Innholdsfortegnelse for April 29, 2024 i India Today

The manifestos of major political parties announced recently are bristling with promises for the youth. For good reason. As India votes to elect a new Lok Sabha beginning April 19, that demographic will be represented by a mammoth swathe of 210 million youth aged between 18 and 29, constituting 22 per cent of the total electorate—a size that beats Russia in terms of population and is big enough to form the eighth-largest country in the world. Among them will be 18.4 million first-time voters. With a much higher degree of youth investment in politics than ever before, they have emerged as a decisive component of the Indian electorate. A few simple data points illustrate that. Historically, the democratic process was characterised by youth apathy. Till a decade ago, the percentage…

Winding its way through the Pir Panjal mountains amidst breathtaking scenic beauty, the ancient road into the landlocked Kashmir Valley helped the Mughals under Akbar to gain a foothold in the Valley in the 16th century. Known thereafter as the Mughal Road, the 84-km trans-Pir Panjal road that connects the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu with Shopian in the Valley can now be seen as an apt symbol of the new political landscape of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir in the coming Lok Sabha election. The 2022 delimitation exercise that followed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019—which bifurcated the former state into two Union territories—carved out a new parliamentary constituency spread over Jammu’s Rajouri and Poonch districts, and Anantnag, Kulgam and some pockets…

MODI KI GUARANTEE—that’s what the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has titled its Sankalp Patra, or election manifesto, as it seeks a third successive term at the Centre. In doing so, the party has distinctively moved away from its oft-cited convention of collective leadership, centring its entire campaign on its biggest trump card: Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The manifesto is peppered with core Hindutva issues like the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act and Uniform Civil Code, major reforms like the ‘One Nation, One Election’, and big-ticket crowd-pleasers like bullet trains. Yet, overarching this array of proposals is a commitment to continue with the “transformative growth” of four core groups—gareeb (poor), yuva (youth), annadata (farmers) and nari (women). In contrast, the Congress manifesto, titled Nyay Patra, centres on five fundamental pillars:…

Not many may recall that Karnataka's ex-CM H.D. Kumaraswamy started legislative life as a Lok Sabha MP, in 1996, when his dad Deve Gowda was PM. Mandya is his chosen arena for a third stint as MP. But in this Battle of the Vokkaligas, the JD(S) chief is up against INDIA’s rookie richie rich ‘Star Chandru’. Another ex-CM, another son of a politico who took the flavours of Karnataka to New Delhi. The late Janata leader S.R. Bommai’s memory is now mostly restricted to the SC’s eponymous ‘Bommai judgment’. Now Basavaraj Bommai has a chance to mull over Centre-state relations from the other side—if he makes it from Haveri for the BJP. Jagadish Shettar is a dyed-in-the-wool saffronite, born to an old Jan Sanghi family from Bagalkote, up north. A…

The payments and Baas sector dominates India's fintech landscape due to widespread demand for digital payment methods and customised banking solutions. Some of the sectors are Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) The platform enables non-banking entities to offer banking services, reducing costs and improving market access through instant lending, background screening, and credit score calculation. Payments/PayTech offers prepaid cards, QR code payments, point of sale, corporate cards, and bulk invoice payments, revolutionising the payments sector with services like Cashfree Payments. Wealth Tech firms like lndWealth, Zerodha, and Smallcase are enhancing India's digital investment ecosystem by offering personalized investment recommendations, investment advisory, wealth management, and alternative platforms using advanced technology. LendTech companies are enhancing credit facilities and services for small and medium enterprises, addressing the credit gap through various offerings such as BNPL, credit…

Five years ago, confesses Mihir Ranjan, he was an “uninformed” first-time voter. That has changed. Part of the League of Legends Esports (or electronic sports) team that represented India at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year, Ranjan, the son of teachers, now follows the speeches of external affairs minister S. Jaishankar: “Strong, powerful and assertive stances navigating a complex geopolitical scenario.” He seeks an “ambitious vision” from a party/ leader that makes India “primed to be the next superpower” and supports a caste census if it can help reduce inequality. He also finds PM Narendra Modi’s Viksit Bharat a “catchy key word” and supports the idea behind it. Ranjan doesn’t fully agree that there’s no effective Opposition in the country, but he feels that they come across as “disorganised”.…

Chhattisgarh resident Kabir Chandrakar’s farmer parents were keen that he acquire an education so that he could get a good job. But Chandrakar’s heart was set on farming and, after getting an MBA degree from England, he returned to India, to pursue progressive farming. To add to his family’s 45-acre farmland, the 30-year-old took more land on lease, and today farms around 120 acres. Most of this is a guava plantation, except two acres on which he grows mangoes. No wonder the resident of Mujgahan village in Raipur district wants political parties to have policies that are beneficial for farmers. “Economic progress is key to the country’s future and I will vote for a party that comes up with a better plan for economic development,” he says. He also wants…

Bodhisattwa Sanghapriya was only 22 when he co-founded a drone company along with two of his friends in Odisha’s Sambalpur. Started with two clients in 2018, now IG Drones supplies ultra-modern drones to 300-plus clients, including the Indian military. Bodhisattwa, who holds a B.Tech. degree from Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, Burla, in Sambalpur, believes voting is everyone’s responsibility. While applauding the Modi government’s policies in the past 10 years, he commends the Startup India initiative that supports over 100,000 startups. “Moreover, their skill mission, advocating digitisation and inclusive development nationwide, are truly laudable,” he says. And, Bodhisattwa feels the One Nation, One Election proposal, if implemented, will streamline the electoral process, reducing administrative burden, thereby promoting efficiency and accountability. As an entrepreneur, Bodhisattwa says he has witnessed a…

Sarvjeet's dream was always to get into the paramilitary CRPF, but it came to nought in 2022 when the government introduced the Agnipath scheme under which recruits would be hired only for a four-year period. He completed his graduation last year and is still preparing for exams related to the defence services in the hope that he will get through in one of them. “Jobs in the public sector (including defence) are few these days but we have to prepare ourselves to take the limited opportunities. I belong to the weaker section of society, so we have few choices. I have to crack the exams…the only other option is farming.” Sarvjeet will be casting his vote for the first time this election. He does not believe in caste or religious…

➔ Chief minister Eknath Shinde has the support of 13 Lok Sabha MPs and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar of just one. Yet, Ajit’s NCP has managed to secure more favourable terms from the BJP ➔ Both BJP and Ajit faction leaders are opposing Shinde’s candidates in seats like Maval ➔ The Sena was forced to concede strongholds like Dharashiv (Osmanabad) and Parbhani. Demands are being made to give up more seats like Nashik, Thane, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) ➔ Intense political tussles between Shinde Sena and BJP in districts like Thane. Ganpat Gaikwad, the MLA from Kalyan, shot at and Shinde faction leader Mahesh Gaikwad injured inside a police station at Ulhasnagar on Feb. 2 ➔ Shinde’s men fear that the knives may be out for them in the BJP…

BHARATIYA JANATA PARTY ➔ Highlight ‘double engine’ sarkar and Yogi’s tough-on-crime ‘bulldozer baba’ image ➔ Getting Jayant Chaudhary’s RLD into NDA helps in two ways—gets the Jat vote in the sugar belt and quells farmer unease in the region ➔ Leaving the opposition camp in disarray by poaching strong local leaders from rival parties TEAM INDIA ➔ The Samajwadi Party and Congress are hoping to consolidate the Muslim-Yadav vote. Gandhis arriving late could affect Congress fortunes ➔ Raising local issues, keeping election lowkey to avoid any polarisation in the vote ➔ Small public meetings, chaupals part of the strategy BAHUJAN SAMAJ PARTY ➔ Allotting party tickets according to caste combination in constituency has disrupted the momentum of other parties ➔ Dalit-Muslim faces could hurt the SP, forward-caste candidates can dent…

“Painting isn’t only about beauty. It’s also about pain,” says the eminent artist Gulammohammed Sheikh, nodding emphatically. The 87-year-old painter and poet, a National Award winner and Padma Shri as well as a Padma Bhushan, has won many accolades and recognition for his artistic achievements worldwide. He has been visiting faculty at universities, participated in the early art biennales across the globe and written extensively about art and art history. His latest show, the first solo undertaking in Mumbai after 20 years, is titled Kaarawaan and Other Works. Having moved from New Delhi’s iconic Vadehra Art Gallery to Mumbai’s equally epochal Chemould Prescott Road, it will be on view until May 15. The 80 x 257 inches acrylic on canvas work titled ‘Kaarawaan’ that we are entranced by is the…

