Nayanjot Lahiri, author (Photo: Raul Irani) ASHOKA WAS AN emperor quite unlike any other. For an ancient ruler, he was the antithesis of a conqueror. He admitted as sin what even modern rulers often boast of as a victor’s right: show no mercy in a war. We see the mighty West’s lack of contrition on … Continue reading Nayanjot Lahiri travels through Asia to explore the different images of the Mauryan emperor

It is a main course often served in tiffin boxes. It originated in Iran, but became a rice dish in the Indian subcontinent Microsoft Executive Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella (Source: Microsoft) A few days ago in Bengaluru, Microsoft Executive Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella had a disagreement with AI-enabled chatbot ChatGPT over the software … Continue reading Why ChatGPT is right and wrong about biryani

Subramaniam Ramadorai, former CEO and managing director of IT giant Tata Consultancy Services, speaks to Open about the challenges before management schools in India. Ramadorai, chairman of the governing board of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and chairman of the advisory board at Tata STRIVE, the group’s CSR skill development initiative, notes that some institutes … Continue reading Corporations of the future will require a huge pool of sustainability leaders and managers: S Ramadorai

Kalaripayattu, which once offered medieval women in North Malabar a means of self-defence, is fast gaining in popularity among modern women as a tool for self-development Meenakshi Amma and her son practise Kalaripayattu (Photo: AFP) MORE THAN FOUR decades ago, I had a peek into life inside a kalari— where the ancient martial art form of Kalaripayattu … Continue reading The Wonder Women of Malabar

Doha-based Niyas Abdulrahiman says the concept of ‘compact stadiums’ is here to stay Niyas Abdulrahiman, executive director (ICT), Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy Kerala-born top executive who headed the IT operations for the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup says that the football tournament went off without a hitch thanks to the AI-driven systems … Continue reading Indian-origin IT head at FIFA World Cup gung-ho about AI

He has always been a better player than most of his illustrious predecessors. With his stunning farewell, the Argentine captain elevates himself to the status of legends Pele and Maradona Lionel Messi, who played World Cup first in 2006, has finally come out of the shadow of Maradona thanks to this triumph On Sunday night … Continue reading Messi, Football’s Picasso, Paints his Guernica in Lusail Stadium

(Illustration: Saurabh Singh) THE YEAR BEGAN WITH TECH COMPANIES exploring, with renewed enthusiasm, new batter­ies for electric vehicles (EVs) that could replace the existing lithium-ion ones that cause all kinds of pollution: water, soil, and air. It ended with scien­tists in the US producing a nuclear fusion reaction resulting in a “net energy gain”. Nuclear fusion … Continue reading From new energy hopes to Elon Musk’s ambitions, tech is changing at the speed of light

Videos of large crowds watching the World Cup from this urban settlement in Pakistan are going viral A scene from Lyari Lyari, a working-class settlement in Karachi, is a hub for football and clubs in an otherwise cricket-crazy Pakistan. Most residents are Brazil and Argentina fans, but recent upsets have not dulled their football frenzy one bit, and the … Continue reading Lyari, Karachi’s football hub, has a message for clerics, politicos

AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann on a roadshow in Ahmedabad (Photo: AFP) A CERTAIN SELF-LOVE AND FANCY FOR melodrama are the two key traits that Arvind Kejriwal used to be known for among his peers at IIT Kharagpur. He proved that he still retained them within years of joining active politics after launching … Continue reading AAP: The Deflated Challenger