Ideas News - Page 5

'One day at IIM-A' programme gives and receives joy

50 students got to study at the premier institute, without even having applied to take the CAT.

Should auto companies make fuel free with cars?

A naïve first time user does not realise that the EMI is only one of many costs he or she will have to incur, disillusionment sets in quickly when the reality dawns.

What if women, actually, ruled the world?

Women might not rule this world in the traditional sense, but on first glance, they might have achieved a new type of equality or power through digital means. They are in the majority when it comes to population, so perhaps it's no surprise that now women are prime users of social media.

BSF vs Heritage: The battle for the Rann of Kutch

A proposed roadway presents a triple-jeopardy to this unique natural and cultural heritage: the breeding grounds of flamingoes and Indian wild asses, a unique mangrove and the Harappan site of Dholavira.

Mr Murthy, let's not damn coaching classes; they cater to a need

Coaching classes fill in the vacuum created by the failures of our educational system. If we are serious, we must put it in order first.

The transformative and surrealistic works of Tomas Tranströmer

This year's Nobel Prize winning poet, Tomas Tranströmer won't write about things you'd like to hear. The surrealism in his poetry is a treat to discover.

Camus, Pamuk, Marquez: Why you must read these Nobel winners

A list of Nobel Prize winning authors and some of their most significant works that you must read.

Steve Jobs, TBWA and Lee Clow: thinking different together

Jobs, Apple, Clow and TBWA came together to create the iconic 1984 TVC, and, a few years later, to unleash to the world the commercial everyone loves and remembers, ‘Think Different’.

Swedish poet Tomas Transtromer wins Nobel prize for Literature

The 2011 Nobel Prize in literature was awarded Thursday to Tomas Transtromer, a Swedish poet whose surrealistic works about the mysteries of the human mind won him acclaim as one of the most important Scandinavian writers since World War II.

iSteve: The book of Jobs will hit stands soon

Time magazine Editor's biography of Jobs will likely hit the stands November, or earlier.

Chetan Bhagat: Mediocre, middlebrow, and mahaan

Chetan Bhagat has made a virtue of bad English writing, peddling it as anti-elitism. But his I'm-just-a-plebe defense -- now shared by ever growing ranks of IIM/IIT authors -- is completely spurious and self-serving.

Amanda Knox and a trigger-happy media

The UK press had a bad day yesterday, as, perhaps conditioned by years of coverage, a number of them announced that Amanda Knox had been found guilty, when, in fact, she had been acquitted.

From Ram Lila to Wall Street: The spread of middle class rage

The middle class around the world is mad as hell and taking to the streets. And irrespective of their demands, the biggest strength and weakness of their protests is the same: it is middle class.

Militant in exile: Meeting a Kashmiri in Gujranwala, Pakistan

Yoginder Sikand describes his encounter with Umar, former militant now an unhappy, disillusioned, and deeply homesick hosiery salesman.

The nineteenth century Durga Puja: Babus, hookahs, and nautchgirls

The Bengali babu looks on, an Egyptian mummy shrouded in zari and jewels. The roads filled with devout Marwaris, eager whores, and drunken rakes. A funny, satirical look at Durga Puja back in the good old days.

The good, bad and ugly of Facebook's Timeline

Once the Timeline feature is enabled prepare to see personal photos, comments and major life events since the time you opened an account on Facebook. Prepare also for some unpleasant memories.

Happy marriage = separate lives: The case against too much "togetherness"

Conventional wisdom says that couples should spend huge amounts of time together or else risk drifting apart. But Lakshmi Chaudhry argues that the pathology of marital "togetherness" is creating bored, restless partners, yearning to be set free.

Reebok gets $25 mn rap for deceptive advertising

According to the US Federal Trade Commission complaint, Reebok made unsupported claims in advertisements that walking in its EasyTone shoes and running in its RunTone running shoes strengthen and tone key leg and buttock (gluteus maximus) muscles more than regular shoes.

Paris Hilton does Mumbai: Revenge of the brown sahibs, sorry, floozies

Cold-shouldered by the Bollywood elite, America's most famous skank discovered there's a new power equation between India and Hollywood celebrities. But in one unintended way, she also proved that we remain sad little wannabes, after all.

Confessions of a Mark Zuckerberg subscriber/stalker

So what did Pratishtha Dobhal learn about her favourite geek when she signed up as his subscriber? For starters, the man is a sappy romantic who loves kids.

On Bollywood Khans, Pataudi, and the 'good Muslim' celebrity

All Muslim icons need to pass an unspoken "secularism test" that requires them to play down their faith to assert their Indian-ness. But the Pataudi funeral offers hope that we may be willing to fully embrace them as who they are.

Reservations for Muslims: Good politics or good sense?

Now that elections are around the corner in UP, both Mayawati and UPA are proposing reservations for Muslims. A debate that inevitably raises thorny questions about the definition of 'Hindu' and the significance of caste.

TRAI's 100 SMS rule makes no sense

It's unclear how the TRAI arrived at the number 100, but there were immediate protests from some categories, such as airlines, banks, telecom services and DTH operators.

Form and fiction: a play with urban reality

An architectural illustrator who sketched unreal cities at 10, now builds dreams in 3D.

Facebook more important than dating, say Indian youth

The majority of Indian youth surveyed said that "keeping up to date on Facebook is more important on a typical day than dating, spending time with friends, listening to music, or going to a party," according to a survey.

Meet the new matchmakers: the pursuit of modern love

Caste, community and horoscope are irrelevant in Marrygold, a new type of matrimonial agency. But chucking the traditional checklist doesn't make finding that life-mate any easier.

Why marketing companies will allow access to Facebook

Increasingly, marketers will target those who’re 'always on Facebook' on Facebook. Facebook has arrived as a medium and as an advertising option – for any brand in any category.

Rajiv's assassination: 'Only a mother will know this pain'

Arputham Ammal, the 65-year-old mother of one of the three on death row in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, opens her heart.

Smack that bitch: Why Darshan is our self-made Frankenstein

Most Indians think of domestic violence as normal, even acceptable, because of deluded notions about "privacy" and sanctity of the family. And our movies and TV serials are eager to assure us it's true.

British Airways new TVC goes live on Facebook

If the communication reaches as many consumers as BA needs with no attendant media cost, it’s a harbinger of the future of advertising.