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As public despair grows

over the rise in fuel prices,
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www.indiatoday.in EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Aroon Purie

I
GROUP EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Raj Chengappa
EDITOR: Ajit Kumar Jha (Research)
ndia’s economy is held hostage by two
GROUP CREATIVE EDITOR: Nilanjan Das; GROUP PHOTO EDITOR: Bandeep Singh external factors, both of which are
MANAGING EDITORS: Kai Jabir Friese, Rajesh Jha
EXECUTIVE EDITORS: Damayanti Datta, S. Sahaya Ranjit,
not under government control—the
Sandeep Unnithan
monsoon rains and global oil prices.
DEPUTY EDITORS: Prachi Bhuchar, Uday Mahurkar, Manisha Saroop
MUMBAI: M.G. Arun HYDERABAD: Amarnath K. Menon CHANDIGARH: Asit Jolly The fluctuating levels of either—or
SENIOR EDITORS: Shweta Punj, Sasi Nair, Alokparna Das
JAIPUR: Rohit Parihar both—dictate how the Indian economy
SENIOR ASSOCIATE EDITORS: Kaushik Deka, Ashish Mukherjee
MUMBAI: Suhani Singh, Kiran Dinkar Tare; PATNA: Amitabh Srivastava
will perform in a given year.
ASSOCIATE EDITORS: Shougat Dasgupta, Chinki Sinha What the government can control,
KOLKATA: Romita Sengupta; BHOPAL: Rahul Noronha;
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Jeemon Jacob; BEIJING: Ananth Krishnan however, is taxes. Less than two years Our June 26, 2006 cover
ASSISTANT EDITOR: PUNE: Aditi S. Pai
PHOTO DEPARTMENT: Vikram Sharma (Deputy Photo Editor),
after the Modi government took oice,
Rajwant Singh Rawat (Principal Photographer), crude oil prices slumped from over $100 sumers who now have to pay much more
Chandra Deep Kumar (Photographer); MUMBAI: Mandar Suresh
Deodhar (Chief Photographer), Danesh Adil Jassawala (Photographer); a barrel to less than $30 a barrel. While are complaining vociferously. In Mum-
AHMEDABAD: Shailesh B Raval (Principal Photographer);
KOLKATA: Subir Halder (Principal Photographer); prices of petrol did drop initially from an bai, for instance, the price of a litre of
CHENNAI: N.G. Jaison (Senior Photographer)
PHOTO RESEARCHERS: Prabhakar Tiwari (Chief Photo Researcher), average of Rs 71 in 2014 in Delhi to Rs petrol has gone up from Rs 70 in 2016 to
Saloni Vaid (Principal Photo Researcher),
Shubhrojit Brahma (Photo Researcher)
65, it was not commensurate with the fall Rs 85 today. If the high prices of fuel have
CHIEF OF GRAPHICS: Tanmoy Chakraborty in international prices. Meanwhile, the sparked some alarm on Raisina Hill, it is
ART DEPARTMENT: Sanjay Piplani (Senior Art Director);
Jyoti K. Singh (Art Director), Vikas Verma (Associate Art Director); government steadily raised excise duties only because elections are looming large
Bhoomesh Dutt Sharma (Senior Designer)
Siddhant Jumde (Senior Illustrator) on petroleum products. For a litre of pet- and the BJP fears alienating its core voter
PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT: Harish Agarwal (Chief of Production),
Naveen Gupta (Chief Coordinator),
rol, duty was raised from Rs 9.48 in May base—the middle class.
Vijay Kumar Sharma (Senior Coordinator) 2014, when Modi took over, to Rs 19.48 Our cover story this week, written by
PUBLISHING DIRECTOR: Manoj Sharma
a litre now. Duty on diesel, too, rose from Deputy Editor M.G. Arun, looks at how
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER: Anil Fernandes (Impact)

IMPACT TEAM
Rs 3.56 a litre to Rs 15.33 currently. rising oil prices have caught the govern-
Senior General Manager: Jitender Lad (West)
General Manager: Mayur Rastogi (North),
As a result, the government raked in ment in a bind. If it reduces the price of
Upendra Singh (Bangalore), a windfall. Revenue from excise duty on fuel, its revenues will fall drastically and
Kaushiky Gangulie (East)
GROUP CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER: Vivek Malhotra petroleum grew from nearly Rs 1 lakh it would have to cut back on its ambitious
Assistant General Manager: Garima Prashar (Marketing)
SALES AND OPERATIONS: D.V.S. Rama Rao, Chief General Manager
crore in 2014-15 to as much as Rs 2.42 welfare programmes. A raft of measures
Deepak Bhatt, General Manager (National Sales)
Vipin Bagga, Deputy General Manager (Operations)
lakh crore in 2016-17 and helped the are now being contemplated to reduce the
Rajeev Gandhi, Regional Sales Manager (North) regime fund numerous welfare schemes. burden on the consumer. These include
But the consumer got no relief despite bringing fuel under the GST to reduce
the fall in global crude prices. To add to taxes and negotiating cheaper crude buys
consumers’ woes, states have steadily from OPEC countries. Unfortunately,
increased value added tax or VAT on fuel long-term measures to wean the Centre
to shore up their respective revenues as or the states from their addiction to oil
Volume XLIII Number 25; For the week
well. Central and state taxes now make taxes or exercising genuine fiscal pru-
June 12-18, 2018, published on every Friday
up nearly 50 per cent of the cost of fuel. dence are not being talked about. What
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based his budgetary formulas on crude
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J U N E 18 , 2 018 INDIA TODAY 1

 INSIDE
UPFRONT LEISURE
CONGRESS RAIDS THE RASHID KHAN: MASTER
PIGGY BANK PG 4 SPINNER PG 56

GUEST COLUMN: MODI’S Q&A:

SHANGRI-LA MOMENT GAURAV GILL
PG 6 PG 68

BJP

34 BACK TO THE
DRAWING BOARD
Putting the Karnataka and bypoll
setbacks behind them, the BJP focuses
its energies on the larger battle of 2019

FOOTBA LL

20
C OV E R S T O RY
The government is in a bind: should it
THE OIL
TURMOIL
cut fuel prices to assuage public anger
and risk cuts in its social programme
budgets ahead of the 2019 elections? 46 FIFA
FOES
The players and matches to look out
for in World Cup 2018 in Russia

CINEMA P I N A R AY I V I J AYA N

52
RAJINI RETURNS,
38 THE LONE
RANGER
The Kerala CM’s development
model is bringing real change on
MIND IT! the ground, but aversion to counsel
Director Pa. Ranjith may be his undoing
has audiences
swooning over
Rajinikanth once Cover photograph by BANDEEP SINGH
again in his film Kaala Location Sai Service Centre
Model Ajay Sharma

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2 INDIA TODAY J U N E 18 , 2 018


CONGRESS RAIDS
THE PIGGY BANK
PG 4
DEATH BY
POLITICS
PG 9
PTI
CULTI
t’s been a depressingly familiar scene
across the country over the first ten
days of June: angry farmers refusing
to bring their produce to city markets;
many standing vigil on roads to block
supplies of vegetables, milk and poultry;
numerous instances of protesting farm-
ers dumping trolley-loads of vegetables
and dairy supplies on streets.
The Gaon Bandh (#VillageShut-
Down) called by some 130 farmer
organisations under the guidance of
the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coor-
dination Committee (AIKSCC) was a
collective cry of anguish by India’s farm-
ers. India’s agriculture sector, which
contributes just 16 per cent of the GDP
NT
AG R I - D I S T R E S S
I O
By Asit Jolly
but provides livelihoods to nearly 60 per
cent of the population, has been in deep
distress for many years now.
Even in an agriculturally advanced
state like Punjab, a recent survey by
three public universities—Punjabi
University (Patiala), Guru Nanak Dev
University (Amritsar) and Punjab
Agricultural University (Ludhiana)—
shows that 16,000 farmers commit-
ted suicide between 2000 and 2017.
Unofficial estimates put the number of
farmer suicides in the country between
30 and 35, every single day!
Farm experts say the demands
made by the protesting farmers—im-
mediate implementation of the M.S.
MODI’S SHANGRI-LA
MOMENT
PG 6
POV: THE HILLS
ARE ALIGHT
PG 13
REMAINS
OF THE DAY
Protesting farmers
dump vegetables
on the road in Hisar
Swaminathan Commission recom-
mendation on crop procurement prices
and a complete waiver of all agricultural
loans—are not unreasonable.
According to agro-economist
Devinder Sharma, farm prices have
remained practically frozen for the past
45 years. He points out that while the
Centre’s minimum support price (MSP)
of wheat has risen 19 times during this
period, salaries in government jobs have
increased 120-150 times; university
faculty pays 150-170 times; and that
of schoolteachers rose 280-320 times.
Sharma says while the 7th Pay Com-
mission gives employees 108 kinds of
allowances, MSP calculations include
J U N E 18 , 2 018 INDIA TODAY 3
UPFRONT

none. The Centre’s assurance on remunerative food

grain prices does not even factor in imputed rent
and interest on owned land and capital.
The NITI Aayog’s own numbers are revealing:
between 2011-2012 and 2015-2016, farm incomes
increased by just 0.4 per cent a year. “Farmers are
being deliberately kept impoverished to keep the
economic reforms viable,” says Sharma. Farmers
are paid less than the cost of their produce to keep
food inflation in check. They are being “forced to

PANKAJ NANGIA/MAIL TODAY

cultivate losses”, he adds.
Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav, who is
closely associated with the AIKSCC, demands an
immediate and complete waiver of all agricultural
loans. The debt is “fraudulent” as farmers have
been consistently underpaid for their produce,
he feels. Speaking at a meeting to mark June 5
as ‘Mandsaur Shaheed Kisan Smriti Diwas’, in
commemoration of the six farmers killed in police
firing at Mandsaur in ELECTION FUNDS

Madhya Pradesh last

Between
2011-2012
and 2015-
year, Yadav predicted
that the Modi gov- CONGRESS RAIDS
2016, farm
incomes
ernment would face
the wrath of farmers
in the 2019 Lok
THE PIGGY BANK
increased by Sabha elections.

A
just 0.4 per But the pro- t the recent Congress recently made Madhya Pradesh
testing farmers plenary in Delhi, party Congress president instead of
cent a year
don’t seem to be president Rahul Gandhi Rahul’s favourite Jyotiraditya
getting through to acknowledged onstage that he Scindia, the speculation in
the government in Delhi and most states. Union needed the old guard, that he party circles was that Nath’s
agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh has said would have to be circumspect monetary clout, his ability to
the Gaon Bandh was a means by some smaller in bringing in new blood and raise funds, had carried the day.
farmer organisations to grab media attention. In younger leaders. “He needs the “We are a poor party with rich
Haryana, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar veterans,” an insider smirked, leaders,” says a Congress general
mocked the protest as “issueless” and “unneces- “because he needs the money.” secretary. “Rahul Gandhi needs
sary”. And Madhya Pradesh’s agriculture minister When Kamal Nath was veterans with deep pockets to
Balakrishna Patidar, on June 3, claimed no farmers
were participating in the strike, even insisting that
farmers were “happy” with schemes offered by chief
minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. INDEX 24%
A number of non-BJP leaders, including The percentage of
Punjab’s chief minister Capt. Amarinder Singh,
have criticised the Union agriculture minister for
Equal Work, Indian women in paid
labour. Down from
his “lack of sensitivity to farmers’ problems”. But
it has failed to elicit anything, barring a Rs 7,000
Unequal Pay nearly 37% in 2005 and
compared to over 53%
of men. Global average
crore handout to sugar mills to help clear pending of women in the
A report last month by the Ministry of Statistics
workforce is 40%
farmers’ dues for sugarcane. and Programme Implementation shows
After June 10, the Gaon Bandh will enter its women are paid considerably less than men
second phase, where traders and commission for a job. Another recent report by Los Angeles
agents will have to go into villages to procure farm consulting firm Korn Ferry suggests the gender `366.15
pay gap in India is in line with the global National average daily
produce for cities and towns. If the agitation is earning of urban female
average. As unnerving is the trend towards
sustained, it could spell big trouble for the BJP-led falling female participation in the workforce. “regular wage/salaried
National Democratic Alliance in 2019. ■ India’s ranking in the World Economic Forum’s employee”, says the
May 2018 statistics
—with Rahul Noronha, global gender gap index has dropped steadily
ministry report (2011-12
Kiran D. Tare and Rohit Parihar since the rankings began in 2006. figures)

4 INDIA TODAY J U N E 18 , 2 018

 TURNING TO THE VETERANS
Rahul Gandhi at a May 19 press
conference in Delhi
stave off a funding crisis and take on
the BJP’s financial might.”
The crisis is so severe that the
party’s central unit has been curbing
its leaders’ basic expenses, rationing
flights, accommodation and allow-
ances. Back in 2015, party treasurer
Motilal Vora wrote letters to all
44 Lok Sabha MPs and 65 Rajya
Sabha MPs asking them to donate a
month’s salary. The party also asked
workers to contribute Rs 250 annu-
ally to the party. But such measures
are a drop in the bucket in the run-up
to 2019. The party is now consider-
ing crowdsourcing funds online like
the Aam Aadmi Party. Understand-
able for a party founded in 2012, more
humbling for one founded in 1885.
In its 2016-17 income tax filings,
the BJP declared donations worth
Rs 532.3 crore from 1,194 sources
and the Congress Rs 41.9 crore from
599 sources. Donations to the BJP
increased by 593 per cent from the
previous financial year. An analysis of
both parties’ finances between 2012-
13 and 2016-17 shows that 89 per cent
of their funds are corporate donati-
ons. In 2016-17, the BJP received Rs
515.4 crore from the corporates sector,
Congress, Rs 36.1 crore.
For the five state elections held in
2017—Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand,
Punjab, Goa and Manipur—the BJP
raised Rs 1,214.5 crore, or 92.4 per
cent of all the money raised by all sev-
en national parties. While the BJP’s
central unit provided 98.3 per cent of
the funds, the Congress’s central unit
could provide only 36 per cent of the
Rs 96.5 crore the party raised to fight
these same state elections. Election
strategist Prashant Kishor’s team of-
ten found itself stuck in hotels during
THE PARTY IS NOW
PLANNING TO
CROWDSOURCE
FUNDS LIKE THE
AAM AADMI PARTY
the UP campaign, unable to move on
because the party had failed to clear
accommodation and transport bills.
The party president, though,
remains sanguine. He admitted to IN-
DIA TODAY back in February that the
party was in the midst of a financial
crisis but that it would not hamper its
ability to contest elections: “Did you
see what happened in Gujarat? We
could not spend a fraction of what the
BJP did, but we put up a tough fight.”
Can the Congress make up in spirit
what it lacks in resources? ■
—Kaushik Deka

108 16.1% 0.4%

India’s rank out Gender pay gap in Pay gap between
of 144 countries India, said LA firm men and women
in the World Korn Ferry in April working in India at
Economic 2018 report—better the same level in the
Forum’s 2017 than Germany same company; at an
global gender gap (16.8%), the US inter-company level,
index. Down 21 (17.6%) and the UK the gap widens to
spots from 2016. (23.8%) 4% nationwide

22% `609.7 $770 BILLION

Gap between pay Average daily A 17.6% boost to
for women and the earning of a reg- India’s GDP by 2025 if
`469.9 earned daily ular urban female it accelerates gender
by men. Rural gap graduate between parity in “fastest-
37.5% between 15 and 59 years. improving” country
women (` 201.6) 75.7% of the `805.5 in Asia Pacific, says
and men (` 322.3) male graduate pay McKinsey report
UPFRONT

GUEST COLUMN

MODI’S SHANGRI-LA
ADML (RETD)
ARUN PRAKASH
MOMENT
S
hangri-la is the iconic Himalayan monastery in James maritime borders. Above all, it seemed that American
Hilton’s 1933 novel Lost Horizon, where the survivors security interests demanded that the region, extending from
of a plane-crash imbibe lessons in pacifism from the the US west coast to the African east coast, be viewed as a
presiding Lama. The Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) has a less single contiguous theatre—the ‘Indo-Pacific’.
exotic provenance (it is named after its permanent venue, a Against this background, Modi’s peroration conveyed
Singapore hotel) but its aims are no less lofty. Conceived by India’s position on critical issues in a forthright language.
the International Institute for Strategic Studies as a ‘Track 1.5’ Highlighting India’s civilisational and historical connections
meeting ground for senior defence leadership of the region, with the Southeast Asian Suvarnabhumi (of Indian folklore),
the dialogue now receives official backing of the Singapore he underscored the critical importance of the oceans to
government and the tacit support of the US. India and declared India’s commitment to a rule-based
Since its inception in 2001, no Indian prime minister order that relied “on the consent of all, not on the power of
has ventured to address the SLD, and the ministers, the few”, and spoke about the “equality for nations” as part
occasionally deputed to do so, have disappointed the of India’s commitment to the liberal international order. In
discerning audiences with anodyne orations. A great deal of affirmation of India’s commitment to its ‘strategic autonomy’,
curiosity has persisted across the Association of Southeast he referred to his recent ‘informal summits’ with the Chinese
Asian Nations (ASEAN) about India’s position on various and Russian heads of state while upholding India’s global
issues of critical regional interest. Prime partnership with the US. In a thinly
Minister Narendra Modi made up veiled reference to China’s aberrant
for all that with his crisp, focused and No matter how conduct, Modi spoke disapprovingly
illuminating keynote address that clearly earnestly Modi about “assertion of power over recourse to
spelt out India’s key policies, positions wishes away “great international norms” and upheld “freedom
and initiatives vis-a-vis the volatile power rivalries”, of navigation, and unimpeded commerce”.
hemisphere that encompasses China, India has to find a In an oblique but telling reference to
India and the ASEAN as well as the the BRI (Belt and Road Initiative), he
Pacific and Indian Oceans.
modus vivendi mentioned that connectivity initiatives, “...
A hundred years ago, Admiral Alfred
with China must empower nations, not place them
Thayer Mahan had described the Indian under impossible debt burden”.
and Pacific Oceans as future ‘hinges of the world’s geo- In contrast with Modi’s circumspection, US Defence
political destiny’, because control of this region could enable Secretary Jim Mattis in his speech the following day made
a nation to influence political developments in Eurasia. For direct references to China, conveying stinging rebukes.
this reason perhaps post-World War II, a new entity—the Beijing’s recent attempts at coercing Taiwan, and blatant
Asia-Pacific—was created to facilitate the entry of the US into militarisation of the augmented South China Sea reefs
Asia and to strike economic and military linkages with it. For also invited retaliatory US measures. While China was
over six decades, peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia- peremptorily ‘disinvited’ from the biennial ‘RIMPAC 2018’
Pacific were underwritten by the naval forces of the Hawaii- naval exercise, Mattis announced the re-naming of the US
based US Pacific Command. Pacific Command as the ‘Indo-Pacific Command’. By way
This pax Americana was shattered by the rise of an of explanation, he said, “We need to recognise the growing
assertive China and neither the US pivot to Asia nor significance of the Indian Ocean...and of India itself...I
the subsequent rebalance has served to restore regional wanted to ensure that the title reflects the reality.”
equilibrium. The Asia-Pacific concept seemed to have These words will, no doubt, be music to Indian ears.
outlived its utility and a substitute was sought to encompass But no matter how earnestly Modi wishes away “great
new developments in Asia’s emerging geopolitical power rivalries”, India has to find a modus vivendi with
landscape. Among these were the concurrent rise of China China. National interests remain supreme in international
and India, their competition for energy, markets, influence relations. So, ‘Greeks bearing gifts’ must be treated
and maritime access, the overlapping interests of states with caution. ■
located on either side of Malacca Straits, and the emergence
of non-traditional maritime threats that recognise no The author is a retired chief of naval staff

16 INDIA TODAY J U N E 18 , 2 018

UPFRONT
SURVIVING POPULISM
I
n 1992, a former RAND Corpo-
ration analyst, Francis Fuku-
yama, published a book titled
The End of History and the Last
Man. Written at the end of the
Cold War, the book argued that the
great ideological battle between the
forces of liberal democracy and free
markets on the one hand and Com-
munism on the other had resulted
in an unequivocal victory of the
former. More to the point, he argued
that this triumph demonstrated that
open markets and liberal democracy
in tandem was the only viable model
of governance.
About two-and-a-half decades
since the publication of his trium-
phalist work, liberal democracy
yoked with capitalism now appears
to be under acute duress. Across the
world, the model now seems under
attack from both ends of the politi-
cal spectrum. Right-wing populist
authoritarians ranging from Viktor
Orban in Hungary to Recep Erdogan
in Turkey to Donald Trump in the
United States are actively assaulting
the foundations of liberal democracy
and, to varying degrees, promot-
ing crony capitalism. Even in states
where such populists have not come
to power such as France, Germany
and the United Kingdom, they nev-
ertheless have managed to alter the
terms of political discourse.
What explains this lurch toward
authoritarian populism? Yascha
Mounk’s carefully researched and
lucidly written book, The People Vs.
Democracy, provides some answers
and also spells out possible strate-
gies to stem this tide. Three fac-
tors, he contends, in considerable
measure explain the tilt toward
authoritarian populism. They are
the threats that ethnic majorities
18 INDIA TODAY J U N E 18 , 2 018
BOOKS
By Sumit Ganguly
in a number of democracies per-
ceive as a consequence of increased
immigration, the explosive growth
of electronic social media and the
forces of economic stagnation and
rising inequality. Obviously, the mix
as well as the significance of these
factors vary across countries. How-
ever, an amalgam of these issues, in
each case, has played a vital role in
contributing to the surge in authori-
tarian populism.
Immigration, especially from
the global South, has altered the de-
mography of a number of advanced
industrial states, unsettling the
hitherto privileged status of historic
ethnic majority populations. These
THE PEOPLE VS.
shifts have also taken place against
DEMOCRACY: Why Our a backdrop of limited economic ex-
Freedom is in Danger & pansion, thereby creating increased
How to Save It competition in the employment
Yascha Mounk arena. Finally, amidst these vast
Harvard University Press socio-economic changes, there has
` 630 (Hardback);
been a dramatic expansion of social
393 pages
media. The final development has
proven to be a double-edged blade:
it has enabled ordinary citizens to
reach out to others on an unprec-
edented scale. Simultaneously, it has
Mounk believes also contributed to an atomisation
increased immi- of knowledge, making it possible
gration, growth for populist demagogues to prof-
of electronic fer simplistic solutions to complex
social media socio-economic ills.
and economic It is to Mounk’s credit that he is
stagnation have not content to merely diagnose the
sources of the phenomenon. Instead,
contributed he advocates several practical steps
to the surge in that can be taken to hobble its contin-
authoritarian ued advance. To that end, he calls for
pluralism robust strategies to ameliorate eco-
nomic inequality, forthrightly tackle
immigration reform and promote
civic education. These remedies, while
sensible, he recognises, will be neither
swift nor easy to implement. ■
 INDEX

Death by Politics
A Trinamool Congress worker was shot dead near his home in
Howrah by two men on a motorcycle this week. His murder was
blamed on the BJP by TMC members, who vandalised shops in the
area in protest and demanded arrests. Another man died in clashes
between the supporters of TMC and the Communist Party of India
(Marxist) in Cooch Behar on the same day. The TMC has been bat-
tling accusations of deadly hooliganism as two BJP workers were
murdered in Purulia district, suspected to be victims of the violence
that has punctuated recent panchayat elections. West Bengal has
been prone to poll violence for some years, with national crime data
over the last decade or so, putting the state either at or near the top
for politically motivated murder.

2 18
BJP workers Trilochan People died in the run-
Mahato and Dulal up to panchayat polls in
Kumar were found West Bengal on May 14,
dead within 3 days of says the state police.
each other in Purulia Other counts have
on May 30 and June 2 the toll at 29

13
Reported dead
on poll day; 5
were claimed as
supporters by Left
parties, 2 by the BJP;
TMC claimed 6 party
workers were killed
4
50
Times between
2007 and 2014, Political murders
WB recorded the in West Bengal in
highest number of 2009, says National
politically motivated Crime Records
murders in India— Bureau, highest
2007 (20), 2010 (38), in the 2001 - 2016
2011 (38), 2013 (26) period

PULLQUOTE

“The roads here are

congested which results in
traffic jams and is a cause for
concern. The city is dirty, we
QAMAR SIBTAIN/MAIL TODAY

need to clean it.”

Tourism minister K.J. ALPHONS

ofered a frank, even blunt summary
of the shortcomings of Varanasi.
His honesty will not have impressed
his boss, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi. The city is, of course, Modi’s
constituency. Back in 2014, after a visit
to Japan, Modi announced a partnership
between Varanasi and the equally
spiritual and culturally significant city of
Kyoto. But ‘Kashi to Kyoto’, as Alphons
recognised, has proven to be sparky but
false advertising.
UPFRONT

10 INDIA TODAY J U N E 18 , 2 018

 EXPOSUR E

A PARLIAMENT OF
SCAVENGERS
This picture, taken just a day
before World Environment
Day on June 5, is a sobering
reminder that in India ‘scav-
engers’ come shaped as hu-
mans as well as storks. The
Greater Adjutant, an Indian
relative of the astound-
ingly ugly Marabou stork,
was once a common sight,
though now vanishingly
rare. Its wetlands destroyed,
this endangered species is
to be found scavenging in
the festering dumps of cities
such as Guwahati. Last year,
the National Green Tribunal
issued a notice to the Assam
government over the death
of 26 Greater Adjutants at
a garbage dump adjoining
a wetlands. This juxtaposi-
tion of garbage and sanctu-
ary is an illustration of the
impact we are having on our
environment and our failure
to take remedial steps. So
storks are forced to forage in
dumps for their sustenance.
And so are some humans.

ANUWAR HA Z ARIK A / REUTERS

UPFRONT

REEL TO REAL
B oth the TDP and YSR
Congress plan to use the
denial of special category sta-
tus to Andhra Pradesh as the
main plank for the May 2019
assembly elections. Chief
Minister N. Chandrababu
Naidu and opposition leader
Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy will
have more in common by
January 2019 when biopics
GL ASSHOUSE
on Naidu’s father-in-law N.T.
Rama Rao (played by his son
SANGH FROID Balakrishna) and Jagan’s fa-
ther Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy

P
ranab Mukherjee’s decision to address RSS cadres in Nagpur on June 7
has caused heartburn within the Congress. Now it seems the BJP is equ- (to be played by Mammoot-
ally surprised at the Sangh’s invite to the former president. Asked to find ty), both CMs of undivided
out why, a senior BJP leader with links to the RSS has hired a sle uth, the very Andhra, hit screens.
man who probed the theft of Rs 2.5 crore from the party’s Ashoka Road office in
2008, to investigate. Links are being drawn to a private dinner hosted at a chief
minister’s residence in January and attended by Biju Janata Dal and Janata Dal
(Secular) leaders. A post-2019 role for Pranab da is being speculated upon.
NOIDA JINX
Illustration by SIDDHANT JUMDE

F or nearly three decades,

the urban legend that
any chief minister who
State V FOR VIJAYAN visits Noida loses power
Visit has endured. The

A May 30 press
release
T he CPI(M)’s landslide victory
in the Chengannur bypoll
has come as a shot in the arm
string of electoral
losses for the BJP
in UP have started
by the Union for Pinarayi Vijayan. His critics
talk of the Noida
health ministry in the party have been silenced. jinx visiting Yogi
announced that Perhaps why the Kerala chief Adityanath. The
Ashwini Kumar minister has shelved plans for a CM visited Noida last
Choubey, minister of state for cabinet reshule. Media specula- December to inaugurate
health and family welfare and tion on Vijayan handing the home several projects and, ever
Buxar MP, was given a warm wel- portfolio, whi h d since, the BJP has lost
come by the prime minister of currently, to every byelection, a fact
Tuvalu. The BJP unit in Patna was has evapora alluded to recently by for-
amused when it discovered the now plans to mer CM Akhilesh Yadav. He
island nation has a population of is a fine one to talk, though.
2019 Lok S
10,000 people. They now want The Samajwadi Party
poll. Kerala’s
to know when Choubey will scion lost the elections
one-man sh despite skipping Noida and
start visiting panchayats in his
seems set to inaugurating projects there
own constituency, which have a
population larger than Tuvalu’s.
continue. via remote control.

—Sandeep Unnithan with Sujit Thakur,

Amitabh Srivastava, Jeemon Jacob, Amarnath K. Menon, Ashish Misra

12 INDIA TODAY J U N E 18 , 2 018

UPFRONT
POINT OF V IEW
The Hills Are Alight
By Rajesh Thadani
T
he Himalaya have been making
news lately for all the wrong rea-
sons. As fires ravage the forests of
Uttarakhand, nearby Shimla is in
the grip of an unprecedented water
shortage that has led to angry locals taking to
the streets. The Kedarnath tragedy of 2013 is
still well remembered. Last year, an 18 ft drop
in Nainital’s lake water level made national
news. Not a year goes by without reports of
major fires, droughts, floods or ice storms. In
fact, while over 4,000 hectares of forest burnt
in Uttarakhand in the past weeks, this was no
worse than the forest fires of just two years ago.
Climate change is upon us—and surely it
has a role to play. The increased heat trapped
by the blanket of greenhouse gases we emit
leads to erratic and unpredictable weather
patterns. Climate change exacerbates the fire
season due to higher temperatures and longer
dry periods. Rainfall is heavier but shorter in
duration leading to lower water recharge into
the ground. Shimla’s water shortage can be
attributed in part to low winter precipitation,
which this year was only a third of normal. But
while climate change worsens the problem—it
is not the cause of all the Himalayan disasters.
While it is convenient to point a finger at
climate change, we need to look at the three
Forests do fingers that point right back to us.
not combust Hot dry weather in the summer does not
spontaneously. cause forests to spontaneously combust.
Many fires stem While lightning strikes can start a blaze under
from the locals the right conditions, such fires are rare in the
Himalaya and almost all fires are the result
burning pine
of humans. Blaming the timber mafia or a
needles. Others callous forest department creates readable
may start from press, but the reality is often more mundane.
a carelessly Burnt trees are of little benefit to anyone.
thrown bidi. Many fires originate from the local practice of
The forest burning pine needles, a process which releases
department their nutrients and promotes good grass
does not have growth. Other fires start from a carelessly
the manpower thrown cigarette or bidi. With hundreds of
fires starting daily, the forest department
to control their simply does not have the manpower or
spread resources to effectively control their spread.
In the case of Shimla, the root of the water
crisis lies in the poorly maintained pipelines
that leak copiously, the contamination and
closure of some water sources, and years of
neglect to the recharge zones of aquifers. As
a result, Shimla’s water system—designed to
deliver 65 million litres per day—is unable to
provide even half this amount.
While global warming is exacerbating
environmental disasters, the root causes
often lie in poor planning, disregard for good
science and citizen apathy. Fires may become
more severe due to climate change—but they
are started by human beings. Swift action by
locals will often stop a forest fire in its tracks
and prevent it from becoming a devastating
inferno. The recognition of the importance of
community action in preventing fires is as old
as the reports of Himalayan fires, but efforts at
incentivising local action continue to fall short.
Similarly, while solving erratic rainfall in
Shimla may be beyond our control, repairing
leaky pipelines is not. Moreover, recognising
the importance of protecting water sources
and their recharge zones cannot be overstated.
A roof water tank can hold only a few
thousand litres of water, but the aquifers that
lie beneath hold billions of litres. In the case of
Nainital, the unprecedented drop in the lake
level last year helped catalyse citizen action to
protect lake Sukhatal, a small ephemeral lake
responsible for much of Nainital’s subsurface
recharge. Already, positive action is yielding
results, and this year the drop in Nainital’s
lake level has been much less.
The internet, which gives us the tools to
report, sensationalise and view disasters in
real time also gives us the ability to highlight
ways to manage our resources better.
Proactive management through empowered
citizens is better than restrictive policing of
our forest and water resources. Much can be
achieved if we follow the old adage of ‘think
globally, act locally’. ■
A forest ecologist and development
professional, the author is currently Execu-
tive Director, Centre for Ecology, Develop-
ment and Research (CEDAR), Dehradun
Illustration by TANMOY CHAKRABORTY
 STATES
MP: UMBRELLA RAJASTHAN: ROCKY
COALITION ROAD FOR RAJE
PG 1 6 PG 1 9

EMPTY CHAIR
The state is growing restive
IANS in the CM’s absence

I
G OA n the US for treatment of a pancreatic ailment since
March 16, Manohar Parrikar’s prolonged absence

MISSING
seems to be causing a policy paralysis in Goa’s
BJP-led coalition government. Critical decisions
pertaining to development, upgrading the power supply

