Innholdsfortegnelse for July 15, 2019 i India Today

The Kargil War ended 20 years ago this month. It was India’s first televised war and one in which the media was given unprecedented access to the frontlines. INDIA TODAY covered the war in depth with eight back-to-back issues detailing every aspect of the conflict, from the furious high-altitude battles, our intelligence failure, the incredible valour of Indian soldiers called upon to perform the impossible and, finally, the behind-the-scenes manoeuvring that forced Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to order his army to withdraw from the heights. The thing about military gambits is that they look good as sand models, but often disintegrate in the face of harsh reality. This is exactly what happened in Kargil. A clique of generals led by General Pervez Musharraf grossly underestimated India’s political will and…

In February 2018, it was widely reported that Cape Town would be the first city in the world to “turn off its taps”. The city was fast approaching what disaster management officials call “day zero”—when the city’s reservoirs would be so far below capacity that people would be forced to go to communal taps to get water. In the end, emergency measures were sufficient to avoid calamity. At the time, in a list of 11 cities around the world most likely to run out of water, Bengaluru was listed in second place, behind Sao Paulo. No other Indian city was on that list, though it was widely acknowledged that many of them were vulnerable to acute water shortages. In the event, it was Chennai that ran out of water first.…

The deadline for the final draft of the National Register of Citizens in Assam has been extended to the end of this month. In December 2013, a three-year deadline was set to complete the compilation of the list. Despite several extensions, the exercise remains fraught. Last year’s draft caused huge controversy when millions of people were left off the list. More people continue to be found ineligible, and the Union ministry for home affairs has had to step in to assist the Assam government to form additional tribunals for people left off the list who want to contest that decision. During the general election campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised that no “genuine Indian citizen” would be left off the final draft. Tens of thousands of those left off the…

Raisina Hill is abuzz with talk of 9 pm meetings chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his 7, Lok Kalyan Marg residence. Apparently, these are meetings where the PM reviews appointments of IAS officers, including the personal staff of cabinet ministers. The vetting of the bureaucracy, a feature of the government’s first term, has now become more rigorous. As a result, many second-time ministers are finding it difficult to get bureaucrats of their choice. The PM personally scans the record, vigilance and intelligence reports, service history and credentials of babus. If a bureaucrat recommended by a particular minister does not fit the bill, the minister is sent names of possible replacements. A Swachh Bharat of a different sort. TOUGH SPEAKER Rajasthan speaker C.P. Joshi is cracking the whip in…

The Madhya Pradesh government is bringing in an amendment to the MP Bovine Slaughter Prohibition Act, 2004 (Madhya Pradesh Govansh Vadh Pratishedh Adhiniyam, 2004) to make cow vigilantism-related attacks on individuals or property a serious offence. With this, MP will become the first state in the country to have such a law. The proposed amendment will introduce a Section 6C in the act for this purpose. Anyone violating Section 6C will be liable to a jail term for a minimum six months and a maximum three years, besides a fine of Rs 25,000. However, if the violation involves an ‘unlawful assembly of people’, all those booked will face a minimum one year in jail; the maximum sentence will be five years and a fine of Rs 50,000. Abetment of the…

Fresh trouble has gripped the ruling Janata Dal (Secular)- Congress coalition in Karnataka, already reeling from the Lok Sabha election debacle. While Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy is away on a personal trip to the US, following his botched grama vastavya (village stay) programme aimed at connecting with the rural masses, the Congress is up against rising dissidence and factionalism. Two Congress legislators resigned on July 1 and the various camps in the party are divided over whether it should continue in the government. Bengaluru-based political analyst A. Veerappa says the Congress house is a “total mess”. “The Siddaramaiah faction in the Congress blames the JD(S) for the Lok Sabha debacle and doesn’t want this government to continue,” he says. “Another group wants the government to run, but after a cabinet…

