Latest news with #Sandeep
Time of India
2 days ago
- Climate
- Time of India
Forecast: Rejected! Bengaluru recruiter rejects man for Rs 40 LPA job of overanalysing rain
In a curious turn of events that has stirred lively conversations across professional networks, a recruiter from Bengaluru has drawn attention for turning down a seemingly qualified candidate for an unconventional reason. The incident, which was shared on LinkedIn and quickly gained viral traction, centers around a job interview for a senior product manager position with a lucrative compensation package of Rs 40 lakh per Lokanath, the recruiter involved, detailed the encounter on his LinkedIn profile. According to him, the candidate's downfall began not with a flaw in technical expertise, but with an overly rational response to a seemingly casual question about the local climate. During the interview, Sandeep posed a quirky, open-ended estimation question: How many days in a year should someone carry an umbrella in Bengaluru?What followed was a meticulous, data-driven breakdown that might have impressed in any other setting. The applicant promptly reached for a notepad and began presenting a deeply analytical approach. He incorporated monsoon cycle patterns, probability charts, past meteorological data, and even segmented weather impact during commuting hours. To cap it off, he confidently concluded with a precise figure—55.7 days—with a 95% confidence rather than being impressed, Sandeep was taken aback. In his eyes, the response had missed the spirit of the question. Though the math was sound and the analysis thorough, something more essential had been overlooked. The soul of Bengaluru, Sandeep felt, couldn't be confined to statistics and weather with its spontaneous drizzles and dramatic mood shifts, isn't a city that plays by numbers. For those who've lived there long enough, rain isn't forecasted—it's anticipated in instinct. The sun might shine with deceptive clarity in the morning, only to give way to a cloudburst by afternoon. In such a place, locals carry umbrellas not because a graph says so, but because experience whispers that they to Sandeep, this candidate didn't stumble on technical grounds. Instead, he faltered by reducing a city steeped in poetry and unpredictability to a series of logical variables. For someone hoping to lead in a role that demands empathy, insight, and adaptability, this hyper-logical mindset failed to resonate. It wasn't about right or wrong—it was about missing the unspoken connection to a city's the end of the interview, Sandeep had made his decision. The candidate, despite his impressive analytical skill, was not selected. For Sandeep, the essence of Bengaluru wasn't something that could be quantified. It was an experience to be felt—like knowing to carry an umbrella even when the skies are blue, just because the city likes to the end, the rejection wasn't of data—but of a perspective that forgot to make room for intuition, culture, and the intangible charm that defines a place like Bengaluru.
News18
2 days ago
- Climate
- News18
This Bengaluru Recruiter Rejected A Rs 40 LPA Candidate For Being ‘Too Logical'
Last Updated: Instead of offering a practical or intuitive response, the candidate took the question a bit too seriously, and he answered it with a logical explanation. A Bengaluru-based recruiter has sparked widespread discussion online after revealing an unusual reason for rejecting a candidate. In a now-viral LinkedIn post, the interviewer, Sandeep Lokanath, shared that he turned down a product manager applicant for a Rs 40 LPA role. The reason? He attempted to explain the city's unpredictable weather—"too logically". Sandeep Lokanath shared a post on LinkedIn and narrated how a simple, seemingly quirky question in the interview turned into an unexpected deal-breaker. The question was, 'How many days in a year should someone carry an umbrella in Bengaluru?" Instead of offering a practical or intuitive response, the candidate took the question a bit too seriously, and he answered it with a logical explanation. The interviewer further revealed, 'Whips out a notepad. Talks about monsoon trends, probability distributions, historical rainfall data, commute hour segmentation, complex test scenarios… and then proudly says, 'So, 55.7 days, with a 95 per cent confidence interval.'" But rather than being impressed, the interviewer looked at him and responded, 'Wrong." In the post, he goes on to explain why this hyper-rational answer didn't land well. 'Bengaluru is not just another city. You don't calculate rain here. You sense it in your bones. You carry an umbrella even on a sunny day, just in case," Sandeep wrote, pointing to the city's unpredictable weather patterns. He clarified that the candidate wasn't rejected due to poor math skills. In his post, the recruiter explained that the candidate was turned down because he attempted to 'reduce Bengaluru, a city of clouds, gardens, and surprises, to just another dot on the map." Speaking of Bengaluru rains, the city has officially logged its wettest May on record, with a cumulative rainfall of 307.9 mm between May 1 and May 26 (as of 11:30 am), according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). This breaks the previous record of 305.4 mm set in May 2023. With the IMD predicting light to moderate showers until May 31, Bengalureans might want to keep those umbrellas close. Prior to this, IMD data showed that May 2022 held the record with 270.4 mm of rainfall, followed by May 2017 with 241.9 mm and May 2018 with 239.8 mm. First Published:
