Innholdsfortegnelse for Monday, September 18, 2023 i India Today

India’s big G20 moment has arrived, with New Delhi as the host city for the global elite. From being an aspirant knocking on the door, India is now at the high table. But what is most striking about India’s year-long presidency of G20 is how creative its agenda-setting has been and how bustling its execution. No other host country has put so much action into the frame—almost 200 events across 60+ venues, brilliantly showcasing India to many who matter. Nor has any country extracted so much from the forum in terms of achieved objectives. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s chairmanship, India has proceeded in two broad directions. The first pertains to the relation between the event and the people. It was earlier a talking shop restricted to heads of state,…

↘ Among the three new ministers inducted in Madhya Pradesh is Rahul Singh Lodhi, Bharti’s nephew ↘ Pritam Lodhi, a politician expelled from BJP in 2022 and close to Bharti, was rehabilitated, named in BJP’s first list of candidates ↘ In a partial response to Bharti’s demand for prohibition, the state has banned open-air bars ↘ Bharti had demanded the induction of a Lodhi minister, more tickets to Lodhis and renaming Dindori district after community icon Rani Avanti Bai ↘ Wooing Lodhis is important—they are the second largest of MP’s OBC communities and vote in a block…

Giving us insights into this process, George Verghese, the Vice President, Group HR at Kirloskar, CHRO and Chief of Staff, Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd. had the following to share… Q There has been a recent brand refresh, and a change in identity, under the theme Limitless. What does it signify? The brand refresh is the starting point of an organization-wide change and business transformation effort. We have evolved as an organization over time, staying relevant over the decades. By a brand refresh, we are stating our intent strongly to all stakeholders, both internal and external, that we are changing for the better. Q How do you approach this transformation in different companies? Transformation takes a different shape in each of our group companies. We are in various sectors, catering to…

On June 23, when Rahul Gandhi visited Patna for the first meeting of Opposition parties, he asked Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar about a possible cabinet expansion. Nitish, whose Janata Dal (United) is in alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Congress in Bihar, is said to have responded positively. But two months and two more Opposition meets later, the Congressmen, especially the wannabe ministers, are still on the waitlist. Seems like amid the push for national Opposition unity, state-level unity has taken a back seat.…

CHINA’S SHARE IN INDIA’S IT HARDWARE IMPORT Source: Ministry of Commerce and Industry TOP 10 EXPORTERS OF COMPUTER DEVICES IN THE WORLD Source: Worldstopexports.com, figures in red denote share of exports; data for 2022 MARKET SHARE OF GLOBAL PC MAKERS IN INDIA Source: International Data Corporation…

When Rajeev Srinivas discovered he had diabetes in 2013, his first thought was, “This isn’t so bad. I can survive without sweets.” In the past 10 years, the now 52-year-old software engineer from Bengaluru says diabetes has impacted his life far beyond sweets. “I have vision problems, which means I cannot drive after nightfall. There are also early signs of kidney and heart troubles,” he says. Even though Srinivas, who has Type 2 diabetes, is on medication, there have been times when he has cheated on the ‘no added sugar’ mandate. “Even the occasional spoon of sugar in my tea is too much for my body,” he says. The inability to process sudden spikes of sugar has been slowly poisoning his system. There are millions like Srinivas in India, and…

“Just the other day, we were doing mandavali,” says filmmaker Reema Kagti as she leans back comfortably on a plush couch at Zoya Akhtar’s sea-facing house in Mumbai’s Bandra. Mandavali is a Marathi word, which means trying to reach a consensus after disagreements or discussion. In the case of Zoya and Reema, who have together delivered a slew of hits like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), Talaash (2012) and Gully Boy (2019), that mandavali a few days back was over stories and scripts they will be working on in 2024. This year has been an “especially jammed” one for the two. May saw the release of their web series Dahaad (Amazon Prime Video), a crime drama centred around a serial killer, and in August came the much-awaited season two of…

