Innholdsfortegnelse for Monday, November 13, 2023 i India Today

Getting old in India need not be the same anymore. The compulsion of sharing your living space with grown-up children is no longer a necessity. Nor do you need to live alone in a spartan religious commune with no material joy. There are options. There is a transformation that’s unfolding in senior living spaces. We are used to the idea of ‘old age homes’ as an extension of the old idea of neglect. No rooms with a view, no golden sunsets. Instead, they are dreary, depressing places for those whose children have abandoned them. We certainly don’t think of Rs 17 crore penthouses and 4BHK villas that cost Rs 5-6 crore. Scrolling down the menu of options, you can also score 1BHK units for about Rs 40 lakh. From lavish…

The assembly ection may be more than six months away, but the political climate is already heating up in Andhra Pradesh. On October 31, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N. Chandrababu Naidu walked out of the Rajamahendravaram Central Prison after nearly two months, within hours of the Andhra Pradesh High Court granting him a four-week interim bail on medical grounds. The former chief minister, who was in jail since September 10, is accused of siphoning off funds running into crores of rupees that were meant to train unemployed youths during his last tenure (2014-19). Even as he received a hero’s welcome from supporters en route to his residence, Naidu’s troubles are far from over. For, on October 28, the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department had registered another graft case against…

➘ The Sabarmati riverfront is being extended from 11.5 km to 26.65 km; will run seamlessly from Ahmedabad to Gandhinagar ➘ The biggest challenge is the river itself. The Sabarmati is not perennial and is also facing acute pollution ➘ The loss of natural floodplains is also a cause of concern ➘ A proper plan is needed to rehabilitate people who will be affected by the project ➘ And all this has to be done keeping in mind the tight deadline of 2026 to complete the first 5.5-km stretch of the extension project…

In a surprise reshuffle, Haryana BJP chief Om Prak ash Dhankar, a known rival of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, has been shifted to the national team. Khattar loyalist and Kurukshetra MP Nayab S. Saini takes his place. Saini is not a Jat like his predecessor and it seems the party, for now, is backing Khattar’s ‘non-Jat politics’ idea in the state. This is unlikely to go down well with ally, the Jat-dominated Jannayak Janata Party. But with Khattar calling the shots, is there anything they can do?…

Former Bengal BJP chief Dilip Gho sh’s acolytes are just not ready to accept his shrinking role in the organisation. He has been removed from all party posts and reduced to mere MP status of late. He got a boost, though, on October 30 when he visited the party office in Kolkata for a post-Durga Puja celebration. Many of those present raised slogans asking, “How is the josh?… Dilip Ghosh.” The cadre’s enthusiasm for his predecessor will not go down well with current state unit chief Sukanta Majumdar. As for the ruling Trinamool Congress, it’s with glee that they talk of the “faction-ridden” BJP in Bengal.…

The BJP in Rajasthan burnt its fingers once, with the first list, and then proceeded to burn them again with the second. The first time sparked dissidence all over, so they tried to make amends the second time. Narpat Singh Rajvi, son-inlaw of party icon Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, was ‘unceremoniously’ denied a ticket from Vidyadhar Nagar despite having won it thrice in a row. So he was given the ticket from Chittorgarh, hometown of state chief C.P. Joshi. But what was a sureshot seat has turned into a snakepit with a strong local revolt. Rajvi could visit his battlefield only after a week.…

➘ BrahMos hitting missiles with extended range; Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM), integrated with Jaguar; indigenous Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile Astra for Su-30, to be inducted soon ➘ Ground attack missiles like AS-30 and Kh59 for air dominance; long-range air-to-air Python 5 & MICA missiles; SPICE 2000 air-to-ground missiles; HAMMER air-to-ground precision-guided weapon systems ➘ S-400 air defence system ➘ The IAF has put in place an Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) that monitors all intelligence/reconnaissance input across domains ➘ The various radars in service with the IAF include: Indra air surveillance radar, Rajendra multifunction radar, Swathi weapon-locating mobile radar, tethered aerostat radar; Swordfish long-range tracking radar to counter missiles…

EASYFONE A Seniorworld product, it can be configured remotely by family members and allows them to initiate calls on speaker mode if the senior isn’t answering calls and has phone on silent mode AI-POWERED SMART LAMP They call it Nobi. An offering by Welldercare Agetech, it uses optical sensors to detect and trigger an emergency response in case an eldely person falls and is unable to get up TRACKING DEVICE TigerTRACK, a wearable personal security device with GPS tracker, SOS button and phone, can track location and autodial emergency numbers even without a cellphone SMART PILL DISPENSER An automatic medication dispenser by Med-E-Lert that buzzes to remind seniors to take their medicines as per their schedule TELEHEALTH MONITOR A portable, pocket-sized device, RHEMOS can measure BP, heart rate, ECG, respiratory…