Mallikarjun Kharge WHY/ WHY NOT Low profile, trusted by Gandhis POSSIBILITY High Sushilkumar Shinde WHY/ WHY NOT Former home minister, experienced, Dalit POSSIBILITY Moderate Prithviraj Chavan WHY/ WHY NOT Has acceptance among veterans, Gandhis not wary of him POSSIBILITY Moderate Sachin Pilot WHY/ WHY NOT Young and dynamic, won Rajasthan for Congress. But Sonia not keen, veterans wary POSSIBILITY Low Ashok Gehlot WHY/ WHY NOT Could help end Rajasthan infighting, also experienced; Gehlot and veterans unwilling POSSIBILITY Low Randeep Singh Surjewala WHY/ WHY NOT Rahul’s trusted aide. But faces resistance from state leadership and veterans, lost bypoll POSSIBILITY Low Shashi Tharoor WHY/ WHY NOT Flamboyant, resisted two Modi waves. But often gets into controversies, unacceptable to veterans POSSIBILITY Low…

The coaching industry needs to be reformed to make it more transparent and inclusive Coaching centres need to improve their corporate governance standards Affordable technology should be promoted in education State governments should subsidise economically weak students. A private-public partnership model could also work—in lieu of subsidised fees, government school infrastructure could be provided to coaching centres at subsidised rates…

Meditation and yoga sessions Stress-buster sessions with comedy movies, joke sessions and other light-hearted events to relax students the day before the exam Presentations by psychologists, experts, alumni and academic heads Diversification of class activities into tasks such as reading, discussing and problem-solving to prevent boredom and stress Breathing control and eye and shoulder exercises at appropriate intervals Narrating a story or changing the topic from time to time to keep students fresh Keeping lectures simple, organised and regularly seeking feedback from students…

Say what you will, but this is the only city in India which publicly acknowledges art and culture in any way,” says a friend visiting from Delhi. We have just passed a road sign proclaiming Calcutta as the ‘City of Satyajit Ray’, right after which comes a bus stop decorated with a mosaic portrait of Rabindranath Tagore and tile renditions of three of his iconic paintings. Having spent the past 30-odd years disparaging what I’ve seen as the slow-motion collapse of the city’s great cultural traditions and practices, I now realise that, unlike other Indian cities, Kolkata has at least maintained some notion, some self-definition of being a place where the arts matter. Across the road from the massive South City Mall, with its glass and concrete façade, is a…

He writes his own sketches, shoots them on his camera phone and edits on a computer. With 14 million subscribers, he is one of India’s biggest YouTubers. In the two or three videos he uploads every month, Delhi-based Bhuvan Bam, aka BB Ki Vines, showcases his acting, singing and great mimicry skills. “I don’t even have a tripod,” says Bam, 25. “The appeal is in its imperfection.BB knows he’s doing wrong but he’s not changing his ways.” As Titu Mama, one of his more popular characters modelled on a real maternal uncle, Bam has interviewed Shah Rukh Khan and porn star Johnny Sins. He ordered a moustache from eBay, a wig from Amazon and worked on his voice. Bam doesn’t want any politicians on his guest list: “They have an…

Q. Your film, Yesterday, imagines a world without The Beatles, so is it fan fiction or a cheeky comment on our cultural amnesia? [Laughs] It’s a work of fan fiction, I think. It comes from [writer] Richard Curtis, a Beatles nut who has written many romantic comedies. But I’ll put it this way—it is a light, entertaining film that can help one think about cultural appropriation and cultural amnesia. Q. Which Beatles song or album is your favourite? I’ll cheat and say that it’s the medley on Abbey Road. Q. You describe Yesterday as “light” and “entertaining”. Do you think we need such films to survive Trump and Brexit? I think every era thinks it lives in terrible times and I’m at an age [62] where I have felt that…

BREGUET Marine Dame 9518 The exciting Bregeut Marine gets a feminine update this year with Marine Dame. The dial crafted in mother-of-pearl champions the house’s guilloche skills via the etched waves on the face. The seconds hand is emblazoned with the maritime flag and encased in white gold and the bezel is ringed with diamonds. The Marine dial is adorned with an ocean-blue lacquer with light reflections, or with polished or engine-turned mother-of-pearl giving it an iridescent affect. The Roman numerals resemble nautical pennants. For use at night, the open tips of the hands, the five-minute markings, and the hour markers are coated with luminescent material. ROLEX GMT-Master II The new 40mm Rolex GMT-Master II comes with an exciting bidirectional rotatable bezel and a two-colour 24-hour graduated Cerachrom insert in…

