Worldfocus producers Mary Lockhart and Ara Ayer and correspondent Daljit Dhaliwal reported on the food crisis from the slums to high-rise buildings outside of Delhi in a Worldfocus Signature story first aired late last year.

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Last year, Daljit Dhaliwal visited Bhopal while reporting in India. She toured the site of the tragedy and saw how the people of the area still live with the aftermath.

In this extended interview, Lalit Shastri, a journalist for The Hindu newspaper, describes how he arrived in Bhopal the night before the accident to take an accounting exam.  What he saw changed his life — he went on to become a journalist and an author who writes frequently about the tragedy.

Watch a Sights & Sounds video of the devastation that remains in Bhopal.

In this extended interview with Worldfocus correspondent Daljit Dhaliwal, Khaw explains the fundamentals of Singapore’s world-renowned health care system and compares it with health care in the U.S. and Britain.

Worldfocus special correspondent Daljit Dahliwal and producers Mary Lockhart and Ara Ayer report from Singapore’s hospitals.

Watch an extended interview with Singapore’s Minister of Health on the fundamentals of Singapore’s world-renowned health care system.

Below, bloggers compare Singapore’s health care to other global systems.

An American blogger at “Everday Singapore” compares her experience going to the doctor in the U.S. and Singapore, saying that she receives more attention in Singapore because there are less patients.

The “Health Beat” blog writes that Singapore’s health system is a valuable example for other nations, though such a system might not be sustainable were it transported to the United States for economic reasons.

Blogger “Bryan Caplan” examines the statistics and concludes that Singapore has achieved American health outcomes for about a quarter of the cost.

Blogger “cbernard” analyzes the Medisave system’s effectiveness.

A blogger at “Dissidia” describes her stay at Singapore General Hospital and posts images.

The “Singapore Life and Times” blog writes that locals feel hospital charges are too high, and that the hospitals seem to be purchasing overly-expensive items.

As operating in India has become more expensive, companies like Quattro, an Indian business process outsourcing (BPO) company, have opened offices in countries like Singapore or Mexico.

So when a U.S. company outsources work to an Indian BPO, that same BPO could in turn outsource the job to workers from Mexico.

Worldfocus correspondent Daljit Dhaliwal and producers Mary Lockhart and Ara Ayer report from India, where Quattro executive Raman Roy talks about his company’s ambitions.

Below, bloggers discuss India’s role in the global workforce.

A guest blogger at the “Vikas Rikhye” blog writes about the effect of the global financial crisis on BPOs in India.

The “Outsourcing BlogShots” blog writes that outsourcing is going beyond India as world economies decline, and that Chinese and Latin American markets are getting more attention.

American blogger and IT assistant “Rita Cartwright” outlines some disadvantages to outsourcing.

The Wall Street Journal’s “Washington Wire” blog takes a look at the Indian outsourcing industry’s thoughts about Barack Obama, who criticized outsourcing during the 2008 U.S. election campaign.

Words may be the building blocks of television journalism, but image is the mortar.

Cows resting on a superhighway outside New Delhi. Photo: Ara Ayer

When I saw the above scene of cows literally blocking a four-lane superhighway outside of New Delhi, as if in protest for some insult, I had to capture it.

As our driver, Ashot, narrowly bypassed the bovine congregation, he was met by screams from the back of our van to pull over. My screams came first, then a chorus from colleagues Mary Lockhart and Daljit Dhaliwal.

Jumping out of the vehicle, I popped off a few still photos while condensation dissipated from my wide-angle video lens. I knew we could use this moment as a metaphor to help describe India — a nation of great contradiction and promise.

A slice of this sacred cow commune will be included in tonight’s feature story on India. We probably won’t use the bit where an amorous cow gave me lick and tried the same on our Indian fixer Mahima.

Or, when Mahima cajoled the horned heifers’ advances with a heavily accented: “Chill OUT, Chill OUT, just Chill OUT!?”

Enjoy.

- Ara Ayer

Singapore was the first country in the world to implement Electronic Road Pricing (ERP), an electronic toll collection system which aims to reduce traffic — and indeed, less than 30 percent of Singaporeans now own cars.

