<ul><li>Travel agency <keyword id="354768" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Expedia">Expedia</keyword>’s annual <keyword id="7052591" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vacation-deprivation-report">Vacation Deprivation Report</keyword> 2018 has ranked India as the most vacation deprived country globally. The report has shown that over 75% Indians feel vacation deprived as work dominates. </li><li>Only 3% of Indians go on a vacation every month while over one-third of the population goes without a vacation for six months to a year. </li><li>Half the Indians strongly feel that taking a break is actually effective and should be considered seriously as it improves productivity and helps reduce stress. </li></ul>India has been ranked as the most vacation deprived country globally with 75% of Indians reporting they don’t travel enough up from 60% last year, according to a survey by Expedia, a US based travel agency. According to Expedia’s annual Vacation Deprivation Report 2018 as <a href="https://www.financialexpress.com/economy/indians-feel-most-vacation-deprived-in-the-world-shows-expedia-survey-here-is-the-reason/1388827/">reported</a> by Financial Express, nearly 41% of Indians wished to go on a vacation but haven’t been on a holiday in last six months due to <keyword id="431460" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="workload">workload</keyword>. <a href="https://qz.com/india/1469891/expedia-says-work-is-making-indians-more-vacation-deprived/">Only 3%</a> took a vacation every month while over one-third said they go without a vacation for six months to a year. After India, South Korea and Hong Kong were the most vacation deprived at 72% and 69% respectively. The survey was conducted across 19 countries surveying over 11,000 employed adults above 18 years of age. It was conducted online from 19-28 September across Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America and South America. The survey showed that about 24% Indians can't afford a holiday while have many a preference for a longer holiday. The results reflect the prevailing perception for many Indians (18%) is that professionally successful people don’t take <keyword id="6420515" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vacations">vacations</keyword>, said the report citing Manmeet Ahluwalia, Marketing Head, Expedia. While 25% of employed adults feel they might miss out on an important work decision if they avail their full vacation. However, more than half the Indians strongly feel that taking a break is actually effective and should be considered seriously as it improves productivity and has health benefits. The survey also reported that Indian workers were bothered by their co-workers and other staff, and sidetracked by work obligations even while they were on vacation. In terms of occupations, workers in the food &amp; beverages, heath, and retail industries were found to be most vacation deprived while those employed in the real estate sector were least deprived, TOI <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/indians-feel-most-vacation-deprived-in-world/articleshow/66733052.cms">reported</a>. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/more-indians-have-left-the-country-as-its-economy-has-grown-report/articleshow/66732249.cms">More Indians have left the country as its economy has grown: Report</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/fed-up-of-pollution-more-than-35-of-residents-in-indias-capital-say-they-want-to-move-out-permanently-survey/articleshow/66630699.cms">Fed up of pollution, more than 35% of residents in India’s capital say they want to move out permanently: Survey</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/miscellaneous/ranked-the-18-cheapest-beach-holiday-destinations-in-europe/slidelist/63758663.cms">RANKED: The 18 cheapest beach holiday destinations in Europe</a>

India ranked as the most vacation-deprived country in the world: Survey

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/26858101.cms" /> When was the last time you went on a vacation? Yes, a proper vacation spanning weeks and not the weekend add-ons we try to snatch up for visiting nearby getaways. Long, relaxing and <keyword id="291875" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Paid-Leave">paid leave</keyword> away from your office are not what they used to be, according to a yearly study by the travel portal <keyword id="354768" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Expedia">Expedia</keyword>. The number of paid leave seems to be going down worldwide and people are craving for more in a bid to strike a reasonable work-life balance. 
 In a recent study called <keyword id="1962702" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="2013-Vacation-Deprivation">2013 Vacation Deprivation</keyword>, Expedia has interviewed some 8,535 people across 24 countries. As per the findings, Europeans feel most vacation-deprived although they go for the longest vacations. In contrast, Americans grumble more but take fewer leaves than their entitlements (gasp… the majority of full-time workers in the <keyword id="6354458" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="US">US</keyword> get 14 days of paid leave and they only take an average of 10 days). According to the poll, 35% people from the US say they have either cancelled or postponed their vacations due to work. 
 As for <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> (or most of the <keyword id="63759" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Asian-countries">Asian countries</keyword> for that matter), we see a similar trend – people take less number of vacation days than what their workplaces are offering – an average of 3 weeks or so. 
 India is the world’s 10th most <keyword id="1962705" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Vacation-deprived-country">vacation-deprived country</keyword> and around 63% of Indians have admitted that they want more time off, as per the study. Within the country, 74% people working in Delhi feel extremely overworked and in need of vacation, followed 67% in Mumbai and 56% in Bangalore. 
 So what’s keeping you from your seasons in the sun? Apparently, the threat of <keyword id="190063" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="pink-slip">pink slip</keyword> and a deep-rooted fear of losing the job if you are away for too long. Around 18% of Indians don’t use all the leaves because they fear it will be perceived negatively by their employers while many avoid long vacations to remain in the good books of their bosses, the survey says. Overall, Indians have utilised only 20 of the 26 leaves granted to them this year. The country also leads when it comes to encashing unused holidays (37%), followed by <keyword id="6355226" type="COUNTRY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Brazil">Brazil</keyword> (30%). 
 Around 60% of <keyword id="77626" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="indian-workers">Indian workers</keyword> are not able to plan their vacation in advance because of their work – again the highest in the world – while 74% have either cancelled or postponed their vacation due to <keyword id="431460" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="workload">workload</keyword>. But the scenario is worse when it comes to <keyword id="1962710" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Weekly-work-hours">weekly work hours</keyword>. 
 Around 38% Indians work around 42 hours a week, which is much more than their counterparts from other countries, according to Vikram Malhi, general manager of Expedia (South and South-east Asia). This is, indeed, staggering when you consider the other side of the coin where people are already demanding a 4-day <keyword id="53739" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Work-Week">work week</keyword>. 
 
