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Author Rajiv Bahl's new literary take on jobs post-pandemic

New Delhi, June 9: Reflecting on this time of great change brought about by new discoveries and breakthroughs happening continuously in nearly every field of human endeavour, economics enthusiast and acclaimed author of 'The Economic Reactor' Rajiv Bahl has come up with a new book on work in an ever-changing world. Titled 'Re-imaging Jobs in a Fast-Changing World', the 2021 book is published by Rupa Publications. It proposes a Universal Supplementary Income Scheme to create over a hundred million jobs in India. A seasoned entrepreneur, Rajiv is also known in the startup ecosystem as the Founder of Fun Foods, an internationally popular brand later acquired by a multinational food major. No matter where we look, we see rapid change either already upon us, or being imminent. Says the author: "Never before in the history of our species have we encountered such rapid change. It is important that we understand the magnitude of the coming changes and where we are headed as a civilization and also how we may cope with the changed circumstances that the rapid changes will usher in upon us." The book's first part looks closely at the changes that are being wrought in eight distinct spheres of human activity that the author thinks will have the largest impact upon the way we live our lives. The eight areas are: Artificial intelligence, energy, manufacturing, the sharing economy, transport and connectivity, water purification and desalination, agriculture and meat production, and health and well-being. In addition, the author has summed up the changes coming to the construction industry, automated clothes manufacturing and automated home cooking solutions. At the end of each chapter, which studies one of these areas, the book analyzes the likely consequences of the developments in that field. It examines both the desirable and worrisome consequences. The consequences are similar across all fields. The desirable consequences are that all goods, including energy, manufactured goods of all sorts, clean water, agricultural produce, meat production and health delivery will become cheaper, of better quality and less damaging to the environment. The one worrisome consequence that runs through all fields is that jobs will become scarcer. "We are already beginning to see the loss of jobs. The virus from Wuhan has speeded up the process. Many jobs that were until recently being done by humans, are now being done by machines and Artificial Intelligence. Businesses are discovering that they can make do with fewer employees. This process will speed up further until the loss of jobs will become the central issue before all countries and governments. If not handled properly the dearth of jobs could lead to a breakdown of law and order or even anarchy. "We are not entirely helpless against the advancing tide of automated human-less jobs. There are many jobs that intelligent machines will not be able to do for at least one of three reasons. The first reason is that some jobs that require human interactions will be difficult to automate. It is difficult to imagine a robotic nurse imparting the same level of comfort and confidence that an experienced human nurse can. The list of jobs that machines cannot do for technological reasons will grow progressively shorter as technology improves but will never vanish. The second reason is that while it may be possible to automate some tasks, it will not be financially viable to try and automate them. Street foods and gourmet foods are examples. The third reason is that while it may be possible to automate a certain task, there would be no takers for it. For example computer programs are already the best chess players in the world, but no one is interested to watch two computer programs slug it out in a match that will last all of a few nano-seconds," says Bahl. While the logic of the book applies to every country, the second part of the book, which addresses job creation, is India specific. Like every country India has some attributes that will make the process of meaningful job creation easier and some that will make it harder. The book proposes a modest Universal Supplementary Income (USI) scheme, which will not only alleviate immediate hardship but also kick start the process of job creation.

