Innholdsfortegnelse for 8 September 2025 i India Today

Gauging the public mood is a fascinating task in vexed times like these. From geopolitics to national politics and the economy, every realm of India’s collective life seems to be colliding into the next. Each is now coated with a sense of crisis that was not present in our last Mood of the Nation poll in February. Since then, we have had a four-day war with Pakistan, a stunning diplomatic reversal that sees a 50 per cent US tariff rate kicking in this week and a supercharged Opposition campaign against electoral rolls that’s heating up the political landscape. In short, the towering persona of Narendra Modi is being sternly tested. To his credit, the prime minister seems to gather strength each time he is pressed by adversity. To use a…

In the past two months, wherever one looked on streaming, there was Surveen Chawla. Here she was as the strong-willed Naina in Rana Naidu (Netflix); then as wife of the key accused in the new season of Criminal Justice (Jio Hotstar); as an ambitious politician with secrets in the crime thriller Mandala Murders (Netflix again); and caught up in an investigation with supernatural elements in Andhera (Amazon Prime). The deluge led netizens to declare it is as Surveen’s breakthrough year. “That’s it for me. I have no more goodies,” Chawla says of her prolific spell in 2025. The actress is downplaying the good run she’s had, which has seen her draw acclaim, particularly for her performance in Criminal Justice and being the saving grace of the otherwise underwhelming Mandala Murders.…

The Sound of the Knock Even before he stepped out on the field alongside the big boys last season, Vaibhav Suryavanshi had registered his first record—at 13 years, he became the youngest to earn an IPL contract when he was signed by the Rajasthan Royals. He announced his arrival with a monster knock of 101 runs off 38 balls against an experienced Gujarat Titans bowling attack. More records tumbled—the youngest centurion with the second-fastest ton in IPL history. He continued his blistering form for India in July, scoring a 52-ball century against England U-19, the fastest youth ODI hundred. With Suryavanshi’s rise, expect statisticians to have sleepless nights soon. SOLID FOREHAND Since breaking into the world top 100 in November last year, Anahat Singh has been on a roll. Her…

To seek the extraordinary is to celebrate grand gestures as much as to revel in the quiet luxury of gentle transitions. The past year has been one of historic wins and unprecedented global recognition for India as Indian gastronomy and chefs stormed the global stage. Leading the parade was Chef Vijaya Kumar, who took home the James Beard Award for Best Chef in New York State this year, while his restaurant Semma, in the Big Apple, retained its Michelin star. In Dubai, Trèsind Studio, helmed by Himanshu Saini, became the first Indian restaurant to win three Michelin stars, while Bangkok’s Gaa, under Chef Garima Arora, now holds two Michelin stars. Gaggan Anand, of course, remains a fixture at the World’s 50 Best Restaurants top ten, while Mumbai’s Masque consistently holds…

For decades, Indian cuisine abroad was often defined by a narrow frame: a comforting takeaway curry, a laminated menu with tikka masala, and a setting tucked away in ‘Little India’ enclaves of major cities. It was flavourful, beloved, and filling, but rarely considered a contender for the highest accolades of the fine dining world. That perception has now been rewritten. The past year has been nothing short of historic for Indian gastronomy and chefs, with unprecedented global recognition. Chef Vijaya Kumar took home a James Beard Award for Semma in the Big Apple. Trèsind Studio in Dubai became the first Indian restaurant to win three Michelin stars. Bangkok’s Gaa, under Chef Garima Arora, now holds two Michelin stars. Gaggan Anand remains a fixture at the World’s 50 Best Restaurants top…

For a land synonymous with a tapestry of rich history and elaborate rituals and traditions, our bar seems to run quite dry. Up until a few years ago, if one had started a conversation around India’s indigenous intoxicants (the liquid kind), you may have heard some talk about local hooch from various states, the words “Soma”, and “Madira”, would have been thrown around, and someone would have proudly mentioned Feni and its G.I. tag, but then, that’s it. Voices would have faded, murmurs died down, and we would have all been left wondering what to drink next. Not so much the case today. While we still don’t know what exactly constituted the drink “Soma”, (or if it was even ingested in the form of a drink), we have certainly come…

The turquoise versus teal debate may be a big deal where design is concerned but as far as haute horology, and OMEGA in particular, is concerned, turquoise has sealed the deal. The brand’s Seamaster Aqua collection is now available in the new turquoise edition in both 38 mm and 41 mm cases, with ceramic bezels and integrated rubber straps, adding to last year’s steel bracelet models. Of course, each Aqua Terra timepiece is distinguished by its turquoise varnish dial with a black gradient effect, which creates shifting colours akin to sunlight dancing on water. The matt black ceramic bezel is in sharp contrast to the lacquered and polished dial which sports black PVD-coated hour markers and hands filled with white Super-LumiNova for a blue glow in dark conditions. Interestingly, the…

