NB Blogs

In our immediate neighbourhood, the China card has been persistent and remains as challenging as ever! There is no visible reason that we can expect this to scale down, in fact, only expect them to escalate. It is the big power game, that we have seen in history and around geographies; the chemistry is the same too, tends to get physical without provocation. Within the Indian Ocean, across the Himalayas, the narrative is the same. We have more of a shared history and sense of community with our neighbours than any other country can lay claim to. Our soft power around films, sports and tourism must remain open, promoted for greater goodwill and people to people connect, which will matter most. Our South Asian neighbours are best targets to begin with, as India remains the big thorn in the Chinese grand plans and encircling India has been one of the priorities. The string of pearls has been around as strategy that we in India have tended to either overlook or dismiss. Smaller countries c

Why just the fog? A breakdown can happen suddenly, anywhere, not just in India but at any airport globally. Emergencies are of this nature only. It was that time of the year when Delhi, the capital city, is besieged with fog. It is an every-year occurrence, nothing unusual. While reports and analysis suggest a complete breakdown of services alongside uncalled for misery on the hapless fliers, as an aftermath, the government is said to be considering new guidelines. The Minister has called for setting up a war room, a need of the hour at all airports. Like airlines must have intime information on incoming flights, share actual position with regard to expected departure times, etc. Also, inordinate delays cannot be carried on endlessly; flights that are more than three hours delayed must get cancelled. These are some most welcome steps, but there is another and perhaps a deeper malaise that these events point out towards – inherent weaknesses in the system, absence of basic Operational P

We wish everyone in our family, our neighbourhood, our city, our country, the region and globally, each and everyone. A happy and healthy new year ahead! As we increasingly realise how we are becoming inter-dependent upon each other, every life matters, it is a common good we are chasing. Yet, we are daunted by the innumerable ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’, the uncertainty of triggers around us? Overall, we live on hope, in the benevolence of the gods we worship, as ultimately there can only be only ONE God. Let us hope we can give HIM a new common name, and worship him. Meanwhile, we look back at the year gone by, look at some of the signal milestones and pray for an all round better and happier new year. This last month has been nothing short of being explosive. Signalling an end to 2023, in a not too happy note. Too many events, issues, and rancour on the national scene. Gaali galoch was finding new levels, lower than ever before. And, if you thought once we had reached the nadir, there was a st

News on airline bilateral rights between nations always attracts attention. Given the ever-growing interest in travelling international, India remains one of the fastest growing originating markets globally. This is where the world’s single biggest aircraft orders are coming from, it is a most lucrative place to be. Why are bilateral rights important? They determine how many seats you can offer on any country-to-country basis. This determines finally the price of each ticket. Connectivity plays an important part in business and economy and commercial global play. The background: Indian carriers were not growing two decades back, our national carrier was limping, especially after the failed merger of Air India and Indian Airlines; its inability to service the purchase of newly ordered planes added to its woes. How would an Indian travel? European carriers did not have the appetite and it was the Middle Eastern airlines that looked for markets, they found one big one in their own backya

Justice Sanjay Krishan Kaul has been in the news lately, demitting office after a long and distinguished career, spanning over 40 years, both as a lawyer and a judge. He has given extensive interviews to mainline media, both print and online. Our conversation took almost 90 minutes, spanned across subjects and concerns, as we kept ourselves out of the complexities of the law. We were hard pressed for space, limiting this text to the basics of his opinion, on how India needs to move on. You have behind you a very, very distinguished career, both as an advocate and as a Chief Justice in several states, and then as Supreme Court second in command. Some learning out of all these years which you want to share, just top of the mind, two, three things which could be your and our learning? So, look I believe this is both the legal profession and the judiciary is something you have to really enjoy. That's how I say it, to be able to carry it on, maybe possible for most professions to be abl

News on airline bilateral rights between nations always attracts attention. Given the ever-growing interest in travelling international, India remains one of the fastest growing originating markets globally. This is where the world’s single biggest aircraft orders are coming from, it is a most lucrative place to be. Why are bilateral rights important? They determine how many seats you can offer on any country-to-country basis. This determines finally the price of each ticket. Connectivity plays an important part in business and economy and commercial global play. The background: Indian carriers were not growing two decades back, our national carrier was limping, especially after the failed merger of Air India and Indian Airlines; its inability to service the purchase of newly ordered planes added to its woes. How would an Indian travel? European carriers did not have the appetite and it was the Middle Eastern airlines that looked for markets, they found one big one in their own backyar

Mumbai grown, ‘Made in India’, now a global gold standard in visa outsourcing, VFS Global, which has been a trusted partner for the UK Government since 2003, has won the global contract for overseas UK visa and Citizenship services. This award is the latest in a long line of wins for the world’s leading visa, passport and citizen services provider. VFS Global becomes the service provider for all UK Visa and Citizenship Application Centres overseas – operating across 142 countries. Estimated to manage 3.8million applicants every year, VFS Global is now opening UK application centres in 84 new countries during 2024. New contract will also see significant investment in technology to improve the customer experience, accessibility and security. The UK contract is the sixth global contract won by VFS Global during 2023. During 2024, VFS Global will deploy 240 Visa and Citizenship Application Service (VCAS) Centres for the UK in 142 countries across Africa & Middle East, Americas, Austral

Awakening our Sensitivity towards Senior Citizens is the Need of the Hour. “India is at a peculiar stage in its demographic transition. The country is characterised by a bulge in its youth population, which is a window of opportunity to accelerate growth. However, a parallel phenomenon that requires equal attention is the rising senior citizen population,” Saurabh Garg, secretary, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, has written in a newspaper article. Not too soon, not too late, for a subject that is increasingly occupying public space and attention. Senior living is becoming a growing concern, what with many a youngster going overseas, or settling in another city, with the size of the core family coming down, nuclear families as they existed in the past, is indeed becoming a thing of the past. According to Census 2011, the population of senior citizens was about 10.38 crores, or 8.6% of the total population. Saurbah Garg has pointed out that there is a Maintenance and Welfar