Innholdsfortegnelse for 4 August 2025 i India Today

Dharavi and Gautam Adani. The pairing is instantly dramatic, a study in stark contrasts. One is among the world’s largest slums, the other one of its wealthiest men. In November 2022, the fortunes of the two became entwined as the Maharashtra government handed the mammoth Dharavi Redevelopment Project to Adani through a special purpose vehicle, Navbharat Mega Developers Private Limited (NMDPL). Adani Properties, the real estate arm of the Adani Group, holds an 80 per cent stake; the state owns the remaining 20 per cent. This May, the state government cleared the masterplan for Dharavi’s redevelopment. At current estimates, Adani’s total investment could reach Rs 2.5 lakh crore. That includes on-location and off-site housing, commercial rehabilitation, infrastructure such as roads and a revamped Mithi riverfront, as well as the centrepiece:…

Every 30 seconds, globally, someone dies from hepatitis-related liver infections—amounting to 1.3 million deaths annually as per WHO 2024 estimates. The Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) alone contributes to nearly 900,000 of these deaths, mostly due to cirrhosis and liver cancer. That’s more than malaria, and approaching tuberculosis levels. The virus is carried by an estimated 29 million Indians—the second-highest number globally. And yet, despite having a protective vaccine and effective antivirals for over three decades, we have failed to eliminate it. Why? The painful truth: doctors have failed to engage society. We treated HBV as a medical issue, not a societal one like COVID-19, HIV or tuberculosis. For most people, the infection lasts less than six months. For others, it can get chronic and seriously damage the liver. Shockingly, less…

Total units: 125,000 FOR RESIDENTIAL OCCUPANTS About 50% get settled in Dharavi, rest are eligible for housing at discounted rate or on hire-purchase basis elsewhere (see Adani’s Bet) GROUND FLOOR, SETTLED BEFORE JAN. 1, 2000 What they get 350 sq. ft flat, free, in-situ Total units: 58,532 GROUND FLOOR SETTLED BETWEEN JAN. 1, 2000, AND JAN. 1, 2011 What they get 300 sq. ft flat, outside Dharavi, at discounted rate of Rs 2.5 lakh UPPER FLOORS AND THOSE WHO SETTLED BETWEEN JAN. 1, 2011, AND NOV. 15, 2022 What they get 300 sq. ft rental flat, outside Dharavi, on hire-purchase basis Total units: ~46,468 FOR COMMERCIAL & INDUSTRIAL UNITS The plan is to ensure all industries and commercial establishments are resettled inside Dharavi itself GROUND FLOOR, SET UP BEFORE JAN. 1, 2000 What…

NO REELS WERE SHOT. NO INTERVIEWS GIVEN. NO CITY TOURS or visits to malls and colleges. Relying on its ballad-heavy soundtrack and the track record of director Mohit Suri (who has done most of the pre-release heavy lifting), a romantic drama featuring two newcomers—Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda—has sprung out of nowhere to create a mini tremor at the box office. Opening day collections? Rs 21.5 crore. Doubts about the figure being inflated or fudged were abound, but by the weekend of July 18, nobody could deny that Saiyaara, a new film about a young couple whose love is challenged when one of them develops early-onset Alzheimer’s, is a smash hit. Rs 83 crore in three days! Records have already piled up: biggest opening weekend for a film featuring rookies,…

The one thing predictable about empires is that they do fall, and usually there is a messy outcome. It was no different with the British Raj—as countries struggled for their own independence and identity. And sometimes it was the mandarins in Whitehall who just gave up, especially after the second World War. In India, of course, we take pride that we made the British quit the jewel in their crown. But it also meant paying the terrible price of Partition. Covering a wide swathe of information—some known and some unknown—and written in an energetic, lively style, Sam Dalrymple’s Shattered Lands reveals and analyses the dismemberment of the British Raj that created the map of modern Asia. This is a riveting account as one scoots across states and countries while Sam mines out…

Q. What does it mean to win the 2025 James Beard Award for Best Chef: New York State? It is a recognition not just of my cooking, but of the food I grew up with in Tamil Nadu, the kind of food that’s rarely seen in fine dining. We did not tone it down or simplify it. This is also a win for my team and for immigrant cooks everywhere. Q. How is Indian cuisine evolving on the global culinary scene? It is becoming more regional. There is more focus on real stories and real flavours. Indian food is finally being seen in all its depth, and that shift is long overdue. From day one, our goal at Semma was to move beyond the typical, beyond the small fraction of…

In a first for an Indian luxury jewellery atelier, Zoya collaborated with British designer and curator Alice Cicolini for a limited-edition capsule that pays homage to enamel. Inspired by the architecture of Lhasa, the collection draws from its rich landscape, and is imbued with a deeply feminine soul. A soft palette of sage green, rose, and dew is delicately expressed through cherry blossoms, chevron patterns, and intricate enamel work. Each piece, set with uncut diamonds, is finished in satin-soft 18 carat gold. This exquisite confluence of artistic legacies—five years in the making—reinterprets classic Indian pieces such as balis and jhumkis through an architectural lens. Crafted with story and soul, it is a stirring ode to cultural memory and intricate craftsmanship. Price on request; Availability www.zoya.in…

INDUSTRIAL INGENUITY IWC Ingenieur Perpetual Calendar 41 IWC shrinks its engineering prowess into a 41-millimetre Ingenieur that will remember every leap year until 2100. The new calibre 82650, with ceramic-clad Pellaton winding, drives day, date, month and year discs beneath a grid-lined dial that nods to Gérald Genta’s original. A sapphire back shows the tungsten rotor, while 100-metre sealing keeps commitments adventure-ready. THINLY TIMED Bulgari Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar Rose Gold Bulgari cloaks its record-slender Octo Finissimo perpetual in warm rose gold, yet the watch still stands a paper-thin 5.8 mm tall. Inside, the 2.75 mm BVL 305 micro-rotor calibre orchestrates retrograde date, leap-year, day and month indications that will not need correction before 2100. Skeletonised hands sweep over a sandblasted dial, while the matching bracelet’s faceted links flash like…

EVEROSE EDGE Rolex Land Dweller Everose Gold Rolex expands its professional line with the Land Dweller in warm Everose gold. The 40-millimetre case and fluted bezel shimmer against a chocolate sunburst dial hosting gold indexes and the hallmark Cyclops date. Inside beats calibre 3235 with a Chronergy escapement, delivering seventy hours of COSC-certified precision and robust anti-magnetic protection. A Twinlock crown, sapphire crystal and solid-gold Oyster bracelet seal everyday rugged-luxury style. PATRIMONY POISE Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Self-Winding Vacheron Constantin’s Patrimony Self-Winding revisits mid-century purity in 18-carat pink gold. A slim 40-millimetre case glows beneath box sapphire, framing an opaline dial with baton markers and hands. Calibre 2450 Q6 drives central seconds and a discreet date, its 22-carat rotor carved with the Maltese cross visible through the exhibition back, offering forty…

TRAPEZE TWIST Piaget Sixtie Piaget resurrects its 1960s trapeze silhouette in the new Sixtie, a slim white-gold cocktail watch powered by the ultra-thin 1200P micro-rotor automatic. Sunburst lacquer glows beneath faceted baton markers, while the stepped bezel and satin bracelet capture Riviera glamour. Despite jewel-box proportions, the movement delivers forty-four hours of effortless precision every day on the wrist. PURPLE BLOOM Grand Seiko SBGW323 ‘Kiri’ Grand Seiko’s SBGW323 ‘Kiri’ blooms in delicate purple over the Mt Iwate dial texture, its petal-hued radiance shifting with every tilt. Inside, manually wound calibre 9S64 beats for three days, guarded by a 36.5 mm Zaratsu-polished steel case that slips under sleeves yet evokes Japanese springtime serenity each time the wearer lifts a cup delicately. POLKA POISE Cartier Mini Baignoire Bangle à Pois The Mini…

H. Moser & Cie., the renowned independent Swiss watch manufacturer with a nearly 200-year-old history has just opened its first standalone boutique in Gurugram, India, which is also its sixth globally after Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Menlo Park and Seoul. The India boutique has been launched in partnership with Ethos Limited which has been the exclusive distributor of the brand since 2019. The boutique brings to the Indian watch collector not only the brand’s iconic collections but more specifically the Streamliner Tourbillon Skeleton Boutique Edition, limited to only 17 pieces worldwide. In a freewheeling chat with India Today Spice, Edouard Meylan, CEO of H. Moser & Cie who took over in 2012, speaks about the importance of India as a market for the brand, watches as heirlooms, sustainability, smartwatches and…

There are few names in jewellery that evoke as much reverence as Cartier. For over a century, it has whispered seduction in platinum and shouted power through diamonds. Now, for the first time in nearly three decades, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London dedicates a major exhibition to this Maison of myth, mastery and modernity. Simply titled Cartier, the show runs from April 12 to November 16, 2025, at the Sainsbury Gallery—yet its impact may well ripple for years beyond. This is no ordinary retrospective. Curated with scholarly insight by Helen Molesworth and Rachel Garrahan, the exhibition explores not just the aesthetic evolution of Cartier but its audacious shaping of culture itself. Over 350 objects, many never seen before, trace how three Parisian brothers, Louis, Pierre and Jacques, took…

IN INDIA’S POLITICAL HISTORY, few resignations have generated as much intrigue and speculation as Jagdeep Dhankhar’s sudden departure from vice-presidency on the night of July 21. While the 74-year-old cited health concerns in his letter to President Droupadi Murmu, none in New Delhi’s high-stakes political theatre is buying the excuse. Yes, Dhankhar had fainted once at a public event earlier this year. He also visited AIIMS for cardiac care and angioplasty. But if health genuinely was the overriding concern, conventional wisdom suggests Dhankhar would have chosen to step down before the commencement of Parliament’s monsoon session, allowing for a smooth transition. Instead, he chose the most disruptive possible moment: the session’s opening day, when the Upper House he chaired was set to tackle contentious issues, including Operation Sindoor and the…

DOLPHINS BEACHED, KERALA FRETS In Kerala, dolphin carcasses are increasingly washing up ashore, with 18 reported in 2024 and four in 2025 so far, possibly linked to the cargo vessel carrying hazardous material sinking off Alappuzha. Most carcasses are of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, protected under the Indian Wildlife Act. Experts attribute the rise to increased reporting, intensive fishing, underwater noise pollution and vessel interactions. Rough seas in the monsoon disrupt dolphin communication, increasing vessel strikes. Autopsies have been conducted to determine cause of death, which include vessel strikes, bycatch (caught unintentionally), disease and pollution. Project Dolphin, launched in 2020, had stressed on conservation efforts focusing on a marine-specific approach, balancing fishermen’s livelihoods and scientific involvement. A WARBLER SINGS AGAIN I n the rugged Suru Valley of Ladakh, a team of…

₹ 2.5 LAKH CRORE Total cost of the project, including constructions for open market sale 140 MN SQ. FT* Total area to be developed by Adani for sale in the open market ₹ 40,000 Average price per sq. ft ₹ 5.6 LAKH CRORE# Revenues that could accrue to Adani ₹ 84,000 CRORE# Likely profit the whole project could fetch Area outside Dharavi 541.2/63.5 Aksa & Malvani 140/0 Jamasp Salt Pan 58.5/42.5 Arthur Salt Pan 120.5/0 Mother Dairy 21/21 Jenkins Salt Pan 76.9/0 Deonar Dumping Ground 124.3/0 Area (acres)/Possession received by May 28, 2025 For those being rehabilitated outside Dharavi, 541.2 ACRES have been allocated to build affordable/rental housing. Here, construction will take place for open market sale as well *Within and outside Dharavi; includes FSI, i.e. Floor Space Index or the maximum allowable built-up…

Being a Gemini might explain why Vir Das is involved in multiple projects at the same time. Since he was last seen on screen in the Ananya Panday-led series, Call Me Bae (2024), the comedian and actor has codirected a film for Aamir Khan Productions, written a memoir and recorded a new stand-up special for Netflix called Fool Volume. All of this while also performing stand-up around the world. “I have really worked hard for the last two years. They were creation years and the next two years are release years,” says the 46-year-old. Fool Volume, shot across a sold-out stadium in Mumbai, a church in London and New York’s iconic Comedy Cellar, is an hour-long special and possibly his most experimental yet. “If you compare it to Landing [his…

Light and Shadow: Satyajit Ray through Nemai Ghosh’s Lens is now on view at Kolkata’s Alipore Museum, presented by DAG in collaboration with the museum. The exhibition offers a rare and intimate look at the life and work of Satyajit Ray, one of India’s greatest filmmakers, as captured over 25 years by photographer Nemai Ghosh. It remains on display until September 13. Ghosh’s extensive archive, now housed at DAG, documents Ray in both black-and-white and never-before-seen colour images. The photographs span scenes from film sets, moments of direction and Ray’s personal world—at his drawing board, playing the piano or in quiet reflection at home. Together, they form a visual biography of an auteur whose genius extended beyond directing to scriptwriting, set and costume design, music composition and cinematography. Deeply influenced…

In the annals of passionate love, few bonds rival that between a woman and her jewels. Yet Cartier’s legacy reminds us that men, especially India’s erstwhile maharajas, were no strangers to the magnetism of its craftsmanship. As the Victoria and Albert Museum in London unveils its first major exhibition on the Maison in nearly three decades, Spice takes you through a dazzling selection of its iconic creations. Titled Cartier, the show runs until November 16, 2025, at the Sainsbury Gallery, showcasing over 350 objects—many never seen before. Among the highlights are the Egyptian scarab brooch in coral and emerald, the Garland Style in full flourish; Queen Elizabeth II’s Williamson pink diamond brooch from 1953; the Maharaja of Patiala’s ceremonial necklace; and Grace Kelly’s 10.48-carat engagement ring. The brand’s mastery is…

Despite a decline in exported watches globally in 2025—or perhaps because of it—mechanical innovation has raced ahead of flashy trends and, in many instances, broken records along the way. This isn’t to say that horological style trends have stopped dead, but the emphasis has certainly shifted back toward mechanical complexity and the never ending pursuit of precision. Rolex Breaking Its Own Rules Known for incremental change only, this year Rolex introduced the Land-Dweller, its first new model since 2012. While the Land-Dweller is late to the integrated bracelet trend, the highly innovative movement reveals the Crown’s border agenda. Caliber 7135 sports the Dynapulse escapement, a laser-cut technical marvel that appears poised to displace the Swiss Lever Escapement found in nearly every other mechanical watch made today. Grand Seiko Springs Into…

DECO DRESS Frédérique Constant Classics Carrée Frédérique Constant revives inter-war chic with the Classics Carrée, a perfectly proportioned rectangular dress watch measuring 28.5 × 33.3 mm. Polished rose-gold-plated case, stepped flanks and art-deco lugs frame a silver guilloché dial with printed railway track, leaf hands and emerald cabochon crown. Inside, the automatic FC-303 beats for 38 hours, its rotor glimpsed through sapphire, proving affordability needn’t compromise ballroom polish on sparkling soirées stretching long past a midnight encore. HEART HERITAGE Atlantic Worldmaster Automatic Open Heart Limited Edition Atlantic revives century-old elegance with the Worldmaster Open Heart Limited Edition, capped at 888 pieces. A slim 42 mm steel case houses a Sellita SW200-1 whose balance wheel pulses through a 12 o’clock aperture on a white dial trimmed with rose-gold markers. Sapphire glass,…

SLATE SKELETON Parmigiani Tonda PF Skeleton Parmigiani reveals the sleek Tonda PF architecture in skeletonised steel. Slate-green bridges curve like leaf veins, showcasing the automatic PF777 micro-rotor calibre ticking at 4 Hz with 60-hour reserve. A barely-there bezel frames the transparency, while the supple knurled bracelet and hand-bevelled components all prove that discretion and exhibitionism can share the same elegant wrist. CUTAWAY COCKPIT Bell & Ross BR-03 Skeleton Trilogy Bell & Ross pares its cockpit-instrument aesthetic down to pure structure with the BR-03 Skeleton trilogy. A square 42 mm ceramic case frames sapphire both sides, exposing calibre BR-CAL.328, whose open-worked bridges mimic aircraft ribs. Super-LumiNova indexes float above the movement, while quick-release rubber or calf straps ready the watch for runway or night sortie. AIRY ABYSS Ulysse Nardin Diver Air…

GALACTIC GONGS Louis Vuitton Tambour Taiko Galactique Louis Vuitton summons cosmic Kabuki with the Tambour Taiko Galactique, a 46.7 mm titanium-and-white-gold drum housing a double-axis automaton minute repeater. Press the Monogram pushers: a lacquered Japanese drummer twirls, malleting gongs that chime local time while a meteor-dust dial shimmers beneath. The manual LV R330 calibre integrates cathedral gongs, rotating planetary gear train and sapphire governor, all wrapped in a midnight-blue alligator strap fit for interstellar theatre tonight. COSMIC SYMPHONY Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication Vacheron Constantin’s Les Cabinotiers Solaria is less wristwatch, more celestial observatory compacted into 44 mm of white gold. Forty-one complications—from sunrise equation to Westminster chiming—run on the hand-wound calibre 3752, comprising 2,163 components layered over three dials. A tourbillon orbits the southern face, while…

Frederique Constant continues to build on its vision of accessible luxury by refining its signature complications and reaffirming its commitment to traditional Swiss watchmaking with modern relevance. India Today spice caught up with Niels Eggerding, CEO of Frederique Constant, at Watches and Wonders 2025, for an insightful conversation about the new Perpetual Calendar and the brand’s growing presence in India, technical evolutions, market strategy, and how the brand continues to excite both firsttime buyers and seasoned collectors alike. Frederique Constant’s new Perpetual Calendar features a 40mm case and a 72-hour power reserve. What led to the development of this updated QP model? Over the years, we’ve developed 34 in-house movements, of which seven are part of our core calibre families—the 700, 800, and 900 series. These core movements keep us…

Titan has spent decades teaching India to read time, but with the limited-edition Jalsa it invites collectors to linger over it. Cast in warm 18-carat rose gold, the 44 mm case frames a lattice of arches that recall Jaipur’s Hawa Mahal, each scallop cut by hand then outlined with baguette diamonds. The skeletonised dial sits beneath a deeply faceted sapphire, while a tiger’s-eye cabochon crowns the fluted winding stem. Every example arrives on a matte brown alligator strap stitched in Bengaluru and is delivered in a sandalwood presentation box that opens like a miniature palace façade. An engraved rose-gold ring on the back carries Sanskrit verses honouring kala, the constant flow of time. While the decor celebrates Rajasthani exuberance, the heart is uncompromisingly modern. Visible at six o’clock, India’s second…

At 65, Jeet Thayil remains a sleek, honed physical presence, even on a Zoom call, as befits the son of an athlete. It’s a detail we learn early in Thayil’s new book The Elsewhereans, a ‘documentary novel’ as the subtitle says, a quasi-memoir about family, belonging and, above all, love. I received the book in the week that home minister Amit Shah made now-standard remarks about English, about the “mentality of slavery” that afflicts those who insist on speaking it as if to abjure their so-called mother tongue. Thayil reminds me that he wrote a poem decades ago with the line “our mother tongue is not our mother’s tongue”. That we still remain so conflicted, so unable to claim English, and the varying ways it is spoken and written in…

THIS CLEVER, FAST-PACED NOVEL FOCUSES ON A PASSION hotter than sex: the territorial frenzy of a brother challenging his sister’s claim to family property. Tara Saxena, the narrator, is a successful lawyer with a cool wit and a knack for snarky-taut summations. Her dim-bunny younger brother Rohit is the classic ne’er-do-well. He’s soaked up parental funds while pursuing a foreign degree, then remained in the US still chasing dreams. But when their father retires, Rohit rushes back to India, convinced that his conniving sister will surely snatch the tiger’s share of the inheritance all to herself. Why not “lion’s share” you may ask? Because tigers are solitary predators, who typically do not share their spoils. There are a number of tigers in this tale, starting with Tara. Rohit’s buddy, the thuggish…

TURQUOISE TORQUE Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 126518LN Rolex serves pure Riviera mood with the new Daytona 126518LN. Yellow gold, violin-polished, frames a gloriously sun-washed dial the colour of St-Tropez shutters, while black registers mimic vintage film reels. The Cerachrom bezel keeps lap times honest, calibre 4132 hums beneath, and the Oysterflex strap rescues the look from yacht-club fuss. It is a stopwatch for owners who sprint from regatta to road race without spilling a Spritz or cocktails. BEIGE BOOM Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Chronograph 42 mm Hublot softens its Big Bang roar with sandy-beige ceramic, though the silhouette remains pure muscle car. Through sapphire, the El Primero-based HUB4700 drums a 5 Hz backbeat. Skeleton bridges, micro-blasted edges and a quick-swap strap speak fluent fusion. It is a beach-club chronograph…

RIBBON SECRET Van Cleef & Arpels Ruban Mystérieux Van Cleef & Arpels ties time into a ruby bow with the Ruban Mystérieux. A ribbon of rose-gold and pavé diamonds twists to frame a hidden QL101 quartz movement, its mother-of-pearl dial peeking like a love note. Detachable brooch fittings let the piece glide from wrist to lapel for gala versatility and whispered midnight flutters. CHAIN CHIC Hermès Maillon Libre Hermès’s Maillon Libre translates the maison’s leather-link bracelet into 18-carat rose-gold architecture set with 230 diamonds. The asymmetrical chain wraps diagonally around a mother-of-pearl dial whose tiny quartz calibre keeps stealthy time while letting the jewel speak. Mirror-polished links catch light like silk scarves fluttering on Saint-Germain, and an invisible clasp preserves the flowing geometry, ensuring the watch passes as a bracelet…

SIDEREAL SALUTE Breguet Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 Breguet celebrates two-hundred-and-fifty years of gravitational genius with the Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255. Under an aventurine-speckled sky, its extra-thin tourbillon spins beneath titanium balance and silicon hairspring, driven by a fusée-and-chain for constant force. Sidereal time tracks the stars, while a 40 mm platinum case keeps dressy proportions, proving astronomy can still court the ballroom. The calibre 2320 sidérale hums for sixty hours, finished and serially numbered. GILDED GLIDE Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon The new 38 mm Code 11.59 trades conventional yellow for proprietary Sand Gold, framing a spacious aventurine-speckled dial. At six, a flying tourbillon hovers without an upper bridge, its cage mirror-polished to catch light through double-curved sapphire. The in-house calibre 2950 supplies 65 hours’ reserve and an…

PELOTON PULSE Breitling Top Time B01 Fausto Coppi Limited Edition Breitling drafts cycling legend Fausto Coppi for this Top Time, a 41 mm stainless racer sporting Coppi-blue registers and a tachymeter for peloton bursts. Manufacture calibre 01 delivers 70-hour torque and column-wheel snap. Caseback etching of the Campionissimo seals credentials, while a perforated calf strap recalls vintage leather bar-tape for café sprints and mountain-pass bragging rights. POLAR PATH Rolex Perpetual GMT-Master II Rolex paints the classic GMT-Master II with a mint-green 24-hour hand, signalling the new calibre 3287 underneath. The movement’s Chronergy escapement grants 70-hour reserve and accuracy from minus forty to desert scorch, protected by the Triplock-sealed Oystersteel case and Cerachrom bezel. Coordinates leap across time zones at a crown click, the Jubilee bracelet keeping summit jackets or cabin-pressure…