Category: Unwind

Big-ticket movies help crowd silver screens but some still wait for digital launch

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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With COVID-19 cases at a two-year-low and governments scrapping all restrictions, Kamalika Ghosh, a 31-year-old media professional from Delhi, mustered courage to step into a cinema hall to experience S.S. Rajamouli blockbuster RRR.

She planned to see the movie with friends at an INOX theatre in Indirapuram, bordering Delhi. “I was excited. This was my first movie in two years. Also, my last 3D experience was the 2016 film Jungle Book. So, you can gauge how much I was looking forward to it,” Ghosh said.

The tickets were costlier than before, but Ghosh did not mind that. What she minded was landing in a fully sold-out theatre with only a handful of people wearing facemasks. “I told the usher to demand that everyone wear masks, but he said that people would get angry and even create a ruckus,” she said, adding she wasn’t sure if the situation was similar at other theatres.

She proceeded to watch the movie hesitantly. But her enthusiasm faded when snags hit the screening. “From the beginning, my friends and I thought the graphics were not clear, but we continued watching. After the interval, murmurs among the audience grew and soon the movie was halted due to complaints of poor graphics,” Ghosh said.

After a brief commotion—with people calling for refunds, replacement of 3D eyepieces, and another movie to be played—RRR was “rewinded”. “Can you believe it? I, at least, have never heard any instance like this ever,” she said. “I’m sure we got unlucky. But this brings us back to the topic of would you want to go to such lengths to watch a movie at theatres. I might still catch RRR again at another 3D screen, but for other movies, I would wait and watch it over streaming platforms.”

Abhishek Roy, a 29-year-old IT industry professional from Hyderabad, who has been to the movies after the reopening says the high ticket prices definitely affects his decision to watch a movie at a theatre. “I can wait for movies to come to streaming platforms, even if it is a movie like RRR,” Roy said. “Despite movies opening fully, I would pick and choose which films to watch at halls.”

Also Read: OTT onslaught: India’s biggest cinema brands PVR, INOX announce merger

Pallavi Dewan, a 29-year-old who works at a startup, hasn’t been to the movies yet after the reopening. “I will not go back to watching movies at theatres at the rate at which I did before the pandemic. I feel waiting for a movie to hit Netflix or Prime isn’t much hassle,” she said. “I did book tickets for Spider-Man, but chickened out because I got paranoid about being in a full-capacity hall.”

A 31-year-old communications professional, who only shared her last name as Bhattacharya, said she had been to the movies after the reopening but might not want to drive to the nearest theatre with every release. “I only go there for films that are ‘must see’ on the big screen, such as Dune or Batman, also because of rising ticket prices. For the rest, I can wait and catch them on OTT (over-the-top) platforms,” she said, adding she found most people following COVID protocols.

Namrata Goala, a 28-year-old management executive at an MNC, also shared Bhattacharya’s views and said she would go to a theatre if it is something she “really wants to watch on a big screen”. A few others raised the issue of ticket prices shooting up to Rs 2,100.

Also Read: Oscars 2022: Meet India’s Namit Malhotra who has won Best Visual Effects award for Dune

But then there are those like Bahuguna (first name withheld), a 35-year-old film industry professional, who says he doesn’t mind visiting theatres at the same clip he did before the pandemic. “Am I okay waiting for a film to be available on my handheld devices? Depends on the film. It is okay to wait for some, not for some others,” he said, adding the higher expenses of watching films also plays a role. “At times, I delay watching a new release to the following weekday when tickets are comparatively cheaper.”

Warrier (first name withheld), a 37-year-old senior IT industry executive, hasn’t been to the theatres after the reopening but says he would not mind watching movies at the same rate as he did before the COVID restrictions even if it means paying a bit more. “Nothing beats watching things on the big screen. I recently watched Dune on Prime. Since I wasn’t happy, I repurchased it on Plex (a streaming platform that allows users to buy and upload quality files). After Plex, I understand how poor OTTs are in terms of quality and compression,” he said.

RRR, meanwhile, seems to have brought back the magic to theatres with RRR. Shares of multiplex chains surged on March 25 with RRR’s launch. Both PVR and INOX stocks hit over 25-month highs. Analysts said RRR is set to break the long-standing box-office earnings record of Baahubali: The Conclusion, as it has already earned Rs 371 crore on the opening and the next day by some accounts. Sunday earnings are yet to be announced.  Baahubali: The Conclusion had earned Rs 526 crore in the opening weekend.