Childhood friends find themselves on opposing sides of a conflict. Over this well-established trope, Nikhil J. Alva imposes the Mizo National Front uprising of 1966-1967 that was brutally put down by the Indian state. In the maelstrom of the insurgency, Capt. Samuel Rego’s path crosses that of his friend Sena, now a dreaded Mizo National Army commander. Through a neat plot twist, both find themselves inextricably tied to each other. A deadly cat-and-mouse game ensues. Alva’s narrative has illuminating details of the Mizo hills—Mara and Paite tribal customs, the slow ingress of Christianity, the Belgian stained-glass windows of the Baptist church…. Alva’s workaday prose, however, don’t do them justice. Also featuring a snarling army camp commandant (Aiyar!) straight out of Hollywood’s cast of psychotic sergeant majors. Katoch calls this a…

Q. Article 370 turned the action drama genre on its head by featuring two women as central characters. How reassuring was it to see it do well? While it is not a docudrama, it had to be a film that is authentic and engaging. There’s no song or tropes [of commercial cinema] and the character took precedence over the star. The casting was a gamble because today’s market is difficult and having certain names brings saleability and money on the table. Aditya [Dhar, producer and Yami’s husband] loves anti-casting—not imagining the obvious. He was sure he wanted to mount a film on us [Yami and Priyamani]. We underestimate our audience. The audience is ready and the pressure is on us to do it well. Q. With hits like A Thursday…

Who doesn’t want clean and dry clothes at the flick of a switch? In come washing machines and dryers. However, if space isn’t a premium getting both a washer and dryer is difficult. But then you spot LG’s WashTower, a unibody design that seamlessly combines both hardware and software. In layman’s terms this means that in one large and very heavy body you get a washing machine and a dryer. That said, in comparison to having two separate devices it very compact, 600mm x 1655mm x 660mm (W x H x D). Once installed it takes up to 13kg load. For smaller loads opt for quick wash and quick dry option which takes about an hour to complete. That said, the machine will take some getting used to. For starters…

The quickest way to the best-dressed dining table is to ensure a fashion designer drapes it. The good news is, since so many of them have fabulous home lines, fashionable tables are easy to put together. So, we reached out to three fashion forward labels with completely different design sensibilities to create an arresting, spring-summer spread. If Ritu Kumar throws a pattern party with cool tones and refreshing hues, SHIVAN & NARRESH tune into the perfect shade of yellow bringing to life chic, abstract modernism. The kings of monotone, Abraham & Thakore, continue to play with black and white with élan. From maximalism to minimal magic, from profusion of hues to monochrome, these tables are truly a feast for your eyes. THE ART OF CRAFT Attention to details, no Ritu…

As one moves through various stages and phases of life, the spaces you reside in become a reflection of the same. The role played by our homes is in not just reflecting who we are, but also our growth as individuals and collecting memories along that journey. A Tale of Five Homes is a visual journey through the lives of five families who found their haven on the first floor of one of the towers at One10, a gated community in Kolkata. EMBRACE MINIMALISM AGE GROUP Early 30s DESIGN STYLE Minimalism ELEMENTS OF THE STYLE Transformative furniture, space planning for multipurpose usage and efficient multitasking. WHY IT WORKS Their home reflects their lifestyle as a young working couple with an infant, especially the transformational furniture that helps them with the…

From entryways to prayer rooms, arches are everywhere. They clearly make a bold statement. However, if you are still hesitant to use this design style, let us take you inside Pooja, a 2,980 sq ft tropical home in Calicut, Kerala that heroes arches. Overarching Oeuvre Creating an open plan was the client’s desire. Connecting individual spaces like the dining area, living room, and kitchen through arches was an idea that popped up immediately when we designed the space. It maintains a seamless flow and transition between spaces, giving the feeling of returning to homely roots. The arches serve as visual cues, guiding occupants from one area to another while maintaining an overarching sense of unity and connection throughout the home. Number Game The arches are a part of the overall…

