Innholdsfortegnelse for July 26, 2021 i India Today

Jammu and Kashmir, it can be safely said, is never out of the headlines. Nearly two years after the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A reset the entire discourse, ending J&K’s special status and making it a Union territory, the region is back in the news. The June 24 meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and J&K’s political parties signalled a resumption of the stalled political process. The PM gave all the parties a patient hearing but promised nothing. Five of the parties are part of the ‘Gupkar alliance’ that had issued a joint declaration in 2019 opposing the abrogation of Article 370. The restitution of that Article seems a closed chapter for now. The calls for Azadi have been silenced. The government has proposed a sequence of events in…

In April, misled by fake news, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor offered embarrassing condolences on the death of the still-living former Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Twitter. More recently, it was UP BJP President Swatantra Dev Singh who fell for a death hoax. The party chief tweeted that the demise of former Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, 89, was ‘the end of an era’. Singh’s post triggered off a flood of similar tributes before the octogenarian leader’s grandson, a minister in the UP government, clarified otherwise.…

With the elevation of Ashwini Vaishnaw to Union Railway Minister, there are now four Union ministers with roots in Rajasthan’s Thar area—Vaishnaw (Jodhpur), Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (Jodhpur), Arjun Meghwal (Bikaner) and Kailash Choudhary (Barmer-Jaisalmer). Vaishnaw’s ancestors were originally from Pali, as are four other current MPs—P.P. Chaudhary and Sunil Soni in the Lok Sabha and Om Mathur and Neeraj Dangi in the Rajya Sabha. From the desert comes wisdom, as the old saw goes.…

Madhya Pradesh, which has long had the dubious distinction of being a ‘bimaru’ state (a reference to its sick economy and poor development indicators) is making a push to salvage its reputation. Improving nutritional outcomes has been identified as a priority, and, to that end, the state recently announced a new nutrition policy. Malnutrition manifests in many ways, and there are health indicators (see Madhya Pradesh’s Health Card) that identify and measure the extent of the problem. For example, a state’s infant mortality rate (IMR) or maternal mortality rate (MMR) offer insights. On both these counts, Madhya Pradesh has among the worst records in India. As per the Sample Registration Survey 2018, the state has an IMR of 56 per 100,000 births, which is the highest in the country; the…

The American exit from Bagram, their Afghan airbase, on July 2 is the enduring symbol of the US withdrawal from its ‘longest war.’ The very next day, 13 districts fell to the Taliban, and the momentum hasn’t slowed. Yet the process of US disengagement was set in motion nearly a decade ago. In February 2011, Hillary Clinton (then Secretary of State) reflected the policy shift when the preconditions for talks with the Taliban—renouncing violence and laying down arms, accepting the Afghan constitution and breaking ties with terror groups like Al Qaeda—were converted into talk outcomes. Pakistan’s decade-long investment in providing the Taliban safe haven and sanctuary was paying off. The next goal was ensuring the regime’s legitimacy, something it had lacked in the 1990s because only three countries (Pakistan, the…

Wendy Doniger has been crazy about horses ever since she first rode one in 1965. Released earlier this week, Winged Stallions and Wicked Mares, she says, “is the work of the love of a lifetime”. The affection with which Doniger picks stories about horses from Indian mythology and history is tangible. “Yoga,” she points out, “really means putting a bridle on your mind and your body, harnessing the otherwise unruly senses. It’s a horse metaphor—to put the yoke on a horse is to tame and control it.” In Doniger’s book, we see how gods and men have both tried taming horses since the dawn of time, but according to her, horses also “lead humans from the world of the tame into the world of the wild”. Speaking to INDIA TODAY…

Until September 12, Antwerp’s prestigious Museum of Contemporary Art (M HKA) has given up 20,000 sq ft to Shilpa Gupta for her retrospective, Today Will End. The Mumbai-based artist has always enjoyed a high profile in Europe but the scale of this show, featuring 25 of her works, is staggering. The show, she says, “led me to step back and look at my practice… how mobility, agency and power between individuals and surrounding structures have been a recurring concern in my art.” In the nerd-friendly, conceptual multiverse of Subodh Gupta, Bharti Kher, Jitish Kallat, Reena Saini Kallat and Sudarshan Shetty, the 45-year-old Gupta stands out for constantly pushing the boundaries of art and creativity. Her work straddles sound installation, video projection, site-specific sculpture, instructional art and other forms of experiments.…

Payal Kapadia’s A Night of Knowing Nothing, is one of three South Asian features selected at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival, along with Abdullah Mohammad Saad’s Rehana Maryam Noor (Bangladesh, in the Un Certain Regard section) and Rahul Jain’s Invisible Demons (in Cinema for the Climate), the last two being in official selection. Kapadia’s film is in the Directors’ Fortnight, an important parallel section. This is her second outing at Cannes, after her short Afternoon Clouds, made as an Film and Television Institute of India student, was shown in the festival’s Cinéfondation section in 2017. Another short, And What is the Summer Saying, premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 2018. A Night of... primarily uses the format of letters—written by a young Indian college student, known simply as ‘L’,…

Q. What has been the impact of the pandemic on the industry? I hope what these past 18 months have done is change the taste of the audience. OTT makes you look past the razzmatazz, the glitz and glamour. It makes you appreciate storytelling for what it is. In theatres, you have a captive audience, but at home, you lose the person if the content is not good. Q. Having been acquainted with boxing, will you be watching it at the Tokyo Olympics? I am rooting for all nine [Olympic-bound] boxers of the Indian contingent. We have been doing well in the international circuit. We, of course, have our very own Mary Kom, who we all hope wins. Q. Rocky, Creed, MaryKom...whatisit about boxing that makes it a favourite sport…

