Innholdsfortegnelse for Monday, February 6, 2023 i India Today

It’s that season again in Madhya Pradesh. With assembly election just round the corner, guessing games around leadership in the state BJP—both at the organisational level and in government—has got capital Bhopal buzzing once more. Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the state’s longest-serving chief minister, is by now a predictable victim of this parlour game: ‘Will he stay or will he go?’ is a question that is fond of stalking him. This time, doubts around the continuation of BJP state president Vishnu Dutt Sharma offer an additional flavour that’s generating much talk in political circles in the state. Sharma’s three-year term in office ends on February 15. Chouhan’s fourth term has been pockmarked by many occasions when it was rumoured that he would be eased out of office by the central leadership.…

The ‘steel frame’ of Gujarat is wearing off at the top. Against the centrally sanctioned strength of 313, the state entered the New Year with just 250 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, a shortfall of 20 per cent. With about a dozen officers set to retire in 2023, the shortage—especially in the top echelons—is likely to become even more acute by the end of this year. Chief secretary Pankaj Kumar’s eight-month extension, given mainly to maintain continuity during the state assembly election held in December 2022, ended recently. Additional chief secretary (ACS) Raj Kumar has been appointed in his place, superseding Vipul Mittra, who will retire in July this year. Like Mittra, two other secretary-level bureaucrats — B. B. Swain and S. Aparna—are also set to retire this year. This…

In August 2022, when Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar left the BJP to join hands with the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Congress, Telangana CM K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) had come calling to Patna and even addressed a joint press conference with his Bihar counterpart, promising a grand opposition unity. Five months later, on January 18, when KCR held a mega public meeting at Khammam in Telangana, several Opposition leaders such as Arvind Kejriwal, Pinarayi Vijayan, Akhilesh Yadav and D. Raja attended. But not Nitish. Word is, the Bihar CM was not even invited because he has been working for an Opposition alliance that includes the Congress, an idea that does not amuse KCR.…

When it comes to the economy, the Narendra Modi government has had a rough three years since 2020. First, there were was Covid-19, which led to lockdowns that crippled businesses and threw millions out of jobs. Then, when it seemed as though the pandemic had receded, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 sparked global geopolitical tensions, resulting in high inflation and food shortage in several parts of the world. Fuel and commodity prices skyrocketed, especially in the initial months of the war, and India’s import bill ballooned. Though oil prices have cooled since as a recessionary threat looms in the US and parts of Europe, India’s fiscal deficit, or the difference between the country’s income and expenditure, has widened. The trade deficit (difference in the value of exports and…

Currently, the biggest foreign policy challenge India faces is the stand-off between the Indian Army and the People’s Liberation Army of China along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh and the resultant frosty ties with China. When army chief Gen. Manoj Pande says the situation on the border with China is “stable but unpredictable”, he means that further misadventure by the PLA has been checked by the large-scale deployment of men and military assets. However, the PLA consistently attempts to alter the status quo, like the recent intrusion effort in Tawang. Overall, 17 rounds of corps commander-level talks as well as diplomatic negotiations have failed to bring complete disengagement. So far, dispute over five of seven friction points in eastern Ladakh is resolved. How has…

Based on the Heartect platform that also underpins the Baleno, the Fronx comes with a crossover design. LED headlamps sit on the new bumper and then there are sleek LED DRLs on top. Scuff plates can be seen both upfront and rear. There are plenty of black plastic claddings all around too. Inside, the Fronx gets a new dual-tone finish and premium features. The 1.2-litre K-series petrol engine is in the offing. The game-changer comes in form of the 1.0-litre Turbo Booster Jet engine which is tuned to 100bhp and 147.6Nm of torque. The Fronx will also be offered with a 6-speed automatic along with paddle shifters.…

The Tata Sierra is making a comeback in the form of an EV. The new Sierra is based on the Gen2 Tata EV platform. Its advantage is that it is not a dedicated EV platform and, as a result, it is safe to assume we will also see the Sierra in an ICE avatar. The new Sierra comes with a sleek front-end design, the large glass panels on the side remain. But what designers have done is cleverly hide the rear doors. Inside, one can choose between a more lounge-like four-seater or a generic five-seater option. We expect a 500km plus range and are yet to get a confirmation if it will feature AWD tech. The ICE versions, though, might come with FWD. The Tata Sierra EV is slated for…

