Column: The Good Life: for Mint Lounge
The India Option for Knowledge at Wharton
The 'India Option': Instead of Looking Abroad, Today's Indian Management Graduates See a Future at Home Published: July 24, 2008 in India Knowledge@Wharton In the past, India's best and brightest routinely looked to the U.S. and other Western countries for jobs following graduation. Today, however, the "brain drain" seems to be reversing: According to placement figures at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Bangalore, 75% of this year's graduating class opted for jobs in India. In this opinion piece, Bangalore-based writer Shoba Narayan offers her understanding of this trend following interviews with graduating students and IIM faculty. Previously in [...]
Role of Women in Indian Politics for Knowledge at Wharton
What Is the Role of Women in Indian Politics? Growing Stronger... Published: May 21, 2009 in India Knowledge@Wharton India should work towards empowering women economically -- through microfinance programs -- and also encourage greater participation of women leaders in panchayats, or village councils, writes author Shoba Narayan in this opinion piece. The ink-stained polls of the world's largest democracy have delivered their verdict and India waits with bated breath to learn whether Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's second administration will be different than the first. While India exults after yet another peacefully concluded election, one question remains: What is the role [...]
Electric Cars story for Knowledge @Wharton
Electric Cars in India: Why So Few? Published: October 08, 2009 in India Knowledge@Wharton With the rise of environmentalism and the high cost of gasoline, it would seem that the electric car would take off. Not so fast, says Bangalore-based writer Shoba Narayan in this opinion piece. Although companies like the Reva Electric Car Company are advancing the cause and major auto makers are likely to follow suit, Indian consumers need to be convinced they will achieve substantial savings and that there is enough infrastructure in place to support electric vehicles before they will be willing to open their wallets. [...]
Geisha Arts of Kyoto | Condenast Traveler US |
I have come to Japan to learn about allure. I’ve been married for seventeen years, and while my marriage isn’t falling apart, it is fraying at the edges. So I have come to Japan to learn about feminine allure from its acknowledged masters: the geisha. Geisha were created to pamper men—but they were also the freest women in old Japan.
Mumbai Scene | Condenast Traveler US |
I am going to Bombay to become a movie star. Why not? Every country in the world, if it is lucky, has a city that allows people to create such gauzy fantasies unfettered by the grim shackles of reality. They thrive and inspire, catalyze personal transformations and fuel creativity, not through wide-open spaces but through vibrant congestion.
For British Airways Magazine on Chennai
Why it is best to land in Chennai at dawn.
Affordable Housing for Knowledge at Wharton
Affordable Housing: An Idea Whose Time Has Come Published: August 27, 2009 in India Knowledge@Wharton Affordable housing is the Indian government's new mantra. President Pratibha Patil mentioned it in her speech on Bharat Nirman, a project that plans to double the construction of low-cost houses to 12 million units. This move, it is hoped, will cascade into more demand for steel, cement and construction material. For this to happen, the government is banking on public-private partnerships. In the past, even if developers were willing to build housing structures for the poor, they found it difficult to come up with suitable [...]
For The National Abu Dhabi on the Indian Monsoon
Why the monsoon makes Indians mad with joy.
Uncertainty: Comment for The National
So you don't like uncertainty: are you sure about that? Shoba Narayan Last Updated: August 12. 2009 5:37PM UAE / August 12. 2009 1:37PM GMT There are two kinds of people in this world: those who are comfortable with uncertainty and those who aren’t. The poor are forced to live with uncertainty in the most basic sense – not knowing if they will have enough money for their next meal. Poor boys run away from home. Seven Pakistani immigrants starved to death on a ship transporting them to Dubai. What drove these men to choose an uncertain future in a [...]
Amit Heri: Personal Finance for The National
Personal Struggle in a Global CrisisBangaloreAmit Heri‘Entertainment is the first thing to be cut’Ask Amit Heri how the recession has affected him and he’ll answer without missing a beat: “fewer corporate gigs.”Mr Heri, a professional musician who grew up and lives in Bangalore, studied jazz and composition at Boston’s Berklee College of Music on a scholarship. He now composes music for film and theatre and dance productions, but says that before the downturn crashed into India 60 per cent of his income came from performances at corporate events for the likes of Toyota, Google, Dell and other global giants. “The [...]