Management education in India saw a rapid evolution after the economic liberalisation in 1991, paving the way for the entry of global corporate culture in India. As private industry grew, it also led to substantial increase in the demand for management graduates. Consequently, a large number of public and private institutions offering management courses came up. These were in addition to the globally reputed Indian Institutes of Management (IIM). So, today we have more than 4,000 management schools, including the management departments at universities, enrolling around 300,000 students each academic year. Yet, the mushrooming of management schools has not necessarily led to improvement in the quality of pedagogy, with a large number of them suffering from structural weaknesses such as lack of infrastructure and well-trained faculty. These shortcomings create a…

GOVERNMENT INSTITUTES | RANKS AND SCORES PRIVATE INSTITUTES | RANKS AND SCORES Ranking is based on objective data only. Only those B-schools that submitted their objective data have been ranked. Institutes like IIM-Kozhikode, ISB Hyderabad, etc., which did not submit their objective data on time or refused to participate, have not been ranked. Only those colleges that fulfilled these criteria were considered eligible for participation in ranking: (i) Minimum 3 batches completed (ii) Offering full-time postgraduate programme in management. All scores have been rounded off to one decimal place; this may result in rounding-off errors while adding the parameter-wise score.…

Q. Which of these describes you best—author, filmmaker, fashion designer, culture revivalist or painter? I would say that, above all, I’m a humane aesthete following my creative soul. Q. What made you do a series of paintings on Zooni and what are your plans for them? The artistic angst of an unfulfilled dream of the beauty of Zooni—my film about the 16thcentury Kashmiri poet Habba Khatoon—and its setting has haunted me since I took on the project. The best way to manifest it today is through paintings, my original passion. I will be exhibiting four phases of Zooni at the first India Art, Architecture & Design Biennale being held at the Red Fort in New Delhi (December 9-15). Q. Why has your focus shifted to art and paintings of late?…

From Ukraine and Armenia to Israel-Palestine, 2023 has reminded us that many people across the world still fight for their freedom, more or less seen, more or less supported. Among them is the 75-year-old struggle of Tibetans against the People’s Republic of China. With Echoes of Forgotten Mountains, Jamyang Norbu—a Kal impong-born Tibetan who joined the resistance in the 1970s before becoming a prominent independence activist, critical of a government-in-exile he accuses of meekness towards China—offers a magnificent history of Tibetans’ resistance against Chinese occupation, despite overwhelming odds, fickle American support, and the world’s indifference. Others have told the story of this fight for survival. Few have told it with such power and insight. Ever since he began writing historical plays for the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts in the…

A suggestion to rename Ramanagara, the picturesque district south of Bengaluru where Sholay was shot in the 1970s, has led to a face-off between the region’s two political heavyweights, D.K. Shivakumar and H.D. Kumaraswamy. DKS, citing the local population’s emotional bond with the capital, wants to rename it Bengaluru South. Kumaraswamy, who as CM in 2007, had carved out Ramanagara from the larger Bengaluru Rural district, has threatened to go on a fast unto death. Even Gabbar might not be able to solve this one.…

It’s one thing to generate expectations of a revival after a long drought. And quite another to actually navigate such an operation from scratch—which needs much more than merely relying on the inertia of motion. That too through a battlefield marked by a dynamic flux. On October 27, when the Congress released its second list of 45 candidates for Telangana’s November 30 assembly poll, taking the total to 100 out of 119 names, it gave clues to its blueprint for battle. In a departure from its norm, the Congress was priming for a constituency-by-constituency contest. In the past, the Grand Old Party has often been able to ride its own elephant, so to speak. As a behemoth-like party with a captive vote, it had the space to be held hostage…

The 2023 India Today Group survey of the country’s business schools was conducted by reputed Delhi-based market research firm Marketing & Development Research Associates (MDRA). The ranking provides the most credible and exhaustive rankings of India’s Best B-schools based on the most recent data. With significant improvements in the number of data points and the changing needs of time, new rankings have been introduced, such as top 20 one-year postgraduate programmes; top 10 Edtech platforms providing management courses, and top 15 executive management programmes. FULL-TIME MBA/PGDM RANKING: A comprehensive list of B-schools offering fulltime classroom management programmes (PGDM/MBA), established at least five years ago and with a minimum of three graduated batches till academic year ending in 2022, were considered for the rankings. An objective questionnaire was fine-tuned to obtain…

Since its inception in 1989, the Mumbai Educational Trust (MET) has been redefining the landscape of management education by nurturing professionals to lead both corporations and society. Housed in the state of the art campus at Bhujbal Knowledge City in Bandra, Mumbai the commercial and financial capital of India, this B-school has already carved out a mark amongst the student and corporate fraternity. Shri. Chhagan Bhujbal, Founder Chairman, MET has been the driving force behind this unique B-school that offers unparalleled MBA and PG courses. Close interactions with top notch industry professionals, a concurrent syllabus, affordability, and a remarkable return on investment have been some of the features that set MET Mumbai apart. MET's unique MBA programs empower students from awareness to knowledge to excellence with cutting-edge technology and industry…

