From the Bookshelves
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Madhav Gadgil on India's priorities towards conservation, climate and sustainability
Madhav Gadgil has worked closely with communities on the ground for environmental conservation. His contributions towards saving the Western Ghats and building an inventory to monitor biodiversity in India, among other things, have made him one of the country's most eminent field ecologists. Gadgil speaks with Divya Shekhar about his newly-released memoir, 'A Walk Up The Hill', and summarises his decades-long experience of how we interact with the environment, the role of government and bureaucracy, and why there is hope for climate-conscious action in India
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Water in the age of climate change, with Harini Nagendra and Seema Mundoli
The teachers of sustainability at the Azim Premji University in Bengaluru discuss their new book 'Shades of Blue: Connecting the Drops in India's Cities', which combines scientific rigor with anecdotes, community histories, and nostalgia to take us through water bodies across the country. The authors talk to Divya Shekhar about our complicated collective history with water, community warriors who are showing the way, whether we need to put a price on water, and how we can start rebuilding our relationship with it
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Nagaraja Prakasam on why entrepreneurs should solve for 'Bharat', not just India
In his book 'Back to Bharat: In Search of a Sustainable Future', impact investor Nagaraja Prakasam distinguishes between India and Bharat. For him, the word 'Bharat' means the "ignored billion" in the country. These are people, he says, that are still largely left out of the digital revolution—venture investors are mostly wary of them, and businesses stay away as they do not see profit in solving for them. Prakasam, partner, Acumen Fund, has spent his time backing social enterprises. He talks to Divya Shekhar about his new book and life choices
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Azim Premji Foundation CEO Anurag Behar on education and stories from the ground
Anurag Behar is CEO of Azim Premji Foundation that works in the space of education and health care. In his book, 'A Matter of the Heart: Education in India', he shares a collection of essays that takes us to schools in some of the remotest villages in India. Behar leads thousands of people working across districts in India. He tells Divya Shekhar that his book is about stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary work. It also throws light on the struggles and infrastructure challenges at these schools, but at its core, the book is about voices that are inspirational and insightful
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How can daily habits influence climate change? Aakash Ranison has an answer
You might be all in on the #OOTD (outfit of the day) trend or not care about leftover food from a takeout. All this, and a multitude of small daily habits that we might not think twice about, could add to the climate burden. Digital influencer and activist Aakash Ranison attempts to decode these in his new book 'I'm a Climate Optimist'. He takes stock of various sectors—like transport, beauty, food, textile and technology—to talk about how we can be more mindful of the choices we make in our daily life and make a positive difference at an individual level
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Durreen Shahnaz on building a stock exchange for social enterprises
In her book, 'The Defiant Optimist', Durreen Shahnaz, the first Bangladeshi woman to work on Wall Street, presents a glimpse of her life and her effort to make financial markets more equitable and inclusive. She believes that financial systems that enrich the few can be transformed for the good of the many. As India is working on its social stock exchange, she talks about what it takes to build an ecosystem to measure and prioritise social impact, whether India is ready to launch an SSE, and why the rules for women to succeed are different—and often harder—than men
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Monika Halan talks mutual funds, financial influencers and how to grow your money
Her previous book, 'Let's Talk Money', was a national bestseller. In it, Monika Halan offered a practical approach to financial security and how we can make our wealth work for us. Her latest book, 'Let's Talk Mutual Funds', provides wealth of information on everything you need to know about investing in mutual funds. Halan also talks to Divya Shekhar about the psyche of the Indian investor, the role of financial influencers, why the government's recent move to tax debt mutual fund investments as short-term capital gains is not well-thought-through, and more
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Sam Santhosh's leadership learnings for the first-time Indian entrepreneur
The self-made businessman has worked with several pharma and biotech companies for targeted therapies and innovation through his company MedGenome. He has also incubated and launched many companies leveraging next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics through his incubator SciGenom Labs. He talks to host Divya Shekhar about his book, 'Sam's 12 Commandments for the Indian Entrepreneur', where he draws upon over 35 years of experience to delve deep into the psyche of Indians doing business and shares lessons that will help them succeed
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We need to get real about our role models: Shaili Chopra
Shaili Chopra on putting a monetary value to women's work, breaking down gender roles and why modern-day feminism equals financial freedom
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What can startup founders learn from legacy entrepreneurs who built India?
What does it take to build a legacy and ensure generations of people benefit from your work? Are there leadership lessons old industrialists can offer young founders of today? These are some of the questions that family business historian Sonu Bhasin attempts to answer through a series of books called 'Entrepreneurs Who Built India'.In a conversation with Divya Shekhar, Bhasin also talks about women in the workforce and how family businesses can attain longevity
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From the Bookshelves: India's economic history told through stories of Finance Ministers
Senior journalist AK Bhattacharya gives a glimpse of how India's earliest finance ministers balanced politics and economic considerations, their relationship with prime ministers, and how his new book can be read in the context of the current political and economic scenario