BREGUET Reine de Naples 8967 The first Reine de Naples was commissioned in 1810 by Caroline Murat. The unique egg shaped dial sits elegantly on the wrist and has been used as a base for many editions over the years. This year, the creation has 117 diamonds, weighinh about 0.99ct, a self-winding movement and a balance spring and escape wheel in silicon. OMEGA De Ville Trésor 70 years after it's first rendition, the Omega De Ville Trésor comes in a 40 mm stainless steel case, which is presented on a blue leather strap. The dial is domed and etched with a blue pattern. Within, lies the Master Co-Axial Calibre 8910 certified as one of the finest in the industry. PANERAI Luminor California 8 Days PAM00779 Featuring all things, the Luminor…

CARL F. BUCHERER Heritage BiCompax Annual The modern day vintage chronograph features a bicolour bezel with rose-and-champagne dial, push buttons, and crown crafted from 18ct rose gold (subtle nod to the baroque opulence of Lucerne) with the rest in stainless steel. BALMAIN Balmainia Bijou The Balmainia Bijou collection embraces 13 models. There are cases in pure stainless steel, and variations with rose gold PVD and bi-colour. True to its playful geometric design vocabulary, the metal bracelets have eye-catching structures. OMEGA Constellation Manahattan A classic, the Omega Constellation has been revamped often. This 29 mm edition in 18K Sedna™ gold and stainless steel features a bezel with engraved Roman numerals, blue aventurine glass dial with diamond hour markers and a date window at the 6 o'clock position. LONGINES Record The self…

Jean-Marc Pontroué joined the Richemont group in 2000 after spending half a decade with luxury conglomerate LVMH. During his tenure at Richemont he worked with Montblanc and Roger Dubuis and after nearly two decades, he was appointed as the CEO of Panerai last April. How has your brand experience been so far? Joining a new brand is like starting a new chapter of a book and so far this chapter has been great. I don’t say that’s because I chose to join Panerai but because Panerai is counted among one of the top 20 icons in the watch world and I get to work with a brand that can be recognised at a single glance. To me, that’s amazing and a true mark of a wonderful brand. Watchmakers take eons…

When Chopard was bought over in 1963 by German entrepreneurs Karl and Karin Scheufele they had a vision for the brand; they wanted it to grow into a leading manufacture and their daughter Caroline Scheufele played a key role in making that happen. Today, the brand is known to some of the most iconic timepieces and jewellery, all under the watchful eye of Scheufele. She has also led the brand down the sustainability route and ensured the label’s commitment to using fair-mined gemstones and precious metals. This year’s launches are a refinement of your time-honoured series like the Happy Sport. Tell us about reinventing classics. At Chopard, we never take no for an answer. The oval-shaped case made its comeback last year with the Happy Sport series. The oval shaped…

It has been just over three years since the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016, came into effect. An attempt to clean up India’s credit culture and make habitual loan defaulters fall in line, the IBC’s short history has been a chequered one. According to the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) June 2019 Financial Stability Report (FSR), of the 1,858 corporate insolvencies processed under the IBC, 94 were ‘resolved’ and 378 firms liquidated. By March 2019, debts amounting to Rs 1.73 lakh crore had been ‘resolved’, says the FSR, though banks actually recovered only about 43 per cent (Rs 74,500 crore) of what they were owed. Settling for a fraction of their dues (a.k.a. a ‘haircut’ in banking parlance)—a forced waiver of 57 per cent, in fact—does not sound like…

“Network equipment is related to national security, and a nation without its own is like one without its own military,” Huawei’s founder Ren Zhengfei told then Chinese president Jiang Zemin in a 1994 sales pitch. “Well said,” Jiang replied. And Huawei won a contract to build a telecom network for the army. Two years later, Beijing went on to adopt a policy of supporting domestic manufacturers like Huawei, restricting telecom imports. Those events may have helped the 1987-born start-up to grow into a giant that would overtake Ericsson in 2012 to become the world’s largest telecom equipment maker ($108 billion in 2018 revenues). They also cause the US, India and others to worry that Huawei’s proximity to the Chinese state means its equipment has ‘backdoors’ for spying, an accusation never…