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Five held after 55-year-old man shot dead, wife injured in Delhi's Swaroop Nagar
Delhi Police have arrested five men for their alleged involvement in a shooting incident in Swaroop Nagar that resulted in the death of a 55-year-old man and left his wife critically injured. The intended target of the attack, their son, was reportedly not at home at the time of the incident. According to police, the prime accused, Dinesh alias Golu, had been residing with Sandeep, the son of the deceased Ashok Kumar, for several years. Recently, Sandeep distanced himself from Dinesh and returned to live with his parents, which reportedly led to resentment and financial disagreements between the two. Investigators said this animosity prompted Dinesh to plan a violent attack with the help of his associates. On May 28, the group allegedly arrived at Sandeep's residence in Swaroop Nagar. Upon finding that Sandeep was not home, they opened fire, killing his father, Ashok Kumar, and seriously injuring his mother, Rachna. She is currently undergoing treatment. The police registered a case under FIR No. 284/25 at Swaroop Nagar police station, invoking sections 103(1), 109(1), 61(2)(a), 2(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with sections 25, 27, 54, and 59 of the Arms Act. Following the incident, multiple teams from the Swaroop Nagar police station were tasked with identifying and apprehending the culprits. The five arrested have been identified as Dinesh alias Golu, a 30-year-old resident of DCM Colony in Nathupura; Farid, aged 20, from Narela; Rajkumar, 22, also from Narela; Rihan, 19, from the same locality; and Aneez, 22, who is accused of conducting a reconnaissance of the target location and sharing information with Dinesh. Further investigation is ongoing to recover the weapons of offence and the vehicles used in the commission of the crime.
India Gazette
3 days ago
- India Gazette
Five arrested after Delhi man shot dead, wife injured in Swaroop Nagar
New Delhi [India], May 31 (ANI): Delhi Police have arrested five men for their alleged involvement in a shooting incident in Swaroop Nagar that resulted in the death of a 55-year-old man and left his wife critically injured. The intended target of the attack, their son, was reportedly not at home at the time of the incident. According to police, the prime accused, Dinesh alias Golu, had been residing with Sandeep, the son of the deceased Ashok Kumar, for several years. Recently, Sandeep distanced himself from Dinesh and returned to live with his parents, which reportedly led to resentment and financial disagreements between the two. Investigators said this animosity prompted Dinesh to plan a violent attack with the help of his associates. On May 28, the group allegedly arrived at Sandeep's residence in Swaroop Nagar. Upon finding that Sandeep was not home, they opened fire, killing his father, Ashok Kumar, and seriously injuring his mother, Rachna. She is currently undergoing treatment. The police registered a case under FIR No. 284/25 at Swaroop Nagar police station, invoking sections 103(1), 109(1), 61(2)(a), 2(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with sections 25, 27, 54, and 59 of the Arms Act. Following the incident, multiple teams from the Swaroop Nagar police station were tasked with identifying and apprehending the culprits. The five arrested have been identified as Dinesh alias Golu, a 30-year-old resident of DCM Colony in Nathupura; Farid, aged 20, from Narela; Rajkumar, 22, also from Narela; Rihan, 19, from the same locality; and Aneez, 22, who is accused of conducting a reconnaissance of the target location and sharing information with Dinesh. Further investigation is ongoing to recover the weapons of offence and the vehicles used in the commission of the crime. (ANI)
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
From tea stalls to tumours, tobacco affordability fuelling cancer epidemic in India
'Sutta breaks' are common in India. A glass of tea and a cigarette constitute the popular 'chai-sutta.' Sandeep, a young marketing executive, says, 'It's time to take a break from work stress and make connections. The chai-sutta break is where ideas flow as freely as the smoke.' Not surprisingly, workplaces are common settings where non-smokers are involuntarily exposed to second-hand smoke. Tobacco use in India: a growing concern According to GATS2 data, nearly 42% of men and 14% of women in India use tobacco. Home to 70% of the world's smokeless tobacco (SLT) users, SLT is preferred over smoked tobacco. In smoked tobacco, the bidi is favored over cigarettes, especially in rural and low-income groups. Despite the preference for bidis, India has seen the largest increase in the market share of cigarettes globally. Rajesh, a shopkeeper in Mulshi, a village near Pune, commented, 'Bidis are what people here can afford. Cigarettes are for the city folks. But now even in villages, people want to try cigarettes because they think it's modern.' Both SLT and smoked tobacco drastically increase cancer risk, particularly for lung, head, neck, stomach, and pancreatic cancers. 'My uncle chewed tobacco for years,' said Sunita, a homemaker from Maharashtra. 