Also Read: RRR set to break Baahubali record; earns Rs 371 crore in 2 days

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Olive Ridley wave sweeps Odisha’s Gahirmatha beach, incredible photos here

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Lakhs of olive ridley turtles have begun crowding the tranquil Gahirmatha beach in Odisha, as part of their annual journey to lay eggs, presenting a rare natural phenomenon and a breathtaking sight, officials said.

The Gahirmatha beach is widely regarded as the world’s largest-known nesting ground of these reptiles. Apart from Gahirmatha, the turtles also arrive at the Rushikulya and Devi river mouths for mass nesting, they said.

Around 2.45 lakh female turtles crawled onto the seashore to dig pits with flippers on Friday, Rajnagar Mangrove (Wildlife) Divisional Forest Officer J D Pati said. “The arrival of so many turtles is a refreshing development and this is probably the largest congregation at the nesting beach in a single day,” Pati said.

”We’re expecting a large congregation for the next two-three days and the mass nesting is likely to continue at least for a week,” he said. There were apprehensions that the olive ridley turtles, which derives their name from the colour of the shell, might skip their annual visit as the mass nesting was delayed by around a fortnight.

Last year, 3,49,694 female turtles had turned up at the nesting grounds to lay eggs from March 9 to March 23. The females virtually invade the nesting beaches, usually at the dead of the night, for laying eggs. They usually lay around 120-150 eggs and return to the sea, another official said.

Day 2 #arribada #OliveRidley #massnesting #gahirmatha #odisha

Day-1 2,45,188 😁😁
Day-2 1,84,994😁😁 pic.twitter.com/Wmgzn9yZdX

— Jagyandatt Pati (@jd_pati) March 27, 2022

Hatchlings usually emerge after 45-60 days. Out of every 1,000 hatchlings that enter the sea, only one manages to reach adulthood, according to official data.

Illegal egg poaching, turtle harvesting and nest destruction by humans are some of the major threats these reptiles face, apart from climate change, the officials said. The Forest Department has been prioritising the safety of the nests, with wildlife staff on round-the-clock vigil to keep predators like jackals, hyenas and wild dogs at bay, they said.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

International kabaddi player Sandeep Nagpal shot and killed in Jalandhar; 20 bullets fired at him

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Kabaddi player Sandeep Nangal was shot and killed on Monday evening by unidentified assailants in Punjab’s Jalandhar district, police said. The incident took place when a Kabaddi tournament was underway in Mallian Kalan village of Shahkot.

Jalandhar (Rural) Deputy Superintendent of Police (Nakodar) Lakhwinder Singh confirmed the report. Police suspect eight to ten bullets were pumped into the Kabaddi player’s head. They said further investigation was underway.

According to reports, Nagpal another youth was shot in the leg during the attack. DNA reported that five miscreants ambushed the kabaddi player and opened fire at him. The report added that videos of the disturbing incident have surfaced on social media. Spectators were seen fleeing from the stadium as bullets were being fired at Nagpal from a distance.

Nagpal, was has been at the top of his game for the past 11 years and was nicknamed “Gladiator”. He has played tournaments in US, UK and Canada. Reports claimed that Nagpal was managing a major league Kabaddi federation where there seemed to be a tiff between him and the federation or some clubs.

(With inputs from agencies)

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

First look at AR Rahman’s new musical project in Dubai, Firdaus Studio

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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You can’t help but feel you’re on hallowed ground. The board reads ‘Firdaus Studio by AR Rahman’. And that’s around the time you know you’re someplace special.

Maybe it’s the enigma that goes before the man himself — the idiosyncrasies that make up his musical genius. You’ve heard about them from people who know and have worked with him: the late-night compositions, bursts of genius, zen-like work ethic and a resulting musical score that’s nothing short of magic.

However, all it takes is one step inside A R Rahman’s latest musical project, Firdaus Studio at the Expo 2020 site in Dubai, to feel like you could well be part of all this.

Also Read: Dubai Expo 2020: How the mammoth trade show is a stunning example of sustainability

To your right, in impeccably maintained glass boxes are the twin Academy Awards and Grammys won by the Mozart of Madras for his music in Slumdog Millionaire. “They have been moved here temporarily until Expo 2020 ends,” says an organizer, with a smile. You can’t blame them for noticing that visitors here are enamoured by it all.