There’s an infectious energy to Babil Khan, 25. It’s in sharp contrast to his father, the late Irrfan, whose eyes alone could register and radiate his presence. Irrfan passed away in April 2020, before he could see his eldest follow in his footsteps and become an actor (Netflix’s Qala, 2022). His father’s thespian legacy is both a boost and occasionally a bane for the young Babil whose second feature, Friday Night Plan, released on Netflix on September 1. “My biggest challenge is to enter an audition room and detach myself from the image of Baba,” he says. “I am sensitive to the environment around so I know when somebody is disappointed because I am not acting like him.” It’s a mammoth expectation, especially for someone just starting out. Yet Babil…

Alif is one of the most important characters in contemporary literature. His mind is a screen on which history plays out and the future makes suggestions, his thoughts providing the commentary. History’s Angel is much like him—intelligent, subtle, reflective, gentle, sensitive. Alif teaches history in a school, focusing not on dates and rulers but on continuities and inevitabilities. He takes students out to Delhi’s monuments and we soon glimpse trouble. At Humayun’s tomb, a student insults the teacher and also insists on mixing up the Mughal emperor with Hanuman. Alif is Arabic for ‘kind, compassionate’; yet, it is the one moment of madness when he twists the ear of that student, Ankit (meaning ‘naughty’), which leads to his downward spiral. History, which was a refuge from reality, suddenly becomes reality…

Q. What is the one thing that Dream Girl—both parts—changed in you? I’d like to believe I put women on a pedestal. But of late, through these roles, I have learnt to respect women more. Pooja, the character I played, was different. In Dream Girl (2019), the emphasis was on the voice. Dream Girl 2 was tougher—the physicality was not the only challenge, trust me. Pooja made me learn a lot about the craft of acting. That thin line between looking the part and being a caricature wasn’t easy. It’s a slapstick, commercial film, but we ensured it didn’t become vulgar. Q. Is it a conscious choice to do cinema that is off-centre? What about commercial concerns? I do want to create clutter-breaking work. This involves consciously choosing to do…

The churches of Tamil Nadu will wow you with their architecture, rich history and mesmerising festivities. Christianity has deep roots in the region, dating back to the 1st century AD, when St. Thomas, one of the 12 apostles of Christ, arrived to establish Christianity. Over the centuries, many churches have been built in Tamil Nadu, including those by the Portuguese, Danes and British. CHENNAI San Thome Church, also known as St. Thomas Cathedral Basilica in Chennai is built over the tomb of St. Thomas. Although St. Thomas’s mortal remains were removed to Italy, a cross on the tomb’s wall contains a relic of St. Thomas. The church’s stained-glass windows will take your breath away. The annual feast of St. Thomas begins with the unfurling of the festival flag and a…

PROMISES ↘ Reduces election expenses of political parties ↘ May improve administrative efficiency and governance and streamline the implementation of state and central policies ↘ Can enhance voter turnout as people go out to cast their ballot simultaneously PITFALLS ↘ Fails to guarantee political stability for parties and ensure that they complete their ongoing five-year tenures ↘ Centre can end up having the upper hand, with little or no space for states to express dissent ↘ May over-shadow local issues and threaten the influence of regional parties ↘ May put smaller players at a big disadvantage in terms of poll strategy and expenses as they try to compete with national parties…

Born in a family of Engineers in Gorakhpur, it was as if Sanjay Agarwals’s role in building India’s infrastructure was preordained. After a childhood spent fascinating over mega structures like bridges, tunnels, railways, he went on gather a Civil Engineering degree from the Manipal Institute of Technology. Joining IRCON in 1986, he has been in the thick of things, being a part of Mega infrastructure Projects of diversified nature inside and outside the subcontinent. He was in the team that built Asia’s largest Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala. That apart, the Dadri Power Plant Rail connectivity, Road cum rail bridges in Tatanagar too saw his involvement. With IRCON, he moved to Indonesia to development and build urban elevated roads & flyovers in Jakarta. In 1996, Sanjay joined IJM Corporation and…

