Innholdsfortegnelse for September 13, 2021 i India Today

The May 31, 1984, INDIA TODAY issue, ‘Big Budget Survivors’, featured three of Bollywood’s most successful personalities on the cover—producer-directors Manmohan Desai and Prakash Mehra and superstar Amitabh Bachchan. The trio epitomised the unchallenged dominance of the world’s largest film industry with big-budget movies and glitzy sets. Television was still finding its feet, and mobile phones and the internet were in their infancy. Nearly four decades later, a convergence of 4G connectivity, smartphones, smart TVs and tailor-made content has fuelled a new Indian entertainment explosion—from gangsters in small-town UP to messy urban romances, women battling misogyny and period dramas. All of these shows are streamed through the internet and into your smartphones, laptops, tablets and smart TVs (‘over the top’ of another platform, hence, OTT). Viewers are caught in an…

BRAJESH PATHAK: The former MP was a prominent Brahmin face of the BSP. He left the party in August 2016 to join the BJP. Was elected BJP MLA from Lucknow Central in 2017 and is now part of the Yogi Adityanath cabinet. DADDAN MISHRA: He was a minister of state in the Mayawati government. Joined the BJP before the 2014 Lok Sabha election and was elected MP from Shravasti Lok Sabha seat. In June 2021, as a BJP candidate, he was elected unopposed to the post of district panchayat president in Shravasti district. RAMVEER UPADHYAY: Former cabinet minister and BSP’s Brahmin face in western UP. The Sadabad MLA was expelled by Mayawati in May 2019 on charges of indiscipline. Upadhyay did not switch to any other party to save his…

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K. Taraka Rama Rao (KTR) is the apple of his father chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao’s eye. In fact, recently, the CM even named the child of a couple that actively supports the party after KTR. The party’s spin machine says the couple was estranged and it was a local TRS MLA who helped bring them back together. In gratitude they requested the CM to name their newborn baby and he decided to call him Taraka Rama Rao. What is politics without a little family drama?…

THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC MAY have confined Indians to their homes in the past year and a half, but amidst the gloom and doom there was one sector that was experiencing a boom: streaming entertainment. A whole new breed of content creators and distributors from the brave new world of Over The Top (OTT) platforms brought a quiet revolution to the way Indians spent their days of confinement. Instead of the tyranny of appointment-viewing and re-runs of old movies that cable TV offered, OTT platforms used the internet to stream entertainment in all genres, formats and languages. Most importantly, the content could be viewed at a time, place and on a device of our choosing: a cellphone, a laptop, a tablet—or, of course, a TV screen. 2020 was in fact a…

“With Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University, the Government of Delhi aims to create a world class institution delivering quality skills education recognized by the industry, nationally and internationally.”Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister, Govt of NCT Delhi 1 in 5 graduates in India are unemployed1 Nearly 40% youth between 21-25 are unemployed 2 Source: Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy India’s Job Crisis In 2018, the UP police department advertised 62 vacancies for the post of ‘telephone messengers’. The job required candidates to have passed class 5 and know how to bicycle. Of the 93,000 applicants-50,000 were graduates, 28,000 were post-graduates, and 3,700 had a PhD. India’s job crisis presents a twofold problem. First, a large proportion of youth is unemployed. More pertinently, and what the numbers do not show, is that educated…

Speaking at a function in August to mark five years of IIM-Jammu, Union minister Jitendra Singh said the region had fast emerged as a hub of higher education. Students from neighbouring states are flocking to the Union territory’s higher education institutes. And Jammu is not alone. Several north Indian cities have emerged as attractive higher education destinations in recent times. With seven institutes of national importance, Uttar Pradesh too occupies a significant position in the higher education map of India. While these have been organic developments, there is a need now to make concerted efforts to identify and connect various cities with educational infrastructure for higher student mobility and access. In the 2021 budget, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that nine cities will have “higher education clusters” for better…

PUNJAB Since July 26 (Classes 10, 11, 12) HARYANA Since July 16 (Classes 9 to 12) GUJARAT Since July 15 (Class 12) MAHARASHTRA Since Aug. 17 (Classes 8-12 in areas with no Covid cases) KARNATAKA Since Aug. 23 (Classes 9-12) TAMIL NADU Since Sept. 1 (Classes 9-12, at 50% capacity) DELHI Since Aug. 9 (Classes 10-12 to attend school for guidance) UTTAR PRADESH Since Aug. 16 (at 50% capacity for all classes) BIHAR Since July 26 (Classes 10 & 12) WEST BENGAL Post-Nov. (on alternate days for all classes) ODISHA Since July 26 (Classes 10 & 12) ANDHRA PRADESH Since Aug. 16 (for all classes) MADHYA PRADESH Since July 26 (Classes 11-12) CHHATTISGARH Since Aug. 2 (Class 12)…