Firdaus Studio is Rahman’s latest musical project and “vision” that was inaugurated last year, at the start of the Dubai Expo. With state-of-the-art instruments, recording technology and premium performance spaces, it’s fair to say that the space goes all the way as a top-rung performance and recording venue.

“The main scoring area is used as a performing space for LIVE performances and for screening movies,” says Nada Al Said, Senior Manager, Studio Tours, “We also do film scoring and record album music. AR (Rahman) would also like for it to be a cultural hub — to have artist talks, unplugged sessions, so on and so forth.”

A walk down the studio’s reception area takes you down a long hallway where you get to a modestly sized green room and a deep-listening room on one side. On the other side is Rahman’s office space. Down the hallway is Firdaus’ Studio’s large scoring room where musical magic is made every other day, its centrepiece, a snow-white Steinway and Sons piano.

All around are mic sets, LED screens and windows from a recording room and the deep-listening room that overlook the scoring room. It doesn’t take long before the piano begins playing itself as if on auto-pilot, its keys go in and out as if an invisible force has begun taking over.

Also Read: A bird’s eye view of Dubai Expo 2020 from ‘Garden in the Sky’ tower

“It’s one of the rare models and it also plays itself,” Nada explains referring to the Steinway, “AR plays it a lot, and we have musicians come in here, who also play it and absolutely love the sound it produces.”

We soon learn that the purpose of the self-playing piano is to save time at recordings. “The piano records performances. So, for example, if AR wanted to play it and record something, he can do so and then we play it back, which helps aid in saving time,” she adds, “So, if we have a recording session and he (Rahman) isn’t here, but we want to use a piece that he recorded, we play it back and have one of the musicians practice to the sound of that comes out of it.”

A quick exit leads to an access-controlled stairway that takes us upstairs to the recording room. Nada and a colleague sitting at a console to discuss music for Rahman and director Shekhar Kapur’s musical, ‘Why’ that has already become quite a rage at the Dubai Expo. The musical, performed to the finest laser show under the famous Al Wasl Dome at Expo 2020 narrates the story of a young girl and her grandfather who embark on a quest to find the purpose behind their existence.

“We’re still a young studio, we have done a lot of work with the Firdaus Orchestra, which another one of AR’s projects,” says Nada, “Some of their performances have been recorded here, music for ‘Why’ was also scored here, and we’ve had A-list international musicians record at the studio.”

It comes as no surprise though that Rahman’s work ethic is the fuel that runs Firdaus. Those who work there couldn’t agree more. “He’s a very, very passionate person and life is music,” says Nada, “When he comes in, he goes straight to the zone. He’s very calm in his work, and very intuitive. He works on the spot and creates things on the spot.”

Most recently, Rahman hosted musical maestro Illaiyaraaja at Firdaus Studio, with the latter accepting to kick-start a joint project at the performance venue. However, Firdaus Studio will do a lot more than play host to the best of music and musicians in the business.

“We look forward to the studio having a strong educational chapter as well,” says Nada, “So that means having workshops, courses in sound engineering, and collaborate with different cultural institutions and universities and schools.”

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

The Thought League Season 2: The state of play of CSR and philanthropy

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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In the 10th episode of Season 2 of CNBC-TV18 & Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas Present The Thought League, Amit Chandra, Chairman & MD, Bain Capital India, and Cyril Shroff, Managing Partner, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas discuss with CNBC-TV18’s Nisha Poddar, the state of play of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and philanthropy aimed at catalysing a culture of responsible giving to the society, evolving from social responsibility to business responsibility.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Only 12% of contract staff were Women at 2021-end: TeamLease Services

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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While the total number of female workers in India is 149.8 million, the labour market participation by them is abysmal, a TeamLease Services study said on Tuesday. According to the TeamLease Services’ latest report No Woman Left Behind — a comprehensive analysis highlighting the current state of women participation in the workforce — only 12 percent of the women are part of the contractual staff in India compared to 88 percent among men.

As per the study, one of the primary reasons for the low rate of women at work is the high participation in domestic duties or unpaid work. The Economic Survey 2018-19 noted that the rate of women engaged in domestic duties is as high as 55.7 percent in rural areas and 59.1 percent in urban areas.

According to a first-of-its-kind Time Use Survey by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, women spend about 5 hours a day on unpaid domestic work or thrice as much time as men. Moreover, COVID-induced job market stagnation has also forced women out of the labour force. Low participation of urban women in the labour force, mobility restrictions and sacrificing of career progression, education opportunities to meet family responsibilities, safety considerations and other social restrictions also are complementing the low presence of women in the workforce.

