Innholdsfortegnelse for September 28, 2020 i India Today

On September 9, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrested Rhea Chakraborty, Bollywood actress and former partner of Sushant Singh Rajput. She was detained under the draconian provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, for the illegal possession, transportation and purchase of cannabis. The NCB in its charge-sheet said it had recovered 59 grams of weed and five grams of a hash-like substance from three other suspects. Despite not being in possession of the drug herself, the NCB alleges they have enough evidence to prove that Rhea procured the drugs for the deceased actor. She has also been clubbed with drug peddlers and made out to be a part of a syndicate. In the application of its provisions, the NDPS Act seems to make little distinction between…

Jumping to people’s aid comes naturally to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. She has often come to the rescue of homeless people, ensuring they find shelter. She once stopped her convoy to help a motorcyclist lying injured on the road after an accident and had her pilot car take him to the hospital. About a month ago, she arranged for the medical treatment of an elderly neighbour who was unwell and living alone. Mamata’s image as the elder sister is slowly evolving into that of a mother. But, determined to be no ordinary Ma, she has designed simple blue-bordered saris for herself which hold a striking similarity to the uniform of the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity. Blue and white is among Mamata’s favourite combinations, but now it’s…

THE HIGH Cannabis has over 400 compounds. THC or tetrahydrocannabinol is an active compound of cannabis which is responsible for producing psychoactive sensations. CBD or cannabidiol is another compound which counters the effect of THC. For greater highs, products are often altered to have higher levels of THC and lower levels of CBD. CANNABIS: ITS MOST POPULAR FORMS IN INDIA AND WHAT THE LAW SAYS ABOUT THEM Ganja or Weed THE PRODUCT: Also known as marijuana, pot, grass, Mary Jane, it is a mix of the dried flowers, stems, seeds and leaves of the cannabis plant THE PRICE: Weed dust can cost as little as Rs 50, otherwise prices vary with quality. Ten grams of average quality weed costs Rs 100-250 in Delhi. THE LAW: Six-month prison term for 1…

SHARAD PAWAR, NCP chief The septuagenarian leader has been Thackeray’s main guiding force on political issues. Pawar’s influence on the government is felt in almost every decision, from appointing secretaries to various departments to policy decisions like scrapping pension to the Emergency warriors. Pawar is also not shy of expressing his displeasure with Thackeray at times AADITYA THACKERAY, Son and environment minister Aaditya has been Thackeray’s eyes and ears and is present at all important government and political meetings. It was Aaditya’s initiative to appoint an agency, owned by his friend, to run Thackeray’s personal and official Twitter account. Aaditya’s policies on environment and tourism have been the government’s showcase efforts SANJAY RAUT, MP, spokesperson Sanjay Raut articulates Thackeray’s thoughts through the Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamna. He also acts as…

WORLD 3.96 BILLION 46% of the total population INDIA 376.1 MILLION 28% of the total population 17 HOURS Average time Indian social media users spend on platforms each week, more than social media users in China and the US ₹ 3,835 CRORE Or 28% of the total digital ads, worth Rs 13,683 crore, spent on social media in 2019 98% of Facebook’s global revenue comes from advertisements 87% of Twitter’s revenue came from advertisements; 13% came from data licensing Sources: Digital India: Technology to Transform a Connected Nation by McKinsey Global Institute, 2019; Digital Advertising Report 2020 by Dentsu Aegis Network India; Facebook; Twitter…

Around the world, sport is back. The sight of dozens of fans beamed in on screens into largely empty arenas, cheering ecstatically for their teams or favourite players, has become a fixture of these denuded events, a grim simulation—like canned cheering—of the way things were. Still, cricket series have been played, the IPL, in all its boisterous, abrasive glory, is back at the weekend, the US Open tennis has just concluded while the US Open golf will begin on September 17, the NBA playoffs are ongoing, the NFL and English Premier League have begun new seasons, Formula 1 is back and badminton’s Thomas and Uber Cup team tournament is scheduled to begin in Denmark in October. Already, though, seven countries have withdrawn from the latter and Indian badminton star Saina…

HING’R KOCHURI It was the passing mention of Putiram’slentilstuffed kachori that did it. The shop at Surya Sen Street in Kolkata has fed students (myself included) for over 160 years. Moved by nostalgia, just like Shubha, I decide to trymyhandatthe hing’r kochuri.The results, though, were not appealing. The book mentions soaking a cup of urad dal overnight.Ifyou go with a standard US cup, it will result in a bland stuffing with not enough spice. The book could have, perhaps, given a disclaimer about the size of the cup, that it is not the same one used to measure flour. After blending it to a paste, one is supposed to dry it and cook it withatemperingof hing (asafoetida), ginger paste and fennel powder. The measurements mentioned by the recipe for these…

