Indholdsfortegnelse for August 6, 2018 i India Today

On February 2, 1983, India woke up to the horror of Nellie, a tiny village in Assam’s Morigaon district. Assamese tribals surrounded three villages populated by Bangladeshi migrants and, in the course of just one night, hacked over 2,000 men, women and children to death. Nellie, by now synonymous with extreme xenophobia, was a story INDIA TODAY broke in its March 15, 1983 issue. It remains one of independent India’s most horrific pogroms, revealing the darkness that lives in the hearts of men and how seemingly peaceful agitations can explode into savage bloodfests. Thirty-five years later, Nellie still haunts us. More so as the government of Assam, a state of 30 million people, completes a Supreme Court-monitored National Register of Citizenship (NRC). By all accounts, it is not who the…

It’s rare for political rallies to be announced six months in advance. But with the poll bugle already sounding for the May 2019 elections, it shouldn’t be a surprise. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has announced a rally on January 19 next year—a planned show of opposition unity at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade ground. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to hold a counter-rally at the same venue, four days later, says BJP leader Rahul Sinha. The stage is set.…

Acting on a high court order, the Madhya Pradesh government cancelled the allotment of government bungalows to four former chief ministers—Uma Bharti, Digvijaya Singh, Babulal Gaur and Kailash Joshi. The focus has now shifted to a house in Bhopal’s 74 Bungalows area—allotted to Shivraj Singh Chouhan when he was Vidisha MP by then CM Digvijaya Singh. Chouhan retained the bungalow even after becoming CM in 2005 for reasons unknown. Lucky charm or backup plan?…

The ultimatum issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to Apple Inc. insisting that the US tech giant allow the regulator’s Do Not Disturb (DND) 2.0 app on its handsets is serious—and the row has reached snapping point. The Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2018, specifically target Apple, though TRAI chairman R.S. Sharma denies this. It’s not even the first time phone manufacturers have been threatened with rules in India: the DoT’s 2016 Rules mandating ‘Panic Button and GPS facility’ for emergency situations in all mobile handsets was another such move. Even then, Apple was forced to fall in line or face a ban on phone imports. But regulatory overreach of this sort has wider implications. Spam control, which is the purported intention of the DND 2.0…

The factors behind the withdrawal of foreign portfolio capital lie within India. There is political uncertainty Almost perfect timing. Foreign exchange reserves were just under $300 billion at the end of 2014. Then they started rising. They crossed $420 billion in March this year. Just as the new financial year began, they ended their dizzying rise. At the end of July, just as the chief economic advisor flew off to Cambridge, Massachusetts, they were within kissing distance of $400 billion (no connection is implied). What is behind the shrinking reserves? Has the relentless rise come to an end? Is India losing its shine? India has traditionally run a deficit on trade, but it is not worsening, and is not behind the fall in reserves. We have figures of trade till…

1. THE COMPREHENSIVE report on the Taj was a compelling read. I was aghast to learn the neglect and apathy that we, as Indians, have shown towards one of the wonders of the world. A monumental pity. It is a welcome gesture on the part of INDIA TODAY to open a weekly forum for readers to come out with their views/ ideas on how to redeem this lovely piece of architecture. The governments, both at the state and Centre, should wake up to the impending disaster and make immediate, long-term efforts to save it. The world will never forgive us if we fail to preserve this jewel of our country. —Yasin Syed 2. IT’S A PITY TO SEE the Taj getting spoilt. While the grime is being removed by various…

India’s spending on public health is abysmally low—among neighbours higher only than Pakistan’s. In terms of access to healthcare, it ranks 154 out of 195 countries 0.6 DOCTOR PER 1,000 PEOPLE; SHOULD BE 1: 1,000 0.7 HOSPITAL BEDS PER 1,000 PEOPLE (IDEAL RATIO 1: 1,000) 472 MEDICAL COLLEGES AND CLOSE TO 40% SHORTAGE OF MEDICAL TEACHERS 1 NURSE FOR EVERY 2,500 RESIDENTS, COMPARED WITH 1 FOR EVERY 150-200 IN RICH COUNTRIES…

USTAD HOTEL (2012) Salmaan made a formidable impression as a young chef whose grandfather teaches him to appreciate tradition BANGALORE DAYS (2014) In this coming-of-age drama, Salmaan plays an avid biker whose relationship with a paraplegic RJ gives him new lessons in life CHARLIE (2015) Salmaan won the Kerala State Film Award for best actor for essaying a free-spirited man searching for his destiny OK KANMANI (2015) Added to his female fan following with his act in Mani Ratnam’s love story that looks at live-in relationships MAHANATI (2018) A star turn as Gemini Ganesan in this biopic that examines actress Savitri’s complex relationship with the Tamil cinema icon…

