Innholdsfortegnelse for August 10, 2020 i India Today

More than four months after India formally began its battle with the coronavirus, we have crossed 1.5 million Covid-19 cases. We now have the dubious distinction of being the country with the third-highest number of Covid-19 cases after the US (4.5 million) and Brazil (2.5 million). The silver lining, if you could call it that, are our comparatively low fatalities—we have lost 34,398 persons as compared to 152,000 deaths in the US. The recovery rate—nearly 1 million Indians have recovered from the disease so far—is another factor that strikes a faint note of optimism. The coronavirus is likely to be with us for many months—perhaps even years. For most of us who haven’t lived through a world war or the Great Depression, this is a once-in-a-century kind of global event…

Congress president Sonia Gandhi is unwilling to continue in her present post beyond August 10. Son Rahul, too, is non-committal. Discussions are now under way to convince them to let Priyanka don the mantle, but Sonia feels her daughter might not be ready. Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh, always the outlier, proposed Sachin Pilot for the post to ensure the young leader doesn’t quit the Congress. That might be just the nudge Sonia needs to give Priyanka a shot. HUSH HUSH The Indian Air Force’s first Rafale jets took off in a blaze of publicity from the Dassault Aviation facility in Merignac, France, and were seen off by Jawed Ashraf, India’s ambassador to France. But the aircraft are likely flying into a black hole in India. Given the tensions with…

“PEOPLE TRY TO REASSURE YOU, BUT YOU NEED TO FIND REASSURANCE FROM WITHIN, WHICH IS HARDER, BUT MORE POWERFUL” She was 13 when an accident in her hometown of Hoshiarpur in Punjab left her paralysed from the neck downward. As several schools turned her away, all Pratishtha could see ahead of her was darkness. “I know what it is to be deprived of freedom and struggle to find hope,” she says. One would think it would prepare her for any challenge ahead, but when Covid broke out and her plans for higher education were put in temporary jeopardy, she felt that familiar dread wash over her again. “Nobody knew what would happen and, overnight, my friends were taken away from me. People try to reassure you but you need to…

Snigdha Sarkar, 84, rushes to the balcony every time she hears a car stop outside her house in Jodhpur Park in South Kolkata. Disappointed to see a stranger alight from the cab, she transfers her gaze to the sky, tracing the flight path of an eagle she mistakes for an airplane, until it disappears behind a cloud. She is glad to see a plane because these days she can’t hear planes flying overhead or trains whistling in the distance. “Covid has taken a toll on my health,” she says. “As it is, my eyesight was bad. Now, I can’t hear properly either. I am glad Rajesh [Satpathi, manager of TriBeCa Elderly Care Services in Kolkata] told me flights to India have resumed, otherwise I would have kept worrying that Babu…

Be mindful of older people’s need for social connectedness. It takes just a phone call and a warm hello to show you care Stop bombarding the elderly with negative news. Allay pandemic-related anxieties by being frank but gentle Reduce their digital screen time to prevent a digital infodemic Ensure tele-medicine facilities for them Provide them with helplines for immediate attention Engage volunteers to check in on their needs The government needs to extend financial assistance to the elderly by means of subsidy, favourable interest rates and incentives on pension schemes…

India has nearly 1,000 universities, making our higher education system one of the largest in the world. With a current enrolment of 35.7 million students, India is second only to China’s 41.8 million. India’s Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), which refers to the proportion of 16 to 23-year-olds enrolled in higher education, went up from 8.1 per cent in 2001-02 to 27.4 in 2017-18, as per the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE). However, it remains lower than the global average of 36.7 per cent. The Union ministry of human resource development aims to take this GER to 32 per cent by 2022. The increase in student enrolment has been primarily driven by privately-owned institutions. However, as a 2019 report—‘Reviving Higher Education in India’—by the Brookings Institution, a US-based thinktank,…

AIIMS has been setting the agenda for methodologies and innovations in medical education. We are constantly incorporating the latest advancements in global research and clinical care in our curriculum which makes for holistic and up-to-date teaching. The AIIMS in New Delhi is visited by more than 3 million patients every year for OPD consultations. We perform more than 200,000 surgeries and admit more than 200,000 patients every year. This practical exposure is unique to AIIMS. Students not only learn how to practise but are a part of our public healthcare system from the onset. AIIMS takes great pride in providing world-class health care at a minimal cost. Many interventional procedures like angioplasty and stenting for heart patients and complex cardiac, neurological and cancer surgeries are done free of cost. Measures…