The world needs more restful spaces, and quarantine has shown us that. This may be the first time that the whole world has stopped in its tracks like this, but its taught us all how important it can be to make sure your home is really the most comfortable space for you and has to be calming in every way. COLOUR CUES While I do think some lighter colours are always easy on the eye, it’s nice to switch it up with some fun wallpapers and patterns so that you aren’t living in a boring white and beige space and you do have some kind of visual excitement going on. I think we undervalue the impact that a happy yellow wall can make or a beautiful patterned tile can have…

Madhya Pradesh forest minister Kunwar Vijay Shah plans to create a riot police squad of sorts within the forest department and has given orders for the outfit to be trained in controlling and, if necessary, teargassing, unruly crowds. A seven-term MLA and minister for 15 years, Shah announced his decision after alleged forest encroachers attacked a forest department team in his home district Khandwa. The foresters are already equipped with shotguns, which has been an issue for the state police. They have also been booked by the police for using the guns in the line of duty. Keeping this in mind, one can only wonder what the police will have to say about Shah’s idea.…

On August 5, Debesh Das, a minister in the erstwhile Left Front government in West Bengal, received an unexpected phone call. On the line was a member of Prashant Kishor’s Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), the organisation tasked by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) with ensuring its victory in the assembly election scheduled early next year. “They began by praising my work in Entally constituency before getting to the point of the phone call that ‘PK’ would like to meet me. I politely requested them not to disturb me,” says the CPI(M) leader. Lakshmi Kanta Roy, a former two-term CPI(M) legislator from Dhupguri in Cooch Behar also received feelers from I-PAC recently. The caller, says Roy, expressed admiration for his simple lifestyle, including his tin-roofed home in Jaldhaka and said the…

The Indian electoral rolls are once again in the news. The government wants to prepare a single roll for national, state and local elections to municipalities and panchayats. Currently, many states have separate rolls. One is maintained by the Central Election Commission (CEC) and used for the Lok Sabha and state assembly elections; the other is maintained by the respective State Election Commissions (SECs) and used for local elections. The issue has been discussed for a few decades; some Commissions have recommended it; a few states have already done it. In principle, this is a good idea. The problem lies in the details. Electoral rolls of either type are not fully correct. There are errors of commission, when names that should not be there are included; there are errors of…

MALANA CREAM: A hash made from heirloom cannabis grown in this remote area of the Parvati Valley. THC levels range between 30 and 40 per cent, making it a prized product. It costs upwards of Rs 3,000 in Delhi for a packet of 10 grams. IDUKKI GOLD: Also known as Kerala Gold, the grass is obtained from hybrid Indian and Amsterdam strains of the cannabis plant. Locals say the original strain has vanished and products sold today are new variations. It usually has 8 per cent THC level. While this may seem low, the product also has almost no CBD, resulting in a stronger high. It costs upwards of Rs 2,500 for 10 grams in Delhi. MYSORE MANGO: Grown in Karnataka,the weed gives off the aroma of mangoes. It is…

Methamphetamines: White powder that users swallow, smoke, snort or inject. It’s made using pseudoephedrine, a common ingredient in cold medi-cations Cocaine: A highly addictive stimulant made from the coca plant. Users snort or inject it into their bloodstream. Ecstasy: A man-made hallucinogen usually consumed as a pill LSD: A hallucinogen made from an acid found in a fungus that grows on rye and other grains. It can also be produced synthetically. Heroin: A fast-acting opioid derived from the opium poppy flower. It is snorted or consumed in the form of powder. Flakka: A pale-hued crystal that users can eat, snort, inject or vaporise via an e-cigarette device. Has synthetic cathinone that induces a stimulant-like effect. Ayahuasca: A Brazilian hallucinogen, the drug is imbibed as a brew made from the ayahuasca…

When he took over as the 19th chief minister of Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray, the wildlife photography enthusiast-turned-politician looked like he would bring something fresh to the table. The Shiv Sena chief had formed a coalition government, the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA), with two unlikely allies—the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress; he also promised to make the farmers chintamukta (tension-free) and, to demonstrate that intent, announced a farm loan waiver of up to Rs 2 lakh. He was witty and accommodating, and confident of negotiating the political churn that had brought together the Sena and the Congress, two parties with no ideological affinity. The opposition BJP predicted the three-party “autorickshaw government” (ex-chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s words) would soon collapse under the weight of its contradictions, but Thackeray proved them…

