Rahul Gandhi: His tryst with dynasty

I'll be upfront about this and I am reasonably sure you'll agree with me. Deep down, most of us nurture disdain towards those who come to occupy positions of power by virtue of birth. Quite honestly, that has, at least until I started researching this story on Rahul Gandhi, been my stated position. And because there is no other polite way to say it, I'll say it as it is: Respect for those in power who inherit it, usually comes from the unwashed, illiterate masses that can be manipulated. This, to my mind, is a truth leaders have always acknowledged throughout history. That explains why, as his power grew, Alexander the Great perpetuated the myth that he was sired by the god Jupiter Ammon and not Philip II of Macedon, who incidentally, used prudence as a tool to rule and outgrow the shadow of his father Philip I of Macedon, a paradigm of boundless energy.

But as I begin to write this story, I must confess, the ground beneath my feet has shifted and my stated position has taken a hammering. As this story goes into print, and I fine tune all that I've collected from my various conversations with a few dozen people about what exactly Rahul Gandhi is all about, things stand at a knife's edge and I can't help wonder which way things will go.

Long weekend and discounts lure shoppers

Over the last three years, Indian retailers have been assiduously trying to convert August 15 into a mega sale event, hoping to entice shoppers with discounts.

This year, sales at most retailers were particularly good, as August 15 fell on Monday, allowing them to make the most of a long weekend. In general, sales were up between 25-30 per cent, electronics did the best.

Symphony orchestra of India to perform in Mumbai

Come September, book your seats to experience some of the best in Western classical music. The 11th Celebrity Concert Season of the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) is in Mumbai and will perform at the Tata Theatre and Jamshed Bhaba Theatre.

The SOI is the country's first fully professional symphony orchestra and has two seasons, in September and February.

Gupshup: short message, big dreams

When Anna Hazare began his protest against the government’s refusal to accept the Jan Lokpal Bill, phones across the country were inundated with SMSes gathering support for the next march or demonstration.

SMS GupShup, a group messaging service, was responsible for sending several of these messages. GupShup groups like Anna, Jaibhim, newsb and JagoHaryana each with more than 50,000 members along with a bunch of smaller groups, sent out over 1 crore messages in a week.

He's on a search, find and fund mission

Jia Jain was devastated. In his business, either you have it or you don't and the judgment comes pretty early. After all, he’d seen so many swanky restaurants come up on busy streets and as many vanish without a trace. Now, his own fine-dining restaurant idealistically named 1947 seemed to be headed towards a painful closure, people didn't come.

He didn't turn to his parents or brothers for solace. They were in far-away Assam and he was trying to make it big in Bangalore. In fact, he hadn’t even told them he was starting a restaurant he was planning on surprising them.

Do we need judicial activism?

An Active Judiciary Is A People’s Right

The hallmark of a great nation is its institutions. The stronger the ability of these institutions to uphold and preserve fundamental values, the greater the nation would be.

I have not known life except in 'The Hindu': Murali

N Murali

Age: 65

Designation: Managing Director, Kasturi & Sons, publisher of The Hindu, Business Line, Frontline

Medicines for a better moral society?

Your colleague doesn't show up when a big deliverable is due. He is not answering his phone or responding to messages and the entire team needs to scramble to make up for his absence. He claims he was ill, though he has done this a number of times before. He is witty and masterful at manipulating emotions, thus able to maintain his position at the company. We all have our favourite words for these kinds of people. Clinically, this person is not all right and has a personality disorder. Let's test your people reading skills. Would you say he is (a) paranoid, (b) obsessive compulsive, (c) anti-social or (d) avoidant?

According to the psychiatry classification schemes, he has an anti-social personality disorder. Such people have a tendency toward impulsive behaviour and lawlessness. Most of them may make minor transgressions, while others become all out criminals.

Alienation: business in the Red Corridor

The motorcyclists honk incessantly on the empty path. Following a slippery, rain-soaked mountain trail, winding through a dense Sal forest, we are heading into the 'liberated zone' — a part of the Maoist fiefdom in the Saranda jungles of Jharkhand's restive West Singhbhum district.

The region is impregnable to outsiders. The motorcyclists, who ferry the Forbes India reporter and photographer, are trusted intermediaries who had sought prior permission for entry from the local rebel commander. They know the rules all too well: If you are driving into Maoist country, you honk or play music loudly to tacitly announce your arrival to the rebels, who are mistrustful of outsiders. Or you risk being mistaken for a foe and toasted by one of their remote-controlled landmines littered across the rugged terrain.

The siege of Android: How Google lost the OS war

In a narrative beginning in 2016 and ending today, Forbes India recalls how the once irrepressible Google lost the mobile OS war.

Black Forest