The Writer’s Flight

"Availability of raw material, skilled workforce, a growing market of consumers and state incentives makes Bihar a compelling choice for investors" - Says Sandeep Poundrik, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Industries, Govt of Bihar Situated in the eastern part of India, Bihar's journey has been one of transformation and progress. The State has some inherent strengths such as availability of skilled workforce, access to abundant raw materials but has somehow not managed to attract enough investments. The Govt of Bihar is now going all out to woo investors to its state. In this context, the  Department of Industries, Government of Bihar, is hosting a Global Investors' Meet, titled "Bihar Business Connect 2023" on  the 13th and 14th of December at Patna.  In this connection, a high-level delegation was here in the capital recently to address investors at ITC Maurya. Namrata Kohli in conversation with Sandeep Poundrik. IAS. Additional Chief Secretary....

  From zip lining in Rishikesh to paragliding in Bir and hot air ballooning in Pushkar, here are the top adventure sports locations in India that adrenaline junkies should check out. Follow some tips to stay safe and enjoy the thrilling activities   Parasailing is the art of feeling alive with every breath of wind, says 27-year-old Delhi based software professional Abhi Anand, who has undertaken nearly all kinds of air-based adventure sports. He says he loves to fly – “the more you fly, the more you want to fly like a bird. And fly with the wind, dance with the clouds, and embrace the thrill of the unknown.”   The market of adventure sports may be classified into three categories- adventure sports which are land based such as skiing, water based such as snorkelling or rafting and one of the most popular are the air based activities such as hang gliding, zip-lining, bungee jumping, paragliding, etc. which are gaining traction in the country. Air Based Adventure There are v...

  A Premium Air Purifier Covers A Larger Area Of A Room. (Representative Photo) Namrata Kohli New Delhi Large parts of Northern India for weeks are choking on toxic air, coughing, wheezing and complaining. No wonder then that sales of air purifiers are rising in India, a country which last year had 14 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world. "I feel super energetic as soon as I reach my office in Gurugram — the quality of poor air outside makes one so lethargic otherwise," says Ashwin Baruah, who works in a Gurugram-based e-commerce company that recently installed a YOGa Clean Air Solutions purifier at its premises. The purifier shows that the  air quality index  (AQI) is ‘good’ in Baruah’s office when it is 'hazardous' outside, according to pollution trackers. After battling the coronavirus pandemic, customers want air purifiers that can contain bacteria, viruses, and allergens besides cleaning the air. Products that meet these requirements are expensive and have...

This is the story of a girl from the capital city's slum rehabilitation colony. Poverty, parent's fighting leading to separation, financial challenges of raising five girls by a single woman i.e. her mother- she has seen it all but is channelizing her energies in finding solutions to the problem rather than adding to the problem. Read this inspirational story of this young girl "I am Seema, a 23-year-old resident of Shadipur, a bustling yet impoverished colony in the heart of Delhi. It is better known as a slum of Delhi. It was here that I was born and raised amidst the daily struggle for survival, and my story is one woven full of woes of not just poverty but also broken home. Growing up, I witnessed the tumultuous relationship between my parents, with my father, Ramswarup, prone to short-tempered, abusive outbursts. My mother, Meena, bore the scars of his rage—physical and emotional wounds that told a story of suffering no one should endure. In the academic realm, I ...

(This is a real-life story of a youngster who battled drug addiction and it flows straight from the pen of this articulate 25-year-old.. No name changed ) "In the darkest corners of my life, I found myself suffocating, drowning in a sea of despair. I was Rohan Aggarwal, the forgotten, the overshadowed younger sibling, who always felt like a mere afterthought in my family's narrative. My sister's dominance cast a long shadow, and my parents, absorbed in their own world, neglected to nurture my skills and passions. The weight of their indifference crushed me as I battled the demons that had taken residence within me. School was a torment I couldn't escape. Bullies, relentless in their cruelty, mocked my weight and shy nature. Their words and laughter cut deeper than any blade. In search of solace, I turned to marijuana, my elusive escape from the daily torment of life. The harsh reality of my existence was numbed by the haze of rebellion, and I withdrew into my self-...

  When Life Give You Lemons, Make Lemonade We live in times where only success is glorified. It scares us to even think about failure .   We  shy away from it and treat it only as something ‘personal’ feeling almost ashamed of our inadequacies and problems. With so much societal pressure to be successful in everything  we do , it’s bound to create a negative and stressful energy in many of us. Resultant, we are now faced with a mental health pandemic. The reasons are any and many - from financial problems, chronic pain and illness, violence, abuse, marital conflict, loneliness, discrimination, a relationship break-up, poverty, unemployment to just lack of perspective on life or self-doubts, fears, apprehensions.   Globally, close to 800,000 people die by suicide every year: that’s one person every 40 seconds. In India esp. post Covid 19 pandemic, the suicide statistics have been startling. In one of the capital city’s premier engineering colleges, there have...

  As winter sets in and large parts of India battle smog, people are taking a short break in places that offer respite Namrata Kohli New Delhi Diwali means families and friends visiting each other for parties, eating good food, and having a good time. They do that at home or at a staycation, a place for a short vacation away from home. Cut to 2023 and a lot of people are preferring to do a festive staycation away from their residence. Call it the pollution break or Diwali vacation, there has been a spike in bookings especially of villas and homestays and hotels for extended periods. For Saffron Stays, a network of luxury villas and private vacation homes, Diwali has been a great month every year. Says Deven Parulekar, Founder, SaffronStays, "This year too we are growing close to 50% over last year's Diwali and it's a mix of value growth and volume growth. Prices are also 5-7% more than last year."    Sample some of the data at SaffronStays. There has been a 35% ...