Innholdsfortegnelse for August 7, 2017 i India Today

To subdue the enemy without fighting is the pinnacle of strategy, said Sun Tzu in The Art of War. Centuries later, China’s Xi Jinping hopes to do much the same with India—defeat it with its words. For a change, though, South Block has chosen the path of quiet dialogue over rhetoric, stressing a peaceful diplomatic resolution to the standoff. The Indian and Chinese armies last fired in anger 50 years ago, in 1967. Every aggressive move the two sides have made along the 4,057kmlong Line of Actual Control since 1967 has essentially been posturing, each side warning the other against altering the situation on the ground. In its July 17, 2017, cover story (Face Off ), india today explained the genesis of the current conflict—a dispute over Doklam that brings…

Terrorism was a key talking point during PM Narendra Modi’s visit to the White House last month. By declaring Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin a ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorist’, the US State Department, said Indian officials, underscored India’s complaints about cross-border terrorism. On July 19, the department released its annual report, Country Reports on Terrorism 2016, putting India behind only Iraq and Afghanistan in the number of attacks perpetrated on its soil. The attacks, though, claimed fewer lives than those worldwide. Small comfort. 3 INDIA’S position on the list, after Iraq and Afghanistan 927 TERRORIST attacks in India in 2016, up from 798 in 2015 337 DEATHS in these attacks, up from 289 in 2015 73% ATTACKS in India classified as “nonlethal” 47% OF THE attacks were bombings or explosions;…

Nitish Kumar has maintained a studied silence on the CBI raids on his ally, the RJD’s Lalu Prasad Yadav. The CBI has filed corruption cases against Lalu, wife Rabri Devi and son and deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav in a 2006 hotel bribery case. Nitish’s four spokespersons—Sanjay Singh, Neeraj Kumar, Rajeev Ranjan and Ajay Alok—have more than made up for his silence with a barrage of verbal attacks see king Tejashwi’s “clarification”, a thinly disguised call for his resignation. It’s a repeat of an earlier strategy. The foursome had done the same to Jitan Ram Manjhi when Nitish wanted him out as CM in 2015. Manjhi quit before his trust vote. Remains to be seen if Tejashwi will blink. No, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje had rolled out the red carpet for…

In February, T.R. Zeliang of the Naga People’s Front (NPF) was ousted as chief minister of Nagaland following the government’s announcement of 33 per cent reservation for women in the civic polls. It had led to protests and violence by several Naga tribal groups. Many felt that it challenged traditional customs of Naga society, which is now 90 per cent Christian. Zeliang’s decision to empower women was also seen as a consequence of the growing influence of the RSS and BJP in the state. He was replaced by Shurhozelie Liezietsu, the 81-year-old NPF president. “Zeliang’s proximity to BJP general secretary Ram Madhav had angered many in the party. The latter’s interference in internal party matters was unacceptable,” an NPF leader who did not want to be named, had said then.…

They’re calling her ‘Gudiya’. The rape and murder of a 16-year-old schoolgirl on July 4 has stirred the Shimla hills like never before with the public outrage threatening to bring down the Congress government, just months before fresh assembly polls. A student of Class X at the government school at Mahasu, some 5 km from her hilltop village in the Kotkhai area, the girl went missing on her way home on July 4 afternoon. Two days later, relatives found her body in a forest not far from where she lived. Although a case was registered, police only swung into action after images of the stripped naked dead body went viral on social media, provoking angry protests in Kotkhai and Shimla. A week later, on July 13, IG Zahur H. Zaidi,…

BABBULI KOL, 30 A native of Doda Mafi village in Chitrakoot. Wanted for half a dozen kidnappings in the last three months. Bounty of Rs 5 lakh on his head. Escaped arrest in June as the police team was attacked by villagers GAURI YADAV, 42 From Satna in MP. Yadav jumped bail after arrest in 2009, has been absconding ever since. Allegedly killed a police officer in May 2013. Into kidnapping and extortion as well, carries a reward of Rs 50,000 LALIT PATEL, 40 Belongs to Karwi tehsil in Chitrakoot, operates under aliases Joker Patel and Satyanarayan. His gang has been active in Chitrakoot and Satna areas for the past three years. Carries a bounty of Rs 50,000 on his head RAMGOPAL, 35 From Chitrakoot’s Harra village. Popular as Goppa…