“The experience of Covid was personal. My mother and I were sick and I understood how harsh the pandemic can be…. I started the relief work because of my difficult personal experience and I feel it helped me heal sooner”BHUMI PEDNEKARActor “I find inspiration in different fields. I don’t limit myself as an artist. I get influenced by a lot of things—music, politics”RAHUL VAIDYASinger & Composer “I made 16 films in the past 10 years, but I didn’t take out enough time for my own mental and physical health. Going forward, I would like to change that”ARJUN KAPOORActor “It is an exciting time to be doing films in Malayalam. The audience here appreciates quality work and is always up for experimenting”ROSHAN MATHEWActor “Most athletes come from middle-class families who can’t…

Hotstar’s ambitious new eight-part series The Empire (created by Nikkhil Advani and directed by Mitakshara Kumar) starts in medias res, with the Mughal king Babur (Kunal Kapoor) in the thick of his most famous war, the First Battle of Panipat (1526). Kapoor’s voice-over tells us that Babur has been “cheating death since he was a 14-year-old boy”; cue the grown-up Babur scything his way through enemy hordes. This turns out to be the first artful misdirection in a story featuring quite a few, for The Empire’s (based on the Empire of the Moghul series by Alex Rutherford) first couple of episodes don’t feature a whole lot of Kapoor. Instead, we stay with the 14-year-old Babur (Mehroos Mir), a boy-emperor on the run from the marauding Uzbek warlord Shaibani Khan (Dino…

How the BJP plans to woo Muslims in the run-up to the UP assembly polls by Ashish Misra The party’s minority cell is hardselling the welfare work done for Muslims by the Centre and the Yogi Adityanath government https://bit.ly/2WJm6hF Why Naveen Patnaik’s Health Card scheme is a game changer for women in Odisha by Romita Datta The scheme provides for a yearly medical assistance of Rs 5 lakh for beneficiary families, with an additional Rs 5 lakh cover for women https://bit.ly/38u7iWi Why Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan might not affect Kashmir by Moazum Mohammad The Taliban have so far focused on ruling Afghanistan. However, their takeover could embolden Pakistan-based terror groups to step up activity in the Valley https://bit.ly/3ywJj3r How shooter Avani Lekhara beat all odds to win gold at Tokyo…

Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin is not letting party rivalry interfere with his government’s austerity drive. The DMK government inherited 6.5 million school bags worth Rs 13 lakh from the previous regime. The election sops, embossed with images of his AIADMK predecessors J. Jayalalithaa and E.K. Palaniswami, were meant for free distribution among school children. Rather than redoing the bags, Stalin has directed they be handed out without further delay. The money saved, he says, will be used for some other education scheme. A thrifty CM is just what the state needs right now. —Sandeep Unnithan with Ashish Misra, Amarnath K. Menon, Romita Datta & Kiran D. Tare…

Launched January 2016 Estimated subscribers 4.6 million Bestsellers Sacred Games, Delhi Crime, Little Things Launched December 2016 Estimated subscribers 18 million Bestsellers Inside Edge, Mirzapur, The Family Man, Paatal Lok Launched As Hotstar in February 2015; became Disney+ Hotstar in April 2020 Estimated subscribers Over 30 million Bestsellers IPL, Aarya, Special Ops Launched February 2018 Estimated subscribers 4 million Bestsellers Rangbaaz Launched March 2020 Active subscribers 1 million as of February 2021 Bestsellers Asur, The Gone Game, Big Boss Launched: Initially a video player, launched as an OTT platform in 2019 Subscribers NA; estimated users: 200 million Bestsellers Aashram, Queen, Raktanchal, Samantar Launched 2013 Estimated subscribers 7 million Bestsellers Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story, sporting action such as Euro 2020, Tokyo 2020 and overseas cricket matches Launched April 2017…

A Global Multi-Location Multi-host Conclave on the Futures of Mud in Architecture Conclave Chair: Dr Vibhuti Sachdev Conclave Directors: Prof Amrita Madan and Himanshu Sanghani iPAC 2021-2022: Mud Futures is a global year-long multi-host multi-location conclave on the futures of mud in architecture conceptualised and conducted by the School of Art and Architecture, Sushant University (SAA, SU). The conclave is an opportunity for an international platform for ideas, thoughts, research and architectural projects centred around mud. Here, mud is considered as a material, as an approach, as a vehicle for sustainability, and as the source of an ideological imperative for the future of the built environment. The current global scenario has triggered extensive debates on not only our future as a sustainable global economy but also on the need to…

