15th May 2015
Mumbai, India
Recently, I spoke at a seminar on counterfeiting and smuggling at the Police Commissioner’s offices in Pune, Maharashtra. Several aspects such as socio-economic impact, legal remedies, and enforcement procedures were discussed. This programme was organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). Sanjay Kumar, Joint Commissioner of Police, Pune, in his […]
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21st February 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Visits by the Prime Minister don’t come round too often to most FCO Posts, unless you happen to be in Brussels or Washington. Although I have met some “ex-PMs” in recent postings in Manila and Sydney, it’s more years than I care to remember when I was last involved in a visit by a current […]
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7th December 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Many people in London, and other parts of the UK, think they know a good deal about the Mayor of the capital, Boris Johnson: judging from the number of British tourists who greeted him in hotels or on the streets of Mumbai he must also be one of our most widely recognised politicians. Less well […]
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9th November 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
As the dramas of the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka unfurled last month, and the England Test series here begins next week, no-one living in India could fail to appreciate the importance of cricket to the nation. T20 Matches against big rival Pakistan, not to mention England and Australia, were watched by millions before […]
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4th October 2012
New Delhi, India
A few weeks ago Swapna Hedge from our Knowledge Economy team and I visited the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) in Pune; a city surrounded by greenery and blessed with a salubrious climate and famous for its educational institutes, earning it the sobriquet “Oxford of the East”. ARI is an autonomous institute of the Department of […]
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28th September 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Weekends in Mumbai, once the monsoon has passed, can involve a variety of activities: walks along the 5km Marine Drive past the art deco buildings and the landmark Oberoi hotel, brunch in one of the expanding range of cafes and restaurants around the town, a round of golf on what must count as one of […]
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10th August 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Goa could hardly be a bigger contrast with its neighbouring State of Maharashtra. Unlike Maharashtra’s huge population there are less than 1.5M in Goa’s attractive State, and its capital Panjim has around 115,000 inhabitants at the most. Most visitors to India associate Goa primarily with its fine beaches, exotic tropical terrain and Portuguese ancestry. But […]
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