Innholdsfortegnelse for March 27, 2017 i India Today

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley took additional charge of the defence ministry on March 14 after incumbent Manohar Parrikar took oath as Goa chief minister. Jaitley held the defence portfolio for six months from May 2014 before Parrikar, then Goa CM, was shifted to Delhi. Parrikar had to return to Goa as the BJP failed to get a majority in state assembly, and the two regional parties offering support insisted on Parrikar as the CM. Since Jaitley’s appointment comes so close to the end of the financial year, the armed forces hope to get speedy clearances for two key defence contracts—two Phalcon AEW&C radars from Israel for Rs 3,306 crore and a Rs 4,800 crore acquisition of 100 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzers from private firm L&T. Files for both projects were…

Some pre-Holi colour in Siliguri, West Bengal, on March 11 as local BJP supporters celebrate incoming results that showed landslide victories in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Rubbing saffron powder on each other, the supporters were able to start their party early as the size of their party’s mandates meant any suspense was over within an hour or two of the beginning of the vote count. The BJP and its alliance partners control as many as 17 states (if you count Goa and Manipur), and this photograph gives an indication, perhaps, of their desire to conquer fresh territory. West Bengal has remained stubbornly resistant to the BJP but given the electoral swathe the party is cutting through the country, should Didi be worried? These supporters will think so. No Protests Here…

The upcoming by-election in Radhakrishnan (RK) Nagar, the assembly constituency till recently represented by J. Jayalalithaa, could well be the clincher in the raging fight for the late Tamil Nadu chief minister’s political legacy. Expected to be a major face-off between the two AIADMK factions led by the convicted V.K. Sasikala and O. Panneerselvam, the bypoll, slated for April 12, will determine which group holds sway with the party’s support base. This also comes in the wake of competing claims to Jayalalithaa’s Poes Garden residence and the party’s other assets, including AIADMK’s familiar ‘two leaves’ election symbol. Analysts say the symbol is likely to remain unavailable to either faction, as any decision by the Election Commission is certain to be challenged in court. This could make the battle for RK…

From cardiac arrests to snake bites, the Unani medicine practitioner in village Kai of Burdwan district handles it all. His payment is often in kind—a gourd from the garden, eggs from the coop, or even rosogollas from the local sweet shop. And if all goes according to chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s plan, 45-yearold Dipen daktar (‘doctor’) will soon be free of the indignity of being called a ‘quack’, and certified as a ‘Rural Health Practitioner’ or a ‘Rural Health Provider’. It was an election promise she made and the CM is not averse to pleasing vote banks: in this instance, an estimated 2.5 lakh untrained medical practitioners, including traditional healers, Unani and Ayurveda practitioners, homeopaths, ICDS and aanganwadi workers. The gloss being given to the move is that it would…

POLITICAL TERMINOLOGY frequently borrows from natural phenomena to interpret massive electoral mandates. Like forces of nature, they are unpredictable in arrival and overwhelming in manifestation. Hence, the election wave and the landslide victory. The underlying belief is that these are one-offs. They rarely strike the same place twice. This might have seemed to be the case for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh. The party and its allies had won 73 of 80 Lok Sabha seats in 2014 and polled nearly 43 per cent of votes to record what poll pundits called a ‘TsuNaMo’. A repeat in 2017 seemed unlikely for a variety of reasons. No CM face, no emotive issue like the Ram mandir and electoral defeats in Delhi and Bihar despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s whirlwind campaigns. In UP,…

On March 9, two days before the Manipur assembly election results were declared, Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who had been overseeing the BJP’s poll campaign in the state, told india today: “Even if we get 15 seats, we will form the government.” In the event, the saffron party got 21 of the total 60 seats, 10 short of the magic number required to form government. From zero in 2012, it has been a most dramatic rise for the BJP in the border state. Sarma’s confidence seemed to defy logic then, but if there’s one thing the chief architect of the BJP victory in Assam last year knows, it’s how to run an effective campaign. The party already had an informal pre-poll understanding with the Naga People’s Front (NPF),…

E arly in the morning on March 11, shortly after counting was underway, the Aam Aadmi Party leadership were forced to confront the likelihood of defeat in Punjab. Ashutosh, the party’s national spokesperson, watched the disaster unfold alongside Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. “We’re still in the process,” Ashutosh said on the phone a day later, “of trying to review the situation.” It was a careful rationalisation of what, he admitted, had been a deflating, chastening 48 hours. Kejriwal’s house, festooned with tricolour balloons and LED screens, was ready to host a party. Crowds began to gather outside but just as rapidly dispersed. AAP won 20 out of 117 seats; throw in an extra two from the Lok Insaaf Party and AAP will have 22 seats in the Punjab assembly,…

STANDARD HERALD (1961) Originally a British Triumph, the Michelotti- designed roadster was manufactured by Standard Motors of Madras from the mid-1960s until 1971. Even today, a ‘minter’ goes for as much as Rs 4 lakh. SUPER NOVA ELECTRIC (2014) Gujarat-based Supernova EV unveiled what it claimed was India’s first electric sports car, using a fiberglass body snagged from the ‘Nova’ Kit Cars first sold in the UK in 1971. It’s still in the works. JAGUAR F-TYPE (2008) Treason? Nope. The British icon is now owned by Tata, so we have every right to call this incredible 375bhp fusion of beauty and beast “Indian”. DC AVANTI (2012) Led by legendary Indian car designer Dilip Chhabria, the radical-looking, mid-engined (a Ford EcoBoost 2.0L) Avanti was launched by DC Designs. Still in production,…

when you knock on wood Bangalore-based Cane Boutique has launched the Madera Collection. Madera in Spanish means wood; and so the range is all about bespoke pieces made using natural single logs of solid wood. Featured here is the beautiful Root Console in Acacia wood. PRICE `1.45 lakh; AT www.caneboutique.com on the hot seat Herman Miller launched the Aeron chair in 1994, with a padded throne that did away with foam and fabric. It went on to become a best seller. After two years of intensive research, they have relaunched the iconic chair; featuring stronger and smarter materials, better adjustment capabilities, intuitive controls add enhanced aeration, making it more comfortable to sit on. The chair is available for commercial and residential users. PRICE ` 90,000 onwards ATwww.hermanmiller.in wonder wall Exhibit…

A chair is a very difficult object. A skyscraper is almost easier. That is why Chippendale is famous,” said German-American architect, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, referring to a style of furniture that became popular towards the end of the 18th century. However, this didn’t stop 20th century architects like Mies, Le Corbusier, Marcel Breuer, Alvar Aalto, and Eero Saarinen, to name just a few, from designing chairs and products that have become the centre of attraction in important buildings across the globe. Today’s architect is no different. Mumbaibased architect Rooshad Shroff, who has received recognition for both his architectural designs and C-Series chairs; has launched his latest collection of furniture and functional objects, 15,556, in collaboration with the Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai. Why 15,556? " It is indicative of…

It's legacy goes back 140 years and it's wares offer a feast for heritage-starved eyes. Titled Khazir, the Oman-based luxury brand headed by Saddam Zaroo opened its first showroom at JW Mariott, Juhu in Mumbai in August, last year. Hailing from the picturesque land of Kashmir, Zaroo’s passion for his heritage lured him to the fashion capital of the country and the new boutique store proudly displays 'Made In India' authentic Persian and Kashmiri pieces. THE ART OF CRAFT The Persian-inspired Indian artisanal craftsmanship on pashmina shawls, cashmere stoles, papier mache art, walnut wood artefacts, luscious Persian carpets and opulent antiques like khanjar, tea sets, lamps are carefully handpicked. Every design tells a story, every fabric is uplifted by the weave and every artisan’s skill beautifully showcased. Apart from the…

Feminism, in recent times, has come to mean many things. The tags that have attached themselves to the movement range from equal rights to a gender fight. From being a movement which promotes homosexual marriage-shunners to one which ensures women can be both breadwinners and home runners. Feminism is more than florals and pinks, feminism is what smashes eve teasing and unwanted winks. A time where the world almost saw the first woman leader of the free world, beaten by sexism, bravado and deep-rooted misogyny, is representative of why the movement is still relevant today. This is a time when women hold top positions in multinational companies, but the struggle for equal pay must continue. A time where women have dominated sports rankings, but the fight for funds must forge…

TISHANI DOSHI, 41, DANCER AND AUTHOR, CHENNAI When was the first time you learnt you were a nasty woman, and what made you realise? The nastiness always showed itself inadvertently. I remember being 9 or 10, when I marched up to the top diving board at the Madras Gymkhana Club, where a huddle of nervous boys were deciding whether or not to jump and strode right past them to leap off without so much as an excuse me or a downward glance at the water. Perhaps this was more showing off than nastiness but it was an early gleam. I knew that the idea that there are certain traits that men have—some inherent capacity for valour and fearlessness—was rubbish even as a child. But even this knowledge didn’t undo the…

So overwhelming was the BJP’s victory in the Uttar Pradesh polls and so abject the BSP’s loss that the latter’s leader, Mayawati, has refused to believe the result was above board. In a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, she demanded fresh polls with the use of ballot papers. “The reports I received,” she said in a press conference, “have raised suspicions that the voting machines have been tampered with... It appears that the machines did not register votes cast in favour of other parties. Even Muslim votes have gone to the BJP.” Outlandish though her claims might seem, she has found support from fellow ‘loser’, outgoing chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. “If a question has been raised about the EVMs,” said Yadav dutifully, “the government should order a probe. I…

Few recent defence imports have been as troubled as the six Scorpene submarines imported from France in 2005. The Rs 23,562 crore deal first ran into bribery allegations, then a five-year construction delay. And last year, a leak of classified technical details by an Australian newspaper severely embarrassed the Indian Navy. The AgustaWestland bribery case halted procurement of weapons for the Scorpenes because the parent company, Finmeccanica (now Leonardo), makes the Blackshark torpedoes that are to equip the Scorpene. The first two Scorpenes, ‘Kalvari’ and ‘Khanderi’, are to be inducted in June and December. All six will enter service by 2020. Instead of the Scorpene, the navy now wants a bigger conventional submarine in the light of the changed threat scenario. The Scorpenes were locally assembled through transfer of technology…

Farmers across Maharashtra, and especially from the Marathwada region, are reportedly furious with the Devendra Fadnavis government for its slow procurement of tur dal (pigeon pea) in the current season. Thousands of cultivators, who had responded to the state government’s appeal to plant more pulses in the wake of the dire shortage and spiralling prices caused by the drought last year, now say that they are feeling cheated. Aided by a good monsoon, there’s been a bumper crop this year from the increased area under tur cultivation— 1,394,300 hectares—a rise of 163 per cent. Unfortunately, the Fadnavis government’s failure to purchase adequate quantities at the promised support price of Rs 5,050 per quintal has led to distress selling by beleaguered farmers. Private traders are offering far less—between Rs 2,600 and…

Two incidents—a complaint of alleged sexual impropriety against Meghalaya Governor V. Shanmuganathan this January, and the arrest of independent MLA Julius Kitbok Dorphang on charges of raping a 14-year-old girl in December— have focused attention on the rising incidence of crime in the northeastern hill state. Although these events could be explained away as aberrations, the National Crime Records Bureau data reveals a sharp rise in serious offenses. From 2001 to 2015, the number of reported crimes against women rose from 66 to 334. In that same period, the number of rapes went up from 26 to 93, and complaints of sexual harassment rose from 25 to 95. Journalist and author Patricia Mukhim says the belief that women are safer in Meghalaya, given its matrilineal tradition, is a myth. “This…

