Innholdsfortegnelse for September 16, 2024 i India Today

It’s the largest political party in the world. It has also been ruling the world’s largest democracy for over a decade. That speaks of a rare measure of stability—the durable kind enjoyed by entities that have pretty much become the establishment. In the Modi epoch, the polity itself has readjusted to the entrenched presence of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the centre. So much so that BJP president J.P. Nadda had famously said in May that the party was now “capable” of running its own affairs, signalling it was no longer an underling of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Yet after a subpar performance in the Lok Sabha polls this June, the BJP has not been as surefooted as it was during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first two terms.…

Incisive observation is stock in trade for master strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor. Inspiration, though, is drawn from various sources. The latest one, it seems, is from a barber he met on the campaign trail. If Lalu Prasad’s 15-year tenure was a ‘Jangal Raj’ of criminals, the wise gent told his fellow Bihari, then Nitish Kumar’s era can be called a ‘Jangal Raj’ of bureaucrats. And both, Kishor concludes, have governed with the same brazen disregard for accountability. The razor-sharp wit hit home. Forgive PK for sporting a bit of stubble then. It isn’t exactly a shave he may be going for these days to the barber’s but to collect native political wisdom. Plate Diplomacy B ureaucrats in MadhyaPradesh are busy playing ‘Spot the Difference’ these days between current chief minister Mohan…

NORTH HARYANA Khattar still larger-than-life ↘ New state unit chief Mohan Lal Badoli, like CM Nayab Singh Saini, is a staunch Khattar loyalist. Both unable to break out of his shadow ↘ With Khattar’s exit from the state, the party needs new momentum to regain the support of Punjabi Hindus ↘ Jat leaders Capt. Abhimanyu, J.P. Dalal, O.P. Dhankar got poll tickets but are seeking a greater role in state unit RAJASTHAN Struggling with Bhajan ↘ Sidelined ex-CM Vasundhara Raje’s discomfort is obvious, didn’t campaign outside son’s Jhalawar constituency ↘ Devi Singh Bhati, Kirodi Lal Meena blame state unit leaders for poor show in LS polls ↘ CM Bhajan Lal Sharma and state unit chief Madan Rathore seen as lightweights WEST GUJARAT Homegrown troubles ↘ Modi-Shah’s home state, yet the…

As the relentless monsoon rains lash Kerala’s lush landscape, a different kind of storm is brewing in the state’s political corridors. The Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government finds itself caught in a deluge of controversy, with allegations as torrential as the downpour outside. It all began on August 30 with a press conference called by P.V. Anvar, a two-term Independent legislator from Nilambur in Malappuram district. Not only did the CPI(M)-backed legislator unleash a flood of accusations against a senior police officer with close ties to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), he also charged CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s political secretary P. Sasi, who handles the home department on his behalf, with shielding corrupt cops. Over the next few days, Anvar kept firing fresh salvos, even…

Launched on February 29, the operation is led by IG Rahul Prakash and his team. Their goal: stop online fraud from Deeg Suspects are categorised: providers of forged SIM or ATM cards, mule account operators; sextortion criminals; police impersonators; regular online fraudsters Police arrives at location of origin of fraud calls, seizes and scans phones for fraud calls, suspicious transactions, searches place/persons for fake SIM cards, forged documents etc. and books suspects Police of area where 1930 complaint is reported is informed; accused booked for specific crime Probe team analyses recovered material; scans IMEI/SIM to detect other criminals FIRs also registered by police for child pornography and cyber terrorism They compile a directory of locations of cyber criminals culled from complaints of fraud from across India that lead to Deeg…

The Humayun Tomb World Heritage Site Museum—to give it its proper name—has been in the making for nearly a decade, but restoration and urban renewal initiatives in the 300-acre Nizamuddin Conservation Area, of which Humayun’s Tomb is a part, have been ongoing for 25 years. The museum is the crowning glory of that grand project, which has given us—apart from a resplendent Humayun’s Tomb—Sunder Nursery and its historical monuments, a restored Sabz Burj—which historian Ebba Koch has surmised is the tomb of Humayun’s mother, Maham Begum—and community affirming projects in Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti. The creation of the site museum—set in the entrance zone of the Humayun’s Tomb Complex and the Sunder Nursery heritage park—was spearheaded by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) in partnership with the Archaeological Survey of India…

Recently, somebody asked Abhishek Banerjee how it was going being an “outsider” in the film industry. The joke referred to the unending discourse over outsiders struggling in nepotistic Bollywood. “I told him this outsider has two films coming out on Independence Day,” Banerjee says with a laugh. In the horror-comedy sequel Stree 2, Banerjee reprises his role as Jana, the protagonist’s goofy sidekick. In the action film Vedaa, he plays the chief baddie, a gangster-politician in Uttar Pradesh. For the Kharagpur-born 39-year-old, who had a humble upbringing in Chennai, followed by decades of struggle through theatre and showbiz, playing pivotal roles of such marked variety in two big-ticket theatrical releases is a bewildering new reality. In the horror-comedy sequel Stree 2, Banerjee reprises his role as the protagonist’s goofy sidekick.…

Q. Many may say playing Bae, a fashion forward, privileged Gen Z woman, is totally up Ananya Panday’s alley… It may be in my comfort zone but the character was still a challenge. I feel Bae is on level 100 all the time so I had to constantly keep the energy up. I was also doing comedy for the first time. Q. Comedies are few and far between in streaming these days… It was a big reason for doing Call Me Bae. Right now, we are seeing a lot of dark content and, while I am a huge fan of that, sometimes you just want to watch something happy and light to feel good. Q. Carrying the weight of a show on your shoulders must be quite an experience? It’s…

ON September 2, as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) wrapped up its Akhil Bharatiya Samanvay Baithak, the threeday national coordination meeting of affiliate organisations, prachar pramukh Sunil Ambekar’s press conference was buzzing with reporters. And he didn’t disappoint, picking the opportunity to, as one participant put it, “drop a couple of bombs”. For one, he clarified that the Sangh was in favour of the contentious national caste census (with riders, of course) and, two, he made a public admission of unresolved “issues” between the RSS and its ideological offspring, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which rules at the Centre. Ambekar did clarify that it was a “family matter” which would be smoothened out through “discussions”. But then he had already said enough to make the headlines the next day. The caste…

TOYS ARE CRUCIAL FOR Kiran Bala, 38, an assistant professor at the Delhi School of Economics, to keep her three children—an eight-year-old daughter and 18-month-old twins—occupied. “As an academic who has to juggle parenting with teaching and self-study, I need toys to keep my kids engaged for long,” she says. Kiran is among the millions of parents driving the growth of India’s toy market. The sector, valued at about $1.5 billion (Rs 12,300 crore) in 2022, is projected to double to $3 billion by 2028, at a compound annual growth rate of over 12 per cent. The opportunity could be larger, given that the organised market is just 10 per cent of the overall market, which is populated by unorganised small businesses. It was this turnaround story—how India has transformed…

For 67-year-old Faizan Khan, who used to work as a plumber in Mumbai suburb Thane, swallowing multiple pills for the treatment of tuberculosis was a living nightmare. But a friend of his had developed drug-resistant or DR-TB and succumbed to it after he could not cope with the extensive medication. And so Khan persevered with his own treatment. Hope flared for Khan and others suffering like him in mid-August, as the Government of India approved the rollout of a new TB regimen. Of a shorter duration—six months—and comprising just three oral drugs, the BPaL line of treatment hopes to potentially improve patient compliance and hence reduce the risk associated with MDR (multi-drug resistant) TB. However, twice in less than a year—August 2023 and March 2024—there have been mass-scale reports of…