Of interpersonal relationships and science fiction

New Delhi, June 8: From poetry on the vibrance of 'letting go', a reference guide on married lives and a sprinkle of self love and even mythological fiction, these five books by forthcoming authors are on our bookshelf this summer. 'Ceasing to Disown' by Sunny Ramesh Sadnani 'Ceasing to Disown' is the very persona of the similar antithesis that life is. It is a collection of poetries that serve as a reminder of what we have found solace in or maybe continue to hopelessly endure, not for a few moments or days, but for perhaps years and decades and what we choose to not let go regardless of the consequences. Maybe even feel vibrant about it! In this book, Sunny has attempted to relay his emotions with respect to family, parents, romantic alliances, failure, redemptions, loneliness, anger, sex, the natural environment, diversity. And then some more. 'The Rape Trial' by Bidisha Ghosal 'The Rape Trial' begins with the revelation that, many years ago, Rahul Satyabhagi had indeed raped Avni Rambha. Rahul has long since been acquitted and Avni had left the country for her peace of mind. Now, it looks like he's about to get away with it again. Rhea, Amruta and Hitaishi are beyond furious. What unfolds is a thriller worth a read. 'The Last War and Other Stories' by Sambhit Daspatnaik 'The Last War and Other Stories' is a collection of science fiction stories written by Sambit Daspatnaik. In the main story "The Last War", the author takes his readers back to a time of post Mahabharata War era, featuring the descendants of the Pandavas, a mammoth invasion by the Gandharvas and a desperate attempt by the protagonists Senapati Agrasen and princess Charulata to save the city of Moenjo and Hariapa. The rest of the short science fiction stories cover different genres of sci-fi from space travel, solar systems to alien planets. 'Love Your Wife' by Soumitra Singh Thakur An insightful reference manual to have a joyous married life. This companion of love and devotion will invoke deep thoughts in you. It will reveal the true husband inside you, a husband, who you don't show to anyone, not even to your wife, maybe. This book will share such an insightful perspective of human relations between a husband and a wife that will give you an outcome of joyous married life in this materialistic world. If used effectively, this book will serve as a lifelong practical reference manual and a workbook for all the world's erring husbands and all eligible bachelors to efficiently handle all the difficult phases of their married lives. 'Self Love - The Power Within You' by Aaira Kaurr This book makes you aware of a miracle ingredient necessary for your flowering and becoming the best version of yourself, self love. If you don't love your own self first, you can't love anyone else, be it a person , a profession or anything else.

Need to put in more than 100% effort in WTC final: Shami

London, June 11: The India cricket team will have to put in "more than its 100 percent" if it wants to win the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand commencing in Southampton on June 18, said India pace bowler Mohammed Shami on Friday. "We need to give our 100, may be 110 percent, in this match because this is the final effort of our two years of hard work. Double your effort in the coming few days," Shami told bcci.tv. Fellow pacer Ishant Sharma, who has played 101 Test matches, said the WTC final is an emotional journey for him. "This journey, besides being practical, is also an emotional journey. This is an ICC (International Cricket Council) tournament and is a final. It is like a World Cup final. "Virat has always said that this is not a one-month effort; it is the result of the hard work put in over the past two years. And (for us) there was more hard work because in between there was Covid-19 pandemic. After that, the rules for WTC changed and we were under tremendous pressure," said Sharma adding that the series against Australia was the turning point for the team. "We had a tough series in Australia where we won (2-1 and retained the Border-Gavaskar trophy). I was not a part of that series but I felt that the series gave a different type of self-belief. In India, we had to win by at least a 3-1 margin (against England). We lost the first match and then made a comeback, said Sharma. Shami felt the belief the team got from the win in Australia was "very good for the confidence". "The best part was, obviously, there were no senior players and that was a big moment for Indian cricket. The performance of the youngsters in Australia was truly praiseworthy. It has taken our confidence to a different level." Spinner R Ashwin said the WTC final brought some context to Test cricket. "I think for a long time cricketers have wanted this sort of a space, some context to Test cricket. I'm looking forward to the final." All the bowlers felt adjusting to the English conditions would be the key to success. "Experience plays a very big role in Test format especially in such conditions. Clouds, wind, weather etc. So, it really helps if you know the conditions well," said Shami. Ashwin said being aware of the conditions can make the difference between victory and defeat. "Conditions are king here and sometimes, on a very funny note, I say 'you don't need to cover the ground or the pitch here, you need to cover the clouds in England'. There are two aspects to playing cricket here -- first is looking down at the pitch and second is looking upwards," added Ashwin.