IN ACTION
PANAJI
With chief minister Manohar
Parrikar away for treatment, key
policy decisions are on hold
By Kiran D. Tare
infrastructure, tourism, and law and order have been in-
terminably on hold, awaiting the chief minister’s return.
On June 3, the gram sabha of Velasco-Issorcim,
outside Vasco-da-Gama city, resolved to revoke a licence
issued to a builder to construct a 140-room hotel there.
The villagers claimed the licence, issued by the gram
panchayat, violated the state’s Regional Plan (RP), 2021.
In the chief minister’s absence, the state government
and the highly influential Catholic Church are at logger-
heads over the RP, which earmarks
development zones in rural areas.
Town planning minister Vijai Sarde-
sai, of the Goa Forward Party, alleges
the church is backing an agitation to
destabilise the government.
Meanwhile, outdated infra-
structure and a lack of qualified
manpower to carry out repairs
are causing long power outages in
Cuncolim, Dabolim in south Goa
and capital Panaji. Besides replacing
old transmission cables, the power
department needs to recruit some
500 linesmen. But everything is on
hold till Parrikar is back.
In the meantime, there has been
a spate of crimes, including the gang
rape of a 20-year-old girl at Colva
beach by three youth from Indore.
Although the state police were
prompt in arresting the accused
tourists, the rise in sexual offences
is highlighting the failing eiciency
of the state home department—one
of the many portfolios under the CM.
The government is under pres-
sure from all sections of society to
amend Goa’s tourist-friendly laws.
The deputy speaker of the state as-
sembly, Michael Lobo, is calling for
harsher penalties for minor viola-
tions like drinking in public. He says
making Goa safe will bring in the
high-end tourists. But, clearly, noth-
ing is likely to be done while Parrikar
is convalescing in the US.
The absence of clear directions to
the state police authorities was also
evident in its failure to initiate any
action against the Ramnathi-based
Sanatan Sanstha, after a Karna-
taka police team arrested four of its
functionaries for their alleged role in
journalist Gauri Lankesh’s killing.
Tourism has also suffered after
yet another failed season. In fact,
nearly 90 per cent of Goa’s hitherto
popular beach shacks shut shop be-
fore May-end owing to slack business
and the government’s failure to issue
no-objection certificates. Despite
marketing the state as a favoured
tourism destination in several North
American, European and Austral-
asian countries, the season saw
just some 12,000 tourists from the
traditional UK and Russian markets,
besides 2,398 visitors from Finland.
Tourist footfalls, including do-
mestic holidaymakers, were possibly
also impacted by the long delay in
bringing relief to liquor vend opera-
tors in the state who have had to shut
shop in the wake of Supreme Court-
ordered restrictions on the sale of
alcohol along highways. A commit-
tee of three ministers had proposed
a ‘cluster town’ concept as a means to
beat the ban. But the state’s finance
department, also among Parrikar’s
charges, is yet to take a call.
Parrikar’s absence is also fuelling
political uncertainty. On June 1,
Ramakrishna a.k.a Sudin Dhavlikar,
UPGRADE OF POWER
INFRASTRUCTURE,
LAW AND ORDER,
AND TOURISM ARE
BEING AFFECTED
the Maharashtra Gomantak Party
minister in charge of the public
works department, caused a storm
when he said he was willing to head
the coalition as the CM. He later
clarified that he did not mean to sug-
gest replacing Parrikar.
The Congress, meanwhile,
seems to be raising a new bogey. In
a complaint to the state police crime
branch on June 2, the party alleged
that e-mails purported to have been
sent by CM Parrikar from the US to
clear urgent files, were possibly fake.
“Someone else has been sending these
e-mails,” Congress spokesperson Sid-
dhant Buyao said in the complaint.
Before flying out, Parrikar had
constituted a committee of three
ministers—Sardesai, Dhavlikar and
Francis D’Souza—to take day-to-day
decisions. The committee is clearly
finding it diicult to fill the chief
minister’s shoes. ■
STATES

PTI

M A D H YA P R A D E S H

Umbrella
Coalition
The Congress is pursuing pre-poll
alliances with the BSP, Samajwadi Party
and Gondwana Gantantra Party to
consolidate the anti-BJP vote
By Rahul Noronha BHOPAL

T
he Madhya Pradesh assembly elections later this
year could see the Congress contest in a pre-poll
alliance with three other opposition parties—the
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party
(SP) and the Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP)—
in a bid to prevent a division of the anti-BJP vote.
It’s not official yet, but the state Congress leadership,
after initial discussions, appears inclined to give 20-30
seats to the prospective allies. The BSP, which polled 6.4 per
cent votes and won four seats in the 2013 election, is report-
edly driving a hard bargain. Besides the four constituencies
it holds, the party wants 12 seats where it had finished a
runner-up as well as another 14 where it expects to do well
this year. The Congress is banking on state president Kamal have much of a presence in the state where its leaders are
Nath, who enjoys a good rapport with Mayawati, to contain mostly Congress rebels. The SP also managed to rope in
the BSP’s demand to under 20 seats. K.K. Singh, the late Arjun Singh’s nephew and a former SP
Encouraged by his party’s successful electoral arrange- MLA, to its fold. Singh had left the party to join the BJP
ment with the BSP in Uttar Pradesh, which ensured the five years ago, but quit to return to the SP.
BJP’s defeat in the Kairana byelection on May 31 and earlier But analysts say the BSP could make significant inroads
in Gorakhpur and Phulpur, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has in Gwalior, Chambal and Rewa, which have sizeable Sched-
hinted at a broad anti-BJP alliance. Last month, Yadav uled Castes and Other Backward Classes voters. The death
toured the Rewa, Satna and Sidhi districts bordering Uttar of Dalits in alleged firing by upper caste people during the
Pradesh and met ticket aspirants. However, the SP doesn’t protests in Gwalior and Chambal against changes in the

16 INDIA TODAY J U N E 18 , 2 018

 BALLOT BONDING
Mayawati and Sonia Gandhi
at H.D. Kumaraswamy’s
oath-taking in Bengaluru

SC/ ST Act is expected to con-

solidate Scheduled Caste votes in
these areas.
The GGP, a tribal outfit that
failed to win any seats in 2013
but polled 3.6 per cent votes, is
influential in the Mahakoshal and
Vindhya regions. Leader of the
Opposition Ajay Singh is keen on
a Congress-GGP tie-up to prevent
a split in tribal votes.
But will the proposed alli-
ances translate into gains for the
partners? The Congress’s calcula-
tions are based on assumptions
that the SCs and STs were its
traditional vote bank and will
hopefully return to the party. Its
prospective alliance with the BSP
and GGP is designed to draw SC
and ST voters away from the BJP.
Over the years, however, the BJP
has made inroads into the SC
and ST communities and holds a
majority of the 35 SC reserved and
47 ST reserved seats in the state.
To counter the Congress strategy,
the BJP has recruited Phool Singh
Baraiya, a Dalit leader who heads
a splinter group of BSP defectors.
In the 2013 assembly elec-
tions, the BJP polled 45.2 per cent
votes against the Congress’s 36.8
per cent. The Congress will need
a 5 per cent swing to turn the tide
in its favour. Deepak Babaria, the
AICC general secretary in charge
of Madhya Pradesh, says the Con-
THE BSP, WHICH gress is open to alliances with “all
WON FOUR like-minded parties”.
Kamal Nath was more explic-
SEATS IN 2013, it: “Alliances are of many kinds.
REPORTEDLY It could be an understanding on
a particular seat, for example. We
WANTS 30 SEATS are in talks with parties and are
also viewing 2018 with [general
IN THE ALLIANCE election] 2019 in mind.” „
STATES

C H H AT T I S G A R H

Early Mover Advantage? DANTEWADA

Raman Singh’s statewide tour aims to remind voters of his development work
By Rahul Noronha

CHANDRADEEP KUMAR
problems. “In nearly 15 years, I have
not fought on any other plank. I avoid
politics based on religion or caste,”
Singh tells INDIA TODAY.
Singh’s Vikas Yatra will cover 67 of
Chhattisgarh’s 90 assembly constitu-
encies. He is leaving out 11 urban seats
in Raipur, Bilaspur and Durg cities,
besides a dozen seats that have long
been citadels of the Congress. The
constituencies to be covered in the first
phase include two seats where the BJP
expects to swing things its way.
While on the road, Singh is report-
edly also gathering feedback on the
performance of his MLAs. Insiders say
the information will be used to decide
the allocation of tickets.
Singh’s outing has understandably
spawned criticism from the opposition,
with the Congress announcing a ‘Vikas
ON THE MOVE Raman Singh’s Vikas Yatra kicked off from Dantewada on May 12 Dhoondo (Where’s the development?)
Yatra’. Congress legislature party chief
T.S. Singhdeo has debunked Singh’s

S
ix months ahead of assembly block headquarters to address people, road trip as a “blatant misuse of public
elections, Chhattisgarh’s three- reminding them of the development funds and government machinery”.
time chief minister is out there, he’s steered over the past 15 years, Alluding to the virtual absence of
trying to work his ‘magic’ for a fourth such as the Mukhyamantri Swasthya Congress workers on the ground, Singh
consecutive victory. Paid for by the state Suraksha Yojana bringing health retorts that the Congress should organ-
exchequer, Raman Singh’s ‘Vikas (de- insurance to 5.5 million families, one ise a “Congress Dhoondo Yatra”.
velopment) Yatra’ is employing a combi- rupee a kilo rice to ration card holders Singh is aware of the challenge he
nation of state aircraft and a remodelled and monetary assistance for education faces—in the 2013 assembly elections,
luxury vehicle to traverse the state. and marriages. the Congress’s vote share was a mere
Flagged off by Union home minister His journey is neatly 0.75 per cent lower than
Rajnath Singh from Dantewada on timed with the direct ben- the BJP’s. This time, there’s

May 12, the first phase of the yatra will efit transfer of bonuses to
culminate a month later, when BJP
president Amit Shah joins a roadshow
at Ambikapur on June 10. The second
phase, slated for end-August, will press
on until the Election Commission
enforces the poll code.
Moving from village to village,
Singh’s motorcade stops at the nearest
paddy farmers and tendu
leaf pluckers as he passes
through their villages. Ev-
ery time the chief minister
visits an area, he emerges
out of his vehicle on a hy-
draulic chair to announce
projects addressing local
67
the added threat from
Ajit Jogi’s Janta Congress
Chhattisgarh, which has
of the state’s been drawing larger crowds
90 constituencies than the Congress. Even on
will be covered May 17, when Rahul Gan-
in the chief dhi flew down to address
minister’s yatra the party’s show at Pendra
in Bilaspur. „

18 INDIA TODAY J U N E 18 , 2 018

STATES

PERKING UP Raje at a workers’ meet in

PURUSHOTTAM DIWAKAR Ghuggara village in Ajmer district

R AJASTH AN

ROCKY ROAD FOR RAJE

The BJP seems in disarray ahead of the assembly polls
JAIPUR
By Rohit Parihar

T
he ruling Bharatiya Janata Party appears to be los- masses as also Delhi’s refusal to extend a helping hand by way
ing the plot in Rajasthan. Avinash Rai Khanna, the of a special package for water resources Raje’s been seeking.
party’s vice president in charge of the state’s affairs, Khanna and the state party organisation are trying hard
rather curiously launched his outreach campaign on June 1, to swing public sentiment toward Prime Minister Narendra
with a visit to Ashok Jain, who had retired as chief secre- Modi before he commences campaigning in Rajasthan.
tary on December 31, ostensibly to apprise him of the state Raje, meanwhile, is trying to resurrect her ‘strong admin-
government’s policies and programmes! istrator’ image by ordering action against erring oicials,
After more than four years in power, the saffron party is dozens of whom have either been placed under suspension
struggling to craft a viable strategy for the assembly elections or shifting dozens of oicials. Having visited 50 assembly
later this year. Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and BJP chief segments in the past six months, sources say, the CM is also
Amit Shah have evidently failed to agree on a replacement awaiting an opportune time to embark on a poll yatra.
for Ashok Parnami, the state unit president who was asked to Worryingly for the chief minister and her partymen, the
step down in April after the bypoll debacle in February. BJP is in the throes of an extended crisis of confidence in the
Raje has opposed the candidacy of Gajendra Singh state. An internal survey has revealed that most booth level
Shekhawat (a Rajput) and Arjun Meghwal (a Dalit), citing workers are just names on a list. At a party organisation meet
a possible backlash from rival castes. Insiders, however, in Jaipur on June 1, a third of the invitees failed to show up.
say that she’s against installing a ‘Delhi man’ as state pre- At the event, Raje chided her ministers and party MLAs
sident as she wants to retain full control over the allotment for their arrogance in dealing with workers. Senior func-
of tickets for the assembly polls. The continuing stalemate tionaries of the party, she said, had no notion of her govern-
exposes Raje’s differences with the party high ment’s achievements and workers found
command, but has pleased Jats, OBCs and themselves at a loss to counter the Congress’s
some upper castes. Raje doesn’t propaganda. National joint secretary V.
Meanwhile, the BJP faces significant Satish had to warn legislators against criti-
anti-incumbency in Rajasthan, both due to
want Delhi’s cising the state government and the party.
the failure to communicate the achievements man as state The next few months certainly won’t be easy
of the state and central government to the BJP president for the chief minister. „

J U N E 18 , 2 018 INDIA TODAY 19

 COVER
STORY

OIL

The government is in a bind: can it afford

substantial fuel price cuts to assuage public
anger? Can it afford to lose revenue and risk
its social sector programmes in the run-up
to elections? Does it have options?
By M.G. Arun

Illustration by NILANJAN DAS

HE CONCERN WAS PALPABLE

T
on Union minister for oil & gas Dharmendra
Pradhan’s face as he summoned an emergency
meeting on Thursday, May 31, with ministry
oicials and top honchos of India’s public
sector oil companies in New Delhi. There was
rising public anger, though in certain pockets
of the country and on social media, and severe
criticism from the opposition on the gov-
ernment’s perceived inability to rein in fuel
prices that have touched historic highs in the
past few weeks and threatened to spur a price
rise across the board. An embarrassment the
Narendra Modi government can do without in
its final year in oice. But the meeting, which
went on past midnight, offered no solution.
Petrol and diesel prices were as high as
Rs 86 a litre and Rs 74, respectively, in Mum-
bai on June 3, and Rs 78 and Rs 73.58 in Delhi,
compared to Rs 66.12 and Rs 56.81 in Mumbai
and Rs 63 and Rs 51.67 in Delhi in May 2016.
Although various options were discussed
at the meeting—slashing excise rates on fuel,
prodding states to cut taxes, telling oil com-
panies to share part of the price rise burden
and even a taking a hard look at the policy of
dynamic pricing, introduced by Pradhan in
June 2017 where fuel prices are adjusted daily
in tandem with price changes in the global
market—no decision was taken. Experts say
there is little the minister can offer at this
juncture, when the government has to juggle
a delicate fiscal situation with finding funds
to feed its numerous social programmes
ahead of the general elections in May 2019.
But at the same time, it cannot afford to allow
 COVER
STORY
OIL
fuel prices to continue their northward
journey and be seen as doing nothing
about it. Therefore, Pradhan chose to
temporise as best as he could under
the circumstances. “Many options
are being explored for both short and
long term solutions,” he said, quickly
stressing the states’ role in lowering
value-added tax (VAT) on fuel prices,
a major source of their income. “In a
federal structure, I can only appeal to
the states,”he says (see interview).
On May 30, a reduction of a meagre
1 paisa on fuel by the country’s largest
state-owned refiner, Indian Oil Corpo-
ration, invited severe criticism of the
Centre. “Dear PM, you’ve cut the price
of petrol and diesel today by 1 paisa.
ONE paisa!? If this is your idea of a
prank, it’s childish and in poor taste,”
tweeted Congress president Rahul
Gandhi. While the government quickly
clarified that the 1 paisa reduction was
a technical glitch, fuel prices have fallen
only marginally in the past few days,
sometimes by 9 paise a day, and other
times, by as low as 7 paise.
Suchitra Menon, a teacher in Thane,
has been driving to school since 2008,
and has seen petrol prices go up by over
Rs 15, from Rs 70 in 2016. “In 2016, I
could tank up with Rs 2,000, which
would last me two weeks. Now it lasts
me just 10 days,” she laments.
Consumers are also angry that
fuel prices have remained high despite
crude prices softening globally. Be-
tween September 2014 and January
2016, crude prices fell by $66, to $30,
but petrol prices in India fell only by Rs
10. Then they started to climb again,
reaching record highs.
Interestingly, fuel prices remained
unchanged for 19 days in the run-up
to the Karnataka assembly elections
in mid-May, but began to rise soon
after. The government, however, denies
interfering in fuel pricing to please the
electorate. Meanwhile, IOC said it inde-
pendently decides retail selling prices of
petrol and diesel based on international
price trends following the deregulation
of petrol and diesel prices in June 2010
and October 2014, respectively.
22 INDIA TODAY J U N E 18 , 2 018
High fuel prices also have a casca-
ding effect on transportation costs
“THE ISSUE HAS which drives up inflation. According
TO BE ADDRESSED to research firm Dun & Bradstreet,
IMMEDIATELY WITH all-time high fuel prices in India are
likely to affect other segments and keep
AN EXCISE DUTY CUT the rate of inflation higher, even if the
BY THE CENTRE, AND monsoon is normal this year. It expects
A SLASHING OF VAT BY consumer price inflation, derived from
THE STATES.” the weighted average of prices of a bas-
— KIRIT S. PARIKH ket of goods and services, to be in the
IRADe chairman higher range of 4.6-4.7 per cent, at a
time when the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) is trying to keep inflation below
4 per cent. On June 6, the six-member
monetary policy committee of the RBI
headed by Governor Urjit Patel hiked
the repo rate—the rates at which the
central bank lends to other commercial
banks—by 25 basis points (bps) to 6.25
per cent. This is the first hike by the RBI
since the Modi government came to
“PASSING ON THE power, and signals its concern over ris-
ENTIRE BURDEN OF ing inflation. The RBI revised upwards
HIGHER OIL PRICES TO the retail inflation range to 4.8-4.9 per
cent in the first half of 2018-19, and 4.7
CONSUMERS COULD per cent in the second half.
POLITICALLY BE TOO The rupee being the worst perform-
BIG A PRICE (TO PAY).” ing currency in Asia this year, down
more than 5 per cent against the dollar,
— AJIT RANADE does not help either. “It is important to
Chief economist,
address the issue immediately with an
Aditya Birla Group
excise duty cut by the Centre, and a sub-
sequent slashing of VAT by states,” Kirit
S. Parikh, chairman of Delhi-based
research institute IRADe (Integrated
Research and Action for Development),
told INDIA TODAY. “Sixty per cent of Ind-
ian families own two-wheelers and not
all of them are rich.”
GENESIS OF THE PRICE RISE
“WHEN FUEL PRICES How did oil prices hit such a high and
WERE LOW, THE upset the government’s applecart? For
a fuel-guzzling nation such as India (it
GOVERNMENT RAISED
is behind only the US and China in oil
EXCISE DUTIES. NOW, consumption), where local oil produc-
WHEN THE PRICES ARE tion was a mere 36 million tonnes (mt)
HIGH, THEY SHOULD in 2016-17 against a requirement of
REDUCE THE 195 mt, imports are the only option.
India gets 63 per cent of its oil from
EXCISE DUTY.” West Asia, Iraq pipping Saudi Arabia as
— D.K. JOSHI India’s largest oil supplier in December
Chief economist, Crisil last year (see graph: Crude Picture).
 Iran, Venezuela and Nigeria are the other
major suppliers. India imported 220 mt
of crude in 2017-18 worth Rs 6.53 lakh
Though market-linked on paper, fuel prices in India
crore, according to the Petroleum Plan-
have not moved in step with international crude
ning & Analysis Cell (PPAC), a govern-
prices since 2014-15 ment energy think-tank. Such huge im-
ports (India’s overall imports were Rs 27
(Rs/litre) Retail price of Retail price of Crude oil prices ($/bbl)
lakh crore in 2017-18) make the country
petrol in Delhi diesel in Delhi (Indian basket,
80 (Rs/litre) (Rs/litre) ($/bbl) 120
vulnerable to geopolitical risks.
Although oil prices have been moving
up since last year, the latest trigger for the
70
100 sudden spurt to $80 a barrel in May was
US president Donald Trump’s withdrawal
60 from the Iran nuclear deal earlier that
80 month. When Iran, the third-largest
50 producer in the Organisation of the
Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec)
60
40
producing 2.5 million barrels of oil a day,
pledged to limit its nuclear ambitions to
40 civil energy production under the 2015
30
deal, sanctions were lifted on oil exports,
which boosted oil supplies and lowered
20 20 prices. With the US pulling out now, the
2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17
sanctions are expected to be reinstated by
August, curtailing production and rais-
ing oil prices. Moreover, Opec has been
trying to push up oil prices after they
collapsed in 2014 from over $115 a barrel
Retail prices have risen unabated, and consumers in to below $30 as Russia, Venezuela and
Mumbai, with India’s highest VAT rates, are the worst off other Opec nations stepped up produc-
tion, and the US provided more shale
86.23
90 30/05/2018 gas. Although prices subsequently cooled
81.75 PETROL 81.41
01/07/2014 down after Saudi Arabia and Russia said
(Rs/litre) 77.46 31/03/2018
74.78 16/01/2017 they planned to hike production by a
80
16/06/2015 million barrels a day, some experts see oil
crossing the $100 barrel mark if Venezu-
70 ela, with its staggering economy, is forced
to shut down oil production. That will be
Mumbai
60 Kolkata more bad news for India. According to
Delhi government estimates, every dollar per
Chennai barrel change in crude oil prices impacts
50 the import bill by Rs 823 crore (the same
2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19
when exchange rate fluctuates by Re 1 per
US dollar).

80 DIESEL 73.78 FUEL PRICING DYNAMICS

30/05/2018
(Rs/litre) 68.58 State-run oil companies import oil and
66.63 31/03/2018
70 01/08/2014 64.89 other petroleum products by inviting
16/01/2017
59.86 bids from global suppliers. Crude oil is
16/05/2015
then processed across 23 oil refineries
60
in India of which 18 are state-owned
Mumbai (belonging to IOC, Bharat Petroleum
50 Kolkata Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum
Delhi
Chennai
Corporation), three private refineries (of
40 Reliance Industries and Essar Oil) and
2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 two in joint ventures between state-run

J U N E 18 , 2 018 INDIA TODAY 23

 COVER
STORY

OIL

oil firms and overseas companies. India imports 63% of its crude oil from
Together, they have a refining capacity West Asia, Iraq being the largest supplier.
The overall dependence on imports (80%)
of 234 mt annually. The refined fuel is
and the high reliance on the big three also
then distributed to company dealers
expose India to geopolitical risk
and dispensed through over 56,000
retail outlets. This is where fuel pricing
dynamics kick in. INDIA IMPORTS INDIA’S TOP 10 CRUDE SUPPLIERS
To illustrate, let us look at the vari- OVER 80 PER CENT (Apr 2017 - Jan 2018)
ous components of the price of a litre OF ITS CRUDE OIL 40
of petrol in Delhi on June 3. The oil REQUIREMENTS Import volume in million tonnes
companies sold the fuel in its processed 30
state to dealers at Rs 38.39 a litre. The
Domestic
Centre then added an excise duty of
Rs 19.48 and, subsequently, a dealer 20% 20
Source: Oil ministry
commission of Rs 3.63. The state
(Delhi) added a VAT of Rs 16.61 10
Imports
(including on the dealer commission)
taking the final retail price to Rs 78.11.
80%
In short, the various central and state 0

Iraq

Mexico
Saudi Arabia

Iran

Venezuela

Nigeria

UAE

Kuwait

Angola

Oman
government taxes constitute as much
as 50 per cent of the price of petrol. For
diesel, dealers were charged just
Rs 41.08 by the refineries, an excise
duty of Rs 15.33 and VAT of Rs 10.17
were then added, and along with the
dealer commission of Rs 2.53, the final
cost was Rs 69.11. Central and state taxes comprise a fat chunk of what you pay at
the fuel station—in Delhi, about 50% on petrol

I
s it justified to have taxes
comprising half the cost of fuel? THE EXCISE HEIST
Excise duty and VAT on fuel are 78.11 (Rs/ltr) In the 4 years since it took over in May 2014, the Modi
government has raised excise duty 10 times—even
major revenue-earners for the when crude oil and dealer prices were down
Centre and states. According to re- 16.61
69.11
ports, the central government earned PETROL
10.17
close to Rs 10 lakh crore in the past 3.5 3.63 Excise Dealer Retail price *
years on petroleum products, while 2.53 duty price (Rs/ (Rs/ ltr in
the states made Rs 6.6 lakh crore. The (Rs/ ltr) ltr) Delhi)
19.48 15.33 May 26, 2014 9.48 51.5 71.41
government says the money helped
it meet expenses on various social Nov. 12, 2014 11.02 NA ** 64.24
welfare programmes. “Of the entire Dec. 3, 2014 13.34 39.74 63.33
money the central government col-
Jan. 1, 2015 15.28 NA 61.33
lects, 42 per cent is given to the states
as per the 14th Finance Commis- Jan. 17, 2015 15.56 NA 58.91
38.39 41.08
sion,” says Pradhan. “Of the balance, Nov. 7, 2015 17.16 27.24 60.70
60 to 70 per cent goes back through Dec. 16, 2015 17.46 24.67 59.98
centrally sponsored schemes. Develop-
Jan 2. 2016 17.83 NA 59.35
ment of the states is a priority issue.”
But experts say there is room for PETROL DIESEL Jan. 17, 2016 18.58 NA 59.99
excise duty cuts when prices go up, at $88.7/bbl $92.5/bbl Jan. 30, 2016 19.58 NA 59.95
least to soften the blow to consumers. Prices in Delhi, 3 June 2018 Apr. 2016 21.48 NA 59.68
“The government needs to contemplate VAT (incl. on dealer commission) Oct. 4, 2017 19.48 30.70 68.38
some action on the excise duty front,” Dealer commisssion (avg.)
Jun. 6, 2018 19.48 38.09 77.72
says D.K. Joshi, chief economist with Excise duty
Crisil. “When fuel prices were low, the Price charged to dealers * Including VAT and dealer commission; **NA: not available

Excise duty on diesel, meanwhile, moved from Rs 3.56 per litre

on May 26, 2014, to Rs 15.33 per litre currently
24 INDIA TODAY J U N E 18 , 2 018
government raised excise duties. Now,
when the prices are high, they should
reduce the excise duty, whatever the
consequences.” However, some crit-
ics blow a hole in the government’s
argument about social sector spend-
ing, saying it hasn’t been adequate. In
2014-18, between seven ministries, 13
ministers and 69 schemes, the Modi
government spent only six per cent of
the GDP on the social sector—almost
unchanged since 2012-13, as estimat-
ed by the Economic Survey of India,
2017-18. “Since the fisc’s been kept on
a tight leash, no big-bang social spend
took place in the last few years,” says
an economist. Rather, between 2014
and 2016, drastic cuts were made in
some important social sector areas,
especially education and health.
The Centre, has, indeed, reaped
the benefits of softening fuel prices for
a good part of its term. In May 2014,
when Narendra Modi was sworn in
as the prime minister, crude oil prices
were hovering above the $100 a barrel
mark. Petrol then cost Rs 71 in Delhi
and Rs 80 in Mumbai. As luck would
have it, crude prices in the internation-
al market began to fall sharply since
September 2014, when they stood at
$97 a barrel to below $30 on Janu-
ary 14, 2016. This was the first time
in 12 years that crude prices dropped
so steeply. Although petrol prices
briefly dropped to Rs 59 in Delhi and
Rs 66 in Mumbai that month, they
began rising again since March. When
crude prices fell, the windfall gains
for the government came from both
the lower cost of imports as well as
from the higher excise duties on fuel.
For instance, India’s savings on its
import bill in 2015-16 due to lower
crude prices was as high as Rs 2.14
lakh crore. Excise duties, on the other
hand, were being raised. Ever since
the Modi government came to power,
excise duty on petrol has gone up from
Rs 9.48 a litre to over Rs 19, while that
on diesel has gone up from Rs 3.56 a
litre to Rs 15.33. The last cut in excise
duty was effected in October 2017, by
Rs 2 a litre, because of which it said it
lost revenues to the tune of Rs 13,000
crore. Now we know why governments
won’t let go of such revenues so easily.
Collections from excise duty on
petroleum products surged to 1.6 per
cent of the GDP in 2016-17 from 0.7
per cent in 2013-14. “While most of
these gains were transferred to states
(under the 14th Finance Commission)
and central government employees
(7th Central Pay Commission), the
fiscal situation still improved for the
Centre as interest payments and sub-
sidies were steadily controlled,” says a
Delhi-based economist. “Besides the
fiscal, oil gains accrued to the external
sector too, with the current account
deficit to GDP improving to 0.7 per
cent from 1.7 per cent and inflation
softening between 2013-14 and 2016-
17.” Current account deficit is a broad-
er measure of an economy’s health
that includes trade deficit, income
from land, labour and capital, as well
as financial transfers. A nation has a
trade deficit if the total value of goods
and services it imports is greater than
the total value of exports.
OIL PRICE AND
ECONOMIC IMPACT
What if crude prices keep rising in the
international market? Experts say
higher crude prices will have a bearing
on three key areas. On the fiscal side,
the government will face pressures
from higher outlay in the form of sub-
sidies to oil companies to sell LPG and
kerosene below market rates and from
lowering excise duties, if at all it de-
cides to do so. Assuming crude at $65
a barrel, these could increase the gross
fiscal deficit to GDP ratio by 10-12 ba-
sis points from budget estimates. One
basis point is equal to one-hundredth
of a percentage point. Second, a $10
per barrel increase in crude price from
current levels could spike inflation by
around 50 bps in fiscal 2019. Third,
a runaway rise in oil prices could stir
the inflation scourge back to life and
impact other macro indicators too. “A
back-of-the-envelope estimate shows
that every $10 per barrel increase in
crude oil price can shore up India’s
fiscal deficit by 8 bps as a percentage
 COVER
STORY

OIL

At the high end of the spectrum, Maharashtra levies close to 40%

VAT on petrol whereas, for comparison, Delhi charges 27% and
Goa, at the low end, 16.6%. The table below sorts states and UTs on
the basis of VAT they charge on petrol ( high 10; low 10)

SALES TAX/ VAT (%) RS/ LITRE AS ON JUNE 5, 2018

Petrol Diesel Petrol Diesel

MAHARASHTRA – Mumbai* 39.8 24.8 85.65 73.33
MAHARASHTRA (rest of state) 38.8 22 85.68 73.37
MADHYA PRADESH 36.1 23.2 83.45 72.5
ANDHRA PRADESH 36.1 28.5 82.45 74.87
PUNJAB 35.4 16.9 74.85 66.89
TELANGANA 33.2 26 82.49 74.87
TAMIL NADU 32.1 24 80.8 72.72
KERALA 32 25.6 80.97 73.72
LAKSHADWEEP 32 25.6 80.97 73.72
RAJASTHAN 30.9 24.2 80.6 73.34
ASSAM 30.8 22.7 82.45 74.87
UTTARAKHAND 28.7 16.8 78.89 69.21
KARNATAKA 28.3 18.3 79.1 70.06
UTTAR PRADESH 28.3 16.8 78.35 69.04
SIKKIM 28.1 16 80.85 70.6
JAMMU & KASHMIR (JAMMU) 27.6 17.1 79.52 70.04
JHARKHAND 27.1 23.3 77.51 72.71
DELHI 27 17.3 77.83 68.88
CHHATTISGARH 27 25.8 74.85 74.36
HARYANA 26.3 17.2 74.85 66.89
GUJARAT 25.4 25.5 77.12 74.03
WEST BENGAL 25.3 17.6 80.47 71.43
BIHAR 24.7 18.3 83.3 73.58
ODISHA 24.6 25 76.64 73.84
HIMACHAL PRADESH 24.4 14.3 77.99 68.5
MANIPUR 23.6 13.9 75.89 66.93
NAGALAND 23.1 13.6 76.26 67.22
MEGHALAYA 22.4 13.8 77.18 68.68
PUDUCHERRY 21.2 17.2 76.59 71.15
ARUNACHAL PRADESH 20 12.5 73.64 66.12
DADRA & NAGAR HAVELI 20 15 75.7 69.7
DAMAN & DIU 20 15 75.62 69.63
CHANDIGARH 19.8 11.4 74.85 66.89
TRIPURA 18.9 13 73.5 66.95
MIZORAM 18.8 11.5 73.62 66.13
GOA 16.6 18.8 71.72 70.11
ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS 6 6 67.06 64.54

*Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai

of GDP and similarly the current ac-
count deficit by 40 bps, other things
remaining the same,” says Joshi.
In his last budget, Union finance
minister Arun Jaitley made all budget
calculations assuming crude oil prices
will remain constant. PPAC’s recent
calculations reveal that if crude prices
remain in the $70-$80 a barrel range,
India may have to shell out around
Rs 2 lakh crore more to buy the same
quantity of crude it bought in the last
fiscal. To mitigate the impact, India
is looking for countries accepting
different currency payments for
crude, apart from searching for new
destinations to source the commod-
ity. For example, since Iran and Iraq
accept Euros, they are becoming
the most relied trading partners to
India in oil and dependency on the
dollar-dominant Saudi Arabia is
shrinking. “Given India’s role as a net
oil importer, higher oil prices will lead
to higher inflation and will negatively
impact the fiscal and current account
deficits,” says Derrick Kam, India
economist at Morgan Stanley. The
firm has forecast a central govern-
ment fiscal deficit of 3.4 per cent for
the current fiscal, a shade higher than
the government’s 3.3 per cent target.
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT
CAN DO
It is, therefore, clear that reining in
oil prices is not just critical to assuage
public anger but also to keep gov-
ernment finances in check and the
economy in good shape. But what are
the options before the government,
and what are the chances they’ll be
exercised? One way is to bring fuel
under the Goods and Services Tax
(GST). “Since the highest slab in GST
is 28 per cent, the taxes will still be
much lower than they are at pres-
ent,” says Joshi. The current debate
surrounding bringing petroleum
products under GST should put
additional pressure on states to
come around to agree to this, but at
the moment, this is just a proposal.
Moreover, it can be a disruptive move,
something the government may not
want at this juncture. The other is to
tell ONGC, India’s domestic producer
of oil, which has reaped big profits
from high crude prices, to sell crude at
lower prices to refiners, and in turn,
compensate the firm by seeking lower
dividends from it this year. There are
reports the government may impose
a windfall profit tax on ONGC. How-
ever, Parikh says he is against taxing
the firm, since “taxing ONGC is as
good as the government taxing itself,
since the latter is a major shareholder
owning two-thirds in ONGC”.
The third is to procure crude
at a discount from Opec countries,
instead of buying at the ‘Asian
premium’ India currently pays. This
would require intense negotiations
with these countries. With Pradhan
crediting himself with visiting several
key oil-producing countries to boost
relations, it is but natural to expect
the government to convince its suppli-
ers to lower the prices.
Parikh, who advocates a slashing
of excise duties, says governments
reducing taxes is the only option. “The
Centre should cut excise duty by
Rs 1 or 2, and the states should reduce
VAT by 3 or 4 percentage points, so
that revenues from VAT are the same
as when crude prices were at $60,”
he says. This way, the states do not
lose revenue. He wants the states to
make bigger cuts in VAT, because it is
calculated ad valorem or in propor-
tion to the estimated value of the
commodity. So, when crude prices
are higher, states get higher tax. “This
way, fuel prices can be brought down
by Rs 4 to Rs 5,” he says. He feels no
need for bringing fuel under GST in
the short run as the benefits will not
be as significant compared to a plain
reduction in central and state taxes.
But Ajit Ranade, chief economist
at the Aditya Birla Group, disagrees.
“Between the states and the Centre,
it is the latter that must bear a bigger
burden of reduction in excise because
expenditure commitments are higher
at the state level and their fiscal situa-
tion is more precarious,” he says.
With the government reluctant
to slash excise duties since it fears it
might impact its social schemes, the
other option is to pressurise states
to cut VAT. Kerala, a non-BJP ruled
 INTERVIEW: DHARMENDRA PRADHAN

With Lok Sabha elections less than a year away and crude oil prices hovering way above
India’s comfort zone, minister for petroleum and natural gas Dharmendra Pradhan is in the
hot seat. In an exclusive interview with Senior Editor Shweta Punj, he reiterates that India is
pushing for reasonable oil pricing with oil-producing nations, negotiating with the states to
bring down taxes and pushing the GST Council to bring fuel under GST. Excerpts:

Q. Is the government thinking of bring-

ing fuel under GST?
In principle, petroleum products sho-
uld come under GST. GST is paid on
petroleum industry input in refinery,
exploration. But we don’t get input
subsidy because our end-use product is
not under the GST mechanism. That’s
why, in a way, the industry too takes a
hit. For price and tax rationality and
fiscal stability of the sector, it is in the
industry’s favour if the entire value
chain—from production to the mar-
keting network—comes under GST. We
are requesting the GST Council to do
that. The states were apprehensive ini-
tially about bringing petroleum under
GST, they were worried about revenues.
Seeing the progress in implementation
of GST, we believe it will happen very
soon. The rate will be decided by the
GST Council. It should come to a ratio- CHANDRADEEP KUMAR
nal model, that’s my priority.