E ventually, the BJP’s move to take Congress rebels into its fold paid off in Uttarakhand. The party won 57 of the 70 seats in the state, the incumbent Congress reduced to a mere 11. It was a respectable victory in more ways than one for the BJP, especially after its botched attempt to wrest power from the Congress a year earlier. That failed floor test, in fact, became the starting point for the party’s campaign in the state, that ended in an impressive 45 per cent vote share in the state. The BJP campaign strategy was simple—discredit the Congress’s one-man army of Harish Rawat and highlight play up the good governance of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre. So, whether it was the bold decisions of the surgical…

CHEF GAGGAN ANAND, owner and executive chef of his eponymous restaurant in Bangkok, the ‘best restaurant in Asia’ for the third year running “This is like a science class!” said my daughter Chantal. We’d just entered Gaggan’s, the colonial-looking restaurant in Bangkok’s Chidlom area that this February was declared Best Restaurant in Asia’s top 50 for the third year running in the ranking sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna—as well as listed #23 in the World’s Best 50 Restaurants. Chantal is as quirky and unpredictable as Chef Gaggan himself. She confessed recently that she loves the sound and sensation produced by scraping a fresh carrot with eyes closed, and that sinking a knife into boiled beetroot sends chills down her back. Her first reaction to Gaggan’s molecular cuisine laboratory in…

For her upcoming film, Phillauri, Anushka Sharma hung horizontally off a harness and floated around on a hoverboard and other specially made contraptions. She isn’t playing a stunt queen but a young ghost whose spirit is invoked after a century. In her nine years in Bollywood, Sharma can boast of having worked with the biggest studios, and having starred in the second and third highest grossers of Hindi cinema—P.K. and Sultan. Both benefitted from the presence of a superstar Khan, but Sharma was more than arm candy. “I have created a reputation—people know that if I don’t have something of my own to do, I won’t do it (the film),” says Sharma. “YOU CAN’T KEEP PLAYING CHARACTERS CLOSE TO WHO YOU ARE. YOU WILL THEN HAVE ONLY THAT MANY ROLES…

There are groups of people huddled around different sketches and images. Architectural jargon dominates the conversation—words like cantilevered, sustainability and ergonomic are thrown around. There is excitement in the air. February 3, marked the opening of India Arch Dialogue (IAD), a showcase of architectural sketches, drawings and photographs of the world’s most iconic buildings coupled with talks by renowned architects. “By bringing together giant talents from around the globe as well as India, across varied design platforms such as architecture, art, interiors, fashion and visual arts to one platform FCDI (FCML Design Initiative) aims to spirit new dialogue between these communities,” says Abhinav Khandelwal, founder, IAD and managing director, FCML Distributors. One of the key takeaways were presentations and talks by renowned architects. Few of the architects from the India…

NILANJAN BHOWAL Principal Architect Design Consortium www.designconsortiumindia.com while the country has seen a number of eco-friendly buildings, the concept has been restricted mainly to commercial spaces. However, the trend is now catching on with private residences as well. The good news is that it comes with a certification from TERI and Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). Contrary to popular opinion, a sustainable home is not expensive to build and does not cost a lot to maintain. An ideal green home is one that would conserve natural resources, use all local materials, consume minimum water, optimise energy efficiency, generate less waste, recycle whatever little is generated and provide a healthier space for occupants as compared to a conventional building. So, here are a few important points to be kept in mind…

Guest Column K ya Khanvte, chief explorer at L’escapades Boutique Travels (lescapades.comlescapades.com) and mom to K of Where is K? (whereisk.comwhereisk.com), is passionate about discovering exotic, offbeat destinations. Her four year old follows her on every adventure she takes. “Our forte is creating customised boutique holidays for our discerning clients. These are based on my own authentic travel experiences across the world,” says Khanvte. When she isn't snorkeling at the Moyenne island in Seychelles, living in an igloo in Saarisleka, Finland or bamboo skiing in Hokkaido, Japan she calls Mumbai home. Here are some of her favourite short luxury getaways from the city. Six Senses Zighy Bay, Oman A hidden gem amongst the Wadis A beautiful beachfront retreat nestled among the Hajjar mountains, with stunning views of the Gulf of…