Ram Vanji Sutar is an extreme case. At 99, he is probably the oldest practising sculptor anywhere. And if size were the true measure of a sculptor’s merit, he would perhaps be considered the greatest. In our times, Ram Sutar is best known for his many truly enormous statues. A Padma Bhushan awardee, Sutar was in the news once again when his 19-ft statue of B.R. Ambedkar was unveiled in Maryland in the US on October 14. Although it was Lilliputian by Sutar’s otherwise Brobdingnagian standards, it was touted as the “largest” statue of the key architect of the Indian Constitution outside India. In 2018, Sutar became an international name as the creator of the Statue of Unity, the 597-ft bronze statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat. It is…

MULTANI MITTI, DRV and Boyblanck Fresh off the success of his single ‘Farak Nahin Padhta’—you may have heard it in the OTT show Farzi—DRV teams up with fellow rapper Boyblanck for an album of North Indian trap focused on their shared ancestral Multani heritage. Over reverb-drenched kicks and overdriven synths, the young duo trade bars full of history, mythology and self-aggrandising braggadocio. A particular highlight is ‘Tarakkiyan’, its Punjabi folk vocals cutting their way through DRV and Boyblanck’s murky trap beats. THE GROUND BENEATH HER FEET Sandunes For years, Sanaya Ardeshir—aka Sandunes—has been at the forefront of India’s electronic underground, thanks to her eclectic, forward-thinking compositions that bring her roots in classical piano and jazz in conversation with contemporary dance music. Written during the lockdown, her third album explores themes…

For relief from contemporary feminist fatigue and energy for the struggle forth, Oxford historian Janina Ramirez asks that we look backward. It’s easy to feel sceptical—I was too—that the seventh century can hold role models. But Ramirez’s method is persuasive: she meticulously mines archaeological records for women, while simultaneously re-reading the Ecclesiastical History of the English People written by the medieval monk-scholar Bede. The ‘Venerable Bede’, as he is known, is regarded as something of a father of English History. He has been concerned with the lives of great men—bishops, warriors and kings—but his book also features powerful and significant women throughout; they are simply not fleshed out. Ramirez’s work lies in adding flesh to medieval women, often accompanied by their literal bones. One such archaeological unearthing is ‘the Loftus…

Vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar has never set great store by protocol. So it was during a recent trip to Guwahati, when he chose to touch the feet of Assam governor Gulab Chand Kataria on stage at an educational institution. Though the 72-year-old vice-president occupies a higher office, he is seven years younger than the Assam governor in terms of age. Both Dhankhar and Kataria also hail from Rajasthan. The vice-prsident, in fact, was on a roll. While making a speech, he said he would never forget the birthday of Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma (February 1), for it was a tragic day in his life. The explanation came a significant pause later—he got married on the date. Wonder if Mrs Dhankhar shares the vice-president’s sense of humour.…

Is Lalu Prasad’s elder son and Bihar minister Tej Pratap Yadav readying himself to take on Rajiv Pratap Rudy, the BJP MP from Saran? A Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) bastion in the past—it elected Lalu four times—the constituency has been Rudy’s happy hunting ground for the past two elections. The four-time MP defeated RJD candidates Rabri Devi (Lalu’s wife) in 2014 and Tej’s father-in-law (now estranged) Chandrika Rai in 2019. On October 25, Lalu visited Saran after six years while Tej was in the district four days later for a programme where he even played the flute. RJD sources say Rudy will have to “face the music”, come 2024.…

There is an air of excitement at Dehradun’s Antara Senior Living theatre. The 30-seater space is brimming with people, and the staff is hurriedly adding more chairs. Residents Anil Sud, 89, and Seema Sud, 83, are particularly thrilled as they have curated a song sequence—‘60 years of Dev Anand’s life in 60 mins’—to celebrate the legendary actor’s 100th birth anniversary. Anil, the former managing director of EMI/HMV (now Saregama), reminisces how “HMV made a lot of money from Dev Anand’s films for years together…. Dev’s production house Navketan was the highest royalty earner from HMV”. As songs from his movies start playing, the audience join in, some singing along, many others cheering and hooting. GHANSHYAM RATHI, 62 NAMRATA RATHI, 56 WHERE Antara, Dehradun MOVED IN 2020 WHY THEY MOVED To live a hassle-free…

Dumbledore tells Harry Potter in the Chamber of Secrets, “It is our choices more than our abilities that reveal what we are.” As a nation, our political choices after 1947 ensured that we built the world’s largest democracy on the infertile soil of the world’s most hierarchical society. But our mass democracy couldn’t pave the way for mass prosperity as our economic choices created a weak economy. However, in the next 25 years, Indian MBAs will graduate to a growing, productive and complex economy that is on its way to become the world’s third-largest one. Our economic renewal, combined with a new world, offers some unique choices for the next generation of MBA students and institutions. Choices, though, are downstream of context, and thus it’s important to understand the drivers…