by Abhinav Shashank

As a young entrepreneur I have always wanted to touch the lives of millions of people and create that small positive difference. It is and has always been a dream- a dream I have believed in. And here I am, writing this article as a dreamer and a believer.

by Janet White

This article is a review of the book “Daughter’s Dilemma” written by Janet White.

Author says the following about the origin of her story “In my novel, “Daughters‟ Dilemma”, the heroine, an archaeologist, stumbles upon the secret of the Phoenix – that the legendary bird is somehow embodied by famous women leaders of history, first Dido and then Joan of Arc, and ultimately Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, all of whom perished in the flames. In this way my book about women scientists and their careers took on elements of the mystery stories beloved of my youth and acquired an Indian setting. The section in Cambridge and the concept of letters between a mother and daughter have some autobiographical elements too. Other themes include the many references to birds and also the descriptions of food, which extends to recipes in the back. You could say that this book contains many facets of, and takes inspiration from many elements of my own life and experience.”

about Sweekar Sunil Katti and Avadhot Phadke

Introducing two young budding stars, Sweekar Katti and Avadhot Phadke who have devoted their life to music. Both Sweekar & Avadhoot are 22 yr old child prodigies in music field.

Meet Future Young Leaders from India.

by Aditi Mukherji

Aditi Mukherji is the first ever winner of Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application given by the World Food Prize. In this article, she tells us about her work which won her this award.

Andrew Muir

Executive Director, Wilderness Foundation, South Africa

Described as an environmental activist, conservationist, and community leader, Andrew Muir has dedicated his life to conservation and social development.

Andrew was mentored by conservation icon Dr Ian Player for 13 years, and took over his legacy in the management of the various organisations that Player had founded, including the world famous Wilderness Leadership School and Wilderness Foundation.

As director of the Wilderness Foundation, Andrew is involved in a number of projects dedicated to social and environmental sustainability including the South African-based Umzi Wethu programme which he founded in 2006. The programme targets vulnerable youth that show resilience and ambition, but despair of opportunities to support their households, and gives them the skills and training to become highly employable young adults.

The programme saw Andrew honoured as an International Rolex Awards Laureate in 2008 as well as the South African Conservationist of the Year in 2007. He was also the winner of the 2011 Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Awards Programme in the Social entrepreneur category. The award was won based on the large number of sustainable programmes that the Wilderness Foundation runs dedicated to social and environmental sustainability.

Andrew has a Masters Degree in Environment and Development from the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg and serves on a number of non-profit and conservation boards.

by Anab Jain

By 2030, 40% of India’s population will live in cities. That’s the equivalent of 590 million people, up from 350 million in 2010.

Clearly, the combination of internal migration and population growth will place a unique stress on India’s urban infrastructure. Already, plenty of work has been done on the resilience of physical infrastructure: the channels of water supply, sanitation, and power. But what of the city’s ‘soft’ infrastructure; the immaterial flows of data and social relations?

As plans for the digital augmentation of our cities gather pace, we find ourselves wondering how such schemes might be enacted in an Indian context. Given the complex, chaotic and often illegible nature of its urban landscape, and stepping back from the top-down masterplans of Masdar and New Songdo, what would a ‘smart’ Mumbai look like? What might it be like to live there?

by Kristine Pearson

Lifeline Energy is a non-profit social enterprise that provides on-demand access to education and information to vulnerable populations. Lifeline Energy designs, manufactures and distributes solar and wind-up media players and radios for classroom and group listening. It also provides clean energy LED lights to support night-time learning and women‟s empowerment.

Lack of access to radio and reliance on poor quality batteries are other forms of energy poverty. Dependency on disposable batteries along with firewood, kerosene, charcoal and candles – energy sources of the poorest – all contribute to environmental degradation and poverty. Since 1999, 500,000 of our radios and media players have provided learning access to an estimated 20 million listeners, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Kerosene use by the poor remains a perilous issue across the developing world. Renewable energy products and services are making in-roads, however, kerosene is still the primary light and cooking source for much of Africa, where Lifeline Energy mainly works.