Dingko Singh: Boxer with a deadly left hook-right cross combo

New Delhi, June 10: Former Asian Games gold medallist in boxing Ngangom Dingko Singh, who passed away on Thursday morning, will be remembered as a person who revolutionised boxing in particular, and sports in general, in Manipur -- and in India. Dingko, was suffering from liver cancer, and he passed away aged 42. He had to undergo radiation therapy for liver treatment in January last year. He even had to sell his house for his medical treatment. He had also tested positive for Covid-19, and later recovered from it. Dingko, who was deadly with his left hook-right cross combination, had won the bantamweight title in Bangkok in 1998 to end India's 16-year boxing gold medal drought at the Asian Games. Kaur Singh had won gold in 1982 Asian Games in heavyweight (91 kg). "I was one of those who was inspired by Dingko's 1998 Asian Games gold. Later, I had the opportunity to polish my boxing skills under him when he was chief boxing coach of the Navy from 2009 to 2012," Manipur's Suranjoy Singh, the 2010 Commonwealth Games flyweight champion, told IANS from Mumbai. Suranjoy, who is chief boxing coach of the Navy, said all the boxers observed two minutes of silence before they started their routine on Thursday. "Dingko is the man who inspired me. He later became chief boxing coach of the Navy. I never thought one day I will be at the same post. I can't believe he is no more," he said. Jitender Kumar, Olympian and Commonwealth Games silver medallist, remembers Dingko as a boxer with integrity. "He was a junior to me in the national camp, and he was a thorough gentleman. His indomitable spirit made him a good boxer," said Kumar, who was also a member of the Indian team at the 1998 Asian Games. According to Kumar, Dingko was initially dropped from the 1998 Asian Games squad. "There was a big drama. He was later included in the Indian team. But he shut his critics by winning the Asian Games gold," he said. Kumar said Dingko had a tough Thai opponent in the semis at the 1998 Asian Games. "The local fans rooted for the Thai boxer, but Dingko didn't get nervous. The unruly crowd even threw empty bottles at the Indian team after Dingko won his semi-final bout. We had to duck empty bottles and other stuff thrown at us. Even Dingko was hit by an empty bottle. We all escaped unhurt," he recalled. S. Suresh Singh, another international boxer from Manipur who represented India at 2000 Sydney Olympics, said that after the Bangkok Asian Games gold winning performance Dingko couldn't prolong his international career due to injury. "He got injured in 1999 and wasn't impressive at the Sydney Olympics. He wasn't able to train hard and became a coach of the Navy team. Later, he joined Sports Authority of India (SAI)," said Suresh. Dingko was conferred the Arjuna Award in 1998 and honoured with Padma Shri in 2013.

Vinoo Mankad, 9 other stalwarts inducted into ICC Hall of Fame

Dubai, June 13: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday announced a special edition intake of 10 cricket icons -- including former India cricketer Vinoo Mankad -- into the ICC Hall of Fame to celebrate the prestigious history of Test cricket, coinciding with this month's maiden World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and New Zealand. The stalwarts, who have made great contribution to the game and were inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame are: Aubrey Faulkner of South Africa and Monty Noble of Australia (Early Cricket Era, prior to 1918); Sir Learie Constantine of West Indies and Stan McCabe of Australia (Inter-War Era, 1918-1945); Ted Dexter of England and Vinoo Mankad of India (Post-War Era, 1946-1970); Desmond Haynes of West Indie and Bob Willis of England (ODI Era, 1971-1995); and, Andy Flower of Zimbabwe and Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka (Modern Cricket Era, 1996-2015). These 10 legends have all made a significant contribution to the history of Test cricket, and join an illustrious list of ICC Hall of Famers, taking the total number to 103 as a result of this intake, said the ICC. The ICC announcement comes just five days before the first WTC final, between India and New Zealand starting on June 18 in Southampton. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, who holds Mankad in high esteem, said he learnt the greatest cricketing lesson from him. "Vinoo Mankad's legacy has been to tell the aspiring Indian cricketer to believe in oneself. He was a great proponent of self-belief," said Gavaskar, also an ICC Hall of Famer. "He was the one who kept saying to me that 'you need to keep scoring runs and keep at it. When you get a 100, let that be the knock on the selector's door. If it is unheard, then score that double hundred and let that knock be even louder. You can have the best technique, but if you do not have the temperament to support it you will not succeed, you have to keep hanging in there and have that self-belief.' That was the greatest lesson I learnt from him," he recalled. The ICC Hall of Fame Voting Academy, comprising active Hall of Fame members, a FICA representative, prominent cricket journalists and senior ICC figures, vote online to identify their selections for induction in each of the five eras. The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame was launched on January 2, 2009, in association with the Federation of International Cricketers Associations, as part of the ICC's centenary year celebrations.