If imagination is the mirage of the aspirational, change is the grandest mirage of all. For it allows us to rewrite the narrative, creating new occasions to experiment with ritual and engage with the here and now. In the 19 years since we launched Spice, we have, on occasion, reconfigured Spice to evolve better content and design, but starting this issue, our efforts to rethink Spice have been a bit more radical. Better paper, both for cover and inside pages, offers content and design that is suffused with a lot more—information, options, reviews, trends, opinions and variety. The selection of stories is spread across snippets and quick reads for those with a generational affinity for instant gratification, as well as leisurely features for the romancer of detail. The intersection of…

GRAND SEIKO BIRCH BARK SLGW002 This refined expression of the Evolution 9 collection is crafted in 18 carat rose gold, standing out with its elegant 38.6mm case and slender profile. The dial, inspired by the birch forests of northern Japan, features a unique horizontal pattern, exuding a subtle yet striking charm. Paired with a crocodile leather strap, this watch is the perfect blend of cool craftsmanship and contemporary sophistication. ROLEX PERPETUAL 1908 This timepiece is a masterclass in refined elegance, bridging the gap left by the Cellini line with a touch of bold. Now available in platinum with an ice-blue guilloché dial, it exudes luxury and tradition. The 39mm case, with its finely fluted bezel and domed sapphire crystal, is sleek and sophisticated. The dial, adorned with a distinctive guilloché…

At the moment the market for modern Indian art is very strong, with many new records being set at public auctions. There are a number of new collectors entering the market, all of whom are discerning and well educated or advised about what to acquire. These collectors are particular about factors such as condition, provenance, exhibition history and publication details, as well as freshness to the market, and are willing to pay a premium when an artwork comes with these boxes checked. Major international exhibitions of 20thcentury Indian artists like S.H. Raza at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and M.F. Husain presented by the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), at a show coinciding with the Venice Biennale have also catalysed new, global interest in this category. At auction, apart…

It’s an “Aha” moment for Indian restaurants in the world capital of food. It’s the first time this century that an Indian restaurant has received a three star rating from the New York Times. Take a bow Vikas Khanna for your recently opened “Bungalow”. It’salsononstop“wah wah” as Indian restaurants in New York are breaking records and setting records, with ease and alacrity. Be it Dhamaka, Semma or, more recently Jezba, among many others, but it is Khanna’s Bungalow that is leagues ahead of all others Ever since it opened, Resy has been recording it as the hardest reservation to secure in NYC. Is it fancy schmancy, “Modern Indian”? No. Is it ethnic white washed for the American palate? No. Thankfully, it is honest, unpretentious, comforting, delicious and self assured version…

RISING STARS OF THE GEMVERSE Among current favourites is the Spinel with its red hue, which was mistakenly identified as a ruby for centuries. It is also found in shades of blue, orange, lavender, pink, and black, and has the same crystal structure as a diamond. Morganite offers a pale pink to peach spectrum, and hails from the beryl mineral family, which includes emerald, and aquamarine. Tsavorite is a rare green garnet, a thousand times rarer than an emerald, and is part of the cubic crystal system, which allows it to sparkle like a diamond. The most precious from the Tourmaline family is the neon blue variety known as ‘Paraiba tourmaline’, followed by the burgundy red hues of ‘rubellite’. Other shades include green, pink, brown, blue, yellow, and bi and…

THE DIFFERENCES ↘ The timing of the RSS’s conditional nod for a national caste census—at its Aug. 31Sept. 2 baithak—has put the BJP in a spot. It has so far advocated against the idea ↘ RSS leaders are of the opinion that the UCC, amendments to Waqf Board Properties Act along with other proHindutva moves should be pushed, but in consultation with moderate Muslim/minority groups ↘ RSS remains uncomfortable with turncoats (those with an anti-Sangh ideology) being inducted into the BJP and given prominent positions, irking loyalists ↘ The Sangh is against the overcentralisation of decision-making in the BJP, which it believes leaves it in the hands of a chosen few. So, apart from the RSS, it seeks the involvement of other national and state leaders MENDING FENCES ↘ BJP…

IT is a brand new district, carved out of Bharatpur, home district of Rajasthan chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, only last year. But Deeg has already gained notoriety as the cybercrime capital of India, overtaking erstwhile hotspots such as Deoghar and Jamtara in Jharkhand; Nawada and Nalanda in Bihar; Nuh in Haryana; and Alwar next door in Rajasthan. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) found that 19 per cent of all reported cases of fraud in February 2024 originated from this outpost in the Mewat region. The anti-cybercrime units of different states were mapping some 225 locations in the district on a daily basis, which stood in first place for four months in a row for the highest number of cybercrime calls originating in India. The crimes range from the…

It is tough to quantify and qualify Kamal Haasan’s career. He is widely regarded as one of the best actors to have ever worked in Indian cinema, but he is much more than that. By his own admission, he is a reluctant actor. He willed himself into theatre and film sets, committing himself to every art that came his way. He danced, wrote, sang, acted, learned and applied makeup, ghost-directed and directed. He started in 1960 in Kalathur Kannamma surrounded by people who were already legends—A.V. Meiyappan, A.Bhimsingh, Gemini Ganesan, Savitri, Javar Seetharaman, Kannadasan. It is 2024 and he is still into all those things with two releases so far this year and possibly one more. Legends of the classical age of Indian cinema carried him when he was a…

VICTORINOX may have earned its stripes with the iconic Swiss Army Knife, but it is the brand’s commitment to cutting edge technology, impeccable quality and precision timing that this new collection of watches inherits. The new Victorinox I.N.O.X. plays with carved shapes, strong geometrics, innovative materials and industrial codes, rooted in the Swiss brand. With a perfect balance of strength, elegance and performance, this unique design delivers smart sophistication that is rooted in Victorinox’s industrial-derived ability avidly documented in the famed Swiss Army Knife. Interestingly, the case boasts strong shapes and curves, and the reworked signature bezel looks as if a sharp pocketknife carved it out. The Swiss Army Knife itself is evoked in the counterweight of the seconds hand, while the chronograph movement describes the heart of the watch. The…

Celebrating 70 years of timeless elegance, the Longines Conquest collection has expanded with a stunning array of new models that seamlessly blend the past with the present. The 2024 lineup introduces 30 new configurations, offering a variety of colours, sizes, and straps to suit any style. The Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve sets the tone with its reissue of a beloved vintage model, offering both a nostalgic nod to the past and the precision of modern watchmaking. But the real excitement lies in the variety of the collection. The new 30mm models are particularly note-worthy, designed with unisex appeal and available in versatile options like mother-of-pearl dials with diamonds or sunburst dials in olive green, royal blue, and silver. Despite their smaller size, these watches maintain the robust character of…

“It was my mother who suggested I become a watchmaker,” says Breguet’s CEO Lionel a Marca, who is now at the helm of the prestigious Swiss watch brand. “It wasn’t like now, where there are 30 students in a class. In my first year, we were only three, up from two the previous year. Everyone asked me why I chose to be a watchmaker, but I trusted my mother, who was a watchmaker specialised in timing.” As he runs through all the exciting watch releases this year—a newly unveiled Reine de Naples, Marine models with gem-set bezels, a Marine edition for women, and a new Type XX—his eyes light up. But he is also eager to talk about a timepiece that has been causing him some grief: “We have another…

IF YOU THINK romance and poetry have little in common with haute horology, perhaps its time to take a closer look at Frederique Constant’s Classics Elegance Luna—the brand’s ‘mother-of-pearl ode to the moon’s kiss’. The moon in this model evokes romance and intimacy as two half-moons embrace on a mother-of-pearl dial housed in a 36-millimetre steel case. Oscillating between light and dark shades of grey, the two halves of the moon greet each other with a kiss. While the moon’s soft colours were chosen to match the watch decoration, the steel case with its silver highlights matches the steel hands deployed above a mother-of-pearl dial. The latter’s shimmer appears pink, light green, blue or grey to complement the changing light. Now that’s one for the romantics. Price On request Availability Brand Stores…