A few weeks ago, Karnataka deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar held a press conference to announce strict action against illegal hoardings in Bengaluru, saying that none would be spared, even his own partymen. Not long after that, Shivakumar, who is also the Pradesh Congress Committee president, received a notice for a Rs 50,000 penalty for a hoarding erected outside the party office on Queen’s Road without the municipal corporation’s permission. Shivakumar ended up paying the fine. A case of leading by example or an embarrassing oversight?…

CHINA ↘ Construction, upgradation of 36 airports, and helipads in Tibet and Xinjiang since 2017; extended runways, blast pens in Ngari Burang, Shigatse Tingri, Lhasa-Gonggar airports ↘ Missile silos and sites, military UAVs, electronic warfare units, frontline fighter jets stationed ↘ Roads like under-construction Xinjiang-Tibet G695 highway, passing through Aksai Chin, Depsang Plains, Galwan Valley ↘ Sections of the Tibet-Yunnan railway to be connected to Tibet-Sichuan, Tibet-Xinjiang networks ↘ Construction of Xiaokang villages near the border INDIA ↘ Advanced airfields at Daulat Beg Oldie, Fukche, Nyoma, Tuting, Mechuka, Along, Ziro, Pasighat, Vijaynagar ↘ New roads include 1,800-km-long Frontier Highway in Arunachal, Sela Tunnel road project connecting Tawang with Guwahati, Balipara-Charduar-Tawang (BCT) road, Ladakh’s Chisumle-Demchok Road ↘ New railways: 200 km Bhalukpong-Tawang line, 87 km Silapathar (Assam)-Along line, 217 km Rupai…

BEWARE THINGS ENDING WITH ‘OSE’ Fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltrose—all signs that your product has added sugar. Also, stay clear of ‘confectionery sugar’, ‘cane sugar’ and ‘HFCS’ (high fructose corn syrup). Check the labels. Added sugars are a cause of diabetes and obesity; it is important to keep them under limit NOT EVERYTHING ‘HEALTHY’ IS HEALTHY Added sugars are present in unforeseen places: salad dressings, yoghurt, breakfast cereals CONSUME FRESH FRUIT The quantity of fruit intake can be increased for diabetics. In addition to natural sugar, fruits have high fibre, antioxidants and micronutrients. Fresh fruit is better than packaged food with hidden sugars to satisfy hunger cravings CUT OUT THE REFINED CARBS The glycemic index of refined carbohydrates is not much better than sugar. Items made out of refined grain like…

It’s Jackfruit season in Bengaluru again! The beloved children’s music festival of this name comes back in its fifth edition, and this time, they have renowned Indian classical vocalist and composer, Padma Shri Vidushi Shubha Mudgal, curating the talent as Festival Director. “Basically, I get to dream and imagine and hear lots of wonderful music from which I have the challenging task of selecting artistes, repertoire, and details related to presentation,” says Mudgal. Gayathri Krishna, Managing Trustee of the Bhoomija Foundation, which is behind this annual music festival, says, “We called it Jackfruit because the fruit kind of personifies classical music—hard exterior, sticky, and a difficult way to the real fruit that is incredibly sweet! Much like the journey to realising classical music as an artiste!” She adds, “Way back…