Other cities have attempted similar measures to reduce congestion. This year, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s plan to charge traffic fees in peak hours was struck down.

Despite Singapore’s successes, as producers Mary Lockhart and Ara Ayer and correspondent Daljit Dhaliwal report, the automatic fees take a toll on Singapore’s commuters. Below, read blogger perceptions of ERP and Singapore’s infrastructure.

This piece was part of the Blueprint America project on infrastructure.

Despite the costs, “Thë bLög accördïиg to jëиz” praises the speed of ERP compared to stopping at tollbooths in other countries.

Singaporean blogger “Glynsen Wong” refutes government justifications of the ERP, describing his frustrating commute.

The “Cruising to Cambodia” blog visits Singapore and praises its subway system as well as its roads and buildings.

Another visitor, blogger “Valliappa Lakshmanan,” claims that beneath the exterior beauty of Singapore’s buildings, lackluster building codes prove that it is still a third-world country.

Finally, the “Life in Dubai” blog compares the infrastructure of Dubai and Singapore, praising and posting images of Singapore’s restored buildings.

Though Singapore tore down many buildings in a rush to modernize, it embarked on a five-year restoration program in the 1990s.

Ara Ayer transfers files on-the-go in Bhopal, India. Photo: Mary Lockhart

Producer Ara Ayer reports from India with producer Mary Lockhart. Ara runs through what it’s like to be a high-tech, multitasking, multimedia journalist on the go.

A Worldfocus shooter-producer wears many hats in the field. I have to wear more than most since I’m bald –- yet that’s not the topic of this blog. I’d like to digress about workflow.

Gone are the days when an electronic journalist could spend a day reporting and shooting then hit the local watering hole for refreshment. Today’s multimedia journalist has to report, do lighting, sound, operate the camera and archive digital video clips in the field. It’s the new reality of media production: five jobs, one salary.

Not to boast, but I’m an analog guy. I shoot photographs on 35-mm film, listen to jazz through a McIntosh amp, and used to enjoy shooting video on tape. That is, until I started with Worldfocus and learned to joys and hardships of working in an all-digital news gathering format.

My trial by fire came on assignment in India and Singapore. Fellow producer Mary Lockhart and I ambitiously took on the task of producing seven stories in three weeks.

Neither of us were experts using the high-definition Panasonic P2 camera. Unlike cameras of old, a P2 doesn’t require tape. The P2 camera “captures” digital video on reusable — but limited — memory cards.

Mary and I had to often break our shoot schedule to download and erase cards. Fading computer batteries often sent us scrambling to find power to transfer clip files from the camera to portable hard drives. We started taking over wait stations in restaurants, hijacking offices for electrical plugs and, if need be, using the car’s cigarette lighter for power.

If the assignment gods were kind, this process would end at sundown. Yet after the shoot day was done, digital clip files on the portable drive and the remaining P2 cards all had to be backed up to two archival hard drives in real time.

So if I shot four hours of video during the day, I spend four hours archiving at night. Mary and I often took turns sharing the archival duties –- assuring at least one of us got more than fitful sleep before the next day’s assignment.

The great boon of digital technology is access to the media. I can screen and edit my work virtually anywhere on my laptop. I know it’s nothing revolutionary to the YouTube generation, but the ease of scrutinizing material before we decamp for the next assignment or home truly helps make me and my colleagues better storytellers and journalists. Plus, with all the late nights transferring files, our clips are archived and ready to edit when we touch down in New York.

- Ara Ayer

Over the last year, the prices of rice and lentils — staples of the Indian diet — have risen by about 20 percent each. In August, one state government asked citizens to begin eating rats instead of rice. And, earlier this year, the Indian government banned the export of rice (except basmati).

India’s annual rate of inflation hovers at 12 percent, compared to 3.51 percent this time last year.

But nature has also played a role in the food crisis. Last month’s floods in eastern India led villagers in the Orissa state to riot and loot relief supplies.

Lack of access to food and to improper feeding practices contribute to the malnourishment of 60 million underweight children.

Worldfocus producers Mary Lockhart and Ara Ayer and correspondent Daljit Dhaliwal report on the food crisis from the slums to high-rise buildings outside of Delhi.