Narendra Modi is no stranger to adversity and has invariably come out the better for it in the 11 years he has been at India’s helm. Now in the second year of his third term, the prime minister faces his toughest challenge, a trilemma, if you will. There is US president Donald Trump, who, in the first six months of his second term, has become wrecker-in-chief of the world order. India, surprisingly, is at the receiving end as Trump imposed a debilitating 50 per cent tariff on its exports, a move likely to hurt our economic growth. DESPITE THE POLYCRISIS, PM NARENDRA MODI RETAINS THE TRUST AND BACKING OF THE INDIAN VOTER. THE MOTN SHOWS HE IS STILL THE BEST TO GUIDE THE NATION Earlier this May, India went to…

Indian politics is moving into a season of reckoning. After a decade of BJP dominance that has reshaped not just electoral politics but the very grammar of political discourse in India, the Opposition finds itself at a crossroads. The defeats in Haryana and Maharashtra last year were particularly bruising, coming as they did after the small win of denying the BJP an outright majority on its own in the 2024 general election. These setbacks have exposed the fundamental weaknesses of the Opposition INDIA bloc: the inability to convert anti-incumbency into electoral victories, the challenge of maintaining alliance cohesion beyond the heat of the general election and, most critically, the struggle to construct a narrative that resonates beyond urban echo chambers and social media algorithms. It now confronts another critical test: the…

“ANYTHING’S POSSIBLE IN HUMAN NATURE,” CHACKO TELLS HIS “FOUNTAIN-HAIRED NIECE”, in Arundhati Roy’s debut, The God of Small Things. “Love. Madness. Hope. Infinite joy.” Roy’s latest book, out in shops now, is a memoir built on the foundations of this insight, of this all-encompassing embrace of humanity, of humanness. In Mother Mary Comes to Me, Roy presents her mother to us, not sublimated in fiction, but in her brutal, glorious entirety. “She’s such an extraordinary, crazy, contentious person—woman—she needs to be shared with the world,” Roy says in a Zoom call. “She belongs in the pages of literature, of history as ‘she’, not as a fictional character.” A woman in full. This is no hagiography. Roy doesn’t soft-pedal her mother’s terrifying violence—both physical and verbal—doesn’t diminish the effect it has…

There are few Indian women footballers like Ashalata Devi Loitongbam and Ngangom Bala Devi, who have plied their trade in foreign leagues. Harshika Jain joins the elite list, becoming the first Indian to play in Romania after signing for first division side, Atletic Olimpia Gherla. The 22-year-old from Mumbai last turned out for Gokulam Kerala, winning the Indian Women’s League with them in 2022-23. Mentor Varin Mehta landed her an opportunity with the Romanian club and, after a 20-day stint, she signed a one-year contract. “The coach, Mirel Albon, saw my videos and asked me to come for trials. Playing alongside players from the Romanian national team was really good,” Jain says. Jain either played with boys or older girls on the school team. Mehta took her under his wing…

Aviation geeks will promptly tell you that among their favourite aviation watches, the Zulu Spirit Time by Longines is up there. This year, Longines’ cult favourite, the Zulu Spirit Time celebrates 100 years of existence with a new 2025 anniversary drop. Henry Cavill, the swashbuckling British actor has been seen sporting the dual-time zone watch from Times Square and Mayfair, to the Champs Elysées in Paris. To set context, in 1925, when aviation was on its cusp, Longines announced its innovation—the world’s first dual timezone watch—Zulu Time, named after the aviation term for the zero meridian timezone in Greenwich (UTC +0). Over decades, this became a must-have for frequent travellers and aviators. A hundred years later, we see a 39-mm iteration with a subtle 18 carat rose gold rotating bezel…

Chef Vijaya Kumar, won the highest recognition, the James Beard Award for Best Chef in New York State this year. His restaurant Semma also retained its Michelin star. And, to top it off, it was rated as the number one restaurant in New York City by New York Times. Here’s the man from Tamil Nadu who’s ruling the restaurant scene in NY telling us what makes Indian cuisine ‘hot’ affair. What makes Indian cuisine stand out now versus before? I think what’s changed is not the cuisine itself, but the lens through which people see it. For a long time, Indian food in the West was reduced to a handful of dishes, often stripped of their regional identity. Now, there’s a shift and guests are ready to go deeper, to…

There’s a quiet satisfaction in witnessing something you’ve believed in for decades finally step into the spotlight. Indian design—once caught between nostalgia and imitation—has found its rhythm. And not through reinvention by others, but through a return to its own authenticity. It’s a moment I have personally hoped for, worked toward, and continue to learn from every day. My own journey began nearly four decades ago—a time when “modern Indian design” was often defined by how cleverly it could adapt to global trends. But I was drawn to a different path: one that embraced the richness of our roots while reimagining them for contemporary living. I’ve worked to build a multi-disciplinary practice that holds craft, culture, and innovation in the same breath. What we’re witnessing now isn’t just revival—it’s a…