According to a CNN report, when Facebook executive Nicola Mendelsohn was hired as a company vice-president earlier this year, she reportedly negotiated a 4-day workweek so she could spend more time with her family. Much was made of the rumor, which Facebook would neither confirm nor deny, despite the fact that many working mothers in the US routinely, and increasingly, negotiate 4-day workweeks. 
 
Staying <keyword id="330374" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Wired">wired</keyword> is not the way to <keyword id="27344" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="unwind">unwind</keyword> “You not only require adequate number of off days, but quality time as well,” says Labonita Grover, an IT professional from Pune. “Most of us live a wired life now and being away physically doesn’t mean you are not working.” As per the survey, 94% of Indians continue to check their <keyword id="1962717" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Work-mail">work mail</keyword> while on leave, again the highest in the world, followed by <keyword id="6354785" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="France">France</keyword> (93%), Thailand (92%), Malaysia (91%) and <keyword id="3746" type="COUNTRY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Mexico">Mexico</keyword> (91%). 
 You stay wired because you have been aligned with a <keyword id="6458484" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Work-culture">work culture</keyword> that treats work not just as a job, but as a large part of people’s lives – if not the sum of their lives. Many of our societies also treat vacation as a luxury rather than a right. According to the <keyword id="1962700" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Expedia-study">Expedia study</keyword>, this applies to the US as well. 
 The <keyword id="14348" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="french">French</keyword> are also disgruntled, according to the survey. In spite of extensive vacation leaves, they feel deprived as they are still wired with work either “constantly, regularly or sometimes” – checking work e-mail and voice messages. Incidentally, they get the longest paid vacation – a total of 30 days. Yet, 90% say they feel vacation deprived, which is well above the 62% global average. 
 
Working from home – is it any better? When <keyword id="319703" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Marissa-Mayer">Marissa Mayer</keyword> of Yahoo started her crusade against home-based workers, a Bangalore-based IT professional just guffawed. “There could be a <keyword id="23080" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="productivity">productivity</keyword> issue out there for all we know, but now they can get away after 8 hours. In India, working from home means 24x7 firefighting and contingencies are lined up,” says Anirban Roy who works for a global technology firm. 
 He keeps his system next to the bed (sleeping on the laptop is what they call it) for every possible emergency and often attends conference calls at weird hours. Needless to say, no cats, dogs, babies, spouse or <keyword id="343" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="80" keywordseo="Friends">friends</keyword> are allowed in the sanctum sanctorum. Of course, one saves the time and money on daily commute and don’t dress (for office). But that’s about all. The kind of happy pictures you get to see on the Internet (person in pajamas cuddling dogs and babies) are farthest from the truth. 
 
What will make you happy? 
It should be a mix of professional and personal fulfillment, with enough time for family and friends. Interestingly, 85% of the Indian respondents have said they are satisfied with their jobs in spite of being vacation-deprived. “But then, many of us toil under a twisted sense of power and responsibility, which makes up for the vacation days we are missing every year,” reflects Labonita. “To live a balanced life, it should be the other way round – you should be able to enjoy your free time as much as you enjoy your job. A job that gets larger than life finally swallows all other priorities,” she adds. 
 It seems a sound approach. European countries like Norway, <keyword id="49968" type="COUNTRY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Denmark">Denmark</keyword> and <keyword id="23050" type="COUNTRY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Sweden">Sweden</keyword> are already offering generous vacation endowments and their employees remain quite satisfied. These nations are not losing out on productivity either and have some of the most <keyword id="1962721" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Stable-economies">stable economies</keyword>. For all we know, relax more to work harder could be the new-age doctrine very soon. After all, fearful and jaded minds could hardly usher in new waves at the workplace of the future.

Indians Are Overworked… What’s Killing Your Vacation?

