Yolande DMello


DNA India •

Adivasis are living in a dark corner of Mumbai

The Pawars are among the 84 families in Vanicha Pada, an adivasi village in unit 5 of Aarey Milk Colony in Goregaon (E), whose homes have never seen power supply.
It’s a just a little past 6pm, but a village less than a 30-minute drive away from the Mumbai international airport, is plunged into darkness. Priyanka Pawar’s children — Sachin, 13, Sevanti, 12, and Jay, 7 — rush into their house. Nobody will step out till daybreak.
The Pawars are among the 84 families in Vanicha Pada, an adivasi...
DNA India •

Westlife's Shane Filan: Breaking up with the boy band

Following the split of Irish pop group Westlife, singer Shane Filan is trying to kick start his solo career. Is there life beyond the boy band, asks Yolande D'Mello.
When former Westlife member Shane Filan sat on the plush sofas of Hard Rock Café in Mumbai, he found himself surrounded by rock merchandise hanging from the walls and a gaggle of giddy-headed 16-year-olds hurtling towards him.
Filan, dressed in tight jeans and a leather jacket, was more than happy to indulge his young fan base....
DNA India •

Grandchildren of the Raj

Curious foreigners are digging through records of the East India Company to trace what their forefathers did in India during the Raj, finds Yolande D'Mello.
One winter evening in Bordeaux, France, the cold didn’t allow retired entrepreneur Michael Pearce to pursue his usual hobbies of gardening and camping, so he settled on an indoor one instead: researching his family name.

That was the beginning of a search that led Pearce to discover long-lost relatives in Australia and Zimbabwe and th...
DNA India •

Who killed the political cartoon?

You think stories in newspapers are depressing and the front page dosen't give you a reason to smile? Yolande D'Mello meets the funny bunch who spell out why humour is less likely to return to mainstream press anytime soon
Political cartoonist with the Indian Express EP Unny vividly recalls a conversation at a press meet with a group of American diplomats visiting New Delhi more than a decade ago. It started out as small talk but the Kerala-based cartoonist was soon let in on a trade secret....
DNA India •

The legend of Old Monk

Sales are dropping but loyalists are still raising their glasses to the iconic brand. Yolande D'Mello finds out what makes this dark rum a favourite in our rum-loving nation.
Here's a question for you: name an Indian brand of rum. We can bet that nine out of ten answers would be: Old Monk. That's no surprise because this dark rum is indeed part of liquor folklore in India.

Indians do love their rum. A recent UK study has found that we consume the maximum amount of rum in the world or 27%...
DNA India •

Former official White House drummer Justin DiCioccio

Justin DiCioccio used to be the official White House drummer. Yolande D'Mello speaks to him about his new music school in Mumbai that's fast becoming his second home.
The True School of Music (TSM), an institution that introduces students to the aesthetics of Western contemporary music opened in Mumbai two weeks ago. Justin DiCioccio, the acting dean, was in the city recently to meet students. Excerpts from the interview:
How did you get introduced to music?
When I was growing up in Buffa...
MIT Sloan Management Review Middle East •

Driving Saudi Arabia’s Mobile Commerce Movement

The BFSI transformation is creating a symbiotic loop where industry is driving customers and vice versa – one that is creating an infrastructure for modern, mobile-first commerce – driven but not limited to payments.

Modern Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) players are using customer intent to drive new product offerings. An agile tech infrastructure helps maintain lean teams, quick development cycles, and an evidence-based mindset to test and grow at speed...
Martechvibe •

Neil Patel on The Big Mistakes Marketers Make

Are vanity metrics throwing off your content marketing plan? Global martech leader Neil Patel takes on the big mistakes that marketers make with martech investments, choosing the right influencers, using real-time data and more.
Neil Patel needs little introduction in the marketing community. He is a New York Times Bestselling author for his 2016 release – Hustle: The Power to Charge Your Life with Money, Meaning, and Momentum. He has worked with brands like Amazon, Microso...