Mint Techcetra

From India's PSLV rocket launch to Google's Gemini AI push

In today's episode of Mint Techcetra, our host Leslie D'Monte and Shouvik Das talked about ISRO's trusted workhorse, the PSLV, which is now set to become a private "rocket taxi" for India, marking a major milestone in the commercialization of the country's space sector. The PSLV, known for its exceptional reliability over 32 years with more than 62 launches, including the Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan missions, is being manufactured privately by a consortium of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). This shift allows ISRO to focus on core research and high-profile missions while private players handle commercial launches. The private PSLV is designed to cater to small satellite launches up to 500 kilograms in low Earth orbit, providing an on-demand space taxi service that eliminates the long waiting times associated with larger rideshare rockets like SpaceX's Falcon 9. This opens up new revenue streams and opportunities in India's growing $8 billion space economy, expected to reach $44 billion by 2033. Alongside this, the episode also touched upon the advances in AI with Google's Nano Banana, praised for its speed and improved accuracy in image generation, but raising concerns about misuse, such as fake ID creation. In the en,d we talked about a Chinese robot that walked 100 kilometres only to ask for new shoes a reminder that robots are still far from human-level dexterity, with significant progress yet to be made before true artificial general intelligence is reached. To catch the full insights on these tech turns from space taxis to AI antics and robotics, listen to the entire episode. If you have any questions, we’d love to answer them on the podcast. We’re also open to any suggestions on how we can make it even better because we want to have a fun time with all of you. Reach out to us on our social handles. We can’t wait to hear from you! Leslie D'Monte - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-d-monte-4985993/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-d-monte-4985993/] Shouvik Das - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shouvik-das-77a4bbba/?originalSubdomain=in [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shouvik-das-77a4bbba/?originalSubdomain=in] HT Smartcast  -  https://www.linkedin.com/company/ht-smartcast/posts/?feedView=all [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ht-smartcast/posts/?feedView=all] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Internet outages, massive WhatsApp data leaks, and what India's data protection laws mean for us

With the first episode of the new season of Mint Techcetra, your host Leslie D’Monte brings over his old tech friend Shouvik Das to talk about the Cloudflare outage that quietly took big chunks of the internet offline and stalled everything from trading desks to the everyday apps we barely think about. They also dig into the recent data leak that exposed the details of nearly seventy-five million people in India and what it says about how casually platforms collect our information and how easily it slips out into the world. The conversation moves into the DPDP Act, now officially in force,  and what it actually changes for anyone using a phone or app in India. Clear consent, under-18 safeguards, what platforms can and can’t do with your information, and why companies will have to stop burying rules in walls of legal text and because privacy and AI are now inseparable, the episode also touches on India’s early AI governance approach and how it tries to guide innovation without strangling it. It’s a breakdown of outages, leaks, and new rules landing all at once and what that mix means for anyone living their life online.   If you have any questions, we’d love to answer them on the podcast. We’re also open to any suggestions on how we can make it even better because we want to have a fun time with all of you. Reach out to us on our social handles. We can’t wait to hear from you! Leslie D'Monte - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-d-monte-4985993/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-d-monte-4985993/] Shouvik Das - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shouvik-das-77a4bbba/?originalSubdomain=in [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shouvik-das-77a4bbba/?originalSubdomain=in] HT Smartcast  -  https://www.linkedin.com/company/ht-smartcast/posts/?feedView=all [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ht-smartcast/posts/?feedView=all] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Securing the Future of Bharat with AI Infrastructure: IBM preps Indian enterprises to be AI-ready

Join host Nelson John in a riveting episode of Mint Techcetra as he explores the future of AI infrastructure with IBM's business leader for IBMZ and LinuxONE, Suresh Jayanthi. They discuss the critical aspects of building a robust, secure, and sustainable IT infrastructure crucial for AI adoption. Learn about the types of enterprise systems, the latest innovations like on-chip AI accelerators, and quantum-safe technologies. Discover how IBM's solutions are helping enterprises, especially in India’s BFSI sector, to scale their operations while maintaining high security and reliability. Get insights into how to make AI systems more efficient and sustainable, and understand why now is the perfect time to invest in AI-ready infrastructure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Driving Relationship Banking & AI Transformation

In this episode of Mint Techcetra, host Kartik is joined by Suja Chandy, Managing Director of Zafin India and Global Chief Sustainability Officer, for a conversation on how Zafin is modernising the future of banking. Discover how India has become a strategic growth hub for Zafin, playing a pivotal role in supporting the development of advanced solutions such as Zafin IO, Deal Manager and much more. Learn how Zafin’s consultative, platform-led approach helps banks reimagine relationship-based pricing, accelerate innovation, and deliver hyper-personalised propositions at scale. Suja also shares how Zafin India fosters a purpose-driven culture with career acceleration programs, deep expertise in product, design, and consulting, and a strong commitment to sustainability and inclusion. Whether you are in banking, fintech, or technology leadership, this episode provides an inside look at how Zafin is empowering banks to compete, grow, and create lasting value in the age of AI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

India’s Digital Leap: The Power of Intelligent Information Management

India is going digital at a record speed, but without intelligent information management, the transformation won’t be complete.In this episode of Mint Techcetra, host Nelson John is joined by Arvind Subramanian, EVP & MD of Iron Mountain India, and Manish Yadav, Senior Principal Consultant at TechCircle, for an in-depth look at how intelligent information management is driving India’s digital leap forward.They unpack the complex challenges of moving from paper-heavy processes to secure, AI-enabled digital platforms like Iron Mountain InSight® DXP. Learn why digitising India’s 30 million tonnes of paper records is more than just a technical task; it’s a strategic necessity impacting compliance, operational speed, and customer satisfaction. The discussion explores how sectors such as BFSI, healthcare, and public services are using cloud, AI, and machine learning to unlock new efficiencies, meet regulatory demands, and deliver superior user experiences. Plus, get insights into India’s growing digital maturity, the critical need for structured governance, and what the next phase of predictive records management will look like. If you want to understand the intersection of technology, strategy, and India’s digital future, this is an episode you can’t afford to miss. Visit www.ironmountain.com/en-in [http://www.ironmountain.com/en-in] to learn more about Iron Mountain in India. If you want to understand the intersection of technology, strategy, and India’s digital future, this is an episode you can’t  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]