<ul><li>The growing ‘always on’ work culture has cost employees their mental health. </li><li>Nearly 46% received stress management backing from their employers, but most others feel lack of employer support. </li><li>Several companies in India including EY, Hindustan Unilever, WeWork are stepping up their employee policies for a healthy work-life balance and controlled attrition rate. </li></ul>The growing ‘always on’ work culture has cost employees their mental health. And, it isn’t helping productivity either. “The underlying motivation for working all these hours is not actually to produce high-quality work. In fact, there’s a lot of evidence to suggest that it’s going to undermine the quality of the work,” said an article <a href="https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/women-pay-a-higher-career-price-in-today-s-always-on-work-culture">published</a> in Administrative Science Quarterly. The Indian work culture As workplace stress continues to be a universal issue, a well-being survey report titled ‘2019 Cigna 360 Well-Being Survey’ revealed that <a href="https://wellbeing.cigna.com/360Survey_Report.pdf">stress</a> has adversely affected Indian working professionals. Working extra hours have made employees better compensated and financially sound, but it has also affected their mental and physical health across companies, the survey analysing Indian working professionals noted. Performance pressure and fear of losing jobs are the major reasons for burnout among employees. According to the <a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/indian-companies-need-to-provide-sick-leave-for-mental-health-3145961.html">National Mental Health Survey of India</a> (2015-16), around 15% of Indian adults need support for one or other mental illness issues. The respondents of the survey felt that they lack of support from employers. Nearly 46% received stress management backing from their employer companies, the report noted. Working women are found to be more stressed than men. Switching On The ‘always on’ working conditions have stressed employees due to technological advancements and leading to burnout, TOI reported citing a cross-cultural coach Shital Kakkar Mehra. This has lead to work absence, the HR professionals reportedly said. “In order to promote engagement, it is crucial to provide employees with the resources they need to do their job well, feel good about their work, and recover from work stressors experienced through work,” noted Emma Seppala and Julia Moeller in Harvard Business Review. ‘Work from home’ an alternative? Working from home reportedly reduces workplace stress and anxiety caused by the 24x7 work culture. While ‘working from home’ allows to get away from workplace pressure, it adds to the ‘always on’ work policy, remotely. In spite of this, employees believe that remote work options helps them maintain a better<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/in-india-flexibility-overpowers-pay-hike-on-job-change/articleshow/67975325.cms"> work-life balance</a>, thereby reducing stress. Several companies in India including EY, Hindustan Unilever, WeWork are hence <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/companies/were-off-duty-will-not-reply-to-email-wework/articleshow/69087683.cms">stepping up their employee policies</a> for a healthy work-life balance and controlled attrition rate. India, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and Indonesia showed the strongest improvement in overall wellness with a rise of between 2.1 and 4.4 points, according to the Cigna well-being survey. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/working-night-shifts-adversely-affecting-health/articleshow/67738903.cms">Working night shifts can do irreversible damage to your DNA, says study</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india-ranked-as-the-most-vacation-deprived-country-in-the-world-survey/articleshow/66749566.cms">India ranked as the most vacation-deprived country in the world: Survey</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indians-are-expressly-downbeat-about-their-work-and-find-it-socially-useless-says-study/articleshow/66986382.cms">Indians are expressly downbeat about their work and find it ‘socially useless’, says study</a>