Politics, the art of the possible, makes room for strange ironies. The June 27 Bombay High Court order upholding a bill—passed in the Maharashtra legislature on November 30, 2018—recognising the Marathas as socially and economically backward, and hence entitled to reservations in education and government jobs, comes just three months ahead of assembly elections in the state. The verdict will no doubt bolster Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s prospects, and it matters little in the context that he is a caste Brahmin himself. The high court, however, reduced the quota from the current 16 per cent to 12 per cent in education and 13 per cent in government jobs, as recommended by the State Backward Classes Commission. This is besides the existing 60 per cent quota in the state, bringing the…

With elections to six assembly constituencies due in the next six months and to local self-government bodies in 2020, the stakes are high for Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the CPI(M). The Left Democratic Front (LDF) coalition his party heads won only one of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in the recent general election. This is worrying for the CPI(M) as the government has only two years to go before its term lapses. The LDF had come to power in 2016 with 91 seats in the 140-member assembly and a 43.5 per cent vote share. Six assembly constituencies go to the polls as four MLAs have been elected to the Lok Sabha, and the Manjeswaram and Pala seats have fallen vacant due to the death of two UDF legislators.…

mentoring and personal attention Motivational support and counselling for students Regular monitoring of student attendance Student performance feedback and in-depth customised analysis Data marked with * are observations that emerged from the survey Authenticity of past results Expertise of experienced faculty Latest testing pattern; computer-based testing facilities Competent and comprehensive study material Solutions to individual queries;…

Gaining admission to a premier institute for a BTech, an MBBS or an MBA course is a matter of pride for both students and their parents. However, it is not an easy task. As a result of the very few seats available (compared to the number of applicants), competition for admission to India’s top institutes is fierce. Students generally enrol in private coaching institutes to prepare themselves, since school curriculums and teaching goals are geared toward board exams, not competitive entrance examinations. However, given the number of private coaching institutes these days, students and parents are saddled with yet another cumbersome task—selecting the right one. To make this task easier, INDIA TODAY, in association with Marketing & Development Research Associates (MDRA), a reputed market research agency, has developed a ranking…

Soham Gupta’s portraits are not easy to see. Their narratives are stark—abuse, sexual harassment, homelessness, madness, hunger and even impending death. Gupta deftly chronicles Kolkata and its nocturnal wanderers. Now part of the exhibit at the 58th Venice Biennale, the portraits, titled Angst are all shot at night. They’re full of desertion and abandonment, of a harshness that lines the margins. For Gupta, night is a sort of studio. “Night is when I feel really comfortable and also with darkness. With its promise of a sort of invisibility, it allows some people to haunt the streets, while others go home,” he says. Gupta’s brutal flash exposes those who would remain invisible if it weren’t for his camera. The 30-year-old Gupta started working on Angst in 2013. He has had panic…

Editor-in-Chief Aroon Purie Group Editorial Director Raj Chengappa Group Creative Editor Nilanjan Das Group Photo Editor Bandeep Singh Deputy Editor Prachi Bhuchar Senior Editor Chumki Bharadwaj Editorial Consultant Jahnavi Chakravarty Sr. Art Director Sanjay Piplani Art Director Angshuman De Assistant. Art Director Rajesh Angira Chief Photo Researcher Prabhakar Tiwari Principal Photo Researcher Saloni Vaid Senior Photo Researcher Shubhrojit Brahma Production Harish Aggarwal (Chief of Production), Naveen Gupta, Vijay Sharma Publishing Director Manoj Sharma Associate Publisher (Impact) Anil Fernandes Senior General Manager (Impact) Jitendra Lad (West) General Managers Upendra Singh (Bangalore) Kaushiky Gangulie (East) Group Chief Marketing Officer Vivek Malhotra Editor: Raj Chengappa…

