Innholdsfortegnelse for August 9, 2021 i India Today

Friends can be changed, not neighbours,” Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said in the Lok Sabha nearly two decades ago. He was speaking about Pakistan. The same could apply to China too. China’s invasion and annexation of Tibet in 1950-51 turned the two nations into neighbours for the first time in their post-colonial history. They inherited the unsettled boundaries bequeathed by the colonial British and Imperial China, which regarded Tibet as a vassal state. India lays claim to all of Aksai Chin, which connects the Chinese provinces of Xinjiang and Tibet. China lays claim to all of Arunachal Pradesh as ‘Southern Tibet’. For over seven decades, a solution has eluded both sides. These differing perceptions of the boundary triggered off a border conflict in 1962. But apart from two…

With his influence in the Trinamool Congress (TMC) growing by the day, the family of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee has now become the focus of attention. His daughter Azania’s eighth birthday on July 25 turned into an occasion for party leaders to celebrate. Veteran TMC leader Madan Mitra blessed her profusely on social media. Party supporters eulogised her as a future ‘Agnikanya’, an honorific so far reserved for Didi. A lot of expectations bearing on those tiny shoulders.…

Viewing sexually explicit material in private spaces is not illegal in India. However, as per the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, ‘watching, possessing or downloading’ child pornography is a crime Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, prohibits the production, distribution, transmission and publication of ‘obscene material’ in electronic form. The offence is punishable with up to 3 years imprisonment and/ or Rs 5 lakh fine Privacy is also important on a legal front. As per Section 354 C of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), ‘Viewing and/ or capturing the image of a girl or woman going about her private acts, where she thinks that no one is watching her, is a crime’; Section 66 E of IT Act, 2000, says that ‘whoever, intentionally or knowingly,…

IT has been almost a decade since singer-songwriter Prateek Kuhad blew up with ‘Raat Raazi’ on YouTube. The minimalist music video (feat. Kuhad framed on a couch, playing a guitar) and the intimate vocals slowly gathered its audience. Since Kuhad’s last album Cold/Mess released in 2018, things have changed dramatically. “I used to play for 12 people. I remember a show in Blue Frog Delhi in 2013. There weren’t too many people there that night. I saw two people listening to me and I was blown away that they were also singing along. From there, we’ve come to 10,000 people in Delhi, who have bought tickets only to see me,” says Kuhad. The title track of Cold/Mess famously ended up on former US president Barack Obama’s ‘Best Music of 2019’…

Seven years after she made her debut, Kriti Sanon is finally getting what every actress craves—a titular part. Streaming on Netflix and Jio Cinema since July 26, Mimi, a surrogacy-centred dramedy, is an obvious departure from her earlier 10 films. Unlike mainstream entertainers such as Heropanti (2014), Dilwale (2015) and Housefull 4 (2019), and even unlike her other slice-of-life comedies like Bareilly ki Barfi! (2017) and Luka Chhupi (2019), Mimi is perched squarely on Sanon’s shoulders. The actress seems to know that the film might elevate her rank as an actress. “I have been most passionate about this film, to the point of obsession,” she says. “While I was shooting Mimi, I knew it was special. There was so much to do and I was really into it. I would…

For sharp analysis on topical issues by the editors of INDIA TODAY, log on to www.indiatoday.in/india-today-magazine-insight Third wave fears: Why India needs to open up with caution by M.G. Arun Global studies show that the number of infections has to come down sharply before the economy can be further opened up https://bit.ly/378eRSa Why the IPKF is still searching for recognition by Sandeep Unnithan The Indian Peacekeeping Force, the army’s bloodiest overseas deployment, is yet to be officially recognised or commemorated by the government https://bit.ly/3l2XE4v Why the airport-like revamp of Gandhinagar railway station matters by Rahul Noronha The station, redeveloped at a cost of Rs 71.5 crore, is proof that India’s colonial-era railway stations need not continue being filthy and mismanaged https://bit.ly/3zKmoTs Why is Yogi pushing for more airports in UP?…