For details, log on to: https://bestcolleges.indiatoday.in/ RANKING OF UNIVERSITIES 1600 universities in 4 major streams KEY PARAMETERS University performance rated according to… Reputation & Governance Academic & Research Excellence Infrastructure & Living Experience Personality & Leadership Development Career Progression & Placement UNIVERSITY VS UNIVERSITY Find a suitable university on the basis of… Six year results (2018-2023) National rankings: By state and city Government vs Private KNOW YOUR UNIVERSITY The details available on each university.. ↘ Brief profile ↘ Rankings in past 6 years ↘ Courses, seats and fee ↘ Admission: Selection criteria and cut-offs ↘ Placements: Domestic and international ↘ Faculty: Strength, research record and patents granted ↘ Infra: Campus size/labs/libraries/hostels ↘ Industry connect: Seminars, consultancy projects, competitions ↘ Global exposure: Foreign exchange programmes, tie-ups ↘ Funds and grants ↘…

On August 26, three new ministers were inducted in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan cabinet in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh. Two of them, Rajendra Shukla and Gauri Shankar Bisen, are senior MLAs, former ministers and Shivraj loyalists, so their new cabinet posts caused no surprise. However, behind the inclusion of the third—Khargapur MLA Rahul Singh Lodhi, who was sworn in as a minister of state—political observers detect the BJP’s caste compulsions before the polls as well as a growing entente between the current chief minister and his one-time predecessor and senior BJP leader Uma Bharti. Lodhi happens to be Bharti’s nephew. Shivraj and Bharti have been bitter rivals in the past. In 2003, as the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate, Bharti won a landslide in Madhya Pradesh, ending 10 years of Congress rule.…

The hallowed courtroom is a theatre of truth, where each word carries the weight of justice, and every decision can reshape destinies. In this reign, Ramakant Gaur emerges as a towering figure, a testament to unwavering commitment and legal prowess. His presence goes beyond mere assertion; he is a legal luminary and a powerful performer. Amid contentious legal battles, Gaur’s unwavering commitment to justice shines through. It was during a bail hearing that the public prosecutor concluded the argument with a forceful plea: ‘My Lords! This matter involves thousands of crores, and the accused is influential. He can affect the course of the trial by tampering with the evidence. His bail application must be dismissed.’ In response to this formidable assertion, Gaur boldly declared, ‘Bail is a rule, and jail…

At the recent two-day conclave of the INDIA alliance in Mumbai, the presence of Rajya Sabha member and senior advocate Kapil Sibal caused much disquiet among Congress members. Part of the now-disbanded ‘group of 23’ that had sought organisational reforms in the Congress, Sibal had resigned from the party in May 2022 before getting elected to the Upper House with the Samajwadi Party’s support. He has since criticised the Congress leadership on many an occasion, taking indirect swipes at Rahul Gandhi. So, when Sibal reached the conclave venue, Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal raised a strong objection. It was only Rahul who pacified his partymen, saying he was fine with anyone joining the mission to “protect Indian democracy”. Sonia Gandhi concurred, and Sibal found his spot in the group…

The official invite for the G20 dinner being hosted by the President mentioned ‘India’ as ‘Bharat’, triggering a flurry of posts online. While the Congress took a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party, claiming that the change in nomenclature showed that the ruling party was “scared” of the Opposition’s INDIA bloc, many social media users wondered what would be the new name of the hallowed institutions like Indian Space Research Organisation, Indian Institutes of Management and Reserve Bank of India. This, even as their names already have a Hindi alternative. With debate raging on the micro-blogging platform X, someone pointed out that even it had its name recently changed from Twitter.…

↘ The organisation has claimed access to documents that allegedly show how hundreds of millions of dollars were invested in Adani stocks via opaque Mauritius-based investment funds ↘ In at least two cases—representing Adani stock holdings that at one point touched $430 million—the mysterious investors turned out to have ties with the Adani family ↘ Nasser Ali Shaban Ahli and Chang Chung-Ling, the two investors, have long-time business connections with the family and have served as directors and shareholders in Adani companies and firms associated with Vinod Adani ↘ Documents allegedly show that two Mauritius-based funds—Emerging India Focus Fund and the EM Resurgent Fund—had invested and traded in large volumes of shares of four Adani companies between 2013 and 2018 ↘ Through these offshore firms, Ahli and Chang spent years…