For every wheel fanatic that salivates at the thought of a Rolls Royce in their cavalcade, there is an audiophile who would readily sacrifice an arm and a leg in the quest for that perfect note. The story of 30-year-old Audio Note started off with a similar search for the sonic Holy Grail in Japan, when Hiruyasu Kondo, son of a Buddhist priest, resigned his post as an engineer at Sony/CBS because he felt he couldn’t achieve his dream of building a better sound system. With passion this obsessive driving it, little surprise that Audio Note was featured in Rolls Royce’s Book, ‘A Legacy Of Luxury’, as one of few companies that strive for perfection, regardless of cost or difficulty. The Audio Note Ongaku integrated audio amplifier is the perfect…

LONGINES Hydroconquest A bold 43mm dial in sunray black with a ceramic bezel and steel case, this is an ideal step one into the big watch world. Think of this automatic self winding movement as a companion for an evening out or casual weekend getaway. IWC Da Vinci Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph A vintage delight, the Da Vinci series, this Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph comes with the IWC-manufactured 89900 calibre allows the time to be set precisely to the second with the help of the hacking tourbillon. ROLEX Yacht-Master 42 Crafted in Rolex's signature 18 carat gold alloy, this 42mm dial features a deep black dial that comes to life with the lume markers, ceramic bezel and Yacht-Master’s new Oysterflex bracelet, developed and patented by Rolex, offers a sporty alternative to metal…

LONGINES Master Collection Annual Calendar One of the first to seamlessly distinguish between 30 and 31 days without any manual intervention, the Master Annual Calendar is the ultimate classic. OMEGA Seamaster Aqua Terra World Timer The Seamaster Aqua Terra World timer dial is an artistic delight. It features the entire globe created by a grade five titanium plate. This has been laser-ablated to create the blue ocean, leaving a relief of the continents. The centre of the dial contains a 24-hour glass ring, with light blue to indicate daytime and dark blue to indicate night, allowing the wearer to seamlessly see the time around the globe at a glance. BAUME ET MERCIER Clifton Baumatic Perpetual Calendar Powered with the new calibre BM12-1975A, the Clifton Baumatic indicates the day, date, month…

CHOPARD Happy Sport Oval Chopard first gave us a preview of the free or their ‘happy’ diamonds series way back in 1993. From then on it has been a mystical journey through different dial sizes, cases, even animals. The latest update comes in an oval dial with seven suspended diamonds in rose gold. GLASHüTTE ORIGINAL Senator Chronometer Inspired by traditional marine chronometers of the past, the Senator Chronometer features Roman numerals in railroad style minute track. The new update comes wrapped in warm rose gold complimented with Louisiana alligator leather strap. BLANCPAIN Villeret GMT Date ref 662 The 40mm wonder has all the makings of the classic timepiece with a little extra. Think clean milky white dial, a date window, the signature red marker at the end of the seconds…

TAG HEUER Connected Golf Although most smartwatches promise a tracking method like none other, the TAG Heuer Connected Golf has all your needs on the course down to the wire. With 3D mapping of over 39,000 courses across the globe, a personalised score card, shot tracking and more, this one is a sure shot hole in one. FREDERIQUE CONSTANT Hybrid Manufacture The Hybrid Manufacture has an automatic mechanical movement with digital tracking features. Ideal for the fence sitters. TISSOT T-Touch Expert Solar II Encased in a titanium case with a ceramic bezel powered with an altimeter, altitude difference meter, compass, regatta, countdown timer, perpetual calendar, accumulator charge indicator and more, there is nothing this watch can’t do. MONTBLANC SUMMIT 2 The SUMMIT 2 is a versatile companion created for urban…

@ShougatDasgupta The Boys in Saffron Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti sparked a bizarre (media-led) controversy over an innocuous tweet in which she ‘blamed’ India’s orange and navy away shirts for the defeat against England. The orange was close enough to saffron to annoy some who see political conspiracy and intrigue everywhere. “Call me superstitious,” she wrote, clearly in jest, “but I’d say it’s the jersey that ended India’s winning streak.” Of course, this was all the excuse hyperventilating news anchors needed to ask ad nauseam whether Mehbooba was ‘politicising’ cricket and whether she even supported Team India. Giriraj Singh, minister of animal husbandry, had no doubt that she and Omar Abdullah, also a former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister, were mourning India’s inability to do Pakistan a…

