Modern times

At its logo-unveiling ceremony state-owned National Textile Corporation (NTC) worked hard to present the appearance of a modern company ready to take on its private sector rivals: dancers unveiled the jazzy pink logo, a TV commercial was launched and an anthem sung by proud NTC employees on stage. It was only when Minister of Commerce, Industry and Textiles Anand Sharma had to virtually inaugurate two stores that modernity failed it. Sharma managed to inaugurate one store. But just when the emcee was enthusiastically extolling the virtues of NTC’s new-found high-tech credentials, the link between the venue and the Coimbatore store snapped and could not be restored. Finally, the emcee had to concede that the virtual inauguration had failed owing to a “technical error”.