At a time when interest rates on bank deposits are down, the government has offered senior citizens an alternative option—a new pension plan. The Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY), sold by the Life Insurance Corporation of India, offers a fixed annual return of 8 per cent for 10 years. When to invest The scheme will remain open until May 3, 2018, for investment by individuals over 60 years of age. It can even be purchased online. Pension cycle Investors can choose to receive their pensions on a monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or yearly basis. There is a minimum and maximum amount one can invest, depending on the payment cycle. For example, to get the minimum pension of Rs 1,000 per month, the investor has to put in Rs 1.5 lakh.…

Where did our ancestors come from? This can be a highly emotional—and political—issue. It is clearly an important question for many people and one that modern genetics has answered to a great extent. In recent months, a scientific paper published in the journal BMC Evolutionary Biology has sparked a heated controversy in the Indian media by outlining an ‘Indo- European expansion, with an ultimate source in the Pontic-Caspian region’ into the Indian subcontinent. Behind the gently arcane scholarly language, the paper argues that the genetic ancestry of all modern Indians displays evidence of significant mixing with populations that moved to the subcontinent from northern Iran and the Caspian region some 4,000-5,000 years ago. Tempers are fraying because these findings have reignited a long-simmering and highly politicised debate about the ancient…

Akhil Sharma’s debut, An Obedient Father, published at the turn of the century, was hard and brilliant, a black diamond. His limpid prose, the unspeakable grief suffered by so many of his characters, the meanness of his chiefly north Indian milieu and the startling vulnerability of his work is a profoundly unsettling mix. If An Obedient Father didn’t win the audience and the plaudits it deserved, Sharma’s second, Family Life, has moved him to the front line of contemporary American authors AKHIL SHARMA’S first collection of short stories was published in July this year A Life of Adventure and Delight is his first collection of short stories. The work ranges from the mid-1990s, when the Princeton and Harvard educated Sharma was an investment banker, up till the present. Many of…

What books from your own childhood would you want to see on every child’s bookshelf? I was not much of a reader as a child. Then I discovered Born Free by Joy Adams, and fell in love with animals and writing at the same time. I think it was finding a book that ‘fit’ me that made me a reader. I don’t think children should have a ‘must read’ list—each child finds their own list. Critics have said books like No Guns at My Son’s Funeral aren’t appropriate. Is there such a thing as literature that is ‘child safe’? Writing about these subjects is like a festering boil coming to a head. Let the poison come to the surface. Parents have every right to make decisions for their kids, as…

The new Amazon original, Le Mans: Racing is Everything, effectively captures the emotional rollercoaster drivers experience during what’s arguably the most iconic race in motor sport. And I should know: I was actually driving in the 2015 edition of the 24-hour race that features in the documentary. The six-part series follows various distinct characters— rookies, veterans, drivers at the top and teams that are having a nightmare run. Filmmaker James Erskine and his team have been able to tell the story of the whole Le Mans week, including everything that happens off the track. Watching some of the heartache stories was a bit difficult for me, because they involved friends of mine— Mark Webber, Brendon Hartley and Jann Mardenborough. They were also moments that I can totally relate to. Though…

En pointe for two Mumbai-based ballerina Priyanshi Swan Lake E years, 13-year-old - shi Parikh is all set to perform a solo from on the international stage. In August, she will become the first ballet dancer trained in India to participate in the Hong Kong-based Asian Grand Prix—competing against 300 dancers from 15 countries for scholarships to renowned ballet schools and other awards. Parikh put on her first set of ballet shoes four years ago when she was living in Bangkok. “My gymnastics teacher was a ballet dancer—that’s how I was introduced to ballet,” she says. Although gymnastics helped her flexibility, it was ballet that helped her self-confidence, especially when she transitioned from soft ballet shoes to dancing en pointe, Parikh says. Having moved to Mumbai about three years ago,…

1 Make it Large Everything about My Big Fat Belly, a 20-cover casual dining outfit on Sarat Bose Road, is big and fat. And the focus is on stuffing your bellies. The generous portion sizes, and the fact that its owners call themselves the Bellybangers, vouch for it. The rustic interiors with its white and exposed brick walls, industrial pendant lights wood-and-iron tables and wall accents made out of vintage, shutter doors, and cheerful framed posters on the walls, set the mood for a lazy meal. Their signature main courses feature entries like the BFB Napolean—grilled potatoes, zucchini and bell peppers layered with slightly tangy tomato ragu and classic béchamel sauce, and chicken skewers served with makhni sauce made with San Marzano tomatoes. A star dish on the menu, the…

What was the most surprising thing you learnt about mrs Gandhi? I didn’t know she was so sporty and so much of an outdoors person! She could ski, ride, swim, trek, loved dogs (always had more than one dog) and headed a bird watchers’ society. She was also very interested in insects and kept plastic butterflies and a life-size cockroach on her table. do you believe Narendra modi is modelling himself on her? I don’t know whether he is consciously modeling himself on her, but their styles are very similar. The supremo cult in party and government, reaching out to the people in a direct populist embrace, clashing with institutions like judiciary and media, and yes increasingly isolated and hardly able to trust anyone. What about her still foxes you?…

Back to Roots Khosa is very conscious about the ethics and sustainability aspect of all the ingredients that she sources A By AsmItA BAKshI s she struts confidently into the Marriott Suites, Pune, in white palazzos and a comfortable black sleeveless top, Kavita Khosa, 54, a powerhouse of entrepreneurial excellence is disarmingly approachable, her skin radiant and her smile a permanent fixture. Her suitcase for the cover shoot, however, reveals her fine taste and her selfcreated ability to live a life of luxury. It is home to a Sabyasachi sari, a beautiful Anavila sari, a pair of nude Valentino stilettos and skincare products of choice—Purearth, her own line of luxury, artisanal and 100 per cent organic creams, mists and an assortment of other elixirs made entirely from ingredients sourced from…

NIKE+RUN CLUB If you’re looking for an application that tracks your fitness, motivates you during a run and trains you, this is the best packaged app. It enables you to share your run posts by adding stats, stickers and photos. Platforms iOS, Android Paid or free Free FITBIT Live a more active life with Fitbit, the app for tracking all-day activities. It is designed to get you a better picture of your health— including steps, distance, sleep, and weight. The Fitbit Android app syncs well with your Fitbit tracking device to monitor all your daily activities. Platforms iOS, Android Paid or free Free SPOTIFY RUNNING Music can propel one’s energy levels and keep you focussed while working out. This app measures your pace and picks a song by finding your…

Unstructured Dresses Style your dresses as effortlessly as a pair of jeans this season. Dresses with relaxed silhouettes are making a mark with their loose, unstructured style, elaborate ruffles and uneven hemlines. Comfort is key. You can go for big ruffles for a more feminine look. Opt for unusual waistlines to avoid getting lost in all the fabric. You can also use belts to add more definition to your entire look. Bustier and Bralettes Bustiers and bralettes are this year’s version of crop tops. Perfect for adding texture and flair to the simplest of outfits, these look great with high-waist pants, jeans and skirts. Pair these with distressed denims for a chic street style look. You can also layer these over or under your favourite T-shirt, jersey top, or dungarees.…

Our skin is the first to get damaged by the constantly changing weather. Monsoon brings with it a series of concerns such as dull skin, open pores and bacterial infections. High humidity levels make the skin look tanned, greasy, pimply, and we look simply not up to speck. Follow a strict skincare regime and keep all such problems at bay. Here are top must-dos for protecting your skin. 1 Wear a sunscreen Sunblock is the most important step in your skincare routine as uVb rays are known to cause tanning and cancer. a tan is the first sign of the skin being damaged by these rays, and it reacts by producing melanin. uVa rays have recently been found to cause pigmentation, freckles, and signs of ageing such as pores, wrinkles…

