Brands
Merck & Better India support India’s true heroes
MUMBAI: Being forced to back out of school at the age of 7, he had a clear mission; no other child should be deprived the power of education. From begging on the streets of Kolkata to now being the man responsible for the free education of over 425 underprivileged children in West Bengal, the story of Gazi Jalaludin is what true heroes are made of.
Kick-starting its #HelpingTrueHeroes initiative, Neurobion Forte (a vitamin brand from Merck) and The Better India (a tech-media platform), have come together to recognize the undying spirit of Jalaludin and felicitate him as one of India’s `True Heroes.’
Merck India MD Anand Nambiar said, “This campaign aims to recognize the undying spirit of India’s lesser known heroes such as Jalaludin, who while fulfilling the dreams of their families, are also extending a helping hand to the society. I would urge everyone to support us in acknowledging and celebrating the efforts of Jalaludin and other real-life heroes and help spread the stories of their selfless work with the world. We thank The Better India team for partnering with Neurobion in recognising, supporting and helping India’s True Heroes.”
Jalaludin says, “This 40 year journey has not only been challenging, but also very rewarding. My unknown taxi passengers and generous donors have helped me bring alive my dream of a world where no Gazi has to stop going to school anymore. There’s still a long way to go. Even today I struggle to give mid-day meals to the children and salaries to the teachers. Recognition and endorsement from Merck’s Neurobion Forte & The Better India will help spread more awareness about this cause.”
Says Better India CEO Dhimant Parekh, “We are excited to partner with Merck to showcase the stories of True Heroes. Filming these stories has been a great experience and we are sure the audience will only be left inspired.”
Brands
Oracle layoffs affect up to 30,000 employees globally
Job cuts span US, India and more, staff cite abrupt emails, uncertainty.
MUMBAI: April began with an inbox shock and for thousands, it ended with an exit. Oracle has carried out a sweeping round of layoffs, impacting an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 employees across its global operations, even as the company continues to report strong business performance. The job cuts were communicated via emails sent early on April 1, affecting staff across multiple regions including the United States, India, Canada and parts of Latin America. The reduction spans a wide range of roles and functions, though the company has not disclosed specific criteria behind the decisions.
In the days following the layoffs, employees have taken to platforms such as LinkedIn to share their experiences, many describing the process as abrupt and unsettling. Several posts pointed to a lack of prior indication, with notifications arriving suddenly in early-morning messages.
A recurring concern has been the impact on long-tenured staff. Users reported that employees with decades of experience were among those let go, raising broader questions about job security even for seasoned professionals within large technology firms.
The layoffs have also sparked anxiety about the wider direction of the sector. As companies continue to invest heavily in automation and artificial intelligence, workforce recalibration is becoming more common often accompanied by uncertainty around future roles and skills.
For many affected employees, the immediate challenge lies in navigating career transitions in an increasingly competitive job market, with posts reflecting concerns about stability and next steps.
The development comes against a backdrop of strong financial performance at Oracle, which recently reported a 22 percent year-on-year increase in revenue, alongside continued growth in its cloud infrastructure business. The company has also been committing significant capital towards artificial intelligence and data centre expansion.
The contrast between growth and job cuts has added to the unease, underscoring a broader shift in how large technology firms balance expansion with efficiency sometimes at the cost of the very workforce that helped build that growth.
