Latest news with #Ramanathan
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
$8 billion and rising: How processed food exports can unlock growth for India in global food trade
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads India's agricultural exports reached $48 billion in FY24, solidifying its position as a major player in the global food trade. However, processed food exports , currently valued at $8 billion, offer significant headroom for growth, according to Deloitte & FICCI's latest report 'Spurring growth: Driving innovation and unlocking opportunities in the Indian food processing sector'.'There is potential to move up the value chain from primary commodities to value-added processed foods , which could be achieved by establishing Indian food products as a mainstream global phenomenon. Few opportunities to help enable this transition include scaling healthy Indian food products, such as millets and makhana; upgrading commodity value chains for highly exported products such as groundnut; and building strategic branding around globally trending products and India's GI-tagged products,' the report the report highlighted that processed food exports would also generate broader ecosystem benefits, including the reduction of post-harvest losses and the enhancement of employment opportunities and improved returns for farmers, all without the need for higher growth in the food processing industry, according to Anand Ramanathan, Partner & Consumer Industry Leader, Deloitte South Asia, can only come if the export market is looked at more conscientiously. 'Such exports will also help in more value addition, which one can use in the domestic market. Currently we are doing a very small percentage of exports, and most of it is for the Indian diaspora. We must start looking at the needs of the wider market and start exporting to them as well,' Ramanathan toldon the sidelines of the Ficci Foodworld India 2025 event held recently in the report sheds light on the contribution of the food processing sector, which accounts for 7.7% of India's total manufacturing GVA (gross value added) and plays a critical role in generating employment, fostering rural development, and enhancing value addition. With a valuation of about $160 billion, the sector reflects India's economic rise, marked by the country's rank as the fifth-largest economy and a doubling of per capita income to Rs 1.97 lakh over the past nine years, the report highlighted. It also noted how tier II and tier III cities are fast becoming engines of economic growth due to consumption trends aligning across urban and rural conducted a survey involving over 1,200 urban consumers to capture insights into prevailing behaviours, attitudes and the consumer trends gaining traction, protein has been highlighted as one of the strongest trends within the health food space. 'This growing awareness is leading to healthier dietary habits and a stronger focus on incorporating diverse protein sources into daily meals. According to the survey, 43% of urban respondents consider protein content very important, while 32% regard it as extremely important,' the report this, the report finds that Indian consumers are increasingly prioritising digestive health as a core component of overall wellness, leading to a surge in demand for processed foods that support gut health. Products enriched with probiotics and prebiotics—such as functional beverages, fortified dairy products and gut-friendly snacks—are witnessing growing report also highlights the rise of Indian superfoods , noting that millets are gaining popularity due to their impressive nutritional profile. 'Their low Glycemic Index (GI) makes them diabetic-friendly, helping to manage blood sugar levels effectively. The urban youth population is increasingly becoming health-conscious and shifting towards millet consumption. The growth in demand is evident in urban and semi-urban areas and is expected to continue rising through 2030,' it millets, the rise of Indian products such as(fox nuts) is also a reflection of the growing demand for healthy and nutritious snacks in India, the report said. 'Makhana, known for its low-calorie and high-nutrient profile, has seen a significant increase in popularity due to its health benefits and versatility. This trend is part of a broader movement towards healthier eating, driven by an increasingly health-conscious consumer base,' the report says consumer demand is shifting towards clean-label, protein-rich and gut-friendly foods, driving a structural evolution in how India consumes food. 'India's agri and food processing sector is on the brink of a transformative leap, where tradition meets cutting-edge technology to build a future-ready food ecosystem. India is poised to lead the global narrative on health-driven, tech-enabled and inclusive food systems, fuelled by advancements in AI, IoT and blockchain. With the right focus, India's food processing industry can set the benchmark for inclusive, responsible growth in the global food economy.'The report suggests that companies may benefit from refining their strategies, with a greater focus on cost management and innovation to drive sector growth. 'Companies may look beyond operational improvements and explore initiatives, such as reformulation, packaging innovation and rapid prototyping of localised offerings. To stay competitive, large incumbents and emerging players may consider building structured, continuous innovation pipelines that respond swiftly to evolving consumer expectations. Collaboration between industry players, government bodies and academic institutions can further drive innovation,' it said.
