Why women are missing in politics; Enabling access to books and reading

Hello,

Is the sun setting for Elon Musk at Tesla?

It could very well be the case if the electric carmaker’s shareholders do not back Musk’s $56 billion pay package. 

Tesla chair Robyn Denholm informed investors in a letter that there are “other places” the entrepreneur could spend his time if the Board votes against the pay package—touted as the biggest remuneration deal in the US corporate history.

Interesting times ahead!

ICYMI: Americans got a sweet deal on National Doughnut Day!

Meanwhile, HSBC has valued Prosus’ stake in BYJU’S at zero “amid multiple legal cases and funding crunch”. Prosus, the largest institutional shareholder of BYJU'S, has injected about $536 million into the company to date, with a stake of around 10% in the edtech firm.

Also, Meta Verified is now available to WhatsApp Business users in Brazil, India, Indonesia, and Colombia. Not just that, it quietly rolled out a new Communities feature on Messenger as well. 

Lastly, any weekend would be incomplete without some music, and Eminem is back to do just that!

His new song Houdini is set to be the fastest-selling single of the year, eclipsing even Taylor Swift—despite being ignored by rap fans and radio stations alike, The Guardian writes.

Like Eminem, The CapTable, our premium news website dedicated to delivering in-depth analytical pieces on the Indian startup ecosystem, is back with a steal deal. The CapTable subscriptions are available at Rs 999 Rs 1,999 for a limited period. 

What are you waiting for? Grab the deal now!

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Decoding women’s participation in elections
• Enabling access to books and reading
• Making inclusive fashion for women

Here’s your trivia for today: Which mathematician published more papers in his lifetime than any other mathematician in history?

In-depth

Decoding women’s participation in elections

Despite 31.2 crore women voters exercising their franchise in the Lok Sabha elections, the number of women candidates in this election seems quite small—less than 10% of the candidates fielded by different parties were women.

“We need women who are ready to take power into their hands and run the show,” says actor and BJP politician Khushbu Sundar.

Missing in action:

• Fouzia Khan, a prominent member of the INC and Rajya Sabha member from Maharashtra, says a lack of family and societal support, coupled with the often-sordid nature of political mudslinging, frequently deters women from entering politics. 
• “The problem is that all parties either use women candidates to contest from safe seats or give them seats they are going to lose to send across a message,” believes Rimjhim Gour, Political Analyst and Founder of Sapiens Research and Analysis.
• “When political parties start talking about relevant issues, they will be able to attract more women to join politics and be nurtured and become leaders,” says Arun Sudarsan, Public Policy Manager at The Quantum Hub.

Top Funding Deals of the Week

Startup: Lenskart

Amount: $200M

Round: Equity

Startup: Fibe

Amount: $90M

Round: Series E

Startup: Ather Energy

Amount: $34.5M

Round: Debt and equity

Social Impact

Enabling access to books and reading

Madhavi Sharma, along with her brother K Srinivas Rao and his wife Shefali Rao, started the Food4thought Foundation, which aims to foster reading habits by establishing libraries across India. 

The foundation has so far set up 622 libraries at government schools, hospitals, and prisons.

Books for everyone:

• The organisation has set up libraries in schools across India, including 250 in Bengaluru, 165 in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, 57 in Gujarat, 56 in the North East, and more.
• “We also send a dictionary in the regional language so that if the students are having a problem understanding any word in English they can refer to the dictionary,” Sharma adds.
• It also awards people who are making efforts to promote reading. Additionally, the "Save Endangered Stories'' project focuses on recording and preserving endangered stories and folktales.

Art and Culture

Making inclusive fashion for women

Behind actor Kani Kasruti’s watermelon slice bag on the red carpet at Cannes was designer and stylist Diya John, who helped her show her solidarity for the Palestinian cause. 

Based out of Kochi, John’s designer boutique, Salt Studio, embodies the same infectious energy and warm smile that radiates from her designs. Her design philosophy, reflected throughout the studio, is simple yet powerful. 

Kerala to Cannes:

• John doesn't cater to a specific size or style; she caters to women. Her designs celebrate diversity, offering a range of silhouettes that flatter various body types.
• Salt Studio reimagines the graceful movement of traditional drapes and gathers, integrating them into contemporary designs for a touch of tradition and elegance in everyday wear.
• “We want our clothes to be an extension of a woman’s personality, a way for her to express her individuality with a touch of modern elegance,” says John.

News & updates

• Walkouts: The National Samsung Electronics Union, whose roughly 28,000 members make up over a fifth of the firm's workforce, staged its first walkout on Friday to demand better pay, just as South Korea's most powerful conglomerate races to catch up in chips used in AI.
• Retailing EVs: General Motors is increasingly using the retail giant’s Costco Auto Program for EVs as it expands its portfolio from niche vehicles to mass-market segments with vehicles such as the Chevrolet Equinox and Chevrolet Blazer EVs.
• Threads: Shopify has acquired Threads.com, the Seqiuoa-backed Slack alternative, Threads said on its website. The companies didn’t disclose the deal terms but said that the Threads.com team will join Shopify. Threads.com was thrown into the limelight after Meta launched Threads, its Twitter-like social network.

Which mathematician published more papers in his lifetime than any other mathematician in history?

Answer: Paul Erdős. The Hungarian mathematician published 1,500 papers. 

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