Hyundai raised temperature levels at the Expo by launching the Ioniq 5 EV at a rather enticing Rs 44.95 lakh. This has been possible thanks to the fact that Hyundai has chosen to manufacture the Ioniq 5 here in India. The Ioniq 5 is powered by a 72.6kWh battery, which will give it an ARAI-certified range of 631km on a single charge. The vehicle also supports 800V charging, which means that one can juice up the battery pack from 10 to 80 per cent in just 18 minutes. The Ioniq 5 is also expected to be rather fun to drive as it sports a rear drive set up. Adding to it is the fact that the motors offer a rather healthy 217bhp and 350Nm of torque.…

When Shah Rukh Khan returned to the big screen after 1,484 days, the hero he was up against for box-office glory was a real-life one: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Rajkumar Santoshi’s film, Gandhi Godse-Ek Yudh, lost the battle for eyeballs, but it didn’t have as hard a run with the censors at the Central Board of Film Certification as the producers of Khan’s film, Yash Raj Films, did. What Santoshi did have a tough time with was finding producers to fund his political drama due to its controversial nature, as it pitted Gandhi against his assassin in a verbal duel. “They [producers] didn’t want to touch it,” says Santoshi. It did not help that he did not want to “take any stars” for his first film in nine years. “Gandhi himself…

Sameer Balvally and Shilpa Jain Balvally are partners and principal architects behind Studio Osmosis, a Mumbai-based, award-winning interior and architectural firm. www.studioosmosis.com Not to be confused with ‘India Modern’, ‘The Modern Indian’, is the new aesthetic that will be seen in 2023. Still confused? Let us explain with a recent project we did in Mumbai. The client came with a 10 pages pre-brief amd we instantly fell in love with it. Spatially, this is a four-bedroom apartment on the 15th floor of the beautiful Windsor Grande Terrace, spread over 2,400 sq ft with good daylight, ventilation and city views. Here’s how it is evolved into the modern Indian design style. Layers of taupes and greige, with bold art and fabrics The tones are muted with a base taupe palette throughout…

Founded by architects Vineeth K and Fairooz Aman, Dematrix Architects is a creative studio based in Kannur, Kerala that focuses on architecture, interior and landscaping. www.dematrix.in Titled Blanc this home is a combination of contemporary colonial style with an open plan. When the clients approached us, the structure of the residence was in a plastering stage. The clients were not at all happy with the planning since it did not meet their requirements or expectations. So, when they approached us, many of their requirements had to be included into the space especially with the privacy issues. It was an open plan but they wanted privacy with the flow of space. They wanted the interiors to be unique, luxurious, elegant, and meet their privacy needs. Most importantly, they wanted their interiors…

The World Economic Forum (WEF) conducted its 53rd annual meeting, with the theme, “Cooperation in a Fragmented World,” highlighting the need for cooperation and inclusive world development ideas with the key to bridge social, political, and economic development by leaving no one behind. These key ideas underline the imperative on the global leadership of togetherness to build sustainable and resilient systems and address the crucial and rising world challenges. As a part of the same wagon, India has exhibited in multiple international forums, the need for collective action. This is being largely undertaken under the G20 presidency for India in 2023, wherein “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” has been identified as the key working theme for the India’s presidency tenure. “One Earth, One Family, One Future”, presents the impeccable bounty of a collective…

↘ Pilot project launched on Dec. 1 in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, facilitated by four banks—SBI, ICICI Bank, Yes Bank and IDFC First Bank ↘ By the end of the first week of January, about 16,000 users made payments worth Rs 64 lakh in 160,000 transactions using the e-Rupee in the pilot project ↘ In UPI transactions, banks are intermediaries; one’s bank account is debited with every transaction. In the e-rupee, one builds a wallet using digital currency from banks, and uses this e-currency for transactions ↘ Though not comparable, the e-rupee will be pitted against the UPI. At the end of 2022, UPI’s total transaction value stood at Rs 125.95 lakh crore ↘ A key feature of the e-rupee is its anonymity, similar to cash in physical form. UPI…