Scroll.in
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scroll.in
A play shows how textile workers of Mumbai were written out of the history and mythology of the city
Cotton 56, Polyester 84 holds the key to a city lost to time, hubris, and market forces. In these pages, you will travel in time to the early 1990s and walk the bylanes of Girangaon, through Parel, Byculla, Chinchpokli, Lalbaug. There you enter the world of the girni kamgar, where Mumbai's cosmopolitan character and rich culture were forged, until the city they built turned on them. Somewhere amidst the mills and chawls is a vachnalaya, a communal reading space, where you will meet Bhau Saheb and Kaka, who are mill workers and best friends. Their story is the story of lakhs of kamgars who were exploited by mill owners, strung along by union leaders, betrayed by politics and law, and ultimately cast aside. Death came close on the heels of despair, often by suicide or starvation. Lives were lost; so was a way of life. As Bhau Saheb put it, 'My dear chap, there's something called the freedom to make and remake our cities and ourselves in them. Once upon a time, it was possible. Today, it is the most neglected of our rights.' By and by, insidiously, the textile workers of Mumbai were written out of the history and mythology of the city. Playwright Ramu Ramanathan set out to right this wrong. Using One Hundred Years, One Hundred Voices, Meena Menon and Neena Adarkar's book based on an oral history of the mill workers, as a starting point, Ramanathan researched his subject extensively. He sat through legal hearings, documented conversations, explored the geography and history of resistance, and recorded the music and songs of the people. The result is one of the finest examples of the genre that Ramanathan has mastered, the docu-drama: an intersection of fiction and non-fiction where forgotten histories come alive. The play traces the arc of the contemporary politics of the city – from the fall of the communists to the rise of Shiv Sena, fueled by the Indian National Congress. And where there is politics, there is caste. Ramanathan rips into the fallacy that India's metropolises are not divided along caste lines. Consider Ghatotkach Bhai who is part of the 'underworld mafia' that held the city in a chokehold for decades, until the early 2000s. Ghatotkach Bhai grows up a Shudra and goes on to make his fortune from the very garbage he was condemned to live with. He controls the movement of the waste generated by the city and, on the back of that, an army of henchmen that give him access to corridors of wealth and power otherwise designed to keep 'people like him' out. Fault lines of caste also get in the way of class solidarity. As an untouchable chamaar, Bhau Saheb faces acute discrimination within his own community of mill workers. He is married to Aai who is a Mahar, a scheduled caste but one that is a notch above untouchables in the complex hierarchy. However, this does not improve their son Chottu's lot. Upon joining the mill where his father has worked all his life, he finds, 'The workflow management was Brahmin or Bania. We were Chamaar, but Aai had given me an upper caste. When the mukkadam took me to the time keeper, I was asked my name. I replied with an upper caste surname. The time keeper sniggered. He said, 'If you Chamaars start taking our names, what will become of the Brahmins and Banias?' Bhau Saheb and Kaka's bond is based as much on their years of friendship as it is on their place in the social hierarchy as a chamaar and musalmaan respectively. They argue, share food and drink, smoke chillum and gossip. Much is revealed in their banter, including the potted history of the textile mills. The oppressive conditions of the workplace, the poor pay, the double blows of strikes and falling demand that led to the closure of the mills, the real estate developers that swooped in, the politicians who worked in tandem with the mafia to break the resistance and help the real estate hawks, the union leaders who fell or defected, the encounters and assassinations that determined the course of history, and, between apathetic lawyers and judges, the court cases that dragged on. The two ageing confidants tell stories as their world crumbles around them. Their homes are leaking and in disrepair. Around them, garbage decays and drains overflow. There is little to eat. Money is scarce, and so is consolation. But there is plenty of humour. In the face of a hostile future, Bhau Saheb and Kaka play a game. They watch people go by and make a note of how many wear clothes made of polyester over cotton. The count goes up every day. Cotton 56, Polyester 84. The fabric they once wove is running out. As is time. Their decrepit chawls will inevitably be razed. But in gallows humour lies strength, an inexplicable and inexhaustible well-spring that led mill workers to continue to fight against