Innholdsfortegnelse for January 27, 2020 i India Today

According to data put out by Delhi Police, 2019 was a record-breaking year of protests. And that’s not counting—December 15 being the cut-off date for this data set—the various anti-CAA protests that have rocked the capital from late December through January. The police in Bengaluru said 82 protests were held in the city in just one month from December 12, with city police commissioner Bhaskar Rao estimating that this number possibly matches the tally in Delhi in the same period. Records on demonstrations have only been kept since 2011, so it’s only possible to say with certainty that this has been the worst in the past eight years, but we should hope the government will see it for what it is. 12,652 Protests and dharnas organised in Delhi in 2019…

Q. A resolution passed by 20 Opposition parties has said that the CAA, NPR and NRC are unconstitutional, specifically targeting the poor and the downtrodden. These will crush the tribal and the linguistic and religious minorities. What do you have to say about this resolution? A. If the main mover of the resolution, the Congress, had done their homework, they would not have exposed themselves to the charges of duplicity. Who conceived the idea of the CAA? Didn’t Dr Manmohan Singh in 2003, as the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, ask the then home minister L.K. Advani to grant citizenship to all persecuted minorities? In 2002, Ashok Gehlot, as the chief minister of Rajasthan, wrote to Advani, requesting citizenship for Hindus and Sikhs from these countries. Tarun Gogoi,…

Union minister of state for environment, forests and climate change Babul Supriyo has been making news in West Bengal. Sources say Union home minister Amit Shah has singled out Supriyo to lead the party’s pro-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) campaign in the state. A BJP leader says, “We need to project that we will push aggressively for the CAA. Who better to do it than Babul, who is fluent in Hindi and Bengali and has star appeal?” Shah is also reportedly convinced that Supriyo’s aggression will be useful in countering anti-CAA sentiment. Supriyo’s aggression was on display in late December 2019. After a student graduating from Jadavpur University protested the CAA by tearing up a page from it at her convocation, Supriyo criticised her online, and was, in turn, questioned. Responding…

WITH ELECTIONS TO THE 70-MEMBER Delhi assembly less than a month away, the BJP, Congress and AAP are busy sharpening their respective poll strategies—from candidate selection to the election campaign to working out the caste arithmetic. Not only will the Delhi election kick off the first electoral contest of 2020, it also comes after the BJP lost power in five states last year and performed below par in a sixth. It will also set the stage for elections in six states in the next 18 months—Bihar in the second half of this year, and Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, West Bengal and Assam in 2021. Candidate selection is the primary challenge for all three rivals. The fact that it is being micro-managed by the national heads of both the Congress and…

Q. Do you agree that the most urgent economic priority for the government is to find ways to stoke demand? If yes, what can it do to engineer this outcome? Or else, what should be the government’s most urgent priority going into this budget? DHARMAKIRTI JOSHI Yes. With a sharp slowdown in both private consumption and investment, domestic demand is the biggest casualty right now. A coordinated pro-cyclical monetary and fiscal policy thrust is the need of the hour. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cut policy rate repeatedly and that has transmitted to an extent to lending rates. Yet, credit growth remains anaemic due to risk aversion and weak sentiment. So, now the ball is in the government’s court—to create fiscal space and boost demand. DUVVURI SUBBARAO No.…

Of all the things 2019 will be remembered for, a swelling space for conversations on mental health and gender would be one of them. Many of the deeply-felt personal essays I read on these themes in the past year came from Skin Stories, an award-winning digital publication featuring personal narratives on disability, gender and sexuality. It now has a book version—an anthology of essays. Edited by Shreya Ila Anasuya and conceptualised by Bishakha Datta and Anasuya, the book is lit up by beautifully meditative illustrations by Alia Sinha, Upasana Agarwal and Naresh Suna, in warm, earthy tones. The book sets out to “resist easy definitions and demolish stereotypes about disability”. Through the personal narratives of women (and a few men) living with chronic conditions, Skin Stories pushes you to think…

IN THE SPOTLIGHT Some illuminating devices merely shed light on the interiors while some can’t help but shine; Oorjaa’s latest offering falls in this category. Called Fiber Fables, faux concrete, water hyacinth and banana fibre in arresting shapes and forms can be found in the range. PRICE ₹4,500 to ₹75,000 AT www.thepurpleturtles.com CARPET CUES Handmade carpets from Hands are now available internationally with the launch of their first store in the Dubai Design District. PRICE on request AT www.handscarpets.com FABRIC OF LIFE Veave’s Studio, a textile brand based out of Benaras, has launched a sustainable home furnishings line called Teori Living. The brand is all about indigenous Indian weaving techniques on sustainably sourced fabrics while taking inspiration from the Japanese Wabi Sabi concept. PRICE ₹2,000 onwards AT www.veavestudio.com TILE STYLE…