India, considered a land of learning between the 1st and 8th centuries A.D., has the third-largest higher education system in the world. The country has been home to universities of repute such as Nalanda, Takshashila, Vallabhi, Vikramshila and Kanchipuram, yet the current Indian institutes of higher education have failed to make a mark in the international league of institutes of excellence. Having spent three decades in the field of higher education and as the steward of a university aspiring to be world class, I enumerate a few of my observations here. Contemporary narratives in Indian higher education have pointed to the rise of private institutes as the reason behind the diminishing relevance of state and regional-level institutes, and for creating an imbalance between excellence and inclusion. Centres of excellence like…

It is ironic that about the only place where one can engage with the shared linguistic legacy of Hindustan is in foreign South Asia departments, in London and Chicago. In nominally post-colonial India, we take the colonial legacy of Partition very seriously—and the linguistic “partition” practised by our Hindi and Urdu departments would be farcical, if it weren’t so sad. Hindi departments are anxious to free their language and its literary legacy from “yavana” contamination; Urdu departments are in a perpetual fret about how to handle the Hindi and the Hindus—Premchand and Firaq, to name but two—that must be part of any Urdu tradition. The Hindi audiobooks that are on offer are cheerfully eclectic—rather like a railway bookstall But now, courtesy Audible’s audiobooks, there is a way in which one…

Calcutta Nights walks the tightrope between salacious gossip and moral censure In 1842, chief magistrate J.H. Patton drew up an elaborate plan to rid Calcutta of crime. Splitting the city geographically into upper, middle and lower divisions, Patton appointed 300 constables to the police in each. Their daytime duties were not unexpected—“preventing breaches of the peace, arresting persons against whom a hue and cry has been raised, ...drunk and disorderly persons and fakeers, and others making an obscene and disgusting exposure of their persons...” But at night, the constables were instructed to “on no account allow any person to pass along the streets or highways with a bundle, box or package after nightfall, without stopping him and examining the contents of his load...”. Night, it seemed, made everyone a suspect.…

Neeta Lulla’s sartorial journey began in a small room at her in-laws’ home in Mumbai. “They said I shouldn’t be simply sitting at home,” says Lulla, 55, who was a teenage mother when she began studying dressmaking and apparel construction at the city’s SNDT University. Her credentials have only grown since then. On July 1, Lulla was among the 12 Indian film professionals invited to be a part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the outfit known to vote for the Oscars. She joins the likes of costume designer Bhanu Athaiya (Gandhi) and Arjun Bhasin (Life of Pi) to become a member. “When I heard about it, I didn’t understand it at first. It took some time to sink in,” says Lulla. “It is a big accomplishment…

When Mark Honigsbaum’s The Pandemic Century released in 2019, the book was lauded for its research and insight, but it’s taken a full-blown pandemic to make prescient its urgent warnings: “It’s not a question of if, but when.” While in its first avatar, The Pandemic Century described the cause and effects of nine disease outbreaks—starting with the Spanish flu and ending with Zika—its recent reissue sees Honigsbaum add some 20 pages about Covid-19, rounding off the number of chapters to 10 and giving the book a point of culmination the author will perhaps call unfortunate but not unseen. Having trained as a medical historian, Honigsbaum deconstructs jargon effectively, explaining, for instance, how coronaviruses ravage the human body, but The Pandemic Century fortuitously also forages in places other than science. Being…

PHASE I THE ANNUAL EXERCISE January 1-April Two or more motorised divisions of the PLA from the South Xinjiang Military District hold their exercises in Hotan. These exercises have been a regular feature for several years. The formations deploy light tanks and self-propelled artillery and, among other things, practise capturing mountain passes held by the ‘enemy’ PHASE II THE BREAKOUT Late April The two divisions break out from the exercise areas in Hotan towards the LAC. They drive down the feeder roads from G219 or the Western Highway linking Xinjiang with Tibet, towards the LAC. It takes them a few days PHASE III THE DEPLOYMENT Late April The divisions line up at various places along the LAC in a blocking move PHASE IV THE INTRUSIONS Early May Chinese soldiers begin…