'He passed away from mouth cancer, and we didn't realise how dangerous it was until it was too late.' India ranks first globally in male cancer incidence and mortality rates. Among tobacco-related cancers in males, lung cancer leads globally, while in India, lip and oral cancers top the list, followed by lung cancer. 'Every time I see someone with a gutkha pouch in their pocket, I feel like warning them,' said Manish, a college student whose father succumbed to oral cancer. Clearly, the ban on gutkha in India has been unsuccessful. Economic costs of tobacco use Along with the health burden, tobacco use imposed an economic cost of ₹1.77 lakh crore (1.04% of India's GDP) in 2017-2018. Smoking accounted for 74% of these costs, while SLT use made up 26%. With tobacco use on the rise, both health and economic costs are projected to increase. Rajiv, a father of three who quit smoking after a lung cancer scare, said: 'I never realised the financial toll until I saw the hospital bills. Smoking doesn't just cost you money -- it costs you your life and the lives of those who depend on you.' India faces a dual challenge of significant health and economic burdens from tobacco-related cancers and the complexities of lung cancer screening in a TB-endemic country. This underscores the urgent need for evidence-based anti-tobacco policies as a primary prevention strategy. However, the tobacco industry's influence—through policy interference, pricing tactics to maintain affordability, targeted marketing, dense tobacco shop networks, and a lack of political will—ensures widespread tobacco accessibility. 'The fact that a bidi costs less than a cup of tea is a tragedy,' said Ashok, a retired clerk. 'When I was younger, I didn't think twice about buying a bidi. Now I see how cheap tobacco ruins lives.' Taxation remains a critical yet underutilised tool in reducing tobacco use. Despite the proposed GST increase to 35%, it falls short of the World Health Organization's recommendation of taxing tobacco at 75% of its MRP to effectively deter use. Even with the steep increase in tobacco tax, its impact decreases if consumers' income increases significantly. Unlike in other countries where higher prices have deterred smoking, rising disposable incomes in India, particularly among the 450 million middle class have outpaced tax increases. With increased purchasing power, tobacco products continue to be affordable. The unchanged tobacco prices in the 2024 Union Budget further exacerbated this issue, enabling tactics like 'undershifting,' where manufacturers absorb tax hikes to expand markets. A key factor in tobacco affordability is its unit pricing. A pack of bidis has a median price of ₹12 but can be found for as little as ₹5. Similarly, smokeless tobacco products have a median price of ₹5, with some being sold for as low as ₹1. Shankar, a daily wage labourer and cancer patient said he could afford to buy a few packs every day. While cigarette packs have a median price of ₹95, cheaper options are available for as cheap as ₹5. Sonia, a college student, observed, 'Cigarettes are so cheap that they're easy to buy. The government needs to make it harder for people like us to afford them.' To enhance affordability, cigarettes are often sold as single sticks - a practice banned in 88 countries but not in India. Priced at approximately ₹15, single sticks become easily affordable and bypass graphic health warnings. Research shows that 87% of Indian cigarette vendors sell single sticks, frequently operating near tea stalls, reinforcing the widespread 'chai-sutta' culture. In India where a significant proportion of the population earns ₹170-180 per day (exchange rate $1 = ₹85), along with the addictive potential of tobacco, makes the current tobacco pricing affordable to fulfill their cravings. Outlook: the way forward Tobacco affordability undermines the WHO's MPOWER framework and weakens tobacco control, hindering efforts to reduce tobacco-related cancers. Reducing tobacco use is vital for cutting cancer incidence. However, to make early detection and treatment accessible, health systems must be strengthened. Meanwhile, implementing robust anti-tobacco policies can be effective in curbing tobacco use. To achieve this, several key adjustments are crucial. Firstly, regular tax hikes that outpace income growth can make tobacco products unaffordable, discouraging their use. Additionally, banning single-stick sales can reinforce health warnings and curb impulse purchases. Furthermore, allocating tobacco tax revenue towards public health initiatives, such as cancer screenings in underserved areas, can have a significant impact. Enforcing plain packaging with prominent health warnings can also reduce tobacco's appeal, while restricting sales near tea stalls can help break the 'chai-sutta' association. Robust enforcement, through regular inspections and penalties, is essential to uphold these regulations. Moreover, prioritising cancer screening, tobacco-cessation programmes, and research can further bolster tobacco control efforts, ultimately creating a comprehensive approach to tackle tobacco use.' As Shalini, a widower - her husband and bread-earner of the family - died of lung cancer and now single mother of two, put it, 'It's not just about saving lives today—it's about creating a future where my kids don't grow up thinking chai-sutta is a normal part of life.' (Dr. Vid Karmarkar is a social entrepreneur, researcher, writer and advocate of advancing equitable cancer care and global health. He is also the founder of the Canseva Foundation, a registered nonprofit organisation. Email:
