Innholdsfortegnelse for September 21, 2020 i India Today

On March 24, at 8 pm, India imposed one of the severest lockdowns in the world due to the corona pandemic. On that day, there were 574 Covid-19 cases and one death in India. Consequently, as the economist Kaushik Basu stated, “you froze the economy totally and allowed a whole lot of people to be scattered all over—so the germs were spreading…” The cost-benefit of the extent of the lockdown has been debated endlessly, but mainly in the realm of conjecture. It was a difficult choice between lives versus livelihood and getting the breathing space to build the medical infrastructure to cope with the impending pandemic. That apart, the government had not anticipated or planned for urban migrant workers returning to their villages in hundreds of thousands, the consequences of…

I have known Isher for a lifetime (okay, 46 years), and she and Montek are close personal friends of both my wife Ravinder Kaur (known as Ravi to friends) and me. This is a point about disclosure and the fact that reading Breaking Through has been an immensely enjoyable and learning experience. It is not that what I learnt was new but rather the fact that Isher’s writing brought home several ex-post self-evident truths about her—and India. I want first to mention that this book serves as a model for anyone wanting to write a memoir—no pretensions, no frills but, like the author, full of content and not so obvious insights. For me, there are at least four important takeaways from the book. She came to the US at a…

Rajeev Karwal | 57 Founder and CEO, Milagrow Milagrow is a home-grown robotics firm that expects to sell around 100,000 units this year. Its robots can perform a number of tasks, from cleaning swimming pools and windows to mowing lawns. “You require three people to clean a pool,” says Karwal. “[With our robots], these employees are freed up for other tasks, saving manpower.” Smita Murarka | 39 Vice-president, marketing, Duroflex Duroflex uses AI for many purposes, including tracking daily, weekly and monthly demand patterns and inventory planning. It also uses digital platforms to drive sales. “Post-Covid, our e-commerce sales have grown at more than double digit rates,” says Murarka. “Until last year, [digital orders made up] about five per cent of the brand’s sales. The pandemic-induced lock-down has taken that…

Uddhav Thackeray “By joining hands with [the] movie mafia and breaking my house, you think you have got your revenge? Today you demolished my home, tomorrow your arrogance will be demolished” Sanjay Raut “I condemn you Sanjayji. You are not Maharashtra. You can’t say I criticised Maharashtra” Deepika Padukone “What sort of depression happens after a break-up which occurred eight years ago?” Karan Johar ‘He has been conferred with Padma Shri which is a big shame since now a person (Sushant) has died... I have only one thing against him: his prejudices. He needs to let go of those’ Aamir Khan ‘He has been complaining about intolerance in India, and yet he goes to Turkey, which is right now one of the most intolerant countries in the world. I, as…

The lockdowns across the world have resulted in an explosive growth of online chess. Popular website Chess.com claims it has 15 million members and over 2 million of them play daily. American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura has over a million followers on his Twitch.tv channel. Prize money has shot up, too. For instance, the online tournament Magnus Carlsen Invitational offers $250,000 to the winner. Most chess sites have paid and free membership options. Popular sites include Chess.com: Probably the biggest site, which hosted the Olympiad in conjunction with the World Chess Federation (Fide). It also has a dedicated India channel. Chess24.com: It offers super commentary teams for events and a nice interface. Lichess.org: A website committed to staying absolutely free. Play Chess (play. chess-base.com): A property of Germany’s Chessbase, which is…

Kalpish Ratna’s meticulously researched and simply explained book on Covid is a reassuring read When a country with a shaky reputation for keeping records lists 80,092 new cases of Covid in a single day, no one can blame you for panicking. The pandemic that has raged through the world for most of this year is terrifying. The lockdowns imposed on the country are just as frightening. Will life ever be normal again? So, it is hard to explain how reassuring it is to read A Crown of Thorns: The Coronavirus and Us by Kalpish Ratna; how calming it is to read reasoned, understanding and understandable chapters on this virus that has caused many of the world’s humans to barricade themselves in their homes for months. Kalpish Ratna is the pen…