“I KEEP TELLING MYSELF THAT IF I UTILISE THIS TIME JUDICIOUSLY, IT WILL HELP ME LATER” When his university classes shifted to Zoom, Tangri did not despair like many of his peers. “I didn’t face any issues taking my classes online,” he says. “We could reach out to the teachers for queries and they supported us a lot.” He might only be 19 but Tangri is firmly focused on his future. Just last month he completed six different courses on Coursera, which he has been pursuing since December. And when not studying, he is learning to drive in the evenings, walking and jogging on his terrace, talking to friends, watching web series and movies at night, and reading. “I tell myself that if I utilise this free time judiciously, it…

“TALKING ON THE PHONE CAN NEVER BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR A SCINTILLATING ADDA OVER STEAMING CUPS OF COFFEE AND SHINGARAS” Dr Prabir Dasgupta had stuck to his daily routine all the way till mid-March. Twice a week, he would visit his polyclinic in Sonarpur. Apart from the passion for his profession, the half hour drive from his home in Garia to his clinic through the lush hinterland encouraged him to keep going. Kaberi, too, was used to an active social life, meeting friends and neighbours daily. Hence, being home-bound has been difficult for the two. Since maids are still not allowed in their home, Kaberi is also burdened with household chores. But her distress is more mental than physical. Talking to people on the phone can never be a substitute…

With nearly 950 universities and around 155 institutes of national importance for higher education to choose from, this annual edition of the India Today Group ranking of best universities in India aims to make a critical career decision easier for aspirants. The rich information and data of the survey have helped it emerge as the gold standard for stakeholders such as recruiters, parents, alumni, policy-makers, the general public as well as universities. The methodology by INDIA TODAY knowledge partner MDRA has set several milestones. During objective ranking, MDRA carefully attuned 120-plus attributes to provide the most comprehensive and balanced comparisons of universities. These performance indicators were clubbed into five broad parameters—reputation & governance, academic & research excellence, infrastructure & living experience, personality & leadership development and career progression and placement.…

In the US, many top universities, including Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Princeton and MIT are private not-for-profit universities. Most of them are hundreds of years old. In India, the revolution of private not-for-profit universities started only about 25 years ago, when institutions like Amity were established. I have no doubt that in the future, when people name the leading universities in India, many private names will be on the list. Given their young age in India, it is commendable that of the less than 50 Indian universities that are ranked well globally, a third are private institutions. India has a great advantage moving forward—the number and percentage of our young people. What is necessary to unlock this great potential is the education of our youth—we must impart the skills and knowledge…

Zia Mohyeddin is, of course, the grandfather of all Hindustani oral performers. But in the context of the current revival, one must mention Mahmood Farooqui, and also Sunil Mehra and Askari Naqvi and indeed, now, many others. They are all available on YouTube. Of particular interest would be Mahmood Farooqui doing “dastaanised” versions of original Hindi stuff—Rajasthani folktales, Kissa Chauboli Ka, and even Shrilal Shukla’s Raag Darbari. As for Audible’s offerings, there is lots of Fawad Khan—Manto, Ismat, Intizar Husain… If you are keen on something from the Indian list, then the Kamleshwar collection is one. But the truth is that the Hindi stuff pales in comparison—both the texts themselves, and the readers. But even the Kamleshwar is Urdu stuff done in Nagari. And Premchand is basically an Urdu-wallah, who…

The British had already begun to establish themselves in India but hadn’t yet taken control of its cultural life. Western imperialism then only floats in the background in Ruth Vanita’s debut novel Memory of Light, which centres on a love story between two women in 18th century Lucknow. The novel begins with chatter about King George the Third’s 50th birthday. Kothas are teeming with performers vying to be part of the celebrations. It is during these heady days of preparatory activity that poet Nafis Bai catches a glimpse of Chapla Bai, a courtesan who has appeared from Kashi. Their eyes meet. Within no time, passions are inflamed. For the next two years, the two women are consumed by romance with all its attendant siblings—jealousy, insecurity, longing and loss. In this…

There’s no real material profit for India in joining a group mooted by the US, which, as the dominant power, will decide the norms for intra-coalition affairs The US secretary of state Michael Pompeo has publicly regretted former president Richard Nixon’s 1972 policy of cultivating China, followed by the US ever since, as a grave strategic error. Far from liberalising the Communist state, as was hoped, allowing China concessional terms of trade, unhindered access to the American market and transfer of advanced technology to modernise its military and manufacturing industry helped it emerge in the second decade of the 21st century as an aggressive authoritarian state, a mercantilist powerhouse and military rival that can only be handled, he contended in a July 23 speech in California, by ‘a new alliance…