Q. There is a furore over high fuel
prices. What will the government’s
strategy be?
Three major factors decide crude oil
prices. International crude oil prices
are linked to geopolity, fluctuation in
the exchange rate as well as the tax
structure of respective states and the
Centre. For a visible difference (in pric-
es), all three factors need to be comple-
mentary. For instance, if international
oil prices keep going up and we tweak
the taxes, it will not bring any benefits.
The government is very sensitive about
the spending behaviour of the common
man and we did reduce excise duty in
October last year; some states even re-
duced taxes. All states have their own
spending pattern and developmental
commitments. We have to strike a fine
balance among all aspects.
Q. So you are working with the states
on reducing taxes and building pres-
sure in the international community?
We are holding discussions with the
states and creating geopolitical pres-
sure. We are constantly making the
oil-producing nations aware that In-
dia is a big market. We are telling the
oil producers that we are the number
3 energy consumer in the world. Rela-
tively speaking, our per capita energy
consumption is very less, so is the case
with the emerging economies. This will
go up in the days to come, so the oil-
purchasing countries too hold value.
That’s why the oil producers can no
longer ignore this.
Q. What is the standpoint of oil produc-
ers like Saudi Arabia and Russia?
There are signs of Saudi Arabia and
Russia revisiting the decision to cut
down production. They will take a de-
cision when they meet in Vienna this
month. The Saudi oil minister told me
personally they will take a decision and
are mindful of our concerns.
Q. What’s a comfortable crude oil price
for the Indian economy?
For our economy, $55-60 a barrel is a
comfortable price. We have said this ex-
plicitly in international forums. At the
Abu Dhabi investment summit, I said
clearly this $70 theory is pinching us.

Q. Will the Centre reduce excise
duty?
Crude prices have been sliding since
May 30—by 71 paise for petrol and 51
paise for diesel. This is not an isolated
issue that you have done it once so the
responsibility is over. We are worried
about the common man’s pocket.
Q. But oil prices weren’t reduced when
international crude prices were down?
The Congress has been raising the
issue. If (former finance minister) P.
Chidambaram has integrity, he will
tell that in the name of oil bonds, he
left a debt of Rs 50,000 crore behind.
We have paid off the debt. We want to
keep the consumer most comfortable.
Q. The 1 paisa cut in fuel price last
month seemed like a mockery.
On June 6, petrol prices were down
by 11 paise. Earlier, the cut was 13
paise. On June 1, it was 5 paise. The
1 paise cut shouldn’t have been done.
It could have been combined with an-
other cut. I accept it was mistake. But
this is dependent on the price mecha-
nism, and this wasn’t the first time
there was a 1 paise cut.
Q. When do we see oil prices going
down now?
When we cut excise duty the last time,
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh,
Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh and
Gujarat reduced prices. It is the re-
sponsibility of states as well. It’s not a
BJP-Congress battle. Every state has
a different need and paying capacity.
In a federal structure, I can only ap-
peal to the states.
Q. On your part, will the government
go for an excise cut?
We don’t believe in one-time solu-
tions. Providing holistic, long-term,
continuous comfort is our responsi-
bility. The poor and the middle class
are more affected by oil prices. We
must have responsive and reasonable
pricing in crude oil. I say on interna-
tional forums that your price mecha-
nisms are pinching our economy. And
we are an emerging economy. ■
COVER
STORY
OIL
state, has recently cut VAT by Re 1,
foregoing Rs 500 crore in annual
revenues. But much to the Centre’s
consternation, states are taking their
own time before resorting to any
such cuts. As for the other options,
the government has categorically
said it will not go back on its policy of
dynamic pricing. Backtracking on its
earlier policies will send a negative
signal to the investor community
and the rating agencies, which the
government does not want to do now.
It can also wait until crude oil prices
fall further, but the problem then is
that, given the geopolitical tensions
that can crop up in West Asia any-
time, such gambles may backfire.
“India also needs to build
strategic reserves of oil, acquire
equity interest in international oil
companies and diversify the energy
portfolio as part of a long-term sus-
tainable energy security strategy,”
says Ranade.
Right now, the government is in
a bind over oil prices. It can neither
easily forego revenue that helped it
maintain fiscal discipline nor afford
to turn a blind eye to rising prices.
With just a year to go before the
general elections, it just cannot allow
the opposition to capitalise on the
sensitive issue. That explains the gov-
ernment’s concern and the clamour
to find a ‘long-term’ solution. After
all, high fuel price was one of the
weapons that Modi used to target
the previous UPA government in
his election campaigns, but it is now
back to haunt him, even as his party
faced reversals in recent Lok Sabha
and assembly bypolls.
Chances are it’ll wait some
more, during which it will watch if
oil prices fall or more states agree
to cut taxes, or even try and reach a
consensus with states on bringing
fuel under GST. Till then, the aam
aadmi will continue to bear the
brunt of rising fuel prices. „
with Anshuman Tiwari,
Anilesh S. Mahajan and Shweta Punj
 DEFENCE / INDO-RUSSIA

THE SANCTIONS
SHADOW
A NEW US LAW THREATENS TO CUT OFF THE BOOMING INDIA-RUSSIA
ARMS PIPELINE. WILL IT FORCE INDIA TO CHOOSE BETWEEN
THE US OR RUSSIA AS A MILITARY PARTNER?
By Sandeep Unnithan

UNDER
THREAT
The Russian
S-400 surface-
to-air missile
system
deployed in
Sevastopol,
Crimea

W
When foreign minister Sushma
Swaraj and defence minister Nirmala
Sitharaman travel to Washington next
month for the first of the annual ‘2+2’
strategic dialogue with their respec-
tive US counterparts Mike Pompeo
and Jim Mattis, they will have Rus-
sia on their mind. Specifically, how to
insulate India’s military preparedness
from the threat of US sanctions, which
has hung a sword of Damocles over the
country’s military ties with Russia.
In January, the US law CAATSA
(Countering America’s Adversaries
Through Sanctions Act) came into
effect. The law imposes sanctions on
Russia, North Korea and Iran as well
as countries buying arms from them.
A senior government oicial says
while the sanctions imposed after
the Russian annexation of Crimea in
2014 focused only on Russian firms,
CAATSA shifts the US attack to for-
eign countries doing business with
all Russian military firms. This has
serious implications for India, one
of Russia’s largest defence partners
for nearly 50 years. It not only needs
spare parts for warships, fighter jets,
radars and battle tanks that now
make up nearly 60 per cent of its
weaponry, the sanctions impact arms
deals worth over $12 billion that the
Indian armed forces are seeking to
counter China and Pakistan.
The navy has recently negotiated
the lease of a second nuclear-pow-
ered attack submarine from Russia
for $2 billion. The amount will pay
for the lease and refit of a Russian
navy Akula-2 hull, which is to join
the navy in the next decade to replace
INS Chakra, which was leased from
Russia in 2008. The army needs to
urgently replace its ageing f leet of
Cheetah and Chetak helicopters with
Kamov 226 light utility helicopters,
SERGEI MALGAVKO\GETT Y IMAGES
140 of which will be manufactured
in India as a joint venture between
Russian Helicopters and Hindustan
Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The
Indian Air Force wants five S-400
surface-to-air missile systems worth
over Rs 40,000 crore from Russia to
significantly offset the disadvantages
of its depleted fighter squadrons when
facing the air forces of China and Pak-
istan in case of a two-front war. Each
missile has a range of nearly 400 km.
When deployed on the border, they
can cover vast reaches of Pakistan’s
airspace (the US-made Patriot PAC-
3 missile has a range of just 70 km).
All of these deals will see signifi-
cant currency transactions, which are
likely to attract provisions of CAAT-
SA, but given India’s financial con-
straints, the deal for S-400 missiles
seems closest to the finish line. The
S-400 contract is likely to be signed
when President Vladimir Putin visits
India later this year for the 19th An-
nual India-Russia bilateral summit.
This one deal will thus be the test case
of the Indian government’s ability
to withstand United States sanctions,
particularly since the US regards
this particular missile system with
deep suspicion.
On May 28, Mac Thornberry,
chairman of the House Armed Ser-
vices Committee, told journalists in
Delhi that there is “a lot of concern
in the US in both the administration
and the Congress” over the S-400 sys-
tem. “And there is concern that any
country, and it is not just India that is
looking at clearing it, but any country
that acquires that system will com-
plicate our ability to work out inter-
operability,” Thornberry said.
THE WAY OUT
CAATSA forces New Delhi to choose
between strategic partners Russia
and the US. A decade since the signing
of the landmark Indo-US nuclear deal
in 2008, the relationship has blos-
somed into a thriving arms partner-
ship, with the United States becoming
India’s second-largest arms partner.
Both countries regularly hold a series
of military manoeuvres under the re-
 DEFENCE / INDO-RUSSIA

cently renamed ‘Indo-Pacific Command’ and have shared fense or the Secretary of State believe India should take’, to
common concerns over a rising China. advance the relationship with the United States, measures
Meanwhile, CAATSA and the unpredictability of the that can be taken by the United States and India to improve
Donald Trump administration have forced a subtle reset in interoperability. And, lastly, it also inserts a clause ‘progress
New Delhi and driving India and Russia closer. in enabling agreements between the United States and India’.
Even as the US gears up to counter a China-Russia axis, The last reflects the US administration’s pique over India’s
New Delhi has reiterated its belief in a multi-polar world. slow progress in ‘foundation agreements’, such as LEMOA
On May 21, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Putin at (Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement), signed in
an informal summit in Sochi, Russia. On May 29, National 2016 after nearly a decade. The Communications Compatibil-
Security Advisor Ajit Doval, a key figure in the India-Russia ity and Security Agreement (COMCASA) and Basic Exchange
relationship, got Pankaj Saran, India’s and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) are
ambassador to Russia, as his deputy na- yet to be signed.
tional security advisor. And on June 5, “It’s not just the S-400 deal, but India’s
defence minister Sitharaman came out strategic autonomy that is at stake,” says
with an emphatic endorsement. “In all Vice Admiral A.K. Singh (retired), a for-
our engagements with the United States, mer commanding-in-chief, Eastern Naval
we have clearly explained to them that Command. “Hopefully, our leaders will re-
India and Russia’s defence cooperation alise we cannot break ties with Russia. The
has been going on for a long time and that United States is the world leader in anti-
it is a time-tested relationship. We have “We have clearly submarine warfare, stealth technology and
also mentioned that CAATSA cannot be explained to the US that drone technology, but will never part with
impacting on this,” she said in New Delhi. India and Russia’s it or even sell it. There are certain technolo-
Adds a senior defence oicial: “We are not defence cooperation gies only the Russians will give us.” With
the Dominican Republic or Canada, we are is a time-tested the 2016 commissioning of the nuclear-
India and we have conveyed our concerns relationship.” powered ballistic missile submarine INS
to the US administration.” NIRMALA SITHARAMAN Arihant, India recently operationalised the
The United States was already con- Defence Minister third leg of its nuclear triad, the ability to
scious of the impact of CAATSA on part- fire nuclear-tipped missiles from under the
ners like India. Signing the bill into law sea. This could not have been done without
last August, President Donald Trump
raised objections, terming it ‘seriously WHAT IS considerable Russian assistance.

flawed’ because it limited the executive

branch’s flexibility on foreign policy. On
April 27, Mattis told a Congressional hear-
ing by the Senate Armed Services Com-
mittee that a national security waiver
be urgently provided to India and other
countries, which are trying to turn away
from Russian-sourced weapons, to avoid
sanctions under CAATSA.
Responding to the request, the US
Senate this month inserted four new
clauses under Section 1292 of the Act
‘Enhancing Defense and Security Co-
operation with India’ in its defence bud-
get passed last month. The new clauses
empower the Trump administration to
suspend CAATSA sanctions, but it has
to certify that India was reducing its de-
pendency on Russia ‘and has a desire to
continue doing so’, as Thornberry told the
media in New Delhi. The clauses are of
the nature of describing ‘limitations that
hinder or slow (down) progress’ in Indo-
US ties, ‘a description of actions India is
taking, or the actions the Secretary of De-
32 INDIA TODAY J U N E 18 , 2 018
CAATSA?
Countering America’s
Adversaries Through
Sanctions Act. Enacted
in August 2017, came into
effect in January. Targets
Iran, North Korea
and Russia
INDIA'S WORRY
One of its provisions targets
Russian defence firms and
countries doing business with
them. India has defence deals
worth over $12 billion in the
pipeline with Russia
THE SOLUTION
New clauses inserted by the
US in the National Defense
Authorization Act (US military
budget), which empower
the Trump administration to
suspend CAATSA sanctions,
but it has to certify that India
is reducing its dependence
on Russia
ON THE GROUND
Meanwhile, India and Russia have moved
away from US dollars and euros and now
do business in rupees and roubles. Agree-
ments are being re-drafted and new modes of
payments being established between Indian
and Russian state-owned banks. Syndicate
Bank, Vijaya Bank and the Indian Bank and
Sberbank of Russia have been designated to
handle the rupee-rouble payments for In-
dia to pay for Russian military purchases.
The payments bypass SWIFT transactions,
which are routed through New York. The first
contracts were redrawn recently for the $208
million mid-life upgrade of a Russian-built
Kilo class submarine in Russia. But while
these relatively minor deals might go under
the radar, it is the big-ticket items like the
S-400 missile system that have the potential
to cause worry in South Block. A waiver from
the US administration will leave a strong
negotiation lever in their hands, which they
can use to extract other concessions from
India. Under present circumstances, India’s
choices seem pretty limited. ■
 NATION | BJP

BACK TO THE
DRAWING BOARDFollowing successive bypoll defeats, the BJP is
drawing up a plan to win back lost ground. But there
may be far too many hurdles on the road to 2019

By Uday Mahurkar

espite the unbearable June sum- The party also believes the national-level scenario—
mer, the national BJP headquar- where the battle will be between Modi and Rahul Gandhi or

D
ters at Delhi’s Deen Dayal Upadh- between Modi and other leaders—will be different. As Amit
yaya Marg is bustling with activity. Shah puts it, “The phenomenon ‘opposition unity index’ is
The opposition victory in Karna- being overplayed by the media. Our schemes for the common
taka and the BJP’s poor show in the man have benefitted 22 crore people who with their families
subsequent bypolls in other states add up to more than 80 crore people. We are now gearing up
have failed to dampen the spirit of to directly connect with the beneficiaries of these schemes
party workers. There is little time through our party machinery.”
to be spent on introspection. The instruction from the top As per the party’s current calculation, the BJP expects
brass is clear—the party must prepare for the 2019 Lok Sabha its tally to go up from two to 22 in West Bengal, one to 15 in
polls, keeping in mind the changed political scenario. Odisha and eight to 21 in the northeastern states. It expects
The united opposition has found chinks in the BJP’s Ut- gains in Andhra Pradesh but is not really sure about Telan-
tar Pradesh armour and trumped the saffron party in three gana because of the highly populist but administratively
constituencies in the state this year. The BJP, too, believes questionable route taken by chief minister K. Chandrashekar
that the index of unity against it is high and productive in Rao to win voters wherein he is spending Rs 8,000 per acre
UP, the state which sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha. “UP is a year on each farmer. In UP, the party is optimistic about
certainly an area of worry,” says a party leader. “But in other getting 65 seats.
states, opposition unity will create a positive emotional impact There are signs of complacency: few in the party seem
for Narendra Modi and may end up uniting to acknowledge the challenge in Rajasthan,
people against those who are bent upon uproot- Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, which
ing the honest prime minister.” Adds another The BJP expects are going to polls this year. The BJP is not
leader: “We would be in danger if the CPI(M) contemplating any major change in the lead-
joins hands with the TMC in West Bengal or the
its tally to go ership of these states though the state chief
Congress joins hands with the BJD in Odisha up from two in Madhya Pradesh has been replaced. In
or with KCR in Telangana. But that’s unlikely to 22 in West Rajasthan, where the equations between
to happen. In UP we are only six per cent short Modi-Shah and Chief Minister Vasundhara
of our target of getting 50 per cent of the vote to
Bengal, one to Raje have remained stressed, the planned
tackle the SP-BSP challenge. With some course 15 in Odisha induction of the new party chief is still hang-
correction, that is not diicult.” The party does and eight ing fire. There is no consensus on who should
not consider Kairana, with 33 per cent Muslim to 21 in the be appointed as the new president in place of
population and 61 per cent voting this time as Raje’s nominee Ashok Parnami who report-
against 73 per cent in 2014, as a reliable barom- northeastern edly exited under pressure from Modi and
eter of the BJP’s standing in UP. states Shah in April.

34 INDIA TODAY J U N E 18 , 2 018

 POWER
PAIRING
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
and BJP president
Amit Shah at
the concluding
session of the
national executive
committee meeting
of the party

PANKAJ NANGIA/ MAIL TODAY

J U N E 18 , 2 018 INDIA TODAY 35

NATION | BJP Bypoll Woes
In the past two years, the BJP has lost
The consensus among the party leadership seems to be 21 bypolls in 9 states it rules
that major change at this stage at the state or national level
will not make any tangible difference to its electoral perfor- 4
mance—rather it could make things worse. Shah has contin-

9
ued with the old team of Rajnath Singh in the national body,
adding only a few new faces. Many in the party feel that he 2017 2018

21
should have had his own full-fledged team and that this sta- 28
tus quoist approach might be fraught with danger. Sources
close to Shah say he has little choice, with the entire pre-2014
national team, including second-rung leaders, being drafted Bypolls lost in BJP-ruled Bypolls lost in BJP-ruled
into Modi’s cabinet. But Shah is sanguine about the party’s states 4 (3)* states 17 (8)*
prospects in both state and national polls. According to his Won by BJP Number of bypolls
aides, the party is in a reasonably good position to salvage the
*In brackets: the number of BJP-ruled states
situation not only in MP and Chhattisgarh but even in Raj-
asthan. Its prospects in the latter are much better than they
were in Gujarat last year, they say. The BJP managed to win
in the state despite the Congress joining forces with Hardik
Patel and Jignesh Mevani. Shrinking vote share
While opposition unity outscored the BJP in
CHANGING TRACK three Lok Sabha seats in UP, but its vote share
The BJP leadership has started taking stock of the states has slumped too
that are going to polls this year and the ones that matter for
the 2019 general election. To this end, it has even drawn up
a nationwide plan to enlist the support of the beneficiaries of 52% 52% 51%
47% 47%
its major pro-poor schemes. To give shape to this plan, Modi
39%
and Shah recently spent an entire day in Delhi with 1,000
oice-bearers from the party’s seven morchas or frontal or-
ganisations for youth, women, Dalits, tribals, farmers, OBCs
and minorities that had come together for the first time.
Shah told workers: “Out of our 11 crore workers, you 1,000
are the core of the party and its future. You are the ones who
GORAKHPUR PHULPUR KAIRANA
will lead the party in the years to come. Now is the time to
prove your mettle by bringing people close to the party on
2014 LS polls vote share 2018 bypoll vote share
the strength of its work.” He invoked recent attacks on BJP
workers by rivals in West Bengal and Kerala and asked the
workers to give a befitting answer through the ballot. Accord-
ing to national BJP Mahila Morcha chief Vijaya Rahatkar,
the speeches delivered by Modi and Shah on the occasion Where is the new ground?
were very inspiring.
In West Bengal and Kerala, the BJP
Apart from Shah and Modi, the party’s national general has emerged as a challenger, but not made
secretaries too addressed two sessions with each morcha, much headway
dwelling on ground level issues. The workers were given
information pertaining to the major programmes of the
Modi government, be it the Jan Dhan Yojana, the Mudra or
WEST BENGAL
the Ujjwala LPG cooking gas kit scheme, health insurance Vote share Vote share Total number Won by
or housing for all. Estimating the number of beneficiaries of in 2014 Lok in 2016 of bypolls BJP
Sabha polls assembly polls since 2015
these schemes to be 220 million, they were asked to reach
out to all of them in a planned manner. 17% 10.2% 8 0
The campaign by the workers will start from July and
continue for six months. As part of the plan, a worker will
go to a beneficiary with flowers, a dupatta with the party KERALA
symbol on it and a photograph of Narendra Modi and ask
Vote share Vote share Total number Won by
him how the schemes have worked for him and his family
in 2014 Lok in 2016 of bypolls BJP
and if he has any further requirement. Sabha polls assembly polls since 2015
Shah will personally monitor the implementation of this
massive outreach programme from the high-tech control 10.5% 10.5% 3 0

36 INDIA TODAY J U N E 18 , 2 018 Graphics by ASIT ROY

room at the party’s national headquarters in New Delhi.
This is in keeping with their image of being great monitors of their grand
schemes. Shah has acquired the digital data pertaining to the 220 million
beneficiaries and fed it in his party data bank. A BJP worker who visits a
beneficiary will ask him or her to give a missed call on the dedicated toll-free
party number connected to the BJP’s control room. This will lead to two
things—the names of beneficiaries will get updated in the party’s data system
and it will ensure that there’s no fudging by the worker at the ground level.
Sourav Sikdar, secretary of the BJP’s national Yuva Morcha, says, “It is part
of a well thought-out exercise and a foolproof plan.”
The BJP strategy will also rely heavily on the Ayushman Bharat scheme
the Modi government announced in this year’s budget. The ambitious health
protection mission, which is expected to cover 100 million families or 500
million people, is expected to be completed by November this year. This, it
hopes, will translate into significant political gains for the BJP in 2019.

UTTAR PRADESH: DOWN BUT NOT OUT

Despite the party’s confidence, it is treading cautiously in UP where it faced
successive defeats in bypolls. Some blame it on Yogi Adityanath’s lack of
chemistry with party leaders while a section of workers are angry about his
overreliance—some describe it as complete surrender to—on bureaucracy.
Besides, all the three key leaders of UP—deputy chief minister Keshav
Maurya, state organisation secretary Sunil Bansal and state BJP chief
Mahendranath Pandey—don’t get along with Yogi for various reasons.
Yogi’s administrative abilities have also come into question in the face of
his inability to address the glut in the sugarcane market. The less-than-sat-
isfactory results of the Centre’s crop insurance scheme in UP as well as other
states is being seen as one of the reasons for a section of the rural constitu-
ency being estranged from the party. What does work for Yogi and the BJP is
his clean image and his claim of having ended goonda raj in the state.
Says a party leader, “Some effort on Yogi’s part to mend fences with fel-
low leaders and improve his administrative acumen will bring the situation
around for us in UP.” Anil Jain, BJP national general secretary, observes:
“We need to add six per cent votes during the Lok Sabha polls to meet the
combined challenge of Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav which won’t be dif-
ficult with Modiji as the face of the party in the Lok Sabha polls.”

WHERE THE BJP MIGHT BE LOSING GROUND

First, the party is in danger of losing a part of its traditional following among
the middle class and small traders due to economic policies which have hurt
them. The rise in oil prices is a sore point for this constituency as also a sense
of betrayal that after coming to power on the strength of the middle class vote,
the BJP has forgotten them and is concentrating only on pro-poor schemes.
An income tax exemption of up to Rs 5 lakh per year may have gone a long
way in addressing the grievances of a section of the middle class. The farm-
ers’ schemes, so ambitiously framed by the government, have only partially
succeeded, particularly because of the failure to address the problem of excess
production of onion and sugarcane which have gone waste and resulted in
huge losses for farmers.
The other major problem is the non-consultative Modi-Shah style of func-
tioning in the name of discipline which keeps a section of the BJP leadership
sullen. However, those who disagree with the duo also know that Modi and
Shah are the prime movers in the party and Modi’s public appeal as someone
who fights corruption with missionary zeal will be the party’s biggest draw
in 2019. However, prior to that, the party will have to pass an acid test in the
three assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. ■
NATION / KERALA

THE LONE
RANGER
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s development
model is bringing real change on the ground,
but complacency and aversion to counsel
may prove to be his undoing

By Jeemon Jacob

is first decision on being that he is making a new beginning. Pinarayi is the first Kerala chief minister

H
picked by the CPI(M) state
committee to steer the
Left Democratic Front
(LDF) government in
Kerala was to announce a
change in his date of birth with dramat-
ic flourish. Offering sweets to the media,
with whom he has had a testy relation-
ship, Pinarayi Vijayan declared on May
24, 2016, that he was born the same day
71 years ago in 1945—a signal of sorts
Having narrowly lost out on an ear-
lier chance to head an LDF government,
Pinarayi has been keen to demonstrate
that he leads from the front and has a
mind of his own. Even the canons of
Marxism were secondary in his aggres-
sive style of governance that glossed—at
times rode roughshod—over attempts to
‘guide’ him. Comrades offering counsel
were snubbed, with the chief minister
underlining “I know exactly what to do”.
from the CPI(M) to control both the gov-
ernment and the party at the same time.
Predictably, this approach has trig-
gered controversies, but Pinarayi has
remained unfazed. At 73, the man who
some wryly call ‘Modi in dhoti’ for his
uncompromising attitude, works tire-
lessly, covering tracks for several of his
handpicked—and less competent—cabi-
net colleagues. Personal integrity has
mattered the most in Pinarayi’s political

38 INDIA TODAY J U N E 18 , 2 018


A NEW CHAPTER
Pinarayi Vijayan at the inauguration of a
smart classroom in Thiruvananthapuram
career, which has been largely devoted
to nurturing militant party and trade
union cadres locked in bloody battles
with the BJP and the RSS in Kannur
and elsewhere in north Kerala.
With 91 seats, the LDF is the domi-
nant force in the 140-member legislative
assembly, yet owing to his non-inclusive
approach, Pinarayi has more detrac-
tors than admirers. However, his biggest
drawback is perceived to be his unfamil-
iarity with the state’s top bureaucracy,
Pinarayi’s
Report Card
Achievements
■ Mega investment in infrastructure
development despite financial crisis
■ Curbed corruption in government
■ Improvement in health, education
and road development
■ Focused approach towards
implementing projects
■ Disciplined government officials
and improved accountability
■ Banned nokku kooli or gawking
charges
■ Initiated ‘Life Mission’, a mega
housing scheme for the poor
■ Taken steps to protect Kerala’s
water resources
■ Improved relations with the
neighbouring states
Shortcomings
■ The chief minister’s unilateral
approach to governance
■ Poor performance by
several ministers
■ Ineffective management of the
police force
■ Failure to stop political killings
■ The chief minister’s frosty relation-
ship with the media
■ No operational crisis management
system in the government despite
several advisors
■ Lack of support from coalition
partners, especially the CPI
■ Poor feedback mechanism
Challenges
■ Making the state police more
accountable
■ Curbing political violence
■ Timely completion of mega projects
■ Raising funds through the Kerala In-
frastructure Investment Fund Board
to boost investments
■ Consolidating the LDF’s vote bank
ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections
■ Good relations with the Centre
NATION / KERALA
which has often prompted the chief min-
ister to blindly trust his close aides. Con-
sequently, he has made some bad choices
and paid heavily for them. “Pinarayi Vi-
jayan lost the first eight months (of his
tenure) when some aides misled him in
order to settle personal scores,” recalls a
veteran state bureaucrat. “By removing
them, he may have eventually set things
right, but precious time was lost.”
But many others are impressed. “This
is a performing government, with a vision
and select initiatives to develop infra-
structure for faster economic growth,”
says S.M. Vijayanand, former chief secre-
tary of Kerala. He says the Pinarayi gov-
ernment took measures to ensure that
over 90 per cent of development funds
were used in time—a record in the state’s
history. Local bodies have used Rs 23,775
crore out of the total outlay of Rs 26,500
crore during 2017-18, largely because of
the chief minister’s insistence on quar-
terly reviews on use of funds for develop-
ment initiatives.
T
he focus on a time-targeted ap-
proach has, for instance, helped
better the standards of primary
healthcare, with improved services for
the poor for whom private hospitals are
virtually out of reach. “The government
has given me a free hand to experiment
with any effective model or initiative,”
says additional chief secretary (health)
Rajiv Sadanandan. “We have been able to
attract young doctors to work in govern-
ment hospitals to ensure better delivery
and quality healthcare for the poor.”
Another area to which the Pinarayi
government has contributed heavily is
school education, with some 70,000
digital classrooms being set up in state-
run schools at an investment of Rs 500
crore. A big move towards improving
the state’s work culture was the ban an-
nounced from May 1 on nokku kooli, or
‘gawking wages’ charged by workers and
trade unionists. “Banning nokku kooli
was a bold measure,” feels C.J. George,
managing director of Geojit Financial
Services, Kochi.
Though Pinarayi has made policy in-
terventions to attract investments, oppo-
sition leaders claim the dominant agenda
How They Rate Pinarayi
“HE HAS A FOCUSED APPROACH AND A VISION TO
IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN KERALA. WHILE
PROVIDING CARE TO THE POOR, THE GOVERNMENT IS
INVESTING HEAVILY ON INFRASTRUCTURE. IF HE CAN
IMPROVE DELIVERY WITH RESOURCE MANAGEMENT,
THE GOVERNMENT WILL DO WONDERS.”
T.K.A. NAIR, ex-advisor to former PM Manmohan Singh
“THE INNOVATIVE INTERVENTION IN EDUCATION AND
HEALTH HAS WON THE GOVERNMENT A GOOD NAME.
SETTING RIGHT KANNUR IS AN OPPORTUNITY PINARAYI
SEEMS TO HAVE MISSED. INSTEAD OF AN RSS VERSUS
CPI(M) ARMAGEDDON, IT SHOULD BE SEEN JUST AS IT
IS—A CRIME SCENE. THE PARTY SHOULD BE REINED IN
AND THE LAW ALLOWED TO TAKES ITS COURSE.”
N.S. MADHAVAN, writer and former bureaucrat
“KERALA POLICE ARE AT THEIR BEST NOW. ONLY 304
MURDERS REPORTED IN 2017 WITH A CONVICTION RATE
OF ABOVE 83 PER CENT. IN 1977, 562 MURDERS WERE
REPORTED AND THE CONVICTION RATE WAS UNDER 60
PER CENT. BUT OCCASIONAL BRUTALITY AND CUSTODIAL
DEATHS SPOIL THE IMAGE OF THE GOVERNMENT AND THE
POLICE. WE NEED A MODEL COP, NOT A SUPERCOP.”
JACOB PUNNOOSE, former DGP, Kerala
of his two-year reign has been to stifle police oicials could not understand
dissent. “The Pinarayi government and behaved in the usual manner,” he
is a total failure on all counts. It has says. “Whenever police atrocities are
criminalised the police force for po- reported, I’ve taken stern measures
litical convenience,” alleges Leader of and registered cases against them, in-
the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala cluding murder. I will be the last per-
of the Congress. “Eight people were son to protect them.”
tortured to death in police custody and Pinarayi’s intolerance to criticism
25 political murders were reported in is compounded by the growing silence
the past 24 months. How can a chief of party veteran and former chief min-
minister claim model governance in ister V.S. Achuthanandan as well as the
the face of such vendetta?” inert youth and women wings of the
The BJP seconds the Congress CPI(M). Except for a few vocal leaders,
on this. “The people are against the the Congress is also out on a limb while
chief minister’s draconian policies of the BJP is striving hard to gain ground
silencing political opponents,” claims in the state.
Kummanam Rajasekharan, the BJP’s While this may sound comforting,
outgoing state chief who took charge complacency would be Pinarayi’s big-
as governor of Mizoram on May 29. gest mistake in the remaining years
Pinarayi senses he is on a weak of his term. Devoid of criticism and
wicket on the issue. “I have several course correction, he faces failure, and
times given clear directives regarding his fall could be detrimental to the
the behaviour of the police, but some CPI(M)’s fortunes in Kerala. ■
J U N E 18 , 2 018 INDIA TODAY 41
BUSINESS / REAL ESTATE
LAW ON
A LEASH
Patchy implementation of the
much-hyped RERA has meant that
even a year after it came into force,
the homebuyer is still vulnerable
By M.G. Arun
unita Sharma, 32, a
communications ex-
S
ecutive in the Pune
office of a large IT
c o m p a n y, b e g a n
house-hunting early
this year. Before she
found a two-bedroom
apartment in the city’s
Wakad suburbs, Sharma verified the credentials of
the developer on the MahaRERA website, main-
tained by the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory
Authority. Only once she was satisfied with the proj-
ect’s details on the website, including the progress
of construction, did she book her apartment, pay-
ing 10 per cent of the total price as stipulated by the
real estate regulator. “It was important to verify the
developer’s credentials since stories of buyers losing
their money to unscrupulous builders abound,” says
Sharma. She also benefitted from the two-year stag-
nation in real estate prices in Pune. “There is more
ON SHAKY GROUND
A residential project in Noida Extension
in the National Capital Region
 A SLOW START
Since RERA came into force,
only three states have appointed
permanent regulators
supply than demand,” explains Sharma.
India’s real estate sector has traditionally been
largely unorganised, coupled with inordinate delays
Jammu &
in completion of projects and some unscrupulous de-
Kashmir
velopers using investors’ money to cross-subsidise
Punjab Himachal
projects or change project plans at will, leaving buyers Arunachal
Pradesh
in the lurch. The real estate market was also notori- Pradesh
Uttarakhand Meghalaya
ous for the high quantum of cash in transactions, Haryana
often referred to as the ‘black’ component of the deal. Sikkim