The problem is that the industry has not yet understood the nature of my illness and what I went through,” Parveen Babi said in an interview to a magazine in 1980. The actress was talking about her mental breakdown. While reading Parveen Babi: A Life, Karishma Upadhyay’s empathetic account of the actor’s battle with schizophrenia, the weight of Sushant Singh Rajput’s death hangs heavy in the air. Where Rajput consulted at least four psychiatrists for his condition, Babi dismissed medical treatment. She lived with her fears and delusions right up till her death in January 2005. She was convinced that somebody—the CIA , CBI, KGB, Prince Charles and Amitabh Bachchan, among others—was out to kill her. There is a treasure trove of information here about Babi, but the most revelatory…

1. RADHIKARAJE GAEKWAD An avid traveller, writer, wildlife enthusiast, history buff and textile aficionado, Gaekwad is the daughter of an IAS officer and wildlife conservationist, who also belongs to a royal family. Her growing up straddled an exciting medley of a royal home, transferable government houses and run-down forest rest houses, giving her an edgy insight into the world she inhabits. She is married to Samarjitsinh Gaekwad of the Baroda royal family and is currently documenting the treasures and textiles of her home, the Lukshmi Vilas Palace, Vadodara. 2. REMY JULIA A watch specialist with Christie’s, Julia heads the markets in the Middle East, India, Africa and Russia for the auction house. He is a columnist for various international publications and speaks French, Spanish, English and Arabic. He has a…

Rugged Individualism For all those fitness freaks, outdoor enthusiasts and G-Shock loyalists, Casio’s new release ___ the G-Squad GBD H-1000 comes loaded with a heart rate monitor and GPS functionality. Now that’s what you call style with substance. Rock on. Price On Request Availability Brand boutiques Timeless Elegance Black is back with this Longines tribute to its Flagship collection that offers an emblematic design from the 1950s. Inspired by a rare piece from the era, this watch is a testament to the eternal lure of the classic. Price On Request Availability Brand boutiques Paired to Perfection The new Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon ALINGHI is a watch that celebrates the-best of Swiss precision, innovation and pioneering spirit. It comes with bragging rights. Price On Request Availability Brand boutiques Skin…

This Princess of Jodhpur’s trousseau packed quite the punch. Upon her 1949 wedding to the scion of one of the most redoubtable royal houses in India, Maharaja Fatehsinghrao Gaekwad II of Baroda, Maharajkumari Rajendrakumari Baisa of Marwar (Jodhpur), rechristened Maharani Padmavatiraje Gaekwad of Baroda, brought her entire menagerie with her—pooches, parrots, and countless trunks packed with yards of precious fabric. “I’ve inherited some of the chiffons she brought in her trousseau,” says the present Maharani of Baroda, Radhikaraje Gaekwad. Radhikaraje is married to the present Maharaja Samarjitsinh Gaekwad, the nephew of late Maharaja Fatehsinghrao Gaekwad. From embroidered French chiffons, to reams and reams of Taffeta and satin, yardage lay unopened in trunks, and out of sight. Travelling Trunks “Maharani Padmavatiraje’s trousseau is legendary both in proportion and quality. She brought…

ITC Royal Bengal, Kolkata If the ITC Royal Bengal was a person, it would embody the values of a true-blue Bengali bhadralok--a world traveller with an eclectic taste in books, a foreign degree but well-versed in Bengali culture, who would appreciate Baul music in the same breath as Bach and the Beatles and who would love poetry as much as Nash’s Game Theory. In short, a citizen of the world. The architecture marries the finest of European and indigenous architecture with elements of erstwhile stately homes (Bonedi Bari), regal palaces of the Nawabs and churches of Bengal with a contemporarydesign vocabulary. From the classic Greco-Roman façade with its Horse Sloping entrance to the ancient Doric columns that date back to the 8th century BC, it recreates a narrative of grace…

Who doesn’t remember Marlon Brando, holding a cigar in one hand, cradling a deeply creased forehead in the other, in the iconic film ‘The Godfather’? Call me a romantic, but the one thing that made this movie series even more timeless—other than a brilliant director and talented cast—was the cigar. These burning stogies reflect character, class and pleasure; a perfect complement to fine scotch, rum or even premium beers, this combination makes for the most relaxing leisure companion. The Finest Cigars in the world All the tobacco growing regions in the world have their own micro-climate, which influences the growing process. Each micro-climate provides a unique opportunity to produce tobaccos with subtle differences in flavour and complexity. Microclimatic conditions depend on unique factors of temperature, humidity, wind and turbulence. While…

