Writer. Editor
The world is full of stories that inspire – that perk you up when the chips are down. The lives of some people as I discovered through my interactions with them have motivated me to hang on when the going gets tough. Because change is the only constant and good times are never too far away.
Rakesh Raghunathan, Director of PetaWrap shares some interesting thoughts on his journey with his entrepreneurial venture, including the inspiration for PetaWrap, the research that goes into it, future plans and some advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.
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Kartik Iyengar, author of ‘Horn OK Please’ – HOPping to Conclusions’, in addition to being a successful corporate professional, dabbles in a multitude of areas. He is an avid blogger, a self-proclaimed moron, an unlucky Las Vegas loser, a compulsive road-hog, a Red Bull addict and an adrenaline junkie who has tried everything from scuba diving to bungee jumping. A cockroach-loving heavy metal maniac, Kartik has thousands of hyper-active fans on his Facebook fan page, who live his journeys vicariously with him. His fans call themselves HOPpers. In fact, many of them have actually changed their middle name to include “Hopper” as a mark of belonging to this social-media cult. Want to have a good laugh and giggle a bit? Then all you got to do is to read this interview! And when you are done, you will realize that there’s a smile or a grin on your face! There’s lot of humour, a little bit of thought and tons of attitude waiting for you out there!
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Preeti Shenoy is the bestselling author of ‘Life is What you Make it’ and ’34 Bubble Gums and Candies’, both published by Srishti Publishers. Just as the tagline in her blog, ‘Just a Mother of Two’ goes, Preeti is an author, poet, artist and a mom! She gets talking about both her books, their roaring success, her blog and of course what she is most popular for among her readers, her thoughts on life!
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India has won the 2011 Cricket World Cup and yes, it isn’t a dream! It is indeed a historic victory. What could be a better time than this to discuss cricket, India’s phenomenal affection for the game, the World Cup itself and of course all the euphoria after India finally lifted the treasured cup? What could be a better time than this to say ‘Jai Ho’? My write-up on cricket, the cup and the euphoria.
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Urvashi Butalia, Director, Zubaan Books, is an Indian feminist and historian. She is also the co-founder of Kali for Women, India’s first feminist publishing house, of which she was the Director. She talks about her journey with Kali for Women, Zubaan and feminist literature and publishing in India.
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As an 18-year-old, Shaheen Mistri walked into a slum in Mumbai and began teaching. She then went on to set up Akanksha Foundation, an NGO that works primarily in the field of education. Now she is the Chief Executive Officer of Teach For India, a nationwide movement that aims to end education inequity in India. In this interview, she tells me about her personal journey with Akanksha and Teach For India, her views on the Indian education system and the relevance of social entrepreneurship in today’s world. Excerpts.
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All the world’s a stage, said Shakespeare! How true that is! It’s just that we are so caught up in our fast-paced lives, that we hardly realize the simple truth behind that profound line! Quite ironically, it’s these guys on stage, the theatre folks, who more often than not, remind us of our absurdities and foibles, making us laugh at our own gaps and sometimes tell us what we could have been. Entertainment, Enlightenment and much more. My interview with Srikrishna Sridhar Murthy, Director of Version One Dot Oh, a Bangalore-based theatre group, as part of a special cover feature that I did for the first anniversary issue of my magazine, Spark.
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Bhojan! The name itself is so inviting. When I close my eyes and think of it, all I can imagine is a sumptuous meal, very Indian and tastefully and cleanly prepared! And if you are an Indian living in the U.S., close your eyes and think of this name, doesn’t it sound all the more mouth-watering? My interview with Sweta Parthasarathy and Tarandeep Narula on their love for food and cooking as well as their venture Bhojan, as part of a special cover feature that I did for the first anniversary issue of my magazine, Spark.
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If you thought creativity was all about music, dance, writing, theatre and painting, then think again! Here’s a woman who has gone an extra mile to pursue her passion for designing jewelry. My interview with Benaazir Muhammdunni, an entrepreneur into jewelry design, as part of a special cover feature that I did for the first anniversary issue of my magazine, Spark.
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Music. How often we run to it like a child does to his mother! For many of us, music fills the creepy void that sometimes gobbles up our insides. And to be able to create that music, which more often than not, remains a soothing balm, is indeed a God-sent gift. Agam is one effort in this direction. My interview with Swaminathan Seetharaman, Agam’s band manager, as part of a special cover feature that I did for the first anniversary issue of my magazine, Spark.
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