TEN YEARS (Hong Kong, 2015) This speculative fiction anthology paints a grim picture of Hong Kong under an increasingly draconian Chinese government, circa 2025: a bleak landscape marked by mass surveillance, systemic discrimination and the crushing of dissent WILD TALES (Argentina, 2014) Tense situations escalate to homicidal proportions in the blink of an eye in director Damián Szifron’s collection of six unpredictable, morbid stories about vengeance THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS (US, 2018) The Coen Brothers’ gift for dark comedy and their inimitable, eccentric characters make this collection of six ‘Wild West’ stories about death and redemption a must-watch…

It was a sign of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati’s changing strategy when the party’s national general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Satish Chandra Misra decided to hold ‘Prabuddha Vichar Goshthis (conference of the enlightened)’ in 60 districts of Uttar Pradesh. The first of these was held in Ayodhya on July 23. The final one will be held on September 7 in Lucknow and will be addressed by Mayawati. Participating in these goshthis will be the BSP’s Brahmin coordinators posted in the state’s 75 districts. Misra stated his party’s intent unequivocally in a July 23 tweet: “…the key to power [in Uttar Pradesh] rests in the hands of 13 per cent Brahmins and 23 per cent Dalits; it’s the BSP that has sent 40 Brahmins to the assembly, and…

Spy Stories brings Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) together into a single frame in the context of the recent history of India-Pakistan contestations, conflict and, more occasionally, engagement. The authors demonstrate their deservedly formidable reputations as investigative journalists in marshalling a wide—in fact, astonishing—range of sources in both countries, and in combining this with finely-tuned reportage and an intensive mining of published material. The end product is a gripping read. The first and the briefest of the three sections in the book gives a rapid run-through of the early history of the ISI and RAW from 1968 to 2000. RAW was established in 1968. The ISI was founded the same year as Pakistan, and so had a head start over RAW. But the…

*Also expected Hrithik Roshan Expected to star in the desi adaptation of BBC One’s Tom Hiddleston-starrer The Night Manager Ranveer Singh The actor is rumoured to be doing an action-adventure non-fiction series with Bear Grylls for a major international platform…

MAHARASHTRAWADI GOMANTAK PARTY (MGP): The oldest party in Goa after the Congress, the MGP is struggling to remain relevant in state politics. It ruled Goa in the 1980s but lost its sheen after it joined hands with the BJP, a new entrant in the 1990s. However, the MGP’s loyal voters—mainly upper caste and OBC Hindus—play an important role in at least seven constituencies in north Goa—Mapusa, Dicholim, Mayem, Pernem, Mandrem, Marcaim and Priol. GOA FORWARD PARTY (GFP): Launched in 2016, the GFP won three seats in 2017 in its first election. It has a good presence in Margao and Fatorda in south Goa, as well as in Siolim and Saligao in north Goa. Inclined towards the Congress, the GFP wants to take revenge on the BJP for the humiliating treatment…

TO OPT FOR RAVINDRA JADEJA as Virat Kohli’s replacement (after the Adelaide Test in December 2020) was considered preposterous by a section of the pundits. A failed experiment, and it could have cost Ravi [Shastri] and [Bharat] Arun their jobs. 36 all out followed by some failed bold calls was the worst result for Indian cricket going into 2021. “It was Ravi’s idea. First, Jadeja has hugely improved as a batsman in the last two years, and if you had seen him bat at the nets, you would know he was full of confidence and ready to go. In fact, if you look at his batting average in Test cricket over the last two years, it is the highest among the all-rounders playing the game at the moment,” said Arun.…

Juhi Chaturvedi says she reads dialogues out loud while writing them: “My staff sometimes comes to my room to check if everything is fine.” Shama Zaidi reads big novels non-linearly—“I decide how much I want to read and I read in stages”—and believes a web series can be experienced the same way. Sooni Taraporevala decided to direct the film of her script Little Zizou because she wanted to maintain its quirkiness. Screenplay structure is like a petticoat, says Shibani Bathija. Without it, “you will not get the form you need. The sari will fall right off”. The late Kalpana Lajmi says she finds depictions of romance in the films of Gulzar and Shyam Benegal dry, and that “there is more ras in a woman’s gaze”. Little details like these—observations, back-stories,…

Q. How does it feel to have clinched the Olympic bronze? None of the boys from the team were even born when India last bagged a medal in hockey at the Olympics 41 years ago. We had only heard about India winning a medal. So, when we won bronze, it was a very different feeling. There have been so many players before us who were good, but we played well as a team and that’s why we managed to win. It was my childhood dream to win an Olympic medal, which has now been fulfilled. Q. What should be done here on to sustain the momentum for Indian hockey? India is currently World No. 3, so the idea is to maintain it. We will need to work on the mistakes…