Jino Joseph, who at 32 already has two Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Award(META)-winning plays to his credit, makes his Mumbai debut this week with his latest winner, Nona. A socio-political satire, the Malayalam play won the writer-director four accolades from META last year, including best play and director for its sharp look at the rise of pseudo-nationalism in India. It will be performed (with English subtitles) at the National Centre for Performing Arts on July 28. Joseph is an anomaly in the theatre scene in that he doesn’t have a repertory of his own yet. Instead, he lives in a remote small town, Edoor, in the Kannur district of Kerala, and travels to collaborate with groups across the state, many of them like him with no academic training in theatre.…

Sunny Leone wasn’t good at anything else. Whether it was as a supermarket staffer or a receptionist at a tax firm, she took heat from her bosses Lest you accuse Karenjit Kaur: The Untold Story of Sunny Leone of false advertising, we compiled a list of the “untold” things revealed in Zee5’s new web series. 1 Sunny Leone is a pensive adult star. Judging by how many times filmmaker Aditya Datt zooms in on her face to show a woman guilt-ridden and troubled during her shoots, he wants you to never forget that Karenjit Kaur Vohra went into porn to solve her family’s financial problems and that it was a tough choice. 2 She hasn’t gotten over her interview with CNN-IBN anchor Bhupendra Chaubey—whose misogynistic questions and judgemental remarks caused…

Q. How are you dealing with the pressure of being compared to your mother? I am not thinking about it at all. I neither followed her acting style nor tried to stay away from it in my Dhadak. Frankly, I have seen only five of my mother’s films. Q. Were you worried about remaking a critically acclaimed Marathimovie(Sairat)inyour debut? Sairat is wonderful film, which has done well across the country. I saw it with my mother and wanted to be part of such a solid script for my debut. Dhadak’sdirectorShashank Khaitan has not attempted to ‘improve’ upon the original film but has interpreted it in a different milieu. Q. What kind of roles are you looking for in your next project? I don’t think I am at a stage where…

➽ Train hard I train four to five hours during competition, otherwise two hours daily ➽ Mix your workout If not weight training or Crossfit, then swimming, running and martial art are my go-to activities ➽ Mental fitness It is as important as physical. I practice yoga for the same. ➽ Eat well A diet of complex carbohydrates, fluids that include lemon water, a cup of green tea and plenty of water either with slices of cucumber, pineapple or mint, and fibre. My favourite foods are green vegetables, broccoli, tofu, mushroom, chicken, fish and prawns.…

The rooftop at Candy and Green hosts a pretty garden with leafy vegetables, herbs and micro greens in full bloom. Restaurateur Shraddha Bhansali and her kitchen team tend to this 750-sq ft garden that emphasises the concept of “healthy and clean eating”. The vegetables go into the food such as the pesto made with fresh basil, garlic and dill dip and dishes garnished with micro greens. The herbs are used to spice drinks such as the bell pepper and basil martini at her year-old restaurant at Breach Candy. The food at Candy and Green is freshly made with locally sourced seasonal ingredients. All vegetables, milk and cheese are sourced from farmer markets and producers in the city and the menu is devoid of meat, eggs and saturated animal fats. “Healthy…

Contemporary dancer and movement therapist Aastha Gulati has experimented with many forms over the past 13 years including Kathak and wellness techniques such as chakra healing. A certified Zumba and yoga instructor, it was in 2017 that Gulati opened her own movement studio, Dhurii, which now caters to everyone looking for a moment of quiet through dance, meditation and wellness classes. It was in the same year that she introduced BungFly in the country for the first time. “It was something I saw in a viral video from Bangkok on social media and was intrigued,” says Gulati who went on to train in the rare technique in Amsterdam. A resistance-based workout, BungFly involves being suspended from the abdomen using equipment commonly associated with bungee jumping. With your core at work…