Q. Given what has happened in the 20 years since you wrote these pieces, do you despair? It’s immaterial whether I, personally, despair or not. I am not the point. The question is whether we—all of us, collectively—feel things are going well or not. Do we feel we live in a real democracy in which people’s rights are protected regardless of caste, class, religion or ethnicity? If not, is justice at least an ideal? Are we moving in that direction? Are we making the right decisions with regard to the environment? Have the great dams we have built delivered what they promised? Are the institutions in our country—courts, schools and universities, hospitals, banks—working for the good of our people? Are they within reach of the poorest of the poor? How…

1991 A Maratha delegation requests then PM V.P. Singh to give quota to the community 1992 Maharashtra Backward Classes Commission formed 2008 The commission denies reservations to Marathas 2011 State government forms panels under Narayan Rane to study social status of Marathas JUN. 2014 State announces 16 per cent reservation NOV. 2014 High court stays the reservation 2016 First of 58 rallies takes place in Aurangabad 2018 Backward Classes Commission submits its report to the HC JUN. 27, 2019 High court upholds reservations for Marathas Graphic by TANMOY CHAKRABORTY…

He has been in office for barely a month, but Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is not wasting any time. The new Andhra Pradesh chief minister wants to reassure voters that there will be zero tolerance on corruption and no delays in implementing pre-poll promises. But even as he talks up the development agenda, Jagan is also showing signs that he’s unwilling to let bygones be bygones vis-a-vis ex-CM Chandrababu Naidu and his Telugu Desam Party (TDP). The alacrity with which he pulled down the Praja Vedika—a Rs 8 crore showpiece convention centre Naidu built with taxpayers’ money—and tasked a cabinet sub-committee to probe the TDP government’s decisions has raised eyebrows. The Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress (YSRC) boss has baited Naidu and a section of the media that backed the TDP…

THE ‘PRICE LIST’ 1 Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (Banglar Bari in West Bengal): ₹10,000 cut-money for drawing a ₹1.2 lakh dole 2 Toilets under Swachh Bharat (Nirmal Bangla): ₹1,000 for a grant of ₹10,000-12,000 3 Samabyathi assistance to poor for last rites: ₹200 out of ₹2,000 4 Building PMAY-G houses under MNREGA: ₹8,000 out of ₹18,000 paid by the government 5 College admissions: ₹10,000-80,000. With online admissions introduced in 2019, the malpractice may be curbed now 6 Teachers’ recruitment in primary schools: ₹5-7 lakh 7 Real estate projects: ₹20 lakh-1 crore HOW IT WORKS 1 Since doles under government schemes are direct benefit transfers, panchayat members and local/ district leaders of the TMC allegedly seize the account holders’ bank/ post office documents, such as passbook, withdrawal slips 2 Beneficiaries are…

Motivational sessions with songs, role-playing and other activities Scoring and grading students for each task they perform in class Frequent reminders to students of the rewards of success in their chosen examinations Open seminars and leadership sessions Motivational lectures, conducted on-site and then uploaded to YouTube for later viewing Strategy sessions on mock tests, conducted by students from premier Indian institutes (including IITs and IIMs) Regular engagement with students and their parents by faculty members to discuss concerns and offer feedback One-on-one mentorship sessions for students with their mentors for competitive exams, throughout the year Data marked with * are observations that emerged from the survey…

COACHING CENTRES ARE NECESSARY BECAUSE OF THE GREAT GAP BETWEEN EDUCATION IMPARTED IN SCHOOLS AND THE LEVELS REQUIRED TO CRACK COMPETITIVE EXAMINATIONS Why do we need coaching centres? Because there is a great gap between the level of education imparted in schools and the level required to crack a competitive exam. Government-sponsored education cannot fill this gaping hole today. The central and state governments have to take responsibility for this—they must conduct teacher training programmes and improve standards of education, so that future generations of students from marginalised backgrounds don’t have to seek coaching. Until then, Super 30 is making an effort to bridge the divide. Since it was established, more educational programmes like ours have emerged elsewhere, benefitting many more students. But access to affordable coaching centres is still…

