In the western Himalayas, the entire village of Hamal is powered by a small hydroelectric plant on the edge of the Shalvi river. It produces enough power to light up 100 homes at a time, ending the village’s once-endemic power cuts.
Small hydro projects, producing up to 25MW, have the potential to transform India’s rural communities and are being driven by companies such as Vaishnavi Consultants, which completed the Hamal project in 2014.
The Indian government has said that by the end of March 2017 it hopes privately owned small hydro will be adding 7,000MW to the national grid, enough to power more than a million lightbulbs, although there is little indication as to whether they are on track.
For private companies that invest in small hydro, government subsidies and the growing demand for clean energy ensures a steady income. But after millions of dollars of investment, these plants, even at full capacity, can produce only a fraction of India’s total energy needs, so are they worthwhile?
Full post from The Guardian
Showing posts with label india. Show all posts
Showing posts with label india. Show all posts
Friday, 2 December 2016
Tuesday, 9 February 2016
Think Indian When You Kiss
Yes, the kiss—that glorious symbol of amorous and erotic love—originated in India. In fact, the first recorded kiss is found in our ancient Sanskrit scriptures, dating around 1500 BC.
Birds do it, bees do it… even educated fleas do it (and mind you, you and I do it too). Of course, before your overactive mind starts playing erotic tricks on you, let me bring it back on track and tell you that Let’s do it… Let’s fall in love (from where I have borrowed the opening line) is a legendary love song penned by Cole Porter in the 1920s, which became a forever-and-ever love anthem, celebrating the glorious power of amorous and erotic love. If you can look beyond the double entendre of the lyrics (for example, the cock and the doodle), with its subtle and not-so-subtle sexual euphemism, the song deals with the sublime experience of falling in love.
That is the basic premise of this month’s column, but instead of beating around the bush with all the hullabaloo of falling in love, we will redirect all our energies to a singular act of congress—a lover’s kiss. (Note: I know I could have used any of the other hundreds of words/slang terms that also mean “sex”, but I so wanted to use the word “congress”. Let’s change the discourse on intercourse, shall we? And as with everything else in this country, we too begin our “Chai minus Charcha” with congress.)
To the uninitiated, a kiss may just seem like a kiss—two pairs of lips coming together to touch or exchange salivary juices. Or then again, to use a more scientific definition as proposed by Dr Henry Gibbons (1800s), “a kiss is the anatomical juxtaposition of two orbicularis oris muscles in a state of contraction”. (There…try using that as a pick-up line! Go ahead, I dare you!) Of course, as we can gather from his definition, he probably abstained from any juicy exchanges, choosing to keep his prudishly puckered pout tightly closed. This one, clearly, was a “No Entry”.
Full post
Birds do it, bees do it… even educated fleas do it (and mind you, you and I do it too). Of course, before your overactive mind starts playing erotic tricks on you, let me bring it back on track and tell you that Let’s do it… Let’s fall in love (from where I have borrowed the opening line) is a legendary love song penned by Cole Porter in the 1920s, which became a forever-and-ever love anthem, celebrating the glorious power of amorous and erotic love. If you can look beyond the double entendre of the lyrics (for example, the cock and the doodle), with its subtle and not-so-subtle sexual euphemism, the song deals with the sublime experience of falling in love.
That is the basic premise of this month’s column, but instead of beating around the bush with all the hullabaloo of falling in love, we will redirect all our energies to a singular act of congress—a lover’s kiss. (Note: I know I could have used any of the other hundreds of words/slang terms that also mean “sex”, but I so wanted to use the word “congress”. Let’s change the discourse on intercourse, shall we? And as with everything else in this country, we too begin our “Chai minus Charcha” with congress.)
To the uninitiated, a kiss may just seem like a kiss—two pairs of lips coming together to touch or exchange salivary juices. Or then again, to use a more scientific definition as proposed by Dr Henry Gibbons (1800s), “a kiss is the anatomical juxtaposition of two orbicularis oris muscles in a state of contraction”. (There…try using that as a pick-up line! Go ahead, I dare you!) Of course, as we can gather from his definition, he probably abstained from any juicy exchanges, choosing to keep his prudishly puckered pout tightly closed. This one, clearly, was a “No Entry”.
Full post
Friday, 5 February 2016
6 successful women entrepreneurs who rock the Indian startup scene
The first woman entrepreneur I knew was my neighbour who started a papad manufacturing business in the early 90s. I remember my mother being in awe of her and did her best to help out the budding entrepreneur.