It’s finally a whole lot cooler since the rains have set in and temperatures have dropped. But of course, all things nice also have their fair share of trouble. While the monsoon season brings with it food cravings; water-borne diseases and infections such as jaundice, typhoid, and stomach disorders are also part of the package. The trick is to eat sensibly, avoid raw foods, drink safe potable water at all times, and stay away from street food. Here are the top monsoon treats and fusion foods that use a variety of vegetables, coarse grain nuts, seeds, dried food and sweeteners to help you build immunity and stay healthy. Sweet potato and almond medallions with tamarind maple chutney This is a great monsoon filler and replacement for high calorie bhajjias if…

A Goldman Sachs report titled “The Power of the Purse” anticipates that nearly 90 per cent of india’s population will be middle class by 2040, with women in these households dictating spending patterns on everything, including financial products. While a host of products are available at the lower end of the risk return spectrum such as bank accounts and time deposits for women investors, not much is on offer to guide them towards financial planning and investing. Most still believe that efficient investing only relates to buying specific products for saving tax. Women with taxable incomes can start by availing the full Section 80c tax (of the income Tax act) deductions by investing in provident funds, national pension systems, national savings certificates, unit linked insurance plans and equity linked saving…

Women must realise that not looking after themselves doesn’t turn them into better mothers. This ability to think about ourselves before the baby, like they tell us in the safety briefing during air travel, needs strength. This strength comes from the spine, the spine that has supported the womb, allowed the uterus to expand, and given the pelvis its flexibility. The next forty days are ‘thank you, my friend’ time. Feeding and lactating, carrying the baby around, changing nappies, everything from here on is also going to burden the spine. The key here is to not just rebuild the strength in the spine but to also make it stronger than ever. But again, whether we stay there as unchallenged fitness queens or continue to make the one step forward and…

Bhutan was well aware that the prolonged India-China border talks were going nowhere and felt it should make an independent bid for a settlement One of independent India’s earliest international accords was its 1949 friendship treaty with Bhutan. It was concluded at a time of uncertainty on India’s periphery: the British were withdrawing, revolutionary China was moving into Tibet, with which Bhutan had age-old ties of religion and culture. The 1949 treaty, in effect, affirmed Bhutan’s independence, provided for Indian support when required and helped bring stability to the sensitive Himalayan frontier. Just a few years later, Jawaharlal Nehru made a pioneering visit to Bhutan, which at that time involved trekking across Tibet’s Chumbi Valley. By then, the universal demand in all parts of the world was for accelerated development,…

The BJP has never had it so bad in Kerala. Just as the party was consolidating itself, a wave of scam allegations have hit the party. Senior party functionaries have been scurrying for cover ever since news broke of bribes being taken to facilitate a Medical Council of India (MCI) licence for a private medical institution here. It all started in May when R. Shaji, chairman of the S.R. Educational and Charitable Trust, complained to state BJP president Kummanam Rajasekharan that the party’s cooperation cell convenor R.S. Vinod had cheated him of Rs 5.6 crore, money paid to get MCI approval for the trust’s medical college. Shaji also named BJP MP Richard Hay’s assistant Kannadas and Kummanam’s PA R. Sivaraman. The Kerala BJP chief set up an in-house committee to…

July 25, 2017 “The solution to this standoff is very simple. India must conscientiously pull back its troops” CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER WANG YI July 24, 2017 “Shaking a mountain is easy, but shaking the People’s Liberation Army is hard” SENIOR COL. WU QIAN July 12, 2017 “The situation in Kashmir has attracted a lot of global attention... We hope the relevant sides will avoid escalating tensions” CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN GENG SHUANG July 8, 2017 “All Chinese citizens in India and those planning to travel to India must pay close attention to the present security situation. Avoid unnecessary visits, improve your personal safety” CHINESE EMBASSY, NEW DELHI July 5, 2017 “Indian side has trampled on the basic norms of international relations (the Panchsheel Pact) that were proposed by itself by…