When I email Sujata Massey to set up an interview, she’s in the thick of her promotional tour for The Satapur Moonstone, the second book in the gripping Perveen Mistry series, with an event in a new city practically every night. We chat over a WhatsApp call, while she’s waiting to board a flight from Milwaukee to Minnesota. The Baltimore-based writer has authored 14 novels, including the popular Rei Shimura series, chronicling the adventures of the eponymous Japanese-American sleuth in Tokyo. Last year, Massey introduced her fans to Perveen Mistry, a young crime-solving Parsi solicitor in 1920s Bombay, in A Murder on Malabar Hill. The novel, with its quick pace and vivid descriptions of colonial Bombay, was lapped up by readers and critics alike. The recently released The Satapur Moonstone…

As soon as I start listening to singer-songwriter Ditty’s new album, it begins to pour. The rain beats down on a hot tin roof, drowning out her music, which she describes as “earth songs”. It seems like the earth and sky are responding with unbridled joy to a musician whose philosophy is spelt out in three simple words: “We are nature.” Raised in New Delhi, Aditi Veena moved to Sri Lanka in her mid-20s to work as a conservation architect. Her first full-length album, Poetry Ceylon, arguably the debut of the year, is an ode to her time spent on the island. It was idyllic and fruitful—she wrote 300 poems—and yet the streets were unkind. ‘I got groped, just like I did in Delhi.’ The opening track ‘Food City’ is…

THE TADPOLE REPERTORY Formed in Delhi in 2009 by writer-director Neel Chaudhuri and a confederation of talented actors, Tadpole’s work—whether original texts like Quicksand, or devised/adaptedworklike Taramandalis full of spare storytelling with a rare attentiveness to language. THEATRE ROOTS AND WINGS Sankar Venkateswaran, the Kerala-based group’s founder, moves between celebrated international collaborations and cross-cultural work closer home. He has directedBhasa’s Urubhanga with German actors in Munich, Maurice Maeterlinck with Ninasam in Karnataka, and Ibsen with tribal communities in Attappadi, Kerala. THE PATCHWORKS ENSEMBLE Founded in 2014 by Puja Sarup and Sheena Khalid, the Mumbai-based group has already established a reputation for edgy, expansive work around gender, with sly, delightful plays like Ila and Gentlemen’s Club AKA Tape.…

IT’S ALL GOOD TO GET WHIMSICAL AND NOSTALGIC about the past but time is really not about indulging in how things were yesterday. Change is afoot in the business of telling time. This was brought home sharply this year as we witnessed a shift in the way two of the world’s biggest watch fairs played out. Salon Internationals de la Haute Horlogerie or SIHH, which takes place in Geneva every January, and Baselworld, in March/ April have always attracted top retailers, distributors and even collectors but it is no secret that even the meanest designs and the newest materials are failing to attract numbers; blame the smart watch, the mobile phone, the idiot millennial, or the roving taxman for this slump but no one can deny that these plum watch…

raditionally, watch brands from the Richemont Group exhibit at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in January and everyone else exhibits at Basel-world in the spring, but this year has seen an interesting game of musical chairs with SIHH expanding its exhibition space to accommodate more independent brands and Baselworld reducing its space as many of its brands have given up on the trade fair game. The Swatch Group dramatically pulled all its brands out of Baselworld last year, while Breitling has announced it will not be attending in 2020. The SIHH is also seeing departures with Audemars Piguet and Richard Mille leaving next year. Many cite astronomical expenses attached to attending trade shows, while others say that the trade show model is outdated and no longer serves…

AUDEMARS PIGUET Royal Oak ‘Jumbo’ Extra-Thin With the contradicting yet self explanatory title, the new Royal Oak boasts a 8.1mm thickness with a 39mm dial size. PIAGET Altiplano Although they are already record holders for the thinnest movement in the world, this year’s launch has a grey meteorite dial in a stone finish making it the perfect dress watch. With a case only 6.36mm thick, the self winding automatic movement is limited to 300 pieces. RADO True Thinline Les Couleurs Le Corbusier Dubbed as the master of materials, the Rado True Thinline is a true testament to that. Made with matte high-tech ceramic with a monoblock construction chain strap, this watch is only 5mm thick. BULGARI Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Automatic Categorised as the thinnest chronograph in the world, this…