Here’s an annual design forecast with a twist. We have mapped both what’s in vogue and what needs to be removed from your interiors. Happy decorating. FOCUS: LIVING ROOM 1. Accent walls are out | Even colour tone is in A single dramatic colour or a wallpapered accent wall that was everyone’s favourite last year is on its way out. It’s time to bring back one colour or pattern you love and splash it across your room. 2. Perfection is out | Personalisation is in People are shunning picture-perfect living rooms. Instead, living spaces will be designed and accessorised with a combination of old and new decor items which resonate with the owner’s personality. 3. Full pieces are out | Mix and match is in With the new decade it…

On the afternoon of January 11, when a private car suspected of carrying a dreaded militant was flagged down at a security checkpoint in south Kashmir’s Kulgam on the Srinagar-Jammu highway, it netted three Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) operatives: Syed Naveed Mushtaq Shah, a wanted HM commander, militant Rafi Ahmad Rather and Irfan Shafi Mir, an overground worker of the outfit. But it was the fourth occupant who took the security establishment by surprise—J&K deputy superintendent of police (DySP) Davinder Singh. Singh was arrested for alleged terror links, along with the militants he was accompanying. The J&K police said he would be treated ‘like a militant’. Posted at the time of arrest with the anti-hijacking unit of the police force at Srinagar airport, Singh is a decorated counter-insurgency officer. In 2018,…

Clash of the Heavyweights Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and his home minister Anil Vij’s public squabbles were the talk of the town in the first term of the BJP government. For some, Vij (dubbed ‘Gabbar’ by partymen) was the only man who stood between Khattar and a second term. The rivalry has continued into the BJP government’s second term as well. The newest flashpoint—transfer of six IPS officers by the chief minister’s office. Party chief Amit Shah has asked working president J.P. Nadda to broker peace between the two leaders. Last heard, peace had returned to Chandigarh, but knowing how deep the rivalry is, it’s only a matter of time before there is another falling out. MISSING ICONS Political posters commemorating the birth anniversaries of Bengali icons like…

As Chief Minister Kamal Nath undertakes his annual pilgrimage to the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting at Davos from January 20, the big challenge before him will be to get business for the state. While Madhya Pradesh is primarily an agrarian state, there is now a fairly broad-based consensus that the state must outgrow its dependence on agriculture and build capabilities in manufacturing and services. Nath has been trying to drive that change since he took over in December 2018, and policy changes and legislative support have begun to slowly make a difference. Early on, his government saw the need to ease land acquisition and building laws. Circle rates were slashed by 20 per cent, and the number of documents required to get building permissions and layouts, from 27 to…

If the December 2019 election to rural bodies is any indication, the assembly election in 2021 holds uncertain prospects for both the ruling All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and its main rival, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). The DMK-led front, which won 38 of Tamil Nadu’s 39 Lok Sabha seats in 2019, retained its lead with a higher tally of wards in panchayat unions and district panchayats, but only just about. These are the first local body elections after the deaths of AIADMK and DMK titans J. Jayalalithaa and M. Karunanidhi, respectively. The DMK and its allies won 243 of the 513 district panchayat wards and bagged 2,099 seats in the panchayat union wards while the AIADMK won 214 district panchayat wards and 1,781 panchayat union seats. The BJP…

HOW BIG WAS AAP’S VICTORY IN 2015 AAP’s focus will be to consolidate in 35 seats—32 where the victory margin was less than 20 per cent of the total valid votes and the three it lost—to maintain an unassailable lead WINNING MARGINS as % of total valid votes 0-5% 4 constituencies Shakur Basti, Najafgarh, Laxmi Nagar, Krishna Nagar 11-20% 22 constituencies Timarpur, Adarsh Nagar, Rithala, Mangol Puri, Tri Nagar, Wazirpur, Model Town, Moti Nagar, Tilak Nagar, Uttam Nagar, Matiala, Bijwasan, Delhi Cantonment, Rajinder Nagar, Kasturba Nagar, Malviya Nagar, R.K. Puram, Mehrauli, Chhatarpur, Greater Kailash, Kalkaji, Kondli 6-10% 6 constituencies Shalimar Bagh, Rajouri Garden, Gandhi Nagar, Shahdara, Rohtas Nagar, Ghonda 21-30% 23 constituencies Narela, Badli, Bawana, Mundka, Kirari, Nangloi Jat, Sadar Bazar, Chandni Chowk, Karol Bagh, Patel Nagar, Madipur, Hari Nagar,…

Firstly, it’s not a TV. That’s what you are told the minute you walk in to see a 146-inch machine (that looks more like an artwork) in front of you. Then, what is it? It’s a MicroLED Display. The Wall is an experience, where colours look brighter, pictures sharper and the sound quality is at par with any high-tech device. Like Smart TVs you can play online programmes via Netflix, Apple TV, YouTube and the like. It connects with BluRay to play a movie of your choice in HD. When not in use, it can be turned into a digital canvas (a few options are already pre set, you can add more as per your choice), or an installation art piece. My favourite was the real-life waterfall that also plays…

