Tax demands and regulatory hassles, coupled with low internet density and sundry other problems, would have kept Mr Ma awfully busy - and small.
The processes that create a seven per cent-plus GDP growth rate without a similar growth in jobs are far from fully understood, says Ajit Balakrishnan.
"Crores of Muslim women had always demanded that triple talaq should be banned, as it is also banned in Islamic countries," he said.
Global retail behemoths seem to have read the signals right.
India's main hubs are bursting at the seams.
Defence Secretary R K Mathur should take to Prime Minister Narendra Modi just five simple measures that would create or catalyse dramatic improvements across the wider defence arena, says Ajai Shukla.
Anshu Gupta, the founder of Goonj, has transformed the culture of giving in the country. He has for 15 years now, worked tirelessly to bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots, by making discarded materials a resource for the poor. His weapon, he says, is 'cloth as a tool of social change.'
'Poverty-stricken and drought-affected families in Bundelkhand and Marathawada are selling their children for as little as a few hundred rupees.'
Overseas education consultant NNS Chandra offers advice on how to pick the right international education.
A look at few gurus who have attracted controversy in recent times.
Bangladesh on Monday banned an Islamist militant outfit that is believed to be behind the gruesome hacking deaths of three secular bloggers.
No country has grown without educating its people. India's shameful lag in primary and secondary education has persisted for several decades, and the crisis in higher education is now threatening a social and political calamity, says Ashoka Mody.
These refineries, commissioned mostly in the 1950s and 1960s during India's early industrialisation push, are inefficient and costly to maintain compared to their modern counterparts on the coast mainly operated by private companies.
In Delhi, the poor are pitted against the middle class, with the former led by Arvind Kejriwal and the latter by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Here's this week of truly crazy and mad stories that will make you laugh.
Operators developing greenfield airports (built from scratch on undeveloped land) are likely to face increased competition, with the Ministry of Civil Aviation considering tweaking the norms to allow such airports to be developed within 150-km radii of existing ones.
Examples of coordinated initiatives.
Even given politicians' penchant for self-promotion, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa takes it to another level altogether, says A Ganesh Nadar. Nothing wrong with it, provided it's not done at the tax-payer's expense.
'The BJP said they want less government and more governance. But they are doing neither. It is shocking to see them so ineffective.'
The recent tragedy confirms the view of humanitarian aid as a political weapon
With Awfis, a quirky co-working venture, and other offbeat ideas, Radha Kapoor, the daughter of the Yes Bank CEO, is taking the creative route to entrepreneurship.
'People respect Sharad Pawar and his contribution, but now it is Ajit Pawar who is associated with Baramati. And he has done nothing for it,' retired IPS officer and AAP candidate Suresh Khopade tells Jyoti Punwani.
The real brilliance of this RSS campaign, therefore, lies in building a dominant power base with, and for, a mostly non-RSS leadership. That is why the rise of the BJP in Assam is their stand-out victory, says Shekhar Gupta.
This is the joint statement issued by the ministry of external affairs on the visit of US President Barack Obama to India.
'We have leaders who would rather that we cohabit with the Indian Mujahedeen than fight terror, as long as the payoffs are there in the next polls... Obviously, we are not headed down the best route to keep terror at bay,' says Brigadier S K Chatterji (retd).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi stirred up a hornet's nest when he said that 'if there is electricity during Ramzan, there should be electricity during Diwali too'. Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf speaks to Shailendra Dubey, chairman, All India Power Engineer's Federation, to ascertain the truth.
This goes a long way in creating an ethical organisation culture that in turn helps attract talent.
The Powerwall 'will be great for India where there is a scarcity of electricity. The sun is there pretty much all day and there is no real good way to store its energy,' Tesla CIO Jay Vijayan tells Ritu Jha/Rediff.com.
'Himalayan glaciers are expected to become smaller, and small glaciers will have disappeared, but by no means will all glaciers have melted by the end of the 21st century,' glaciologist Markus Stoffel tells Rashme Sehgal.
While Mussoorie is the nerve point with all the hustle bustle of the tourist activities, Landour lies quietly reminiscent of a 19th century British suburb.
The nullifying of the NJAC Act has put the spotlight on the Judiciary. Concepts like transparency, being open to change, leading from front, management of perceptions that were reserved for the Executive earlier are now relevant for the Judiciary as well, says Sanjeev Nayyar.
Here are some of the worst terror attacks in recent history with trains and passengers as intended targets.
Siddharth Tata's Purple Chilli helps vegetable farmers earn an income 365 days a year.
The new Insurance Bill will boost investment in the sector
Fresh tremors were on Sunday felt in various parts of India, including the national capital Delhi, even as the death toll in Saturday's earthquake climbed to 62.
Countries in the region like Afghanistan, Pakistan and Maldives face serious existential threats from a mix of terrorist groups active in the region and elsewhere
'If enough of us take up the issue with their elected representatives, politicians will get the message.'
'It is very hard to get the police to file a report against someone from an upper caste.' 'Things are so bad that sometimes we have to sit on a dharna with the body of a Dalit victim to get the police to file a complaint.'
Those who have a long-range mission of true nation-building will pay close attention to World Bank's new action plan for fairness in all matters of land use, says Rajni Bakshi.
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