SHIV CONSULTANCY

  At Sonika Bhasin’s Mumbai home, sustainability is second nature. From composting kitchen scraps and switching to bioenzymes to cutting out disposables, her family’s everyday choices over the last five years are nurturing a greener, cleaner future. And it’s easier than you think! Every day at Sonika Bhasin’s Mumbai home unfolds with a rhythmic routine. On the kitchen countertop sits a large container, ready to collect the peels and ends of vegetables — remnants of meals yet to be prepared. By evening, these organic scraps find their way into an earthen composter, snugly nestled in a cosy corner of her balcony. Sonika smiles warmly, her eyes twinkling with a blend of pride and wonder, as she describes the magical transformation that unfolds within its layers. “The process is natural alchemy: time, microorganisms, and a balance of greens and browns create rich, earthy compost — nature’s black gold,” she says. This compost feeds her garden, turning kitchen waste into vibrant basil, m...

  AHMEDABAD: The Narmada canal network, Gujarat's water lifeline stretching 75,000km, delivers precious water to the state's remotest regions. However, years of unaddressed leakage from the canal network has left a 65km water trail across the Little Rann of Kutch (LRK), raising concerns about its fragile ecosystem. This unintended waterway — roughly 500 metres wide and one foot deep — cuts through multiple areas, including Santalpur, Dhrangadhra, Viramgam, Butavada, Chandragadh, Mangalpur, Kidi, Bajana and Koddha Rann, according to the findings presented to the Gujarat State Human Rights Commission (GSHRC). In response to this situation, GSHRC chairman Justice K J Thaker involved Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL) chairman Mukesh Puri and initiated remedial actions over the past eight months, including calling for plans for canal repair, check dam construction, and water diversion into artificial lakes. A coordination committee meeting will be held on April 24 at the ...

New Delhi: A team of 30 scientists from India's premier institute, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), has submitted a proposal to the government to develop 'angstrom-scale' chips, far smaller than the smallest chips currently in production. The team has submitted the proposal to the government for developing technologies using a new class of semiconductor materials, called 2D Materials, that could enable chip sizes as small as one-tenth of the smallest chips currently in global producti... Currently, semiconductor manufacturing is dominated by silicon-based technologies, led by advanced nations such as the US, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. "A team of scientists at IISc submitted a detailed project report (DPR) to the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) in April 2022, which was revised and submitted again in October 2024. The report was later shared with the  Ministry of Electronics and IT. The project promises to develop angstrom-scale chips, far smaller than the...

  Vijay Pratap Singh left his banking career at 23 to build ‘AdvenThrill’, a trekking company dedicated to making Indian mountaineering safer and globally recognised. Here’s how he’s mapping new trails and transforming adventure tourism. For most Indians, a secure corporate job with a good salary is often seen as the ultimate dream, a safe, stable path to a successful life. But for Vijay Pratap Singh (31), true fulfilment lay beyond cubicles and office corridors.  At just 23, he quit his banking job to pursue a different kind of climb: founding ‘AdvenThrill’, an adventure travel company on a mission to place India firmly on  the global trekking map. Born in a small UP village, Bulandshahr, Vijay’s early education was rooted in a Hindi-medium school. “I studied till Class 8 in my village, but in 2005, I moved to Dehradun for my studies.”   Although he describes himself as an average student, it was sports and nature that drew him in. Dehradun’s proximity to the mounta...

  Synopsis A US-returned entrepreneur took up a weekend job as a Zomato delivery person after a failed business pitch left him questioning life. What began as a random experiment turned into a powerful reality check, revealing the everyday struggles of gig workers in India. His honest reflection has since sparked a larger conversation on empathy and privilege. When life hits a rough patch, most of us seek comfort in distractions, travel, or time off. But for one Redditor, a failed business pitch and a soul-searching conversation with his father led to something far more unusual — a weekend gig as a Zomato delivery rider. What started as a random experiment turned into a transformative experience that changed how he viewed privilege, resilience, and the silent strength of India’s gig workers. A post on subreddit r/personalfinanceindia explained how a few weeks ago, the Reddit user — a US-educated entrepreneur from an upper-middle-class Indian family — found himself spiraling into se...