As per the analysis, the work eco-system, in general, is also not very conducive nor encouraging to increase women’s participation. Irrespective of the nature of work, the majority of the women employees in India still do not have a written job contract, nearly half of the regular wage/salaried employees are not eligible for paid leave. Similarly, a significant proportion of the women who are currently in the workforce do not have access or are not eligible for any social security benefits deterring the participation of women at work.

”One of the biggest casualties that the pandemic has caused is, it has pushed the women participation in the workforce to a further lower level. Correcting and improving it will call for an aggressive and comprehensive approach focussed on ensuring women are given equal importance in the country’s economic plan,” said Rituparna Chakraborty, co-founder and Executive Vice President, TeamLease Services. ”It will require equal participation by the entire stakeholder, including women, employers and policymakers. In fact, improving women’s labour force participation and bringing it to the same level as men can not only have a positive impact on women, it can help in boosting GDP by 27 percent,” Chakraborty added.

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Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

International Women’s Day: A look at female representation in Indian boardrooms

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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More women are taking up leadership roles but boardroom diversity is making slow progress.

As of 2021, less than a fifth of the board seats in the country is held by women. The proportion of women at higher posts such as CEO, CFO, etc is less than five percent.

Not only is the proportion of women in key posts lower than men, but they also have a shorter tenure.

However, there are some positives as well. The average age of women board members is considerably lower than their male counterparts.

Also, several modern industries such as healthcare, technology, etc have a higher percentage of women representatives.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

International Women’s Day: A look at women-led unicorns in India

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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As the world celebrates ‘International Women’s Day,’ let us take a look at popular Indian unicorns led by women.

Rajoshi Gosh

Smita Deorah

Ghazal Alagh

Garima Sawhney

Ruchi Kalra

Saritha Katikaneni

Falguni Nayar

Gazal Kalra

Divya Gokulnath

Radhika Ghai

Ambiga Subramanian

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

‘Indomitable’ Arundhati Bhattacharya’s autobiography has lessons for Corporate India

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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It is customary on Women’s Day to ponder over how to correct the historical disadvantage that women have been put to in most societies. And a great way to understand what companies and boards and even the law may do in India to help the cause of financial independence for women is to read the autobiography of Arundhati Bhattacharya, former chairman of the State Bank of India (SBI). The title “Indomitable”, the English equivalent of the Sanskrit word “Arundhati” admirably fits Bhattacharya’s struggle to balance her personal and professional life and what is even more striking here constant effort to excel at work and leave SBI stronger at the end of her career.

The book is definitely more than just a woman’s struggle. It is an excellent insider’s account of the struggle of many public sector bankers, tossed as they are from department to department and transferred from state to state several times in their career. Bhattacharya recounts how she fought snakes in some rural branches, repaired fuse boxes, was on the road in the Badlands of Uttar Pradesh sometimes from 4:00 AM in the morning to visit far-flung branches and returning at 2:00 am. And then before she and her family could adjust to a new city, along would come to another transfer to usually a diametrically different universe like say to the foreign exchange department of a busy branch in Kolkatta. And even as she settled in and found a nanny for her daughter, along comes another transfer order, this time to New York!

Also Read: Book Excerpt: The Scindia Legacy – From Ranoji to Jyotiraditya

The book also breaks a lot of misconceptions people may have about the “cushy” lives of public sector bankers. Practically all her life, Bhattacharya appears to have worked 15-20 hours for SBI. Not surprisingly when she reached high enough to make decisions for the bank and for the banking sector, she ensured that the half-days of Saturday are converted to full holidays for at least two Saturdays in a month. Every working woman in India will understand how seminal this contribution of Bhattacharya is.

The book also leaves the reader with a lot of respect for State Bank. Appointment to every new department involves a lot of learning by the banker. The requirements of the treasury department are sophisticated and demanding, notes Bhattacharya even as semi-urban branches require one to understand the intricacies of the myriad small and medium enterprises that dot India’s Tier 2and Tier 3 cities, while rural postings require totally different set of knowledge and skills. A State Banker’s life appears to be a never-ending chain of learning. And the bank has admirably succeeded in passing on learnings by creating online modules which new entrants to a department can access and learn.

