Sorry to burst yer bubble of grandeur, but practice is also spelt 'practise' in England and Canada. India follows the British legacy, which I'm sure you would've known since you talk about the 70s foundation in the English language yada yada...
Practice is the American spelling, which is fine sure, but not conforming to Rediff's British English norm.
Didn't you get that when yah saw REDIFF CONNEXIONS (totally Brit), instead of Rediff Connections? There again!
And about the complimentary point, the one with an "i" also means "that costs nothing", hence the author could be referring to the skills that'd cost nothing to add on to yer repertoire.