But that was the 90s and these entrepreneurs were never glorified or talked about in the media. Even the choices for women in India were limited - most enterprising women built home-based businesses.
Over the turn of the millennium, a lot of businesses based on the distribution model were popularized, and empowered women too. Every other person you met was either an Amway or Oriflame distributor.
Fast forward a few years and we have women rocking the proverbial boat by trying their hands on so-called "male-dominated" businesses.
Let me introduce here six phenomenal ladies who rule the Indian startup scene with their disruptive ideas. From software developer to recruiter, from a woman who travelled alone for days on end surveying small city hotels to one whose mission is to pamper other Indian women, they have been there, done that and aren't slowing down anytime soon.
Of course, we'll talk about their work (and companies), which speaks for itself.
Read the post
But that was the 90s and these entrepreneurs were never glorified or talked about in the media. Even the choices for women in India were limited - most enterprising women built home-based businesses.
Over the turn of the millennium, a lot of businesses based on the distribution model were popularized, and empowered women too. Every other person you met was either an Amway or Oriflame distributor.
Fast forward a few years and we have women rocking the proverbial boat by trying their hands on so-called "male-dominated" businesses.
Let me introduce here six phenomenal ladies who rule the Indian startup scene with their disruptive ideas. From software developer to recruiter, from a woman who travelled alone for days on end surveying small city hotels to one whose mission is to pamper other Indian women, they have been there, done that and aren't slowing down anytime soon.
Of course, we'll talk about their work (and companies), which speaks for itself.
Read the post
Monday, 1 February 2016
A ‘CUTS’ Approach to National Portal of India (india.gov.in)
E-service delivery through E-government portals and websites has resulted in simplification of bureaucratic processes among Indian populace. A collaborative effort of various government ministries and departments, at the Central/State/District level has institutionalized a single-window citizen access to information and services by various Indian Government entities. Being a Mission Mode Project under the National E-Governance Plan designed and maintained by National Informatics Centre (NIC), Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DEITY), MoCIT, Government of India, the National Portal of India provides various government mechanics online. Through Descriptive Qualitative Analysis, this paper evaluates the National Portal (www.india.gov.in) through an appraisal of selected front-end attributes using a theoretical framework. The framework will help to evaluate the design, development and possibility of successful adoption of the portal among an extensive socio-economic and culturally discrepant citizenry.
Read the article
Read the article
Thursday, 28 January 2016
India climate plan
India has a long history and tradition of harmonious co-existence between man and
nature. Human beings here have regarded fauna and flora as part of their family. This is part
of our heritage and manifest in our lifestyle and traditional practices. We represent a culture
that calls our planet Mother Earth. As our ancient text says; "Keep pure! For the Earth is our
mother! And we are her children!" The ancient Indian practice of Yoga, for example, is a
system that is aimed at balancing contentment and worldly desires, that helps pursue a path of
moderation and a sustainable lifestyle. Environmental sustainability, which involves both
intra-generational and inter-generational equity, has been the approach of Indians for very
long. Much before the climate change debate began, Mahatma Gandhi, regarded as the father
of our nation had said that we should act as ‘trustees’ and use natural resources wisely as it is
our moral responsibility to ensure that we bequeath to the future generations a healthy planet.
The desire to improve one's lot has been the primary driving force behind human progress. While a few fortunate fellow beings have moved far ahead in this journey of progress, there are many in the world who have been left behind. Nations that are now striving to fulfill this 'right to grow' of their teeming millions cannot be made to feel guilty of their development agenda as they attempt to fulfill this legitimate aspiration. Just because economic development of many countries in the past has come at the cost of environment, it should not be presumed that a reconciliation of the two is not possible.
It is possible for people to live in harmony with nature by harnessing its potential for the benefit of mankind without undue exploitation leading to irretrievable damage and consequences that block the progress of others. There is a need to evolve a set of precepts, a kind of commandments, especially for the youth of the world, that help in developing a unified global perspective to economic growth so that the disparity in the thinking of the 'developed' and 'developing' countries could be bridged. The removal of such barriers of thought and the creation of a regime where facilitative technology transfer replaces an exploitative market driven mechanism could pave the way for a common understanding of universal progress. If climate change is a calamity that mankind must adapt to while taking mitigation action withal, it should not be used as a commercial opportunity. It is time that a mechanism is set up which will turn technology and innovation into an effective instrument for global public good, not just private returns.
