One of the most common denouncements for a film is &ldquo;There was no script&rdquo;. Casual viewers say it all the time &mdash; witness the news-channel coverage of people exiting movie halls on Fridays, wiping the popcorn kernels off their shirts, looking intently into the camera and going &ldquo;Gaane acche thay, par koi story nahin thi&rdquo;. So do professional writers: most recently, I was so flabbergasted by the sketchiness of the second half of Imtiaz Ali&rsquo;s Rockstar that I wondered if someone had lost the only copy of the screenplay midway through shooting and if the crew had been forced to ad-lib the rest of the film.

It is written

Business Standard

Robots are getting their act together to search for and rescue survivors of the massive earthquake that rocked Japan. Universities and robotics companies from around the world are pitching in with their own snake bots, aerial vehicles and rovers to unearth survivors, especially from debris that humans can't reach.

Robots ape humans

Indian women would rather get a root canal done and men would rather drink stale milk than lose their mobile phones, said a Norton Mobile Survey.

One in two Indians victim of mobile phone loss: Norton

Melbourne is quite a lovely and modern city, with some terrific fine-dining places, and an ambience as good as any &mdash; what with the Yarra River meandering lazily through the city en route to the sea, a carefully-maintained green cover (quite a lot of the trees lining the roads are less than 20 years old), and several outstanding (and clean!) public parks.

Wining in Melbourne

The gearshifts were a fraction slower on the uptake. A fly in the ointment, but what an ointment! Before we knew it, the speedo had crossed 140 kmph and was climbing... fast! Both turbochargers were spinning furiously, whipping up enough excitement in the 93 cubic-foot cabin, the artificial horizon in this case being where the road starts to curve in on us rather quickly.

Spinning around

The other one with an all-wheel drive setup, the A4 quattro was the first of the mass production Audis to get LED daytime running lamps. This rather smart looking Audi&rsquo;s 3.2-litre V6 gets the car from 0-100 kmph in 8.2 seconds. Push harder and the car will take you to a top speed restricted to 250 kmph.

At sixes and sevens

I own a four-year old Maruti Suzuki Wagon R LXi and it is amazing when it comes to seating position, engine performance, city driving and last but not the least, fuel economy. I am now planning to purchase a more spacious hatchback with the same advantages at hand, but keeping in mind the increasing price of petrol. I have shortlisted the Maruti Suzuki Swift VDi/VXi, Ford Figo petrol and diesel, i20 Magna, VW Polo and Chevrolet Beat. I&rsquo;m looking at the new Swift, of course.

Fuel stop

Our driver Anil stops the taxi next to a pair of chatting Tibetan men. We are in McLeod Ganj, near the offices of the Tibetan government-in-exile. &ldquo;Ustaad ji namaste,&rdquo; Anil says to one of the men, who is middle-aged and wears a fresh bruise on his cheekbone. &ldquo;Mujhse koi galti ho gayi to maaf karna.&rdquo; (&ldquo;Forgive me if I&rsquo;ve done anything wrong.

Unease in Dharamsala

The akhara is their home, wrestling their way of life. Veenu Sandhu enters the wrestlers&rsquo; world.

Grappling for glory

Pilots fake certificates to fly. Aviation schools cut corners. As a result, the licences of 4,500 pilots are under the scanner. Mihir Mishra and Aabhas Sharma look into the mess in the skies.

Plane forgery

The Melody Amber has always been played in a relaxed joyous atmosphere. The world's best meet in luxurious conditions on the Riviera, at an unusual format, for a very generous fund, without risking rating points.

Chess #671

Is the evidence against Hasan Ali Khan enough to keep him behind bars? Santosh Tiwari, Sanjay Jog and Hrishikesh Joshi line up the threads.

The Khan file

Music is often a medium to express dissent. Manisha Pande listens to the voices that sing in protest.

Redemption songs

Buildings swayed but did not fall, and there was no widespread panic. Somnath Majumdar was in Tokyo during the recent earthquake.

In shock, and awe

Japan&rsquo;s nuclear nightmare, unfolding in trickles, has sent governments all over the world scurrying, nervously asking questions about safety in the event of the unforeseen. On the other side of the fence, the pro-nuclear lobby is trying hard to quell any unease by arguing that a one-off disaster does not a write-off make. Even as the big debate remains &ldquo;to have or not-to-have&rdquo;, countries with a nuclear energy programme need to ask themselves one big question.

How disaster ready are we?

Three tonnes of Zambian emeralds are auctioned in Jaipur. Indulekha Aravind watches them go.

Eye on the emerald

Turning the pages of this book of panoramic images of ritual and religion from around India, says Kishore Singh, is a ceremonious act in itself.

In the sacred, the sublime

A reader wrote to say that in the last column on Amar Chitra Katha I overstated my case. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t buy the Uncle Pai as promoter of Hinduism/Hindutva argument,&rdquo; he said. That&rsquo;s not what I argued. Uncle Pai&rsquo;s intent may have been pedagogical &mdash; Indian children should know about the Indian past &mdash; but the ACK comics became a catechism in a Hindu-based national theology. History does do that. Show it an aspiration and it will design an ideology to fit.

Expert eye, mass appeal

Are luxury brands in India cheaper than they are in other parts of the world? Gargi Gupta takes a look at the price-point strategy.

Cut price luxury

    Where does a customer earn the title &lsquo;mayor&rsquo;? The term identifies the person that has visited a location most number of times and is the most loyal customer a brand can have.

The Strategist Quiz (#228)

Leading hotel chains are set to launch new sub-brands to tap the space between the budget and upscale segments.

In search of a mid-scale brand

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