Uttarakhand – The Abode Of God

Mountains, waterfalls, streams and jungles

Which place am I talking about, any guess?

Home for some interesting tribes, like Tharus, Vanrawats and Jaunsaris

And blessed with the Hindu pilgrimage of Kedar Vadri, where people flock in search of religious quest and mental peace.

A place that epitomizes natural beauty, and has had famous residents like Jim Corbett and Ruskin Bond

Yes, you are right, I am talking about the “Devbhumi” (Abode of God) named Uttarakhand.

Arunachal Pradesh – The Picturesque Land of Dawn Lit Mountains

“The Land of Dawn Lit Mountains”, Arunachal Pradesh is captivating, enchanting and amazing

Representing an out-of-the-world natural beauty that one can imagine only in dreams.

A wonder of the world, Arunachal Pradesh is richly bejeweled with mountains, forests, streams and wildlife

And is the beloved home for Monpa, Nishi, Adi, Apatani, and a host of other interesting and hardy tribes.

A hub of Buddhism, the place boasts gorgeous and magnificent monasteries

Visit the place to taste real natural splendour and tranquility, and regain your mental peace.

Calera’s “CO2-Cement” Claim. Is It Bankable?

I was thrilled to know that Silicon Valley start-up company Calera has claimed that it has invented a way wherein it can capture the carbon dioxide emissions from coal and gas power plants, before turning them into cement.

Now, if Calera (funded by noted Silicon Valley venture capitalist Vinod Khosla) can really do it, and that too on a mass scale, then it will be a double benefit for the world. On one hand it will reduce CO2 emissions, and on the other hand it will result in the production of a highly usable commodity. So it is everybody’s guess how important a development it can be. In fact, Calera has claimed that it has already drawn an investment of $15 million from world’s biggest coal company Peabody Energy.

However, there are some experts who are not ready to bank much on this claim. They feel that Calera will not be able to produce large quantities of cement that is both sustainable as well as environment-friendly.

Let’s see what happens. Only time can tell whether Calera will be successful in doing what many players have tried to do for around 15 years.

Bharti’s Zain Deal – Another Shining Feather In India Inc.’s Hat

Bharti’s successful taking over of the African business of Kuwait’s telecom major Zain has unfolded yet another glorious chapter in India Inc.’s history.

The $10.7 billion deal (the largest by any Indian company after Tata’s Corpus deal) reflects the emerging strength, confidence and ambition that characterize the present day Indian corporate players. Apart from playing a strong role in promoting Indian telecom sector’s business in the foreign market, this deal will also promote abroad the overall brand of the Indian corporate sector as a whole. In a nutshell, this deal has resulted in an international image enhancement for the already shining image of India Inc., and can be utilized to curve further niche in the global scenario.

What has added significance to this deal is that it is involved with the telecom sector. While any major international deal makes the global corporate fraternity to take notice of it, there are some sectors that create interest among so-called common people as well, i.e. people who are not likely to be interested about such deals. This happens when such a deal takes place in a sector that lies very close to the heart of common people (or common consumers), and telecom sector is one of these sectors. No wonder, Bharti’s successful taking over of Zain’s African business will not only enhance the international image of the corporate India, but will enhance the image of the India as a country, as well.

Congrats Mr. Sunil Mittal. You are one of my most favourite corporate personalities of India, with the other being Mr. Vijay Mallya. And I find personal charm and pleasure in each corporate success that you achieve.