministry could send the tableau to Japan to showcase what India was capable of.

Storm in a teacup

Last week, the crowd rushing out of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station in Mumbai was in for a pleasant surprise. A group of students offered them garam chai for free. Riding on Mani Shankar Aiyer’s jibe against Narendra Modi, the students persuaded those who took the beverage to sign on a white board in support of Modi. An executive, who found it hard to handle the crowd, said drolly: “I only hope, too many cooks do not spoil the broth”.

Missile nationalism

A Sivathanu Pillai, head, BrahMos Aerospace, effectively used a brahmastram to silence restless students at a techno management fest at Chennai’s Anna University. After his long inaugural speech, he told the impatient crowd that he would finish by making them feel patriotic. In a second, a video of Lata Mangeshkar singing the national anthem appeared on screen. The emotion-packed song prompted the students rise in admiration. This was my brahmastram , quipped a triumphant Pillai.

Green house effect

Last month, Greenpeace ambushed Essar headquarters to hang a huge poster that read, “I Kill Forests: Essar”. The incident has prompted others to beef up security. A few days ago, when a Business Line reporter visited the office of a Mumbai-based conglomerate, he was surprised to see a representative of the company at the gate. It was learnt that the management had made it mandatory for all visitors to be received by a company official!

Words not enough

Journalists covering Ranbaxy’s tryst with the US drug regulator are running out of words to describe the company’s transgressions. As the pharma company’s fourth Indian plant came under the US scanner, a veteran tweeted he did not know how to begin the story, having repeated the same lines over several years. A younger scribe called it a never-ending crisis. Looks like the healthcare writers’ dilemma matches that of market reporters who often run out out of adjectives — Black Monday, Manic Friday, etc. — to describe the market slide.

Fire the files

Do you associate government offices with piles of files? “Our office has no files... the minutes of meetings are dictated immediately in front of everybody,” said Anil Swarup, Additional Secretary, who spearheads Project Monitoring Group of Cabinet Committee of Investment, at a maritime event. The group’s mandate is to iron out inter-ministerial delays faced by investors, and has an online platform to address investors’ woes. Will others follow suit?

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