Astha Prakash
Content Marketing Manager
Writing Samples
Four Ways Cloud is Enhancing Education
June 2015
In the 1980s, F.W. Lancaster, a British-American information scientist made an audacious prediction. He speculated that towards the end of the twentieth century, ours would be, what one may call a ‘paperless society’. His theory invited a multitude of perspectives, those that agreed with him, and those that refuted him.
It is 2015 now, and it is safe to say that though we are not there yet, and paper is still the preferred format in many systems, we are definitely moving towards a future that may eliminate its use in our education system.
According to University World News reports, “by 2015, the global demand for higher education will double to approximately 200 million students per year, mostly from emerging economies.”
How Cloud Is Revolutionizing
the Telecom Sector
June 2015
“Cloud will continue to disrupt markets, spawn new business models and revolutionize information-sharing and business management for years to come.” – The Economist Intelligence Unit, June 2014
As per a CNBC report, the cloud market in India stood at $688 million in 2012, a figure that’s expected to rise to $3.5 billion by 2016. An IDC survey of 473 respondents showed a huge willingness to adopt the cloud technology.
The consumer cloud has existed ever since the early days of the Web. Companies like Google, Facebook and Amazon built their over-the-top (OTT) services by providing cloud-based applications to end users. As an industry, telecommunications is beginning to realize what cloudreally means to its future. Communications Service Providers (CSP) can stop considering the cloud as the end goal, and start pursuing specific cloud-enabled business moves that can generate substantial growth in revenue and profit.
Avaneesh Pandey, a 24-year-old student in Pune was born in a typical Hindu family in Chandannagar, West Bengal. Like most Hindu houses, he grew up in one that had a small temple in a corner adorned with the idols of Shiva, Krishna and Saraswati. His elder brother would read the Gita out loud while his mother often offered prayers.
It is hard to believe that India is the same country that transformed from a “begging bowl” to a “bread basket”. After high-yielding varieties of seeds were first introduced in India in 1968, the wheat production rocketed from 6.4 million tonnes in 1948 to 20 million tonnes. The Green Revolution converted India into a shining new nation brimming with success and sufficient wheat stalks. But 45 years after the hopes of converting a country that was once on the brink of mass famine to a self-contained nation, the situation continues to be shaky.
The Hunger Games
June 2013
Atheism: The Religion of Reason
Feb 2013
Mumbai has been and continues to be an important setting for contemporary authors. In her new book, writer Sampurna Chattarji writes yet another ode to the city bringing to life the sights, smells, structures, animals and the people of Mumbai in what is essentially a dark and visceral landscape.
A City of Dreams... And Some Nightmares
May 2013
Baby's Day Out (on TV)
Aug 2013
Two abandoned babies were handed over to their ‘new’ parents in Karachi during the live broadcast of Pakistan’s popular TV show Amaan Ramzan. This surprising, and for some, horrifying act of reality TV has brought it under a lot of media scrutiny and controversy. The show’s host “Dr” Aamir Liaquat Hussain has been described as “a true legend of this present age.” Amaan Ramzan’s official website describes him as “A man of many qualities, whose name becomes synonymous with truthfulness and bravery in the field of journalism”.
For the Love of Art
May 2013
The Dark Side of Social Media
September 2013
In our collective imagination, Azamgarh has been etched as the ‘terrorist hub of India’, a so-called breeding ground for terror masterminds like Dawood Ibrahim, Abu Salem and Chhota Shakeel. Keen to reject that perception, artists from the region recently came together for a two-day cultural festival at the India International Centre in New Delhi.
Remember the time when you got to know where your friend had gone for vacations only when they showed you printed photos over hot cups of tea? Or the time when you were not interrupted by Whatsapp group alerts when you were engrossed in reading a book?
Social media has taken us into a world where nothing is private anymore and we are constantly assailed with emails, pings and texts.
High and Mighty?
June 2013
It’s sometimes astounding to note the unending magnitude of human stupidity and lack of common sense. It’s extremely disturbing when someone indulges in acts of this unending stupidity and brings a new level of degradation and shame to your profession. Recently a video of a reporter in Uttarakhand has gone viral on Youtube and Facebook. No, it’s not because he did a remarkable job in “reporting” the events; it is because he was unabashedly perched on the shoulders of a survivor of the floods as he gave a Piece to Camera (PTC).