all odds. We know their story as one of great loss but this play also suggests that resistance is its own reward. The struggle of mill workers was without hope but not without glory. And Ramanathan's writing does justice to it. His account is devoted to detail, unflinching in its gaze but never mournful. In the world he depicts there is accommodation, co-existence and absurdity. An atheist signs up to sing at a Ganesh pandal so his friend who is a communist, can perform Hajj. These working-class characters are not mere motifs. They are complex, eccentric and likely to stay with you long after you are done reading, like old friends you regret losing touch with. In celebrating their lives, the play makes apparent what we have lost in the pursuit of turning Mumbai into a 'world-class city'. It opened in 2006 just as the Supreme Court of India ruled that the 285-odd acres of land occupied by the defunct textile mills could be sold for redevelopment. The age-old stronghold of Mumbai's working classes was all set to be transformed into a cluster of high-end malls, restaurants, clubs and apartments. In the words of Bhau, 'a big bazaar' in every corner. But the play is more than a critique of unchecked neoliberalism; it exposes the grotesque underbelly of capitalism. Pointing to a wad of notes, Ghatotkach Bhai refers to it as 'power'. 'And all this money power, it will never disappear… Accumulation of money will never cease,' he adds. He has discovered that in a city besieged by men who are singularly committed to the pursuit of wealth, aided by an incorrigibly corrupt political class, 'crime is big business' and 'its turnover is three times the combined turnover of Reliance and Tata.' His men have a rate card. 'Leg broken: Rs 8,000, Shot in leg: Rs 15,000, Three stabs with a guptee in the abdomen: Rs 25,000, The big job: Rs 1 lakh and above.' Their retail outlet enables profiteering off any number of illicit businesses. But when it comes to capital, nothing yields more than real estate. Following the Supreme Court order mill lands were sold for thousands of crores. Somewhere in there was the vachnalaya where Bhau Saheb and Kaka used to meet to tell their stories. Today, communal reading rooms are hard to find in the city. But it is not just the physical spaces of the working masses that have vanished; there are fewer and fewer avenues for them to participate in public debate and inform public discourse. Bhau Saheb and Kaka tell us of a time when the theatre and music of the people coursed through the consciousness of Mumbai. Lok shahirs, tamashgirs, and bhajan mandlis performed to packed auditoriums and grounds over long evenings stretching late into the night. Songs of poets such as Amar Shaikh and Annabhau Sathe rose over the din of the city, bringing the working class together, registering their protest and giving voice to their joys and sorrows. Over time they were priced out of the city. Kaka imagines a universe in which the entertainment we consume is not dictated by global corporate interests. 'Poetry and music from the chalwali would be telecast live, Narayan Surve, the first workers' poet would be nominated for the Nobel Prize, plays from Ganesh Pandal would get highest TRPs, stories about Hanuman Theatre would be on par with Globe theatre in England, apna Girangaon would be compared to New Orleans by news channels because it is the centre of working class culture, and you, Bhau Saheb, would be as famous as Sonu Nigam, giving interviews after an all night performance for which you have earned Rs 5.' Today the city may no longer hold room for the culture of the people, but every time Cotton 56, Polyester 84 is performed, for a brief moment, through the songs sung by Bhau Saheb, Lok Shahiri can liven up the prosceniums that are otherwise the exclusive domain of theatre for and by the upwardly mobile classes. And, from an elusive distance, we can tap our feet, grateful for the beating heart of the play – singing in the dark times, of the dark times. In the words of Amar Sheikh: Let's step out in the maidan together In the field, flutters the flag of happiness Let's sing the songs of revolution, together Our youth has arrived with a huge smile Even though the blooming bud is withering… Towards the end of the play, Kaka asks Bhau Saheb, 'What is going to happen to this city hundreds of years from now? After the chawls have been demolished, after we have been evicted, after an entire generation has been wiped out? Will a foreign guide conduct a tour for expatriate Mumbaikars? Will this guide say, ladies and gentlemen, here lie the ancient ruins of Lower Parel and Lalbaug and Girangaon? Take a look at these chimneys and spindles, they are a testimony to the existence of a civilisation. Is this the end? Is it?' Whatever the future brings, as long as this book is in publication, you will always be able to find your way back to the city that was Mumbai.
