Month: September 2024

Tata Motors recently launched the much-awaited Tata Nexon CNG in the Indian market. The CNG SUV was first showcased at the Bharat Mobility Expo and features many first-in-segment features also gets a turbo petrol engine which is the first in India. Interested customers can book the car online or by visiting their nearest dealership and the deliveries are expected to begin soon.

The Nexon CNG directly competes with the Maruti Suzuki Brezza CNG in the Indian market.In this article, let’s compare both SUVs in terms of dimensions, price, variants, features, engine and more.
Comparing the price and variants first, the new Nexon CNG is available in eight variants – Smart (O), Smart+, Smart+ S, Pure, Pure S, Creative, Creative+, and Fearless+ S with prices ranging from Rs 8.99 lakh to Rs 14.59 lakh (ex-showroom). Compared to the petrol models which are priced from 7.99 lakh, the CNG model demand Rs 1 lakh.

Talking about the Brezza CNG, it’s available in LXi, VXi, ZXi, and ZXi Dual-tone variants and is priced between Rs 9.29 lakh to Rs 12.09 lakh (ex-showroom). The base spec Brezza CNG costs Rs 30,000 more than the Nexon but when compared with the top-spec variant the Brezza is about 2.5 lakh more affordable than the top-spec Nexon CNG.
Comparing the dimensions, the Brezza CNG measures 3,995 mm in length, 1,790 mm in width, stands 1,685 mm tall and has a 2,500 mm long wheelbase. It has 200 mm of ground clearance and features 16-inch alloy wheels. The Nexon CNG measures measures 3995 mm in length, 1804 mm in width, 1620 in height and has 2498 mm of wheelbase. It has 16-inch alloy wheels and has 208 mm of ground clearance.

Talking about the features, compared to Brezza CNG the Nexon comes packed with features such as a panoramic sunroof, dual 10.25-inch screens for the infotainment and the digital cluster, wireless charger, 360-degree camera, eight speakers, ventilated front seats, auto headlamps with rain sensing wipers, leatherette seat upholstery, and LED headlights with sequential LED DRLs. In terms of safety, it gets six airbags, ESP, TPMS, front parking sensors, auto-dimming IRVM and much more.
Talking about the features in Brezza CNG, it gets LED headlamps with DRLs, a seven-inch touchscreen system, cruise control, a semi-digital cluster, Arkamys sound system, OTA updates, single-pane sunroof, an engine push start-stop button, ESP, hill-hold assist, a rear parking camera with sensors, electric sunroof, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and many more.

Talking about the powertrain, the Nexon CNG is powered by a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged engine that puts out 100hp of power and 170Nm of torque. In comparison, the petrol engine puts out 20hp more but the torque figure is the same. It comes paired with a manual gearbox and it also gets dual-cylinder technology to save space and has 321 litres of boot space. It has claimed fuel efficiency of 24km/kg and a 60-litre CNG tank.

The Brezza CNG is powered by a 1.5-litre NA Petrol engine which produces 100 bhp of power and 136 Nm of torque. However, in CNG mode the power figures will drop to 87 bhp and 121 Nm of torque. Gearbox options will include only a 5-speed manual and Maruti claims fuel efficiency of 25.51 km/kg. The Brezza gets a single tank for the CNG and has less space when compared to the petrol version.

Going on a mountain adventure with your furry baby is so much more than just a dog’s day out. There’s a lot you need to prepare for and be cautious about. In case you’re planning such a trip here’s a guide to conquer the peaks safely, and in style. Coming from those who have already done it, make sure you follow their
advice to the T. Bon voyage!
The travel essentials
No matter the breed, taking a dog to high altitudes requires careful planning and packing.Here’s what every mountain-bound dog needs:

Dos & Don’ts while navigating high altitudes with your dog

Dos

Don’t

Bella’s bike adventures:

Bella, an indie dog, has accompanied her parent, Chaw, across some of India’s most challenging passes. And her favourite pastime? Chasing monkeys mid-ride. “Bella leapt off once to chase a monkey at Sach Pass,” recalls Chaw, adding, “I had to swing the leash like a cowboy to get her back!” He adds that Bella often takes naps on the bike between passes.

Bella and her parent, Chaw

Theia’s tales:
Theia, a Gold retriever, recently tackled Umling La, the world’s highest motorable pass, with her parents, Niharika Singh Dalal and her husband. With over 15 mountain passes under her collar, including Zanskar Valley and Tanglang La, Theia’s approach to the mountains is almost human. “She wanted to play tug-of-war on Tanglang La, while we were gasping for air,” says Niharika with a laugh. Theia has a custom doggy seatbelt and plenty of breaks to chase after her dad’s bike.