What do Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Radha Mohan Singh, Ram Kripal Yadav and Ravishankar Prasad have in common? Apart from being Lok Sabha MPs from Bihar, all four BJP leaders are former members of Narendra Modi’s cabinet. Not quite able to wrap their heads around the rationale of the reshuffle, partymen in Patna wrily proffer the ‘R-factor’ as the probable reason for the debacle of these gentlemen. Every minister from Bihar dropped in the past four years had an ‘R’ in his name—Rudy was dropped in 2017, Radha Mohan Singh and Ram Kripal Yadav in 2019, and Ravishankar Prasad in 2021.…

NANA PATOLE Appointed Maharashtra unit chief in January. The BJP defector joined the Congress in 2018. ANUMULA REVANTH REDDY Made Telangana unit chief in July. A former ABVP member who has also had stints in the TRS and TDP. He joined the Congress in 2017. NAVJOT SINGH SIDHU The Rahul-Priyanka favourite has been given charge of the Punjab Congress. Defected from the BJP in 2017. GANESH GODIYAL Became Uttarakhand unit chief in July. He is known to be critical of senior leaders in the state. BHUPEN KUMAR BORAH A Rahul loyalist. Bora was inducted as an AICC secretary by Rahul in 2013.…

Basavaraj S. Bommai was a socialist who spent over 10 years in the Janata movement before joining the BJP in 2008 Son of former Karnataka chief minister S.R. Bommai. The only other father-son CMs in the state are H.D. Deve Gowda and his son H.D. Kumaraswamy Served as political secretary to former chief minister J.H. Patel (Janata Dal) Won his first assembly election in 2008, from hometown Shiggaon in Haveri district, on a BJP ticket. Has been representing the seat ever since A mechanical engineer by profession. Worked for a leading automobile company before joining politics The Lingayats and Vokkaligas, Karnataka’s two dominant communities, have held the CM’s post most—nine and seven times respectively…

GURUSPEAK“Delhi University has improvised its systems to adapt to the Covid challenge”—PROF. P.C. JOSHI, Pro Vice-Chancellor, University of Delhi Year 2020 was a challenging time for Delhi University due to multiple factors, including several beyond contemplation and the university’s control. However, even in the trying Covid times, the university strived to achieve the goals stated in its vision and mission. In the past one year, the focus has particularly been on student-centric activities, such as online classes, online examinations and assessment, digital provisional certificates and degrees, making admissions completely online, as well as placements and internships. The pandemic and the lockdown had almost brought Delhi University to a standstill during mid-semester. Traditional classrooms were completely replaced by online learning platforms. Students were provided reading material online. Internal assessments and examinations…

GURUSPEAK“Digital applications are set to transform the legal profession in a big way”—PROF. (DR) SUDHIR KRISHNASWAMY, Vice Chancellor, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru The Indian court system has adapted to the Covid pandemic quite remarkably. After the initial few months of delays and uncertainty, the higher courts adopted web-based platforms and applications and litigation went virtual for the first time in the history of India. Lawyers, clients and judges all were acutely aware of the importance of taking their work online. A long-awaited transformation had finally happened. However, the lower courts still need to be brought online. We don’t need videos in all rooms; we can manage with audio. For example, the audio hearings work very well for the US Supreme Court. Appropriate technology will help the lower…

Believe it or not, but Vikrant Massey spilled the word “feminazi” during this conversation. It probably comes from a place of frustration around what is being said about his recent film, Haseen Dillruba. Vinil Mathew’s film, starring Massey, Taapsee Pannu and Harshvardhan Rane, saw some criticism for the way it handled its ‘pulpy’ climax. Some opined the film (inadvertently) ‘endorsed’ the characters’ violent ways. Massey shares his two cents on some of the criticism coming his way: “I think it’s the sign of an empty society that people engage [in discourse] like this. But I also understand a lot of these people are unaware, or they have completely skipped the part where we have gone out of our way to say it’s a pulp fiction world. I think most of…