Many investors would use their surplus wealth to Rajasthan Uttar Assam
buy property and sell at the opportune moment for a Pradesh Nagaland
Bihar
profit, often pushing prices to unaffordable levels for
Madhya Jharkhand Manipur
the middle class. Cases piled up in courts as buyers Gujarat
Pradesh Mizoram
took on developers for not honouring commitments.
All of this accorded the real estate sector an element Odisha Tripura
Maharashtra West
of opacity and uncertainty.
Bengal
The Real Estate (Regulation and Development)
Telangana
Act, 2016, or RERA, which started being implement- Goa Chhattisgarh
ed a year ago, was expected to streamline the sector Andhra
and put paid to fly-by-night players in the market— Pradesh
both developers and brokers. “RERA brought in a Karnataka
paradigm shift and metamorphosed the sector into a Puducherry
Tamil
more mature, systematic and regulated one,” says Anuj Nadu Permanent regulator Map not
Puri, chairman of Anarock Property Consultants. “It Interim regulator to scale
is meant to bring in a homebuyer-friendly regime that No regulator Source:
Kerala RERA not applicable Knight Frank
will address their grievances and promote transpar-
ency, eiciency, financial discipline and accountability
in the sector.” All projects on 500 square metres or
more of land and having eight or more apartment
blocks come under the purview of RERA. In some cases, state RERA cells have penalised
projects for violating the provisions of the law. Maha-
POOR IMPLEMENTATION rashtra recently penalised several reputed developers
RERA has many buyer-friendly objectives, such as for advertising unregistered projects and not updating
ensuring timely delivery of projects, having project project addresses on the RERA website. Last year, Kar-
details displayed and regularly updated on the RERA nataka’s RERA cell sent notices to some 130 projects in
portal and protecting investors’ money by mandating Bengaluru for not registering under RERA. A report by
developers to put 70 per cent of the cash flow into an property consultant Knight Frank says only 19 states
escrow account. However, a year down its implemen- and Union territories have a functional RERA portal,
tation, the picture is still dismal. Only three states— and even these suffer from information asymmetry.
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab—have a In Andhra Pradesh, only two projects are registered
permanent real estate regulator in place. More than under RERA. Haryana still does not have a portal and
27,000 projects have been registered under RERA the status of registered projects remains unknown. In
across the country, of which 18,000 are in Maharashtra Karnataka, 1,300 of the state’s total 1,500 projects are
alone, followed by Uttar Pradesh (2,350), Gujarat and from Bengaluru alone.
Madhya Pradesh (1,600 each), and Karnataka (around Things are far more disappointing when it comes
1,500 projects). In the Northeast, Mizoram, Manipur, to establishing a Real Estate Appellate Tribunal, with
Nagaland and Meghalaya are yet to implement RERA only 15 states and UTs making progress. “Only Ma-
due to complexities in laws pertaining to land. In Him- harashtra has set up the entire oice of the regulator
achal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, with an eicient website, from where consumers can
Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil download data about the projects under construc-
Nadu and Bihar, RERA portals have been launched tion,” says Samantak Das, chief economist at Knight
and interim regulations are visible, says Anarock in Frank. For the rest of the country, implementation is
a report. West Bengal is yet to notify RERA while the nowhere close to the goal. ‘Interim’ authorities can’t be
portal is not operational in Telangana. a solution. “What was strictly supposed to be a stopgap

CHANDRADEEP KUMAR J U N E 18 , 2 018 INDIA TODAY 43

BUSINESS / REAL ESTATE

FINALLY, A BUYER’S MARKET

RERA has built-in safeguards to protect the interests of buyers

1 2 3 4 5

Timely delivery RERA registra- Payments se- Verify track Transparent ads:
In case of delays, tion Developers can cured Developers record Buyers can A project can be
buyers can cancel sell projects only if to deposit at least opt to buy properties promoted only after
their bookings (de- they are registered 70 per cent of the only from reputed it is registered with
veloper refunds the with the state regula- buyers’ money for developers who RERA. All ads and
amount with interest) tory authority and a project into an are complying with promotional mate-
or be paid interest for have registration escrow account. This RERA, have a good rial must mention the
every month of delay numbers. Details of prevents them from track record and are RERA registration
until the property is projects need to be rolling these funds financially stable. All number that is unique
ready for possession put on RERA portal into other projects this is now verifiable to a project

6 7 8 9 10

Clarity on carpet Changes in proj- Structural de- Booking amount Strong redress
area Homebuyers ect plans: Around fects addressed fixed Developers mechanism Com-
can no longer be 2/3rd of the buyers’ In the first five years can only accept plaints of homebuy-
charged for ‘super consent is neces- after giving posses- 10 per cent of the ers will mandatorily
built-up area’. The sary for a developer sion, developers are total property cost be resolved within
quoted price must be to make modifica- liable to rectify de- as booking amount. 60 days. Developers
based on the carpet tions to a project fects in the property Violators of the norm and brokers face
area. Now, what you (building or layout in less than 30 days face imprisonment of penalty for breach
see is what you get plans/ specifications/ or pay compensation up to three years of obligations
(and buy) liabilities) to the buyer

Source: Anarock Property Consultants

arrangement has turned into a standard,” rues Das. Such au-
thorities have made little progress on even basic parameters,
such as getting the portals up and running and registering
projects and agents. Since RERA stipulates transfer of all
applications, complaints or pending cases to the permanent
regulators, the ‘interim’ regulators seem to be letting the grass
grow under their feet, Das adds.
Various states have made multiple changes to RERA. Puri
says the definition of ongoing projects has been diluted, leav-
ing a huge number of projects outside RERA’s purview, and
this, understandably, remains a major concern for existing
buyers. He says the Centre should keep RERA rules aligned
and effective across the states and Union territories while
balancing the interests of both buyers and developers.
However, delays and technical glitches in some parts of the
country have made buyers wonder if RERA has created yet an-
other level of bureaucracy. For instance, in September last year,
developers in Karnataka found it diicult to register projects
on the state’s RERA portal due to technical breakdowns, af-
fecting sales for months. The rate of approvals was also just one
every two days. There were also complaints of delays in redress
of complaints and lack of transparency. In Haryana, homebuy-
ers cried hoarse last year over the appointment of some RERA
oicials with alleged dubious backgrounds.
So, is RERA bringing the turnaround it is meant to?
“RERA can offer consumers a very big advantage and instil
confidence,” says Niranjan Hiranandani, MD of the Hiranan-
dani Group. “Over time, the market will become more ma-
ture. With RERA, developers have to make full disclosure on
the portal. Developers who delay projects will be penalised.
This will be good in the long run.”
BIGGER ISSUES REMAIN
RERA, however, may not be helpful in resolving project delays
in cases where the developer is already stressed, such as Jaypee
Infratech’s projects in Noida. Thousands of Jaypee homebuy-

44 INDIA TODAY J U N E 18 , 2 018

ers were in trouble after the National Company Law Tribunal admitted
IDBI Bank’s plea in August last year to initiate insolvency proceedings
against the debt-ridden company for defaulting on a Rs 526 crore loan.
A case was filed in the Supreme Court that some 32,000 buyers, who
booked apartments in Jaypee’s projects and were repaying loans, had
been affected. On March 21, the apex court directed Jaypee to deposit
Rs 200 crore with it and asked for a list of homebuyers who have sought
refund. “There is no easy solution (in such cases),” says Hiranandani. “If
a developer is under stress, you can penalise him, but the building is not
going to get completed.”
While demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax hit develop-
ers hard, RERA has added to the stress. Even bank loans are not easy to
come by anymore. “Someone will need to take a haircut. It could be the
government, banks, developers or even investors who may have to shell
out more, but a solution has to be worked out in such a way that the proj-
ects get completed,” feels Hiranandani. The solutions will need to emerge
from outside RERA’s ambit.
For developers, funds crunch has been the biggest negative of RERA.
With 70 per cent of cash inflows for a project going into an escrow account,
many developers who are used to rolling funds are feeling cash-strapped.
Moreover, RERA does not have any authority to penalise bureaucrats who
contribute to project delays by with-
holding approvals at various stages. In
some markets, such as Pune, RERA
THE CENTRE, has effected a price slash in the resi-
EXPERTS SAY, dential segment by restricting pre-
SHOULD PENALISE sales activities by developers. “There
have been instances where developers
STATES THAT have resorted to selling inventory at a
ARE DELAYING marked discount to raise finances as
IMPLEMENTATION no sales at the pre-launch stage are
allowed now,” says Das.
OF RERA New supplies in the residential
segment have taken a hit as RERA
compliance and mounting unsold in-
ventories forced developers to curtail
launches. In 2017, new residential supplies across the top eight cities
(Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, the
National Capital Region and Pune) plunged 41 per cent over the previous
year. The NCR was worst hit, registering an annual drop of 56 per cent.
Developers say 2017 was a bad year for real estate due to the combined
effect of demonetisation, GST and RERA, but certain pockets, such as
the commercial segment, are looking up in 2018. Despite the shortfalls,
say consultants, the recent judgments by MahaRERA have helped restore
buyer sentiment in under-construction projects. Some judgments have
come as fast as within 30 days of a complaint being filed. MahaRERA
has ruled in over 1,000 cases since the first ruling in September 2017.
To speed up the implementation of RERA in states, experts say, the
Centre should impose stringent penalties for non-compliance. They say the
scope of the newly created Central Advisory Council should be broadened
to include advising state bodies on issues related to RERA compliance.
RERA has been a landmark legislation that promises to safeguard
homebuyers’ interests like no law has done before. But its shoddy imple-
mentation across the country, barring a few states, for now gives buyers
little reason to cheer about. ■
WORLD CUP
FOOTBALL

FIFA
SALVATORE DI NOLFI /EPA
F
Shougat Dasgupta

T
H
w

i REAL HERO
t Portugal’s
Cristiano
t Ronaldo
Players to Watch
OHAMED SALAH
nhampered by
ncerns about his
oulder, Salah will be
ur of sharp move-
nt. Once a winger, he
s become a finisher
Liverpool, cutting
ide menacing de-
ders with his speed
d aggression. Can
take Egypt past the
up stage?

RSEY
UMBER

0
VISIONHAUS/GETTY IMAGES

their stomachs give way. Egypt

had not qualified for a World Cup
as since 1990. They had gone to Italy
in 1934, the first African nation to
compete in a World Cup finals.
(And also, incidentally, the nation
with the longest gap between its
first and second World Cups.) But
continental supremacy—Egypt
has won the African Cup of
Nations more than any other
country—had not been replicated
at the World Cup, leaving North
African neighbours, Algeria and
Morocco and West African rivals
e Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana and
Senegal to captivate football fans.
ve No wonder Salah’s injury was
being treated as a national
calamity. His late penalty against
Congo had secured Egypt’s place
in Russia. Indeed, so popular is

J U N E 18 , 2 018 INDIA TODAY 47

 WORLD CUP FOOTBALL

JERSEY
NUMBER

10
NEYMAR
His injury in the last World Cup,
in Brazil, provoked a national
meltdown culminating in a 7-1
semifinal defeat to Germany.
Injured since February, a
recovered Neymar should be
fresh. Will he lead Brazil to its
sixth title? Will he be crowned
the new king of football?

OLI SCARFF/AFP

Salah that he finished runner-up in the

Egyptian presidential elections in March,
with over a million people striking out the
names of candidates Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
and Moussa Mostafa Moussa to nominate
him instead. A working class village boy,
his professional life in Switzerland, Italy
and England seems to have left him
unaffected. He remains a devout Muslim,
kneeling in prayer after every goal; he
uses part of his lavish income to
finance the building of a
hospital and school back
home; his approachable,
family-man demeanour and
ready smile are anomalies in a game JERSEY
so gilded its stars are barely visible NUMBER
through the scrim of wealth and celebrity.
Updates on the condition of Salah’s
shoulder have been provided in a steady
10
EDEN HAZARD
stream. Doctors say he will be fit to play. At Perhaps the most talented
his best, Salah could lift Egypt into the footballer in the Premier
knockout rounds, perhaps at the expense League, he has been brilliant
of their World Cup hosts. Russia, so unim- for Chelsea. Albeit fitfully; his
pressive in the European Championships commitment to the cause can
two years ago, losing to both Slovakia and sometimes waver. He is the
Wales, neither of which qualified for the pick of Belgium’s ‘golden gen-
World Cup, will not relish facing Salah’s eration’. Can he and the team
Egypt, or Uruguay. The hosts’ first match, make the most of their talent?

48 INDIA TODAY J U N E 18 , 2 018

WILL HE BE
ENOUGH?
Argentina’s
Lionel Messi
JERSEY
NUMBER
JERSEY
NUMBER
10
10 RAHEEM STERLING
Accused of being waste-
ful. Dragged over the coals
in the run-up to the World
Cup by the tabloid press
for a tattoo he has sported
all season. He and Harry
Kane could help a youthful
England squad, of which
little is expected, spring a
surprise or two.

against Saudi Arabia, though, is an opp-

ortunity to build momentum; as the
opening to the tournament, of course, it
leaves something to be desired.
According to the young Brazilian mid-
fielder, Philippe Coutinho, a Liverpool
player until his mega-million pound move
to Barcelona in January, Salah could be
the best player in the tournament.
Alongside, Coutinho added, his
national teammate Neymar. Injured
for much of the season, Neymar is the
only one of the game’s presiding deities
to be more identified with country than
club. Messi is referred to as the greatest of
all time solely on the strength of his
achievements with Barca, rather than
Argentina. Unlike Maradona, his
countryman and rival for the title of GOAT,
Messi has failed to inspire his teammates
to a World Cup or a continental title.
Argentina did reach the final in Brazil four
years ago, only to succumb to a tame defeat
against a smooth German side playing
below its best.
But the World Cup, once so
predominant in the imaginations of
football fans, is now an also-ran in
the glamour stakes. It is not the

JUAN MABROMATA/AFP
WORLD CUP FOOTBALL

JERSEY
NUMBER

Matches 10
to Watch KYLIAN MBAPPÉ
At only 19, he is the most
heralded young player in the
game and certainly the most
tournament’s most
exciting. He is part of a French
PORTUGAL VS exciting players.
squad bristling with ability.
SPAIN Could they knock the
Antoine Griezmann is the
June 15, 11.30 pm Russians out of the
team’s sharpshooter but could
A group stage encou- tournament before
nter between the it has properly begun? Mbappé be the X factor that
Iberian rivals with the wins France the World Cup?
resonance of a semi-
final. Portugal are the
European champions, NIGERIA VS
albeit by winning ARGENTINA
only one game over June 26, 11.30 pm carnival it once was, a celebration their wallets at each other.
90 minutes. Spain Nigeria’s kit has of unfamiliar styles and players. Neymar, widely expected to
have fallen from caused a sensation, Those countries with squads assume the role of best footballer
their peak, but have with long queues in made up of players playing on the planet at this World Cup,
the players to be London, never mind
exclusively in domestic as Messi and Ronaldo age,
champions. Morocco Lagos, waiting for
competition are inevitably chaff, though neither shows any
and Iran round out an shops to open to buy
attractive footballing the snazzy shirts. disposed of in the group stages. particular sign of fading, cost
group. Millions pre-ordered The vast majority of players at Paris Saint Germain 222 million
the shirts online. The the World Cup, over 75 per cent, euros to prise from Barca. He has
team can be just as ply their trade in Europe. The managed one petulant, injury-
dazzling. Argentina, best players all play in Spain, plagued season in the French
GERMANY VS with the world’s best England, Italy, Germany or league, a relative backwater,
MEXICO player in their ranks, France. Fans around the world before talk has already begun
June 17, 8.30 pm approach each World see these players compete each about his inevitable return to
The world champions Cup bowed down by week, making the World Cup a Spain, in the colours of Real. At
kick off their defence expectation. Could
divertissement before the real least for Brazil, Neymar is
against obdurate this be their year?
business of European club playing for a cause greater than
opponents. This was
a quarterfinal in football gets underway. himself. As for Messi and
the 1986 World Cup. The superclubs—Barca, Real, Ronaldo— Argentina and
Mexico took West ENGLAND VS Manchester United, Liverpool, Portugal—it seems likely, as at
Germany, the event- BELGIUM Juve, Inter, Bayern Munich et al— other World Cups, that their
ual runner-up, to June 28, 11.30 pm have sucked the mystery out of powers will not compensate for
penalties after a 0-0 England have been football at the highest level. It is weaknesses elsewhere. France,
draw. awful at the last two why the group stages of the World Brazil, Germany and Spain are
World Cups, fail- Cup are such a necessary tonic. the best teams, while Belgium is
ing even to get out
Smug global ‘connoisseurs’ raised full of talent but lacks the
of their group in
on the incessant hype of European knowhow of those perennial
RUSSIA VS EGYPT Brazil. This squad is
June 19, 11.30 pm universally agreed to club football might sneer at the contenders. Anyway, the World
The choice of Russia be among their worst, quality of football on offer. But Cup will assume familiar shape
as World Cup hosts though this might what beauty there remains in in due course. For now, let us
has been controver- have a liberating football, what romance and enjoy the phony war. That
sial. The fans have a effect on the players. adventure, is in matches that pit yawning period of contem-
reputation for racism Conversely, the Belgi- together Nigeria and Iceland, say, plation, when the World Cup you
and violence. And the ans are dark horses to Tunisia and Panama, or Colombia imagine, mixing anticipation of
team seems unlikely win the tournament. and Senegal. Here football is not future games with memories of
to win over the critics. They have the talent reduced, as it is at Champions games and players past, feels
In Mohamed Salah, but do they have the
League level, to the grisly real—a dream untarnished by the
Egypt has one of the confidence?
spectacle of billionaires waggling thing itself. ■

50 INDIA TODAY J U N E 18 , 2 018

 CINEMA | KAALA

THE GAME
CHANGER
Director Pa. Ranjith has audiences swooning
over Rajinikanth all over again. This time, the
superstar returns as an older, wiser and
more politically-conscious hero

By Prachi Sibal

“ a Vandhutten sollu, thirumbi Vandhutten (I

N
have come, tell them I have come back),” thun-
ders Rajinikanth in the 2016 hit Kabali. He
is Kabaleeswaran, a Robin Hood-esque hero
who fights for the cause of Tamil labourers in
Malaysia, speaking with panache of socio-
political issues against the backdrop of gang
rivalries. Political movements are referred to,
including the Dalit uprising.
The film’s success came at an opportune time for the actor
known as Thalaivar, Tamil for ‘leader’. The last time audiences
went wild over his swaggering antics was in 2010 with director
S. Shankar’s sci-fi drama Enthiran. The box oice failure of his
daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth’s animated film Kochadaiiyan
(2016) and Lingaa (2016), by confidant K.S. Ravikumar, saw the
superstar apologise to his fans and compensate Lingaa distribu-
tors for the losses incurred. Speculation was rife that the super-
star would hang up his boots after a career that lasted over three
decades. The Tamil audience was changing and Thalaivar had to
sit up and take notice too.
In dire need of a comeback, the superstar needed a makeover.
He invited scripts from filmmakers, young and old. Enter Pa. Ran-
jith, director of the critically-acclaimed political action drama Ma-
dras (2014). Once assistant to director Venkat Prabhu, he debuted
with romantic comedy Attakathi. In the landscape of Kollywood,

52 INDIA TODAY J U N E 18 , 2 018

Rajinikanth and Ranjith on the sets of Kaala
 PUNCHLINE: “Naan
WORKING ● MUTHU, 1995
Rajini is Muthu,
who works on land
eppo varuven, epdi
varuvennu yarukkum
CLASS belonging to Sivakami
Ammal. Later, he
theriyathu. Aana vara
vendiya nerathula (No

HERO discovers that the

land is rightfully his
one knows when or
how I’ll arrive, but I
always do, when the
time’s right)”
● BAASHA, 1995 PUNCHLINE
Rajinikanth essays “Naan oru thadava
the character of sonna nooru tha-
Manikam, an honest dava sonna madhiri ● ANNAMALAI,
auto driver who (When I say it once,
1992
avoids violence. it is like I have said
A poor milkman,
However, when his it one hundred
family faces threats, times)” Annamalai played
his past as an under- by Rajinikanth,
world don comes to is friends with a
the forefront businessman’s son,
Ashok

the 36-year-old filmmaker stood out

for being unapologetically politi-
cal. He wore his Dalit identity on his
sleeve, proclaimed his atheist status
and spoke of issues that plagued Tamil
Nadu and Indian society at large.
That Kaala, his second film with
Rajinikanth, was to be an unabashed-
ly political film was established early
on. The 67-year-old superstar plays
Karikaalan, a Tamil don in Dharavi
who fights for the rights of the poor,
sports a black lungi and struts about
in style. His signature colour is black,
a hue that is rife with symbolism and
associated with the working class,
while the villainous Hari Dhadha
(played by Nana Patekar) is clad in
pristine white. “Karikaalan speaks
less, one or two lines at a time, but
with conviction,” says Ranjith. “There
were times when Rajinikanth refused
a few dialogue-heavy sequences that
he felt didn’t fit in with the character.
He said, ‘Karikaalan wouldn’t do that’.
And people blame me for not having
punchlines by Rajinikanth.”
THE BEGINNING
Ranjith’s association with the super-
star happened courtesy Soundarya,
who he met on the sets of Venkat
Prabhu’s comedy, Goa. Before he
knew it, he was scripting a film for the
legendary actor. “He had watched and
loved Madras and seemed to trust my
work,” says Ranjith.
“I’LL CONTINUE
TO MAKE
POLITICAL
FILMS, ONES
THAT ADDRESS
PEOPLE’S
SOCIAL
PROBLEMS”
PA. RANJITH
Director, Kaala
Kabali saw many firsts. Rajini-
kanth, who thus far had shied away
from playing his age, embraced an
older character. He traded his working
class uniform for a three-piece suit.
“Kabali in essence was not a Rajini
film,” says Ranjith. “There weren’t
many Rajini-isms, he had a grown-up
daughter and it [the film] was steeped
in politics. His fans were more shocked
at this than him. They would come and
ask me, ‘What have you done to Ra-
jini?’” Kabali opened to mixed reviews
but large-box oice collections. Ra-
jinikanth was back and this time with
a new image and energy. Ranjith had
found an effective vehicle for his views
in the mass brand of Rajinikanth.
JAISON G.
THE SECOND INNINGS
In his second outing with the superstar,
Ranjith returns wiser and raises a lot
more issues. “This time I was conscious
of the criticism I had received from fans
and wanted to do something different,”
he says. “I wanted to bring to the fore
issues like land rights and slum eviction
while showing the audience a different
Rajini at the same time.”
Inspiration came from all quar-
ters, including Anand Patwardhan’s
Bombay Our City, the 1985 documen-
tary on slum dwellers. “Mumbai is a
city of the horizontal and the vertical.
As the vertical grows, the horizontal
disappears,” says Ranjith. “The same
people who were brought to the city

54 INDIA TODAY J U N E 18 , 2 018


● THALAPATHY,
1991
Rajini plays Surya,
abandoned at birth
by his biological
PUNCHLINE mother. Grow-
“Naan solrathaiyum ing up in a slum,
seiven, sollathathi- he fights against
yum seiven (I’ll do injustice around
what I say and him, coming to the
I’ll also do what I aid of all those who
don’t say)” need help
to help beautify it are no longer
welcome there. Slum evictions are
rampant everywhere. These evictions
are a reality not just in Mumbai. To
create a singara (beautiful) Chennai
too, several such settlements were
displaced. They have been associated
with dirt and crime.”
Ranjith spent six months
walking around the slum, talking
to people. “I wanted to set the film
there [in Mumbai] because of the
cultural diversity. I didn’t want it to
be a Tamil film only,” says the film-
maker who met Gujaratis, Maha-
rashtrians and members of other
communities on location. It explains
the presence of Bollywood actors
in the cast—Nana Patekar, Huma
Qureshi and Pankaj Tripathi among
others. These aren’t the only things
that make the film a game-changer
for Tamil cinema and the Rajini
brand. Easwari Rao, noted film
and television actor, plays Rajini’s
lady love at 44, in an industry where
leading ladies often have shortlived
careers. This ties in well with Rajini-
kanth’s discomfort with romancing
women his daughters’ age on screen.
THE POLITICAL TWIST
On December 31, 2017, Rajinikanth
announced his entry into active
politics. Kaala was in production at
the time. The Tamil audience eagerly
awaits a film that would offer clues
● PADIKA
ADDAVAN, 1985
Rajinikanth plays a
hardworking taxi driv-
er who toils in Madras
so that his brother
Ramu can complete
his education
into his political ideology. So far,
Rajini has said his political journey
would be a ‘spiritual’ one. How did
Ranjith react to the announcement?
“We have had a lot of political discus-
sion. Rajini sir knows my Ambed-
karite ideology,” says Ranjith. A
political film, two different ideologies
and a politician in the making, did it
tip the balance? Ranjith replies, “The
film didn’t change. It was always my
politics, but not the electoral kind.
It’s my need to address the people’s
problems and Rajini sir did not in-
terfere in the content of the film.”
With Rajinikanth occupying a
new role of a political leader, Kaala is
inviting more scrutiny. In his recent
visit to Thoothukudi following the
police shootings in the anti-Sterlite
protests, the actor attributed the
violence to anti-social elements. ,
“If there are going to be protests for
every issue, Tamil Nadu will turn
into a graveyard,” he said. On June 2,
pro-Kannada activists staged a pro-
test seeking a ban on the film owing
to Rajinikanth’s support for setting
up a Cauvery Management Board.
It remains to be seen if Kaala will
see the light of day in Karnataka and
what Rajinikanth the politician has
in store for Tamil Nadu but Ranjith
isn’t about to change course.
“I will continue to make politi-
cal films, ones that address people’s
social problems,” he says. ■
 LEIS
DEATH & DARK HISTORIES
HUMOUR OF WAR
PG 5 9 PG 6 0

TAGORES IN Q&A WITH

AHMEDABAD GAURAV GILL
PG 64 PG 6 8

ID
RASH
KHAN istan CR ICK ET
Afghan
and his am are set
et te
cric k t Test
their firs
to play th—against
n
this mo Bengaluru
India, in

P
erhaps the most memorable
images from Rio de Janeiro
2016 are of the Refugee
Olympic Team. They won
no medals, but surely adulation
from the crowds and the forcing of a
conversation on refugee rights was
victory enough.
The Afghanistan cricket team,
of course, is not a team of refugees.
But most of the men who were part
of that country’s first steps in world
cricket learnt the game when living

DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP
LEISURE
in Pakistani refugee colonies through the many
years of war. It was in Pakistan that Afghan
cricket was born, though cricket in Afghanistan,
like in India and elsewhere in the neighbour-
hood, was played during the British years.
Afghanistan is still trying to rise from the
rubble, and reports of terror attacks are so fre-
quent that peace remains a distant reality. “We
stay in touch every day with people back home.
We can’t be away for two-three days because
anything can happen,” says Rashid Khan, the
best Afghan cricketer, not yet 20 and a legend in
the making. Or is he a legend already?
Rashid’s achievements as a cricketer are
many. Having mastered a quickish variety
of leg-spin, with many dips and swerves and
a heady dose of sorcery, he is the toast of the
cricket world, playing a big role in Afghanistan’s
recent surge to the highest stage. Every T20
league in the world wants a piece of him. He
makes millions and the teams are happy to pay
him—he is that good.
He has also in no small part contributed to
Afghanistan’s newly acquired status as a Test-
playing nation (along with Ireland). The team is
readying for its first Test match—against India,
in Bengaluru, starting June 14. And it’s because
of Rashid’s presence in the Afghan
ranks that India are not the over-
whelming favourites.
What does it mean to be Rashid
Khan—a big-league cricket star in a
war-ravaged country and a newbie in
the world of cricket?
He lives in Afghanistan, although
work keeps him out much
of the year. He doesn’t
get mobbed by fans
because “we don’t go
outside”, he says with
a smile. “If it’s urgent,
we hide our face or
something.” A restau-
rant, maybe? “Yeah,
I can go but I have
some security.”
The adulation is
understandable. Afghans
have had little cause for hap-
piness since the 1970s, when
it became the war zone it re-
mains today.
“Once we were going for
a match. I think we were
DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP
stopped like 20 times. People were coming in
front of our car and saying ‘stop, we want to take
pictures’. This is how crazy they are because they
haven’t seen such players. They have only seen on
TV that this man is doing well,” he says.
When Rashid goes out to play, therefore, he
carries the weight of the whole country’s expec-
tations. “Even if I don’t perform in one match,
they get worried. They are expecting five wickets
in every match. If I don’t take it, they say, ‘What
happened to you?’” he says. But the pressure
doesn’t faze him. “I am just trying my best. I
think the best thing is to enjoy yourself. The more
you enjoy, I think, the better you perform. There
is the burden on me to do well because we lose
most of the matches if I don’t do well,” he says.
Sportspersons always say that it’s all about
the fans. But the truism takes on a different
dimension when it comes to Afghan cricketers.
“We worry about the situation back home,” says
Rashid. “In the past one month, we had about
three-four bomb blasts in Afghanistan. That
makes us very sad. We are trying to put smiles on
the faces of people. We just try and put on some
extra good performances so that our people can
celebrate and get these negative things out of
their minds.”
Rashid has been widely hailed as the best leg-
spinner in the world—one of the great cricketers
of the current era even. And you are only so great
and no more unless you play Test cricket.
Still forced to play all its matches abroad,
as security concerns keep other countries from
touring, the country’s elevation to the highest
level in the game has been hailed across the
board—it’s the sort of story immortalised on
celluloid in Out of the Ashes (2010) that makes
everyone believe in fairy tales.
“It will be a big day for cricket in Afghani-
stan… can’t wait to be called a Test cricketer,”
gushes Rashid. “I think there will be no one
who will not be watching it on TV back home.
Whatever we play, they watch it, if not on TV,
they follow it online. It’s amazing.”
Afghanistan’s rise has been cricket’s most im-
portant story in recent years, and Rashid’s emer-
gence proof that you don’t always need money
and state-of-the-art means
to be good. A legend can be
born in the detritus of a
half-century-long war,
finding his calling in a
refugee camp. „
—Shamya Dasgupta
 CINEMA