India’s bars are rewriting the playbook for the country’s spirited glory, and they’re doing it with swagger. These aren’t mere watering holes; this is performance art in a glass, where culture syncs with creativity and tradition arm wrestles with innovation. “India’s bar scene has almost found its feet,” says Pankaj Balachandran, co-founder, Goa’s Boilermaker, underscoring the rising tide of creativity redefining Indian mixology on the global stage. According to Naval Kukreti, Director F & B, The Leela Palace Bengaluru: “This is where heritage meets bold, modern innovation. From speakeasies to hyper-local menus, Indian bartenders are now storytellers first, cocktail artists later.” Each cocktail is a manifesto, stirred with heritage and shaken with global flair. Over the last few years, Indian bars have transitioned from underdogs to trailblazers, cementing their count…

For those Maserati enthusiasts looking for a slice of the Italian luxe carmaker on the streets of Mumbai and Delhi, minus the stress of ground clearance, speed breakers and potholes, the Grecale is avowedly built for Indian roads. Today, we’re steering the Grecale around town. This is Maserati’s second SUV after the Levante, a beauty in itself. In the tradition of Maserati naming its cars after a ‘wind’, the Grecale is a Mediterranean wind (after Mistral, Ghibli and Levante). While the Grecale announces a new segment, if you will, for Maserati, there’s a very distinct design language on the outside that instantly establishes it as a Maserati on the roads. You’d expect the unmistakable, low-hanging grille with its concave shape bearing the iconic trident, the three vents flanking the car,…

High above Marine Drive’s iconic curve, this Franco-American marvel isn’t just a concept—it’s Panchali Mahendra’s statement of purpose. A TARCH gold medallist, Oberoi alumna, Michelin-awarded restaurateur, and global tastemaker, Panchali distills a life of fine-tuned hospitality into every decision here—from plate to playlist. Begin with the Sobo Bread: blistered, pillowy, and meant to be torn by hand. It comes with whipped butter, smoked salt, and the quiet confidence of something done perfectly. The B & P Skewers—beef and pork—are charred, caramelized, then lacquered in something sticky and Southern, but plated with French precision. Each bite is both bold and balanced. The Cobb Salad isn’t an afterthought. It’s a blueprint in texture—crisp lettuce, soft egg, smoky bacon, blue cheese dialed back just enough to seduce rather than shout. Salmon Carpaccio lands…

The india today Mood of the Nation (MOTN) poll was conducted by CVoter, a globally renowned name in the field of socio-economic research, between July 1, 2025, and August 14, 2025, interviewing 54,788 respondents in all Lok Sabha segments across all states. In addition to these samples, an additional 152,038 interviews from CVoter’s regular tracker data over the past 24 weeks were also analysed for the long-term trendline in projections calculation of votes and seats. Thus, the opinion of a total of 206,826 respondents was considered for this MOTN report. The margin of error is +/-3 per cent at macro level and +/-5 per cent at micro level of reporting, with 95 per cent confidence level. From May 2009 onwards, the CVoter Tracker has been carried out each week, 52…

Over the past decade, India’s political landscape has been defined by a powerful convergence of Hindu nationalist rhetoric and display with claims of administrative efficiency, most visibly in the BJP-ruled states. This fusion has allowed the party’s most ideologically assertive chief ministers to dominate public imagination in ways their counterparts on the opposite end of the spectrum have struggled to match. The latest india today Mood of the Nation (MOTN) poll, by examining Indian federal politics through the lens of state leadership, sheds light on this dynamic. It reveals how voters across diverse states weigh governance, performance and ideology in shaping their perceptions. Two distinct questions structured the exercise. First, respondents across the country were asked who they considered their favourite CM in India. This is a perception ranking, reflecting…

It’s hard to let go of legends, especially when it comes to cricket. Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have retired from Twenty20 and Test formats, while M.S. Dhoni hung up his blue jersey ages ago. But, for Indians, they are still the holy trinity of cricket, players who continue to inspire and entertain. Kohli’s reign at the top of the popularity chart can be attributed to him finally getting the long coveted feather in his already-overcrowded cap after Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) became Indian Premier League champions. Meanwhile, Sharma retains his #3 position after leading India to yet another ICC trophy, after winning the Champions Trophy earlier this year, defeating tough opponents in Australia and New Zealand en route. On the women’s front, only one name stands tall—Smriti Mandhana.…