Q. You support Gorkhaland and yet you seem to be the worst hit in the ongoing Gorkhaland agitation. A. For 32 years, we have been suffering bec ause of the Gorkhaland agitation, though the demand for a separate state has nothing to do with Sikkim. The demand concerns Bengal and is being raised by the people of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong and Dooars. For nearly three decades of the Gorkhaland agitation, we have suffered a loss of Rs 60,000 crore, whereas Bengal doesn’t seem to have suffered at all. Law and order in their area vests with Bengal. Who should bear this loss suffered by us? The Centre or the Bengal government? We have supported Gorkhaland in the interest of ensuring free movement of our people without any inconvenience on NH-10,…

THE EXPANSE Earth, Mars and space-dwellers known as “belters” come to the brink of interstellar war after a powerful new weapon emerges. The mystery: the weapon may also represent a sentient alien race. Netflix PEOPLE OF EARTH This sarcastic take on an alien abduction support group offers an amusing satire of one of America’s most enduring (and irritating) contributions to modern society: the 12-step Program. Amazon Prime PIONEER ONE In this Bittorrent gem—possibly the most successful straight-to-internet series ever made, with more than 3 million downloads—a spacecraft crashes in Canada in what investigators first believe is a terrorist attack. But then they discover a comatose cosmonaut in a Soviet era spacesuit in the wreckage who claims to have been born on a Soviet colony on Mars. pioneerone.tv…

It isn’t the sparseness of Barrøy and the life that unfolds on its tiny island surface that make you feel as lonely and sad as you do throughout The Unseen, Roy Jacobsen’s moving but sometimes alienating Norwegian novel. Rather, it is the unexpectedness of the narrative, the muscular swells and dips, the way emotion vibrates in the clear air between protagonists. Life—still, terse and full—on the eponymous island where the Barrøy family (and only the Barrøy family) lives and farms and fishes is evocative of another coastal writer, the Cape Cod-based poet, Mary Oliver. ‘It is one of the perils of our so-called civilized age, that we do not acknowledge enough, or cherish enough, this connection between soul and landscape…’ Oliver writes in her book of essays and poetry, Long…

Q: Your song Tere wargi nai ae is about two people meeting through a dating app. Can true love be found with a smart phone? A: I tried it once, but that was out of curiosity. One of my friends is marrying a guy she met through Tinder and she told me that the song came out at the perfect time. Q: What is one cliché about rappers that you would like to break? A: I am already breaking it—[by not] demeaning women. I think rap is all about what you feel about a situation and not just about cars, alcohol and women. Q: How do you feel about the debate over (arguably) offensive songs and videos? A: What is offensive is different for everyone. But you cannot ignore reality…

Q. What makes the Acropolis Mall stand out? Acropolis is an iconic architectural masterpiece with state-of-the-art facilities. It's situated at a prime location close to an area that has been a favoured shopping destination for years. Sufficient parking space, a fantastic network of vertical transportation and a top-of-the-line facility-management team ensure maximum convenience for customers and store owners alike. Besides, we house some of the top retail and F&B brands in the city. Q. What is your USP? We believe that a mall is not merely a shopping destination, it have evolved into a space where people socialise. So we strive to create a place where people, irrespective of whether they make a purchase or not, can come and have a good time. Our biggest USP is our effort at…

Misogyny in the Indian film industry is alive and well. The abduction and molestation of a Malayalam actress made news when Malayalam channels recently aired an audio recording of an alleged blackmail call that was received by now arrested actor Dileep’s close aide. With women’s roles both on and off screen becoming a more glaring cause for concern, National Award winning film editor Bina Paul sheds light on the situation as it stands and the slow, but sure way forward. Tell us about the Collective. Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) is a group of women professionals in the Malayalam film industry that have come together to address issues of gender and ensure that it becomes a profession of equal opportunity and equitable space of gainful employment for women. The arrest…