SWATI KAPOOR, 42 Founder, SoulTree, Delhi www.soultree.in Swati Kapoor and her husband, Vishal started SoulTree, an organic beauty brand, after sensing a lack of genuine natural products in the market. The idea was to offer products that were free of chemicals and carcinogens with an authentic third-party guarantee. Kapoor started the company with her own savings and some from the family. The brand has hair, skincare and make-up products made from ingredients sourced from Uttarakhand. Kapoor says, “Since we work directly with farmers and NGOs, we know the exact location where each ingredient is coming from.” The ingredients are processed in their factory on the outskirts of Gurgaon. The production is in tandem with the traditional processes prescribed in Ayurveda for preparing herb extractions. Kapoor believes that there are several…

By belittling Rahul’s hug, PM Modi lost the chance to build a consensus across the country and include the Opposition in Team India In politics, there are defining moments that can change the fortunes of a leader, a nation and even the course of history. Few expected the no-confidence motion against the NDA government in the Lok Sabha on July 20 to be one such. After all, the outcome seemed predictable and underwhelming: despite allies like the TDP fleeing the NDA and the Shiv Sena abstaining from voting, it was a given that the NDA would cruise to a comfortable victory. The final tally was indicative of that: 325 for the NDA and 126 for the combined Opposition. Yet it was not so much the outcome but the proceedings that…

“As it became impossible for the applicant’s company to function and the employees were not paid their salaries and debtors did not get their money back, all these persons have become agitated... There have been various cases of mob lynching in India. This recent trend of mob lynching and general public giving justice on the road is growing. Even the applicant faces a similar threat as there are several persons who have grievances and anger against him” The cowering applicant in question is MEHUL CHOKSI, absconding since he and nephew Nirav Modi were accused of defrauding the PNB of around Rs 14,000 crore. No doubt with the plight of the likes of Choksi in mind, appalled by hordes of unpaid employees taking to the streets with murder on their minds,…

Maids Have Rights? On Instagram, Sondos Al Qattan is a star, with an astonishing 2.3 million followers turning to her for beauty tips and make-up advice. As a social media ‘influencer’, she also enjoyed deals with leading multinational brands like Max Factor and Shiseido. It’s nice work, if you can get it. And Qattan had it, until she decided to express her outrage at her country Kuwait being forced to put new laws in place requiring employers to treat their Filipino domestic workers with a modicum of decency. A temporary ban on Filipino domestic workers was lifted in May after Kuwait agreed to institute reforms, such as making it illegal for employers to confiscate their maids’ passports and cellphones. For Qattan, it was unfathomable that she could not keep her…

The National People’s Party is part of coalition governments in three Northeastern states—Meghalaya, Manipur and Nagaland. A part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, its rapid expansion—in just a year—is said to be making even BJP chief Amit Shah a trifle wary. NPP president and new Meghalaya chief minister CONRAD SANGMA spoke to KAUSHIK DEKA on his first four months in the job and the road ahead for his party. Excerpts: Q. How is your government different from the previous ones? What has changed? Meghalaya is known for its horticulture. So can you believe we never had a food processing directorate? We created one and sanctioned Rs 80 crore for our first project—the Jackfruit Mission. We have also created an integrated call centre for smooth networking…

Kerala’s state-run schools had been going through a bad phase since the 1990s. Indeed, things had become so bad that even teachers in government schools preferred to send their own wards to private, English medium schools. With the falling numbers, several government and aided schools in the state had also shut shop. But happily, all that has changed in the past few years, especially after the Left Front government came to power. After launching the General Education Rejuvenation Mission in 2017, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan exhorted his MLAs to enrol their children in state schools. It made a world of difference in how the schools were perceived, what education minister C. Ravindranath describes as “a silent revolution that’s changing the destiny of [Kerala’s] poor”. The state government has to date…

• August 2007 Announces global tender for 126 fighter aircraft—18 to be bought off-the-shelf, 108 to be assembled by Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL). Contenders include MiG-29, Saab Gripen, F-18, F-16, Dassault Rafale and EADS’s Eurofighter • May 2010 Field trials of all aircraft completed. Rafale and Eurofighter shortlisted by IAF • January 2012 Rafale emerges L1 or lowest bidder, edging out Eurofighter. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) begins commercial negotiations. MoD benchmarks total cost of acquisition at Rs 1.63 lakh crore (approx. $30 billion) • July 2012 The Cost Negotiations Committee sets up four panels to negotiate the deal with Dassault • May 2014 The MMRCA deal remains deadlocked over several issues, primarily the licence-production of 108 aircraft by HAL. The contract is not inked when the government changes in 2014…

THE FORMULA How the emission is estimated: Number of bodies burnt / year x wood required per body (kg) x emission factor Number of bodies burnt / year x fuel used (in litres) x emission factor (in tonnes) (Source: Air Quality Assessment, Emission Inventory & Source Apportionment Study for Mumbai City, 2010, by the Central Pollution Control Board and NEERI) Emission factor is the ratio of pollution generated to raw material processed; Source: EPA) THE ASSUMPTION 20 bodies a day on average at Moksh Dham (or 7,300 a year) 300 kg wood needed to burn a body 3 litres kerosene needed per body (or 21,900 litres/ year) Emission factor for wood burning (kg/ tonne) PM (17.3), SO 10 2 (0.2), NOx (1.3), CO (126.3); HC (114.5) Emission factor for kerosene…

Aneesh Chaganty was eight when he first saw M. Night Shyamalan’s photo in India West, a popular magazine among Indians living in the United States. Born and brought up in San Jose, California, to serial entrepreneur parents, Chaganty used to dash to the movie theatre after school on Fridays to watch flicks like Harry Potter and Mission Impossible with his mother and younger brother. When he finally saw Shyamalan’s first big film, The Sixth Sense, it was an epiphany. “I can do that. He looks like me,” he recalls thinking. “Of all the filmmakers in my life, he has been the biggest inspiration and influence.” Like Shyamalan, who stormed into Hollywood two years older, 27-year-old Chaganty hopes to make a similar splash with his feature debut, Searching, a detective thriller…

Scottish physician Gavin Francis, whose book Adventures in Being was an international bestseller, once again illustrates his remarkable capacity for combining scholarship, mythology and empathy with his medical insights in his new collection of meditations on the nature of our bodies. Titled Shapeshifters: On Medicine & Human Change, it’s a discursive work, covering everything from a real-life werewolf to a woman with a unicorn’s horn (she’s not too bugged about it). But what makes it brilliant is Francis’s encyclopaedic knowledge, his ability to draw together disparate sources and observations to generate surprising insights, and his understated but elegant writing. Consider, for example, “Scalp: Of Horns, Terror and Glory”. In a scant nine pages, he evokes Michelangelo’s statue of Moses, in which the prophet is portrayed with twin horns, a symbol…

Nearly 20 years after he created the fictitious rapper Ali G for Britain’s Channel 4, Sacha Baron Cohen is back with a new “sting comedy” series billed as an investigation of the great divide between America’s coastal liberals and heartland Trump supporters. Two decades is an eternity in comedy—where edgy becomes boring (Jerry Seinfeld), shrill (John Stewart) or offensive (Eddie Murphy) overnight. And theresponsetoCohen’s Who Is America, streaming on Hotstar in India, has been decidedly tepid so far. “Too scary to be funny,” opined one reviewer,while The Economist declared for the victims of Cohen’s stings, whom the magazine described as “gracious and hospitable” in the face of Cohen’s ridiculous behaviour. (Posing as an ex-convict-turned-“genius” artist, he dashes off a sketch of a gushing art gallery proprietor using what he claims…

YES It hinges on editing Not only social media but its various extensions, such as print media, advertising and audio-visual media, are indicators of an unrealistic body image. They try to showcase the ‘ideal’ image of a woman with the help of different editing software to give out a ‘flawless’ image. Editing a model’s body to increase the saleability of a particular product is made ‘natural’. Women shouldn’t change their bodies on the basis of these images but pay attention to their personal, physical well-being and mental health. Pearl Pandya, Delhi YES It devalues self-love Compelling women to put their best face forward, photographs are now judged by their ‘Instagram worthiness’. People want the perfect face and body to show to the world because everyone is doing that. This too…

In 2013, Antidote co-founders Carol and Nadia Singh were leading typical urban lives chasing deadlines, following erratic schedules and following poor eating habits. “When I quit my job as a fashion writer, I had a series of health setbacks. I suffered from stomach issues, skin issues and auto-immune disorders,” says Carol Singh. “I tried traditional medication and ended up pumping my body with steroids and immune suppressants. Eventually, I turned to alternative solutions and tried a juice therapy which ended up working wonderfully for me,” says Carol. Back in 2013, cold pressing was a very new technique which only two companies—based out of San Francisco and New York—were doing. “We bought a cold press machine and started Antidote with an initial investment of 40 lakh. We spend more than 18…

A ‘whole wheat’ woman marrying a ‘white-bread’ man, Anjali Shah was raised in a healthy-eating, organic-obsessed culture in San Francisco, US. As her childhood was filled with fruits, vegetables and home-cooked meals, she was raised to be “picky” about what to consume. However, there lay in store for her a future husband in the deep-dish pizza-loving suburbs of Chicago, for whom ice cream and French fries were a way of life. ALL OUT EFFORT Realising that the only way to bridge the gap was to cook healthy versions of foods he enjoyed, Shah taught herself how to cook at 24. “Slowly, my husband started identifying different flavours such as cumin, ginger and garlic in his food, and started asking for vegetables in his dishes, acknowledging that healthy food could taste…

From featuring in Nike’s popular ‘Unstoppable Women’ campaign along with Deepika Padukone to being the go-to person for pilates for actors, Namrata Purohit is the best-known trainer of this fitness form that was developed sometime in the early 20th century. A sports enthusiast since childhood, Purohit played national level squash, state level football, did 100 metres sprinting and danced the salsa, bachata and contemporary jazz. “I was an active child who loved being outdoors so fitness has been with me since I was very young,” she says. A severe knee injury at 15 made her discover pilates, and within four days, she was “pain free” and went on to play at the national squash tournament a few months later. A masters degree holder in sports management from Loughborough University, UK,…

QUINOA, THE SUPER GRAIN WITH ITS POWERHOUSE NUTRITIONAL quotient of proteins, amino acids, low glycemic index, low fat and plenty of phytonutrients is fit for those who are gluten intolerant. Both white and red quinoa are good alternatives to bulgur, wheat, plain flour, couscous and rice. Pronounced keen-wa, the grain can be easily sourced locally or internationally. Women need a sufficient amount of protein, nutrients and energy to fulfill their daily chores and to look and feel good. Protein rich meals can help achieve that from inside-out by building and repairing muscles and helping with weight management while keeping the skin and hair healthy. You can rustle up these five recipes anytime for a yummy meal or snack. LEMON QUINOA ENERGY SMOOTHIE Calories 250 Ingredients 2 tbsp of quinoa soaked…

Watching the abject horror of 28-year-old Rakbar Khan’s murder unfold in Rajasthan’s Alwar district, a year after a murderous mob of cow vigilantes bludgeoned Pehlu Khan to death, many would find it disconcerting and disheartening that it was left to the Supreme Court to point to the culture of violent intolerance that is rapidly enveloping India’s hinterland. The past three years have witnessed the murders of 50 people—mostly of the minority and weaker sections—in the name of gau raksha (cow protection) or by mobs driven by rumours purveyed on social media that the victims were out to kidnap and kill children. Sixteen such instances have been reported since May. And these do not include the unfortunate Rakbar, who was beaten to death in the wee hours of July 21 as…

By August 1 this year, we will have consumed an entire year’s worth of ecological resources. This dubious record is the catalyst for ‘Earth Overshoot Day’, which, according to the international think tank that calculates it, “marks the date when we (all of humanity) have used more from nature than our planet can renew in the entire year”. UN data since 1961, when the numbers first began to be available, shows that we crossed into ‘overshoot’ territory by the 1970s, argues Global Footprint Network, as the human population and human consumption mushroomed. About 30 or so years ago, overshoot day was on October 15, and while there has been a slowing of the pace at which the date has moved up the calendar, our use of earth’s renewable resources continues…

Pinarayi Vijayan hasn’t taken kindly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s lame dig at his US trip when the Kerala chief minister called on him in Delhi recently. He has decided to intensify his efforts to attract global firms and is sending a team of technocrats to meet global IT CEOs. Last month, automaker Nissan signed an MoU with the state government to set up its digital hub in Thiruvananthapuram. Talks are also on with Amazon and Airbus. “Modi trots the globe, but I went to the US for Kerala. I won’t be trolled by him. I only want results,” Vijayan told a meeting of state CPI(M) leaders.…

This is a monumental work in every sense of the word. Physically, it consists of five large volumes, 2,523 documents, 5,318 pages! Besides, in terms of sheer mastery over material, this is remarkable work and is a worthy follow-on to A.S. Bhasin’s earlier works, making the archives on India’s relations with her neighbours accessible to scholars and the public. And it is monumental in the detailed introduction that Bhasin, the former director of the Ministry of External Affairs’ (MEA) Historical Division, has written for these volumes. He has so far produced documentary studies of India’s relations with Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan (in 10 volumes), and now with China. For this dedication and productivity, he deserves our thanks. There is considerable value to this work that Bhasin has undertaken in…

Earlier this month, the youngest subdivision of the Holocene Epoch was named. The International Commission on Stratigraphy had agreed that the Holocene, which began nearly 12,000 years ago, could be marked out in three distinct phases, the latest of which, the Meghalayan, taking in a little over 4,000 years up to 1950, began with a drought that devastated civilisations, including the Indus Valley, Egypt, the Yangtze Valley, Mesopotamia and Greece. Analysis of a stalagmite in the Mawmluh Cave in Cherrapunji showed evidence of a 20-30 per cent decrease in monsoon rainfall, giving this most recent slice of geological time its Indian-inflected name. Some scientists have described the carving up of the Holocene into its formal ages as too hasty. Particularly since there is an ongoing discussion on the Anthropocene, an…

A SECTION OF VOTERS SEES DHINAKARAN AS SOMEONE WHO STANDS UP TO THE CENTRE AND THE BJP On July 20, the ruling AIADMK urged the Election Commission of India to set aside the breakaway Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) founder T.T.V. Dhinakaran’s victory in the RK Nagar assembly bypoll. The party alleged that he had bribed voters to win the constituency, which was earlier represented by the late chief minister J. Jayalalithaa. The AIADMK’s official mouthpiece, Namadhu Amma, even claimed that voters had targeted Dhinakaran’s convoy because he had failed to hand out the money he had promised as ‘token’ during electioneering. Indeed, in RK Nagar to distribute sewing machines on July 18, the AMMK leader’s vehicles were stoned, forcing the police to intervene. The leader, though, insists the protesters…

The Golden Temple, Sikhism’s historic central shrine in Amritsar is, well, getting more golden. An estimated 160 kilos of gold will now cover the main domes of its four pravesh dvars (entrances), much like the shining canopy of the metal that covers Harmandir Sahib, the sanctum sanctorum. Paid for entirely through contributions of cash and gold ornaments by devotees, the gilding of the domes is expected to cost more than Rs 50 crore. Daljit Singh Bedi, a spokesman of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), which manages most Sikh shrines and institutions, says, “The work was commissioned in April on the request of Baba Kashmir Singh Bhuriwale,” the head of a kar seva (religious service) organisation. A team of dedicated artisans from Bhuriwale’s group is executing the intricate process of…

Various numbers have been floated since the Assam agitation in the 1980s 3 MILLION On April 10, 1992, then Assam chief minister Hiteshwar Saikia put out this figure. Two days later, he retracted his statement 10 MILLION On May 6, 1997, then home minister Indrajit Gupta cited this number in Parliament for illegal immigrants in India 5 MILLION Union home ministry’s figure in 2004 for Assam 4.1 MILLION Quoted by NGO Assam Public Works, in its PIL in the apex court in 2009; EC did not contest it Source: Election Commission and Census reports…

• April 10, 2015 Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits France, announces deal to purchase 36 Rafale jets directly from the French government. Price to be worked out later • July 2015 MoD formally scraps MMRCA acquisition. Signs MoU with France on Jan 26, 2016, for 36 Rafale. CCS approval on August 24, 2016 • September 23, 2016 India and France sign intergovernmental agreement to purchase 36 Rafale. Price not revealed, but mentioned off the record as €7.85 billion (Rs 58,000 crore). Deliveries to begin by 2019, to be completed by 2022 • November 17, 2017 Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman tells media she will reveal price later • February 5, 2018 Sitharaman cites confidentiality clause with France, national security to say price cannot be revealed • July 20, 2018 No confidence…

1994 Varadarajan committee suggests shifting cremation ground; but no action is taken 1998 SC asks the state government and Agra administration to consider shifting crematorium; but they take no action 1999 Political parties and religious groups protest, saying crematorium should not be relocated 2003 Shamshan gets a new name, Moksh Dham 2005 Agra administration starts talking about a ‘green’ crematorium at Moksh Dham 2006 SC rules that crematoriums near the Taj must be removed 2015 Taj Trapezium Zone informs shift is a challenge, as it has been there for hundreds of years 2015 Parliamentary standing committee wants to know about steps taken to shift cremation ground 2015 Supreme Court judge Kurian Joseph petitions CJI to ‘Save Taj from cremation fumes’ 2016 SC says: relocate or build wet scrubbers; make service…

Dulquer Salmaan is wearing a plain white T-shirt with a stain in the middle, but the female reporter before us only has eyes on the Malayali heart-throb’s face. She tells him how he has a legion of female admirers in her office since his 2015 Mani Ratnam-directed Tamil film OK Kanmani. The 31-year-old actor, son of Malayalam superstar Mammootty, blushes, but downplays his appeal. In Mumbai for 10 days to promote his Hindi film debut, Karwaan, he is learning the ropes of promotions in Bollywood. In Kerala, says Salmaan, he barely does any. But with Karwaan’s lead, Irrfan, away in London for cancer treatment, he is left to do multiple interviews and talk about the road trip comedy in which, he has no qualms admitting, he plays “second fiddle” to…

Peter Cat Recording Co arrived on the scene five years ago, tailed by a massive underground buzz. “Listen to this,” said everyone to everyone. Soon Delhi’s insular, sometimes sappingly cynical, music scene had a consensus: ‘These guys are on a different level.’ No one really articulated what this level was. But it was an accepted thing to bump into other fans at a PCRC gig like the one at Delhi’s Oddbird Theatre on July 27 and shake one’s head in the Indian affirmative: ‘Next level, man, next level.’ This year, PCRC has been in the news for being that rare Indian band to have landed a contract with a French label, Panache. Released on vinyl, Portrait of a Time isa compilation of handpicked tracks recorded between 2010 and 2016. More…

Our fascination with extraordinary abilities has endured from the myths of Samson and Hercules to the Hollywood treatments of Thor and the Hulk. In his latest book, however, evolutionary biologist and New Scientist managing editor Rowan Hooper examines more abstract superpowers: the bravery of the soldier in a bomb disposal unit who knows there’s a one in six chance he’ll come home without his legs, if he comes home at all; the remarkable longevity of people, who live long past 100 years of age; the prodigious memories of those afflicted (or gifted) with a strange combination of autism and synaesthesia. Endlessly intriguing.…

GOOD GIRL “Thelma and Louise meets Breaking Bad” runs the elevator pitch for this middling dramedy that couldn’t quite make it on US broadcast TV. It binges better without commercials—and there’s always Christina Hendricks(MadMen’sJoan). Netflix MATA HARI The world’s most famous spy story gets a sudsy treatment in this 12-episode Russian-Portuguese production. With Christopher Lambert(Highlander) and Rutger Hauer(Blade Runner) in cameos, it’s exponentially Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Hotstar AMERICAN WOMAN Alicia Silverstone (remember Clueless?) “stars in another let’s make money from this feminism thing”. It’s based on the childhood of one of the stars of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. So, yeah, that’s what we’ve come to. Amazon Prime Video…

“I WANT TO BE THECHANGE” Shweta Rathore has a thing for milestones. She is the first Indian female fitness physique athlete to win a medal (bronze in 2014) at the World Championship. She is also the first Indian woman to finish on the podium (second) at the Asian Championship in the discipline in 2015. Back in India, her competitors have accepted she is in a league of her own after she completed a hat trick of Miss India titles in 2017. The Jaipur-born, Delhi-bred and Mumbai-based Rathore has only more goals in sight. Next stop—expand her company, Fitness Forever, to include apparel, accessories and nutritional supplement and venture into Bollywood. Seated at a cafe in Mumbai where she is relishing poha laden with green chilliesthey’re good for burning fat she…

That she is passionate about what she is doing and has innumerable ideas about hoe to make healthy eating the way of life for everyone is evident after meeting Ayesha Grewal. Founder of The Altitude Store, an organic and natural store, which she started in 2010 with only 350 items today stocks over 3,000 products, and she is working tirelessly to add more to the kitty. With a background in finance—she studied and worked in the US—Grewal left her consultancy job in 2000 and came back to India, as she wanted to do something of her own. SEED OF AN IDEA “I always wanted to work in the rural development sector but that was my retirement plan. So, on my return, I started working with an NGO looking after their…

➽ Find some time for yourself and stay committed to that ➽ Spending time doing any type of workout, whether it is yoga, HIIT (high-intensity interval training), aerobics, Zumba or dance, will open the way to incredible results in the long-term ➽ Reconnect with the passion that you had as a child but gave up while growing up. Be it sketching, singing or dancing—find a place and time for it in your life again. ➽ A healthy lifestyle not only changes your body but also your mind, attitude and mood…