After the brief enforced truce of the days when Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra was passing through the desert state, the Rajasthan Congress is back to form—if anything, the war drums are louder than before, with former deputy CM Sachin Pilot and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot taking fairly unvarnished jibes at each other in public. In fact, very public. The Pilot camp took out five big rallies across the state—four billed as kisan sammelans, while the last was an inaugural function at Jaipur’s Maharaja College—between January 16 and 20 where he was barely short of direct attacks as he let loose jibes on Gehlot for, among other things, not acting on corruption charges against his predecessor Vasundhara Raje. On the repeated question paper leaks in recruitment exams during this government’s…

Six months is a long a time in politics. When the previous India Today Mood of the Nation (MOTN) poll was conducted in August 2022, the Congress was in disarray. It was reeling under electoral losses in five states—Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. The leadership crisis was not yet resolved. Sonia Gandhi was the interim president of the party but son Rahul Gandhi, despite resigning as president owning responsibility for the 2019 Lok Sabha election defeat, remained de facto chief of the party. The Udaipur ‘chintan shivir’, held in May 2022 to introspect the party’s abysmal performances, had decided to hold an election to find a new Congress president. But speculation was rife that Rahul or his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would present their candidature and make the…

On January 23, 2023, India logged just 92 fresh Covid-19 infections and no deaths. Only 1,934 people had Covid on that date in the entire country. China, on the other hand, which is grappling with a major Covid wave triggered by Omicron sub-variant BF.7 and lifting of restrictions, saw record hospitalisations—the highest since the onset of the pandemic, per World Health Organization reports. Since August 2022, a whole bouquet of Omicron sub-variants—BA.2.12.1, BA.2.75.2, BA.3, BA.4, BA.4.6, BA.5, BQ.1, BQ.1.1, XBB and XBB 1.5—have caused surges in Covid cases the world over. But India seems to have largely escaped, not because the sub-variants did not come to India but because our extensive vaccination programme has fully immunised over 95 per cent of eligible adults besides the strong natural immunity gained from…

The much-awaited 5-door, 4-seater Jimny was revealed at the Auto Expo. The sub-4m SUV uses a ladder frame chassis and at the same time sports proper 4wd hardware. Power is sent to the rear wheels using a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed AT. Powering the Jimny is the 1.5-litre K15B petrol engine. Power output is rated at 104bhp and torque on tap is 134Nm. The Jimny comes with a 208 litre boot and Maruti Suzuki will offer six airbags. The Jimny will be available in two variants and be sold via the brand’s premium Nexa chain. Bookings are open; prices are to be announced later this year.…

Tata sprung a surprise with the Curvv, which is essentially showcased as an EV. The Curvv is based on the Tata Motors X1 platform—the same one that underpins the Tata Nexon. While the platform of the Curvv is the same as that of the Nexon, it is not exactly identical. The Curvv features a longer wheelbase. Powering the ICE version of the Curvv is expected to be the 1.2-litre TGDI engine and will develop around 125bhp. The crossover is expected to be launched as early as 2024. As far as the design goes, the Curvv on display looked ravishing thanks to the sleek DRLs and sloping roofline. The wheel size has also been reduced to a more doable 18 inches.…

GANDHI, MY FATHER 2007 (Eros Now) The drama shows the strained relationship between Mahatma Gandhi (Darshan Jariwala) and his eldest son, Harilal (Akshaye Khanna), and the struggles of the latter to carve a path of his own. HEY RAM 2000 (JioCinema, Amazon Prime Video) After his wife is killed in a riot, Saket Ram (Kamal Haasan) blames Gandhi (Naseeruddin Shah) for the division of India and plots to kill him. But he gradually course-corrects after meeting the man himself. THE MAKING OF THE MAHATMA 1996 (YouTube) Shyam Benegal focuses on Gandhi’s (played by Rajit Kapur) formative years as a barrister in South Africa and how they strengthened his resolve to free India from colonial rule.…