MILLION DOLLAR BABY (2004) Starring Hilary Swank in an Oscar-winning turn, the Clint Eastwood-directed masterpiece pulls no punches in its profound navigation of the coach-protégé bond. The film is unsparing and bleak, eschewing every cliché in the sports book to present a tragedy in the face of triumph. FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY (2018) Carmel Winters’ sophomore film stars Hazel Doupe as a tough teenage girl idolising—you guessed it—Muhammad Ali in ultraconservative 1960s’ Ireland. Like any good boxing drama, the sport itself is a side note—a coping mechanism for a kid shackled by the whims of an alcoholic father. SAALA KHADOOS (2016) The bilingual drama directed by Sudha Kongara ishardlyoriginal—a Chak De! India relocated to a boxing ring. But the feisty film, starring R. Madhavan as the disgraced and criminally attractive…

Sir Edwin Arnold’s poem on the life and teachings of the Buddha, The Light of Asia, was published in 1879. He wrote it as a means of ‘relaxing’ between writing stressful and prosaic Daily Telegraph editorials on the Russo-Ottoman war from a British perspective. It was an extraordinary piece of work; written by an unapologetic, entitled imperialist. His empathetic retelling of the Buddha story managed to move people as diverse as the famous nurse Florence Nightingale, politician Winston Churchill, business tycoon Andrew Carnegie, writer Herman Melville and scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer. It also had its share of controversy as (mostly) Christian missionaries reacted sharply to his trespassing on their evangelical turf with a rather different messiah. The book was undeniably influential. It guided the popular reception of Buddhism in Europe…

On July 25, the Congress party’s official Twitter handle put out a tweet with a photograph of Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee and a little explainer riffing on Union home minister Amit Shah’s now-famous “Aap chronology samajhiye” comment. Shah, of course, was implying an Opposition conspiracy to stall Parliament, but the meme was turning the charge on its head to suggest that the Trinamool Congress national general secretary was a victim of the Pegasus spyware during the 2021 Bengal election. The timing was no accident—Mamata was arriving on a five-day visit to the national capital the next day to hold discussions with Opposition leaders on possible strategies to take on the BJP in 2024. On the evening of July 28, Mamata called on Sonia Gandhi for what she called “chai…

Maharashtra home guard director Param Bir Singh has been on leave for the past two months after the Bombay High Court directed the CBI to investigate the bribery charges he levelled against former home minister Anil Deshmukh. The Mumbai police have filed two separate FIRs against Singh for alleged extortion. The Chandigarh-based Singh may not return in a hurry because he fears arrest. Small comfort that bête noire Deshmukh is also in hiding, fearing a similar fate. —Sandeep Unnithan with Amitabh Srivastava, Romita Datta, Amarnath K. Menon and Kiran D. Tare…

JITENDRA SINGH (2007-2011) CWC member and general secretary in-charge for Assam. Was never out of favour, but now keeps a low profile; restricted to his constituency since 2014 DIGVIJAYA SINGH (2007-2012) Was once seen as Rahul’s ‘guru’ but gradually lost influence after the party’s 2012 assembly poll defeat in Uttar Pradesh. He was general secretary in-charge for the state MEENAKSHI NATARAJAN (2008-2014) Was one of Rahul’s young picks. Fell out of favour after the Congress’s 2014 Lok Sabha poll debacle JAIRAM RAMESH (2008-2014) Still consulted on policy matters but doesn’t have the influence he did before 2014 C.P. JOSHI (2012-2017) His mishandling of the northeastern states, which he was in charge of, cost him proximity to Rahul MADHUSUDAN MISTRY (2013-2017) Economic austerity and data-crunching were his USP but he failed…