‘Always On’ work culture is affecting mental health of Indians

<ul><li>Flexible work timings, remote work options have been the top priorities of the Indian workforce, while considering a job opportunity. </li><li>This is mainly because it brings along increased productivity and cost effectiveness to both — the employee and the employer. </li><li>According to a recent survey by recruitment platform Indeed, employees say that if given an option, they would consider having ‘two <keyword id="123591" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Work-from-home">work from home</keyword>’ days in a week. </li><li>Working remotely cuts down on the travel time. An average Indian office-goer spends over two hours commuting everyday — accounting for 7% of their day.</li></ul>Bill Gates once said that the most important perk any company can offer its employees is ‘<keyword id="8560604" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="flexible-work-arrangements">flexible work arrangements</keyword>.’ He believes that it can improve productivity and cost effectiveness to both — the employee and the employer. Flexibility overpowers pay hike An average Indian office-goer spends over two hours commuting everyday — accounting for 7% of their day. For them, remote working can be a panacea. “If this itself is brought down by a day, the levels of motivation will increase. Employees may even be willing to put in additional hours in 4 days rather than travel the additional day,” Neeti Sharma, senior VP at TeamLease Services told Business Insider. According to a recent survey by recruitment platform Indeed, employees say that if given an option - they would want to work from home at least two days a week. In fact, over half of the surveyed employees said that they would consider changing their job or even take a pay cut in if offered remote working. Increased productivity “The employees get the advantage of working at their convenient times and when their productivity is higher. At the same time, they are also provided with an environment of trust and autonomy. With happier employees and a more trusting environment, productivity naturally increases,” said Ajay Shah, VP and head of recruitment at TeamLease Services. It can also ease the stress that most Indians face. India is the most vacation deprived country in the world, as per a report by Expedia. A lot of employees who wish to go on a vacation are held back at offices because of workload. “If implemented properly, remote working can be a powerful means of engaging the workforce and attracting a wider pool of talent. Employees can channel their creativity more productively if allowed to work at their convenience,” said Sashi Kumar, managing director, Indeed India. The company offers its employees the option of paid time-off — which allows them to manage their time and meet productivity goals on their own schedule. As a cost-cutting measure Remote working can also save costs for the company who do not have to rent out large spaces. “Companies focusing on customer experience also hire people who work from home in dedicated slots for inbound and outbound calls, which saves the overall cost of company. Accenture, Erricsson, Capgemini and IBM are a few examples of flexible work environments,” said Guruprasad Srinivasan, chief operating officer at Quess Corp. Employees too save by working remotely. As per a recent study, an employee working from home saves nearly $6000 annually, while the organisation saves almost twice the amount. In that case, for each employee who opts to work remotely the organization saves around $12,000. These savings are the eliminated overheads like office space, utilities, and other expenses associated with having employees report to the office. If there is anything that remote working lacks — it the age-old collaboration that aids ideation and easy execution of tasks! See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/microsoft-office-has-four-day-weeks-can-indian-companies-replicate/articleshow/72007379.cms">Microsoft’s four-day work week idea will be good for Indians⁠— but there is a lot to be fixed before that</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/all-700-employees-at-this-startup-work-remotely-heres-why-one-of-its-top-execs-says-its-given-them-a-major-edge-on-the-competition/articleshow/66017301.cms">All 700 employees at this startup work remotely. Here's why one of its top execs says it's given them a major edge on the competition</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/in-india-flexibility-overpowers-pay-hike-on-job-change/articleshow/67975325.cms">In India, employees are prioritising ‘remote work policy’ while taking up a job — and will even take a pay cut</a>

Bill Gates’ plan to give employees remote working days is a hit with Indian HR managers

(Photo Source: Reuters) <ul><li>A recent study has shown that over 12% Indians perceive their job as ‘socially useless’ and counterproductive. </li><li>Over 50% of <keyword id="7103154" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="socially-useless-jobs">socially useless jobs</keyword> are taken by those who perceive it important to have socially <keyword id="903587" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="useful">useful</keyword> jobs. </li><li>The study revealed that 8% of the world’s workers considered their jobs futile, along with 17% of the lot questioning the effectiveness of their jobs. </li></ul>Is your job ‘socially useless’? A new <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3162569">study by</a> Robert Dur of Erasmus University Rotterdam and Max van Lent of Leiden University revealed the world’s population is expressly downbeat regarding their work. Particularly, over 12% Indians perceive their job ‘socially useless’ and counterproductive — this, apparently, is the highest across the globe behind Poland, Japan and Israel, says the study. The study was conducted across 47 countries, which integrated and surveyed data from more than 100,000 workers. It found that 8% of the world’s workers considered their jobs futile, along with 17% of the lot questioning the effectiveness of their jobs. The assessment of ‘socially useless’ was based on responses from working class people who strongly disagree with the statement, “My job is useful to the society.” Interestingly, more private sector employees report having a socially useless job in comparison to that of public sector — including occupations such as teachers, health workers and police officers. While 11% of the ones employed in private business who consider their work useless involve finance, sales, marketing and public relations department. However, not all workers manage to get a job they consider socially useful. Over 50% of socially <keyword id="7103153" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="useless-jobs">useless jobs</keyword> are taken by those who perceive it important to have socially useful job. Apparently, bad managers and strict job law enforcement has risen ‘socially useless jobs’ since the nature of jobs and job creation is mainly performed by managers. While, strict legislation retains workers but changing market circumstances leave them with little work to do. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india-ranked-as-the-most-vacation-deprived-country-in-the-world-survey/articleshow/66749566.cms">India ranked as the most vacation-deprived country in the world: Survey</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/judging-employees-on-results-could-reward-luck-over-skill-argue-top-psychologists-and-theres-a-better-way-to-do-it/articleshow/66975703.cms">Judging employees on results could reward luck over skill, argue top psychologists, and there's a better way to do it</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/13-ways-you-can-be-happier-at-work-according-to-career-experts/articleshow/66926642.cms">13 ways you can be happier at work, according to career experts</a>

Indians are expressly downbeat about their work and find it ‘socially useless’, says study