On September 4, a day after former Bihar chief minister and Mahadalit leader Jitan Ram Manjhi joined the NDA, Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party put out a full-page newspaper ad, claiming exalted status for their leader. Manjhi’s party then put out posters in Patna with a ‘First Bihar: Nitish Kumar’ punchline. The line was not the only putdown of Chirag’s ‘Bihar First, Bihari First’ campaign; Manjhi’s posters show various NDA leaders but Chirag is conspicuously absent.…

The EIA notification is a dangerous step towards strengthening perverse incentives, rendering our industry even more uncompetitive The recent EIA (Environment Impact Assessment) notification will give full licence to industry to exploit the country’s natural resources and to pollute with impunity. This is obviously unacceptable. It is also an attempt to sabotage democracy. Apart from practically doing away with public hearings, the notification was published only in English and Hindi, which are not accessible to many of our people. It is these people in the countryside and along rivers and the sea coast who are going to be the real victims of rampant pollution, mining, quarrying, illegal construction, highways, railway lines, airports and seaports grabbing and despoiling their lands. The Tamil Nadu government is releasing a Tamil translation, requesting its…

There is an increasing deployment of robots in Indian firms, in a variety of sectors China is the leader in robot sales worldwide, with a 40 per cent share of the market South Korea, Japan and the US are in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th places, respectively Indian IT and drug companies are ahead of their Chinese counterparts in robotics adoption GreyOrange is India’s biggest robotic tech company , and has revolutionised supply chain automation The Indian Economic Survey 2017-18 identified robotics as an important focus area Around 3,412 industrial robots were installed in India in 2017—a 30 per cent increase from 2,626 units installed in 2016 According to the International Federation of Robotics, India has nearly three robots for every 10,000 workers…

Twenty years ago, Ensemble Studios launched Age of Empires II, a strategy game that allowed armchair emperors to play at war. The game began with a CGI enactment of a timeless trope—two kings face off across a chessboard, while, in the real world, knights and pikemen, crossbowmen and trebuchets mirror their moves, butchering each other in lockstep with the clacking of the chess pieces. The many layers to this idea—leaders locked in ivory towers, their warriors more piece than person, the zero-sum conception of conflict—still resonate strongly today, especially among those privileged enough to fantasise about empire while leaving the bleeding to others. And in India, there’s yet another thread that binds chess to fiction—the belief that the game originated in this land, born as ashtapada (or perhaps chaturanga) well…

Q. Two of your films were released straight to streaming platforms. Do you think they got their due? We all still love the theatre—it is magical and immersive. Both my films, SufiyumSujatayum(Malayalam) andV (Telugu), were made for theatre, so I was disappointed initially. But OTT gives you a different thrill. The audience is bigger, response is quicker. Q. Has OTT further erased linguistic boundaries? Of course. I became an actor to be a Mani Ratnam heroine. I did a Tamil film with him which opened up the southern region for me. Movies make you feel, and feelings don’t have a language. OTT validates that in many ways. It has validated my need to be a pan-India artist. Q. Telugu is a language you dub yourself. Has your Telugu become better?…

Hindsight is perfect sight; this makes anniversaries the ideal time to reassess, refresh, renew and reimagine their future, while celebrating their past. This is exactly what Italian luxury brand, Ermenegildo Zegna, has in mind as it completes 110 this year. And what better way to honour the legacy of their founder, but by renewing their commitment to a better world? With a firm belief that actions in the present rewrite tomorrow’s narrative, Zegna’s legacy for future generations strengthens its approach to sustainability. Founder Ermenegildo Zegna ignited a lifelong protection of the environment when he began planting more than 500,000 trees starting in the 1930s. Today, his reforestation project has transformed the landscape surrounding the Ermenegildo Zegna wool mill into a 100-km nature reserve known as OASI Zegna. Sharing this promise…

The purveyors of good design can no longer flock to displays of Italian craftsmanship at Salone del Mobile in Milan. Travelling aesthetes are forced to miss exclusive exhibits in Paris’ high-end furniture showrooms, and the jet set, who didn’t bat an eyelid before importing the likes of Ted Baker, Fendi Casa, Hermes, Baxter or Ralph Lauren Home, have had to seek other outlets for their disposable incomes. Who would have guessed that the pandemic would result in India’s luxe redux? Cleary, one man’s tears are another man’s treasure. As more and more eyes look inwards, Indian brands and designers offering high quality and equally high craftsmanship are wooing the domestic clientele. Slowly a new trend has emerged where the heavy hitters don’t just want ‘Made in India’ but also prefer…