DEATH &
DARK HUMOUR
man departs. Organising his a “funeral fit for an emperor”—and

A
funeral is hell for his family. nobody’s support other than his
The title of Malayalam friend Ayappa (Vinayakan).
film Ee. Ma. Yau. means With shots of coconut trees
R.I.P. (Rest in Peace). But swaying in the wind and the turbu-
in director Lijo Jose Pellissery’s sixth lent seas, cinematographer Shyju
feature there’s no peace to be found Khalid paints a vivid portrait of the
for the family of Vavachan after he fishing village of Chellanam, and the
drops dead, literally, after a night film is rich in socio-cultural context.
spent in drunken stupor. His son Alcoholism is widespread. Many men
Eeshi (Chemban Vinod Jose) is left to have clandestine second families,
negotiate with the mercenary funeral and demonetisation is still wreaking
industry, follow police protocol and havoc on the economy.
fulfil elaborate rituals of their faith, What makes the film poignant
Syrian Christianity. In the period of is the nuanced portrayal of Eeshi’s
mourning, screenwriter P.F. Mathews overwhelmed isolation as the village
sets a dark comedy that examines comes together to bid farewell to a
human behaviour at its ugliest. divisive man.
The vicar (Dileesh Pothan), Apart from Jose, who steals
a fan of detective novels, thinks the show in the dramatic finale,
Vavachan’s death is Vinayakan, Pothan
murder, his suspi- and Pauly Valsan, who
cions fuelled by village What makes plays Vavachan’s wife,
gossip. The nurse the film deliver standout per-
only reluctantly steps formances. Meanwhile,
in after the doctor is
poignant is the Pellissery, who wowed
too drunk to attend. portrayal of last year with the
And the coin-maker Eeshi’s crime drama Angamaly
aggressively pushes overwhelmed Diaries, has further
his most expensive confirmed he is
box. Amidst the
isolation one of the most inge-
chaos, Eeshi has little nious voices in Indian
money to realise his cinema. ■
father’s last wish for —Suhani Singh
LEISURE
BOOKS
HISTO
OF WA
T
THE BATTLES OF
IMPHAL and Kohima are
easily the most underrated
battles of the entire Second
World War. Overshadowed
by titanic struggles like
Stalingrad on the Eastern
Front and the Allied land-
ings at Normandy, they have
received none of the military
academic or the big budget
movie attention of the other
significant turning points
in the global conflagration.
Perhaps it was because, by
early 1944, the writing was
on the wall for the Imperial
Japanese Army (IJA). With
the US closing in on the
Home Islands with a stra-
tegic bombing campaign,
holding a land empire built
in a little over a decade of
conquests was going to be an
insurmountable challenge.
The IJA’s twin-axis thrust,
its last in that theatre, was
meant to capture the frontier
towns of Imphal and Kohima
and sever Britain’s access to
the Japanese Empire’s south-
western most province,
Burma. If the offensive was
successful, it could open a
gateway into India.
The British army had
retreated over 1,500 km
from Burma into India in
60 INDIA TODAY J U N E 18 , 2 018
IMPHAL 1944
Hemant Singh
Katoch
BLOOMSBURY/
OSPREY
` 999, 96 pages
THIS IS
SIACHEN
Harshal
Pushkarna
URANUS BOOKS
`450
230 pages
These books are
timely reminders
of how the lessons to be read with another in
from battlefields the series, Kohima 1944, to
need a relook understand just how signifi-
cant these military reverses
were for the IJA. Though the
rout of the IJA’s Kwantung
1942, the longest in its his- Army in Manchuria was
tory. By 1944, the Japanese its largest defeat (and not
faced a retrained and rested Imphal as the book jacket
army that was a far cry erroneously mentions), this
from the adversary they had book tells how close Britain
chased back into India. came to losing the Jewel in
In Imphal 1944, Katoch, its Crown.
a military historian and a
war tourism pioneer in the ***
region, brings to bear his IN THE BANGLADESH
expertise on the subject in blitzkrieg of December 1971,
a racy narrative backed by the author sees the revival
Peter Dennis’s vivid illus- of a 2,000-year paradigm
trations. This book needs of Indian warfare—the just
1971: THE FALL
OF DACCA
Major General (Dr)
G.D. Bakshi
K.W. PUBLISHERS
` 599, 174 pages
war—not wars of aggrandis-
ement but one in response
to a horrific genocide which
East Pakistan’s military
rulers embarked upon its
Bengali population.
Bakshi also sees a reas-
sertion of the Kautilyan
war paradigm of extended,
covert destabilisation and
rapid execution, using speed
and shock to benumb the
enemy as opposed to the
dull wars of attrition that
have characterised war-
fare on the subcontinent.
This would not have been
the case considering in the
months leading up to the
13-day war with Pakistan
LEISURE
BIKES

in December 1971, India’s gen-

erals believed the port cities of
Royal Air
Chittagong and Khulna, and not
East Pakistan’s capital Dhaka, to
be their objective. The chief of
staff of the Eastern Command,
Force
Major General J.F.R. Jacob
played a major role in convincing NIGEL HARNIMAN
the army leadership otherwise.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Major General Bakshi revisits
events leading to what is arguably
the finest moment for the Indian
armed forces—a synergised
military effort that saw the army
discarding attrition operations
in favour of manoeuvre through
diicult riverine terrain finally
culminating in the fall of Dhaka,
a humiliating surrender of the
Pakistan army and the birth of
Bangladesh. Victory was achieved
through a superb coordination
of all arms of the Indian state—
political, military and dipomatic
and is hence a reminder of how,
nearly 50 years later, the lessons
from the Bangladesh war demand
a closer relook.

***
THE WORLD’S MOST ardu-

TR TOMKINS
ous military deployment gets an
everyman’s relook in this book by
journalist Harshal Pushkarna. His
travelogue takes readers into the THE
SUS
history, geography and politics PEGA ion’ bike

of how the Indian army came to
stay atop the 6,000-metre Saltoro
Range since 1984, overlooking the
world’s biggest body of ice outside
the two poles, where temperatures
range between 55 degrees and
20 below zero. His dig-in with
the hardy soldiers manning the
gates at the roof of the world is an
eye-opener because it suggests an
astounding amount of makeshift
facilities and vintage equipment.
This is alarming considering the
deployment that has been on for
over 34 years shows no sign of
ending anytime soon. „
—Sandeep Unnithan
T
he latest iteration of Royal Enfield’s much
ite d e dit
loved ‘Bullet’ pays homage to a little A ‘lim okes
that inv of a
known machine from the firm’s back leg a c y
the the
pages: the WD/ RE or ‘Flying Flea’, a lightweight achine:
WW II m g Flea’
motorcycle that was airdropped with paratroops ‘Fly in
at the Battle of Arnhem and the Normandy land-
ings during World War II. RE’s new ‘Classic 500
Pegasus’ was launched with some fanfare on the
airstrip of the Imperial War Museum at Duxford,
England. What does the 190 kg, 500 cc Pegasus
have in common with its diminutiv
ration? The wartime RE roundel, t
emblem of the Parachute Regimen
niers and authentic paintwork in ei
or ‘Service Brown’. The bike is pri
at Rs 2.49 lakh, chances are mone
won’t be an object: the Pegasus is
a collectors’ edition with a limited
run of 1,000, only 250 of which
are destined for India. „
LEISURE
BOOKS
Tribute to a Great Unifier
P
olitician and
retired bureau-
crat Pavan K.
Varma’s latest
book springs from
a concern about Hinduism.
He detects a rising brittle-
ness in the assertion of Hin-
dutva, resulting in exclusion,
hatred and, often, violence.
He calls it the “evangelism of
ignorance” and a dumbing
down of thought.
“When religions are
divorced from their philo-
sophical moorings, they
often reach their lowest
common denominator,” he
says. “I see that happening
around me and it’s a tragedy.
I did not want to remain a
mute spectator to the de-
valuation of a great religion.”
Varma began to look
towards Adi Shankaracha-
rya (or just Shankara) out
of a need to recover Hindu
traditions that are inclusive
and eclectic, that emphasise
debate, are willing to agree
to disagree. Though Shan-
kara is closest to our times
among the great founders of
Hindu philosophy and most
Hindus know his name, they
don’t know much about him.
So is this a biography
or another treatise on
philosophy? Neither, to the
ordinary reader’s relief. It
changes shape as you go
along. The book opens with
a 58-page travelogue in
which Varma travels to all
62 INDIA TODAY J U N E 18 , 2 018
sites linked with Shankara. gets his cue from Shankara, others of and undermin-
This is apt, because Shan- whose philosophy is called ing it. Some call him the
kara was a great traveller. Advaita, or non-dualism. destroyer of Buddhism,
Born in Kerala in 788 CE, Varma is empathetic and others call him a ‘crypto-
he covered some serious objective; this allows him to Buddhist’. Therein lies the
ground, before dying at 32 describe what is known with complexity of his influence.
in Kedarnath in the Hima- as much ease as what cannot “At one level, he re-
layas. He established the be ascertained about the mained consistent in his
four famous mathas in the seer. Varma dismisses the logic. At another level, he
four directions; Varma says hagiographies of Shankara synthesised and accepted
their location works like that describe him as an ava- the varying practices of
India’s civilisational map. tar of Shiva. Hinduism in many areas,”
Along the way, Shankara Shankara’s journey of says Varma. His inclusive-
managed to have memo- ideas is far more complex ness did not dilute his logic,
rable debates on knowledge than his travels. His critics Varma insists. Shankara
(shastrarth) in Maheshwar are varied. Some accuse him preached a direction where
in Madhya Pradesh, Vara- of reinforcing Brahmanism, worldly limitations do
nasi in Uttar Pradesh, and
in Kashmir.
Varma comes across
as both a believer and a
sceptic—a duality he han-
dles deftly. Again, Varma
ADI
SHANKARACHARYA
Hinduism’s Greatest
Thinker
Pavan K. Varma
Tranquebar (imprint of
Westland Publications)
` 699
354 pages

not restrict the pursuit of
knowledge. “You don’t have
to pray, there is no ishvar
(god), there is no yoga,
there is no surrender (of
bhakti), there is no ritual.
In his composition Nir-
vana shatakam, he negates
all of this,” says Varma.
He calls Shankara the
greatest Hindu philoso-
pher because of his pro-
found impact, which came
from accepting and unify-
ing the practices of ordi-
nary people and because he
won so many debates and
followers. The most famous
one, with Mandan Mishra
of the ritualist Mimansa
school, is often described
as Hinduism’s ‘Road to
Damascus’ moment.
Shankara’s mass ap-
peal, though, came from
his wanderings. He created
a philosophical grid to
unite people. This is not
possible with philosophy
only. Shankara’s writing
is elegant, his verse has
a great power to sway.
“Few people have written
such lyrical and attractive
poetry on such complex
existential themes,” Varma
says, noting that his ‘Bhaja
Govindam’ is sung and
recited and played in ordi-
nary households even to-
day. He created a non-dual
bond between knowledge
and beauty. „
—Sopan Joshi
RAJWANT RAWAT
AP T
THE B N
OF TO
A L A NG
C
C ha
Sudeep ,
Aleph
208 p
Driven By
Distraction
he creeping devastation of a beautiful
land is a story that resonates every-
T
where in India. Sudeep Chakravarti’s
novel is set in Goa, but its rapacious
developers, mournful lookers-back,
see-no-evil bystanders and raging
activists might be from anywhere. In a house built with
love mixed into its mortar lives Antonio, who keeps a
hotel and preserves a gracious way of life. His cousin
Dionysus fights doubtful land deals through newsprint
and lawsuits, and ultimately pays a hideous price.
Some characters, like Antonio’s tearfully childless
wife and his trashy stepmother, remain cutouts, but
the villainous are painted in intense colours. Winston
Almeida’s ambitions make him the ideal broker
between the Russian criminals who plan to buy up the
village of Socorro Do Mundo
and everything nearby and
the buyers who must sell The violence
to them whether they want remains with
to or not. Even the trustees the reader
of Save Goa Society are for
sale, it turns out.
long after the
Chakravarti is a lover last page is
of Goa. He distracts us with turned
recipes for vin-d’alho or
descriptions of hand-painted
azulejos between a question
and an answer, and it’s hard to
remember how a conversation connects to what came
before or after. There are sentences that make one
think, I wish I’d written that: “The quiet was loud here.”
And then there are ones piled so high with descriptors
and allusions that they lose their punch.
The violence remains with the reader long after
the last page is turned. A slender hope rises at the
end, but what delights us throughout is the dialogue.
Goans will know whether Chakravarti has captured
the rhythms of speech exactly, but to the reader it is
the jewel of the novel. ■
—Latha Anantharaman
 LEISURE

BARK A RT

AND BITE
Performance artist Inder Salim’s latest
work–a series of films based on Manto’s Dog
of Tithwal draws audiences’ attention to
the insensitivity of people at large towards
contemporary socio-political issues

T the story, the dog shows

The Yamuna may be dead,
says the radical perfor-
mance artist who famous-
ly chopped off his little
finger and threw it in the
river in 2002. But Manto’s
dog lives on—and he’s
making a series of films to
show how.
In Manto’s Dog
of Tithwal, Indian and
Pakistani troops kill the
innocent canine for fun.
For artist Inder Salim,
BANDEEP SINGH
the insensitivity and dis-
dain the human race is
capable of. “The animal
keeps coming to my mind,
hinting about identity,
society, violence, nation-
alism, freedom and the
forces, not to mention
how we sometimes are
in the role of the soldiers,
and as the dog at other
times,” says Salim.
The Delhi-based artist
shot his first version of the
story on Mumbai beach
last year as a search for
the living dog. He made a
second version in Basel
and the second one
with Swiss artist Pascel
Lampert.
“Body as medium is
easily available to the art-
ist and proves cost-effec-
tive. So the performance
artist has an advantage
in that sense, but the
body in isolation, as I have
always said, is not the
core of performance art
but an integral part of the
processes that go into the
making of a performance
art piece.”

who recently completed this year. The first film That doesn’t mean
the first two of several was in collaboration with he’s becoming any less
planned films based on Turkish artist Alper Solaris radical. In the wake of

MUSEUM
Tagores in Ahmedabad

L
ast year in February, Jayshree
and Sanjay Lalbhai, chairman
and managing director of Ar-
vind Limited, threw open their
restored and renovated ances-
tral home as a museum centring around
a collection of artworks that Lalabhai
Dalpatbhai had bought from brothers
Gaganendranath, Abanindranath and
Samarendranath, all nephews of Nobel
Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, in 1935.
During the past 18 months, the two co-
lonial buildings located at Ahmedabad’s
Shahibaugh area—named Kasturbhai
Lalbhai Museum—have become hotspots
of exhibitions showcasing traditional
handloom to contemporary art. The latest
being Manu Parekh Retrospective—60
Years of Selected Works that was on dis-
play till June 3. The Bengal connection is
not limited to the Tagore family. Earlier,
the museum had hosted a show titled,
Sahib, Biwi, Nawab, on Bengal’s famed
Baluchari silk. Past exhibitions included
works by Hungarian-Indian avant garde
painter of early 20th century Amrita
Sher-Gil and contemporary artists like
Jogen Chowdhury.
At the centre of the museum lies the
Tagore collection, which was earlier “ly-
ing preserved in various boxes”, says Jay-
shree, adding that they would occasion-
JAYSHREE AND SANJAY LALBHAI

64 INDIA TODAY J U N E 18 , 2 018


Union culture minister
Mahesh Sharma’s call to
purge Indian culture of
“polluting” and “western”
influences, Salim says
the time is ripe for artists
to work out their ideas
against the enemy of
freedom of expression.
“I am an optimist in that
sense. Something incred-
ible is happening in India
ally pull something out to show to
a guest. The collection comprises
antiques pieces from the Timurid
era, Deccan, Rajputana, Pahari,
SHAILESH RAVAL
Persian, Mughal paintings, Tibet-
an thangkas, bronze sculptures
belonging to the Chola period
and sketches by Rabindranath
Tagore. It was a kind of distress
sale, as the Tagore brothers didn’t
want it to go out of India.
“We were wondering what to
do with the rare collection. We
didn’t want it to remain within
the four walls of our home nor did
we want to sell it,” says Jayshree.
Starting with two build-
ings that had been unoccupied
for 15 years, they converted a
1905 colonial house and a 1930
and artists are inventing
a new vocabulary that
talks about people and the
times that engulf them.”
Stressing that pres-
ent times call for newer
strategies by creative
people to make their voic-
es heard, he says, “The
time of the studio is over.
Now artists need to go
in the middle of the city…
the place where every-
one breathes collectively,
come in contact with each
other, and enrich
everyone’s vocabulary
and force.” „
—Sukant Deepak
outbuilding into exhibition spaces
for the Tagore collection and
contemporary art collected by the
family. It’s the second house—
Claude Betley building—that has
emerged as a favourite site for
temporary exhibitions. Setting
up the museum was not as simple
as pulling the artworks out of
boxes and hanging them on the
walls. The buildings had to be
reconceived, a process that took
architect Rahul Mehrotra four
years. “It was a massive restora-
tion effort,” says Sanjay Lalbhai.
Among the others in the Lalbhai
collection are works by Raja Ravi
Verma, J. Swaminathan and
Ganesh Pyne. „
—Darshan Desai
 LEISURE
W EB SER IES
Faceoff
with
Reality
SEASON 2 OF 13 REASONS WHY
HAS A HELPLINE WEBSITE AND A
DISCLAIMER THAT SAYS IT WILL
ADDRESS PROBLEMS SUCH AS
SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND SUICIDE
W
hen 13 Reasons Why
debuted on Netflix last
year, critics slammed it
for its glamourification of
teen suicide and graphic depiction of
sexual assault. Yet, it was a smash hit,
prompting the makers to try to stay
hot and also take responsibility.
Season 2 begins with a video dis-
claimer from the cast emphasising
that the story is fiction, and it deals
with sexual assault, substance abuse
and suicide. The show now has its
helpline website (13ReasonsWhy.
info). And the public service
announcement-style disclaimer
argues that the show can help start
LOVED BY ALL
“I’ve climbed Everest 21 times, but I wouldn’t
wish this on anybody,” renowned mountain
climber Apa Sherpa says in this breathtak-
ingly beautiful biodoc, which exposes the
dirty business behind summiting the world’s
highest hill. Outsideonline.com
66 INDIA TODAY J U N E 18 , 2 018
a conversation about these very real seems like the story of how her suicide
problems. And so it does. worked as the perfect revenge.
The plot of Season 2 centres on Season 2 mostly succeeds in
proving Bryce Walker guilty of rap- depicting the flaws in the justice sys-
ing Hannah Baker, Jessica Davis, and tem (shared in America and India)
many unidentified others. Instead of and how the rich and the powerful get
killing herself in a self-defeating (but away with just about anything. Bryce
glorified) effort at revenge, Jessica Walker suffers, but not as much as he
Davis finds the courage to call out her deserves. Overall, the show plays
rapist, move on, and relive safe, albeit not entirely. The last
her high school life. Though S O N2 episode ends on yet another
Hannah (the suicide vic- SEA eds in crazy note where Tyler
e
succ ing the
tim/ plot driver of Season epic t tice Down is seen getting sex-
d jus
in the w
1) still appears to “live on” flaws m and ho y ually assaulted by Bryce’s
syste h get awa
in a series of flashbacks ric u t bully boy-gang and Tyler
the just abo
—one reason for the ear- with ything picking up the gun. ■
an —Arunima Mazumdar
lier criticism—it no longer
WAT C H L I S T
I SPY A CLASSIC
SENSE8: THE FINALE
From the makers of the Matrix, Sense8
was a weird-but-charming hodgepodge—a
higher-end answer to Heroes with a silly
India-related subplot. Lacklustre response
to Season 2 resulted in its cancellation, but
it had just enough fans to convince Netflix to
greenlight a two-hour finale. Netflix
COME TO ME PARADISE
This “sci-fi documentary” trains its eye –
or that of an all-seeing spirit drone—on the
Filipina housemaids of Hong Kong, human-
ising women who are often inadvertently
re-exploited by films focused on the grim
working conditions and abuse they some-
times suffer. Mubi.com
 N OW S T R E A M I N G

NOT SO
ORIGINAL
wo new shows, Table

T No 5 and Zer0 KMS,

offer a glimpse of the
kind of originals Zee is
planning for its stream- more murders he didn’t commit. While
ing platform, Zee5. on the run, he unearths a human traf-
A series of six shorts set in an ficking ring using the clues left behind
Irani eatery, Table No 5 thrives on by his dead brother.
cheap thrills. In the first episode, two Unfortunately, his drab soliloquies
magicians try to outdo each other (e.g. “She needs to be strong. She
until a predictable twist arrives; in can’t be weak.”) are more annoy-
the second and the best of the lot a ing than enlightening. An array of
man relishes his newfound power to underdeveloped characters/ poor
control the fate of India’s cricket team performers pop up at regular intervals
through the roll of dice only to find it to provide some inadvertent humour.
suffocating later. The shtick already Meanwhile, Naseeruddin Shah—Arjun’s
seems stale by episode three, in which mentor and martial arts teacher—gets
two friends find they can get anything hardly any screen time in what’s billed
they want, but soon see their luck as his web series debut.
run out. The show is a The 12-episode show
breezy watch but offers ends with unanswered
nothing new.
The 12-episode
questions, which suggests
Set in Goa, Zer0 show ends with
there is a season two in
KMS is a more tradition- unanswered the pipeline. “I need to put
al thriller directed and questions, my thoughts together,”
co-written by Bengali suggesting there says Arjun to himself. The
maverick filmmaker Q. is a season two showrunners should heed
Just after his release in the pipeline that advice if they hope to
from prison, Arjun lure viewers back to Goa’s
(Tanmay Dhanania) is killing fields. ■
immediately accused of —Suhani Singh
 r
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th factu gh . My
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t h e b e g i ve o t h e s p t i ve
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GEOFF RIDDER

68 Volume XLIII Number 25; For the week June 12-18, 2018, published on every Friday Total number of pages 84 (including cover pages)
 DIGITAL EDITION

THANK YOU FOR READING REGISTERED NO. DL(ND)-11/6068/2018-20; U(C)-88/2018-20; FARIDABAD/05/2017-19 LICENSED TO POST WITHOUT PREPAYMENT

OC
WHO TO WATCH: THE
STARS OF FIFA 2018 BJP’S BYPOLL DISORDER
JUNE 18, 2018 `60

9 7 7 0 2 5 4 8 3 9 9 0 9

www.indiatoday.in

DEATH
BY OIL?
RNI NO. 28587/75

As public despair grows

over the rise in fuel prices,
the Modi government is in a
trap: it can lower prices
only at the cost of its
ambitious welfare schemes

PLEASE CONTINUE
TO YOUR FREE MAGAZINES
g

Photographer
JUNE 2018 Uzma Mohsin on

unjabi
capturing
APRIL - JUNE 2018

displacement
b
y

A ZINE A LOOK AT INDIA’S

TALLEST RELIGIOUS
TOWER

THE GUIDE TO EDUCATION AND CAREERS

b
.

BEAT THE
BEST HEAT
What to wear, eat and shop
L

for this season

ENGINEERING
.

COLLEGES
A look at the
Delhi & NCR, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Pune.
Not for sale. To be circulated free with India Today in Mumbai,

institutes that are ALSO

“Supplement to India Today issue dated June 18, 2018
RNI NO. DELENG / 2007 / 18401

making a difference ODISHA SKILL

DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY’S
SUBROTO BAGCHI ON MOTIVATING
THE YOUNG TO WORK HARD

VR PUNJAB,
MOHALI
NANDITA ABRAHAM,
CEO, PEARL ACADEMY,
ON TRENDS IN DESIGN EDUCATION
 APRIL - JUNE 2018

THE GUIDE TO EDUCATION AND CAREERS

BEST
ENGINEERING
COLLEGES
A look at the
Delhi & NCR, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Pune.
Not for sale. To be circulated free with India Today in Mumbai,

institutes that are ALSO

“Supplement to India Today issue dated June 18, 2018
RNI NO. DELENG / 2007 / 18401

making a difference ODISHA SKILL

DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY’S
SUBROTO BAGCHI ON MOTIVATING
THE YOUNG TO WORK HARD

NANDITA ABRAHAM,
CEO, PEARL ACADEMY,
ON TRENDS IN DESIGN EDUCATION
Editor-in-Chief: Aroon Purie
Group Editorial Director: Raj Chengappa

Group Photo Editor: Bandeep Singh

Group Creative Editor: Nilanjan Das

Deputy Editor: Prachi Bhuchar

Senior Associate Editor: Shelly Anand
Senior Correspondent: Harshita Das

Art Director: Jyoti K Singh

Associate Art Director: Devajit Bora
Assitant Art Diector: Rajesh Angira

Photo Department: Vikram Sharma

Chief Photo Researcher: Prabhakar Tiwari
Photo Researchers: Saloni Vaid,
Shubhrojit Brahma

Production: Harish Aggarwal (Chief of

Production), Naveen Gupta, Vijay Sharma,

Illustration ANURANJAN BHATIA

Prashant Verma

Publishing Director: Manoj Sharma

Associate Publisher: Anil Fernandes (Impact)

IMPACT TEAM
Senior General Manager (Impact):
Jitendra Lad (West)
General Managers:
Upendra Singh (Bangalore),
Kaushiky Gangulie (East) 6
cover story
Group Chief Marketing Officer
Vivek Malhotra
ENGINEER YOUR FUTURE
Industry-academia partnership, new learning techniques and
encouraging research are some of the key parameters for new age
learners. A look at how engineering institutes of India are different.

Vol. 13 Number 4; April-June 2018

Copyright Living Media India Ltd. All rights reserved throughout
the world. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited.
Printed and published by Manoj Sharma
30 28 34
on behalf of Living Media India Limited. Printed at In Focus Interview with Icons Final Cut
Thomson Press India Limited, 18-35 Milestone, Delhi
Mathura Road, Faridabad-121007, (Haryana) and
published at K-9, Connaught Circus, New Delhi-110001, FASHION MOTIVATING LEARNING
Editorial/Corporate Office: Living Media India Ltd., India Today FORWARD THE YOUNG THE ART
Group Mediaplex, FC-8, Sector-16A, Film City, Noida - 201301;
Editor: Raj Chengappa. Nandita Abraham, Subroto Bagch, How to build
India Today does not take responsibility for returning unsolicited CEO, Pearl Academy, Chairman, Odisha Skill a career in
publication material. on how fashion Development Authority, cybersecurity
design education can on encouraging young
Cover by NILANJAN DAS bring in a change minds to work hard

1
APRIL-JUNE, 2018 INDIA TODAY ASPIRE
 NEWS YOU CAN USE

BHAVVNA JOLLY
Senior Programme Officer,
Education USA, United
States-India Educational

Strike
Foundation (USIEF), Delhi

the
Right
Chord
Writing an
application essay
for colleges abroad
can be a process of
self-discovery. Five
points to factor
in as you don your
writing hat.

ORM

W
ION F
PLICAT ith a growing number of aspirants
AP RSE A vying for a spot at the finest
CO
U
SE
B universities abroad, making
UR C
CO RS
E your application stand out is becoming
U D
CO SE
UR EE an increasingly challenging proposition.
CO RS
U
CO Educational institutions look for well-
rounded bright students with a unique
story. College essays and statements of
purpose (SOP) allow you to create a vibrant
and vivid lexical hologram of yourself to
Illustration ANURANJAN BHATIA make the application come alive. While

2
INDIA TODAY ASPIRE APRIL-JUNE, 2018

each application essay is diferent,
choose what you share and how
you share it.
RESPOND TO THE PROMPT
SOPs require you to respond to a
prompt which is the fundamental
question or theme of the essay.
It is imperative to read the
question carefully and spend time
comprehending and analysing what
is being asked. This will ensure
that you begin on the right note
and focus on including information
pertinent to the prompt. All
incidents, examples and anecdotes
shared in the essay should clearly
relate to the main theme of the
essay. Connect the dots and bring
all pieces of the story together to
build a cohesive piece of writing.
DON’T JUST NARRATE, ANALYSE
College essays and SOPs allow
admissions committees to evaluate
your reasoning as well as critical
thinking skills. The application
essay should not be a laundry list
of your life’s accomplishments or a
brazen exhibition of your talents.
It should have cogent intellectual
arguments, reflect your opinion,
showcase your ability to critique
holistically and demonstrate your
decision-making skills.
ITERATIONS MATTER
It always helps to review and
improve your essay to ensure that
everything that makes it to the
final draft has been purposefully
selected. It is important to take
your time with the iterations so you
can view your essay from diferent
perspectives which may be a bit
challenging if you try to complete
everything in one sitting. While
reviewing, pay attention to
essential elements of good writing
including grammar, syntax and
vocabulary to present your ideas.
BE HONEST
Admissions committees go
through thousands of essays and
can figure out if an applicant is not
sincere in what he/she narrates.
Being honest also means that
your essay is an original piece of
writing and not plagiarised in its
idea and execution. Admissions
committees have a variety of tools
at their disposal that help them
determine whether an essay is
original. Additionally, even if you
discuss your essay with parents,
mentors, friends and counsellors,
make sure that you make the edits
but the writing remains true to
your voice and style of expression.
USE ELEMENTS OF STORYTELLING
Well-crafted SOPs have a way
of engaging the reader. If it suits
your writing style, use humor and
pathos to create the desired efect.
Creating visual imagery will also
put the reader at the centre of all
the action and make the story
relatable. Remember to have
an arc in your story where you
begin with an interesting ‘hook’
or a germ of an idea and show its
entire journey from conception
to realisation. This will also help
you showcase your ability to take
abstract concepts and develop
them into tangible outcomes.
Scholarship Alert
THE NAROPA FELLOWSHIP
The Drukpa Order, which has shaped
and contributed to the Himalayan and
Central Asian culture and heritage for
over a millennium, has launched the
Naropa Fellowship Programme to develop
entrepreneurial skills in students that
will help foster a robust socio-economic
environment in Ladakh. The fellowship is
one-year, fully residential, postgraduate
academic programme covering tuition
as well as food and lodging costs. Last
date for submission is July 7. Check
naropafellowship.org
GLION’S SCHOLARSHIP
COMPETITION
In partnership with Swiss watch-
maker, Frederique Constant, Glion
Institute of Higher Education, UK, has
launched a scholarship competition for
Indian students applying for a master’s
programme in International Hospitality
Business with Luxury Brand
Management. The scholarship will cover
25 per cent of the tuition fee. The closing
date for applications is June 15.
Check www.glion.edu/luxury-competi-
tion-april2018
UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM
SCHOLARSHIP
The University of Birmingham, UK, has
announced scholarships worth £4,000
for Indian students applying for under-
graduate programmes. The scholarship
award covers tuition fee for the first year
only. The deadline for application is
July 6. Check undergraduate/funding/Uni-
versity-of-Birmingham-India-Outstand-
ing-Achievement-Scholarships.aspx
 NEWS YOU CAN USE

COURSES AT A GLANCE
Five short-term professional courses to enhance your skills

PUBLIC SPEAKING AND PERSONALITY ENHANCEMENT CERTIFICATE PROGRAMME IN CYBER LAW

Excellent communications skills—verbal or non-ver-
bal—are a must-have these days to lead in any field. A
four-day certificate course ofered by Xavier Institute of
Communications, Mumbai, in public speaking and per-
sonality development helps in improving interpersonal
approach, confidence building and instilling leadership
qualities. The courses help students to be efective
communicators through writing, speaking, thinking and
group discussion sessions.
FEE `7,000
WEBSITE www.xaviercomm.org/certificate-courses/default.aspx
With the computer and Internet becoming an
indispensable part of any commercial or industrial
activity, cyber law is an emerging field. Symbiosis
Centre for Distance Learning, Pune, ofers a six-month
online course in cyber law providing basic theoretical
knowledge on the legal system and information
technology in combination with research projects.
Expertise in cyber law will help you further your career.
FEE `12,000
WEBSITE www.scdl.net

BASIC BEGINNERS COURSE ON PHOTOGRAPHY FUNDAMENTAL IT PROGRAMME

In case you love clicking pictures, explore the beginners
course on photography ofered by Raghu Rai Center for
Photography in Delhi. For three months, aspirants are
trained on basics of photography, through techniques
such as composition, light, ambience and background.
They are also trained to use equipment such as a flash
and reflector through theory and practical sessions.
A certificate is awarded after completing the course.
FEE `25,000 plus taxes
WEBSITE www.raghuraicenterforphotography.com
If you are technologically inclined, get started and learn
programming languages such as C and C++ that teach
you how to create webpages using HTML and manage
data with Microsoft SQL. The fundamental IT
programme by NIIT is designed based on current
market trends and on the interest of learners to develop
their own website or mobile app. The duration of the
certificate course ranges between four and eight weeks.
FEE `4,000 to `18,000
WEBSITE www.niit.com

CULINARY FULL-TIME PROGRAMME

Those who wish to work as a professional chef in hotels or restaurants or become an
entrepreneur can opt for a six-month course ofered by Academy of Pastry Arts, Gurgaon. The
course is handcrafted for beginners who are trained by international chefs. The curriculum
and course reflect a hands-on approach. An internationally recognised diploma is awarded
by the City & Guilds UK at the end of the programme.
FEE `4lakh
WEBSITE academyofpastryartsindia.com
Compiled by Harshita Das

New on the block

RAKSHA SHAKTI UNIVERSITY, Ahmedabad, has signed a memorandum
RAKSHA SHAKTI of understanding (MoU) with the University of Portsmouth, UK, for a range

UNIVERSITY INKS PACT of academic and research activities. The MoU is focussed on collaborative
research activities and supports aspiring students from both institutions

WITH UNIVERSITY OF in placement opportunities along with student-faculty exchange

programmes. The partnership also includes fostering collaborative

PORTSMOUTH academic programmes, joint conferences, seminars and workshops.

