From Netherlands to Kashmir: 69-year-old woman quietly cleaning Dal Lake of plastic for 5 years
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Hindustan Times
Indian man praises Netherlands' civic sense as authorities plan to fix minor road bumps near his home
An Indian man residing in the Netherlands has captured the attention of social media users after he posted a heartwarming video showing his appreciation for the country's proactive governance. Prabhu Visha, the man behind the viral clip, took to Instagram to share a short video of himself skating down a smooth stretch of road near his home, accompanied by a powerful message about civic responsibility and inclusiveness. A video went viral after an Indian man admired the Dutch government's plan to repair small road flaws.(Instagram/prabhuvisha) (Also read: Dutch princess attends graduation ceremony but doesn't receive diploma because…) 'Even small bumps matter here' The video opens with Prabhu gliding effortlessly on his skates. Overlaid on the clip is a simple but striking statement: 'This is why I believe the Netherlands truly cares for its people.' In the caption, Prabhu reflects on a recent experience that left him deeply impressed with the Dutch system. 'Coming from India, this honestly felt so beautiful to me. Near my home in the Netherlands, there were some small bumps on the road. For me, the road was already perfect. But then we got a letter from the government explaining they will fix it – with details of why, when, where and how,' he wrote. He added, 'It's possible some people complained about it, and that's why they're fixing it. But still, it's amazing that they listen and act. Even small bumps matter here – for pregnant women, people biking with kids, or the elderly. Seriously, hats off to this government for their inclusion and communication. This is what it means to work for the people and with the people. I wish every country cared for its people like this.' Take a look here at the video: Internet reacts with admiration The post struck a chord with viewers and prompted a wave of praise in the comments section. One user remarked, 'This is what public service should look like – listening and acting swiftly.' Another commented, 'I wish our local officials showed even half this level of concern.' A third wrote, 'This gives me hope that good governance still exists somewhere.' Others chimed in with admiration, calling the Dutch approach 'inspiring' and 'the gold standard in civic management.' One user noted, 'The fact they even explain why they're fixing something already better than most countries!'
Mint
4 days ago
- Mint
Being a boss isn't for everyone but is there any escape path?
Next Story Devina Sengupta Career success is typically seen as a leadership role, but this can create a rickety escalator of responsibility that serves neither companies nor their employees well. Remember the Peter Principle? It's alive and kicking. A boss often needs to act as a buffer and a pulley at the same time. Gift this article A widely accepted yardstick of success in India Inc and around the world is boss-hood and the number of work 'colleagues' one can count as subordinates. A widely accepted yardstick of success in India Inc and around the world is boss-hood and the number of work 'colleagues' one can count as subordinates. It is fair to assume that one starts off as part of the general crowd in the initial years of a career, but after that phase is over, going up the order means being asked to lead a team. It is a sign of progress. The faster a team is latched under you, the more meritorious you are. But I can lay a wager that most bosses hate being bosses. Peel off the status tags and ask them if they enjoy the administrative and often thankless work that they are made to do in the name of 'management,' and they will holler a 'nay' if there is no one around to judge them. Of course, this does not mean they will give up their higher pay packets and other perks, but they may want to give up boss-hood. There are more leaders than one cares to admit who accepted their managerial roles because that was the only path to career success available to them. A quick internet search throws up a paragraph on the etymological journey of the word 'boss.' It has Dutch roots and comes from the word 'bass,' meaning 'master.' In the 19th century, the word travelled from the Netherlands across the Atlantic along with the other linguistic baggage of settlers in North America. In the new land, the word was adopted quickly and eventually came to edge out its British equivalent 'master.' More than a century later, we now have bosses who were never trained to become mentors or leaders. They were chosen because they were found to be better than others in a team or were elevated because they threatened to quit or simply had more work experience than the rest. None of this prepares a boss for the demands of a new role, which could involve a painstaking understanding of how to handle the highs and lows of a team, the eccentricities and fears of subordinates, or the pushes and shoves that could come from the top. A boss often needs to act as a buffer and a pulley at the same time. It is a tall ask because while performing these tasks, a corporate boss also gets measured by the output of an entire team, whether it is about signing up new clients, closing a deal or meeting a stiff sales target. Also read: How to talk politics at work when you disagree The result of the pressure is felt most acutely at the middle-management level, which is often stuffed with disgruntled bosses who are trapped in their designations without a way out. Quitting the role could get one labelled as someone unable to handle 'responsibility,' on which companies tend to place a high premium, whereas the individual may be best equipped for specific but valuable tasks that do not involve management. Before I became a journalist, I was a recruiter for nearly a year. My job was to hire senior call centre and business-process-outsourcing employees for their rival firms. The outsourcing sector was at its peak around 2005-06 and I was surprised to see people in their early 20s with barely two years of work experience being awarded boss roles. They suddenly had dozens of other workers under them and the pressure of chasing call-quality targets and working across time zones led to rampant drug abuse, most of which went unreported. This problem is sector agnostic and is visible in companies that are in a rush to promote young talent and reward recruits with rapid career escalation. In such businesses, skill-set mapping and leadership coaching starts only in the later stages as people reach the CXO level. As this is often time-consuming and expensive, a short-cut is to put people prematurely into team management roles, letting them run small fiefdoms on the assumption that they can be hauled up if things go awry and replaced pronto if need be. This creates a low-cost but high-churn cycle that many firms seem okay with. Newly appointed bosses take time to learn the art of boss-hood, but much damage can potentially be done in the interim before the company's higher-ups recognize that some appointees were not meant to be leaders and were probably better off as individual performers. An acceptance of this is tough for decision-makers, even if the obvious stares them in the face. Misaligned escalation does not do any favours to those who benefit from it (at least in salary terms). When misfit bosses look back at their careers, they may find very few people whose careers they shaped for the better, while they may have had to bear the blame for staff attrition and many a crisis. Also read: Companies must act to check toxic behaviour in office The next time someone argues that 'people leave managers and not companies,' call it out. It is people leaving companies that failed to spot the right managers. 'The Peter Principle,' meant as a wry observation, has been around since the 1960s. In a hierarchy, it states, employees tend to rise to their level of incompetence. This has long been one of the most ignored warnings on the way companies are structured. Yet, there still seems no escape from it. The author writes on workplaces and education at Mint Topics You May Be Interested In Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
News18
21-07-2025
- News18
Godavaris iconic Pulasa fish now faces scarcity
Agency: PTI Amaravati, Jul 21 (PTI) Every monsoon season, for about two months, a small fish called Pulasa, which swims upstream into the distributaries of the mighty Godavari river from the Bay of Bengal to spawn and breed, creates a gastronomic stir in the scenic Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh. But, sadly this fish has become rare in recent times. Known as Pulasa in Telugu and Hilsa Ilisha in English, this migratory anadromous fish species is a prized delicacy, which commands a fortune and the spicy curry made out of it is fondly presented to politicians, bureaucrats, celebrities and eminent people as a goodwill gesture during a brief window of time. B Gopal Rao (44) from Dowleswaram in East Godavari district lamented this scarcity, fondly recalling that he had relished pulasa curry more often during his childhood than now. Such is the popularity of Pulasa curry that it inspired the Telugu maxim 'pustelu ammiaina pulasa tinali', which translates to one should eat pulasa even by selling the 'mangalsutra'. S Angeli, additional director of Fisheries Department, noted that the overwhelming demand and excessive fishing of pulasa for its lip-smacking taste is putting the species at risk as they cannot be bred artificially like other fish through aquaculture for consumption. Over time, hilsa catch is increasing in the sea and plummeting in the rivers. It was abundant in the 1990s, but gradually diminished over the years to very low levels today. As per Elsevier, a 145-year-old Dutch scientific journal, decreasing water discharge from upstream rivers, heavy siltation, indiscriminate exploitation of juveniles, disruption of migration routes and loss of spawning, feeding and nursery grounds, coupled by overfishing is contributing to their drop in riverine prevalence. For a fish enjoying such preeminent status in the local Godavari cuisine, comparable to the caviar in Continental cuisine, Angeli said a strict ban on catching juvenile pulasa is imperative. She stressed the need for a focused study on the spawning grounds of hilsa in the Godavari River to declare them as protected areas. Further, she suggested adopting the polluter pays principle (PPP) and establishing a floating laboratory on Godavari River as part of conservation efforts, among other much-needed initiatives. According to Angeli, pulasa fish enter the Godavari river during the flood season, swim upstream against the strong current for thousands of kilometres of marine sea water to lay eggs. 'This migration and spawning process occurs between June and August. After laying eggs, they (hilsa or pulasa fish) return to the sea around October. Pulasa fish undergoes a transformation in taste and color when they enter the freshwaters of the Godavari," Angeli told PTI. She noted that the pulasa fish found in the delta are also particularly flavorful, especially in areas where the fresh Godavari river water mixes with seawater near Narsapuram in West Godavari district. The blending of freshwater and saltwater (estuarine conditions) gives pulasa its unique taste, she said, and added that the fisherfolk classify female pulasa as 'chenal' and male as 'goddu'. 'The female fish is especially prized for its richer taste and commands a higher price. Though the fish has many bones, its preparation is key—traditionally cooked in clay pots over firewood. Pulasa tastes better after sitting for several hours," said the additional director. Angeli explained that Pulasa fish caught near Yanam and Kotipalli are cheaper as they have just entered the river from the sea and those caught from Kapileswarapuram and Alamuru are a bit pricy. But, the most expensive are the ones caught near Dowleswaram and Pottilanka, owing to their rich flavour. 'The cost of an authentic pulasa fish will range up to Rs 10,000 and it will be around 1 kg at maximum. The pulasa caught between Bobbarlanka and Dowleswaram is the best," said Gopal Rao. Gopal Rao said the renowned curry is prepared with a blend of ingredients, which include 'avakaya' (mango) pickle oil, ladies finger, and savoured the day after its preparation. 'We used to cook it on Saturday night, keep it aside and savour it on Sunday afternoon," he said. In 2018, Elsevier paper 'Biology and fisheries of Hilsa shad in Bay of Bengal' observed that hilsa is widely distributed in the North Indian Ocean and majorly in the Bay of Bengal. Though the species is found in Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam, Bangladesh accounts for the lion's share of hilsa catch. VV Rao, former additional director in the Fisheries Department said the tastiest pulasa is found only in the Godavari river and attributed this to the fish acquiring the characteristics crucial for its distinctive flavour during its brief sojourn in these waters. According to Elsevier, Hilsa enjoys great demand and exerts socio-cultural influences in West Bengal, prompting it to import the fish from Bangladesh to meet local demand and supplement its own catch. With several instances of Bangladesh engaging in 'hilsa diplomacy' with India, the neighbouring country also exported consignments of the fish as a gift to West Bengal during Durga Puja festival. Besides satiating the taste buds, pulasa is also a goldmine of nutrition, containing essential and poly-unsaturated fatty acis, lipids, minerals and amino acids, the publishing company said. PTI STH ROH (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: July 21, 2025, 09:45 IST News agency-feeds Godavaris iconic Pulasa fish now faces scarcity Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