Straits Times
22-05-2025
- Health
- Straits Times
Unsedated patients on life support have lower risk of heart complications, muscle shrinkage: NUH
A patient in intensive care is undergoing awake Ecmo, where she is kept awake and breathing on her own, without the need for total sedation. PHOTO: NUHS SINGAPORE – Critically ill patients in intensive care will now have the option of staying awake and breathing on their own while on life support, without the need for total sedation. This will also give them a chance to interact with the healthcare team, reduce the chances of muscle shrinkage and for early rehabilitation. Patients are often placed in a medically induced coma when undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (Ecmo), a treatment for those with life-threatening heart and lung failure that keeps the blood pumping and oxygenated outside the body. An alternative treatment, called awake Ecmo, has been performed successfully on three patients at the National University Hospital since 2023. 'These patients are equally sick, but they are strong enough to get the Ecmo process started while they are conscious,' said Adjunct Associate Professor K.R. Ramanathan, a senior consultant in the Cardiothoracic ICU at the National University Heart Centre, Singapore (NUHCS). 'Most of them are young and they have a single organ failure, such as the heart or lungs.' On the advancements made in managing patients on Ecmo, he said: 'Now we have come to a stage where we do not use sedation at a ll. This helps the patients and caregivers in a big way.' When the patients know what is happening, they are able to communicate better with the medical staff for more favourable outcomes. He added: 'They are able to partake in the rehabilitation process within a few days. It enhances their recovery, and they leave the ICU much earlier.' Avoiding sedation while Ecmo is being initiated also reduces the risk of the patient's heart stopping, he said. However, not all patients are suitable for awake Ecmo. Doctors have to assess the severity of the illness, as well as the patient's ability to maintain a clear airway and tolerate life support while conscious, Prof Ramanathan said. One of the three patients who underwent awake Ecmo was nursing student Gwendolyn Lye, after she developed a high fever and shortness of breath in late January 2024. 'I felt something was truly wrong when I started to feel short of breath, not being able to lie flat to sleep and even sitting up, I would wake up gasping for air. My fever was also not improving despite taking medication,' she said. She was referred to National University Hospital (NUH) on Jan 30 after blood tests showed that she was infected by enterovirus, which is a common virus that usually causes cold-like symptoms, but 'it had somehow managed to get into my bloodstream and got to my heart'. This caused myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle, which led to fluid build-up in her lungs. 'Prior to being placed on awake Ecmo, I only remember feeling super unwell, constantly vomiting and being unable to eat,' Ms Lye said. Her heart was too weak for her to be anaesthetised for traditional Ecmo. 'I was mainly concerned about how much pain I was going to feel,' she said. 'But in the end, I felt completely comfortable and having been able to be awake to see the preparation process – it was interesting.' Nurses and physiotherapists on her care team also initiated gentle exercise sessions, such as stretching and mobility drills, to prevent rapid loss of muscle mass. 'I am thankful that the medical team decided on awake Ecmo as I knew how intubation could possibly lead to a longer recovery process instead,' added Ms Lye. She recovered enough to stop Ecmo on Feb 4 and was discharged on Feb 15, and has returned to doing everything that she used to before hospitalisation, such as hiking and going for clinical attachments for nursing. Prof Ramanathan said that for patients who require sedation during Ecmo treatment, the team aims to wake them after 14 to 21 days to begin rehabilitation and prevent muscle wastage. Thirty-year-old Nathan Tan checked himself into the emergency department in March 2023 after he felt pain in his back and was taking shallow breaths. Despite losing his fingers, toes and his left leg below the knee after a bout of pneumonia in 2023, Mr Nathan Tan, 30, has learnt to dance again after undergoing rehabilitation. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO He was diagnosed with pneumonia. 'That was when everything went downhill,' he said . Mr Tan remained sedated while on Ecmo for 38 days, but was awakened for rehabilitation as his care team did not want the young man's muscles to atrophy. Unfortunately, in his third month in hospital, the virus that caused his pneumonia entered his bloodstream, causing sepsis. He ended up requiring amputation of his fingers and toes and his left leg below the knee, as they had turned gangrenous. Despite that, Mr Tan continues to live his dream of being a dancer, citing non-traditional dance companies in the US that feature dancers with disabilities, as a source of inspiration. 'My physiotherapists got creative and worked in dance moves for my therapy, helping me to continue to feel that I am worthy. I regained my confidence and I even went to the Lady Gaga concert on May 21 and danced my heart out,' he said. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Time of India