Theia with her parents at Umling La

Tyler and Simba: The Ladakh duo
Tyler, a German shepherd, and Simba, a Golden retriever, tackled Ladakh and Spiti with unstoppable enthusiasm. In Chitkul, Tyler rolled in the snow with the joy of a pup, while Simba cautiously imitated him before fully diving into the fun. Together, they explored high-altitude passes, resting in the custom Thar built for them. Deepshikha and Shreyas Shete, their parents, told us that Tyler knew when to step back and let Simba lead and when to protect him. “Watching them discover snow for the first time was magical,” Deepshikha said.

Tyler and Simba with their parent

An Evening of Gratitude: Celebrating Stephanian Friendship

An alumni meet-up of St. Stephen’s College was recently held at the home of Surabhi and Charlie. The event brought together old and new friends in a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Surabhi began the evening with an icebreaker, asking, “What are we grateful for, thankful for, and blessed with?” The responses were thoughtful, ranging from gratitude for family and friends to appreciation for life’s opportunities.
Rekha Rachel George, a music teacher and the evening’s entertainer, led a medley of songs spanning generations, including classics by Bob Marley, John Denver, and ABBA. Rekha’s daughter, who also sang, added a touching moment to the gathering. Music filled the space with a sense of nostalgia, reminding attendees of their shared time at St. Stephen’s College.
The evening also featured a delicious spread of food, including paneer pakoras, chola kulcha, and paneer cutlets, which were enjoyed alongside tea and coffee. Non-vegetarian options were also available, but as the host noted, the vegetarian dishes were the highlight for many.
Mark, arriving later with his camera, captured candid moments that will serve as lasting memories of the evening. As a special gesture, Surabhi gifted mugs to the first-time attendees, inscribed with the phrase, “A sweet friendship refreshes the soul,” perfectly encapsulating the spirit of the night.
The gathering was a reminder of the value of friendship, gratitude, and shared memories, leaving everyone with a sense of warmth and appreciation.

For a long time, IT companies hadn’t enforced cost of living adjustments (COLA) because inflation rates remained relatively low. This situation changed when inflation rates surged, putting companies under considerable pressure. They found themselves grappling with higher salaries, especially in India, but were unable to pass on these extra costs to their clients.Sometimes clients believe that they are paying a fair price and would resist price increases.
For some time now, the inclusion of COLA clauses in contracts has become a common practice in the industry. These clauses allow companies to adjust their fees based on changes in the cost of living, ensuring that they can maintain their profitability and continue to provide quality services to their clients without bearing the full burden of inflation-driven expenses.
At Cognizant, for instance, a cost-of-living adjustment was applied to the compensation of each of their employees residing in a jurisdiction other than its CEO Ravi Kumar’s principal work location (the United States) to adjust the compensation of such employees to the jurisdiction of Mr Kumar’s principal work location. Each such cost-of-living index, including that for India, the location of the worldwide median employee, was used to adjust the applicable compensation of employees to the cost-of-living index for the United States. All cost-of-living indexes used were as published by cost-of-living databases provider Numbeo.com for 2023, Cognizant said in its proxy filing.
Peter Bendor-Samuel, CEO of IT research advisory Everest Group, said, “COLA is historically a significant source of profit for the IT firms. It is not shared with employees and is used to support earnings. As market conditions have tightened, it is harder for firms to get COLA into contracts, but where they can, they work hard to ensure that they are in place as they help profitability.”
Stanton Jones, distinguished analyst at ISG, said the cost-of-living adjustments were not added to IT services contracts for many years because inflation was low. “However, when inflation spiked, it put a lot of pressure on firms as salaries rose (especially in India) but they were unable to pass these costs on to clients. It’s now regular practice to include these clauses in contracts.”
Bendor-Samuel said wage increases for employees are driven by local market conditions and are not connected to COLA adjustments. “COLA is only indirectly linked to wage increases because wage inflation will allow for COLA adjustments. However, if a firm can make COLA adjustments but not increase wages, they will do that. But if there is significant wage inflation, then the COLA provisions will activate. Again, it is becoming harder to get COLA into new contracts as firms are looking for price decreases in the current market.”
Jones said in terms of COLA, it’s an index used in multi-year outsourcing relationships to make sure prices for managed services (or rate cards) are aligned with the impact of inflation on operating costs. “Wages are an important part of the operating cost for a provider, but not the only one. Also important to keep in mind that enterprises generally do not have visibility into the specific or even aggregate level of compensation of their provider teams,” he added.