CAPOEIRA Not only an art form but also an intense full using words or aggression. body workout, Capoeira combines fighting techniques, dance, rhythm and movement to add to your physical and emotional wellbeing. The workout reduces stress and increases your strength and flexibility by working on your cardio and stamina levels. It includes body movements and strategic use of the mind to make use of these movements in the form of dance. “As a capoeirista, unlike other martial arts, we don’t train to fight. We have an arsenal of moves that are dance-like, playful escapes, but when needed can be doubleedged swords and lethal too,” says Reza Baba Massah, certified Capoeira instructor and Founder, Centre for Capoeira India. You can perform Capoeira solo or with a partner, with or without…

Is privacy a fundamental right? In a move that will have wide-ranging ramifications, the Supreme Court has set up a nine-judge bench to revisit its 1954 and 1962 rulings, which held that the right to privacy was not a fundamental right. Which way the court goes will determine if Aadhaar can be used as an omnibus identification tool—for sundry government benefits, to pay income tax, to buy mobile SIM cards and more. The central government, too, believes the right to privacy is not a fundamental one but a common law right, and Article 21 of the Constitution protects only unauthorised intrusion into one’s privacy. Petitioners in the case, however, argue for a broader definition of privacy, with senior counsel Gopal Subramanium saying the fundamental ideas of liberty and freedom can’t…

@ShougatDasgupta Tanks, but No Tanks Eager to rehabilitate the reputation of Jawaharlal Nehru University as a den of militant patriots as opposed to Maoist anti-nationals (or something like that), vice-chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar asked a pair of ministers if they could help him procure an army tank to display in a “prominent place” on campus. Apparently, the idea was first mooted in February when students at the university were accused of chanting anti-India slogans. Does patriotism grow out of the barrel of a gun? Kumar says the decommissioned tank is intended as a tribute to JNU alumni in the armed forces. He is a brave man to put a tank in the midst of young people with too much time on their hands. Rise of the Webaqoof Fake news spread…

Veteran Gujarat politician SHANKERSINH VAGHELA quit the Congress last week, ending an 18-year-old association with the party he had joined after exiting his parent organisation, the BJP, in 1996. With Gujarat slated to go to polls this year, speculation over Vaghela’s next move is rife. Deputy Editor Uday Mahurkar caught up with the leader to try and gauge what’s on his mind. Excerpts Q. Why did you leave the Congress? A. Some Congress leaders in Gujarat didn’t agree with my stand that the party should prepare for the assembly elections well in advance, as per the A.K. Antony committee’s recommendation that candidates should be shortlisted a year ahead of elections. Rahul Gandhi agreed with me that the Antony panel’s report should be implemented, but nothing happened. Perhaps these leaders had decided to deny me…

MOHD AZHARUDDIN BISHEN SINGH BEDI The first manager-coach versus players’ union fight in the early 1990s Why they fought Bedi had an issue with players’ fitness and performance and was famously quoted as saying that the team should be “dumped into the Pacific” after a particularly forgettable tour of New Zealand Who won Azharuddin SACHIN TENDULKAR KAPIL DEV A forgettable innings for both legends Why they fought Tendulkar, speaking about the Australia tour in 1999, said that he thought Dev never really involved himself Who won Nobody. Tendulkar resigned because of India’s defeats, Dev because of matchfixing allegations SOURAV GANGULY GREG CHAPPELL The first big fight between a foreign coach and an Indian skipper Why they fought Chappell questioned Ganguly’s place in the 2005 team. ‘Dada’, said Chappell, was unfit…

1903 THE ARCTIC HOME IN THE VEDAS by Bal Gangadhar Tilak The grand-daddy of Aryo-Vedic kookiness but not an Out of India indigenist. Claimed Vedic ‘evidence’ that the Aryan race made its way from the Arctic to India bet ween 8000 and 3000 BC 1994 RETURN OF THE ARYANS by Bhagwan S. Gidwani The book that laun ched the wishful Out of India fantasy as a literary genre. Gidwani’s dark Aryan heroes sally forth from India to civilise the West 1948 MURDON KA TEELA by Rangeya Raghava Possibly the first novel set in Mohenjo Daro; made use of the archaeological discoveries to plot social dynamics in the ancient world 2010 THE IMMORTALS OF MELUHA by Amish Tripathi The appropriation of the Indus Valley civilisation to the ‘Vedic Saraswati’ took off…