As the mercury inches up daily in Gujarat this summer, so does the frenetic activity on the ground for the BJP before the Lok Sabha polls. State BJP president C.R. Paatil and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel have been criss-crossing the state, addressing three to four gatherings of booth worker committees in a day. Their goal is to connect with over 7.4 million members of the page committee—five chosen voters amongst the 30 on each page of the state’s electoral roll comprise a ‘page committee’—before the large rallies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah, also the candidate from Gandhinagar, take place. The target for the BJP is to garner 500,000 votes on each seat this time; the maths translates to 370 more votes for the party…

Party candidate expelled from party? And still contesting on party symbol? It happens only in INDIA….or make that the Congress, in Rajasthan. To rewind the whole sitcom, begin from March 27, the last day for filing nominations for the first phase. The party asked ex-minister Arjun Bamania to contest the tribal seat. When he refused, it asked youth leader Arvind Damore to fill in. And Kapoor Singh came in for the Bagidora assembly seat bypoll within the LS constituency. But on April 8, the last day to withdraw nominations, the Congress entered into a last-minute deal with the Bharat Adivasi Party, and left both seats for it. But Damore and Singh refused to pull out! Six-year expulsions followed. Now, BAP candidates, fighting under the INDIA banner, will face two Congress…

D. Prasada Rao's mission in Chittoor encompasses various initiatives such as facilitating affordable housing, reviving sugar cane mills, establishing a textile park for weaver communities, and creating additional income sources for marginalized groups. From his distinguished background as a former IRS officer to his current roles as the chairman of Radhey Constructions India Private Limited and the TOP candidate for Chittoor Lok Sabha constituency, Mr. Prasada Rao is well positioned to advocate for the interests of the common people in parliament. With a notable career in the income tax department, Mr. D. Prasada Rao has dedicated himself to uplifting marginalized communities and addressing societal concerns. As a retired joint commissioner of income tax, he brings credibility and a strong commitment to social justice. Mr. D. Prasada Rao emerges as a…

For Kritarth, a resident of Vikaspuri in New Delhi, good governance is a key election issue, and as an entrepreneur himself, he counts transparency as an important requisite for that. Moreover, the country should give an opportunity to those who, late in life, want to give entrepreneurship a shot. Having launched India’s first job portal for retirees, Kritarth should know better. Along with Ramesh Vij, a senior citizen himself, he founded Hum Agetech in 2017, India’s first one-stop community-powered venture that caters to all the daily engagement, information and companionshiprelated needs of retirees and ‘seenagers’. It boasts of a database of five million of them in 30 cities of India. Though agencies like the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade have put some processes in place, things are…

When Karan Nagpal turned 18, he was too busy carving out a relatively unconventional career path—floral design. Now 25, Nagpal, son of a librarian father and insurance agent mother, will vote for the first time. Nagpal believes in evaluating every party/ individual on merit. “There are far bigger issues in our country than making temples and building statues. I will look at India’s economic growth under each party, their policies, plans to make educational institutes, hospitals and elderly care,” says Nagpal, for whom India becoming the world’s third largest economy is a collective goal. He feels India’s global image under PM Narendra Modi has improved, but that the current state of Indian democracy is “a bit scary”—both will influence his decision. He finds merit in the Congress’s guarantee of right…

The LGBTQ+ community is largely unhappy about the government’s performance vis-a-vis its rights. Most feel that the 2018 decriminalisation of homosexuality by the Supreme Court and the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, are only baby steps, and larger issues have been left unresolved, some being a result of these laws. For example, the 2019 Act is silent on granting separate reservations in education and employment for the community and criminalises begging without giving an alternative social security. Even more disappointingly, it also disallows provisions for self-determination of gender, going against the 2014 NALSA (National Legal Services Authority) ruling, says queer and feminist activist Varsha. The Act also goes against the Right to Freedom of Residence as it warrants that transgenders stay with their parents or approach a court.…

