Why did an online food delivery firm get flooded with calls from expecting mothers? All the result of a merry mix-up. The foodie company Faaso had put up a hoarding declaring “Now delivering at your doorstep”. Right next to it was a hoarding mounted by the real estate e-commerce player Housing showing a pregnant woman and the tagline: “Make room for happiness”. Naturally, Faaso was flooded with calls inquiring about “delivery at your doorstep” facility! Faaso tweeted: “Hey @Housing we were wondering why we were getting calls by expecting moms for delivery at doorstep . Now we know... " Housing tweeted back: “Happy homes and great food! #lookup @faasos, so much we can do #together for our mums-to-be!” Now, that’s synergy.

De-intoxicating price

Liquor, which has become a political hot potato in Kerala, has also became dearer from April 1. Finance Minister KM Mani, who is facing allegations of taking bribes from the bar owners’ association, has raised the excise duty on liquor again. Prices have gone up by ₹15 to ₹40 depending on brand, and beer is costlier by nearly ₹10. Already, a consumer who buys liquor from the government-owned Kerala State Beverages Corporation has to pay more than six times the actual price. The difference goes to the government coffers. Following the Kerala High Court’s March 31 verdict upholding the government’s new liquor policy, only bars attached to 24 five-star hotels in the State can serve liquor; a few hundred others may serve beer and wine.

Food for thought

For the American chain Burger King, the foray into India has been a huge learning experience. One surprising fact was that the northern part of the country is, in fact, more vegetarian than the southern, challenging a popular food myth.

Ask me

At a press meet called to announce the winners of the National Geoscience Awards 2013, Steel and Mines Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had to field questions of everything from steel import duty to the MMDR Act. But there was not a single question on the some of the best minds in mineral exploration today until Tomar, in desperation, said, “ Arrey , ask something on the award ceremony and the winners also!” There’s a limit to indifference, isn’t there?

Facing the MAT googly

All eyes will be on Finance Minister Arun Jaitley when he travels to the US mid-April to woo more foreign investments into India. Economy watchers are keen to see how he handles the minimum alternate tax related queries he is bound to encounter. Many international banks and funds see red over the Indian tax authorities’ attempts to levy MAT on foreign investors’ profits. Will Jaitley have some answers during his presentation at the prestigious Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington DC on April 17?

Waiting for a leader

The Karnataka unit of the BJP has gone on record that it is in no hurry to return to power in the State. This, in spite of Prime Minister Narendra Modi pointing out, at a public rally during the national executive council meeting in Bengaluru, how the State had benefited from the Centre’s largesse. The reasons for the State unit going slow are obvious: it hasn’t been able to throw up a leader who can lead the party at the hustings.

It’s a plane! It’s a bird!

You may be forgiven for thinking the departure lounge at Chennai airport — abysmally maintained at the best of times — had turned into an aviary. About ten days ago, a couple of pigeons were happily cooing away as they walked around as if it were home. And up above the rafters, a crow was flitting about. Add to this, ill-maintained loos, dirty carpets, and poor construction and you wonder whether it can get any worse. It can. Watch this space.

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