Sarah Sham is the principal designer with Essajees Atelier, an award-winning design firm based out of Mumbai. www.essajeesatelier.com We are going to see some very interesting trends this year. In 2022, we saw many monochrome spaces and they were very popular. However, this year will see the complete opposite. There will be a lot of print and pattern play. In fact, print on pattern will also make a huge comeback in 2023. You can already see it happening in fashion where several brands have collections where bright colours and bold prints have been used. Remember, fashion is always ahead of interior design, so I feel right now is when we will see this translated into interiors. Think striking colours, textures and prints juxtaposed one in front of the other. Take…

Your home consumes energy—lots and lots of energy. To put things in perspective, the average building will consume more energy in a decade of operation (both in monetary costs and total carbon output—TCO), than it consumes during construction. Over a 50-year period, your house uses five times more energy to run than it used to get it built. There’s nothing more fashionable right now than saving the environment. What follows are five things to keep in mind while designing your new home or retrofitting it to reduce its carbon footprint and leave behind a better planet for the next generation. Here Comes the Sun If you can’t effectively insulate your home to reduce its energy consumption, perhaps you want to consider producing some energy on the roof. Solar power is…

Political strategies of parties across the country are slowly being realigned, keeping in view a raft of upcoming assembly polls as well as the 2024 Lok Sabha election. In Uttar Pradesh, the first three weeks of 2023 were revelatory. On January 3, the Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra entered UP. All opposition party leaders—including Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chairman Jayant Chaudhary—were invited to join in. As it happened, no one turned up, restricting themselves to conveying their best wishes in a pro forma sort of way. But for optimists, even that was a ray of hope for opposition unity in the state. Then, on January 15, on her 67th birthday, Mayawati ruled out any alliance with other parties…

With the assembly election in Karnataka due before May this year, women voters in the state suddenly find themselves becoming the prime focus for the two key parties in the state, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). On January 16, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, speaking at the party’s Naa Nayaki convention in Bengaluru, promised that under its proposed Gruha Lakshmi scheme, it would give Rs 2,000 to female heads of families if voted to power. The ruling BJP, losing no time either, published—on the same day—front-page newspaper advertisements about its own Grihini Shakti scheme, which would provide financial assistance of a similar amount to housewives from low-income families. The race seems to have only begun. At the Naa Nayaki convention, Priyanka said that the Congress is working…

Tamil Nadu’s hill tracts are home to numerous tea, coffee and spice plantations which have emerged as interesting tourist experiences. The plantation owners struck upon the smart idea of offering the sprawling managers’ bungalows-many of them dating from the colonial era-to tourists for stays. Along with the stay came an opportunity to observe the inner workings of a plantation at close quarters. Plantation holidays are a win-win, a great way for plantation owners to supplement their agricultural income, while allowing visitors a window into the little known yet a fascinating world of plantations. Hill stations like Ooty, Coonoor, Kodaikanal, Megamalai, Yercaud and Valparai are home to several colonial-era plantation bungalows which have now been put to good use, creating a unique tourist experience. Besides enjoying a stay in the privacy…

IT could be that the past few months have been free of Covid-19 waves and major protests, or that the wounds from the carnage of the Delta variant, the farmers’ protests and the unrest over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act have been healed by the passage of time, but more people are happier today than they were in August 2022, going by the findings of the latest Mood of the Nation (MOTN) survey. As many as 70 per cent of the respondents say they are very happy or somewhat happy today, compared with 51 per cent a few months ago. Almost half the respondents say they feel free to express their opinion on religion and politics. There has been a slight decline in the percentage of those who believe that Indian…

TATA AVINYA GEN 3 The Avinya made its debut back in 2022 and now it has arrived in India to mesmerise crowds. It is based on a brand new EV-centric skateboard platform. It is also the brand’s first Gen 3 electric vehicle and is slated for a 2025 launch. The Avinya is expected to offer a range in excess of 500km. The battery used will support an ultra-fast charge capability, in line with the infrastructure evolution, pumping a minimum 500km range in under 30 minutes. Being a concept, designers have taken several liberties, including the butterfly doors. However, we expect the production version to feature regular doors. KIA EV9 The Kia EV9 is slated to go into production this year. Measuring 4,929mm in length and with a wheelbase of 3,100mm,…