Poland Ranking Series: Vinesh clinches 53kg freestyle gold

Warsaw, June 11: Tokyo Olympic Games bound wrestler Vinesh Phogat won the women's 53kg freestyle gold with an 8-0 win over Khrystyna Bereza of Ukraine at the Poland Ranking Series here on Friday. With less than 50 days to go for the Olympic Games to begin, Vinesh looked strong in defence and swift in attacks and counter-attacks. The gold-winning effort of Vinesh is likely to improve her seeding in the 53kg freestyle event at the Olympics, to be held from July 23 to August 8. In the final match, Vinesh went up 2-0 in the opening 70 seconds of the bout. With less than two minutes on board, she led 4-0. Khrystyna struggled to keep pace with Vinesh in the initial stages of the bout. As the match progressed, the Ukranian made some good moves but Vinesh was quick to wriggle out of the tricky situations. With less than two minutes to go for the long whistle, Vinesh unleashed another attack to increase the margin to 6-0. Khrystyna tried to reduce the gap in the last 60 seconds of the match but was unsuccessful as Vinesh was in no mood to concede points. Vinesh made it 8-0 in the last 30 seconds of the contest to pocket the gold medal. Khrystyna settled for silver. Earlier, in the semis Vinesh scored an emphatic 6-0 win over Amy Ann Fearnside of USA. She defeated Russia's Ekaterina Poleshchuk 6-2 in her first bout of the 53kg. Meanwhile, India's Anshu Malik pulled out of the women's 57kg freestyle event as she was down with fever.

Djokovic rallies to win French Open; his 19th Grand Slam title

Paris, June 14: World No.1 Novak Djokovic on Sunday made an astonishing comeback from being two sets down to beat fifth seed Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in four hours and 11 minutes and win the French Open title. It was the top seed Serb's second French Open title and 19th Grand Slam title in all. With it, Djokovic has become the first man in the Open Era to win all four majors twice. Exhibiting remarkable temperament, despite losing the first two sets, Djokovic, 34, rallied calmly and won the last three sets against 22-year-old Tsitsipas to walk away with the trophy. Staging a comeback is not new to Djokovic. Sunday was the sixth time he had rallied from being two sets down, and the first time he has done it in a Grand Slam final. down against Lorenzo Musetti in the fourth round, and then he defeated 13-time champion Rafael Nadal in the semi-final match that lasted four sets. Before Djokovic, there have been four players in the Open Era who had rallied from being two sets down in a Roland Garros final. They were: Bjorn Borg (1974), Ivan Lendl (1984), Andre Agassi (1999), and Gaston Gaudio (2004). The only player to achieve this feat at another Grand Slam in the Open Era was Dominic Thiem, who did it at the US Open final last year. With 19 Grand Slam titles, Djokovic is now just one title short of what his rivals Roger Federer and Nadal have achieved. Djokovic is the first tennis player to win the Career Grand Slam twice in the Open Era, and is halfway to the calendar year Grand Slam.

Djokovic was two sets

Unseeded Czech Barbora emerges French Open women's champion

Paris, June 12: World No.33 Barbora Krejcikova on Saturday became the first Czech Republic woman in 40 years to win the French Open women's title as she registered a 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 win over No.31 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in the final. Hana Mandlikova was the first Czech woman to win the French Open title in 1981.