SERVE A PURPOSE The Green Collective is a brand that is all about artisanal craftsmanship with a touch of northeastern heritage. Featured here is the Dharini Tray, a modern spin on traditional cane or rattan trays. The piece is finished with a coating of clear varnish to maintain the natural look and allow for easy clean-up. PRICE ₹1,500; AT www.thegreencollective.in PLANTING GOOD IDEAS You don’t have to have a green thumb to grow greens indoors. Not only do they look good they add a sense of freshness to the space. However, your pretty plants need the perfect planter. That’s where Bonasila comes in. Featured here is Olezio planter from their premium range. PRICE ₹4,230 to ₹20,700 AT www.bonasila.com UNDER THE HAMMER If you are looking for furniture with equal parts…

It is a pleasant 20-24 degrees centigrade in Darjeeling—the erstwhile summer capital of the Raj and a popular tourist destination in north Bengal—even as the rest of the state and the country brace for an intense summer. The mild weather, however, can do little to cool the heat of the general election, as political parties and candidates gear up for a pitched battle in this Lok Sabha seat nestled in the foothills of the Himalaya. The constituency, comprising parts of Uttar Dinajpur, Kalimpong and Darjeeling districts, goes to the polls on April 26. The key players are Bimal Gurung—the former face of the Gorkhaland Movement which remains the most important political issue here—his one-time deputy Anit Thapa, and Ajoy Edwards, owner of the town’s iconic Glenary’s bakery and restaurant and…

It’s nearly 9 pm and a small crowd at the village square in Malali is listening with rapt attention to 91-year-old H.D. Deve Gowda for an hour. Malali is in Holenarasipura taluk, the pocket borough of the Deve Gowda family in Karnataka’s Hassan district. Deve Gowda is campaigning for his grandson Prajwal Revanna, 34, the Janata Dal (Secular) candidate from Hassan. In 2019, the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency was the only one the JD(S) won in the nearclean BJP sweep in Karnataka. The debutant Prajwal’s victory wasn’t surprising, for the Hassan seat had been in Deve Gowda’s grip for three decades since 1991 when he was first elected to the Lok Sabha. Only on one occasion, between 1999 and 2004, was it wrested away by the late G. Puttaswamy Gowda,…

Not even the biggest detractors of former Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh would deny his rare gift for airing indecorous jibes with reassuring frequency. In a land not exactly short of sharp tongues, he still manages to shine. The other day, he was at it again, unable to control himself from letting a barb fly straight at Mamata Banerjee, saying she was of “doubtful parentage”. How come? Well, “Didi goes to Goa and says she is Goa’s daughter, goes to Tripura and says she is Tripura’s daughter.” Forget rivals or the public, even his party stays on bated breath and is often forced to snub him. That’s what happened this time too, with even the EC rapping him on the knuckles. Apologies followed, though not without a parting shot to…

Q&A Tell us briefly about Intellect Design Arena Limited. Intellect is an Enterprise Financial Technology Company offering Products for the nextGen transformation of Banks, Insurance and Capital Market customers. Intellect helps global Tier 1 to Tier 3 banks in their Core Banking, Lending, Wealth, Transaction Banking, Trade and Supply Chain transformation. It has built the largest composable and contextual Open Finance platform - eMACH.ai. Our Technology powers 7 out top 10 European banks, 5 of Top 10 US Banks, 8 of Top 10 Middle East Banks, 7 of Top 10 Indian Banks and 5 of Top 10 Asian Banks. In India we partner with RBI, NABARD, UC, AMFI and leading PSU and Private Banks. We have 275+ Global customers in over 50+ countries with an annual revenue run rate of…

ON APRIL 11, JUST EIGHT DAYS BEFORE INDIANS GO TO VOTE in the first phase of the 2024 general election, social media was populated with a video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacting with seven top gaming influencers of the country. Recorded in March at his official residence, the video showed the prime minister engaging with the young gamers, whose average age was 25, even telling them how he could use some of their “gaming lingo” in his speeches. On another occasion, on March 7, during the presentation of the newly created National Creators Award for online content creators, Modi traded some friendly banter with some of the country’s biggest social media influencers—Ranveer Allahbadia, Shraddha Jain and Kamiya Jani. Allahbadia and Jani, in fact, have also streamed interviews of Union…