The born-electric MG4 hatchback was showcased at the expo. First revealed in 2022, this hatch is offered with two battery packs—51kWh and a larger 64kWh. While the 51kWh version produces 170bhp, the latter offers 203bhp. Both variants come with a single-motor, rear-wheel drive layout, and torque output is rated at 250Nm. While the MG 4 is as big as the company’s other electric SUV, the MG ZS EV, the hatch offers a sleeker design and comes complete with smart and sleek LED lights up front. Inside, there are twin floating screens for the infotainment and instrument cluster. Space, too, is found aplenty, thanks to the car’s large dimensions.…

The Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) was set up a quarter century ago by a young, diverse group of scientists whose working lives began with degrees in wildlife biology, and who have learned much else along the way. This collection of essays by NCF members is a reflective, illuminating look at their journeys in Indian conservation. A John Steinbeck quote, which gives the book its title, reflects the authors’ collective commitment to two ideas: first, that “the first rule of life is living”, and second, that both the starfish and the student biologist who sits at the feet of living things know that they must “proliferate in all directions”. From green turtles in Lakshadweep to hornbills in Arunachal Pradesh, and from elephants in Tamil Nadu to snow leopards in Ladakh, this…

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Priyanka Khanna and Rudraksh Charan are founders and principal architects at 42mm Architecture, a Delhi-based firm that specialises in architecture, interiors and urban design. @42mmarchitecture (Instagram) While they may be made of brick, mortar and cement, the principle beauty in a building or home is the way it’s designed, the manner in which it interacts with the inhabitants and its aesthetic appeal. Which is why in the world of architecture, design is ever evolving. Here’s what will shape the coming year. Convenience is the new trend in design. Be it any field art, graphics, animation, architecture or interiors, the convenience quotient is becoming a dominant factor. How to make things easier, making it available at the next click is the new trend. In the field of architecture, services and décor, the…

1 Soulful and Minimalist Well made, plain and white products as well as tactile, soothing neutrals, and soft-touch and matte finish materials, make the home feel calm. It also help’s in keeping with a less-is-more approach. 2 Natural Elements This year rustic naturals with the linen and perfectly imperfect fibres will be favoured for their authentic lived-in appearance and durability. 3 Heritage Revived Traditional craftsmanship techniques, material archives and referencing past eras will be seen. An appreciation of vintage and frugal living means consumers will invest in home heirlooms with heritage-reserved, such as suzani, palampore and chintz. 4 Global Folk This trend is all about patterns and artisanal influences that combine to create neutral looks. It celebrates and reinvents traditional folk inspiration in fresh hues and compositions across home textiles. 5 Artistic Impressions…

Objects of Beauty Wriver (pronounced river) is all about luxe furniture for your interiors. The brand has launched its second store in the country, in Mumbai’s DLF Grand Mall. Driven by craftsmanship and material innovation (metal, wood and stone) their pieces (made at their factory in Gurgaon) are unapologetically avant-garde. The new experience centre designed by Wriver Design Studio, has a design gallery showcasing a range of their products as you enter. On the second floor, a series of curated spaces such as living rooms, dining areas, bedrooms and workspaces are on display. The design narrative embodies Clean lines and soft and neutral tones are the design language of the store ensuring the true heroes of the space, the furniture shine brightest. AT A GLANCE Area 4,300 sq ft On…

There are only a handful of people who love fabrics as much as Peter D’Ascoli. Pair that passion with Bangalore-based Chester’s 35-year furniture making legacy and you get a limited edition (only 10 pieces) of upholstered sofas and chairs. Here’s what he had to say. Tell us about the new furniture collection (Peter) Our new upholstery collection with Chester’s is exciting because it gives the D’Ascoli Home brand an opportunity to offer high quality decorating tools for residential projects that feature our signature aesthetic sensibility that celebrates heirloom influences from diverse cultures. How long did it take? (Peter) We have been working on this collection for 18 months and it has taken many exchanges back and forth between our two workrooms and design studios. What’s your favourite piece? (Peter) like…