Bhattacharya’s career also coincides with the bank transitioning from handwritten ledgers to computerised records to digital banking. Given the scale of SBI, each of these paradigm shifts involve massive macro planning of budgets and manpower as well as intricate attention to detail. But more importantly, the enthusiasm, the passion, and the sincerity of Bhattacharya and all her teams of bankers to overcome odds and scale new heights permeates every page. It is not common for financial sector experts and even media persons to sound dismissive of PSU bankers. A reading of this book, will for sure erase much of this prejudice. So sincere, detailed, and passionate is Bhattacharya’s description of each of the milestones she and the bank set for itself and achieved.

Also Read: Sonali Bendre: ‘I’m looking forward to a few strong years of solid work and good roles’

But ultimately this book is about a woman’s struggle. Bhattacharya’s account of how she struggled to find good schools for her differently-abled child, how she juggled with her aged parents and bed-ridden mother-in-law and still managed to clear every interview to higher grades, is moving. Most working women professionals would be able to identify with each such struggle.

Also outstanding is Bhattacharya’s command of the English language. The narration of her time in SBI (from Chapter 4 to 16) is most absorbing, almost unputdownable. Maybe she should have trimmed the first three chapters which recount her school and college days, where the pace of narration slows and the themes meander. I would blame the editors at HarperCollins for not advising Bhattacharya appropriately. The book works better as a story of a woman in SBI who rose to lead the bank.

The book clearly brings out Bhattacharya’s extraordinary ability to learn and adapt to ever-changing circumstances. In fact, even after her career in SBI, she has moved to a totally different universe – she is the CEO of the India unit of the US-based technology company “Salesforce”. That must have been one hell of a change after a four-decade-long career in banking!

While one wishes Bhattacharya well in her new role, one hopes she uses her constructive and sensitive approach to women’s issues and her considerable clout in India Inc to change attitudes of companies and boards, and even lawmakers. CMIE’s latest data shows that female participation in the labour force in urban India is as low as 7.2 percent versus 64.8 percent for men. I don’t have ready data for the number of women who drop out of work after they bear children, but this wide chasm between male and female employment may well have much to do with companies not co-operating enough to let a woman balance her personal and professional lives, especially when she is a young mother. I would exhort more men in high positions to read Bhattacharya’s story so they understand the pain of women employees when they become young mothers. I also hope more young women read her book to understand how tenaciously she overcame some severe odds and went on to be named one of the five most powerful women in the country, as she states with justifiable pride.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Storyboard18 | To her, with love: Witnessing my mother’s choices played a huge part in the path I chose for myself, says Byju’s Divya Gokulnath

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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A crucial aspect of being a woman in the 21st century is the need to have successful women role models who can inspire, guide, and influence. Luckily for me, my biggest role model and mentor has been by my side since birth – my mother.

Be it in the corporate world or otherwise, representation matters, and seeing other women in positions of leadership is a glorious manifestation of this representation. I can vouch for this because it’s a method of influence that has personally touched my life.

I consider myself extremely lucky to have been surrounded by inspiring women all through my childhood. I grew up with a working mother who fearlessly pursued her career and rose to be a producer in a field that was not often pursued by women.

My grandmother too was a force to be reckoned with. An English-speaking and sport-loving woman, she was a great role model in turn for her daughter.

Be it civil services, banking, teaching or even biotechnology, women in my family have gone out and done extraordinary things. When you grow up in an environment where your choices are not bound by the myopic lens of gender, which becomes a way of life for you, that becomes the norm.

Witnessing my mother’s choices has played a huge part in the path I chose for myself too. Be it at every stage of life – as a child, a young woman choosing a career path, or when I became a mother myself – she has been a rock-solid support, and an inexhaustible source of inspiration for me. My love for sports also stems from the confidence my parents instilled in me to challenge myself and not let gender ever play a role in any choices I make.

The women in my family have not only taught me to be fiercely independent but also how to be a working mother and strike that delicate balance between family and work.

A crucial tenet of motherhood I learned from my mother, in particular, is to be fully present. Whenever she spent time with me at home, she was there in mind, body, and soul. Never did she carry the pressures of deadlines or work back home with her. This made sure I could experience my mother just as she was. She drew her boundaries, maintained her individuality, and prioritized work and family as needed.

Being a mother myself now, I realize that this requires a lot of multitasking, and she pulled it off flawlessly.

Inspiration, thus, has been from all around me. From my mother to my grandmother, my aunts to my mother-in-law, all of these incredible women have given me sense, direction, and reason to stand up on my own, for myself, and for the women who now grow alongside me.

‘To her, with love’ is a Storyboard18 special series where women in leadership tell us about the women who inspired them and led the way. A shout-out to her.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow