Indholdsfortegnelse for August 12, 2024 i India Today

What will kill us faster if we don’t get enough of it? Air, water and food naturally sit at the top of our hierarchy of needs. Sleep tends to come way behind. That’s the way we think and how we conduct our lives. Because its deficit does not kill immediately, Indians have taken to habitually economising on sleep. In a May 2023 study of those above 40 years of age across 20 Indian states and Union territories, the Agewell Foundation, a Delhi-based civil society organisation, found that one entire half of those surveyed suffer from sleep disorders of one sort or another. Nearly 70 per cent of them were sleeping less than six hours. In urban areas, an alarming 75 per cent were sleeping less than 5-6 hours. Another extensive…

SLEEP GADGETS Types: Include sleep buds to drown out environmental noise, wearable trackers to map and analyse sleep patterns and quality, massagers for the eyes and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines to treat sleep apnea Price: Upwards of Rs 1,000 Effectiveness: For those with insomnia, devices can be used to calm the mind and control the blood pressure to induce sleep. But according to doctors, those with chronic sleep disorders also need medication and improved sleep hygiene SLEEP MEDICINE Types: Melatonin or magnesium supplements are most commonly prescribed. For more chronic disorders, stronger sleeping pills, and even mild tranquilisers (particularly for those prone to sleep terrors) may be advised. Cannabidiol (CBD) pills are also taken for undistrubed sleep, though their effects are yet to be conclusively proven Price: Rs…

He’s the villain who has the most lines, the darkly funny sort, and he draws the most laughs in Kill, the gory flick which unfolds on a train. Raghav Juyal had a bloody good time playing the menacing dacoit who instigates the chaos. Best known as a contestant on TV show Dance India Dance, then a choreo-grapher on dance reality shows and finally as their funny host, Juyal decided in 2021 that he needed to get out of the comfortable terpsichorean zone and show his thespian skills.“I left all of TV’s pampering and ego behind, and put all my energy into acting,” says Juyal. After his much-lauded performance in Kill, Juyal will be seen in the ZEE5 web series Gyaarah Gyaarah, an official adaptation of the popular K-drama Signal, which…

It’s rare to find good personal writing in cinema books, but Mukesh Manjunath’s The Age of Heroes—about the cult of ‘heroes’ in Telugu cinema, and how the relationship between superstar/deity and adoring fan plays out across such faultlines as caste, class and gender—is a fine exception. In one passage, he mentions his grandmother’s obsession with the superstar N.T. Rama Rao, whom she never saw in person. The story culminates in the author realising why he was her favourite grandchild—because he was born on NTR’s birthday. Many may scoff at such a story, but these are real, nourishing aspects of the cinema-viewer bond. South India has had divinities who began as screen icons and later moved on to politics, in the process representing many important things to people. Manjunath examines this…

TECHNOLOGY IS ONE OF THE GREATEST ENABLERS OF our time, and luxury brands are no laggards when it comes to incorporating and leveraging different technologies to redefine and reimagine the consumer experience. Sample the immersive gastronomic spectacle at the Shangri La hotel in Delhi, where the marvel of cutting edge AR technology projects a miniature chef onto the dining table in an enchanting culinary odyssey that blends animation with reality and innovative 3D mapping with creative cuisine. Or the Equinox hotel in New York City—the world’s first luxury hotel born from a swanky, globally-renowned fitness brand—where sleep scientists have designed rooms that function as ‘sleep chambers’. Sleep is built into the hardware of the rooms, and to create the optimal sleep environment, beds are layered with temperature-regulating natural fibres amid…

Conquering time remains an enduring ambition range of for anyone wanting to buck the calendar’s expiry date. In the meantime, however, the charm of the CONQUEST collection from Longines is inspiration enough to seize the day. Unveiled in 2023, the new generation of Conquest watches is being extended this year to mark the 70th anniversary of the collection. The collection is being expanded to include new models that combine sporty elegance with robustness for daily use. The new 2024 models come in a stainless steel or bi-material case with alternating polished and satin-finished surfaces; water-resistant up to 10 bar (100 m) and with a transparent screw-on case back. The fact that they are available in a sizes, colours and materials, makes them seamlessly adaptable to every occasion. The new timepieces…

Ask a hundred people to predict the dawn of India’s golden era of cocktails, and most will admit that we are cruising through it right now. With an increasing kitty of bars making it to Asia and the World’s 50 Best list; an Indian or an international bar visiting your city every week, and cocktail festivals on loop, it’s time to toast the ‘shake and stir’ segment. Brands are also doing their bit to celebrate innovation and champion celebrity bartenders. Some complain of excess, while others believe the pie has only just been put in the oven. But the problem with hurtling towards the next best ingredient; grabbing another top award, and carpet bombing your Instagram feed, is the slam-dunk cookie-cutter, unintelligent adapting of drinks and techniques, overselling of ideas,…

Take me to high civilizations of forgotten beauty has frequently been my mandate to artistically-rich cities. Artistic heritage contributes immensely to the well-being of communities. It mitigates the effects of the mass-produced, with museums and art institutions, standing as imaginative flags against cloned monopolies. The creative cities on this list, all allow through their tapestry of offerings, fresh ways of experiencing ourselves and our planet. Canberra, Australia, Culture of Creativity Driven by intentional living is Australia’s capital city, Canberra. This life-force can be witnessed in the quality of its public museums. The National Gallery, housed in a Brutalist building on the shores of Lake Burley, is home to one of Australia’s most valuable art collections. The over 155,000 works of art collection, include Australian art from the European settlement to…

The pandemic taught us many things—the uselessness of social politesse, tight jeans, or frightfully, for many, even an extra pair of underwear! But making light of a very grim period aside, we all learnt that the economy only functions when we consume products, for the minute we decide to get by on just the essentials, the system collapses. Which explains why fashions and trends come in cycles; can you imagine buying clothes once and never having to again for a decade? But not all trends are driven purely by commerce; sometimes aesthetics and our shifting perception of them have an equally major role to play. The last few years, sneakers have fallen out of favour and folks can be seen browsing the leather-soled sections in footwear aisles again. I too…

Nobody has ever had to teach us how to sleep. Like hunger, thirst and breathing, sleep is biologically hardwired into the human body from the time it is in the womb. And yet, the impulse to sleep can also go into, or be pushed into, abeyance for long stretches of time. This is why 21-year-old Dinesh Batra, an engineering student in Delhi, never thought twice about compromising on the number of hours he slept. “I had to juggle studies, a long-distance relationship, issues in the family and losing weight. I managed to do everything by reducing the number of hours I slept,” he says. Puffy eyes, dark circles and pale skin were normal for Batra to wake up to. But never did he think that two years of erratic and…

“When I was young, the Aamir Khan-starrer Raja Hindustani featured a kiss between the lead pair. As Khan and Karisma Kapoor leaned closer, the camera panned out further and further. It was implied that they were kissing but you couldn’t see the act in detail,” recalls Dr Tanaya Narendra, an internationally-trained medical doctor, author, embryologist, and scientist, popularly known as dr_cuterus on social media channels. “Cut to today, when Gehraiyaan’s trailer came out a few years ago; it was nothing but a montage of kissing scenes. It’s heartening to see that the greater conversation around sexuality and intimacy has shifted, which is leading to this change,” she adds. Whether it’s the acceptance of films like Thank You For Coming or Lipstick Under My Burkha where women’s pleasure is at the…

Q. Gyaarah Gyaarah is an official adaptation of the hit K-drama Signal. What drew you to it? It blew us away. We worked very hard to get the official adaptation rights. We wanted the audience [here] to experience it individually and at a scale and see how the show is grounded to India. What happens when a walkie-talkie misconnection happens between two cops in two different timelines and a butterfly effect starts. Q. You and Karan Johar produced the series as well the recently-released violent action film Kill. How did the collaboration happen? We have always been talking about it since [the 2013 release] The Lunchbox [co-produced by Monga’s Sikhya Entertainment and distributed by Johar’s Dharma Productions]. I wanted to find a project that I could take to him. He…

Love is a many splendoured thing, especially when it summons the coming together of two titans. In a spirited match made in heaven, The Macallan has partnered with Stella and Mary McCartney to create the third edition of The Harmoney Collection——the limited annual release series, which spotlights the iconic whisky brand’s inherent innovative and creative mindset. Creating connections between generations is what The Macallan does best, and with the third release in The Harmony Collection, it celebrates the lands of Scotland and all those connected with them. Inspired by the McCartney sisters’ love of Scotland, which is rooted in their memories of the Scottish countryside, the third instalment includes two distinct expressions: The Macallan Harmony Collection Amber Meadow and Green Meadow. To honour this bond with the land, the presentation…

Of the many things that Avartana manages adroitly, there are two that it accomplishes with aplomb. One, is actively challenging the perception of South Indian cuisine as just another cheap and cheerful alternative, presenting it instead as an exquisite fine dine option and the other is, elevating the concept of modernist food beyond the obvious parameters of pretty presentation and the usual foam and smoke brand of gastronomy. Don’t get me wrong, they serve up a gorgeous plate with each course, but each inventive stroke of culinary magic bears the feather touch of progressive thought balanced by traditional flavours making it a surprising, yet delicious odyssey. The fact that the tastes, aromas and flavours never stray far from its roots, yet manage to delight and amaze is the most beautiful…

At 73, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar shows no signs of slowing down—witness only the gymnastic ability he exhibited ahead of the Lok Sabha election, daring to make a political leap few would have attempted. Contrary to bazaar talk over the past season, he is pretty much in the thick of action, and evidently loving it. But a couple of top-level appointments he made over the last month indicate he may have plans for the future of his party—the Janata Dal (United)—beyond his own active helmsmanship. The moves attain significance against the backdrop of the Lok Sabha election results, which had breathed new life into the JD(U)’s political fortunes and entrenched Nitish’s own status as the prime playmaker on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) side in Bihar. The two new…

On July 31, Sheikh Hasina may have become the longest serving prime minister of Bangladesh with a total of 20 years (though not consecutively) at the helm, but she has been on the backfoot ever since the recent, explosive protests by college/university students over reservation for government jobs resulted in around 200 deaths. That’s because in Bangladesh, students have been in the vanguard of national politics, as opinion leaders and dynamic participants. Since the 1971 Liberation War, Bangladesh has had a provision for a 30 per cent quota in civil service and public sector jobs for children of freedom fighters. There was an oft-stated sub-text that beneficiaries of this quota were an important part of Hasina’s Awami League vote-bank. Despite this, in October 2018, when widespread students’ protests sought quota…

INDIA TODAY MAGAZINE ON THE WEB COVER STORY SLEEPLESS IN INDIA Indians are facing a debilitating sleep deficit, but promising new therapies are at hand TO READ THE FULL ISSUE LOG ON TO: www.indiatoday.in/magazine INDIA TODAY MAGAZINE ON INSTAGRAM KNOW IT AS IT HAPPENS A go-to destination for news breaks and views on politics, sports, films and more @indiatodaymagazine INDIA TODAY DAILY NEWSLETTER INDIA TODAY INSIGHT Sharp analysis on topical issues by the editors of India Today magazine www.indiatoday.in/magazine INDIA TODAY BEST COLLEGES YOUR CAREER GOLDMINE India Today 2024 Best Colleges Survey — your guide to higher education in the country www.bestcolleges.indiatoday.in/ INDIA TODAY SUPPLEMENTS ON THE INSTAGRAM INDIA TODAY SPICE @indiatoday_spice INDIA TODAY HOME @indiatoday_home INDIA TODAY ADVANTAGE @indiatodayadvantage INDIA TODAY PODCASTS NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH Raj Chengappa A…

A decade back, Pakistani actor Fawad Khan became the poster boy for middle-aged Indian women who swooned over his mature, sensitive portrayals as a dreamy Austenesque hero in romantic dramas like Humsafar and Zindagi Gulzar Hai. They’d earn him a break in Hindi cinema with Khoobsurat (2014), expanding his fan base among a younger generation. Two more Hindi films would follow—Kapoor & Sons and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016)—but soon a terrorist attack in Uri would damage the already fraught relations between the two nations. It would ultimately lead to a boycott of Pakistani artists working in India. “Collateral damage,” is how Khan looks at it. “We are in a unique situation where the clash spills over to areas that it shouldn’t really,” he says. “Having said that, it hasn’t stopped…

Q. You use stories as a medium to dismantle the stigma around sex and drive change. How did it all begin? Stories are the most powerful tool of communication and influence. If you look at any story in the past, the woman’s body is always someone else’s property. You always hear about the chaste women—there are no stories ever told about women who have the power to enjoy their bodies. It has been propagated through the narrative that until you get your period, you are a devi or goddess and have to be worshipped. After that, you suddenly become impure. To me, I try and unpick these stories, especially regarding women’s identity in society. It’s a gendered narrative told through the story—a subliminal strain of the woman always being the sacrificer…

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High Spirits The ‘House of the Dragon’ Exclusive Edition by Indri brings a spirited welcome to the monsoon. While the House of Black is a single malt that unfolds flavours of sweet chocolate and toffee to hints of dates, figs, and vanilla, the House of Green offers a bouquet of sweet, fruity, floral, and nutty flavours, complemented by spice, chocolate, and dried fruits. Price ₹ 6,000–11,500 depending on the state available in; Availability Select premium outlets and at Delhi Duty Free Skin Deep If the monsoon humidity is playing havoc with your skin, the Skeyndor Multibiotic Restoring Complex has much in store for you. It restores the skin microbiome by forming an invisible film that repairs, protects, soothes, and moisturises the skin. Price ₹3,750; Availability www.skeyndor.in Look no Further If eyes…

TECH SAVVY OR TECH OBSESSED I am more tech enabled. I am not bad, but I am not great. Sometimes I am also lazy; I haven’t updated my phone software. WHAT DOES TECHNOLOGY MEAN TO YOU? It started with being convenient now we have gotten used to it. It is all round us—from a phone to a car to a washing machine and TV. It’s been helpful and makes life easy but it has got its own cons which we need to be aware of. People used to walk a lot earlier; just getting their daily chores done would give them a work out. Now it’s like people have forgotten to walk. We have to be mindful of what else the body needs. FAVOURITE TECH TOYS A tripod with light…

In origami, each fold is a showcase of beauty and elegance. This means a simple fold can metamorphose the mundane into something magical. Nowhere is this more apparent than in folding smartphones. In an era where innovation meets opulence, folding smartphones have emerged as the epitome of cutting-edge technology and refined elegance, effortlessly blending state-of-the-art engineering with exquisite design. Here’s a look at the top four premium folding smartphones. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 If you are into something smaller that can fold, then pick up the latest Z Flip. Featuring a 3.4-inch FHD IPS cover display with a 60Hz refresh rate and a 6.6-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X main display, it has IP48 rating and side fingerprint sensor. The Flex-Window (outer display) offers music widgets, Samsung Health updates, and…

Nostalgia walks a charmed path; after all, hindsight is perfect sight. This vision holds good in the rarefied world of haute horology too, where legacy marques often tweak old models or lean on the twin pillars of tradition and provenance to retrace memory lane. The L.U.C XPS Forest Green from Chopard does one better by marrying vintage charm and modern watchmaking excellence. The timepiece celebrates three core values of the L.U.C collection: technical prowess, aesthetic charm and a commitment to certified watchmaking. Retro appeal notwithstanding, the 40-mm Lucent Steel™ case is also responsibly produced and well-proportioned to suit a wide variety of wrist sizes. The enchanting dial comes with traditional touches of Chopard design that stretches across the case and lugs to the signature rhodium-plated Dauphine hands. What’s more, the…