author

Shobha Warrier

Shobha Warrier has been associated with Rediff from its inception and currently works as Senior Editorial Director. She is also the author of five books in English, Battlefield India: 25 years of Politricks and Economix, Dreamchasers: Entrepreneurs from the South of the Vindhyas, Dreamchaers: Women Entrepreneurs from the South of the Vindhyas, His Days with Bapu, and The Little Flower girl and Others- A diary of a journalist. Her three Malayalam short story collections include Jalavidya, Meghana and Ramakundam. She won the Lalitambika Antharjanam special award in 1996 for her book, Jalavidya. She likes talking to people and listening to their stories! You can e-mail the author at shobhaw@rediff.co.in

Stories by SHOBHA WARRIER

'Universities have become vacuum cleaners'

'Universities have become vacuum cleaners'

Rediff.com   8 Apr 2019

'They suck talent and dump elsewhere,' says ZohO founder Sridhar Vembu.

How India can become a world power

How India can become a world power

Rediff.com   8 Apr 2019

'Unless we start making the products we need, we cannot become a developed country or call ourselves an economic power.'

His son wants to defeat Rahul in Wayanad

His son wants to defeat Rahul in Wayanad

Rediff.com   5 Apr 2019

'Kerala will witness a lot of fireworks in Wayanad and a kind of fight that it has not witnessed so far.'

'Brands need to be brave'

'Brands need to be brave'

Rediff.com   1 Apr 2019

'When there are people who hate brands, it shows they are standing for something.' 'If you are trying to be everything to all people, you are failing.' 'Brands should be brave enough and take more stands on issues.'

Why many Indians won't be able to afford air travel

Why many Indians won't be able to afford air travel

Rediff.com   29 Mar 2019

'Earlier, when they were selling tickets at Rs 1,000, a family of five could travel by flight.' 'When it comes to realistic pricing and the price becomes Rs 5,000, a family of five will have shell out Rs 25,000.' 'How many will be able to afford that?' 'You will see people switching back to train travel which is more realistic.'

'Mission Shakti is similar to Pokhran, but not of that magnitude'

'Mission Shakti is similar to Pokhran, but not of that magnitude'

Rediff.com   28 Mar 2019

'Others will think twice before attacking our space assets.'

'Maybe 10, 15 years later, Rahul may mature as a politician'

'Maybe 10, 15 years later, Rahul may mature as a politician'

Rediff.com   25 Mar 2019

'This business of monopoly of one family must end.' 'Here, they picked up a few leaders for him as he needed support which was okay, but later, they became his cronies.'

'No possibility of any EVM being misused'

'No possibility of any EVM being misused'

Rediff.com   22 Mar 2019

'EVMs are absolutely credible, they are robust.' 'It's only a calculator with certain instructions. And the sim card inside an EVM is burnt and cannot be reprogrammed.' 'Besides, the machines are circulated among various states. No machine is allowed to remain in one state after an election.' 'By far, it is one of the finest innovations India should be proud of.'

'Reservation will outlive 2019, 2024 polls...'

'Reservation will outlive 2019, 2024 polls...'

Rediff.com   12 Mar 2019

'If you solve it in one day, it will go after a day.' 'If it is there for 100 years or 1,000 years, reservation has to continue.'

'India is not producing sufficient good quality jobs'

'India is not producing sufficient good quality jobs'

Rediff.com   8 Mar 2019

'The jobs that are being created now are the delivery boy jobs which are of extremely poor quality, or contractual jobs where you hire a person on a per piece basis.'

The man behind Vande Bharat Express

The man behind Vande Bharat Express

Rediff.com   19 Feb 2019

'This is not just Make in India; this is much more than that. Right from design to delivery, everything was done in India.'

Telcos: Beware Chinese bearing gifts!

Telcos: Beware Chinese bearing gifts!

Rediff.com   8 Feb 2019

'When an enemy country is looking for information to sabotage a system from a remote location, they can access your data, they can stop the functioning of our power plants, they can stop the functioning of critical systems in the network.' 'It is very important that we should have full control of everything in the network.' 'Most Indian companies buy from China only because of the kind of incentive they are getting.' 'By doing so, these Indian companies are exposing themselves to dangers in the coming years.'

COPD: 2nd biggest cause for deaths in India

COPD: 2nd biggest cause for deaths in India

Rediff.com   5 Feb 2019

'COPD causes an economic loss of Rs 35,000 crores.' 'We cannot afford to lose such a huge amount due to one disease.' 'COPD is a non-communicable disease and that's why it remained low in priority.' 'The time is right to shift the focus to COPD as HIV/AIDS and TB are under control. 'This badly neglected disease has become the second largest cause for deaths in India.' 'It is time for us to wake up and give due importance to this disease.'

'11 out of 10 for Budget's politics'

'11 out of 10 for Budget's politics'

Rediff.com   4 Feb 2019

'The finance minister has told the BJP's core voters we are hearing you and we are sensitive to your aspirations.'

'The CBI has to be blamed'

'The CBI has to be blamed'

Rediff.com   4 Feb 2019

'In the CBI's history, a situation like this has never ever occurred.'

Why a former ISRO chairman backs Modi

Why a former ISRO chairman backs Modi

Rediff.com   28 Jan 2019

'Modiji's programmes are efficient and with foresight, and needed for the country.' 'I also like his way of functioning. So, in whatever way I can, I would like to contribute.'

'Quota bill is Modi's desperate attempt to come back to power'

'Quota bill is Modi's desperate attempt to come back to power'

Rediff.com   22 Jan 2019

'The moment the BJP loses a state, it announces some policy which never takes off.'

Is China ahead of India in the space race?

Is China ahead of India in the space race?

Rediff.com   17 Jan 2019

'China pumps in a lot more money than what we do. China's space budget is close to $5 billion while it is hardly $1 billion for us.' 'We manage the programmes within the constraints of our budget. The main difference is we prioritise.'

How Byju built the world's highest-valued edtech company

How Byju built the world's highest-valued edtech company

Rediff.com   16 Jan 2019

'We want to be in kids' learning like what Disney is to kids' entertainment.'

'This govt has taken flesh and blood out of CBI'

'This govt has taken flesh and blood out of CBI'

Rediff.com   10 Jan 2019

'Forget Asthana. Forget Alok Verma. It is this government that has done the greatest damage.' 'My biggest worry is that they have made the CBI a puppet of the government.' 'They want the CBI director to act as per the wishes of the government.'