From Chandrayaan-3's moon shot to NCERT's new two boards rule, and the World Cup ticket chaos—our top stories this week

Image: Shutterstock

The moon shot
On August 23, India made history when Chandrayaan-3 made a soft landing in the South Polar region–previously uncharted by humanity. What does this feat mean for India? On this episode of To the Point, Narayan Prasad, cofounder and COO, Satsearch, and cofounder Spaceport SARABHAI, helps unpack the significance, and what’s next for India’s deep space exploration. Listen now. Listen here



Did anyone ask for more board exams?
The NCERT announced a major overhaul to the Indian education system this week, with the new National Curriculum Framework. Among the changes that have caught popular interest is the announcement of two sets of board exams in one year. What this essentially means is that students can take one or both sets of board exams in the year, depending on how confident they are about their preparation. Only the best scores will be counted as the final ones. While this move may be to allay stress in students, will it prove to be counter-productive? Listen to another episode of To The Point to find out. Listen here 

World Cup mess
When it comes to  the FIFA World Cup, fans plan their travel, stay and finances months if not years in advance. With a mere 41 days to go for the Men’s Cricket World Cup, there has been confusion galore surrounding the ticketing, including rescheduling and delays. Tickets were made available only this Friday. In other parts of the world, fans' expectations are paramount. Is it time to ask the BCCI to value cricket fans more? Listen here

DISCOVER

Comics and cartoons to the rescue
Climate change is at the centre of global dialogue but discussions are far removed from everyday lived realities. Enter, cartoonists and artists who are using visual communication to simplify and get the message and urgency of climate change across in a succinct, engaging and impactful way for the common man. Whether it is Rohan Chakravarty’s Green Humour, or Nikhil Chaudhary’s Pedestranged, or Ashvini Menon’s Ecotism, or CEEW’s Alina Sen’s What on Earth! Dig into these comics and cartoons to learn about the ecological crisis, and hey, maybe your kids can catch on too–in a fun way. Read here


Diamond in the rough
In India, leaving a family business is no easy task. Harder still is to get the patriarch's blessing to venture out on your own. And if that’s not hard enough, it’s worse when you’re on the brink of failure and have to consider crawling back to the family business. Mithun Sacheti has been through each of these challenges, and has risen out of them shining. He broke away from his family business of gems and jewellery to launch CaratLane. After his fair share of trials and tribulations, CaratLane, like it’s founder, is finding its day in the sun. Read more

 
Too hot to work
As India continues to face climate-related crisis like extreme heat temperature, scanty monsoon, floods and rising sea levels, the impact on overall macro and social environment is likely to be immense. The RBI estimates up to 4.5 percent of India’s GDP could be at risk by 2030, due to lost labour hours from extreme heat and humidity. Climate change could depress the living standards of nearly half of its population by 2050. A look at how climate change will affect lives, jobs and India’s economy.
Read more

Hydroponics is growing up
While we’re talking about an uncertain climate, the seasonality of crops is one of the most affected. Uncertain seasonal changes means destroyed crops, which means higher food prices. To mitigate the risks of climate change, many entrepreneurs are taking up alternative agricultural practices like hydroponics, to implement controlled environment agricultural (CEA) techniques. With indigenous technologies reducing cost, new market models, and more, CEA businesses are scaling to profitability and evincing investor interest. Read more