Tony Joseph 58, started his architectural practice Stapati in 1989 and believes in evolving a design that is firmly rooted in the region’s traditional narratives, albeit with a contemporary interpretation. Over the years, his practice that is based out of Calicut, Bangalore and Cochin, has won numerous awards and recognitions as one of the most influential design firms in the country. He shares his design journey. Tell us about yourself and the inception of Stapati? After I graduated from MIT Manipal, I went on to complete my masters in design from the University of Texas, Austin, in the Charles Moore programme. My interactions and travels with Moore and his views on regional architecture really influenced the direction of my design. After I returned to India, I launched Stapati in 1989,…

In the past month since the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) came into being, one of its most vocal opponents has been Prashant Kishor, the election strategist-turned-politician. Kishor’s rant against the CAA—in the form of a series of tweets—came immediately after his party, the JD(U), voted in its favour in Parliament. He offered to resign from the party, but JD(U) chief and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar would have none of it. On January 13, Kumar acknowledged the need for a debate on the CAA in the state assembly. The statement came a day after Kishor publicly thanked the Congress leadership for their “formal and unequivocal rejection” of the CAA and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). He also said, with an air of knowing authority, that the CAA/ NRC…

The International Cricket Council’s cricket committee, headed by former bowler and India captain Anil Kumble, will meet in Dubai in late-March. On the agenda is a controversial proposal to reduce Test matches to four rather than five days. It’s been reported that cricket officials, particularly from England and Australia, are keen on the proposal because it would create more room in the calendar and might encourage more positive play. But the proposal has met with near-universal derision from players, with many citing the game’s tradition as well as the nature of the fifth day’s play, when the chewed-up turf offers rich pickings to spinners, for instance. Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting also wondered whether four days would lead to more draws. Some former players, including Australian spin bowler Shane Warne,…

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has finally come out and said “there is no question of implementing the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Bihar”. After supporting the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019 in Parliament, Nitish now says he is open to a debate on the controversial religion-based citizenship law. The chief minister, in a statement in the assembly on January 13, said, “I have no objection to a detailed debate on the CAA. If the people want it, we can have a discussion in the house. As for the NRC, there is no justification for it.” He also said the NRC was envisaged in the context of Assam, and not the entire country. With this, the JD(U) becomes the third BJP ally—they share power in Biharto…

Kopal Goyal believes nothing is impossible. At 24, she began training in rock climbing against concerns that it was too late for her to physically learn the discipline. Much to the dismay of her parents, she quit her desk job as an editor with Network 18 and began teaching yoga to pursue her passion. Pooling in her savings and with some financial support from a few family members and a travel company, Goyal, a self-taught filmmaker, has made a documentary on women, who, like her, are driven towards adventure sports. The result is Project Wild Women which follows 14 professional athletes and rookie practitioners from sports such as skateboarding, surfing, downhill mountain biking, free ride mountain biking, skiing, rock climbing, ice climbing, longboarding, paragliding, kayaking and slacklining. After winning an…

Over 433-year-old France-based, bespoke crystal brand, Saint-Louis Cristalleries is finally in India. But wait, it’s been here for the last six years accessible only to the well-heeled and well-informed. But that, as per Jerome de Lavergnolle, CEO of the brand, was only to test the waters and the success led to the formal launch, last month. Housed in Emery Studio, Delhi, as you walk in coloured crystal chandeliers light up the corners and even before you can soak that in, your eyes fall on the beautiful array of glasses in every conceivable shape, hue and size. There are pieces from collections that were launched several years ago, displayed just as prominently as items from the new ranges. While modern renditions of the classic chandelier dot the main display area, delve…

The northern outskirts of Bangalore, Devanahalli is sporadically populated. We were asked to develop a holiday home here. The site was an irregular portion of land measuring 4,000 sq ft, a corner plot flanked by gardens on three sides. Taking advantage of this, the built mass was planned as an ‘L’ abutting the road and forming a garden courtyard inwards. The idea was to feel connected to the sky and the trees and create a living within a garden typology. For which a major chunk of the ground floor was left undeveloped, to give a sense of seamless connection between the garden and greenery all around the site. As for the interiors, the main stair is located in the centre of the building. Thus, dividing the building into two halves…

It’s time to reboot the bath. It may not be that easy to refresh your bathroom interiors, but it can certainly be the most effective when done intelligently. Case in point is Lacasa, Hindware’s new luxury experience centre in Delhi. Home to their luxury brand QUEO, wellness brand Amore, and premium brands such as Alchymi, what makes Lacasa different is the store layout, product display, and user experience set ups. Spread across 7,000 sq ft over two floors, latest taps, smart sinks, high-tech WCs and fancy tubs are showcased here. There are also special sections for consumers—live faucets, showers and tubs against a green wall, and a consultation area where with the help of a 3D visualiser and virtual reality you can check the fixtures before actually buying them. Pops…