Mumbai filmmaker <keyword id="4410429" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="payal-kapadia" source="Orion">Payal Kapadia</keyword> has recently graced our news after winning the ‘Grand Prix’ — the second-most prestigious award at the 77th <keyword id="6366702" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cannes" source="Orion">Cannes</keyword> International <keyword id="1666" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="film-festival" source="Orion">Film Festival</keyword>. This award was won by an international co-produced film called ‘All We Imagine As Light’, a 115-minute-long drama written and directed by Kapadia herself. While the win has directed much discourse towards the current state of Indian cinema, it also spurred another surprising detour towards a controversial avenue after the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) decided to congratulate Kapadia on her well-deserved win. Here’s the entire tea. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="How did it start?" comment="subhead" text="How did it start?">How did it start?</cmsannotation> The story goes back all the way to 2015, while Kapadia was still a student at FTII — India’s oldest and most premiere film board that is also under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. With a legacy of appointing many prestigious filmmakers as its president, such as the legendary Mrinal Sen and Shyam Benegal, the institute settled on the decision to appoint Gajendra Chauhan as its next chairman. Many FTII students protested the move as felt betrayed by this appointment. They claimed that Chauhan had not played any significant part in Indian entertainment industry, with him acting as Yudhishthira in the 1980s Mahabharat being his most prominent role. They claimed that Chauhan lacked the expertise and credentials to assume such a pivotal role at the esteemed institution, with some even even painting the move as a political ploy to saffronise yet another of India’s major institutions. The students feared that this appointment would hinder the artistic freedom and creative liberty that was erstwhile celebrated at the campus. In response to the nomination, a Kapadia-led group of students allegedly organised a 139-day mass protest that involved boycotting classes, even trapping the then-Director Prashant Pathrabe in his office until more clarification was provided. To say that this revolt was not taken lightly would be an understatement. After the office confrontation, the police were called to stifle the protest and 35 students were charged with various crimes, of which Kapadia and few other students faced the strictest charges. Academic “disciplinary action” was carried out after the arrests of Kapadia and four other protesters – a case still unresolved by the Indian courts. This involved depriving Kapadia and several other students of a scholarship and the chance to participate in foreign exchange programs, in addition to vacating them from their hostels. Many of these students were also demonised by Chauhan supporters, branding them as ‘anti-nationals’ and the like. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="FTII softens stance" comment="subhead" text="FTII softens stance">FTII softens stance</cmsannotation> While the charges still remain unwavered, Payal Kapadia refused to allow these harrowing circumstances to hinder her artistic productivity. Channelling the dissent around her, Kapadia made a documentary titled ‘A Night of Knowing Nothing’, a 2021 documentary about a university student writing letters to her estranged lover in the backdrop of the FTII student protests. This film premiered at Cannes, the Toronto International Film Festival and the Busan International Film Festival the same year. The docu-film was subsequently awarded prestigious awards at many of these events. However, this was hardly Kapadia’s first brush with international fame. In 2017, ‘Afternoon Clouds’, a 13-minute-long film about a 60-year-old Mumbai widow and her Nepali domestic help, was selected for screening at the Cannes International Festival. Recognising this, FTII issued a letter of support, offering to cover Kapadia’s travel expenses to the prestigious film festival. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="FTII faces backlash for congratulating Payal" comment="subhead" text="FTII faces backlash for congratulating Payal">FTII faces backlash for congratulating Payal</cmsannotation> After Kapadia’s historic win at Cannes this year — an award that made her the first Indian filmmaker to win the Grand Prix — the FTII congratulated the alumna on X, a move criticised by many. The post read: “It is a moment of pride for FTII as its Alumni create history at Cannes. As we witness a phenomenal year for Indian Cinema at 77th <keyword id="6362016" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cannes-film-festival" source="Orion">Cannes Film Festival</keyword>, FTII cherishes the glorious achievements of its Alumni at this Mega International Stage of Cinema.” <div type="twitter" handle="FTIIOfficial" handlename="FTIIOfficial" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" id="1794623468195270913"></div> Since their official statement, many prominent celebrities have called the FTII out on their hypocrisy. These personalities deemed that the institute was trying to claim credit for Kapadia’s international success, despite its behaviour towards her and other dissenters in the past. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Ali Fazal, other personalities react to FTII celebration" comment="subhead" text="Ali Fazal, other personalities react to FTII celebration"><keyword id="486750" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ali-fazal" source="Orion">Ali Fazal</keyword>, other personalities react to FTII celebration</cmsannotation> Ali Fazal, known for his role in 3 Idiots, also criticised FTII for celebrating Payal Kapadia's Cannes win. The actor responded to the FTII congratulatory post with the caption ‘Uhhh… please don’t. Just don’t’. <div type="twitter" handle="alifazal9" handlename="alifazal9" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" id="1794659194446172374"></div> In addition, sound designer Resul Pookutty, who won an <keyword id="21112" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="oscar" source="Orion">Oscar</keyword> for Slumdog Millionaire, also called out the FTII for celebrating Payal's win. On Facebook, the personality explained that Kapadia's win at Cannes highlighted a significant gap in the Indian film industry's support for independent filmmakers. While the Government of India's annual delegations to Cannes predominantly feature familiar faces from the mainstream industry, Kapadia's success underscores the importance of recognising and supporting passionate individuals from diverse backgrounds, Pookutty asserted. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="PM Modi congratulates Payal, Shashi Tharoor reacts" comment="subhead" text="PM Modi congratulates Payal, Shashi Tharoor reacts"><keyword id="2238662" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pm-modi" source="Orion">PM Modi</keyword> congratulates Payal, <keyword id="42749" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="shashi-tharoor" source="Orion">Shashi Tharoor</keyword> reacts</cmsannotation> Soon after Kapadia’s win, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took to X to congratulate the filmmaker. He writes: “India is proud of Payal Kapadia for her historic feat of winning the Grand Prix at the 77th Cannes Film Festival for her work ‘All We Imagine as Light’.” <div type="twitter" handle="narendramodi" handlename="narendramodi" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" id="1794670131009790207"></div> The PM also highlighted Kapadia’s background as an alumnus of FTII, explaining that her new prestigious accolade will continue to inspire a new generation of Indian filmmakers. However, many have pointed out that Kapadiy’s earlier four-month-long institutional struggles arose from the Government’s decision to appoint Chauhan as the FTII chairman. Chauhan is also a noted BJP leader, belonging to the same ruling party as PM Modi. Some netizens also responded to the post urging that the party make Chauhan apologise to the filmmaker. In a separate post, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi withdraw all cases against Kapadia and the other FTII students who protested the appointment of the institute’s chairperson in 2015. Sharing a post from Resul Pookutty, which alleged that Payal would have to attend a court hearing regarding the FTII incident soon after returning from Cannes, Tharoor reprimanded the Prime Minister for his hypocrisy in applauding her success. <div type="twitter" handle="ShashiTharoor" handlename="ShashiTharoor" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" id="1795284408532103215"></div> We’ve all dealt with terrible authority figures. Unfortunately for the newest pride of Indian cinema, her adversary ended up being the institution and government itself. However, Payal’s ardent ferocity helped the filmmaker overcome systemic obstacles that would topple most. While Kapadia has expressed gratitude towards FTII for helping fund earlier movies, it remains to be seen how court hearing will unfold further for the talented director.