THEY ARE PART OF THE COUNTRY’S DEMOGRAPHIC DIVIDEND. Counting only Indians in the 18-29 age-group, we get a massive population band of 210 million, around a fifth of the total electorate. They are the future of the country, and what vision you have for them for that future is what will catch their attention and perhaps their vote. As the nation heads for an election to choose its 18th Lok Sabha, political parties are vying with each other to woo this cohort. But what does India’s youth want? To find that out, INDIA TODAY correspondents travelled to different geographies—from Kheda in Gujarat to Kangpokpi in Manipur, from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala to Baramulla in Kashmir—to tune in to the voices of the young. From different sections of society and from various…

There may have been a phase when the youth in the country were disconnected from politics, feels Delhi student Khushal Makhija, but that is not the case today, he says. The 24-year-old admits that the 2024 election—Delhi votes in the sixth phase on May 25—is a subject of conversation among his friends, with the talk revolving around national development, opportunities for students and the alleged misuse of central agencies by the current government. Makhija himself has strong views on the action being taken by the Enforcement Directorate against members of the Opposition. He says, “If I had to choose between Rahul [Gandhi] and [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi, in terms of political experience and performance, I would say Modi has the upper edge. However, it should be BJP versus Congress. And…

The eldest child of doctor parents, S. Farzeen Rose, a final-year student of Legislative Law in Government Law College in Thiruvananthapuram has strong convictions in politics. Farzeen is unhappy with the state of the nation, and says the denial of justice to the oppressed and lawmakers’ disregard for the Constitution leaves her angry. Though a Leftist, Rose thinks Rahul Gandhi can fulfil the dreams of a young India and hopes INDIA gets its act together in a post-poll scenario. For this Lok Sabha election, Farzeen’s choice is Pannyan Raveendran, the CPI candidate from Thiruvananthapuram, over sitting Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar. Leaders like Pannyan, she says, should be in Parliament to give a voice to the poor. Farzeen wants to teach law, in the firm belief that…

BJP ➔ Seek emphatic mandate for PM Narendra Modi and his development agenda ➔ Capitalise on core Hindutva issues like the Ram temple construction and abrogation of Article 370 ➔ Balance aspirations of Rajputs, Jats, tribals and other key communities in ticket allocation ➔ Highlight the new BJP regime’s action in paper leak and illegal mining cases that surfaced during the previous Congress government CONGRESS ➔ Not spread itself too thin and concentrate on seats where the party can give a close fight to the BJP ➔ Put up a united fight along with the three allies—BAP, RLP and CPI(M)—who have got a seat each ➔ Corner the Modi regime over the now-scrapped electoral bond scheme and alleged misuse of the Enforcement Directorate ➔ Remind the voters of welfare schemes…

The Great Flap of 1942 ends with the summary execution of the “lions, tigers, panthers, bears and venomous snakes” of Madras Zoo by the Malabar Special Police on April 14, 1942. The killings were the culmination of a widespread hysteria occasioned by the prospect of a Japanese invasion of South India in 1942, an invasion that never materialised. Mukund Padmanabhan’s book then tells us the story of an event that never took place, chronicling the panic that swept much of India as Japanese forces rampaged through Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean in the first few months of Asia’s Second World War. Japan’s many victories excited fears about bombing throughout the Raj, causing coastal cities such as Calcutta, Cochin, Madras and Bombay to empty of civilians. Government offices relocated to…

Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri’s debut novel Swallowing the Sun begins with its young protagonist, Malati, negotiating that quintessential childhood quagmire—standing up to a schoolyard bully. In Malati’s case, it’s an arrogant boy who does not believe girls can ever be his equals. Malati ends up wrestling him, inflicting an embarrassing defeat using superior tactics. This is the first of many occasions across the novel where Malati challenges the gendered status quo in her immediate environs. Set in the first half of the 20th century amidst India’s struggle for independence, Swallowing the Sun is the story of Malati, her progressive parents and the man she eventually falls for—the fight against British colonial rule weaves in and out of their personal lives, usually to present a nation-vs-self dilemma before these characters. The novel…

They put fun in function long before it became fashionable. The result? They gained global prominence leading some of the most stand out pieces in decor and design. In fact, there monkey lamps are one of the most copied designs, even in India. The good news is that the brand has made its official foray into the country with Delhi-based decor company Strrot. We recently caught up with Sidhant Lamba, founder, Strrot and retailer for Seletti. What is Seletti all about? (Lamba) Seletti stands at the avant garde of quirky chic, continually pushing the boundaries of innovation and whimsy in product design. Their ‘Toiletpaper’ collection is a masterpiece, a jubilant celebration of creativity effortlessly infusing everyday objects with an aura of the extraordinary. With designs that playfully nod to contemporary…

The family needed a second home in Mumbai to unwind and relax together. When Shubhra Sen, an acclaimed Dubai-based jewellery designer and mother of actor Sushmita Sen approached us to create a home that is a testament to the artful integration of luxury tailored to the family’s dynamic lifestyle, we immediately took on the challenge. The penthouse highlights a contemporary aesthetic, set against a neutral palette with generous infusions of metallic accents for a touch of glamour, given her professional affiliation with all things aureate. Understanding the Layout Perched on the 44th and 45th floors, overlooking the bustling Mumbai cityscape, this penthouse spans 7,500 sq ft and has four bedrooms and five bathrooms. The social spaces, such as the living and dining areas, have been envisaged with an open-plan layout…

SET THE TABLE Upgrade your dining room with table linen in soft lilac with hints of yellow and red, and a dance of pretty flowers. Soundarya Linen Cotton Napkin by vVyom By Shuchita; PRICE ₹1,800 onwards; AT www.vvyom.com WALL TO WALL A quick fix for spring-summer is taking a fabric panel on the wall matching it to the upholstery of a chair or sofa. Besides looking fresh it adds both drama and depth. Wisteria Collection by Dialogues by Nirmals; PRICE on request; AT www.dialoguesbynirmals.com CUSHION THE BLOW Furnishings, especially cushions change the overall feel of a space almost instantaneously. For this season, pick up cushions in an array of hues and juxtapose prints with patterns to create an arresting visual. Prairie Animals Clementine cushions from ILIV available at Maishaa; PRICE…

Mud proves to be an excellent material for circular design, requiring minimal energy from raw sourcing to building and eventual eco-friendly demolition, creating structures with a zero-energy footprint. Its proper thickness offers thermal insulation, reducing the need for HVAC systems and ensuring a comfortable indoor environment. Being a breathable material, it facilitates air movement, effectively controlling humidity levels. Today it has become a material fit for beautiful private residences. A case in point is the Shivaray Farmhouse, where Chittorgarh-based Umesh and Rashmi Jain, who are passionate about a low-energy lifestyle collaborated with us. Honouring local history, the project utilised indigenous techniques such as mud walls, Araish plaster, and traditional carpentry. Addressing the hot climate, passive design features included extended eaves, skylights, and locally sourced materials. With 90 per cent of…

Wanting to build his second home, photographer Atul Pratap Chauhan (who is also a close friend) decided what better place than his quaint little hometown. In our noisy and modern society landscape, he was craving quiet and simplicity. He was craving natural environment and natural materials. He wanted us to create a home where we could challenge our aesthetics and form a language with understated warmth and primordial elements. Chauhan was feeling the need to return to basic needs of life—shelter, utility with a sense of belonging. Situated a few kilometres away from Dhampur, Uttar Pradesh in a quaint little village called Madhi, we started with a clean slate, and decided to split the home into three levels. So, the bedrooms could be more private and could also overlook the…

For Onset this is the summer of hope. Why? A look at their latest collection, where they have collaborated with Manovikas Kendra, an institution in Kolkata that imparts education to differently abled students, will give you the answer. The range of cushion covers showcases their artistic potential. “Drawing inspiration from nature the designs include flowers, leaves, and birds in an array of happy hues. We have translated the designs into statement pieces of soft furnishings for your space,” says Neha Jhunjhunwala, founder, Onset. The collection is titled a Flair of Nature, a name, as per Jhunjhunwala that ties together the students’ beauty and their creations. And like novelist Paulo Coelho, for Jhunjhunwala the journey was as fulfilling as the destination. She even hosted multiple workshops to familiarise the special artists…