On a white-hot skillet in a kitchen populated by burger buns, mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomatoes sit two patties made by a company that just left cab company Uber in the dust. If we eat with all our senses, then the patties’ meaty char, intense sizzle, and saliva-inducing aroma are banquets unto themselves. And it’s primarily … Read more
Digital wallets are teetering on the brink of obsolescence. I returned to India shortly before the advent of demonetisation in October 2016. Digital payments were all the rage, but nothing prepared me for the frenetic excitement that followed the government’s decision to wipe out 86% of cash in circulation the following month. Digital wallet startups … Read more
Around two months ago, as India’s top business schools sent their latest batch of students out into the corporate world, The Ken decided to dig deeper into their placement mechanism. While the usual boasts of near-100% placement and record salary packages still dotted the pages of newspapers, close to two dozen respondents—past students, faculties, recruiters … Read more
The room has five people. One salesperson from Byju’s. One junior trainee. Two parents. One little girl. On the audio recording, you can hear the salesperson asking her a question: “What’s your name, beta?” “Anushka*” “Very good, Anushka. What class are you in?” “6th Standard. D Section.” “What do you want to become when you … Read more
There are 336 million menstruating women in India, and 36% use disposable sanitary napkins, according to Menstrual Hygiene Alliance of India (MHAI). That’s 121 million women. It’s no surprise then that the menstrual products market is growing. And fast. Valued at $340 million by market research provider Euromonitor in 2017, the sanitary products market in … Read more
Just two months into the existence of Juno Clinic, it was evident the company’s business model wasn’t going to cut it. Founded in January 2016 by Davman Technology Services, Juno was meant to meet a pressing and widespread health need—that of accessible, affordable psychotherapy. To do this, it aggregated independent mental health professionals—psychologists and psychiatrists—on … Read more
Jagtar Singh lost his cotton crop twice. In just over two weeks. First, it was the rains that lashed Chaina village in Punjab’s Faridkot district in the first week of May, just after sowing. The unseasonal rains killed them before they could even germinate. On second sowing, the seeds did germinate. But the crop couldn’t … Read more
The Narendra Modi-led government has made a comeback in India. For healthcare, its second-term return greenlights an ambitious health insurance scheme—Ayushman Bharat. The government, over the next five years, intends to provide health insurance cover to the 500 million poorest in the country. Meanwhile, private insurers have a plan of their own. To boost the … Read more
When China sneezes, as the (modified) adage goes, the world catches a cold. And India, at least when we’re talking about solar power, is today the first to start sniffling. The year 2018-19 was a special one for India’s solar industry. For the first time since 2014, new installations of solar power declined, by about … Read more
Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state and one of its poorest, hasn’t had the best track record in terms of medical facilities. Most infamously, 30 children died in the main government hospital in the district of Gorakhpur in 2017 due to a lack of oxygen cylinders. In January, the same hospital, Baba Raghav Das Medical … Read more