How did Payal Kapadia’s historic win at Cannes lead to a showdown between Shashi Tharoor and PM Modi? Here’s the complete timeline

<ul><li>The Chinese government is forcing the $100 billion private tutoring and online <keyword id="6361862" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="education-sector">education sector</keyword> to go non-profit.</li><li>The move is also said to be in line with Chinese president’s Xi Jinping’s top priority at the moment — boosting the declining birth rate in <keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="China">China</keyword>.</li><li>India may turn out to be a possible beneficiary of China’s latest regulation on the <keyword id="1464841" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Edtech">edtech</keyword> industry.</li></ul>The government of China has pulled the rug from the edtech industry, with its latest regulation. The country is now forcing its $100 billion private tutoring and online education sector to go non-profit. To make matters worse, the Chinese government has also deprived the edtech companies from going public, taking foreign capital or issuing stocks if already public. This has shut all doors for these companies to make any form of capital and for investors to get their desired exits. Investors like Warburg Pincus, Temasek, General Insurance Corporation (GIC), Sequoia Capital, SoftBank, Tiger Global and many others have been affected by this decision, apart from the edtech startups that are operational in the country. Top Chinese edtech startups and their investors: <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;"><colgroup></colgroup><col /><col /><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Chinese edtech firms </td><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Investors </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Yuanfudao </td><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">DST, CPE, Temasek, Trustbridge </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Huohua Siwei </td><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Trustbridge, GSR, GGV, Tencent, Carlyle, Sequoia China </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Zuoyebang </td><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Sequoia China, SoftBank Vision Fund, FountainVest, Tiger Global </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Zhangmen </td><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Shunwei Capital, Warburg Pincus, CMC Capital </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Knowbox </td><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">TAL Education Group, Bertelsmann Asia Investments, Alibaba Group </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">iTutorGroup </td><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Alibaba Capital Partners, Qiming Venture Partners </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Huike </td><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">China Oceanwide, Qianhe Capital, Fosun RZ Capital </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Hujiang </td><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Minsheng Investment Group, Baidu </td></tr></tbody></table> According to a Bloomberg<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-23/from-tiger-to-temasek-investors-scarred-by-china-edtech-assault"> report</a>, the nationwide crackdown on edtech actually stems out of a deeper backlash against the new-age educational businesses. The excessive tutoring not only torments youth, but also burdens parents with expensive fees, the report added. The edtech segment has also been accused of causing social inequalities. Edtech is allegedly triggering a social inequality among urban and rural citizens of China by providing additional coaching to those who can afford it. This especially has a greater impact in tutoring students for China’s university entrance exam, gaokao, according to media reports. The nine-hour-long test actually determines whether a student will attend an undergraduate institution or not. The test results will also determine the college a student can attend. Since there are no other alternatives in China, gaokao has turned out to be a really high stakes exam. Therefore, it is <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2097512/gaokao-how-one-exam-can-set-course-students-life-china">seen</a> as one of the most brutal educational assessments in the world. According to a report by news and analysis platform Protocol, Chinese families are willing to shell out an average of 11% of their annual family expenses for their Children’s future success. This does create inequalities among those who cannot afford to pay for additional education systems. Besides this, the policy is said to be in line with Chinese president’s Xi Jingping’s top priority at the moment — boosting the declining birth rate in China. Affordable education is likely to promote people to have more than one child. China’s latest regulation on edtech: <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;"><colgroup></colgroup><col /><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Companies and institution that teach the school curriculum must go non-profit </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">These institutions cannot pursue an IPO or raise any foreign capital </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Listed companies will not be able to issue stock or raise money in stock market </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Foreign companies cannot acquire or hold shares in school tutoring companies </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">All vacation and holiday curriculum tutoring is prohibited </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Online curriculum for kids below six years of age in banned </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Companies cannot teach foreign curriculum or hire foreigners </td></tr></tbody></table> This is not the first time that the Chinese government has shown interest in the nation's edtech industry. On March 31 this year, China’s Minister of Education Chen Baosheng <a href="http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A06/s3321/202104/t20210401_523901.html">announced</a> that the education department should limit the timings for online learning to ensure that primary and secondary school students get enough sleep. The ministry added that all live online broadcasting training activities should end no later than 9 p.m. Chinese crackdown a boon for Indian edtech? China is the largest education market in the world, which has attracted venture capital, from all over the globe, over the last few years. Out of the 28 edtech unicorns in the world, eight are from China as per a market intelligence firm Holon IQ <a href="https://www.holoniq.com/edtech-unicorns/">report</a>. A unicorn, in startup parlance, is a private firm valued at or more than $1 billion. Online education has been booming around the world especially during the global pandemic. According to a weforum<a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/coronavirus-education-global-covid19-online-digital-learning/"> report</a>, about 1.2 billion students across 186 countries were out of school in 2020 due to COVID-19 and related restrictions. The global investment in edtech will grow from $18.66 billion in 2019 to $350 billion by 2025, the report added. If China shuts its doors to global capital looking for opportunities in the edtech space, it is possible that money may seek out opportunities in countries like India with a large population of students and early career professionals. 81.3% of India’s population is under the age of 45, according to Census of India <a href="https://censusindia.gov.in/census_and_you/age_structure_and_marital_status.aspx">2011</a>. Though India has only two edtech unicorns at the moment — BYJU’s and Unacademy — the sector has been gaining a lot of momentum over the last one year. <img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/A0YyJpinloNQoFj1IAZ7kxHbEGIXSET227O05saIwrcft9caB5w7ocyIlYFxR_EXQ7P-zaHtAbjbZ1SDVvCNjJve1s54N2J6PgN0PKrAkTaMTAZ_13h-0r07jl4IGiXG_pqSycEG" /> BYJU’s is currently the biggest edtech startup in the world in terms of valuation, at an estimated $16.5 billion. The Bengaluru-based company has raised $2.7 billion in the last decade, from marquee investors like Prosus, General Atlantic, Tencent, Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), Tiger Global, Silver Lake and more. Besides this, the Indian government’s <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/education/news/india-revamps-its-education-policy-after-34-years-scraps-mphil-proposes-vocational-courses-from-class-6-ug-colleges-to-become-autonomous/articleshow/77241851.cms">National Education Policy (NEP) of 2020</a> that promotes digital and remote learning is going to further boost the segment in India. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/subscribe-to-glenmark-life-sciences-ipo-because-of-clean-regulatory-history-and-good-track-record-as-per-analysts/articleshow/84748115.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">One may subscribe to Glenmark Life Sciences IPO because of clean regulatory history, strong promoter backing and good track record, say analysts</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/yes-bank-shares-surge-5-after-it-reports-strong-profit-growth/articleshow/84751116.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">YES Bank shares surge 5% as investors see a ray of hope after bank reported four fold growth in profit</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/a-man-used-ai-to-bring-back-his-deceased-fianc-but-the-creators-of-the-tech-warn-it-could-be-dangerous-and-used-to-spread-misinformation-/articleshow/84717296.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">A man used AI to bring back his deceased fiancé. But the creators of the tech warn it could be dangerous and used to spread misinformation.</a>

The Chinese government believes online education is bad for students, parents and the society