Man arrested for cheating Coimbatore realtor
COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore city crime police arrested a Kerala man on charges of cheating a realtor of Rs 3 crore by posing as the head of a charitable organisation and promising access to a fund purportedly sanctioned by the Reserve Bank of India. According to police, Ramanathan (name changed), a 55-year-old real estate businessman at Peelamedu in Coimbatore, became acquainted with Sunil Das of Moolamattom in Kerala through business dealings. Sunil claimed that he was running a charitable organisation called ' Snegam Foundation ' in Kerala. He told Ramanathan that the foundation had been allotted Rs 3,170 crore by the Reserve Bank of India and that a fee of Rs 3 crore was required to access the fund. He produced a forged letter to support his claim. Believing him, Ramanathan transferred Rs 1.57 crore to Sunil's bank account and gave the remaining Rs 1.43 crore in cash. After a few months, Ramanathan realised that he had been cheated. Sunil avoided taking his calls, and Ramanathan filed a complaint with the Coimbatore city crime police. The police registered a case and launched a manhunt for Sunil. He was arrested from a hotel in Madurai. On Tuesday, he was produced before a court and remanded in judicial custody.
India Gazette
21-05-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
Half of food budget is spent on packaged foods by Urban Consumers: Report
New Delhi [India] May 21 (ANI): Urban consumers allocate nearly 50 per cent of their food budgets to packaged and prepared foods, giving a significant boost to the FMCG sector, said a recent Deloitte-FICCI report. The report further adds that the rural Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) volumes experienced a 6 per cent growth in the third quarter of the financial year 2024 (Q3 FY24). 'Urban elites increasingly spend 50 per cent of their food budget on packaged foods, dining out and deliveries, while rural consumption is shifting from cereals to beverages and processed foods,' the report added. The agriculture and food processing sector, representing nearly 30 per cent of the national food market, is gaining momentum due to rising rural demand, digital advancements and strong policy support. The report adds that with a valuation of about USD 160 billion, the agriculture and food processing sector reflects India's economic rise, marked by the country's rank as the fifth-largest economy and a doubling of per capita income to Rs 1.97 lakh over the past nine years. With consumption trends aligning across urban and rural India, Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities are fast becoming engines of economic growth, the report said. Observing the trends, Anand Ramanathan, Partner & Consumer Industry Leader, Deloitte South Asia, said, 'India's agri and food processing sector is on the brink of a transformative leap, where tradition meets cutting-edge technology to build a future-ready food ecosystem. Consumer demand is shifting towards clean-label, protein-rich and gut-friendly foods, driving a structural evolution in how India consumes food.' He added that India is poised to lead the global narrative on health-driven, tech-enabled and inclusive food systems, fuelled by advancements in AI, IoT and blockchain. 'The way forward lies in purposeful collaboration among policymakers, industry players and innovators to build resilient supply chains, empower farmers and entrepreneurs, and cater to a conscious, global consumer,' Ramanathan added. The report says that the premiumisation of products is also an emerging trend, with higher-income consumers driving growth through demand for quality, convenience and indulgence. There is also a rising curiosity around global cuisines and regional flavours, marking a convergence of heritage and innovation in consumer preferences. The Deloitte-FICCI report observed that global research and development (R&D) hubs and startups are reformulating products for Indian tastes, focusing on health-conscious features such as clean labels, protein enrichment and gut health. (ANI)
