IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES, it was the worst of times. The tale of two Mukeshs stands testament to that. The first one worked as a guard at one of the many highrise condominiums dotting Gurugram. The first outburst of Covid-19 in the spring of 2020 surprisingly did not affect him, as the residents’ association offered all guards extra allowance.
But it all got a bit too much for him after a few months. On top of the long working hours was the fear of infection. Then one fine day, his contractor let him go, citing budget cuts. Mukesh has been on temporary jobs since then, with frequent spots of joblessness in between.
The other Mukesh is a businessman in Mumbai, who spent much of the past two years sewing up business deals with global tech companies and pivoting his oil-to retail conglomerate to technology and renewable energy. He added ₹163 crore every day to his already immense wealth since the pandemic started.
“There were two distinct sides—one went down and the other went through the roof! There was no in-between really,” said celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor, whose business interests range from restaurants and food channels to cookware and nutraceuticals. “So, it really depended on which side of the fence you were sitting.”
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 23, 2022 من THE WEEK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 23, 2022 من THE WEEK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI
