London Diary

Starting up in London

In India, it's all about the World T-20 but in London, there's the IE20, or India Emerging Twenty, honouring 20 Indian start-ups. The IE20 initiative through London & Partners and in a city known as a global business hub, is quite a tribute since it suggests these companies are on the verge of achieving global recognition. 

The selection process was vigorous. A panel of senior venture capital investors, serial entrepreneurs, heads of Indian accelerator programmes and professional services firms vetted hundreds of applications, including businesses in cloud-based telephony, data analytics, genome research, real estate investment, and financial technology, to award the 20 winners at an event in London's St James' Court Hotel. At the awards ceremony it was interesting to note the enthusiasm the entrepreneurs exhibited. Sridhar Venkatesh, co-founder of Indix Internet and Neetu Bhatia of Kyazoonga, told Outlook how the visit opened up potential opportunities for global growth. 

An Indian safari

Daffodils and tulips have ushered in Spring and the long-awaited months for outdoor activity. In an innovative initiative London Zoo has recreated an Indian safari. The new £5.2 million Land of the Lions, unveiled by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh is an ode to the Asiatic lions in their natural habitat. Conservation teams have recreated a village from the Gir Forest National Park in Gujarat, and shipped in more than a thousand props, including rickshaws, bicycles, posters and even a mocked up tourist information centre, under the leadership of Gitanjali Bhattacharya, head of the zoo's conservation programmes for South and Central Asia. 

In association with the Wildlife Institute of India and the Indian department of forestry, the exhibit is now home for four Asiatic lions - - females Heidi, Rubi and Indi and male Bhanu.

Bringing an Indian village to the heart of London is an effort to showcase how harmoniously big cats and humans live with each other. Here, however, visitors will have the reassurance of being separated from the big cats by a safety wire. With the Easter break round the corner it will be an adventure worth looking forward to for kids and parents alike. 

Pigeon Air Patrol

London's well-fed pigeons are famous across the globe, although feeding them at Trafalgar Square has now been banned because of the menace these 'flying rats' (as they are often called) cause. But now they are being put into a useful role in an innovative experiment in the capital to tackle the pollution problem. Ironical, yes, given that they are infamous for covering historical monuments with their droppings. 

Ten birds carrying lightweight pollution sensors have been providing live air quality updates from London's skies. The updates are accessed via a smartphone app. The Pigeon Air Patrol stunt created by Plume Labs, highlights the health risks of poor air, with messages from pigeons including some like: 'If you're cycling, wear a mask. If you're jogging avoid main roads, if you're flying wear anti-fog goggles.' The company hopes this effort will bring volunteers for their research which will be conducted along with Imperial College, London.

A booze cruise

A floating bar is set to become London's first craft beer river cruiser, giving Londoners a unique opportunity to take a booze cruise during spring and summer. The Crate Brewery's canal boat, the Alfred Le Roy, has been moored on the River Lea outside its bar in Hackney. But during warm summers days it will take customers on regular two-hour cruises every weekend, going past the Olympic Stadium up to Tottenham Lock, passing Warwick Reservoir before returning. Along with Crate's own beer and cider, bread and cheese will be available on the cruise. Cheers!

The Wimbledon Prowler

He is believed to be the most prolific burglar in the UK, having carried out about 450 raids in Wimbledon, the posh south-west suburb of London in the past 12 years, and is still on the prowl. The Wimbledon Prowler has struck at least thrice in the past fortnight but no one has managed to identify him as in all these years. In fact, Scotland Yard, in an appeal to identify the man, has issued a picture of the thief's partially hidden face captured by a CCTV camera in 2008 as he was trying to break into a home.

His targets are undoubtedly the rich and famous in the wealthy suburb which hosts the Wimbledon tennis Grand Slam. Two of his victims were footballer Nicolas Anelka, who chased him across his garden, and former Wimbledon champ Boris Becker. The intruder often targets homes more than once and is known for his skill in dismantling security alarms and scaling even three-storey buildings. In one case he reportedly stole a safe containing £1million! That's almost akin, money wise, to winning a Wimbledon singles title. 

Greatest Londoner

Guess who the Greatest Londoner is? In a poll commissioned by the Museum of London, the title went to naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough. It was a surprise choice but two-thirds of those surveyed believed that inspiring people was the most important trait for the winner to have. Equally weighty was the contribution made by them in their chosen field. Sir David, 89, from Richmond, west London, has 31 honorary degrees from British universities and is the only man to have won a Bafta for TV programmes made in black and white, colour, HD and 3D formats. Brother of filmmaker Richard Attenborough, one of Sir David's greatest achievements is the Life series of natural history which began in 1979. The poll ranked David Bowie in second place while the Queen came in third.