🌿 7,000 trees. One truck driver. No NGO.

Good morning.

You know that one friend in the group who never says much but always shows up when it matters? India has a lot of those people. Today's issue is basically about them.

When a beloved banyan tree in Sangagiri, Tamil Nadu was felled in 2013 to make way for a temple expansion, N Palanisamy - then a truck driver - felt the loss like a personal one. Instead of moving on, he started planting. On roadsides, on his driving routes, wherever the soil would hold.

Over the next decade, Palanisamy planted over 7,000 trees across Tamil Nadu - saplings carried in his truck, watered on rest stops, checked on during return trips. He did not start an NGO. He did not raise funds. He just drove, and planted, and drove again. Read More →

What happened?
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari announced on Thursday that hydrogen fuel trials are now underway on 10 transport corridors across India. The routes include Delhi-Agra, Pune-Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram-Kochi, and Visakhapatnam-Bayyavaram, among others.

Why hydrogen?
India imports fossil fuels worth ₹22 lakh crore annually. The transport sector alone accounts for 40% of the country's air pollution. Hydrogen produces zero emissions at the tailpipe and can be made from domestic sources - which is exactly what makes it attractive as an import substitute.

What comes next?
These are pilots for now but if they hold, a hydrogen transport network at scale could arrive well before 2030.

Why it matters:
India's automobile industry has gone from seventh to third largest in the world in a decade. Gadkari's bet is that it can lead on hydrogen the same way it led on two-wheelers - not by waiting for the West to figure it out first. Read More →

Which Indian city is known as the "City of Lakes"?

A) Jaipur
B) Udaipur
C) Bhopal
D) Nainital

Scroll to the bottom for the answer.

🌧️ The monsoon has now covered all of India - the overall rainfall deficit has narrowed to 14%. IMD has warned of below-normal rains from July 15 onwards though, so the recovery may plateau.

🏏 Chennai has been confirmed as the host of the Big Bash League 2026 opener in December - Perth vs Melbourne, in India. A first for the BBL.

🌏 PM Modi has begun India's first prime ministerial visit to New Zealand in four decades, with trade and defence on the agenda.

🏟️ India is set to host 11 international sports events in the next six months - part of its push to build the infrastructure and credibility needed for the 2036 Olympics bid.

💼 TCS added 9,000 employees in Q1 - a hiring rebound after months of headcount cuts. A signal that India's largest IT company sees demand picking up.

💰 Finance Minister Sitharaman has urged India to target 5,000 Global Capability Centres by 2030, moving beyond being just a GCC hub to becoming a global innovation engine.

📋 Assam's budget proposes strict rules for people practising polygamy - including denial of government scheme benefits.

🎥 Something to Watch: Juice
(Watched it once, recommending it more than I should admit)

📃 Something to Read: How to come back to your senses
Basically a guide to remembering the world exists outside your phone.

🤳Meanwhile, online: yapper finds silent one and suddenly life makes sense ✨