HUBLOT BIG BANG MILLENNIAL PINK Its 42-mm case sets the tone: made from modern, lightweight aluminium, a unisex and monochrome material, anodised, satin-finished and through-tinted millennial pink. This highly specific colour is obtained by anodisation, a process which both protects and decorates a part, and which has the advantage of giving the case and its components the desired pastel shade combined with remarkable resistance to scratches and impacts. Its proportions ensure it sits perfectly on any wrist. Gender Neutral. The Unico chronograph manufacture movement, boasting a 72-hour power reserve, has a chronograph mechanism on the dial side and a column wheel. RADO Captain Cook Hrithik Roshan special edition The special edition delivered in a pouch created with Hrithik Roshan is a modern interpretation of the iconic Captain Cook that was…

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visibly longer beard has become a subject of great curiosity and interest, more so in West Bengal where parallels are being drawn with poet Rabindranath Tagore’s trademark flowing beard. Given his recent predilection for quoting the poet, it’s quite possible the likeness is cultivated. In January, speaking on the new citizenship law, Modi referred to Tagore’s remark in a 1903 essay about how history was not what students study for exams. On August 7, talking about India’s New Education Policy, he said it sought to assimilate Tagore’s idea of education. More recently, in some self-reliance advice to the toy industry on Mann Ki Baat, he mentioned how Tagore, as a child, used to fashion his own toys. Next up, maybe, a Tagorean ‘Shonar Bangla (Golden Bengal)’…

In early September, Imarti Devi, Madhya Pradesh’s minister for women and child development, set the cat among the pigeons when she announced that she was in favour of including eggs in the mid-day meal scheme run in government schools and the Integrated Child Development Scheme in anganwadis (local childcare centres). The intended beneficiaries of this nutrition supplement are children under six and lactating mothers of children up to six months old. Coming from someone mandated to fight malnutrition in a state badly affected by this problem, this would seem a legitimate intervention—but for the context and convoluted politics of the announcement. Apart from the fact that this preference does not square with the default vegetarian setting of most BJP governments in the country (excluding Assam, Uttarakhand and Karnataka, see map:…

Q. The decision to introduce private passenger trains brings back the question of urgent railway reforms and a regulator. A. We have gone for a public-private partnership as the railways will need to enhance capacity by 2024. But this isn’t the privatisation of railways. We expect more investments flowing into the manufacturing of rolling stock and locomotives. About the regulator, a notification came in May 2017 for the formation of the Rail Development Authority. It’s a work in progress. The first batch of private trains will be operational by March 2023. By then, a regulator will be in place. Q. How will private train fares be determined? A. Freight tariffs and passenger fares are determined by member (traffic) of the Railway Board. We have made it clear in the requests…

January 24 saw the release of the Kangana Ranaut-starring Panga. It sank without a trace. The panga that got more views came on June 16, when she put out a video in which she held “the movie mafia” responsible for the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput two days earlier. And so began Ranaut’s rise as a crusader in the ‘justice for Sushant’ movement, influencing the narrative around the case in the news and on social media. While her ire was initially reserved for what she derisively calls ‘Bullywood’, her list of targets expanded as the investigation continued, even including two powerful groups in Maharashtra: the Mumbai Police and the Shiv Sena. In her newfound role as a socio-political commentator on a range of issues from the Ram Mandir to…

The Indian team scored gold at the Online Chess Olympiad under strange circumstances. It is the first time India has won gold at an Olympiad—the previous best performance was a bronze in 2014 under very different conditions. The final between Russia and India had to be written off due to a massive internet outage on Sunday, August 31, making it impossible to connect to the host website, Chess.com. After some cogitation, the World Chess Federation president Arkady Dvorkovich awarded gold to both teams. The Russians were unhappy. They had, in technical terms, won. The Indians were unhappy because they felt robbed by the outage. Both teams took the medals, though, of course! In this event, from quarter final onwards, the knockouts were played as best of two matches on six…

IT is not everyday that you get to be in the amphitheatre of history. These months of lockdown will be the subject of stories and narratives of how a tiny virus brought an entire planet to a standstill. These visuals of dystopian emptiness will forever be recorded in our minds. Visions of our cities turned into ghostly habitats, surreal and harrowingly beautiful at the same time. They exerted a pull on the photographer, like the that of the full moon on tides. This urge to go out and capture the ‘desolate beauty’ of Delhi under lockdown compelled Parul Sharma, a successful corporate world dropout turned photographer, to step out of her locked-down life—leaving behind her “good family time”, Netflix and evenings of wine and champagne—to record her city as “…