4
INDIA TODAY ASPIRE APRIL-JUNE, 2018
 NEWS YOU CAN USE
MICROSOFT INDIA
ANNOUNCES WINNERS
OF IMAGINE CUP
Microsoft India announced RealVol,
DrugSafe and Practikality as the
winners of 16th edition of Imagine Cup
India Chapter. The three teams will be
representing India in the finals in the
US and competing for $100,000 prize
money. They will also have a mentoring
session with Satya Nadella. This year’s
India leg also highlighted the rising
interest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and
related technologies such as Cognitive
Services and Chatbots among Indian
students. Sixty per cent of the entries
received showcased solutions powered
by AI. The competition allows student
developers to use their creativity and
KPIT OPENS REGISTRATIONS FOR ITS
passion to solve real-world problems
and turn their ideas into reality. With an
outreach to over 50 campuses from
more than 10 states such as Rajasthan,
Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh,
Haryana, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh,
Imagine camps have impacted over
10,000 students across India.
ASHOKA UNIVERSITY
PARTNERS WITH YUNUS
SOCIAL BUSINESS CENTRE
Ashoka University, Sonepat, has signed
a memorandum of understanding
(MoU) with the Yunus Social Business
India Centre, a research hub for social
business. The partnership has also
been in collaboration with HEC Paris,
an international business school.
The aim is to develop and expand the
framework of cooperation between
the institutes and promote Professor
Muhammad Yunus’s vision of alleviating
poverty by implementing the concept
of social business.
INKLUDE LAUNCHES EDUCATIONAL
AID FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED
To foster inclusiveness, INKLUDE, a Delhi-
based social enterprise, has launched
a range of educational and recreational
aids for the visually impaired. The
initiative will change the way Braille and
geometrical shapes are taught. The newly
introduced books are integrated using
a special embossing technique which
enables visually impaired people to read
by sensing the tactile Braille and images
through their fingertips.
INNOVATION AND DESIGN CONTEST
KPIT, a global technology company, has
opened registration for its annual national
design and development innovation
contest. The theme for this year is
‘Mobility and Energy for the Future’. KPIT
Sparkle 2019 will be conducted in four
phases—registration and idea submission,
prototyping and video submission. The
grand finale will be held in Pune.
WUD, SONEPAT, TO COMMENCE
FIRST ACADEMIC SESSION
World University of Design (WUD),
Sonepat, India’s first residential university
in the creative domain, is set to begin
its inaugural session in August. WUD
will offer undergraduate, postgraduate
and diploma courses with a blend
of unique teaching methodology,
advanced interdisciplinary research and
international collaborations in the areas
of design, interiors, textile, architecture,
communication, fashion, fine arts,
management and photography.
 COVER STORY

Shaping the Future

MOVING AWAY FROM CONVENTIONAL METHODS OF TEACHING, ENGINEERING INSTITUTES ARE INTEGRATING
ACADEMICS WITH INDUSTRY AND GIVING STUDENTS INTERNATIONAL EXPOSURE
By Harshita Das

M
ore than 10 lakh students
sat for their JEE Main (Joint
Entrance Examination)
this year. Looking at the growing
number of engineering institutes
across the country and the number
of aspirants preparing for their
engineering examinations, it is
clear that engineering is one of the
most sought after streams after
medicine and law. With some of
the best engineering colleges in the
country—there are 23 IITs in India
and students get to learn from the
best faculty —and IIT Kharagpur
leading the pack, engineering
as a discipline has undergone a
change. These autonomous public
institutes have paved the way for
engineering education in a big way
ofering B Tech, M Tech, doctoral
and postdoctoral programmes. And
this trend of ofering specialised
knowledge and skills to students
has also been tapped by private
players. With changing world
economies and digitisation of
businesses, most of these institutes
have reinvented themselves and
introduced new curriculum where
the focus is more on learning real
time and through projects. In fact,
the AICTE (All India Council for
Technical Education) has launched
a new curriculum model in January
to ensure high quality education
in line with global trends. In
addition to this, to address the
rising problem of unemployment
in engineering graduates and give
them industry exposure, AICTE
has made internships mandatory.
In our cover story, we look at some
of the best engineering institutes
such as IIT Delhi, SRM, VIT and
Symbiosis to name a few who are
promoting innovation and incor-
porating new techniques in terms
of research, setting high-tech labs
and incubators to give students a
unique learning experience.

IN TUNE WITH TECH

ENGINEERING INSTITUTES
BOAST MODERN LABS

Photograph A P GUPTA
6
INDIA TODAY ASPIRE APRIL-JUNE, 2018
VELLORE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (VIT)
VELLORE, TAMIL NADU
Four hundred and twenty
companies have come to Vellore
Institute of Technology (VIT)
for recruitment in the last one
year. This stands testimony to
their success as an engineering
institute. “VIT stands out as it
encompasses unique features
which are not usually followed
anywhere else. Considerable
amount of study has been carried
out to understand the new genera-
tion of students who are diferent
and look at academics in a new
way. Academic processes have
been framed to suit the taste and
interest of such students,” says
Anand A Samuel, Vice-Chancel-
lor, VIT. The university under-
stood that these students prefer
learning innovatively so a PBL
(project-based learning) mode of
delivery is followed by them. “VIT
also understands that students
have to be prepared for the digital
world market of 2025 and hence
academic processes are orientated
to be in digital mode. In the first
year, students are exposed to the
niche areas of technology such as
3D printing, wearable tools, cyber
physical system, bio-inspired
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
AT VIT, STUDENTS ARE PUSHED TO
COME OUT OF THE COMFORT ZONE
REAL-TIME
LEARNING
Getting connected to
the faculty members
on virtual mode 24/7,
learning from Adjunct
Professors from
international universities
and one module of every
subject ofered at VIT
being handled by an
industry expert are
some of the USPs
designed process, laser scanning
survey, IoT and smart grid, which
keeps them in tune with technolo-
gy,” adds Samuel. In addition to all
this, they have 112 student clubs
and associations.
By Ridhi Kale
vit.ac.in
17
APRIL-JUNE, 2018 INDIA TODAY ASPIRE
 COVER STORY
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
SRM INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
CHENNAI, TAMIL NADU
The College of Engineering
at SRM Institute of Science
and Technology (deemed to
be university) ofers a series
of courses. These include civil
engineering, mechanical engi-
neering, automobile engineering,
aerospace engineering, mecha-
tronics, nanotechnology, nuclear
engineering, electronics and
communication, telecommuni-
cation, electrical and electronics,
electronics and instrumentation,
chemical engineering, biotech-
nology, biomedical engineering,
genetic engineering, food process
GROUND FOR GROOMING
STUDENTS HAVE TO WORK ON SEVERAL
PROJECT-BASED EXERCISES
Photograph by JAISON G
8
INDIA TODAY ASPIRE APRIL-JUNE, 2018
engineering, SRM-DBT (Depart-
ment of Biotechnology) platform,
computer science engineering,
information technology and
software engineering. “We at SRM
aim to bridge the gap of knowl-
edge by providing best quality in
education through books to life.
We help the students achieve their
desire of being better academically,
career-wise and become an inspi-
ration for the future generation,”
says Sandeep Sancheti, Vice-Chan-
cellor of Chennai campus. Every
year more than 10,000 students
graduate from SRM with great
srmuniv.ac.in
placements. Besides formal educa-
tion practices, SRM has launched
the Centre for Performing and Fine
Arts, which ofers degrees in music,
dance and fashion designing. In the
coming year, SRM promises that
there will be various new additions
in education and in extracurricular.
By Ridhi Kale
HIGH TECH SRM has
a Super Computer Centre
with high performance
computing servers with
three master servers and
72 computer nodes
 COVER STORY

GALGOTIAS COLLEGE OF
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY WIRED FOR SUCCESS
GALGOTIAS UNIVERSITY STUDENTS LEARN WHILE
WORKING ON PROJECTS
GREATER NOIDA, UTTAR PRADESH
Set up in 2011, Galgotias University (GU) has
already made a mark for itself in the league
of top private universities, within seven years
of its inception. While GU ofers about 120
undergraduate, postgraduate, diploma, M Phil
and doctoral programmes in several disciplines,
the engineering programmes such as computer
science, mechanical and civil engineering are
most sought after by students. The College
of Engineering and Technology at Galgotias
University is divided into five verticals—School
of Computing Science and Technology; School
of Electrical, Electronics and Communication
Engineering; School of Civil Engineering;
School of Mechanical Engineering and School
of Chemical Engineering—and gives students
first-hand knowledge about the industry, how
the field of engineering is growing, and how they
can sharpen their knowledge base during the
course. With B Tech courses in electronics and
communication engineering, computer science
and engineering, automobile engineering and
chemical engineering to name
a few, the university’s R & D
potential is recognised by LEADING THE CHANGE
the Science and Engineering The in-campus incubation centre,
Board, Government of Galgotias Centre for Technology
India. The university has Innovation & Incubation, established in
also been given a grant to association with the Ministry of Micro,
set up a state-of-the-art Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)
nanotechnology lab to helps transform skills and business ideas
conduct research on self- to produce a pool of start-ups
assembly of semi-conductor
nanostructures for sensing
applications. With several tools and platforms
such as role-plays, case studies, simulations, field
experience and industry visits, the institute
ensures that students get both theoretical
knowledge and practical learning.
By Shelly Anand

galgotiasuniversity.edu.in
Photograph by M ZHAZO
 COVER STORY
NIIT UNIVERSITY
NEEMRANA, RAJASTHAN
The engineering programme
at the NIIT University (NU) is
based on learning that is seamless,
industry-linked, technology-based
and research-driven. The B Tech
programmes ofered include
computer science and engineer-
ing with an emphasis on digital
transformation technologies,
electronics and communication
engineering, biotechnology and
five-year integrated M Tech
programmes—M Tech GIS
(Geographic Information Sys-
tems) and M Tech in educational
technology. It’s clear that NU is
10
INDIA TODAY ASPIRE APRIL-JUNE, 2018
diferent from its engineering
counterparts. One of the most
innovative programmes ofered is
the Immersive Industry Prac-
tice, a flagship course in which
a student works on a real-time
project of an organisation under
the direct mentoring by a faculty
and an industry professional.
This six-month period makes
the transition from a student
to an employed professional,
seamless and smooth. “NU has
been developed as an institution
of higher education that works
closely with the industry to create
FULL FOCUS NIIT ORGANISES GUEST LECTURES BY
PROFESSIONALS FROM DIFFERENT FIELDS
AWARDS AND
ACCOLADES
NU has been recognised
as the “best institution
for promoting industry-
academia interface” at the
10th ASSOCHAM Higher
Education Summit 2017.
The university has also won
Photograph CYRIL KUHN
the “Best Infrastructure
of the Year” award at the
Indian Education Congress
& Awards 2017.
higher education programmes that
are aligned to their needs. The
industry-academia connect has
been designed to create ‘leaders of
tomorrow’ who can adapt to the
fast-changing global economy and
contribute meaningfully to the
growth of their organisations and
the society at large,” says V S Rao,
President, NIIT University.
By Ridhi Kale
niituniversity.in
 COVER STORY
SYMBIOSIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
SYMBIOSIS INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
PUNE, MAHARASHTRA
With a focus on providing quality technical education
that is in line with the requirements of today’s
competitive industry and fast-paced technological
developments, Symbiosis Institute of Technology
(SIT), established in 2008, lays emphasis on industry
training and research projects. SIT has a strong
research focus in areas such as applied sciences,
electronics and telecommunication engineering,
image and signal processing, radio science, wireless
communication and multi-band antennas and
automotive electronics. Co-curricular activities include
techfests, cultural programmes, sports competitions,
industry-institute meets, guest lectures by experts
and student exchange programmes with foreign
universities. SIT has international collaborations for
CHANGE AGENTS THE INSTITUTE
OFFERS STUDENTS OUT-OF-
THE-BOX LEARNING
Photograph by CHANDU PALKAR
student and faculty exchange with the
Nanyang Technological University,
Singapore; University of Ingolstadt,
Germany and Purdue University College
of Engineering, US to name a few. “The
institute has been identified as one of
the lead collaborators in the country
in the field of artificial intelligence and
machine learning, training and research,”
says K Kotecha, Director of SIT. With
a desire to ofer holistic training to
students, besides ofering the core
engineering disciplines, they are also
given lessons in liberal arts, performing
arts, industrial history and human
values and ethics. By Aditi Pai
sitpune.edu.in
NEW ON THE CAMPUS
SIT is coming out with honors
specialisations such as computer
science and engineering with
honors in artificial intelligence
and machine learning, civil
engineering with honors in smart
cities for the batch of 2018-19
 COVER STORY
AMRITA SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING, AMRTIA VISHWA VIDYAPEETHAM
COIMBATORE, TAMIL NADU
THE TECH HUB
AMRITA UNIVERSITY HAS
STATE-OF-THE-ART
ENGINEERING LABS
The journey of Amrita School of
Engineering started in 1994 in
Coimbatore and spread to two
other campuses of Amrita Vishwa
Vidyapeetham in Kollam and
Bengaluru. Known for its
advanced research facilities and
technological innovation, the
research infrastructure at varsity
campuses is among the best in the
country. “Within the engineering
stream, we have more than 250
advanced laboratories such as
12
INDIA TODAY ASPIRE APRIL-JUNE, 2018
software defined radio, remote
sensing, smart grid, wireless
technologies, cyber security, aero
design, propulsion, robotics and
several more,” says P Venkat
Rangan, Vice-Chancellor, adding
that these facilities contain
sophisticated equipment includ-
ing a sub-sonic wind tunnel,
Kamov-35 Helicopter and MIG-23
fighter aircraft. Rangan also adds,
“We are expanding on our experi-
ential learning programme—Live
INTERNATIONAL
EXPOSURE
With an extensive
collaboration with
over 200 international
universities, it ofers plenty
of opportunities for student
exchange programmes
in Labs @ Amrita—across all engi- Photograph by JAISON G
neering departments.” Introduced
in 2013, the programme entails
projects in collaboration with
students and faculty from inter-
national universities in Indian
villages to understand current
challenges and develop sustainable
solutions. Some of these innovative
engineering solutions from recent
projects include rural electrifica-
tion via solar power and bio-filters
for water purification.
By Mona Ramavat
amrita.edu
 COVER STORY
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING, SHIV NADAR UNIVERSITY
NOIDA, UTTAR PRADESH
Started in 2011, the School of
Engineering under the aegis
of Shiv Nadar University has
disciplinary departments ofering
undergraduate, postgraduate and
doctoral programmes in chemical
engineering, civil engineering,
computer science and engineer-
ing, electrical engineering and
mechanical engineering. With
a strong emphasis on inter and
multi-disciplinary research, the
curriculum ofers students the
flexibility to choose multiple elec-
tives across diferent departments.
The university has also set up
five inter and multi-disciplinary
research centres. The engineering
school has a dynamic learning
environment and students are
trained for leadership positions
in academia, industry, govern-
ment, research laboratories and
non-profit organisations.
The institute follows an
approach of problem-solving in
areas of research especially when
it comes to computational meth-
ods, microfluidics and nanotech-
nology, data sciences, security
and privacy, and urban studies to
name a few. Students learn from
LEARNING ONLINE THE CAMPUS IS WIFI
ENABLED AND STUDENTS HAVE ACCESS
TO ADVANCED EQUIPMENT
NEW GOALS
Shiv Nadar University has
launched the ‘gifted student
scholarship’ programme
for undergraduates. The
scholarship will be awarded
to meritorious students
Photograph JAISON G
who can study at the
university free of cost.
industry veterans through guest lec-
tures and seminars. And the college
provides value-added hard and soft
skills workshops to the engineering
students and also encourages group
learning. Summer internships form
an important part of the curriculum
and students get first-hand knowl-
edge about the industry and also
pick up skills.
By Harshita Das
snu.edu.in
 COVER STORY

AMITY SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

AND TECHNOLOGY, AMITY UNIVERSITY
NOIDA, UTTAR PRADESH
The Amity School of Engineer-
ing and Technology (ASET) has
seven departments, a 1,000-acre
campus, 27,000 on-campus
placements, 25,000 students on
scholarship, 1,130 Scopus Index
research papers and 116 patents
filed by faculty and students in
past two years. “We believe in the
holistic development of students
with emphasis on research, pub-
lications and international expo-
sure to help them become smart
global engineers. Programmes
are accredited by IET-UK.
World-class technology, research
Balvinder Shukla,
Vice-Chancellor, Amity
University. The depart-
ments at ASET include
applied sciences, computer
science and engineering,
information technology,
electronics and commu-
nication engineering and
automation engineering to
name a few. The academic CLASS APART
programmes are designed THE CAMPUS OFFERS A
CONDUCIVE LEARNING
to enable growth and learn- ENVIRONMENT
ing through a combination
of formal lectures and
hands-on experience and GLOBAL TOUCH

Photograph by YASIR IQBAL

labs, international exposure and
strong industry connect make
our students stand out. In fact,
we were ranked as 34 across
India by the NIRF,” says
also encourages students to partic- International exposure
ipate in co-curricular programmes is provided through
such as entrepreneurship and the student exchange
community outreach activities. programme, semester
abroad programme and
By Ridhi Kale three continent programme
amity.edu

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING,
RABINDRANATH TAGORE UNIVERSITY
rntu.ac.in
BHOPAL, MADHYA PRADESH
The Faculty of Engineer- and information and ratories on Internet of
ing and Technology at technology. According Things (IoT), robotics
Rabindranath Tagore to A K Gwal, Vice-Chan- and cloud computing at TALENT HUNT
University (RBTU), cellor, Rabindranath the campus and ofers Campus recruitment
earlier known as the Tagore University, “The hands-on training training classes have
AISECT University, Faculty of Engineering experience with in- been set up for final-
started its journey in and Technology houses dustry leaders such as year students along
2011 with five world-class infrastruc- Reliance Jio, Tata and with coaching classes
departments ofering ture with national and Schneider.” The institute for GATE (Graduate
courses in mechani- international collabora- is now planning to start Aptitude Test in
cal engineering, civil tions and industry-ready courses on data science Engineering) and
engineering, electronics courses with choice and data analytics, other competitive
and communication based skill courses as forensic science and examinations
engineering, computer part of the curriculum. financial engineering.
science engineering It has established labo- By Harshita Das

14
INDIA TODAY ASPIRE APRIL-JUNE, 2018
 COVER STORY

LOVELY SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND

PROFESSIONAL TECHNOLOGY, MODY UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY,
PHAGWARA, PUNJAB SIKAR, RAJASTHAN
Spread over 600 acres, Lovely Profes- International collaborations gy. Frequent industrial visits
sional University (LPU) ofers not just and compulsory summer to top-notch companies pro-
conventional engineering streams but internships make stu- vide students with real-time
also trend setting courses. The dents employment-ready exposure to the industrial
institute ofers programmes in all at Mody University’s operations. The engineering
possible disciplines including School of Engineering and school also organises guest
electronics and communication Technology. “We focus on lectures by professionals
engineering, computer science project-based learning so from several fields. The
engineering, information students complete almost institute ofers courses in
technology, mechanical 30 projects by the time they nuclear science and tech-
SCHOLARSHIP are in their sixth semester. nology, electrical engineer-
WATCH LPU conducts engineering (ME),
The entrepreneurship and ing, computer applications
its own scholarship test— ME-mechatronics, innovation cell is where and computer science and
LPUNEST. In addition aerospace engineer-
ing and automobile ideas are mentored, proto- technology. Well-equipped
to the scholarship test, typed and grown and the sports facilities, cultural
the university ofers engineering. The uni-
versity has 3,500 staf software development cell events and workshops on
scholarships on the facilitates live projects,” says electronic modelling are
basis of sports, cultural, and faculty members
teaching more than 400 V K Jain, Dean, School of also organised regularly.
social service, research Engineering and Technolo-
and development, co- programmes in over By Aditi Pai
curricular and bravery. 45 disciplines. It ofers
a rigorous curriculum
modyuniversity.ac.in
Students who have
scored exceptionally well framework that goes
in Class 10 or Class 12 beyond preparing
OUT-OF-THE-BOX
can also avail up to 100 students for semester
The library at Mody
per cent scholarship exams and entails
University has an
internship and training
extensive collection of
with top technological
e-journals including
brands such as Google, Microsoft, Or-
IEEE-Xplore, Science
acle, Pega UAP and VMWare. It also
Direct and Wiley
organises competitions such as the
Blackwell besides a
International Go-Kart Championship,
collection of more than
Solar Car Racing and Effi-Cycle to
27,000 books, CDs and
name a few that attract national and
video cassettes
international engineering students.
“LPU provided the required knowl-
edge and skills which helped me in
refining myself and being eligible
for the corporate world,” says an
engineering alumnus Navtej Singh
Sandhu, who is now
the Senior Software Developer
with Apple.
By Ridhi Kale
lpu.in

CAMPUS LIFE
THE INSTITUTE IS AN ALL-WOMEN
CENTRE OF EDUCATION
 COVER STORY
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
AND TECHNOLOGY
MANAV RACHNA
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE
OF RESEARCH AND STUDIES
FARIDABAD, HARYANA
Manav Rachna International
Institute of Research Studies
(MRIIRS) is an
institute where
FOCUS ON budding engineers
RESEARCH are encouraged to
The Manav Rachna excel. The Faculty
Research Innovation of Engineering and
and Incubation Centre Technology (FET)
plays an important at MRIIRS ofers
role in coordinating students B Tech and
entrepreneurial M Tech programmes
education so that which are in great
students can invest in demand. For B
start-up ventures Tech programmes,
industrial training is
part of the curriculum
besides lectures and
visits by industry experts and
specialisations in association
with industries such as JBM
and SuKam in mechanical and
electrical engineering. On the other
hand, for M Tech programmes,
the university ofers a number of
specialisations in biotechnology,
computer networking, power
systems and transportation
engineering. According to Prashant
Bhalla, President, Manav Rachna
Educational Institutions, “We have
more than 50 collaborations with
various universities and institutes
internationally for research and
academic exchange programmes.
We also have tie-ups with National
Skill Development Corporation,
Indian Oil Corporation (R&D
Centre) and Translational Health
Science and Technology Institute.”
By Shelly Anand
manavrachna.edu.in
16
INDIA TODAY ASPIRE APRIL-JUNE, 2018
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
APEEJAY STYA UNIVERSITY
GURGAON, HARYANA
Nestled in a sprawling campus
on Sohna Road in Gurgaon,
Apeejay Stya University
(ASU) is where learning goes
way beyond the classroom.
If the WiFi-enabled campus
makes it possible for students
to learn anytime, anywhere
then state-of-the-art comput-
er and science laboratories
ensure that they get sufficient
time and infrastructure to do
research on their projects.
The university is known for its
strong academic programmes
and international linkages and
the School of Engineering and
Technology (SoET) focuses
not only on technology but
liberal arts as well aligned with
latest industry-based course
content. The SoET ofers four-
year programmes in computer
science and engineering, cloud
computing and electronics and
communication engineering
besides a PhD in computer
science and engineering.
Sushma Paul Berlia, Co-found-
HANDS-ON STUDENTS ARE
EXPOSED TO DIFFERENT
TRAINING TECHNIQUES
Photograph SHEKHAR GHOSH
CLASS APART
The incubation cell,
established in association with
the National Enterprising
Network and approved by
the Ministry of Micro, Small
and Medium Enterprises
(MSME), nurtures aspiring
entrepreneurs with guidance
from experts and industry
mentorship programmes
er and Chancellor, Apeejay
Stya University says, “With
focus on cutting edge research
and industry outcomes, the
engineering curriculum at
ASU creates leading engi-
neers.” The interdisciplinary
approach makes it possible
for students to choose their
own majors and minors.
So, a student pursuing a
major in engineering can
also take up a minor in
mass communications.
By Shelly Anand
university.apeejay.edu
 COVER STORY

STRONG ROOTS IIT KHARAGPUR IS ONE

OF THE OLDEST ENGINEERING INSTITUTES
Photograph by SUBIR HALDER

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (IIT) INDIAN INSTITUTE OF

KHARAGPUR TECHNOLOGY DELHI
WEST BENGAL DELHI
Known for its multidisciplinary intelligence, medical technology, “The primary goal of IIT Delhi
courses on global relevance, its advanced manufacturing and is to facilitate and grow research
academic and corporate research quality and petroleum engineering in individual disciplines besides
activities, collaboration with which are relevant today. “The encouraging and catalysing
some of the best institutes in teaching style, project-based interdisciplinary research. There is
India and abroad, and for being a learning, peer learning, orientation emphasis on technology start-ups
thriving hub for entrepreneurship, towards research work, focus on and IIT Delhi is currently building
IIT Kharagpur is a centre of co-curricular and extracurricular three science and technology parks
knowledge and learning where activities to enhance overall in Sonepat to foster closer industry
students are groomed to take on personality development and to interactions,” says V Ramgopal Rao,
leadership roles in the future. inculcate resilience and positive Director, IIT Delhi. Ranked as the
With several engineering and attitude in students are some of the third best engineering college in
interdisciplinary courses on unique features of the institute,” 2018 by NIRF (National Institute
material science, aerospace says Baidurya Bhattacharya, of Ranking Framework), IIT Delhi
engineering, agriculture and food Dean, International Relations, (IITD) has established new goals for
engineering, architecture, ocean IIT Kharagpur. The institute also 2019. It has started a Department of
engineering and naval architecture provides funding for undergraduate Material Science and Engineering
on ofer, the institute in recent research projects to encourage first to boost the study of materials and
years has also introduced courses in year students to continue with promote multidisciplinary research
financial engineering, engineering their research work. and a Department of Design to
entrepreneurship, artificial By Harshita Das integrate research and education
in the field of design. The Central
Research Facility and Nanoscale
TAKE NOTE IIT Kharagpur has started a series of masters Research Facility on the campus
programmes in medical technology bringing medical science support cutting-edge research facilities
closer to engineering and fundamental sciences in a cross-section of areas. IIT Delhi
also inaugurated its Technopark at

iitkgp.ac.in

18
INDIA TODAY ASPIRE APRIL-JUNE, 2018

WHAT’S NEW
Incubated 18 infant
technology start-ups
in fields ranging
from automobiles
and biotechnology to
heritage conservation
Sonepat recently that provides space
and facilities for innovation and
research. The engineering institute
also has a strong social connect
through programmes such as the
Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA),
IIT Professor Assisted Learning
(PAL), Foundation for Innovation
and Technology Transfer (FITT),
Center for Rural Development
and Technology (CRDT) and
Women Entrepreneurship and
Empowerment (WEE).
By Harshita Das
iitd.ac.in
TECH TALK
THE NANOSCALE RESEARCH
LABORTORY AT IIT DELHI
Photograph by YASIR IQBAL
INDIAN INSTITUTE
OF TECHNOLOGY CAMPUS REPORT
ROORKEE IIT Roorkee has launched
a hydraulic turbine R&D
UTTARAKHAND laboratory that will provide
At IIT Roorkee, undergraduate a platform for national and
engineering students are international academic and
prepared to face the changes industrial collaboration
taking place in the outside with hydropower industry
world and fields of technology, and research groups
environment and management.
So, they are encouraged to
study design, development,
modernised the laboratories to
construction, production,
help students in doing research in
managerial and entrepreneurial
areas of biotechnology, solar cells,
activities in their chosen or
earthquake early warning system
allied interdisciplinary fields
and dam safety.” IIT Roorkee ofers
of study. Pravindra Kumar,
undergraduate, postgraduate, PhD,
Associate Dean, Corporate
post-doctoral and five-year
Interaction, IIT Roorkee says,
integrated dual degree programmes
“The institute has changed the
in diferent streams of science
structure of the courses and
and engineering.
increased flexibility and has also By Harshita Das
iitr.ac.in
19
APRIL-JUNE, 2018 INDIA TODAY ASPIRE
 COVER STORY 51 ENGINEERING INSTITUTES TO LOOK OUT FOR
NAME OF THE INSTITUTE CITY SINCE WEBSITE USP

ABES ENGINEERING GHAZIABAD, The Centre of Excellence for Teaching and Learning (CETL)
2000 abes.ac.in
COLLEGE (ABESEC) UTTAR PRADESH conducts professional development activities for the faculty

ACCURATE INSTITUTE The teaching-learning methodology is a unique mix of

GREATER NOIDA,
OF MANAGEMENT AND 2006 accurate.in imagination, innovation and challenges that helps in all-round
UTTAR PRADESH
TECHNOLOGY development of the students

AJAY KUMAR GARG AKGEC is India’s first college to set up the Industrial Robotic
GHAZIABAD,
ENGINEERING COLLEGE 1998 akgec.in Training Centre in collaboration with Kuka Robotics of
UTTAR PRADESH
(AKGEC) Germany

ALLIANCE COLLEGE OF The institute has partnerhips with foreign universities and
BENGALURU, KARNA-
ENGINEERING AND DESIGN, 2010 alliance.edu.in institutions for student exchange, internships and short-term
TAKA
ALLIANCE UNIVERSITY certification programmes

BABU BANARASI
GHAZIABAD, The institute runs collaborative masters programmes in
DAS INSTITUTE OF 2000 bbdit.edu.in
UTTAR PRADESH engineering branches with Gannon University, US
TECHNOLOGY (BBDIT)

BHARATH INSTITUTE
OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY, BHARATH CHENNAI, The institute ofers guidance to the students preparing for
1984 bharathuniv.ac.in
INSTITUTE OF HIGHER TAMIL NADU national level entrance tests such as GATE, IES and GRE
EDUCATION AND
RESEARCH (BIHER)

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING In addition to the four-year B Tech programmes, the institute

SATNA,
& TECHNOLOGY, AKS 2012 aksuniversity.ac.in also ofers three-year Diploma programmes in mechanical,
MADHYA PRADESH
UNIVERSITY civil and electrical engineering.

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING The institute ofers value-addition programmes on computer

RAIPUR, kalingauniversity.
AND TECHNOLOGY, 2011 application, training on 2D and 3D design, robotics and
CHHATTISGARH ac.in/Default.aspx
KALINGA UNIVERSITY e-commerce

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING The university has a partnership with Entrepreneurship Devel-

BENGALURU,
& TECHNOLOGY, 2012 reva.edu.in opment Institute of India (EDII), Ahmedabad to boost a culture
KARNATAKA
REVA UNIVERISTY of entrepreneurship

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING The Learners’ Centric Academic Environment has adapted to

& TECHNOLOGY, SGT GURGAON, HARYANA 2013 sgtuniversity.ac.in unique techniques such as flexible-slot-based timetable, and
UNIVERSITY flexible research integrated credit system

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING, BENGALURU, The campus has students from across India and around 60
1969 christuniversity.in
CHRIST UNIVERSITY KARNATAKA diferent countries

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING, Each programme at the institute is a mix of foundation cours-

PHAGWARA, gnauniversity.
DESIGN AND AUTOMATION, 1946 es, core courses, elective courses, interdisciplinary courses
PUNJAB edu.in
GNA UNIVERSITY and lifeskill courses designed as per the industry

G L BAJAJ INSTITUTE
GREATER NOIDA, The institute has an e-learning studio so that students can
OF TECHNOLOGY AND 2005 glbitm.org
UTTAR PRADESH learn through video lectures
MANAGEMENT

The curriculum is designed by academic experts from some of

GITAM INSTITUTE OF VISAKHAPATNAM,
1980 vspgit.gitam.edu the best institutes in the country and industry personnel and
TECHNOLOGY (GIT) ANDHRA PRADESH
is revised once in every three years.