NASA and SpaceX have postponed the launch of their next crew mission to the International Space Station (ISS) due to the impending threat of Hurricane Helene. Initially slated for this week, the launch has been rescheduled to at least Saturday, September 28, as the storm is forecasted to strengthen and move toward the Gulf of Mexico, potentially impacting the Florida coast.
With winds expected to reach hurricane levels, NASA has emphasised the need for caution, citing the extensive wind field associated with the storm.The upcoming Crew-9 mission will feature NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, both currently in quarantine at Kennedy Space Center.

Hurricane Helene impacts Crew-9 launch timeline

Hurricane Helene is expected to grow into a Category 3 hurricane by Thursday, with a wind field projected to extend 250 miles. The storm is set to impact the Florida panhandle, resulting in high winds and heavy rain across Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island.
NASA stated in a post on its website, “Although Tropical Storm Helene is moving through the Gulf of Mexico, the storm system is large enough to cause significant weather conditions along the east coast of Florida.”
SpaceX aims to launch the Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew Dragon Freedom on Saturday, targeting a lift-off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 1:17 p.m. Backup launch windows are available from Sunday to Tuesday if needed.
This delay allows teams to complete a rehearsal of launch day activities on Tuesday night with the spacecraft and rocket, which will return to the hangar after the rehearsal to safeguard against potential storm impacts.

The Crew-9 mission

Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov and NASA astronaut Nick Hague are on board the Crew-9 mission. The two astronauts are being held in quarantine at the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy Space Centre after their arrival on Saturday.
To enable NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who are already on the ISS after a previous Boeing Starliner trip, to return, Crew-9 is operating with just two astronauts.

Crew Dragon mission history

Crew-9 represents SpaceX’s ninth operational mission under the Commercial Crew Program since the initial test flight, Demo-2, in 2020. To date, SpaceX has launched its Crew Dragon fleet 14 times, transporting 54 people into orbit, including two astronauts on repeat missions.
The upcoming launch will mark the fourth flight for Crew Dragon Freedom, which has previously completed missions for both NASA and private company Axiom Space. Notably, this will also be the first human spaceflight from SLC-40, following the construction of a crew access arm to facilitate crewed missions on the Space Coast.
Also read: Who is Aleksandr Vladimirovich Gorbunov, the Russian cosmonaut rescuing Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore?

IIT Delhi vs IIT Bombay: Who leads the placement race?

Two of India’s premier institutes for higher education in engineering and technology, the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, are dream destinations for many aspiring engineers. In the NIRF Rankings 2024 (engineering category), IIT Delhi has grabbed Rank 2 while IIT Bombay grabbed the third place. In fact, since 2020, both the institutes have grabbed the second and third rank in the engineering list of the NIRF.So, what sets these institutes apart? Beyond their distinguished faculty, advanced courses, research facilities, and impressive campuses, one major differentiator is their placement records. Today, we will compare which of these esteemed IITs excels more in terms of placements.

Placement records: A comparative analysis of IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay

So, which institute fares better in terms of placement records? Here’s a look at the data from the last three years for both institutes for UG 4 year programme, as published by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) under the management category in 2024:
(UG 4 year programme)

In a comparative analysis of placement and higher education outcomes between IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay under their four-year undergraduate programs, distinct trends emerge over the three academic years from 2020-21 to 2022-23.
IIT Delhi consistently saw a higher median salary for placed students. In 2020-21, 672 students graduated, with 541 placed at a median salary of Rs 17.6 lakh and 101 opting for higher studies. This increased to a median salary of Rs 20.5 lakh in 2021-22, with 621 of 685 graduates placed, and 64 students pursuing further studies. By 2022-23, the number of graduates rose to 835, with 676 placed at a median salary of Rs 20 lakh, while 50 chose higher education.
IIT Bombay, on the other hand, had fewer placements in the initial year but showed significant improvements over time. In 2020-21, 500 of 663 graduates were placed with a median salary of Rs 13.9 lakh, and 163 opted for higher studies. This improved in 2021-22, where 591 of 674 graduates were placed at a median salary of Rs 18 lakh, with 83 students choosing further studies. By 2022-23, 644 of 798 graduates secured placements with a median salary of Rs 19.6 lakh, while 154 pursued higher education.
Overall, IIT Delhi led in median salaries across all three years, though IIT Bombay saw a greater number of students pursuing higher studies.