HUBLOT Big Bang Tourbillon 5-day Power Reserve Blue Sapphire The completely transparent 45mm case creation houses a skeletonised resin dial with a rhodium-plated brass handset and oversized luminous Arabic numerals, coming together for a harmonious look. ULYSSE NARDIN Skeleton X The SKELETON X is an X-ray interpretation of the future of watchmaking design, where we see everything, including the very architecture and functioning of time. It plays off the transparency of its powerful movement by intricately cutting away as much material as possible, without jeopardising shock resistance, to reveal the stunning beauty of the three-dimensional heart beating inside. CHANEL BOY• FRIEND Skeleton Édition Noire The manual wound movement is made in the house’s traditional octagon dial in brushed ceramic. The BOY·FRIEND watch, much like it’s opaque counterpart, the PREMIÈRE holds…

SWATCH X A BATHING APE® Swatch Big Bold Bape Swiss watchmaking meets street culture here. This timepiece is a testament to the hypebeast in you. Six new limited-edition watches are dedicated to their favourite (mega)-cities, namely Bern, London, New York City, Paris, Tokyo and the entire planet. The artworks on the dial feature a camouflage print. HUBLOT X FERRARI Classic Fusion Ferrari GT The long standing association between Hublot and Ferrari has presented the most innovative creations over the years. This year, the Classic Fusion Ferrari GT takes inspiration from the Gran Turismo. It features the new UNICO manufacture movement which boasts a self-winding chronograph flyback with column wheel and a power reserve of 72 hours. HARRY WINSTON Midnight Yozora Automatic The result of a novel partnership between Harry Winston…

Raynald Aeschlimann grew up in the Jura Bernois district of Switzerland and had been exposed to the world of watchmaking at a very early age. He joined Omega in 1996 as a sales and marketing project manager and hasn’t looked back since. He has spent the last two decades in the Swatch Group in various positions and he was made the CEO of Omega in 2016. This year has been special for Omega. Take us through the new launches in 2019 and the anniversary editions? I think 2019 is a special year for everyone, not just Omega. It marks the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing, which should remind us all about the power of possibility and the great things that humans can achieve. Of course, the Omega Speedmaster…

Matthias Breschan started his journey with the Swatch Group in 2005 and worked with notable labels like Hamilton and Swatch, before taking up the helm of Rado in 2011. His astute marketing vision has led the label to new heights and is considered one of most innovative watch brands when it comes to materials. In India, Rado has strong fans among the youth and is slowly becoming the go-to brand for gifting his and her timepieces. Breschan shares his vision for the innovative brand. How has Rado maintained it’s ever-evolving approach over the years? I have been managing Rado for over eight years now. We could have continued with only our iconic designs, but we realised that our loyal clients are from a certain age group, and it is important…

The Tourbillon is synonymous with Breguet, simply because Abraham-Louis Breguet invented and patented it over 220 years ago. The master watchmaker created a watch that negated the effects of gravity on the functioning of the oscillator which improved the chronometric accuracy of the movement. He incorporated the balance wheel, spring and escapement into a rotating cage, and the double rotation of this cage and parts was called Tourbillon. A regular feature in most collections, weighing just about one gram, it stands testament to excellence in watchmaking. In 2014, Breguet introduced a watch that was an amalgamation of the brand’s classic design sensibilities and innovative spirit: The Classique Tourbillon Extra-Thin Automatic 5377. The introductory edition with a guilloché dial and a power reserve indicator was followed up in 2018 by an…

It’s almost impossible to think about diver watches without mentioning Rolex. The Sea Dweller was first launched in 1967 and was considered path-breaking at the time. Even today, its signature helium escape valve is counted as one of the most useful features in a diver watch. Cut to 50 years later, the Rolex Sea-Dweller 2017 version gets an update with an enlarged dial, date magnifier, and a new automatic movement. This year, when Rolex announced another edition, there was a great deal of excitement as one knew that they could only better what they had already done. The Rolex Sea-Dweller 43mm Yellow Rolesor 126603 at 43mm, has a polished ceramic bezel, still utilises the classic helium escape valve on the left side of the case, and is powered by the…