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48746560.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" /> 
If you’re one of those spending more than half your day on the internet logged into the numerous social networking sites while at the same time ensuring you’ve watched every video that Youtube has to offer, the name <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=John+Oliver">John Oliver</a> shouldn’t be too unfamiliar. Neither would the show <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=last+week+tonight">‘Last Week Tonight</a>.’ 
 An American late-night talk and news <keyword id="1462374" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Satire">satire</keyword> television progamme, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Watch-John-Oliver-make-fun-of-patent-trolls-on-Last-Week-Tonight/articleshow/46991299.cms">Last Week Tonight with John Oliver</a> burst into our lives a little over a year ago. Modeled slightly similar to Comedy Central’s <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Jon-Stewart-And-The-Daily-Show-Brilliantly-Point-Out-The-Absurdity-Of-The-Veterans-Affairs-Backlog/articleshow/21136562.cms">‘The Daily Show with Jon Stewart’</a> where Oliver himself was a correspondent, <keyword id="2285556" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="last-week-tonight">Last Week Tonight</keyword> quickly became popular due to <keyword id="1490518" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="John-Oliver">John Oliver</keyword>’s impeccable wit relentlessly pushing the boundaries of comedy and him not shying away from taking on massive topics. 
 
From wastage of food, FIFA to playfully taking down the National Security Agency and exposing the sham in Miss America Organisation’s claims that it makes $45 million available in scholarships to contestants every year, John Oliver is hardly afraid of making hot-button issues the subject of his half an hour show. 
 His show’s reputation of giving a riotous bend to daily news isn’t lost on <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="80" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>ns either. It’s safe to say his fan base in India is increasing at the rate of the number of twists in the Indrani Mukerjea-Sheena Bora case. 
 
Oliver has returned the love for the country too. His take on the madness of the general elections and the recent <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=porn+ban">porn ban</a>, featuring a cameo by our beloved Subramanian Swamy have been watched on repeat and lapped up veraciously by lovers of intelligent comedy. 
 
The show’s high esteem in the country can be attested by the recent Reddit thread which asked the question that all of us secretly asked in our heads, ‘Why don’t we have a show like Last Week Tonight in India?’ 
 
I get why we’re endorsing the thought of wanting our version of Last Week Tonight. To start with, Indian television news is a joke, we’re perennially deprived of good humourous content, and we’re a country where absurd policies and government laws gets passed faster than a court judgement, so undoubtedly we’re brimming with content for a satire show. 
 
However, this doesn’t erase the one tiny detail we desperately need to come to terms with- Indians aren’t worthy of their own version of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. 
 
<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48746564.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" /> 
 
I’ll tell you why. 
 
To start off with, we’re horrible at imitating or reproducing/stealing. The countless Pritam/Anu Malik compositions and endless Hollywood remakes being churned out as fodder for Indians to lap up in the name of Hindi cinema is enough proof. We’re capable of degrading something as splendid as Last Week Tonight into a mess of a show with no vision, script or humour. That’s an insult the show really doesn’t warrant. 
 
Suppose, we do replicate the show- the ‘burning question’ then, is who will be India’s answer to John Oliver? Shekhar Suman? Kapil Sharma? Karan Thapar? Let’s face it. We don’t have anyone who is worthy enough of taking on the responsibility of filling in John Oliver’s Shoes. And, no, the AIB guys do not count. 
 
Thirdly, even if we DO find someone to take the burden of replicating the best satire show in the history of TV, are we forgetting that we live in India? The very country where there are restrictions imposed on humour itself. One segment of mocking the ridiculous ideologies of our beloved politicians and the host would not only require Z+ security while his house and offices are vandalized but he would also face the wrath of never-ending threats and will have to leave the country if he ever wants to breathe again. 
 
Despite the fact that we’re hungry for good content which does not border on informing us that an accused has eaten a sandwich, we have to admit that Indians are a bunch of sensitive people who get offended faster than Miley Cyrus sheds clothes. We don’t know how to joke or to take a joke. All we know is ‘that hurt our sentiments’. What unfolded after the AIB Roast is evidence to this fact. It goes without saying that due to a horde of fringe outfits taking advantage of the secular nature of our country, offense is taken with regards to anything and everything and the existence of a sense of humour is long forgotten. 
 
We will never have a show as awe-inspiring as Last Week Tonight with John Oliver but what we will have is the mental image of seeing the insides of Archana Puran Singh’s mouth everytime she went on a laughing vacation in Comedy Circus. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

You Searched For "Indians vacation deprived" and got 8 results

India ranked as the most vacation-deprived country in the world: Survey

BI India Bureau

Indians Are Overworked… What’s Killing Your Vacation?

Sanghamitra Mandal

‘Always On’ work culture is affecting mental health of Indians

Prerna Sindwani

Bill Gates’ plan to give employees remote working days is a hit with Indian HR managers

Prerna Sindwani

Indians are expressly downbeat about their work and find it ‘socially useless’, says study

BI India Bureau

How did Payal Kapadia’s historic win at Cannes lead to a showdown between Shashi Tharoor and PM Modi? Here’s the complete timeline

Ankush Banerjee

The Chinese government believes online education is bad for students, parents and the society

Kritti Bhalla

India doesn't deserve its own version of 'Last Week Tonight' and here's why

Poulomi Das