GOKARAJU RANGARAJU The Finishing School launched at GRIET help academically

HYDERABAD,
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING 1997 griet.ac.in weak students from the first year itself to complete their
TELANGANA
AND TECHNOLOGY (GRIET) course successfully

GREATER NOIDA INSTITUTE GREATER NOIDA, Infosys, Reliance, American Express, Axis Bank, Accenture
2001 gniotgroup.edu.in
OF TECHNOLOGY (GNIOT) UTTAR PRADESH and Jaypee Group are the top recruiters at GNIOT

HINDUSTAN INSTITUTE OF HITS has collaborative partnerships with leading universities

CHENNAI,
TECHNOLOGY & SCINCE 1985 hindustanuniv.ac.in in the US, Singapore and Australia for students and faculty
TAMIL NADU
(HITS) exchange programmes

20
INDIA TODAY ASPIRE APRIL-JUNE, 2018
 COVER STORY 51 ENGINEERING INSTITUTES TO LOOK OUT FOR
NAME OF THE INSTITUTE CITY SINCE WEBSITE USP
HYDERABAD,
ICFAI TECH SCHOOL (ITS) 1984 ifheindia.org ITS allows academic flexibilities to meritorious students
TELANGANA

The college ofers a blend of traditional and modern teaching

INDERPRASTHA GHAZIABAD,
2000 ipec.org.in techniques with focus on research in areas of science and
ENGINEERING COLLEGE UTTAR PRADESH
technology

IARE has 12 sponsored research projects for which it has

INSTITUTE OF
HYDERABAD, received grants worth `258 lakh from several agencies such
AERONAUTICAL 2000 iare.ac.in
TELANGANA as the Department of Science &
ENGINEERING (IARE)
Technology and AICTE

INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING The training and placement cell organises frequent industrial
MATHURA,
& TECHNOLOGY, GLA 1991 gla.ac.in tours for engineering students to help them understand the
UTTAR PRADESH
UNIVERSITY technical activities and strategies related to the market

INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY MEERUT, The library at ITM has more than 20,000 reference titles on
2008 itmmeerut.org
& MANAGEMENT (ITM) UTTAR PRADESH technical, management and other related subjects

INSTITUTE OF
TECHNOLOGY, SHRI BARABANKI, Scholarships, based on performance, are awarded to merito-
1999 srmu.ac.in
RAMSWAROOP MEMORIAL UTTAR PRADESH rious students
UNIVERSITY

JAIN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL A number of research & development activities are in prog-
BENGALURU, set.jainuniversity.
OF ENGINEERING AND 1990 ress within diferent departments in the areas of design and
KARNATAKA ac.in
TECHNOLOGY (JU-SET) manufacturing.

JAYPEE INSTITUTE JIIT conducts tutorial problem solving exercises for students
NOIDA,
OF INFORMATION 2001 jiit.ac.in who want to undertake research. This helps them convert
UTTAR PRADESH
TECHNOLOGY (JIIT) their ideas into practical reality

K C COLLEGE OF
ENGINEERING AND THANE, A series of technical and cultural activities are held on the
2001 kccemsr.edu.in
MANAGEMENT STUDIES MAHARASHTRA campus to keep students engaged throughout the year
AND RESEARCH

KARUNYA INSTITUTE Karunya’s Computer Technology Centre runs ‘earn while you
COIMBATORE,
OF TECHNOLOGY AND 1986 karunya.edu learn’ scheme where students work part-time for software
TAMIL NADU
SCIENCES development, web designing and content creation

KRISHNA INSTITUTE KIET provides training and mentoring for students, faculty and
GHAZIABAD,
OF ENGINEERING AND 1998 kiet.edu non-faculty members to help them excel in their current and
UTTAR PRADESH
TECHNOLOGY (KIET) future roles within the Institute

KL COLLEGE OF The institute runs labs in collaboration with industry giants

GUNTUR,
ENGINEERING, K L DEEMED 1980 kluniversity.in such as CISCO, IBM, Microsoft and Oracle to name a few for
ANDHRA PRADESH
TO BE UNIVERSITY (KLU) conducting research

MAHARISHI
MARKANDESHWAR AMBALA, MMU has experienced faculty members from institutes
1995 mmumullana.org
(DEEMED TO BE HARYANA across the globe
UNIVERSITY) (MMU)

MEERUT INSTITUTE
MEERUT, MIET houses first-of-its-kind automobile workshop in
OF ENGINEERING & 1997 miet.ac.in
UTTAR PRADESH collaboration with BOSCH
TECHNOLOGY (MIET)

NANDHA ENGINEERING The engineering college is coming up with a new programme

ERODE, TAMIL NADU 2001 nandhaengg.org
COLLEGE on biomedical engineering for the year 2018-19

NOIDA INSTITUTE NIET has a few programmes such as campus-wide quality im-
GREATER NOIDA,
OF ENGINEERING & 2001 niet.co.in provement, total student development, interpersonal skill and
UTTAR PRADESH
TECHNOLOGY (NIET) technical skill development for holistic learning of the students

PROFESSOR RAM The institute has a department of first year engineering

AMRAVATI,
MEGHE INSTITUTE OF 1983 mitra.ac.in that focusses to establish link between pure sciences and
MAHARASHTRA
TECHNOLOGY & RESEARCH engineering subjects
 COVER STORY 51 ENGINEERING INSTITUTES TO LOOK OUT FOR
NAME OF THE INSTITUTE CITY SINCE WEBSITE USP

One of the oldest engineering institutes, Ramaiah Institute

RAMAIAH INSTITUTE OF BENGALURU,
1962 msrit.edu of Technology has more than 40 collaboration with foreign
TECHNOLOGY KARNATAKA
universities, research centres and corporates

The institute also organises social, cultural, literary and

RAWAL INSTITUTE
elocutionary events, guest lectures, group discussions and
OF ENGINEERING & FARIDABAD, HARYANA 2008 riet.in
various types of workshops are regularly organised to train
TECHNOLOGY
budding technocrats

GHAZIABAD, UTTAR The college awards students with Honours degree an amount
R D ENGINEERING COLLEGE 2006 rdec.in
PRADESH of Rs1000 for each percentage in excess

SATHYABAMA INSTITUTE
CHENNAI, The institute ofers foreign language classes in Japanese and
OF SCIENCE AND 1987 sathyabama.ac.in
TAMIL NADU German
TECHNOLOGY

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
GURGAON, ansaluniversity. SET emphasises on transdisciplinary learning and the courses
& TECHNOLOGY (SET), 2000
HARYANA edu.in are designed as per the industry
ANSAL UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
AND INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY, SANSKRITI
UNIVERSITY
Besides regular courses, the university also runs integrated
MATHURA,
2016 sanskriti.edu.in programmes such as B Tech+M Tech and B Tech+MBA in
UTTAR PRADESH
addition to three-year diploma coures in engineering

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
JAIPUR, The college has state-of-the-art labs with advanced equip-
AND TECHNOLOGY, JAIPUR 2007 jnujaipur.ac.in
RAJASTHAN ment to train engineering students
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING, SOHNA, gdgoenkauni- The institute has a ‘research saturday’ initiative where
2013
G D GOENKA UNIVERSITY HARYANA versity students can utilise their of-day for research & development

The institution gives equal weightage to academics including

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING, BENGALURU, presidencyuniver-
2013 internships, skill development and
PRESIDENCY UNIVERSITY KARNATAKA sity.in
extracurricular activities

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
MEERUT, shobhituniversity. The university ofers scholarships to all women
& TECHNOLOGY, 2000
UTTAR PRADESH ac.in students pursuing integrated programmes
SHOBIT UNIVERSITY

SONA COLLEGE OF SALEM, The training cell conducts online and written aptitude tests,
1997 sonatech.ac.in
TECHNOLOGY TAMIL NADU mock interviews. It also trains students for group discussions

SREENIDHI INSTITUTE OF HYDERABAD, The faculty are given short-term industry related assignment
1997 sreenidhi.edu.in
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY TELANGANA to keep abreast with latest trends

TERNA ENGINEERING NAVI MUMBAI, Terna Engineering College organises interactive

1991 terna.org
COLLEGE MAHARASHTRA sessions and seminars with industry experts

The curriculum framework focusses on industry

THIAGARAJAR COLLEGE OF MADURAI,
1957 tce.edu supported courses, flexible elective practices
ENGINEERING TAMIL NADU
and workshops

UNITED COLLEGE OF
GREATER NOIDA, The institute ofers counselling sessions to students willing to
ENGINEERING AND 2005 united.ac.in
UTTAR PRADESH take up higher studies in the US, UK, Australia and Singapore
RESEARCH

UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE UIE has partnered with more than 90 international universities
MOHALI,
OF ENGINEERING (UIE), 2012 cuchd.in for summer exchange, semester abroad and research and
PUNJAB
CHANDIGARH UNIVERSITY development programmes

VELS INSTITUTE OF
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY CHENNAI, The curriculum focusses on collaborative
1992 velsuniv.ac.in
& ADVANCED STUDIES TAMIL NADU learning and teamwork
(VISTAS)

22
INDIA TODAY ASPIRE APRIL-JUNE, 2018
 COVER STORY
Second-year student,
B Tech - Computer Science
and Engineering, IIT Bombay
“THERE ARE A LOT
OF OPPORTUNITIES
FOR GROWTH”
IT’S NOT ONLY ACADEMICS THAT IIT BOMBAY
HAS TO OFFER TO STUDENTS
A
t IIT Bombay (IITB), you can literally
do anything you feel like. It doesn’t
matter if you are a noob in the field,
all you need is enthu (IITB lingo for
“enthusiasm”) and dedication. We have a
very good support system and staf, and
with right efort and commitment, you can
go places irrespective of having no prior
experience in that field. One of the greatest
luxuries of being in IIT Bombay is that it
gives you a lot of exposure. Exposure, not
restricted to your department alone, but to
diferent departments and fields as well.
There are a lot of opportunities for
growth such as internships, training
opportunities and placements. For an IIT
Bombay student, a day begins at 10 am and
ends at around 4 am. We don’t have any
fixed timetable, so the day is dynamic in
nature. On a weekday, no other activities
and events take place between 9 am and 5
pm and that’s when everyone is busy with
their academic schedule. Students who are
part of any tech team spend around two
to three hours in the night every day to
work on projects. We have a five-day week.
On an average, a student has around 20
to 35 hours of academic work per week.
The tech teams from IITB are some of
the best in the world. These include the
AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle),
SATVIK AMBATI
IIT Bombay Racing, Innovation Cell and Pratham
(Student Satellite Project). Students can get into a
tech team through a rigorous selection procedure.
Some of the popular tech clubs include Web n
Coding Club (WnCC), Electronics and Robotics
Club (ERC), Aeromodelling Club and Biotech Club.
Each club has a set of mentors to guide students and
you have hands-on sessions on how to build a bot,
quadcopter and many more.
IITB has a wealth of cultural activities on ofer
as well. There are several cult clubs such as the
design club, speaking arts, dramatics, dance, music,
photography and fine arts clubs Also every club
has its own events and competitions. Abhyuday,
a social body of IITB, provides opportunities to
students to work towards a better society. Joining
IIT Bombay is going to plunge you into a pool of
smart people. If you are used to being the topper
of your class, you may find it difficult to get used
to being somewhere in the muddle of the pile. But
trust me, your peers, a few of them extraordinary,
will help and influence you and it’s good to have
a competitive atmosphere around you as you can
always learn something new. One of the many
things that make IITB stand out from other
engineering colleges across India is the scale and
grandeur of its fests. ‘Mood Indigo’ is
the largest college cultural festival in Asia. I
worked as an organiser for the fest and was
responsible for handling a few artists and it was
a wonderful learning experience.
 COVER STORY
Third-year student,
B Tech - Chemical Engineering,
“LIVING IN A RESIDENTIAL
CAMPUS COMPLEMENTS
ALL THAT WE DO”
IIT MADRAS OFFERS A CHALLENGING LEARNING
ENVIRONMENT AND CREATIVE FREEDOM TO ITS STUDENTS
L
ocated in the heart of Chennai,
IIT Madras (popularly known as ‘insti’
by the students) is a world of its own.
I remember the first time I entered the
campus; I was awestruck by its beauty
and vast expanse. The campus located on
600 acres of lush greenery is dotted with
spotted deer, blackbuck, bonnet macaque
monkeys and colourful insects.
Before joining the college, I had always
wondered what made the IITs so diferent
from other engineering colleges. Apart
from being taught by the best brains in the
country and having access to state-of-the-
art facilities, we have a terrific on-campus
culture that gives us all the creative
freedom that we want. We also have a
lingo of our own which easily seeps into
the vocabulary of every freshman (fondly
known as ‘freshie’) within weeks of joining
‘insti’. The student community of
IIT Madras comprises highly versatile and
self-motivated individuals with varying
passions. Be it art, dance, music, sports,
quizzing, tech or any other field, there is
always an expert to look up to.
A typical day starts with students
cycling hurriedly to their messes and
then onwards for their 8 am lectures
after successfully dodging the monkeys
that find it amusing to hijack the hostel
24
INDIA TODAY ASPIRE APRIL-JUNE, 2018
NITHYA S
IIT Madras
rooms every morning. The lectures usually go on
till late in the afternoon. The rest of the day is
spent to utilising time the way I want to. Apart
from working on assignments and following
up with the day’s lectures, there are a zillion
activities that go on everyday. These range from
lectures and workshops to various inter-hostel
competitions. Then there are the famous fests of
IIT Madras—Shaastra and Saarang that requires
more than a semester of preparation and the best
part is that these activities are student run which
opens up positions of responsibilities (commonly
known as PORs) which students can opt for. This
gives us the opportunity to learn from, as well
as socialise with students whom we would have
otherwise not met. In my first year, I was taken
aback by the multitude of opportunities that lay
ahead of me. I was part of NSO basketball and was
also a volunteer for a couple of events that were
organised on campus. In my second year, I was part
of one of the managerial teams of the Centre for
Innovation (CFI). CFI, a 24x7 ‘student lab’, serves
as a creative hub—encouraging peer learning and
providing a platform for ideas to manifest with the
support of resources, workspace and mentoring.
I am currently working on a project under the
Electronics Club of CFI and have been selected as
head of one of CFI’s managerial teams for the next
academic year. It has been an amazing journey
so far and I hope to make the best out of the
opportunities that lay ahead.
 COVER STORY
WHY MBA AFTER
ENGINEERING?
FOUR REASONS WHY ENGINEERING AND MBA DEGREES
ARE THE BEST COMBINATION FOR A STUDENT
W
ith the changing job market, where
skilling and reskilling yourself is the
norm, studying just engineering is
insufficient. At the very base, a degree in
engineering equips students with skills to
handle problems logically. But for further
growth in their careers, they need to arm
themselves with specialised knowledge and
a degree in MBA is what engineering
graduates need to go that extra mile.
EXPANDS JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Employers are increasingly looking for
management skills, globally. Therefore, an
engineering degree followed by an MBA
produces business talent with good technical
skills, ofering better opportunities. It is eas-
ier for engineers to make the transition into
management positions and get jobs if they
are familiar with other aspects such as
accounting, product development and
human resource management. Having an
engineer take on the role of a business man-
ager can ofer valuable insight into areas that
a business education alone does not prepare
one to handle. An MBA makes mid-career
changes friendly and will certainly help to
open up new opportunities in management
for technocrats who want a change.
Srikanth Rao
Director, Manipal Institute
of Technology (MIT),
Manipal Academy of
Higher Education, Manipal
HELPS UPDATE KNOWLEDGE
An engineer with an MBA degree has a three-
sixty degree view of the business—from
production processes to business needs, people
needs and even marketing strategies. This equips
them to take the right business decisions. While
an engineering graduate is supposed to be adept
at breaking complex problems into smaller blocks
and then solving them, an MBA degree provides
them with skills of translating these solutions into
business, social communications and revenue.
FASTER PROFESSIONAL GROWTH
To reach the top managerial position, an MBA is
invaluable for an engineer. Engineering students
can excel in their field of technology but to rise
to the top they need to speak the language of
revenue and growth.
STRONG ARM FOR ENTREPRENEURS
An engineering graduate with an MBA degree
is equipped with the dual ability to be able to
completely understand the production and also
create a good business roadmap. An engineer
with an MBA will be a better entrepreneur and
start-up boss. A person in the leadership role
has more control over teams from diferent
backgrounds if he or she is an engineer with a
management degree.
 COVER STORY

THROUGH A NEW LENS

FIVE TED TALKS FOR ENGINEERS THAT
ARE WORTH WATCHING
1
BERTRAND PICCARD
SOLAR-POWERED ADVENTURE
Aeronautical adventurer, Bertrand Piccard, has circled the Earth in a hot air balloon and
now wants to do it on a solar-powered airplane that can fly even at night. Innovative and
responsible in a quickly deteriorating environment, this talk is a must watch for engineers.
www.ted.com/talks/bertrand_piccard_s_solar_powered_adventure

2
CHRISTIEN MEINDERTSMA
HOW PIG PARTS MAKE THE WORLD TURN
Author Christien Meindertsma who wrote Pig 05049 takes you through a fascinating
journey about 185 non-pork uses of pig parts—from ammunition to artificial organs.
www.ted.com/talks/christien_meindertsma_on_pig_05049

3
BURT RUTAN
THE FUTURE OF SPACE
Space craft designer, Burt Rutan, discussed the stagnation of NASA encouraging private
entrepreneurs to help our access to space. A must watch for engineers interested in the
universe and humanity’s endeavour to reach for the stars.
www.ted.com/talks/burt_rutan_sees_the_future_of_space

4
DENNIS HONG
MY SEVEN SPECIES OF ROBOT
Dennis Hong performs a riveting demo of seven species of robots rooted in science fiction
and nature. This is a thrill for robotics enthusiasts and readers alike, and explores the
multiple sides to the future of AI (Artificial Intelligence).
www.ted.com/talks/dennis_hong_my_seven_species_of_robot

5
LEAH BUECHLEY
HOW TO SKETCH WITH ELECTRONICS
An electronics designer, engineer and educator, Leah Buechley, reveals how her team developed
tools that merge circuit boards with pen and paper. Watch the “Sketch you can play” which
brings science and art together—two worlds fused to perfection in a short talk with big ideas.
www.ted.com/talks/leah_buechley_how_to_sketch_with_electronics

Compiled by Asmita Bakshi

26
INDIA TODAY ASPIRE APRIL-JUNE, 2018

CRAFT A PERFECT
BUSINESS PLAN
Six things to remember before
becoming an entrepreneur
SAMEER GARDE
President, Cisco India and
SAARC, Bengaluru
I
want to start something
on my own’ is one of
Illustration SIDDHANT JUMDE
the most common
phrases I hear. In the last
ten years, there has been a
huge shift in the mindset of
India’s youth—they want
to challenge the status quo,
have an intense risk-taking
appetite and are willing to
‘fail and learn’ rather than
‘not try at all.’ According to
Harvard Business School,
70 per cent to 80 per cent
of new businesses fail.
So, what makes for an
intelligent, structured plan?
I N T R O S P E C T, S T A Y I N
TOUCH WITH REALITY
AND UNDERSTAND WHAT
MAKES YOU UNIQUE
Before you begin, reflect
on what has been done in
the past, be certain about
the present and then figure
out where the gap lies.
Understand your market,
competitors and audience.
CREATE A SIMPLE
NARR ATIVE
The message the plan
conveys must be simple.
Why do people buy
something? It’s usually
because they understand
the product. Your
stakeholders prefer
simplicity and attempting
to build a business based on
complexity is over.
I DE AT ION T O A C T I VAT ION
Most people think that
the tough part is coming
up with an idea for a
business and the easy part
is turning it into a business.
It could well be the other
way round. So ideation,
design thinking and
implementation are
equally important.
DISCIPLINE IS
I M P O R T A N T,
SO IS FLEXIBILITY
You might have a perfect
business plan, however, if
you don’t pay attention to
the shifts in the market
and change your strategies
accordingly, you aren’t
going to make it. This
is important now as
APRIL-JUNE, 2018
CAREER
digitisation is continuously
disrupting business models.
ESTABLISH
RESPONSIBILITY
Make sure your
philosophy and strategy
permeates all the way
down in the organisation.
A plan succeeds if the
team or the organisation
works like a
well-oiled machine.
MEASURE
YOUR DECISION-MAKING
ABILITY
All businesses track sales
numbers, marketing
efforts, employee and
customer satisfaction.
At the same time, don’t
underestimate the
importance of decision
making in a business.
Most choose decision
faking over decision
making. But it is necessary
to measure your decision-
making abilities and
develop practices that
make sense and are good
for your organisation. Go
ahead and create wealth
with great ideas executed
with strategies grounded
in reality.
27
INDIA TODAY ASPIRE
 INTERV
“ INDIA’S PROGRESSION
REQUIRES CREATION OF
NANO-UNICORNS”
S
ubroto Bagchi has been many
things, beginning as a lower
division clerk in a government
office and becoming executive
chairman of Mindtree, one
of India’s most admired software
services companies. Since 2016, he
has been chairman of Odisha Skill
Development Authority, doing the
job with immense enthusiasm and
pro bono. He’s been an entrepreneur,
a business leader, an author and a
public servant but he considers him-
self to be a salesman first. Whether
it was closing a new customer
Development Authority, speaks to Kaveree Bamzai
acquisition, getting a better deal on a
bank loan, negotiating a lease while
renting space or convincing a poten-
tial employee to sign on the dotted
line, he was being a salesman. Now
with the Odisha Skill Development
Authority, he is skilling 8 lakh young
people—mostly school drop outs—
and has already achieved a target of
6.3 lakh. In that capacity, he says he
has to sell concepts and ideas every
day to a ecosystem of stakeholders
from government agencies to private
skill development partners to the
young men and women.
Illustration ANURANJAN BHATIA
Subroto Bagchi, Chairman of Odisha Skill
on hard work, motivation and entitlement
IS THERE A SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT
AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE TODAY?
THE IDEA THAT WORK IS A CURSE?
The idea that hard work is a bad thing
is limited only to a few of the entitled. I
see it mostly among upper-middle class
parents. First, they give children a great
education, egg them on to compete hard,
then the young one gets the so-called
“dream job” and moves to a diferent city
perhaps. Within a couple of years, the
parents whine about how their child is
being made to work so hard. In the
process, slowly, the young person begins
to dislike the idea of work. On the con-
“
THE PRIVATE SECTOR HASN’T
REALLY DONE ANYTHING
SUBSTANTIVE IN TERMS OF
HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT
“
trary, children of no-entitlement have
a lot of motivation to succeed. They
are willing to work really hard, they
are grateful there is work. I see it in my
travels all the time. But in smaller
jobs, the difficulty is, you have to be
lucky to be appreciated. Small folks in
small jobs need the same appreciation
that our children do. When that doesn’t
come, young people can lose the sense
of purpose. Appreciation can make
sweat taste sweet.
WHAT HAVE YOU DISCOVERED ABOUT
YOUNG PEOPLE IN YOUR JOURNEY
AS CHAIRMAN OF ODISHA SKILL
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY?
In the last two years, I have travelled more
than 30,000 km by road alone in Odisha,
across 30 districts. During the course, I
had the opportunity to personally get to
know 500 role models, people who come
from the bottom of the pyramid whose
stories would inspire anyone. I met a
young lady named Muni Tiga. Born to a
tribal family with seven siblings, she lost
her father when she was young. She was
ridiculed in her village for cycling 30 km
each day to go to school. She is the first
girl in her village to go to school. From
there, she went to an ITI (Industrial
Training Institute) where she took up a
two-year course in electronics. Selected as
a locomotive pilot in the Indian Railways,
today she hauls the Shatabdi Express.
I also met Basanti Pradhan, a
goatherd’s daughter. Failed in Class 10, en-
rolled for a two-and-half-month training
in industrial sewing machine operation.
Left her remote village in Odisha at 18
for Tirupur in Tamil Nadu. In four years,
she has risen to be a supervisor in her
plant. She paid for elder sister’s marriage
and then her own and worked even after
marriage. And now, with a dual income
family, she and her husband have come
close to becoming middle-class. When I
look at countless such stories, of hope, grit,
displacement and human transformation,
I begin to understand the real meaning
in the phrase that the meek shall inherit
the earth.
YOU ARE ALSO ENCOURAGING START-UPS
WITH NOVEL EXPERIMENTS?
Yes. The idea is to create tiny enterprises
by connecting a skill trainee from a gov-
ernment programme or an ITI with phil-
anthropic capital. This is not just to make
them stand on their own legs by starting
a small business but to make them think
of employing a person or two. When that
becomes the goal, many things change. We
call these young people “Nano-Unicorns”.
Internet start-ups such as Flipkart, OLA or
Paytm are called Unicorns—that get a val-
uation of a billion dollars. We need those
but India’s real progress requires millions of
Nano-Unicorns. Small folks, tiny business
in a small place that, in time, would have
the potential to create a job or two.
We locate a young person with an
entrepreneurial streak. That person writes
a “dream sheet” on a page. It says what
she would do if she had a lakh of rupees.
She defends her case in front of a panel.
If she is selected, she is of to a week-long,
residential “mini-MBA”. At the end, she is
given a lakh of rupees from a philanthropic
source whose only goal is to see the capital
come back someday and light up another
life. As the Nano-Unicorn takes of, we
bring them back every quarter for captur-
ing the narrative, debottlenecking their
hurdles. The beauty of the programme
is, the money is disbursed with collateral
and is honour-based. There are high net
worth individuals who want to engage
at the grassroot level entrepreneurship
development. We hope they would come
forward to support the scaling up of the
programme in days to come.
WHY HAVE ALL CENTRAL GOVERNMENT
EFFORTS AT SKILL DEVELOPMENT
BEEN SO INCOMPLETE?
I wouldn’t say “incomplete”. There are
many great initiatives but today, the sheer
size of the beast has become so large. We
are talking about 1.3 billion people, mil-
lions of school drop outs. There are many
big challenges for all of us. There is infor-
mation asymmetry. Then we have a social
stigma against the skilled worker. We pay
poor wages, even as government stipulated
“minimum wage”; that minimum wage
is abysmal. An ITI graduate starts with
`8,000 or 10,000 a month. A peon gets
closer to `20,000. Then there is the huge
problem of lack of high quality organisa-
tions in skill training. Most are mediocre
or gold diggers. They attract poor quality
trainers. Abysmal worker housing in
metros and large cities force migrant skill
workers to become slum dwellers. Barring
a handful of enlightened employers, most
look at a skilled worker as “labour”; the
private sector hasn’t really done anything
substantive in terms of human capital
development. And then there is the issue
of lack of entrepreneurial avenues for the
skill trainees. In order to break through
these man-made barriers, we need serious
empathy for the skilled worker. All of us
must look at the skill story beyond fund al-
locations and schemes. Skill is just a piece.
The narrative is human transformation.
29
APRIL-JUNE, 2018 INDIA TODAY ASPIRE
IN FOCUS

“ INDIAN DESIGN
HAS TAKEN
ON A NEW
IDENTITY ”

Photograph by RAJWANT RAWAT

hose studying fashion
design need to be creative,
innovative and collaborative
says Nandita Abraham,
CEO, Pearl Academy

BY KAVEREE BAMZAI

n 2001, Nandita Abraham joined Pearl Academy as faculty member in the School of Creative

I
Business. Cut to now, she is CEO and the academy has grown into a premier design institute with
4,263 students and four campuses. Over the years, Abraham has forged many alliances, such as
the Pearl Academy-Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) collaboration and expansion with
the Mumbai centre and the Rajouri Garden campus. As member of the FICCI Higher Education
Committee, CII National Committee on Design and Executive Committee, IFFTI (International
Foundation of Fashion Technology Institutes), few people understand better than her the
importance of international collaboration, employability and innovative projects.

HOW HAS DESIGN EDUCATION EVOLVED
IN INDIA? HAS IT NOT DEEPENED THE
DIVIDE BETWEEN ART AND CRAFT?
Design has been integral to India for
centuries, but has only evolved as its own
discipline in the last 50-odd years, and even
back then it was largely referencing design
movements from the West. However, in
the last decade with the support of design
education, Indian design has taken on a
new identity. It’s still forming and evolving,
but it’s neither drawing too much from the
West, nor from our heritage past. I don’t
think it has deepened the divide between art
and craft; rather it has brought them closer
together because we’re not propping up craft
and vernacular art artificially. We’re learning
from art and craft and evolving new hybrids,
new models and new techniques.
TEXTILES ARE A HUGE INDUSTRY
WHICH CAN CREATE JOBS. WHAT ARE
THE THINGS WE NEED TO CHANGE IN OUR
EDUCATION SYSTEM TO MAXIMISE
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES?
The world is undergoing a technological
revolution which is changing the way we
live, learn, work and communicate. Changes
in the textile sector are socially significant
as it is helping in creating jobs and also
eradicating poverty in small towns and cities.
In order to change our education system, it is
important to include more industry proj-
ects in our curriculum to keep the learners
updated. This will provide an understand-
ing of new innovations in techniques and
materials. Interdisciplinary learning should
be incorporated within curriculum to make
learners understand the application of
textiles techniques and material in various
industries such as product design, fashion
design, interior design, jewellery design and
accessory design. Research-based learning
must be integrated with industry so that
students can analyse the industry problems
and provide practical solutions to it. Under-
standing of global practices must be included
to make learners aware of seamless extension
of textiles across borders. The course should
provide holistic understanding of the main-
stream industry and the craft sector.
WHAT ARE THE SKILLS STUDENTS
NEED TO LEARN IN A FLAT WORLD
WHERE INTERNET HAS COLLAPSED
GEOGRAPHICAL BORDERS AND MADE
IT POSSIBLE FOR THE ‘MADE IN INDIA’
BRAND TO DO WELL GLOBALLY?
We need to help our students develop
high level of skills such as creativity,
innovativeness, analytical capacity,
understanding of the market, global
mindset, collaborative approach
towards work in order to improve
their overall competitiveness.
Such qualities need to be infused
throughout their educational journey.
For this, we need to create a positive
learning environment. It is important
to connect school learnings with the
best practices of the 21st century.
SCHOOL LEARNINGS SHOULD BE CONNECTED WITH
THE BEST PRACTICES OF THE 21ST CENTURY
WHAT ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES
FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN
THE FASHION WORLD AND WHAT
STUDENTS NEED TO DO?
There are enough opportunities for
innovation for entrepreneurs in the
fashion world. Young entrepreneurs
through their new business models can
take the fashion industry to the next
level. Fashion brand managers today are
dynamic individuals who understand
the vocabulary of creative designers as
well as the need of consumers. There
are instances where the young gen-
eration is innovating family business
from manufacturing of jeans to fashion
accessories for men. Students need the
right skills, acumen and awareness of the
latest movements and trends to become
successful entrepreneurs.
31
APRIL-JUNE, 2018 INDIA TODAY ASPIRE
 LEARNING

“Classrooms “
need to be

Personalised
Kate James, Chief Corporate Afairs &
Global Marketing Officer, Pearson, on three
programmes that can help learners

BY SHELLY ANAND

YOU RECENTLY LAUNCHED
VIRTUAL INTERNATIONAL
K-12 EDUCATION SYSTEM.
TELL US MORE ABOUT IT?
Globally, Pearson is
dedicated to improving
lives through learning
and the focus of Pearson
India is ensuring the best
learning opportunities for
students. Education in India
is becoming digital and it
was the right moment to
introduce virtual schooling
through International Con-
nections Academy (iNaCA).
It provides school counsel-
ling focussed on education
and career planning; elec-
tive courses such as digital
arts and sign language;
online clubs and activities
ranging from robotics to
school newspaper to art
club that bring students
together from around the
world. It also provides them
wi pur-
sue pe lopment
activities de of school.
WHAT’S THE IDEA BEHIND
READ TO KIDS PROGRAM?
Worldreader, a global
non-profit organisation
which provides digital
books to children in the
developing world, in
partnership with Pearson,
launched Read to Kids
program in 2015 with the
goal of improving school
preparedness of Indian
children by building their
pre-literacy skills. As per
the study commissioned by
Pearson and WorldReader,
57.5 per cent children in
Class 3 are unable to read
Class 1 text. This lack of
school readiness negatively
impacts children’s learning
outcomes from the begin-
ning and has contributed
to a national learning crisis.
Simple interventions such
as parents reading aloud to
their children in the forma-
tive years can be powerful
antidotes to poor learning
environments.
Read to Kids is a two-
year pilot project in Delhi
that seeks to promote a
culture of reading to young
children, build skills to read
to children and contribute
to language development by
encouraging parents to read
to and with their young
children. We are empow-
ering parents by providing
access to a free digital
library and locally
relevant books.
HOW BENEFICIAL ARE
PEARSON PROFESSIONAL
PROGRAMS?
Our blended executive
education programs span
a variety of functions and
industries, for participants
of diverse seniority levels
ranging from junior to top
management. We deploy
cutting-edge learning
technology, classroom infra-
structure and pedagogical
methods and provide solu-
tions that are cost-efective,
flexible, learner-centric,
and scalable and are aligned
with business goals. In
India, employability is a
major issue across sectors.
Majority of organisations
state that the challenging
task is to get the right man-
agerial and leadership skills
while hiring middle manag-
ers. Since the talent pool
is limited and demand is
high, it is important to
focus on training, grooming
and developing managers
and leaders from within
the organisation.

