Iravati Damle, Director of Government Affairs of Zoom Video Communications, speaks to Praggya Guptaa of Governance Now on privacy, security, technology and policy – and how the US based unified communications platform has been contributing to the government’s Digital India mission. How did Zoom gear up for a sudden and overwhelming situation during th
Shubhasish Chakraborty has been working for the upliftment of tribal areas of India. He wears several hats while discharging his duties as a general manager in a global conglomerate apart from being an expert on tribal affairs who works tirelessly in the field of community development. He is an award-winning filmmaker, poet and short story writer. He is trying to bring tribal art, culture a
Maharashtra’s women and child development minister Yashomati Thakur of the Congress is a member of the legislative assembly, representing Tivasa in Amravati district. She comes from a family of agriculturalists, her father Bhaiyasaheb Deshmukh was a Congress MLA and her grandfather a freedom fighter. In a conversation with Geetanjali Minhas, she talks about the huge c
Oxfam Trailwalker, arguably India`s biggest walkathon-for-a-cause challenge, has gone virtual this year, with participants completing the 100 km walk within or around the confines of their homes over a span of 10 days – from November 20 to November 29, complying with the social distancing rules. Amitabh Behar, who took over as CEO of Oxfam India in April 2018, and the s
SEEDS, a not-for-profit organization, enables community resilience in the areas of disaster readiness, response and rehabilitation. Manu Gupta, co-founder of the organization, is a doctorate in community-based disaster management and the current Chair of the Asian Disaster Reduction and Response Network, an active network of NGOs from over 20 countries in Asia. He is part of the Leadership
Did India’s nuclear tests in Pokhran in 1974 affect the local population? That is the starting point for a new novel, Uday Singh`s `Pokhran` (published by Srishti). It expertly blends real-life with fiction to deliver a thrilling journey of revenge and courage. The debutant author is an economist and an engineer “with keen interest in philosophy and a firm belief
Half way through the year 2020, it has been a tough time all around the world: Covid-19 epidemic, loss of lives, economic hardships and also numerous other problems – natural disasters and political protests. Coming together, it all has mental health under immense strain. To discuss this and other relevant matters, Praggya Guptaa talks with Dr Radhika Bapat
Starting out as a child artist, in a career spanning more than three and half decades Anees Bazmee has written/directed more than 60 films in Hindi, Tamil and Marathi in a variety of genres. After writing films like ‘Hum Farishtey Nahin’, ‘Swarg’, and ‘Aankhen’, he directed commercially successful films like ‘Welcome’, ‘Ready’, &ls
Renowned British singer, songwriter and reggae DJ, Apache Indian (originally known as Steven Kapoor) shot to fame with his style of music which came to be known as bhangramuffin (also called bhangragga) – a mix of bhangra, reggaemuffin and traditional dance hall in the early 1990s. His style changed the way music was going to be created later. His cult track ‘Boom-Shaka-Lak’ i
Rajpal Yadav is acclaimed for playing multidimensional roles. An alumnus of the National School of Drama, he also attended the Bharatendu Academy of Dramatic Arts in Lucknow. He has worked in theatre, television, Bollywood and regional cinema besides working in a Hollywood production. In 2016 he launched his political outfit called Sarv Sambhav Party. If not an actor what
Neeraj Kabi, a critically acclaimed self-taught actor, theatre director, and acting teacher, has worked in Odiya, Hindi and international cinema, theatre, television and web series. In 2014 he was honoured with the best actor award at the 4th Sakhalin International Film Festival for his role in the film ‘Ship of Theseus’ – his most memorable role for many viewers. His othe
An underground rapper who grew up on Mumbai streets, Divine spins his music around his environment and poverty. His breakout single, ‘Meri Gully Mein’, along with fellow rapper Naezy caught Bollywood’s attention. The Hindi film ‘Gully Boy’ is inspired by their lives and grossed `237 crore globally. It is the second highest earning film of 2019 and the highest e
A BSc in Mathematics and an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Rasika Dugal has acted in Hindi and Malayalam films, web series and television serials besides hosting shows. She is the recipient of the Best Actor Award at Rajasthan International Film Festival for her role in the film Hamid. She is best known for her role in the movies Kshay, Qissa and Manto. &nbs
Former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, an engineer by training, is a rare politician: down-to-earth and with a clean image. In the midst of the hectic electioneering, Chavan spoke with Geetanjali Minhas on trends in these polls. Edited excerpts from the interview: What are the key election issues in these Lok Sabha elections?
Sharad Pawar is the grand old man of Indian politics. He is among the last stalwarts from a generation that is fading out. He has served as chief minister of Maharashtra four times and held crucial portfolios of defence and agriculture at the centre. In this election, he is busier than most, hopping across Maharashtra and addressing a series of rallies every day. Amid his hectic schedule, he sp
Dr Harsh Vardhan, a union minister, is the genial face of the BJP old guard in Delhi. He is contesting again from the Chandni Chowk constituency, in the heart of the capital. He talked with Rahul Trivedi about the party’s prospects in the elections. Edited excerpts: The election discourse has largely focused on nationalism and security, but de
Zeeshan Ayyub worked in theatre before he made his Bollywood debut in 2011 with the critically acclaimed No One Killed Jessica. He has since gone on to do a number of versatile roles such as “Chintu” Kumar Singh in Tanu Weds Manu, the loyal Sadiq in Raees, the traitor brother of Kangana Ranaut in Manikarnika and “Guddu” Singh in Zero. Born in Delhi, Zeeshan completed his
Senior Congress leader and former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit is the Lok Sabha candidate of her party from the Northeast Delhi constituency. In a conversation with Deexa Khanduri, she says she is confident of a victory, dismissing the Aam Aadmi Party’s claim that the good work of the Arvind Kejriwal government will translate into votes for its parliamentary candidates. In fact
After his much-appreciated debut in Meri Jung in 1985, Javed Jaffrey inspired a new generation of dancers. He then turned from dance to comedy. The versatile actor constantly changes his styles and his live, film, TV and radio appearances always promise novelty and surprise. In 2014 he joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and contested in the general elections from Lucknow.
The Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) is a society set up by the railways ministry in July 1986 to provide IT related services to the Indian Railways. CRIS deals in a gamut of functions, like passenger ticketing, freight operations, train dispatching and control, crew management, e-procurement, management of fixed and moving assets of the railways, and production of rolling stock. V