The intoxicating aroma of a traditional French village bakery wafts through the air and you can hear the sound of cheese sizzling inside the wood-fired oven. A long queue waits patiently for their turn. Such is the scene every Sunday morning at the farmer’s market in Asiad Games Village, Siri Fort, Delhi, where a young chef and entrepreneur, Tarangini Wadera’s Orphic Artisan Bakery has got a lot of attention. The pizzas aren’t the only reason people are drawn to her table. Honey-flavoured rose-scented pomegranate yoghurt, coffee honey ice cream, snow cones flavoured with organic litchi and mango syrup, wheat doughnuts, and basil pesto are her speciality. “I started a year ago when I observed that most bakeries and eateries use cheese made from calf rennet (a derivative of calf intestines),…

You walk into the manager’s room after returning from your honeymoon and he greets you with, “marriage suits you, you have filled up in all the right places”. You walk up to the human resource in disbelief and share what’s happened. You are asked for proof, reprimanded because you extended your leave without intimation, and informed that the human resource department has never received a complaint against the manager. BURDEN OF PROOF It’s not always easy to produce evidence in cases of sexual harassment. However, lack of evidence does not make the complaint false and mala fide. A well-trained and sensitised Internal Committee (IC) will be able to effectively resolve such cases. That’s the reason why companies should invest in training and sensitisation. It’s a necessity. Don’t only look at…

CREATE YOUR OWN STYLE During pregnancy, when your body is changing so quickly, it is easy to feel a little lost when it comes to clothes. But you have spent a lifetime building up an understanding of the colours and styles that suit you, and all that still applies. If you love smart dresses, opt for a tailored A-line maternity dress or find your perfect maternity jeans. CREATE A CAPSULE CLOSET A capsule working wardrobe for office is a good idea for any woman and during pregnancy, it is a must-have. Invest in key pieces with complementary colours to mix and match and create different looks throughout the week. INVEST IN MATERNITY-WEAR EARLY Many women make the mistake of waiting until the last moment to buy maternity clothes. Maternity clothes…

1 2 days in Leh Don’t cut out these two days as they are essential to get acclimatised to the environment. 2 Go with a guide If it’s the first time you are trekking, travel with people who know the place and are familiar with the surroundings. This ensures you get the best sightings and are safe. 3 Check ahead for temperature and climate Be prepared with warm clothes. Carry plenty of thermals, innerwear and socks. 4 Trekking tools If you are embarking on a trek, don’t forget to carry the essentials—mountaineering sunglasses, shoes, water pack and walking sticks. 5 Eat a balanced meal When you are trekking, your body needs extra nourishment to stay up and at it. Eat healthy, nutritious food to keep yourself going. 6 Travel light…

They tell you that the best way to be safe is to walk outside at a certain time, wear outfits prescribed by men (that they deem will protect you from rape), which buttons to press in a lift, there is an entire list vetted by the ubiquitous panel of men. And how do we make our baby girls safer? You know the ones that cannot even crawl yet? What clothes should they wear? Should they say ‘help’ and ‘stop’ in a certain manner? My greatest frustration with the conversation in India around rape is—why is India telling the women what to do? Do you tell the person who was robbed “it was actually your fault”? Do you tell the person’s family who was murdered that you should have kept him…

Talking Textile Priyanjoli Contemporary women want to dress up and wear good clothes but don’t want to spend too much time doing it,” says Priyanjoli Basu, 34, founder of the city’s most interesting design label called Priyanjoli. While she began her career in celebrity management and styling in Mumbai, Basu realised early on that her true interest lay in textile and design. She also felt a strong need to archive and document all that she discovered. After leaving Mumbai, she embarked on a nine-month-long journey through the villages of West Bengal, meeting weavers and discovering textiles and processes. “This resulted in a change in my lifestyle and choices. I started archiving and documenting old textiles and wedding sarees,” she says. Her first project was focussed on reviving Benarasis for the…

ART Artistic License The Artemist Aradhana Dalmia, 28, had always known she was artistically inclined and that her future lay in the arts. That it would be in the form of an art consultancy is not something she had imagined. As soon as she returned with a Bachelor in Fine Arts (BFA) in 2014 from Manchester School of Art, her father-in-law-to-be asked her to create an artwork for a long extended ceiling at the entrance of Kahm Towers in New Market. “My first reaction was —I don’t know how to do this. Eventually it started making sense,” says Dalmia. The ceiling is a tribute to her husband’s grandfather and showcases Kolkata's evolution. She commissioned artist Suvra Chakraborty to do a Kolkata based sketch for this. Her brand The Artemist was…