The challenge of climate change calls for extraordinary vision, leadership, compassion and wisdom. Human ingenuity and intellect will also play an important role in addressing this challenge. The cumulative accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs) historically since industrial revolution has resulted in the current problem of global warming. This is further compounded by the tepid and inadequate response of the developed countries even after the adoption of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and delineation of obligations and responsibilities. As a result, an ‘emission’ ambition gap has been created calling for enhanced global actions to address it. India, even though not a part of the problem, has been an active and constructive participant in the search for solutions. Even now, when the per capita emissions of many developed countries vary between 7 to15 metric tonnes, the per capita emissions in India were only about 1.56 metric tonnes in 2010. This is because Indians believe in nature friendly lifestyle and practices rather than its exploitation. By enhancing their efforts in keeping with historical responsibility, the developed and resource rich countries could reduce the burden of their action from being borne by developing countries that carry the additional responsibility of finding resources to meet their development needs and strive to improve their Human Development Index (HDI).
With the responsibility of ensuring a reasonable HDI for the country and the economic progress of its vast population, India has attempted to follow a path 'cleaner' than the one followed by many countries in the past. Today these countries may be in the forefront of development, even providing a model of growth to other developing countries. However, if India compares the emission intensity of its GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in PPP (Purchasing Power Parity) terms at present with those countries at a similar level of development, it is seen that their emissions then were far more than India’s at present. This is as much on account of India being open and innovative in embracing new technology and a cleaner way of doing things, as it is from the inherent principles of sustainability ingrained in its thought process.
If the world indeed is concerned about its new investments to be climate friendly, it must consider the opportunity provided by a country like India where economic growth could be achieved with minimum levels of emissions by employing new technologies and finance for achieving low carbon growth. Developed countries can certainly bring down their emission intensity by moderating their consumption, and substantially utilize their investments by employing them for development activities in countries housing a vast majority of people barely living at subsistence level. The ratio of emission avoided per dollar invested and economic growth attained would be relatively more favourable in case of investments made in India.
Mahatma Gandhi had once said, “One must care about the world one will not see”. Indeed, humanity has progressed when it has collectively risen to its obligation to the world and responsibility to the future.
Read the 38 pages report
The desire to improve one's lot has been the primary driving force behind human progress. While a few fortunate fellow beings have moved far ahead in this journey of progress, there are many in the world who have been left behind. Nations that are now striving to fulfill this 'right to grow' of their teeming millions cannot be made to feel guilty of their development agenda as they attempt to fulfill this legitimate aspiration. Just because economic development of many countries in the past has come at the cost of environment, it should not be presumed that a reconciliation of the two is not possible.
It is possible for people to live in harmony with nature by harnessing its potential for the benefit of mankind without undue exploitation leading to irretrievable damage and consequences that block the progress of others. There is a need to evolve a set of precepts, a kind of commandments, especially for the youth of the world, that help in developing a unified global perspective to economic growth so that the disparity in the thinking of the 'developed' and 'developing' countries could be bridged. The removal of such barriers of thought and the creation of a regime where facilitative technology transfer replaces an exploitative market driven mechanism could pave the way for a common understanding of universal progress. If climate change is a calamity that mankind must adapt to while taking mitigation action withal, it should not be used as a commercial opportunity. It is time that a mechanism is set up which will turn technology and innovation into an effective instrument for global public good, not just private returns.
The challenge of climate change calls for extraordinary vision, leadership, compassion and wisdom. Human ingenuity and intellect will also play an important role in addressing this challenge. The cumulative accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs) historically since industrial revolution has resulted in the current problem of global warming. This is further compounded by the tepid and inadequate response of the developed countries even after the adoption of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and delineation of obligations and responsibilities. As a result, an ‘emission’ ambition gap has been created calling for enhanced global actions to address it. India, even though not a part of the problem, has been an active and constructive participant in the search for solutions. Even now, when the per capita emissions of many developed countries vary between 7 to15 metric tonnes, the per capita emissions in India were only about 1.56 metric tonnes in 2010. This is because Indians believe in nature friendly lifestyle and practices rather than its exploitation. By enhancing their efforts in keeping with historical responsibility, the developed and resource rich countries could reduce the burden of their action from being borne by developing countries that carry the additional responsibility of finding resources to meet their development needs and strive to improve their Human Development Index (HDI).
With the responsibility of ensuring a reasonable HDI for the country and the economic progress of its vast population, India has attempted to follow a path 'cleaner' than the one followed by many countries in the past. Today these countries may be in the forefront of development, even providing a model of growth to other developing countries. However, if India compares the emission intensity of its GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in PPP (Purchasing Power Parity) terms at present with those countries at a similar level of development, it is seen that their emissions then were far more than India’s at present. This is as much on account of India being open and innovative in embracing new technology and a cleaner way of doing things, as it is from the inherent principles of sustainability ingrained in its thought process.
If the world indeed is concerned about its new investments to be climate friendly, it must consider the opportunity provided by a country like India where economic growth could be achieved with minimum levels of emissions by employing new technologies and finance for achieving low carbon growth. Developed countries can certainly bring down their emission intensity by moderating their consumption, and substantially utilize their investments by employing them for development activities in countries housing a vast majority of people barely living at subsistence level. The ratio of emission avoided per dollar invested and economic growth attained would be relatively more favourable in case of investments made in India.
Mahatma Gandhi had once said, “One must care about the world one will not see”. Indeed, humanity has progressed when it has collectively risen to its obligation to the world and responsibility to the future.
Read the 38 pages report
India by the numbers -- Highs and lows in the country’s research landscape.
Indian science is a study in contrasts. With its vast population and rapidly expanding economy, the country has ramped up scientific production at an impressive rate. India started the twenty-first century well behind Russia, France, Italy and Canada in terms of yearly publications and it now leads them all by healthy margins. It is quickly closing in on Japan.
Despite those gains, India is not yet a major player in world science. Its publications generate fewer citations on average than do those of other science-focused nations, including other emerging countries such as Brazil and China. Relative to its size, India has very few scientists; many Indian-born researchers leave for positions abroad and very few foreign scientists settle in India. The country invests a scant portion of its economy in research and development (R&D), and it produces relatively few patents per capita compared with other nations.
But there are bright spots. India boasts several world-class centres for science education, particularly the highly regarded Indian Institutes of Technology. Businesses in the country are investing more in R&D, which bodes well for future innovation. And more women are participating in science, although their numbers still fall far below those of men.
Read the feature published in Nature
Despite those gains, India is not yet a major player in world science. Its publications generate fewer citations on average than do those of other science-focused nations, including other emerging countries such as Brazil and China. Relative to its size, India has very few scientists; many Indian-born researchers leave for positions abroad and very few foreign scientists settle in India. The country invests a scant portion of its economy in research and development (R&D), and it produces relatively few patents per capita compared with other nations.
But there are bright spots. India boasts several world-class centres for science education, particularly the highly regarded Indian Institutes of Technology. Businesses in the country are investing more in R&D, which bodes well for future innovation. And more women are participating in science, although their numbers still fall far below those of men.
Read the feature published in Nature
Research management: Priorities for science in India
Ten Indian research leaders give their prescriptions, from better funding, facilities, mentoring and education to greater respect, fairness, autonomy and confidence.
Sunita Narain: Manage waste frugally
Hiriyakkanavar Ila: Support the bulk of students
Yamuna Krishnan: Crack the cliques, enable visionaries
Joyashree Roy: Train more energy economists
Raghavendra Gadagkar: Solve local problems
Vinod Singh: Improve tertiary education
Umesh Varshney: Make science an attractive career
Krishna N. Ganesh: Connect research with education
Pradeep P. Mujumdar: Share data on water resources
Naba K. Mondal: Build big physics facilities
Read the full feature published in Nature
Sunita Narain: Manage waste frugally
Hiriyakkanavar Ila: Support the bulk of students
Yamuna Krishnan: Crack the cliques, enable visionaries
Joyashree Roy: Train more energy economists
Raghavendra Gadagkar: Solve local problems
Vinod Singh: Improve tertiary education
Umesh Varshney: Make science an attractive career
Krishna N. Ganesh: Connect research with education
Pradeep P. Mujumdar: Share data on water resources
Naba K. Mondal: Build big physics facilities
Read the full feature published in Nature
Indian bioscience: The anti-bureaucrat
On 12 April, Krishnaswamy VijayRaghavan posted an update to his more than 2,500 Facebook friends. It announced a bold plan from India's Department of Biotechnology (DBT) — the agency that VijayRaghavan leads, and the country's largest funder of biomedical research — to establish a new marine-biology institute and research stations along India's vast coastline. Within hours, 500 people had 'liked' the post and more than 60 had left comments of congratulations.