The last time the Indian Premier League (IPL) was played in Dubai in 2014, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were crowned champions. Robin Uthappa top-scored the tournament with 660 runs, while Mohit Sharma bagged the most wickets at 23. Since then, KKR has failed to make the final again. Last season, Uthappa managed just 282 runs with KKR and has since found new employers in Rajasthan Royals (RR). And after just one appearance with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2019, Sharma is now with the Delhi Capitals (DC). Clearly, a lot can happen over six years. After what seems like endless delays due to the pandemic, most players will be looking to shake the dust off. Besides, they’ll have to get used to playing for empty stadiums, without the…

Being married to a pork lover isn’t a thing to be taken lightly. Once, at a party, a large ham made a brief appearance before the guests prior to being whisked into the dining room. My husband spent the rest of the cocktail hour lurking in the doorway, making eyes at its scored and clove-studded curves. I’m fairly certain our relationship turned serious the night I roasted a pork belly for dinner. Sacks of frozen meatballs sent to friends, stockpots full of trotters and bones, packets of oily choriz and smoked meat smuggled in suitcases from Goa and Meghalaya, respectively—pork has its own gravity in the constellation of our social relationships. Despite the swine’s entrenched associations with the gutter, we’re not alone. Consumption of pork is up. Online and offline…

On the matter of rural India, Jean Dreze enjoys a unique intellectual and moral authority. Equipped with the finest academic training, he has demonstrated a durable existential commitment by actually living among the destitute and the landless about whom so many conscientious others are content to merely write about, from a distance. As such, Rumble in a Village, co-authored by Luc Leruth “with” Jean Dreze, commands attention. In a preface, Dreze explains that the origins of this novel lie in the field notes he accumulated as a young post-doc, in a village called Palanpur, in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad district back in 1983-84. The “field notes” have been equipped with a thin fictional device—it is 1984 and a London-based banker, Anil, is persuaded to return to his ancestral village, Palanpur, because…

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that there is no place like home. From an office, school and play area to a restful, relaxing and entertainment zone—now our homes have to wear multiple hats. However, safety remains, the most important factor. With everyone’s focus turning inwards to their homes, more and more people have expressed their desire to refurbish their living spaces. The question on everyone’s minds is—how to do it safely? That’s exactly where Asian Paints comes in. The brand has launched its Safe Painting Service, which prioritises health, safety and hygiene. Involving the usage of effective protective gear along with mechanised tools and Royal Health Shield paint to provide an added hygienic and protective shield to the walls. So, what’s the process like? An associate…

Blue is a quintessential happy shade. Don’t believe us? Take a look at these two great examples by Shailander Kumar. Both have been executed at his Jaipur store, one a quaint table setting (left) and the other a vibrant reading corner by the window (inset). Located in Emerald Hills, Gurgaon this home is the perfect summer escape. Bhawana Bhatnagar has used a lot of greenery to make it “a true shelter from the heat wave outside”. Her quick tip is to use mist cooling gadgets to ensure you feel comfortable. From teaming grey walls with “prints in small doses” (left) to adding a sense of freshness with a cluster of indoor plants (below)—Jasleen Singh’s home in Delhi is a good example of decor done right. Sameer Bhatia and Kanu Sharma…

If architect Nishita Kamdar’s official Instagram account is anything to go by, she is busy receiving awards, attending virtual decor and design launches, giving talks on architecture through Instagram Lives and webinars, while working on a multitude of projects. The 32-year-old, queen of social media says all this is possible because of her fairly regimented life, waking up early and immersing herself in work. At such a young age she has already done 25 projects, specialising in small size spaces—900 sq ft (about Rs 3,700 per sq ft). She is known for creating multi-functional spaces high on utility and sensitive to the requirements of the end user. Not surprisingly, growing up Kamdar always wanted to be an architect, there was never a “Plan B”. She went to Kamla Raheja Vidhyandhi…

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has come up with an inventive way to beat the problem of malnutrition. He recently issued instructions to district magistrates to provide one healthy cow free of cost to the families of malnourished children, along with Rs 900 a month for the cow’s fodder. The district officers have begun the process and hope to begin handing over the healthy cows in gaushalas across the state to families by the end of September. Since assuming power, Yogi has made concerted efforts to protect cows—a large-scale illegal slaughter house was shut down by the state and sarkari cowsheds—one for each district—have been constructed at a cost of Rs 1.15 crore. Yogi also likes to feed the 500 cows at the gaushala he set up with the…