Illustration by NILANJAN DAS On February 4, the Mumbai Police landed at a secluded bungalow in Madh Island, located on the northern tip of the island city, to find two persons being filmed in intimate poses. The actors and the five-member crew were arrested on the spot. The police was acting on a tip-off, part of its investigation into complaints filed by six aspiring actresses against filmmakers who were allegedly pressuring them to perform in ‘pornographic movies’. The police found that the videos shot in the bungalow, made up of six small rooms, a kitchen and a garden, were being uploaded on paid websites and mobile applications like HotShots, HotHit and Nueflix. Six months later, millionaire businessman Raj Kundra, husband of Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty, who has stakes in several…

With more than 1,000 universities, including 135 institutes of national importance for higher education, to choose from, this annual edition of the India Today Group ranking of Best Universities in India has a special place in the country’s academic calendar. It not only makes critical career decision-making easier for aspirants based on rich information and data, but also provides an overview of the state of university education to other stakeholders—recruiters, parents, alumni, policy-makers and people at large. The methodology used by INDIA TODAY’s knowledge partner MDRA has set several milestones. During objective ranking, MDRA has carefully attuned 120-plus attributes to provide the most comprehensive and balanced comparison of universities. These performance indicators were clubbed into five broad parameters—‘Reputation & Governance’, ‘Academic & Research Excellence’, ‘Infrastructure & Living Experience’, ‘Personality &…

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 mandates that universities offer holistic, multidisciplinary undergraduate education. As per ancient Indian teaching described in literary works like Banabhatta’s Kadambari, a good education includes the 64 kalaas (arts), which include subjects as diverse as singing and painting, chemistry and mathematics, carpentry and clothes-making, medicine and engineering, and soft skills like discussion and debate. At Amity, we have carefully planned how we will implement the NEP guidelines, including the adoption of new systems and processes, the designing of curriculum and reframing of assessment plans and ensuring that resources are available for the smooth conduct of academic activities from the academic year 2021-2022 onwards. In order to implement flexible curricular structures to enable creative combinations of disciplines for study, we offer multiple entry and exit points.…

SCORES AND RANKS— GENERAL (GOVERNMENT) SCORES AND RANKS— GENERAL (PRIVATE) SCORES AND RANKS— MEDICAL SCORES AND RANKS— TECHNICAL SCORES AND RANKS— LAW Notes: 1. Rankings are based on Objective data and Perceptual Survey data. 2. Only universities that submitted their Objective data have been ranked. Universities like IISc Bangalore, BHU, etc. which did not submit their Objective data on time or refused to participate have not been ranked. 3. Only universities that fulfilled the below criteria were considered eligible for participation in the ranking: i. A minimum of three batches passed out. ii. Offering fulltime postgraduate programme. 4. All scores have been rounded off to one decimal place. This may result in rounding off errors while adding the parameter-wise score. 5. Universities not ranked during the Perceptual Survey have got…

CHHATRASAL MX Player (July 29) Set in 1649 and narrated by Neena Gupta, this web series tells us the story of how the king Chhatrasal (Jitin Gulati) waged war against the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb (Ashutosh Rana) to free Bundelkhand. CITY OF DREAMS (Season 2) Disney+ Hotstar (July 30) Nagesh Kukunoor returns to further his tale of political intrigue and familial betrayal. Atul Kulkarni and Priya Bapat will again be seen crossing swords as difficult father and adamant daughter, respectively. DIAL 100 Zee5 (August 6) In this Rensil D’Silva film, Seema Pallav (Neena Gupta) wants revenge for the death of her son and she’ll do all she can to exact it from Nikhil Sood (Manoj Bajpayee), a cop working the graveyard shift.…

Q. In your book, you tell us stories of how everyone—Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Gulzar—had agreed to work with you almost instantly. What led to this, do you think, your personality or your talent? These are all accomplished personalities who have inspired millions. They each love cinema and I think they saw in me someone who also wanted to serve cinema. So, they indulged me, gave me a chance. I was hungry when I went to Gulzar bhai’s office all those years ago, when I met Amitji and proposed Aks to him, or when I texted Aamir for Rang De Basanti. That hunger has only multiplied with time. Q. Would it be fair to say that RangDeBasanti gave 21st century India a template for protest? Also, has your idea of…