Caravan tourism the preferred option for travellers in India?

Travellers are more mindful about following protocols of social distancing and ensuring proper sanitisation and hygiene at all times for a hassle-free travel experience in the current scenario. Caravans are considered a saviour in these times for those who want a comfortable road trip experience. The van becomes your home for the duration of the trip that helps to avoid the hassle of inflated flying and accommodation costs, local transport, safety and hygiene and minimizing human contact. Caravan trips may seem like an expansive mode of travel. Jigyasu Joshi, CoFounder, Carvaa Travelers Private Limited speaks to IANSlife and opens up about how the brand was conceived and his aim to make caravanning not only an intimate but an economical and viable option for all budget groups. Do you think the Caravan travelling as a trend is gaining ground and is the Indian traveller ready for the concept? Jigyasu: We started working on launching Carvaa Travelers back in 2019. It has been 2 years and when we see the overall current tourism market, there is a significant increase amongst travellers looking for road trips options. The pandemic has further fuelled the trend to minimise human contact and ensure safety and hygiene conditions. People have now started to experiment with their road trips and that is where caravanning comes in. We have come in contact with numerous people who either want to rent the Caravan for their next trip or buy one for themselves. We have received an overwhelming response for our Caravans. Not just in terms of renting but also manufacturing. So in a way, travelling in a caravan as a trend is surely and gradually picking up. The best part about travelling in a caravan is that it gives you an immense sense of liberty and that is the very essence of travelling. The freedom of stopping or staying at a point that offers a picturesque view of a place, the freedom of sleeping under the starry night sky, freedom of cooking a fresh meal while on the move are some of the many things that make caravan travelling a wonderful preference. As safety is still a major concern in India, how do you manage the upkeep and sanitisation of the Caravans? Jigyasu: Safety does remain a point of concern when you are travelling. In order to deal with it, we make sure that whichever place the travellers are halting the van is first reviewed by our caretaker-cum-driver that goes along with the vans. Only after speaking with the locals nearby the halting area, we stop at the place overnight. Apart from this, we have certain associations with homestays, camping areas, hostels and resorts in some parts of India where a traveller can go and park the van safely within their premises. We also have a very efficient GPS system in our Caravans and there is also an SOS button in times of emergency. However, travelling in a caravan is a pretty safe experience as one is always in charge of their sanitisation plus you don’t have to eat outside food as you can cook inside the van. Moreover, we have hosted many couples, families and groups of friends in our Caravans and none of them has faced any major inconveniences or trouble. In fact, on Women’s Day this year, we did a Caravan pool trip where 7 girls from various parts of India travelled across Himachal Pradesh for 10 days. It was totally a safe journey for them. In order to keep our caravans hygienic, we take a one days’ time between each booking and the Caravans are sent for a wash and basic servicing. Also, before handing them over to a traveller, we sanitise all the spaces inside and outside the vans. Is the popularity only restricted to metros, or do you get bookings from other cities as well? Jigyasu: When we launched Carvaa we expected that our major clientele would be from metropolitan cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, among others. However, it was a surprise for all of us that the bookings and the queries started coming from all parts of India in the initial days itself. This boosted our morals and made us realise that travelers from across the country are willing to explore and travel in caravans. Our social media presence and reach, especially Instagram has also been instrumental in many ways to get bookings and queries from various parts of India. How is a caravan designed to make it comfortable for travellers and challenges faced in setting it up? Jigyasu: We’re currently operating with two Caravans, called ‘Fine’ and ‘Rare’. Both the caravans have been thoughtfully designed by