Dr Iykki Berry is not your typical rapper. A trained medical doctor, singer, songwriter and cultural force, she has emerged as a unique voice in the independent music scene. The “Rap Queen” of Tamil Nadu has risen from Thanjavur to international stages. After earning her MBBS, Berry established her aesthetic clinic, Berry Glow, in Chennai. But music was in her bones. “Medicine taught me discipline, empathy and the art of listening. Music taught me freedom, truth and the courage to speak,” she reflects. “As a doctor, I’ve seen human vulnerability up close—and as a rapper, I turn that into strength in my lyrics.” Her latest track, ‘Itihasam’, is a genre-blending anthem that fuses Tamil literature with hip-hop. Created in collaboration with A.R. Rahman’s Unreal Engine VR studio, it stands as…

As photography nears its 200th anniversary, Museo Camera in Gurugram presents TOUCHING LIGHT: A Prelude to the Bicentennial of Photography (1827–2027). Curated by Museo’s founding director, Aditya Arya, the show (Aug. 23-Sept. 29) celebrates India’s rich analog photography tradition. “I come from the analog times, when photography was not only about the image but about the experience,” says Arya. “The dark  room was a place of alchemy—film chemists, developer trays, the smell of chemicals, and the red glow that revealed images slowly, like secrets surfacing from silence.” The exhibition brings together rare historical photographs, including Carte de Visites from Bourne & Shepherd Studio, albumen prints from the People of India series, and the Beauties of Lucknow series. Complementing these are analog silver prints, chemigrams and diapositives by 28 leading practitioners, including Arya,…

Q. In the mainstream with Jolly LLB 3 and Toxic, headlining Maharani and Delhi Crime, star of Toronto Film Festival premiere Bayaan, and now actor-producer of Baby Do Die Do. What’s the idea behind casting a wide net? It’s quite magical that such a large variety of work is coming to me. Bollywood tends to slot actors in certain templates. We used to be told actresses have a shelf life—that’s an untrue, outdated model that’s no longer working. Q. What can you tell us about your upcoming projects? Bayaan is a crime procedural, where writer-director Bikas Ranjan Mishra was mentored by Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin. Baby Do Die Do is a Mumbai-set hitwoman story. My brother Saqib Saleem is producing it. The stories go forward in Maharani and Delhi Crime.…

It has been nearly thirty years since the power base for the Indian Modern and Contemporary Arts market started to shift its financial power-base away from New York and London and towards Mumbai and New Delhi. The change was triggered by HEART’s (Tuli Foundation for Holistic Education and Art) pathbreaking auction: ‘The Intuitive-Logic II’ (November 1997, Mumbai). The market has seen a major boom (2000-07) and a significant stagnancy and fall (2010-18) to the current sustained rise. Today, with the ongoing growth in sale volumes and its collectorbase diversity, regular price highs, widening market confidence in a growing number of collectibles, improving arts infrastructure, greater and more transparent knowledge dissemination, a paradigm shift in the maturity of the modern fine arts market is evident. The key focus now should be…

There was a time when the act of dressing well was intimate, almost ritualistic. You didn’t walk into a store and pick something off the rack. You went to your darzi — the local tailor who knew your preferences, posture, and quirks of measurement better than you did. Swatches were discussed like wine varietals, collars and cuffs were debated with care, and fittings were measured not with speed, but precision. It wasn’t fashion. It was habit. A quiet tradition of dressing with intent—without even calling it that. Anyone who grew up in the 80s or 90s will tell you that getting a suit stitched was a milestone moment. Back then, the fabrics were largely local, and the silhouettes followed simpler templates. Yet the process was personal, and the results were…

In the past, we’ve driven multiple Maybach models and we’re no strangers to the plush comforts and subtle driving thrills that these beautiful cars proffer. But today, in all its noir and silver glory, the Mercedes-Maybach S680 Night Series is quite a particularly opulent drive for me. The German carmaker recently released this special edition ‘Night Series’ at a eye-watering price tag of ₹3.7 crore, and we get behind the custom leather and wood steering wheel - and ensconced in the plush backseat - of this ultrastretched sedan there’s an instant ‘wow’ factor. This Night Series, as its name suggests, features a host of nifty design cues that add heft to the overall appearance of this stretched silhouette. This is, for me, one of the best looking cars I’ve driven…

The drive from Aurangabad airport was smooth as butter, until we turned off the highway and on to a dirt track between lush fields. Then it was a short, bumpy—but not unpleasant—stretch which ended at an imposing gate, behind which lay Dhyaana Farms, a wonderland of nature and nurture, snuggled cosily under towering hills. The rustic-chic farm experience was set up by business partners Aparna Phalnikar and Sahaj Sharma, veterans of the luxury tour business, whose frequent visits to the nearby world heritage sites of Ajanta and Ellora kindled a deep love for the region. Dhyaana is their passion project, and showcases their commitment to sustainability and slow living. It’s truly off-grid, completely powered by solar energy—and there are no ACs. Air coolers were offered but, in the event, they…