On a study table, jostling for space between medical books and video game controllers, lies a crumpled Dunkin Donuts napkin. It had remained in the pocket of Rohan Kulkarni’s jeans since the last time he had been out with his friends from college. That was in the middle of March, when their group of six final-year students from Bangalore University had been out discussing their summer internships over burgers and thick shakes. Spring had just begun and Kulkarni was saving up to take his long-time girlfriend on their first weekend trip together to Kodagu next month. Definitive moments in the life of a 20-year-old—the first internship, the warm cocoon of a firm friends’ circle, the thrill of an unchaperoned romantic vacation. None of them knew back then that it was…

Aarti Bagdi made Mumbai her home about 20 years ago. Since then, she has won a Filmfare Award for a short film, Khamakha, striking a balance between pursuing her passion in filmmaking and other content development projects with companies like Mukta Arts. She was in talks to take over as creative head for a show on HotStar, a popular streaming platform, when the lockdown was announced. The talks continued on WhatsApp, but the conversation then went dead, says Bagdi. In pre-Covid times, she would take on about three projects a year. But 2020 had different plans. She says that regular gigs are difficult, if not impossible, to come by right now. Bagdi has turned her disappointment in coping with the isolation of Covid, and poured it into art. “It’s only…

A preference for affordable homes—jobs aren’t secure and pay cuts are rampant Self-owned homes are in greater demand than rental properties thanks to Covid-19 Buyers are looking for larger homes with better amenities to facilitate work from home The increase in time spent at home is driving demand for uncrowded, pollution-free surroundings Buyers are looking for self-contained communities with shopping centres, gardens, schools and hospitals—these are largely outside cities…

The Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown have disrupted our lives and severely affected the higher education system. Continuing with routine academic and research activities while ensuring the educational fraternity remains safe and healthy has been the biggest challenge. To ensure uninterrupted teaching and learning at home and to minimise academic losses, the UGC advised all the universities to shift to online mode of teaching and learning. There has been an institutional effort to combat Covid-19 through knowledge, technology and innovation. Institutions have tried to leverage the potential of technology, but there are challenges, and we are yet to fully integrate online teaching and learning in mainstream higher education. There are also limitations with regard to access for socioeconomically disadvantaged students, internet supply and technical knowhow of the instructional design, particularly…

“By 2028, India will rank in the top 10 of the Olympics medal table. We are identi-fying young talent and taking full responsibility of training them by bringing in world-class coaches” KIRAN RIJIJU Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports “The industry is changing, but the audience’s perspective and the media should change too. The kind of limelight that an actor’s kid gets, we don’t” SANYA MALHOTRA Actor “One thing I learnt is you can be the most talented, the most hardworking person, but at the same time, the industry requires you to also be a people’s person” JACQUELINE FERNANDEZ Actor “The only thing I’m missing is the mountains. I need to go to the forest. That’s my medicine. That keeps me sane” PAPON Singer “I enjoy negative…

The Munshi’s Manuscripts [#LITERATURE] Reams have been written about the timelessness of Premchand’s stories, his wisdom and the volume of his output. All that is on full display in the selection of Audible podcasts on Premchand—most of which are available for free (Amazon account required). A word to the nostalgic: Premchand’s impressive vocabulary is not for those of a casual acquaintance with Hindi. Kissa Stories [#EVERYMAN] Everyday stories by Vishwajyoti Ghosh (a graphic novelist with a weekly cartoon in the Hindustan Times). Launched on June 22, with five stories out so far, these are something like a digital version of the happy raconteur at the chaiwallahstories of a middle-class life in Delhi, complete with childhood friendships and the ‘phoren’ family, backed up by some (pretty well done) scene-setting music. Cyrus…

Taslima Nasreen’s latest offering, Shameless, is uniquely structured. Translated from Bengali by Arunava Sinha, the novel is as much about the creative process as it is about communal violence and religious persecution. It elaborates on the plight of the Dutta family, the Hindu protagonists of her novel Lajja (Shame)who move to Kolkata after the outbreak of communal violence in Dhaka following the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992. The reader is plunged into the nitty-gritty of refugee life and the pathos of those tormented by fundamentalism, crossing the border only to find that fundamentalism looks the same everywhere. Despite wishing to end his family’s misfortune, the antihero Suranjan finds himself trapped in a cycle of unemployment, cynicism and indifference. The rape of Suranjan’s sister Maya by a relative, the indignity bestowed…