Searching A technology-driven thriller, Aneesh Chaganty’s directorial debut follows a father tracing his daughter’s digital footprints to find her and, in the process, chancing on a person he is entirely unacquainted with. CAM A young girl who makes a living in the world of webcam porn finds her virtual identity stolen. As she tries to regain control of her show and life, her copycat’s activities push her into dangerous territory. Catfish The 2010 documentary was one of the first to highlight how love on the internet can be deceptive and shocking in equal parts.…

IF THERE’S ONE THING that these Covid adjacent times have focussed our attention on—it’s the home. Even as we rattle around in endless confinement, the four walls offer refuge from the raging pandemic but also a return to our roots. With ‘Vocal for Local’ as much of a battle cry as trending hashtag, Spice turns the spotlight of our design special on all things heritage, home-grown and handmade. Marrying tradition and slow fashion, our cover star is HH Radhikaraje Gaekwad from the Baroda royal family, who has taken the lead in reviving our textile legacy. Gaekwad has been working with textile experts and conservationists Asif Sheikh and Villo Mirza to resuscitate masterpieces of artisanal fabrics, buried under mothballs and frayed muslin. There are pagdis, angarakhas, nine yard sarees, brocades, layettes…

Glossing Over Dior’s Lip Glow Oil is a is a glossy formula that protects parched lips, while enhancing their natural lip colour. Price ₹2,500 Availability Brand boutiques Keep it Light Christian Louboutin’s Loubi Graffiti line is a great gift for someone you love. The box set comprises of a lipstick and nailpolish in a graffitied box. Price On request Availability www.farfetch.com Skin is In A smooth, fluid formulation that creates a natural-looking healthy glow, Chanel’s Les Beiges foundation lends skin the radiance of a day spent outdoors Price ₹4,900 Availability Brand stores Star Power A collection of dark shade lipsticks, Gucci’s Rouge à Lèvres Gothique delivers deep, ultra-pigmented colour with a metallic finish. Price On request Availability Brand boutiques Rainbows and Unicorns A colour-correcting radiant powder, Givenchy Prisme Libre has…

My love for textile began early on with my childhood rummages in my Nani’s trunks for costumes, deep in the Bhandaar (store) of the Sailana Palace Zenana (ladies wing). Here my nubile fingertips brushed against silky Tanchois and slippery tissues, fluffy nets and pokey zardoz... From these emerged our annual fancy costumes for Christmas. In time I would behold many such trunks that have held countless textile treasures and tales. Some rendered antique Paithanis woven in real gold and cotton, lovingly documented by the legendary textile conservationist and revivalist Martand Singh, known fondly in the textile world as Mapu. Others revealed the most complex brocades and stylish vintage blouses, patiently explained by textile conservationist and revivalist, Padma Shri Rahul Jain. Over the years, I have foraged through these old trunks…

To say that the pandemic has changed lives and altered the course of businesses is to state the obvious. Even the narrative of aesthetics has not remained oblivious to the Corona conundrum and jewellery is no exception. Trends in jewellery have always evolved according to varied sensibilities, experimental and imaginative minds of designers and the requirements of the consumer. However the need of the hour has narrowed down to “thinking design” and not “exquisite designs”. The practical mind is looking beyond the narrow confines of uberluxe, superlative designs and innovative marketing techniques. Arguably, in a scenario where people’s time and energies are defined by saving lives and lifestyles, where anxiety about the future and uncertainty about the new world order is the abiding sentiment, luxury and jewellery is not top…

A classic carries the weight of expectation, and the load gets even heavier when it’s an iconic brand like Rolex. The new Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust 31 is no exception. It comes in a white Rolesor version that effortlessly combines Oystersteel and 18 carat white gold. A diamond-set bezel surrounds an aubergine, sunray-finish dial with 18 carat white gold Roman numerals; the VI is spectacularly set with 11 diamonds. Three other versions vie for attention; all with a fluted bezel and fitted respectively with a mint green, sunray-finish dial, a white lacquer dial, and a dark grey, sunray-finish dial. These watches are fitted with calibre 2236 that includes the Syloxi hairspring, developed and patented by the brand itself. They have a power reserve of approximately 55 hours. Like all Rolex…