Navigating the Data Landscape

D o you think Accounts Payable is just paying vendors through ERP systems and Excel sheets? Let’s see a normal day before you decide. It was a normal office morning. The kind where nothing feels important at first. Invoices were waiting in the system. Some needed checking. Some needed approval. Some were already marked as done. On the screen, everything looked clean. Green ticks. Approved status. Completed entries. A simple job, as most people imagine: “check, verify, move on.” Then a vendor email came in. “ Has my invoice been processed? Where is my payment? ” I checked the system. Yes. It had already been processed. But the tone of the question didn’t match the system output. So I checked again—this time with more attention to detail, going beyond just the transaction screen. Same result. Everything was correct… but something still didn’t feel complete. So I didn’t stop at the system view. I carefully reviewed the entries, emails, attachments, timing, file names… and then something d...

From the busy streets of big cities to the peaceful corners of small towns, QR codes are everywhere in India. At every shop, café, and market, digital payments have become a part of our everyday lives. It’s quick, it’s convenient, and it makes life easier. But, as much as digital payments are revolutionizing the way we buy and sell, there’s also a growing risk — QR code scams. Check this out: Rahul had just finished a hearty breakfast at a café in Mumbai. As they chatted about the weekend, he pulled out his phone, scanned the QR code at the bottom of the bill, and saw a notification that said "Payment Successful." But, little did he know, the money he thought he was paying to the café had actually been transferred to a scammer’s account. The sinking feeling in his chest hit when he realized what had happened — he hadn’t paid the café at all! Kavita, from Delhi, was frustrated when she had trouble getting a refund from her favourite shopping app. She searched online for help a...

Have you ever thought about what would happen if a game made us spill our deepest secrets to friends or even strangers? How would that change our relationships? This is the intriguing premise of Netflix’s latest film, Khel Khel Mein , where a seemingly harmless game takes a chaotic turn. It’s reminiscent of other films like Perfect Strangers (2016) and Truth or Dare (2018) , which explore the mix of technology and secrets, often leading to broken trust and emotional showdowns. The Game: So, here’s the plot: In Khel Khel Mein , a group of friends gets together for a fun night, but the game they decide to play reveals hidden emotions and secrets, putting their friendships to the test. They agree to a seemingly fun yet risky game, placing their phones on the table, making them public for the course of the game. This bold move raises a big question: Would you let someone go through your unlocked phone? Most people would probably say no! Yet, many of us casually share personal details on...

We live in a world where data is woven into every click, swipe, and tap we make. It fuels the systems around us, shaping everything from the ads we see to the decisions governments make. But as technology grows more intelligent, the question we need to ask ourselves is: Are we in control, or is the data-driven AI controlling us? The newly released movie CTRL  and the 2018 Marathi film Take Care Good Night (TC GN) tackle this question head-on, offering cautionary tales about how data and AI can quickly take the driver’s seat if we aren’t careful. These films remind us of the thin line between technological convenience and giving up too much control. Data: The Invisible Powerhouse of the 21st Century It’s often said that data is the "new oil," and that’s no exaggeration. In fact, data might be even more valuable than oil because it’s unlimited and ever-growing. Every time you stream a movie, make an online purchase or scroll through social media, you’re generating data—valuabl...