With the assembly poll scheduled for April 2021, Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami is hard at work to ensure his party, the AIADMK, wins for the third time in a row. The party is enlisting volunteers to its youth and women wings for each of the 65,000 polling booths in the state. Backed by a robust IT wing, these foot soldiers will be tasked with wooing voters first hand and door-to-door if possible, despite the constraints on campaigning during a pandemic. The party is clearly hoping to start its campaign on the right foot.…

In the first week of September, in a sensational twist to the Sushant Singh Rajput death case, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrested the late actor’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik and 10 others for the alleged possession, transportation and purchase of ganja (weed) and charas (hash), all derivatives of the cannabis plant. In its charge-sheet, the NCB says it has recovered 59 grams of weed and five grams of a dark brown substance suspected to be hash from three suspects so far. The quantity recovered is far less than the 1 kilo specified as ‘small quantity’ under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances or NDPS Act, 1985. As Suhas Gokhale, former chief of the Azad Maidan unit of Mumbai’s anti-narcotics cell, declared two days after Rhea’s arrest, “A…

HITS CHEAP FOOD The state’s flagship scheme ‘Shiv Bhojan’ in which a limited plate is served for Rs 5 has been a big success with almost 6 million people taking the meals served in the past six months RELIEF TO FARMERS Thackeray has approved loan waivers to 2.95 million farmers so far. He’s also asked the agriculture universities to study the produce market and come up with a plan on what kind of crops are best suited for each region REVENUE REFORMS A scheme to upgrade farm land records on digital platforms has been introduced. Property registration has also been made easy with online platforms ENVIRONMENT FIRST Thackeray has reserved a 600­acre land parcel in Aarey Milk Colony to develop a city forest. A ban on single use plastic and…

HOW THE CENTRE SEES IT The bills seek to open up the farm sector to private investments, allow firms to buy directly from farmers and allow market discovery of prices HOW FARMERS SEE IT The bills have no price guarantee mechanism (like MSP), and dispute settlement modes are suspect. Bills have been drafted to favour businesses, leaving farmers vulnerable HOW CORPORATES SEE IT Allows corporates to partner with farmers. Knowledge-sharing can bridge gaps between produce and processing requirements HOW STATES SEE IT States see a loss of revenues and jurisdiction since the bills bar states from taxing transactions in the new system…

Gautam Bhatia’s debut novel, The Wall, a science fictional tale, is set in the mysterious city of Sumer. In it, the characters talk of experiencing “smara”, described as the unbearable yearning for freedom that citizens feel when they gaze upon the immense circular Wall that imprisons them. The story begins with a handful of rebels fleeing from oppressors, called Shoortans. But there’s no question of escape. Sumer’s impenetrable containment was created by a race of god-like beings called The Builders. Just as the wall is unbreachable, so are the physical, social and administrative structures of Sumer set in place by the Builders. Nevertheless, the citizenry, not so oppressed that they can’t resist oppression, chafe against the restrictions. Unfortunately, the title of the book is not only a spoiler, but a…

Q. You have been vocal about the media trial that Rhea Chakraborty has faced... I was looking at it from a place of sensitivity. This is not justice. I also realised I can’t do anything beyond saying what I feel. I didn’t think I’d be trolled and abused so much. My family is concerned and my brother is telling me to be an artist, not an activist. Q. You are also a storyteller. How has it shaped the artist you are today? All my stories are autobiographical. I was taught early on by Roshan Abbas to never tell a story if you aren’t over it. The idea is not to move yourself, but to move the audience. The greatest trait of an actor is to be non-judgemental. If I walk…

LIGHT IS RIGHT You can go for white or nude-toned furniture in distressed finish or rattan furniture to create an ambience that’s cool, breezy and fresh. Pale walls also invite more light into a room. Add pretty-blooms through motifs and patterns on rugs, pillows and bed linen that are light-weight and breathable. Extend living space outdoors, you can use white drop cloth curtains to offer a shaded seating area for hotter days. TOP TABLES Floral, tropical and nautical theme cushions or table linen make for a free-spirited aesthetic. To add an organic appeal, you can also place succulents that are perfect for a cheerful tablescape and require little care. AVOID THIS Even though chevron is a patent pattern for hotter months, pairing it with light coloured flooring and pastel upholstered…