FATIMA SANA SHAIKH, 25; SANYA MALHOTRA, 25, ACTORS, MUMBAI What is feminism? Sanya For me, it’s being myself and doing what I like to do without any kind of a restriction. In life, I’ve always been able to. Fatima Feminism means not judging women for the choices they make. A married woman is no less of a feminist than an unmarried one. How different is your equation with male and female friends? Sanya All of them play an important part in my life. I can discuss anything with my male friends too. There is no difference. There used to be. When I was a child, I used to have only girlfriends and hide things from my guy friends. Fatima I even talk about my periods. Sanya Yup. “I’m not in…

Cinematic Love MUZAFFAR AND MEERA ALI, FILMMAKERS AND DESIGNERS Two decades ago, fate brought Muzaffar and Meera Ali together when he picked her for a role in a small film on Sufism. “After my father passed away, the Kotwara legacy and responsibility came in my hands. I knew it needed a woman’s touch and my ideas,” recalls Muzaffar. Today, the couple spearheads the luxury fashion label Kotwara whose embroidered lehengas and saris are worn by the likes of Sonam Kapoor, Malaika Arora Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan. Meera says, “We developed a working relationship while dealing with craftspeople, upgrading their skills and building the brand. This helped us in becoming each other’s sounding board.” Muzaffar says, “She is an indispensable part of my thinking.” The two manage to take out…

Skyrocketing rice prices have sparked a major political blame game in Kerala. Leaders of the ruling Left Democratic Front are pointing fingers at the Narendra Modi government in Delhi, while the Opposition accuses the state government of deliberate mismanagement to benefit private traders. Rice production in Kerala has been falling over the past decade, forcing the state to import 91 per cent of its requirement from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. But the severe drought in most southern states in the last season has reduced supply and pushed up prices. Food and civil supplies minister P. Thilothaman claims prices escalated because of a shortage caused by the Centre’s move to cut the state’s rice quota. “Kerala’s annual allocation from the central pool was reduced from 16.25 lakh metric tonnes to 14.25…

Barely five years ago, in 2012, the political map of Uttar Pradesh was a crimsondominated rainbow, bearing the imprint of a spectacular Samajwadi Party victory over Mayawati’s blue brigade. This Holi, the rainbow has changed hue again—now it’s awash in saffron, with other shades jostling for presence. It signifies not just a power shift from the SP to the Bharatiya Janata Party—triggered by an extraordinary saffron surge—but the rout of the regional forces at the hands of a national party after a decade-and-a-half of eventful politics in the state. To many, the BJP’s landslide in UP is a mere reassertion of the verdict of 2014, when the party won 71 of the state’s 80 seats (the NDA won 73) in the Lok Sabha election. However, the important question is what…

FIVE TASKS FOR PARRIKAR 1 Inject trust in traditional BJP voters 2 Push for Mopa airport 3 Justify land acquisition for electronic city 4 Revive economy after mining ban 5 Arrest declining law and order situation WHEN THE AIR ASIA FLIGHT FROM DELHI TOUCHED down at Dabolim airport on the night of March 10, Manohar Parrikar resolved not to go back again. He was confident of taking over the reins as Goa chief minister for a third time. And on March 14, he did just that, taking oath of office with the backing of 22 MLAs—13 from his own party, the BJP, three each from the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and Goa Forward, and three independents. However, he had by then lost both face and faith with the people who had…