After a period of uncertainty, when it appeared the revolt by cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu had the backing of the Gandhi siblings Priyanka and Rahul, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh seems to have guided his rocky boat out of the choppy political waters. A recent meeting with acting Congress President Sonia Gandhi seems to have cleared things up. The Captain has been given the green signal to rejig his Cabinet, which will hopefully allow smooth sailing until the state elections, seven months down the line. The party has also agreed to consult him on changes in the state unit. What swung things? Apparently, it was the Punjab chief minister’s personal equation with Sonia Gandhi and the spirited lobbying by some of her loyalists, including two former chief ministers from…

› Sterilisation after two kids entitles government staff to additional increment/ promotion, exemption in state housing schemes, increased PF contributions. Private citizens may get water/ electricity/ house tax exemption plus better deals on home loans and other facilities › Free treatment, education, insurance and government job for the single child of sterilised parents › If BPL parents undergo voluntary sterilisation after one child, they get Rs 80,000 (son) or Rs 1 lakh (daughter) › Exemptions for twins, disabled children, adoptions › If the law is implemented, all government staff, local body representatives must submit affidavits swearing adherance. Provision to stop promotion, even dismissal for violators › State Population Fund to be created to implement the law › Family ration card will be limited to four units…

Former Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Modi was tipped to enter the Union council of ministers after he was moved out of Bihar and rehabilitated in the Rajya Sabha last year. It was not to be. The grapevine has it that the reason for keeping him out of the Cabinet is the same as moving him out of Bihar—his proximity to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar of the JD(U). Nevertheless, the former deputy CM is all praise for the Centre. Still hopeful? —Sandeep Unnithan with Anilesh S. Mahajan, Ashish Misra, Rohit Parihar and Amitabh Srivastava…

Kiran Karnik sketches an optimistic picture of India, but just a layer below, his gentle brushstrokes paint dystopia Kiran Karnik chooses his similes carefully. India’s image is that of a large, lumbering elephant, but it threatens to become a hippo, he says. Aggressive, bad-tempered and slow. Or could it become a gazelle by 2030, agile, peaceful and likable? He seeks answers through his analysis of nine areas shaping India: democracy and politics, security, health, education, economy, demography, society, jobs and livelihoods, and technology. Why should you care what this public un-intellectual, as he calls himself, says? Well, Karnik led projects that shaped India, including satellite TV education in his two decades at ISRO. He oversaw the UGC’s Countrywide Classroom TV programmes. And then, in the month the terrorists struck the…

October 26, 1947 The Maharaja of Kashmir, Hari Singh, signs the Instrument of Accession (IoA) with India October 17, 1949 India adopts Article 306 in its draft Constitution, giving J&K special status. This is incorporated as Article 370 of the Constitution on January 26, 1950 August 1953/ February 1954 Sheikh Abdullah, chief minister of J&K, is dismissed from his position and is later arrested. A new regime under Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad ratifies the IoA November 17, 1956 J&K adopts a constitution defining it as a part of India February 26, 1975 With support from the Congress, Sheikh Abdullah becomes chief minister and remains so till his death in 1982. Later, his son Farooq assumes office March 1987 Massive rigging of assembly polls facilitates Farooq Abdullah’s rise to power, but also…

ANTIBIOTICS LIKE AZITHROMYCIN & DOXYCYCLINE POTENTIAL SIDE-EFFECTS Gastric issues; antimicrobial resistance STUDIES No studies have proven that these help fight Covid STATUS No longer in MoHFW’S treatment guideline IVERMECTIN POTENTIAL SIDE-EFFECTS Dizziness, gastric issues, weakness STUDIES The WHO has discouraged the use of ivermectin, except for clinical trials STATUS Recommended by MoHFW for mild/ asymptomatic cases REMDESIVIR POTENTIAL SIDE-EFFECTS High blood pressure, change in heartbeat, nausea STUDIES Shown to speed up recovery in hospitalised patients STATUS Not recommended for mild cases; to be used only in emergency for moderate to severe cases CORTICOSTEROIDS LIKE DEXAMETHASONE POTENTIAL SIDE-EFFECTS Lowered immunity, high blood sugar levels STUDIES Shown to help reduce mortality in severe cases STATUS Not recommended for mild cases; to be used only in emergency for those hospitalised ZINC SUPPLEMENT POTENTIAL…

he pandemic works in strange T ways. While travel restrictions led to a collective despondency, it also whetted the global elite’s appetite for art. The rich want to add to their already-brimming collections. The world’s major auctions houses—Christie’s and Sotheby’s included—have surprisingly performed well during lock-down. The wealthy in Asia, in particular, have snapped up costly acquisitions. In India, Prinseps recently recorded a 90 per cent sale at its Modern Art auction. The lots included a rare Prabhakar Barwe, Bhupen Khakkar, Manjit Bawa and an M.F. Husain from 1950. Conducted over Zoom—bids were also accepted via phone calls—the auction was over in less than two hours. “Fair warning. Going once, twice. And that’s sold!” the auctioneer announced at the end of every lot (43 in all), before thundering down the…

ANNETTE (France) Directed by Leos Carax, this musical tells the story of Henry (Adam Driver), a comedian, and his wife Ann (Marion Cotillard), an opera singer. The arrival of their daughter will turn their lives upside down. THE FRENCH DISPATCH (USA) Described as a “love letter to journalists”, this film has the usual Wes Anderson signatures—quirky storylines and a gifted ensemble cast. Benicio del Toro, Bill Murray and Tilda Swinton all play a part. A HERO (IRAN) In this Asghar Farhadi film, we see that Rahim (Amir Jadidi) is in prison because he has not been able to repay a debt. Out on parole for two days, he tries setting things right but nothing goes as planned.…