Tushar Mangl

A lot of information is flowing about one of the largest human protests in World History. Lakhs of Indian Farmers are on the road, protesting the three farm laws the Govt. says is the best formula to end all their problems. The Farmers say they don't want them. The Govt. says that it knows better. Many of you have written to me in the past several days inquiring what's happening. Moreover, the Indian Media is so biased that it acts more of a Govt. mouthpiece than the fourth estate it was envisioned to be. Let me begin by saying that these laws' foundation is so shaky and dicey that reading the bills themselves doesn't make any sense. In our Indian Constitution, there are lists. These cover which segment will be a State Subject and which will be a Central Government subject. Defense, for example, comes under Centre. For any sector that we need to discuss, we have to see who is authorized to create policies for that sector. Let us move forward to the State Lis...

Is it time to call for the Obituary of the Indian National Congress? The Indian National Congress is one of the oldest political parties in India. Although around for decades, it seems that it is bracing towards collapse as we leap on to the next decade beyond 2020. The results of Bypolls and Assembly elections for everyone to see and understand. Faced with ruthless competition from the ruling Party, the Congress is doddering. Even in States, it has won, like Goa and Karnataka, it lost its MLAs and elected representatives who dumped the Party for greener pastures with the other Party. True, allegations of horse-trading were floated around. But as in Madhya Pradesh, there is clear evidence of Indians favoring turncoats. The BJP hardly won the mandate in Goa, Karnataka, or Madhya Pradesh, but turncoats swung the numbers.  Questions should be raised about how majorities are being stitched. Similarly, it's interesting to probe that the Congress, one of India's principal political p...

Bad Blood - John Carreyrou-Review The Wall Street Journal, journalist John Carreyrou has chronicled in this book the rise and fall of Theranos, a Unicorn which never actually was. Founded by Elizabeth Holmes, who was later joined by Sunny Balwani, the company had a golden run with a promise of easy, portable, and convenient blood testing mechanism. But as later, the investigative journalist would find out the technology didn't really work.  The reporting is exhaustive and thorough. Carreyrou hasn't relied on one or two sources but offered several corroborations to the points raised in the book. On a larger scale, such books are important for its not always about Theranos. In India, particularly, start-up founders and entrepreneurs often fall to this lure of fundraising without perfecting their product.  So many companies raise so much capital without anyone knowing how the cash flow will happen. Equally problematic is the treatment of staff by the Board of a compan...

If memory serves me right, the good people at Yum Yum Cha launched a new food home delivery brand Noshi last year. But although we have a YYC outlet here in Gurugram, Noshi's services were limited to South Delhi. The delivery kitchen was being coordinated through the Zamrudpur center. The good news is that Noshi is now in GuruGram as well. And the delivery brand has come at the right moment. Pan Asian Food is something that I was missing since the lockdown started. And YYC is an all-time favorite for this. Gurugram has seen several high-end Pan Asian brands coming down, especially from South Delhi like Enoki, Asian Haus, etc. Others like Ah So Yum and Auntie Fung's have also impressed the citizens. Varun Tuli's Yum Yum Cha is already a famous name in Delhi and Gurugram for its Pan Asian Cuisine. Served amidst an Origami-inspired setting, the outlets are often filled in with regulars. The Yum Tree group also has a catering division called Food Inc and Noshi is th...

The Planet Earth is in a lockdown, courtesy of a contagious virus that is spreading faster than a Forest fire. Although it is not pleasant for most of us stuck at homes, but reading fiction is one escape that has held on loyally to fight boredom, dull days, and mood swings. Here is a list of five fiction books, I would recommend to check off your reading list this Lockdown. Of course, if you haven't read any of my Novellas to date, do give them a chance as well. 1. Chennai Killings - Chital Mehta  The only Indian Author on this particular list has written a pacy thriller you need to pass some quality time upon during the Covid19 Lockdown. Chennai Killings is about a string of murders in Chennai with a Cop, Vikram Rathi, on their trail. Be ready for some exciting twists and a grand surprise of a climax. 2. We the Living - Ayn Rand  Ayn Rand's novels The Fountainhead & Atlas Shrugged are super famous, decades after they were first published. But I ...

Across the Globe, cities have been put under lockdown, cutting down on human movements to restrain the contagious COVID-19's spread.  While some might grumble about their routines to be disrupted, this is an excellent time to spend time with books. I have been asked by many to suggest some reads which they can read digitally. Here is my list of Non-Fiction books you should read while spending time at home. 1. Never Lost Again - Bill Kilday This book is about Google Mapping and the story behind an App that you use in routine. Increasingly our populace is being dependent on Google Maps, but do you know how it all began? Bill Kilday chronicles the journey very well, since the time John Hanke started Keyhole. Kilday himself was part of Hanke's team from Keyhole days and Google as well.  It is also an inspiring read for thousands of you who are struggling to rise in their careers, entrepreneurship, or businesses. It was not a smooth path for Hanke and his team and...

 If you are sitting alone at home and looking for a constructive timepass gardening specifically, kitchen gardening can be e an excellent idea for you.  But with Limited supplies and without stepping out of home, how do we manage to set up a kitchen garden? Let me give you a brief idea about how to go about it. You don't need fancy stuff to start, and this is specifically for beginners who don't have much experience in setting up a kitchen garden but would like to go for it. The first point is to clean your house and look for pots.  Now how do we do that? In your home, if you have old buckets, empty cans, unused plastic jars, etc. We can also use 2-litre pet bottles of soft drinks. Cans of for use for ghee or refined all those can also be used. We can also use takeaway containers which we get with home deliveries. Some outlets also send food in earthen handis. I once used for a pot, an old stainless steel jar of a mixer grinder way past its prime and which d...