Number of word: 182 There is a chivalrous tradition behind the Aranmula boat race. Centuries earlier, the priest of the temple had to come by boat from his village which was several miles upstream to perform the puja during the annual festival of that temple. He had custody of the ornaments of the deity of … Read more

Number of words – 95 If you are a company making an ultimately toxic product, it is rather like Tolstoy’s line from Anna Karenina – that every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way: usually what you are doing in your company is creating a kind of environment problem specific to your business. But … Read more

Number of words – 3,565 In 1962, with Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring,” I think for people like me in the world of the making of things, the canary in the mine wasn’t singing. And so the question that we might not have birds became kind of fundamental to those of us wandering around looking for … Read more

Number of words – 1,850 So, a few years ago I heard an interesting rumor. Apparently, the head of a large pet food company would go into the annual shareholder’s meeting with can of dog food. And he would eat the can of dog food. And this was his way of convincing them that if … Read more

Number of words – 142 The kind of leader who is happy to be a juggling dancer is someone I call a systempreneurs (see BOX). They tend to think in patterns and constellations, rather than single organisations. They also seem prone to end up in leading positions within the entire industry. In the beginning of … Read more

Number of words – 667 I remember having successfully raised venture capital (VC) for our organic fairtrade fashion company ten years ago and being forced to part ways after one year because our values were not as aligned as we made ourselves believe they were. I wonder what would have happened had I used this … Read more

Number of words – 125 Nowadays, India has many “immersion programs” which provide a similar experience. One such program is the Shodh Yatra, a journey across rural India to uncover innovation at the grassroots. Founded by IIM Ahmedabad professor Anil Gupta, the cohort of yatris (travellers) walk approximately 250 kms in a span of seven … Read more

Number of words – 255 Hayes addressed her audience of eighty-four new students: “Before you get your teachers, I have to give you a present. And as soon as i give it to you, you have to put it in your pocket.” She pulled an invisible object out of her jacket and put it in … Read more

Number of words – 333 Scientists have developed an app that allows people to easily screen for pancreatic cancer and other diseases by just clicking a selfie. One of the earliest symptoms of pancreatic cancer, as well as other diseases, is jaundice, a yellow discolouration of the skin and eyes caused by a buildup of … Read more

Number fo words – 1,051 When I travelled in my late teens and early twenties, my only communication with home was by postcard. My parents would reply with letters addressed to, for example, “Poste Restante, Kathmandu, Nepal”. I still remember the feeling of heading to a central post office and fingering through a huge box … Read more