Only one offered a critical note. A graduate student said that starting programmes is all well and good, but the DBT must hold the researchers whom it already funds accountable for the quality of their science. Shortly after, VijayRaghavan replied: “Your words are very wise and correct! Thank you. We must keep your points in mind if we are to get maximum for our Rupee and have quality science.”
It is rare for a public official to be so responsive and open to criticism, especially in a country as steeped in bureaucratic hierarchy as India, says biologist Inder Verma at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences in La Jolla, California, who has served as a scientific adviser to the Indian government since the 1980s. Yet almost anyone who contacts VijayRaghavan by Facebook, Twitter or e-mail gets a personal response in minutes. “Vijay is a breath of fresh air,” Verma says.
VijayRaghavan is more than that. He is a respected fly geneticist and administrator who helped to build the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) in Bangalore, one of India's most prestigious institutions, from the ground up. In January 2013, he left his job as NCBS director and moved to New Delhi to lead the DBT. He says that he wants to inject rigour into Indian science and train scientists to work together on tractable problems. As grand visions go, his can seem muted, almost modest. “I'm not going to be stupid and try something completely nutty; I'm going to try something within my grasp,” he says.
Researchers are optimistic about what he might be able to achieve. “It's very rare to have a scientist of Vijay's calibre heading a government department,” says Jyotsna Dhawan, a stem-cell biologist who worked with VijayRaghavan for seven years. “So I think all of us in the scientific community have very high hopes.”
But they also recognize the challenges, which include wrangling with New Delhi's murky politics — known for ensnaring plans in red tape — and the DBT's long, painful grant-review process. In the past couple of years, the Ministry of Finance has made it difficult for the agency to honour even approved grants. And although the DBT is a major funder of extramural research, the money that it actually gets each year — a little more than 14 billion rupees (about US$225 million) — is a fraction of that commanded by analogous agencies elsewhere, such as the US National Institutes of Health.
Given the challenges, even the most ardent well-wishers are holding their applause. “It's not entirely apparent to me what an individual, even one so dynamic and forward-looking as VijayRaghavan, can do to cut through the red tape,” says Dhawan.
Read the full article published in Nature
Only one offered a critical note. A graduate student said that starting programmes is all well and good, but the DBT must hold the researchers whom it already funds accountable for the quality of their science. Shortly after, VijayRaghavan replied: “Your words are very wise and correct! Thank you. We must keep your points in mind if we are to get maximum for our Rupee and have quality science.”
It is rare for a public official to be so responsive and open to criticism, especially in a country as steeped in bureaucratic hierarchy as India, says biologist Inder Verma at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences in La Jolla, California, who has served as a scientific adviser to the Indian government since the 1980s. Yet almost anyone who contacts VijayRaghavan by Facebook, Twitter or e-mail gets a personal response in minutes. “Vijay is a breath of fresh air,” Verma says.
VijayRaghavan is more than that. He is a respected fly geneticist and administrator who helped to build the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) in Bangalore, one of India's most prestigious institutions, from the ground up. In January 2013, he left his job as NCBS director and moved to New Delhi to lead the DBT. He says that he wants to inject rigour into Indian science and train scientists to work together on tractable problems. As grand visions go, his can seem muted, almost modest. “I'm not going to be stupid and try something completely nutty; I'm going to try something within my grasp,” he says.
Researchers are optimistic about what he might be able to achieve. “It's very rare to have a scientist of Vijay's calibre heading a government department,” says Jyotsna Dhawan, a stem-cell biologist who worked with VijayRaghavan for seven years. “So I think all of us in the scientific community have very high hopes.”
But they also recognize the challenges, which include wrangling with New Delhi's murky politics — known for ensnaring plans in red tape — and the DBT's long, painful grant-review process. In the past couple of years, the Ministry of Finance has made it difficult for the agency to honour even approved grants. And although the DBT is a major funder of extramural research, the money that it actually gets each year — a little more than 14 billion rupees (about US$225 million) — is a fraction of that commanded by analogous agencies elsewhere, such as the US National Institutes of Health.
Given the challenges, even the most ardent well-wishers are holding their applause. “It's not entirely apparent to me what an individual, even one so dynamic and forward-looking as VijayRaghavan, can do to cut through the red tape,” says Dhawan.
