Nivedita Mookerji, Veenu Sandhu

Stories by Nivedita Mookerji, Veenu Sandhu

'India's done magical work'

'India's done magical work'

Rediff.com   21 Sep 2023

'To get a 100 per cent consensus document without any reservation, any bracket, any chair summary is unprecedented in the history of multilateral forums.'

Pragati Maidan: A Walk In Time

Pragati Maidan: A Walk In Time

Rediff.com   12 Aug 2023

'A microcosm of India, inclusive and welcoming'. For years, Pragati Maidan was the centre of Delhi's social life.

'Indian manufacturers are making good-quality EVs'

'Indian manufacturers are making good-quality EVs'

Rediff.com   29 Jul 2023

'I'm very much against petrol and diesel....'' 'I travel in an electric car.' 'I have had a really good experience with it.'

'We are not saying everybody has to pay that much'

'We are not saying everybody has to pay that much'

Rediff.com   12 Jun 2023

'If you are going to have only a handful of telecom players on whom the entire dream of Digital India rests, it's important they are financially sustainable.'

'We talk about India in every board meeting'

'We talk about India in every board meeting'

Rediff.com   23 May 2023

'India has a lot of potential, not just in commercial aspects, but also in hiring of people and sourcing of products.'

Why Apple, Walmart Are Bullish On India

Why Apple, Walmart Are Bullish On India

Rediff.com   19 Apr 2023

At a time when the overall narrative is around India being an attractive investment destination, the two American multinationals are more specific in projecting India as their centrepiece.

A Chor-Police Potboiler

A Chor-Police Potboiler

Rediff.com   7 Mar 2023

The Hyderabad Heist is a blow-by-blow account of an audacious theft committed in 2018, and a recounting of how the Hyderabad Police combined technology and human intelligence to crack the case.

'Budget should set right stage for growth'

'Budget should set right stage for growth'

Rediff.com   30 Jan 2023

'India is showing a reasonable amount of resilience, but we are still living in a world that is quite fragile.' 'That's why we hope that the government will continue to invest significantly in public capex so that we are able to ride through this cycle till the private sector is able to play its part in investing and adding to the capex cycle.'

The Last Picture: Capturing A Lifetime's Memories

The Last Picture: Capturing A Lifetime's Memories

Rediff.com   26 Nov 2022

Last pictures have that power to transcend time. And last pictures can, sometimes, capture a lifetime, explains Veenu Sandhu.

'We almost went bankrupt'

'We almost went bankrupt'

Rediff.com   9 Nov 2022

'Bottomline, hairline and waistline -- you have to watch them always.'

'5G is a long haul'

'5G is a long haul'

Rediff.com   16 Jun 2022

'We showcased about 20 use cases in 5G trials in Pune and Gandhinagar and some of them were interesting and innovative.' 'However, which ones will take off and which ones would not be relevant, we don't know yet.'

RIL, Adani in race to strike a deal with Germany's Metro AG

RIL, Adani in race to strike a deal with Germany's Metro AG

Rediff.com   6 Jun 2022

Three business houses are likely to be in the final race to strike a deal with Germany's Metro AG for investing in its India unit -- Metro Cash & Carry. Industry sources in the know named Reliance, Adani Group, and Thailand's conglomerate Charoen Pokphand (CP) as potential frontrunners to acquire a partial or full stake in the Gurugram-headquartered Metro Cash & Carry, which has 31 stores and 5,000 direct employees. Around 20 companies, including strategic and private equity investors, were approached by the German chain, inviting them to bid for the Indian wholesale business, according to a source aware of the M&A developments.

Air India's CEO choice leaves many questions

Air India's CEO choice leaves many questions

Rediff.com   10 Mar 2022

The Tata group has begun its second innings with Air India from a war zone. Being first up in Operation Ganga to evacuate Indian nationals from Ukraine, the salt-to-software conglomerate has faced a real war. But the fire-fighting that the group experienced in appointing a chief executive officer (CEO) for the airline that it acquired from the government in a Rs 18,000-crore deal recently may have felt no less.

Advertisements that Indians find 'offensive'

Advertisements that Indians find 'offensive'

Rediff.com   23 Jan 2022

An advertisement showing two women talking about Cars24's promise that you can test drive the car and return it with full refund in seven days if it doesn't work for you has upset a section of men. In the ad, the women say there should be such a policy for husbands, too. "Will same return policy be taken so laughingly as this one if we reverse the #gender? (sic)" asks a complainant to the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). Another complaint, this time against a FreshToHome ad, reads: "Suggest to ban gory and repulsive photos of animal parts in ads - just as photos of accident victims."

2021: What worked with work, or didn't

2021: What worked with work, or didn't

Rediff.com   30 Dec 2021

'During the course of these two years, as new people have joined, we have no mental picture to associate with them and hence, have little connection with them.'

What does 5G spectrum auction delay mean for India?

What does 5G spectrum auction delay mean for India?

Rediff.com   29 Nov 2021

Discussing the prospect of more reform earlier this month, telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced a delay in the 5G spectrum auction. India's telecom sector regulation has to be benchmarked with the global best, he said. It's another matter that many countries have either introduced or are about to roll out 5G services that will enable cutting-edge tech in diverse areas. For India, too, it will mean a lot for healthcare, robotics and unleashing a new chapter in Digital India perhaps.

Nykaa's Falguni Nayar: UNAFRAID To Take Risks

Nykaa's Falguni Nayar: UNAFRAID To Take Risks

Rediff.com   28 Oct 2021

Beauty, Nykaa's founder Falguni Nayar realised, is a very long-tailed business and with e-commerce picking up in India, it seemed like a good idea to venture into.

'Vaccine hesitancy has more or less gone'

'Vaccine hesitancy has more or less gone'

Rediff.com   11 Oct 2021

'Demand is wonderful. We have crossed 10 million on many days.' 'The Swedish trade commissioner recently said, "You guys are vaccinating the entire Sweden in one day".'

Despite govt's relief package, questions remain over Voda Idea's survival

Despite govt's relief package, questions remain over Voda Idea's survival

Rediff.com   4 Oct 2021

The question mark over Vodafone Idea's survival is gone after the government's telecom package, managing director and chief executive officer Ravinder Takkar said in an interaction recently. The extended moratorium for spectrum payments and adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues has indeed ensured that Vodafone Idea survives, at least for the time being, but questions remain. Answers to those questions may determine the future of Vodafone Idea and its power to stay in a difficult telecom market in the coming years.

Olympic Heroes Stars at I-Day Celebration

Olympic Heroes Stars at I-Day Celebration

Rediff.com   12 Aug 2021

The women who made India proud in Tokyo are set to be the Independence Day mascots. Invite from the PM has already gone out to these achievers to be guests of honour on August 15.