us. We have engineered them keeping in mind the comfort of travelers within the limited space inside the vans. With a capacity to accommodate 5 people, caravan ‘Fine’ is equipped with most of the essentials one might need during a trip. There is a well-stocked Kitchenette, Utensils, Drinking Water, 180 litres of water for other purposes, washroom, camping tents, a portable music speaker, pillows and quilts, among other things. While we choose to call it ‘Fine’, the travellers can call it by any name they feel sounds best for it. As for the sleeping space, the camper van has a master bed, 2 sofa-cum-beds and 2 berths. Beautiful LEDs on the ceiling make for a perfect ambience at night. The van also has a washroom with a shower. The shower can be fitted outside the van as well for taking bath in the open. There is enough storage space inside the camper van that can fit all your stuff. The modular kitchen has a 5-kg LPG cylinder and all the utensils for cooking your meals. With a capacity to accommodate 3 people, caravan ‘Rare’ is an apt choice for the adventure seekers. The van promises comfort and utility even on rugged routes. The caravan is equipped with almost all the essentials you might need during a trip. It comes with a well-stocked Kitchenette, Utensils, Drinking Water, 130 litres of water for other purposes, washroom, camping tents, a portable music speaker, pillows and quilts, among other things. The modular kitchen has a 5 kg LPG cylinder and all the utensils for cooking your meals. Apart from a sofa-cum-bed for sleeping, the roof of the van opens up revealing a cosy bunk bed covered from all sides. There is enough storage space inside the camper van to fit all your stuff. While we choose to call it ‘Rare’, the travellers can call the Caravan by any name they feel sounds best for it. Since we have modified the Caravans all by ourselves, there were numerous challenges that we faced. The biggest of them all was the challenge to arrange for required resources for building the interiors. There was a dearth of dealers dealing in appropriate items that we needed for the modification when we started fabricating our vehicles. It was a Herculean task to find out the right equipment without compromising on its quality. Apart from the infrastructural hurdles, understanding the rules and regulations around Caravans was also a tedious job. We had to run from pillar to post in order to get the right paperwork done for the Caravans. Are Caravans an expensive or economical option for travelling? What are the costs involved and how does it compare to other modes of travel? Jigyasu: In my opinion, traveling in a van is the most sustainable way of travel. It is a way of travelling that allows you to manage your work in the most efficient ways. It allows you to keep that balance between working and exploring. You could be sitting by a river bank while working on your laptop at one point of time and you may be sitting in the middle of a green pasture while working the next moment. Travelling in a caravan can be a luxurious or an economical option based on one’s comfort. We, at Carvaa Travelers, are aiming to make caravan tourism an affordable mode of travel in India. So, we have two Caravans - one in which 5 people (excluding driver) can comfortably sleep in & the other with a capacity to accommodate 3 people (excluding the driver). One doesn’t need to book a separate accommodation as the vans can be their humble abode for the road trip. We charge on a perday basis and the charges for a 5-person Caravan and 3-person Caravan is Rs6,000 per-day and Rs5,500 perday respectively (inclusive of Driver & GST). The fuel, state and toll taxes are not included in this price and have to be borne by the travellers. In terms of cost, the per-day per-person cost in our caravans is as low as INR 2,400 that includes the stay, commute, fuel, state taxes, road taxes and also a caretaker-cum-driver. Travelers don’t have to pay extra for the local commute they do for exploring the city. They do save a good amount of travelling in the caravans and apart from that, given the current pandemic-era we are living in, it is also a safe way of travelling to a place. Pros and cons of Caravan trips? Jigyasu: Pros of Caravan trips: Save big while travelling in a Caravan Travel within the comforts of a home Enjoy picturesque views at any time It makes you understand the importance of limited resources and how to use them judiciously Gives you a different perspective about a lot of things Cons of Caravan trips: The limited space gets messy very easily Always have to keep an eye on your water refilling It gets real tough when a caravan gets stuck in dirt If the waste tank is not cleaned properly, it can cause immense foul odour Do you have plans to expand the business PAN India? Jigyasu: In the coming few months, we are aiming to set up our own manufacturing unit wherein we will be making caravans for sale. We are currently looking for potential investors for the same. Amidst the pandemic, slow travel has become the trend of the season. Caravan tourism that is a common concept in the West has now seen a surge amongst travellers in the last one year.