Read the full article published in Nature
Friday, 14 August 2015
National Employability Report - Engineers Annual Report 2014
The National Employability Report - Engineers,2014 is an analytical study of the employability quotient of Indian engineers. It has over the years become an authoritative source for employability statistics for engineers and an auditory mechanism for higher education. The present report aims to delve further into the employability situation and also focuses on job aspirations of engineers. It also aims to understand what factors apart from merit influence employability outcomes.
Download the report
Download the report
Sunday, 19 July 2015
The world at our fingertips
The mobile phone has helped India leapfrog both the landline and the Internet. What exactly does this mean for a country with one of the largest and fastest growing mobile user bases in the world?
Writing for McKinsey in December 2013, tech entrepreneur Vinod Khosla recalled having said at a telecommunications seminar in Delhi in 2000, “If I were in India, I wouldn’t worry about adding ten million more copper lines. I would go straight to voice over Internet and mobile.” He added, “I didn’t have it exactly right; I missed how big mobile could become and how quickly.”
Between the time of Mr. Khosla’s article and now, India is estimated to have added over 80 million mobile subscribers and mobile Internet users. That’s roughly the same number as the total number of mobile subscriptions in the U.K.
In recent years, mobile phones have twice helped India largely bypass existing technology platforms that would have, on their own, taken decades of effort and billions of dollars of money to touch large sections of the population. The first time, it was fixed telephony. The second time, it was fixed Internet. Mobiles have helped India leapfrog them both.
An app for everything
With mobiles seemingly ubiquitous, Indians seem to be increasingly crafting their lives and work around apps. From tracking pollution in the Ganga (Bhuvan app) to alerting a Kerala snake catcher (King Cobra), there seems to be an app for everything. This is especially true of urban lives. Pick a need, and there are loads of choices: music (Wynk), commerce (Paytm), education (Coursera), groceries (BigBasket), cab (Uber), self-drive cars (Zoomcar), retail (Flipkart), price discovery (OLX), friends (WhatsApp), social networking (Facebook), professional networking (LinkedIn), security (VithU), and so on.
Read the feature in The Hindu dt. 28th Jun 2015
Writing for McKinsey in December 2013, tech entrepreneur Vinod Khosla recalled having said at a telecommunications seminar in Delhi in 2000, “If I were in India, I wouldn’t worry about adding ten million more copper lines. I would go straight to voice over Internet and mobile.” He added, “I didn’t have it exactly right; I missed how big mobile could become and how quickly.”
Between the time of Mr. Khosla’s article and now, India is estimated to have added over 80 million mobile subscribers and mobile Internet users. That’s roughly the same number as the total number of mobile subscriptions in the U.K.
In recent years, mobile phones have twice helped India largely bypass existing technology platforms that would have, on their own, taken decades of effort and billions of dollars of money to touch large sections of the population. The first time, it was fixed telephony. The second time, it was fixed Internet. Mobiles have helped India leapfrog them both.
An app for everything
With mobiles seemingly ubiquitous, Indians seem to be increasingly crafting their lives and work around apps. From tracking pollution in the Ganga (Bhuvan app) to alerting a Kerala snake catcher (King Cobra), there seems to be an app for everything. This is especially true of urban lives. Pick a need, and there are loads of choices: music (Wynk), commerce (Paytm), education (Coursera), groceries (BigBasket), cab (Uber), self-drive cars (Zoomcar), retail (Flipkart), price discovery (OLX), friends (WhatsApp), social networking (Facebook), professional networking (LinkedIn), security (VithU), and so on.
Read the feature in The Hindu dt. 28th Jun 2015
Thursday, 26 February 2015
18 interesting facts about India Railways
18 interesting facts about India Railways
Despite its perpetually impoverished status, Asia's largest railway network has a number of credits to its name.
1) Indian Railways started its service 161 years ago on 16 April 1853 when the first passenger train was run over a stretch of 33 kilometres from Mumbai to Thane. The train with 14 railway carriages, carrying around 400 guests, left Bori Bunder at 3:30 p.m. that day. It was declared a public holiday then.
Read the rest
Despite its perpetually impoverished status, Asia's largest railway network has a number of credits to its name.
1) Indian Railways started its service 161 years ago on 16 April 1853 when the first passenger train was run over a stretch of 33 kilometres from Mumbai to Thane. The train with 14 railway carriages, carrying around 400 guests, left Bori Bunder at 3:30 p.m. that day. It was declared a public holiday then.
Read the rest
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