LS. Hilton’s new thriller opens with wildly consensual sex and a murder. There is a breezy, Dragon Tattoo violence to Domina from the first, and from there on we follow our protagonist from one glam location to another. The owner of an art gallery, Elisabeth (or Judith) once stole a painting, not realising that another painting was packed with it—a drawing supposedly made by Caravaggio, who never made drawings. The owner insists the drawing was not a fake and he wants it back, so Judith must find it. Like Jason Bourne, Judith roams up and down Europe and out to Serbia carrying nothing but a backpack, a wad of cash and what looks like a super-smart phone. Often distracting from Hilton’s racy plot is her habit of adding designer tags…

FOOD Fine Flavours AMARANTA There's a certain rhythm that underlines interesting storytelling with each dish in the tasting menu at Amaranta, the modern Indian restaurant at The Oberoi, Gurgaon. Expect to be wowed by simple dishes that have been reinvented and brought back to the table with creativity and flair. The kanjivaram bajra paniyaram with berry, lemon and mint kanji soda, nargisi duck cutlet and quail eggs and rizala gravy are classic examples of techniques the chef has mastered. "The menu is brimming with modern ideas such as dehydration, sousvide and fermentation but the flavours are easily identifiable and not lost in transition," says Tejas Sovani, executive sous chef. Signature Dishes 63 deg poached egg, Seafood moilee and Wilderness with confit of king mushrooms. At The Oberoi, 443, Phase 5,…

Strong Statement PATRICIA FERNANDEZ Spanish expat and luxury furniture designer Patricia Fernandez’s sprawling Alipore home occupies the ground floor of an old, colonial-style bungalow with high ceilings, large French windows and retroesque black-and-white chessboard floor. The dramatic interiors—moody, mysterious and bold, brilliantly showcase Fernandez’s creations for her brand Sibarita, while cleverly combining them with collector’s pieces from around the world—a vintage Timothy Oulton chair, a wood-and-lacquer Mongolian cabinet picked up in Singapore and a mirrored mahogany sideboard revived from a crumbling North Kolkata mansion. The space is speckled with bold, statement pieces like an enormous wood-carved statue of an anonymous king from Srilanka that stands near the bar, an 18th century papier mache Buddha from Burma, and a giant, architectural bird-cage (a Sibarita signature piece) imaginatively used as a candle…

ON HOW TO BUILD PLATFORMS FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS 1 Find and encourage rough, uncut diamonds While it is great to have successful and well-known individuals on entrepreneurial platforms, it is crucial to find those aspiring women who are making different choices and flourishing. 2 Pick a theme, curate content accordingly The takeaways from an event are stronger when topics of different sessions are interconnected. This allows both the speakers and audience to form a connection and engage in mutually beneficial discussion. 3 Collaboration is key When building high-impact platforms, partner with relevant organisations that will help in furthering the cause. Create a winwin situation with partners with similar objectives. Competition is irrelevant when you are solving a problem that is faced by millions of women across borders. Sita Pallacholla Founder,…

ANUSHREE FADNAVIS, 29 Train Diaries, MuMbai “Documenting life sensitises you” Tattoos, quirky shoes, make-up sessions on-themove, pals donning identical clothes, an acid attack victim hiding her scars, cat fights and festivities—these familiar sights on Mumbai local ladies compartment are what Anushree Fadnavis picked for her series of photographs on Instagram. Titled Train Diaries, her photographs capture the pulse of Mumbai, a city that famously calls the railways its lifeline. With 96,000 followers on her Instagram page and 700 images clicked on her phone, Fadnavis finds interesting stories and forges friendships aboard the local train. “The ladies compartment is a melting pot of stories and emotions; a second home for most where they make friends, cry their heart out, gossip, chop vegetables, finish work, celebrate festivals and even do their make-up,”…