O N MARCH 10, a day before the assembly election results in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, the Congress appointed a new president in Arunachal Pradesh. In this northeastern state, where 43 of its 44 MLAs had deserted the party last year to form a BJP government, the choice of president was crucial as he would be tasked with rebuilding the party from almost scratch. The Congress high command handed the arduous job to Takam Sanjoy, who had lost the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Arunachal West. In 2011, india today had reported an allegation of rape against him. Yet, vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who talks of bringing transparency and merit to the Congress’s organisational structure, believes Sanjoy is the best bet for reviving the party in the state.…

The futuristic design, stark white interiors and blue and neon white lights of the ‘rooms’ at the UrbanPod Hotel in Mumbai’s industrial district of Andheri East make you feel as though you’re inside a spaceship. Inspired by a similar ‘pod hotel’ he stayed at in Singapore, cofounder Shalabh Mittal and partner Hiren Gandhi are excited to bring this global trend to India. Such pods, born of Japanese ‘capsule hotels’ that began operating in the early ’80s—beginning with the Capsule Inn Osaka in 1979—offer travellers cheap lodging with a little more privacy than a hostel. UrbanPod, a first-of-its-kind hotel in Mumbai, about 20 minutes away from the city’s airports, has 140 self-contained classic (single occupancy) pods (at Rs 1,800-3,000 plus taxes), equipped with USB ports, a pull-down plasma television screen, reading…

In another innovative move to expand its brand portfolio, Tata Motors is making waves in the motoring world with that most dubious of animals—an affordable sports car. Unveiled at the recent Geneva International Auto Show, the new Tamo Racemo definitely looks the part. “From styling and design to driver experience and technology, Racemo is an extension of customers’ personalities, as part of their digital ecosystem and will break the ice with a radical new presence and pique the interest in the parent brand,” said Tata Motors CEO Guenter Butschek at the unveiling ceremony. Unlike international sports coupes, the Racemo was designed with Indian roads in mind—and so features a generous 165mm of road clearance. The two-seater comes equipped with twin airbags, and has ABS and EBD (anti-lock and electronic brakeforce…

RECYCLE AND REUSE Good for the planet and easy on the eyes, the InLiving stall grabbed a lot of eyeballs. Reclaimed wood wall art, panels, dividers and cabinets with woven textiles created quite a visual. Materials like cotton recycled yarns, outdoor yarns, denim, leather labels lying waste were used to create the vibrant fusion pieces. The showstoppers, however, were the wooden wall panels with colourful cross stitch work. AT www.inliving.com WHEN EBONY MET IVORY Scarlet Slendour by sibling team Ashish Bajoria and Suman Kanodia expanded their Vanilla Noir collection among other ranges. Designed by prolific Italian designer, Matteo Cibic, each handcrafted piece is inspired by Indian craft of bone and horn inlay and translated into a contemporary fusion of modern polymers and pigments. The drama of black and white can…

VISHAKHA RM MD & CEO, IndiaFirst Life Insurance, Mumbai Talking about finances is a sensitive topic. No two individuals have the same approach. Difference in income of a man and woman is a leading cause of conflict. Follow these tips to manage money well. Financial transparency Review your accounts and debts. While there are people who commit financial infidelity with malice, it mostly occurs accidentally. Set ground rules for common pool by addressing concerns such as how much you would like to contribute to a joint account. This can be used for future needs such as insurance, children’s expenses and fixed deposits. Joint finances can be a boon for the partner shoulders the household duties. Smart decisions for a better future Take control of your goal-fulfilment by budgeting and saving…

Gendering surveillance is your most recent project. What inspired its launch? Our major concern is opening up the benefits of Internet for everyone, including the marginalised communities. Online surveillance is a big concern, but most people think government surveillance affects only law breakers. Women are among the worst affected with the digital age’s deepening scrutiny. Our aim is to reach out to more people and bring case studies to light. We don’t always work from a gender perspective, but we do always take a feminist perspective. One of the case studies talks of the khap panchayat ban on the mobile phone. Are these blanket bans? Are they taken seriously? Blanket bans in north Indian villages in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have not worked and that’s partly because people have aspirations…