32
INDIA TODAY ASPIRE APRIL-JUNE, 2018
 FINAL CUT

SECURE
TABREZ AHMAD
Professor and Director,
School of Law,
UPES, Dehradun

YOUR
FUTURE Know what it takes to build a career in
cyber security
ith technology BUILD YOUR
reshaping the legal KNOWLEDGE BASE
industry, several distinct Besides what you are taught in
roles have emerged that are the classroom, spend time in
transforming the business learning basic fundamentals
of law. Adoption of of TCP (Transmission Control
advanced technologies Protocol) or intellectual property, coding
for data and and programming, how hacker tools
information work and how to use them. Practice on
exchange related platforms such as Burp Suite, Nmap
to legal cases and Metasploit that will enhance
have taken away your knowledge and skills
tedious aspects of in detecting and taking
law practice, allowing remedial actions to resolve
lawyers to focus on security breaches. You must
a higher level of also watch YouTube videos
analytical work. To such as SecurityTube, SANS
stay ahead in the market, it is CyberAces and introduction
essential for law professionals and to practical hacking and
firms to innovate by embracing new penetration testing as these
technology tools. Cybersecurity is one will help in sharpening skills for
such area that requires skilled professionals ethical use and testing.
with a deep understanding of the issues and
possible threats, arising out of business and BOOST NETWORKING
social functioning on most digital platforms. Follow security experts on Twitter.
There are four things those looking at a career in Attend conferences and events related
cybersecurity should take note of. to cybersecurity as well as volunteer with NGOs
who often need help securing their computer systems.
ENROL IN THE RIGHT PROGRAMME
For a thriving career in cybersecurity, it is important KNOW WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR
that your fundamentals are strong and you have With an expertise in cybersecurity, you can be a security
the right domain knowledge. Therefore, specialised consultant, security engineer, security architect,
programmes have an edge over generic courses. Look computer forensics expert, security analyst, security
for a programme that provides you a dual edge in terms software developer or security auditor. While these may
of knowledge of information technology and law as sound confusing, these are distinct roles. Spend
both are interconnected. time knowing more about them.

Illustration SIDDHANT JUMDE

 DIGITAL EDITION

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JUNE 18, 2018 `60

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www.indiatoday.in

DEATH
BY OIL?
RNI NO. 28587/75

As public despair grows

over the rise in fuel prices,
the Modi government is in a
trap: it can lower prices
only at the cost of its
ambitious welfare schemes

PLEASE CONTINUE
TO YOUR FREE MAGAZINES
g

Photographer
JUNE 2018 Uzma Mohsin on

unjabi
capturing
APRIL - JUNE 2018

displacement
b
y

A ZINE A LOOK AT INDIA’S

TALLEST RELIGIOUS
TOWER

THE GUIDE TO EDUCATION AND CAREERS

b
.

BEAT THE
BEST HEAT
What to wear, eat and shop
L

for this season

ENGINEERING
.

COLLEGES
A look at the
Delhi & NCR, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Pune.
Not for sale. To be circulated free with India Today in Mumbai,

institutes that are ALSO

“Supplement to India Today issue dated June 18, 2018
RNI NO. DELENG / 2007 / 18401

making a difference ODISHA SKILL

DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY’S
SUBROTO BAGCHI ON MOTIVATING
THE YOUNG TO WORK HARD

VR PUNJAB,
MOHALI
NANDITA ABRAHAM,
CEO, PEARL ACADEMY,
ON TRENDS IN DESIGN EDUCATION
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Photographer
JUNE 2018 Uzma Mohsin on

unjabi
capturing
displacement

A MONTHLY MAGAZINE A LOOK AT INDIA’S

TALLEST RELIGIOUS
TOWER

BEAT THE
HEAT
What to wear, eat and shop
for this season

VR PUNJAB,
MOHALI
 inside

➜
2
Cover Story

The Ultimate
Summer Guide
What to eat, wear, shop for and
where to hang out this season

Photograph by SANDEEP SAHDEV

18
Editor-in-Chief
Aroon Purie
Group Editorial Director
Raj Chengappa
Group Creative Editor Feature
Nilanjan Das
Group Photo Editor
Bandeep Singh Narratives of ➜
Immigration
Deputy Editor Photographer Uzma
Prachi Bhuchar
Senior Associate Editor Mohsin on capturing
Sukant Deepak
Associate Editor
the immigrant Punjabis'
Mohini Mehrotra dreams in the UK
Editorial Consultant
Rewati Rau
Photo Department
Vikram Sharma
Photo Researchers Cover photograph by SANDEEP SAHDEV; Model NEER
Prabhakar Tiwari,
Shubhrojit Brahma, Saloni Vaid
Design
Jyoti K Singh, Anuranjan Bhatia
Rajesh Angira
Production OUR PICK of the month
Harish Aggarwal (Chief of
Production), Naveen Gupta, Catch on Camera
Vijay Sharma, Prashant Verma If photography interests you, head to this
Layout Execution
Ramesh Kumar Gusain
two-day photography and post-process-
Pradeep Singh Bhandari ing workshop. Here, you will get to learn
the basics and delve into the diferent
Publishing Director genres of photography.
Manoj Sharma
Associate Publisher (Impact)
ON June 10 and 11
Anil Fernandes AT Sukhna Lake, Chandigarh and at the
Boathouse, Elante Mall, Chandigarh
Impact Team
Senior General Manager:
TIME 2.30 p.m. onwards
Jitendra Lad (West) Tel 9991234567
General Managers:
Upendra Singh (Bangalore);
Kaushiky Gangulie (East)

Volume 14 Number 6; June 2018

Copyright Living Media India Ltd. All rights reserved throughout the world. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited.
Published & Printed by Manoj Sharma on behalf of Living Media India Limited. Printed at Thomson Press India Limited, 18 - 35, Milestone, Delhi - Mathura Road,
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1
JUNE 2018 ✦ INDIA TODAY PUNJABI 
 Cover Story

The Ultimate
SUMMER GUIDE
A F U N C O O K I N G C L A S S O R A G U I D E D P OT T E RY S E S S I O N ,
A YO G A STO P TO D E ST R E S S O R A T R I P TO A
FA S C I N AT I N G M O N U M E N T— H E R E ' S A L I ST O F T H I N G S TO
K E E P YO U BU SY T H I S S E A S O N .
✿ By Sukant Deepak and
Preet Onkar Singh

Photographs by SANDEEP SAHDEV

Rock Garden, Chandigarh

MONUMENTAL
WONDERS

Art of Upcycling
ROCK GARDEN
Chandigarh

Give your little ones a break

from the same old predicable
holiday to-dos with a fun class in
history and upcycling at the Rock
Garden, one of the inest architec-
tural marvels in the city. Spend a day
showing them stunning sculptures
made out of bottles, glasses,
bangles, tiles, ceramic pots, sinks,
electrical waste and broken pipes.
Inspire them with stories about its
founder Nek Chand, a government
employee who gave shape to his
dreams with this park.
What’s Special The garden is
spread over 40 acres and is divided
into three phases, each comprising
man-made interlinked waterfalls and
sculptures made out of scrap and
waste items which have been placed
in the walled paths.
Best time to visit All days of the
week.
On from April 1 to
September 30
Time 9 am to 7.30 pm
At Sector 1, Near Sukhna Lake
Tel 0172-2740645
Entry fee Rs 20 for adults and
Rs 10 for children

All for Love

PUL KANJARI,
Amritsar
Brave the heat for a trip to
Punjab's own version of Taj
Mahal—Pul Kanjari—a monument
commissioned by ruler Maharaja

JUNE 2018 ✦ INDIA TODAY PUNJABI 

3

Ranjit Singh, dedicated to the love of
his life. Legend has it that a nautch
girl named Moran from Makhanpur
used to entertain Maharaja Ranjit
Singh with beautiful dance moves
whenever the Sikh ruler was in Am-
ritsar and he was completely in awe
of her. Once on her way from
Lahore, Moran lost her shoe in a
canal, which used to provide
irrigation water to the king’s orchards
in Shalimar Bagh, Lahore. When
Maharaja Ranjit Singh came to know
that Moran was upset after losing her
footwear, he ordered the
construction of a bridge (pul) across
the canal, all the way to Amritsar—
Pul Kanjari was created.
What to look for A UNESCO
World Heritage site, the Pul Kan-
jari complex has a ‘baradari (house
with 12 doors),’ a ‘baoli’ (bathing
pool), a temple, a gurudwara and a
4 INDIA TODAY PUNJABI ✦ JUNE 2018
(left) The Open Hand Monument; the Pul Kanjari complex; (bottom)
Anukriti Jhamb (centre) conducting a class
mosque. It also houses a tomb called
Shah Sikandar ka Takia. Pul Kanjari
was captured by the Pakistani Army
during the Indo-Pak wars of 1965
and 1971 and was recaptured by the
Indian Army later. A memorial col-
umn, constructed in the memory of
the jawans of the Sikh regiment, who
had recaptured Pul Kanjari from the
Pakistani Army in 1971, stands as a
testimony to their sacriices.
Open All days of the week
At Near Daoka and Audhar
villages on the Amritsar-Lahore
road
Crowning Glory
THE OPEN HAND MONUMENT,
Chandigarh
Another marvel from cel-
ebrated French-Swiss architect Le
Corbusier's portfolio, the Open
Hand Monument is among the key
structures of the Capitol Complex in
Chandigarh. Set against the back-
drop of the Shivalik Hills, this hand
sculpture was designed by Corbusier
to rotate like a windmill. The monu-
ment is now the oicial emblem of
Chandigarh.
Claim to fame It is 85-feet-tall,
featuring a giant hand in metal
sheets designed to rotate like a
weathercock. The open hand
symbolises open and free ideas.
Visiting Hours 10 am to 12 pm,
12 pm to 2 pm and 3 pm to 5 pm
Entry Allowed by seeking per-
mission on chandigarhtourism.
gov.in or the Tourism
Facilitation Centre.
At Sector 1, Capitol Complex
Tel 0172-2700225
Entry fee Free

ACTIVITIES
Cooking up a Storm
ANUKRITI JHAMB, 26,
Wortheat, Chandigarh
“Cooking keeps me sane,”
says chef Anukriti Jhamb. Well, if
you have a reason to learn fancy
dishes, touch base with Jhamb,
who graduated from Le Cordon
Bleu London Culinary School in
2017. This young woman who also
studied law ancomputer program-
ming, but it is cooking and baking
that she's
passionate about. “Conducting
summer courses also means that
you meet people who are really
passionate about food,” she says.
What's Cooking French cui-
sine and health food are her forte.
A number of people approach her
to learn international cuisines, she
says, “Exposure through travelling
combined with an urge to
experiment is drawing an
increasing number of people
towards diverse food options,
something which comes as a
Cover Story
breather in a state obsessed with
butter chicken,” says the chef who
also gives lessons online through
her blog.
Summer Menu Jhamb has
recently introduced classes special-
ising in summer salads and bever-
ages. “They are hugely popular this
season. What with the unbearable
heat, more people are switching
to easily digestible and hydrating
foods.”
Fee and Duration Free of cost
Contact 9855483064
 Cover Story
(clockwise from top left) Clay
modelling workshop at RedMug; Jyoti
Subramanian's yoga classes; Jyoti
Arora's compost making workshop
16 INDIA TODAY PUNJABI ✦ JUNE 2018
Mould Your Mood
JAPNEET KEITH, 35,
Chandigarh/Bangalore,
RedMug Studio Pottery
Move over play-stations
and smart phones, it’s time to
get your hands dirty. And that
is precisely what National Insti-
tute of Design (2007) graduate
Japneet Keith wants you to do at
her pottery class. Encouraging
more people to take up this posi-
tive hobby, Keith explains, “Clay
as a material trains you to express
yourself better. It absorbs every
nuance one holds within."
Clay Love RedMug teaches
basic pottery skills and encour-
ages students to develop their
own glaze palette. “We also teach
students how to ire ceramics in
the most optimum way so as to
save fuel and achieve the highest
temperatures. We have designed
and developed kilns that ire up
to 1,350 degree celcius, with 17 kg
LPG in about 6 hours,” she says.
Age No Bar From children to
adults, there is clay for everyone
here. Having developed a ive-day
glaze programme for beginners,
over the past three years, Keith
has conducted several workshops
across the country.
Fee and Duration Rs 5,000 for
10 pottery sessions for basic
pottery skills
Duration One and a half hours
Contact redmug.in
At 1158 sector 8-C, Chandi-
garh
Tel 9815220648
Waste Wise
JYOTI ARORA, 45,
Compost Making, Daily Dump,
Chandigarh
After having trained with
Daily Dump in Waste Manage-
ment Solutions in Bangalore, Jyoti
Arora started an extension of it in
Chandigarh where she conducts
workshops. “I also make
presentations and lecture
demonstrations to sensitise
people on waste, its disposal and
recycling.”
Learning Curve Approach
Arora to learn the art of making
compost dumpers using simple
earthen pots. “The key is to make
the whole process efortless. Per-
fect manure can be made from
your garden by using kitchen
waste, something everyone
should do.”
Green Revolution School
students, homemakers and army
men—people across the spectrum
are joining her tailor-made courses
to reduce their carbon footprint.
“The courses are designed on the
basis of individual needs and the
duration is decided according to
what they want to learn,” she says.
Contact for fee and courses
vatamasolutions@gmail.com
Contact 9872631930
For the Soul
JYOTI SUBRAMANIAN, 56,
Yoga instructor, Chandigarh
Jyoti Subramanian start-
ed practising yoga at the age of
eight and is a Kriyacharya from
Siddhanath Yoga Parampara. Pro-
liic in Mahavatar Babaji's Kundal-
ini Kriya Yoga and Hamsa Surya,
she is known across the region
for her personalised sessions on
asanas and pranayama.
The Growing Yoga Fix
“Yoga is the answer to every-
thing—itness, anxiety and lex-
ibility,” she says.
At Dale Farms, Village Mauli,
P.O. Dariya
Tel 9815661873
 SHOPPING

Bagful of Options
ELANTE MALL,
Chandigarh
Come summer, mall
hopping becomes a good way to
spend a hot day. And one of the
most-frequented malls in the city is
Elante Mall where you can ind over
235 high-end and pocket friendly
brands. It's also a great place spend a
fun day with friends and family at one
of the cool cafes or swanky bars.
What's More From time to time,
the mall organises fashion shows,
lea markets, musical evenings and
Sunday brunches to keep everyone
entertained.

At 178, Industrial Area, Phase I,

Chandigarh (above) Elante Mall;
Tel 0172-5005000 VR Punjab

18 INDIA TODAY PUNJABI ✦ JUNE 2018

 Cover Story

The Mall Invasion

VR PUNJAB,
Mohali
Boasting a grand en-
trance—VR Punjab, Mohali invites
you in for a shopping experience
of a lifetime. With wide corridors
and aesthetically designed stores,
this mall is a popular destination in
Mohali not just for shopping but
also for entertainment, art
and culture.
Potpourri The mall has mas-
sive size stores hosting top brands
such as H&M, Zara, Forever 21,
Westside, Lifestyle, Central and
Home Centre. There are a host of
dine-in options including interna-
tional pizza and burger chains and
ine-dining restaurants. One can
also enjoy movie time with friends
and family at PVR Cinema's grand
nine-screen multiplex with two
gold class lounges.
At NH-21, Chandigarh-Kharar
Road, Sector 118, SAS Nagar,
Mohali, Punjab
Tel 0172-6703300
(above) Rainak Bazaar and
Old Time’s Sake The Model Code in Chandigarh

RAINAK BAZAAR, Jalandhar

As the afternoon heat

wears of post sunset, head for
some local shopping at Rainak
Bazaar. Boasting a range of shops
that stock readymade clothes,
unstitched fabrics and accesso-
ries, there's something to entice
all kinds of shopaholics.
Don’t Miss Whether you're
looking for casual everyday wear
or traditional outits for a wed-
ding, this is where you can ind
a number of options for every
occasion.
At Near Ali Mohalla, Jaland-
har, Punjab
Price Starting from Rs 1,200
onwards for readymade suits
and sarees, Rs 600 for
embroidered dupattas
The Model Code
MODEL TOWN MARKET,
Jalandhar
Jalandhar has been considered
the most fashionable city in Punjab
since the 1970s and Model Town
is its most fashionable heart. The
swanky market in Model Town—
reminiscent of Connaught Place in
New Delhi—is a cool hangout place
that has all the high-end shops
ofering branded clothes, jewellery,
electronics, and a variety of cool
restaurants for those looking for
good food.
Major Attractions Centrally
located, the market hosts a wonder-
ful mix of shopping options—multi-
brand and lagship stores of leading
fashion labels as well as street shops.
For Foodies There are enough
options for foodies here—from grills
to Indian street food to barbeque.
Address Model Town, Jalandhar
Time 9 am to 11 pm

JUNE 2018 ✦ INDIA TODAY PUNJABI 

9
 Cover Story

TICKLE YOUR TASTE BUDS For the Herbivores

CASA BELLA VISTA, Chandigarh

As you walk past the cluster

of swanky eating joints located behind
the Sector 10 market, Casa Bella Vista
tucked in a cosy corner, is hard to miss.
With pebbled looring and a rustic
look, it even has a wood ired
oven. This vegetarian restaurant
is a must-visit.
Don't miss Perfect for the current
weather conditions, the restaurant
serves a variety of fresh juices and
salads. Among its bestsellers are the
whole wheat variants of pizzas and
pastas aside from green ravioli,
spaghetti with burnt garlic and
risotto (rice).
Meal for two Rs 1,400 (taxes extra)
Address Coal depot, backside
market, Sector 10 D, Chandigarh
Tel 0172-4669963
T ime 9.30 am to 11 pm

The High Life

(above) Shakes and more at Casa Bella Vista; (below) The Toy Hotel's Brew &Co.
THE TOY HOTEL, Chandigarh

Designed for the fashion

conscious, this hotel ofers high-end
services for its discerning guests. The
hotel boasts 25 customised guest
rooms. The hotel features a ine din-
ing Indian restaurant, Benaras, on its
irst loor with a pleasing ambience
serving the inest of delicacies from
all major states of the country. Lo-
cated on the ground loor is Brew &
Co.—Toy's Tapas bar
Sample This At Benaras, the food
is crafted from fresh produce and the
dishes blend unique Indian lavours.
The bestsellers on the menu are chapli
kebab, galouti kebab, pan toasted
khumb as starters followed by chicken
or vegetarian chettinad with malabari
parantha.
Brew & Co. is the hotel's 24-hour
restaurant inspired by Asian and Medi-

10 INDIA TODAY PUNJABI ✦ JUNE 2018


terranean culture. The restaurant's
USP is its unique cocktails including
the Vodka Chuski and other
unique mixes.
Address SCO 165-167, Sector
34, Chandigarh
Call 172 6671016
Meal for two Rs 1400 (taxes
extra)
Time 12 noon to midnight
Frozen in Time
BASANT ICE CREAM
STUDIO, Ludhiana
Perhaps the only silver lin-
ing during the harsh summer
months is access to unlimited ice-
cream and mangoes. If you want
Basant Ice Cream Studio
to indulge, then head to Basant Ice
Cream Studio. Slick interiors and
an unlimited choice of ice creams,
desserts and shakes at this ice cream
studio leave you spoilt for choice.
Don't Miss Handmade ice cream
roll sundae, strawberry jelly sundae,
fresh mango sundae, black currant
sundae, fresh fruit ice creams like
sitaphal (custard apple) and anjeer
(ig), Italian frozen yoghurts with
fresh fruits, nutella wales, to name
a few.
Address 13 B, Malhar Cinema
Road, Opp. Flamez Mall, Sarab-
ha Nagar, Ludhiana, Punjab.
Call 98153 00425
Time 12 noon to 1 am
Price for two Rs 400
 Cover Story
HANG OUT
Old Favourite
STUDENT CENTRE (STU CEE),
Chandigarh
Whether you have been a
student of Panjab University (PU) or an
outsider, your visit to university cam-
pus is incomplete without a trip to the
Student Centre better known as ‘Stu-
C’. It is an ideal place for recreation for
students on the campus. Built in late
1960s, the Centre’s very famous circu-
lar structure was designed by the same
hands that designed Chandigarh—Le
Corbusier, the French-Swiss architect.
The three-storey round building still
stands tall even though a cluster of
small shops have come up close by.
Must Visit The top loor of the
round building houses the iconic
Indian Cofee House which serves
authentic South Indian delicacies. The
Cofee House has always been a hub for
all age groups to catch up with friends
over a cup of ilter cofee. The adjoin-
ing shops are teeming with youngsters
keen to grab a quick bite.
Address Sector 14, Chandigarh
Meal for two Rs 150-200
12 INDIA TODAY PUNJABI ✦ JUNE 2018
Pit-Stops
INNER MARKET,
Chandigarh
Inner market of Sector 8
is a bustling place for many rea-
sons—great food and haute couture.
Those who don’t want to restrict
their movement by opting for a ine
dine place can enjoy exotic food and
drinks from the takeaway shops and
indulge in some window shopping
instead.
Don't Miss If you are craving for
something sweet then the list is
long, an ice cream from Baskin Rob-
bins, wale or pan cakes from Get
Desserted, donuts from Super Do-
nuts and fruit trule from Monica’s.
For the health conscious, Fraiche of-
fers healthy drink menu, Keventers
does lip-smacking shakes, Uncle
Jack’s rustles up American meals, Va
Sano is all-Italian and if it is a burger
you are craving, then try out Burgrill.
At Sector 8-B, Chandigarh
Time 11am to 11 pm (Left) Student Centre at
Meal for two Starting from Panjab University;
Rs 400 Inner Market, Chandigarh
 ORGANIC MARKET

Chandigarh Organic Market

Route to Health
CHANDIGARH ORGANIC
MARKET

Summers might be the

besttime to adopt an organic life-
style—started by Chandigarh-based
farmer Babli Mann in 2015, the
Chandigarh organic market ensures
a mutually beneicial platform for
organic farmers and consumers,
eliminating all middlemen—whole-
salers and shopkeepers. Pure or-
ganic vegetables and fruits, besides
a host of other farm products, ind
a place here. More than 25 farmers
from across Punjab, Haryana and
Himachal Pradesh participate in the
market. Besides organically-grown
vegetables and fruits, season special
delicacies like makki ki roti, jaggery,
herbal medicines and sharbats are
also sold here.
Contact Opposite Horse Riding
Club, Kartar Asra Road, Near
Sukhna Lake.
Winters 12 – 4 pm
Summers 4 – 7 pm
Tel 99140 13846 and
98050 26667

JUNE 2018 ✦ INDIA TODAY PUNJABI 

13
 Feature

SECRET IN THE CITY

DOWN
MEMORY LANE Stories of bravery unfold at India’s tallest
religious tower Fateh Burj at Baba Banda Singh
Bahadur War Memorial in Mohali
✿ By Preet Onkar Singh

How to get there Reach the

Phase VIII Industrial Area of
Mohali, then head southwards to
Sector 91 from where a link road
leads to Chappar Chiri village.

Entry is free. The memorail is

shut on Mondays and on all
national holidays.

Time 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

N
ot many people know that Punjab is
home to India's tallest religious tower.
Located on the outskirts of Mohali,
the monument—Fateh Burj—is
housed in the Baba Banda Singh Bahadur War
Memorial. Dedicated to the valour of Sikhs and
their glorious history, this tower bears testimony
to the conquests of the Sikh general Banda Singh
Bahadur who took on the might of the Mughal
empire in early 18th century. Inaugurated on
November 30, 2011, this 20-acre memorial is a
sight to behold.
Snapshot of a Braveheart Formerly known as
Madhu Das, Banda Singh was a reformed bandit
living in the forests near Nanded in Maharashtra.
It was there that the 10th Sikh master Guru
Gobind Singh initiated him into the Khalsa Panth
and gave him the responsibility of going to Punjab
to organise an army of Sikhs to battle the tyranny
of the Mughal rulers. Subsequently, he became
an inspiring igure who stood up against injustice
and protected the weak against atrocities.
Towering Glory Perhaps the one thing that
draws maximum visitors to the memorial is the
328-feet-tall Fateh Burj or the tower of victory.
The tower is dedicated to establishment of the
Sikh Misls in India in the year 1711. Each of the
three loors of the tower depicts a story. The
irst one symbolises the victory of Sikhs against
the Mughals at Samana (now in Patiala district
of Punjab), the second is dedicated to the vic-
tory of Sadhaura (now in Yamunanagar district of
Haryana) and the third is about the conquest of
Sirhind in the battle fought at Chappar Chiri.
Chappar Chiri, about 15 km from Chandigarh,
is the site where Banda Singh Bahadur won a
decisive battle against Wazir Khan, commander of
the Mughal army, and avenged the execution of the
two younger sons of Guru Gobind Singh
at Sirhind.
More to the Memorial Apart from the tower,
there are life-size statues of Banda Singh Bahadur
and his ive generals—Bhai Fateh Singh, Bhai
Ali Singh, Bhai Mali Singh, Bhai Baj Singh and
Bhai Ram Singh—placed on landscaped mounds
along a water body. The green areas with well-
lined paths enveloping the water body makes the
place ideal for a stroll. There’s also an open-air
theatre, a green belt, a reception and a canteen
for the visitors.
 Feature

T he Digital
Czar
Forget the file clearing Babu, meet IAS officer Ravi
Bhagat who wants to revolutionise the system by
conceiving mobile applications that make life easy
for the common man
✿ By Sukant Deepak

H
is oice is like that of any other civil
servant. Huge, comfortable furniture and
walls that house pictures of leaders. On
one wall are numerous awards for the dif-
ferent mobile applications he has facilitated.
Ravi Bhagat, Chief Administrator with Mohali-
based Punjab Urban Development Authority
(PUDA), may have an M Phil degree from JNU
(2006) but what really draws him into a conversa-
tion is how technology can bridge the gap between
common man and the government. “Over the past
decade, we have witnessed a digital hurricane in
this country. However, it has clearly missed the
social services sector, especially those rendered by
the government,” says the 41-year-old. And that is
where he comes in. The person who conceived 14
mobile applications and four customised software
solutions which deal with diverse sectors rang-
ing from health, education, hygiene, environment,
elections, food deicit, revenue, urban development
and planning, talks about how he started conceiv-
ing these applications. “Once my daughter missed
her yearly immunization, and I immediately felt the
need for a reminder system on phone which would
alert the parents timely about a child’s pending
immunization. “I was also shocked to see the high
rate of maternal and infant mortality in rural areas
Photograph by SANDEEP SAHDEV
due to lack of vaccination.” Thus was born
i-sehat, which registers an expectant mother
by creating a U-ID and the child, when born, is
added to it. The application sends timely SMS
alerts to the beneiciary for vaccinations.
It didn’t stop there for Bhagat, who went
on to conceive diferent applications and gave
a shape to them by bringing together software
developers and CSR departments of diferent
companies. “If you have your heart in the right
place, people do come forward. I keep getting
requests from technocrats and CSR depart-
ments to involve them in projects that would
beneit the people at large,” he says.
Talking about his most notable achieve-
ment, the Eci360 application that he devel-
oped for elections, which also got him a
National Award from the Indian President this
year, Bhagat elaborates, “This was made to
ensure free and fair elections, increase voter

16 INDIA TODAY PUNJABI ✦ JUNE 2018

 IAS officer Ravi
Bhagat

awareness besides easing out the moni-

toring of the sensitive polling processes.
Bhagat's Ventures In fact, the Election Commission of
India has oicially adopted the RO
Isehat Registers an expectant mother by creating a U-ID and the
Network (Returning Oicers Network)
child, when born is added to it. Sends SMS alerts for vaccination
of mother and child.
application and the Eci 360 mobile app
Irevenue courts This provides easy access to Patwari, SDM to be replicated in all states of India to
and DC of a particular circle. The application displays the address be used in future elections.”
and contact details of these officials which can be navigated with When Bhagat was the Deputy
the help of maps integrated with the application. The app also Commissioner of Ludhiana in 2016, he
calculates stamp duty, registration fee and collector rate of a par- realised that the common man would
ticular area, thereby making everything very transparent. often stand for hours in his and other
Idto This application provides information pertaining to the driv-
government oices for information.
ing license and RC. Providing a standard set of questions to
prepare for the driving test, along with facility to book the date of “In the West, everything was available
taking the driving test, the app thus eliminates the need to stand in on the click of a button on the mobile.
long queues. I realised that even in India, the mobile
Irakt app This application provides easy access to those who phone wave was strong, so why could
need blood and blood donors. Blood banks of Red Cross, private not we make life easier?” he says, adding
blood banks and donors are registered along with their contact that whenever he conceives a mobile
details.
application, he ensures that it is simple
enough for everyone to operate.

JUNE 2018 ✦ INDIA TODAY PUNJABI 

17
 Feature

NARRATIVES OF
MIGRATION
In her exhibition Love and Other Hurts, photographer Uzma Mohsin
captures the immigrant Punjabis' dreams in England

✿ By Sukant Deepak

"
I also shot old family She tells the story of an elderly Sikh settled in the UK who comes
back to his small village in Punjab after decades. He is sufering
albums, playing with from dementia. He goes for a walk one day and does not come
time and geography. back. Several days later, he is found in a small ashram and goes
The whole process to die in his village. She also talks about a 40-something sec-
ond generation Punjabi woman immigrant who ‘knows’ she has
was multilayered arrived. And that’s because like her male counterparts from the
because I have community in the UK, she now owns a fancy car.
always been more
interested in the art
of capturing images
rather than the
images in isolation.”
Uzma Mohsin,
Photographer
and recipient of
Alkazi Foundation
Documentary
Photography and
Photobook Grant
2017
"
Photographs by SANDEEP SAHDEV

Photograph by UZMA MOHSIN
On the wall of her series titled Love
and Other Hurts (part of the exhibition
Girl Gaze), there is a photograph of an
old post card addressed to Kulwant Kaur
which has been written by Surjit Kaur.
In another frame is a Punjabi woman
wearing a bright red overcoat, the shade
of her lipstick matching her coat. Her
head is covered. Then there is a brick
house shot at night. And then there is a
picture of a young Punjabi bride laughing.
For photographer Uzma Mohsin,
commissioned by the Arts Council
England in 2009 to go to Midlands near
Birmingham to photograph the thriving
Punjabi community there, it was a chance
to relook at not only exile but also the
connections of the immigrants to their
land. She also toured Punjab later to
understand new dimensions of the story.
“It was important for me to see where
they came from and feel the essence of
the place that they had carried with them
to the UK,” says Mohsin, who spent time
in Jalandhar and Phagwara—areas that
have traditionally witnessed mass exodus.
After meeting Punjabis in both the
lands, the independent photographer
noticed that the ones who lived far away

held on to their cultural values but had
a very dated idea of India. “They were
oblivious to the changes in India over
the years.”
While shooting diferent generations
of migrants in the UK, 44-year-old
Mohsin, who is now based in Delhi,
gave her subjects cameras too and asked
them to shoot whatever they wanted to.
She then reloaded the ilms and shot
above those frames to intermix
narratives. “I also shot old family albums,
playing with time and geography. It
was important that the undertaking
be multilayered in its truest meaning
because I have always been more
interested in the process of taking images
rather than the images in isolation,”
she says.
In her conversations centred around
the idea of belonging, Mohsin, also
a recipient of the prestigious Alkazi
Foundation Documentary Photography
and Photobook Grant 2017, says that her
interactions with diferent generations of
Punjabis there lent several insights. “The
irst generation tried hard to make sense
of the alien culture. For them, it was all
about hard labour and women staying
A shot from
photographer
Uzma
Mohsin's
series titled
Love and
Other Hurts
at home. What is commendable is that
they laid a lot of emphasis on educating
their children. For the next generation,
it was more complicated for they had to
live a parallel and conlicted existence.”
The photographer feels that for the third
generation, there is greater integration
with the UK culture. “They have lesser
dichotomies,” she says, while showcasing
her work during ‘Girl Gaze’, an exhibition
brought to Chandigarh by Punjab
Lalit Kala Akademi and Creative Black
Country, UK.
Mohsin has always found the idea of
'home' fascinating. It's something she has
constantly questioned.
For her assignment in the UK, the
starting point was literature. Reading
Sathnam Sanghera’s The Boy With
the Topknot and Not Our Daughter! The
True Story of a Daughter-in-law by
Kalbir Bains and Meri Kahani by Gurmail
Singh Bhamra, both based in Midlands
inspired her. “I also met and interviewed
both the writers in the Midlands,”
says the author about the 12-month
project that began in 2016 and was also
supported by Multistory, Delhi Photo
Festival and Nazar Foundation.
 7
things to look
city buzz ● [ L I ST I N G S ]

forward to

1
Writer and director Atul Girlfriend to the city. A must- ON June 9 AT Tagore
STAGE IS Satya Koushik brings his watch, the play is a hilarious Theatre, Sector 18,
SET successful play Dad's take on human relationships. Chandigarh

2
ADRENALINE RUSH
Witness the stunning views of the
towering Himalayas on your bike as you
set the adventure bug in you free on this
trip of a lifetime. This nine-day Spiti Moto
Expedition that kicks of from Chandigarh
promises to be a crazy thrill ride. So pack
your cameras and get ready to
capture some of the most beautiful
sights you will ever see.
FROM June 17
DETAILS 9828824750

3
DREAM BIG
Plus-sized women and girls have an opportunity to show-
case their talent to the world at the MS Plus Size North
India 2018 (Season 2). Time to shine we say.
ON June 10 AT WelcomHotel Bella Vista, Panchkula
TIME 10.30 a.m.
REGISTER msplussizenorthindia.com
 city buzz ● [ L I ST I N G S ]

4
SHOP TILL YOU DROP
To be beat summer blues, check out the Sutlej
Summer Festival which promises to showcase
the best in couture, jewellery, home decor,
beauty and more.
ON June 13 to 15 AT Sutlej Club, Mall Road,
Civil Lines, near Corporation swimming
pool, Ludhiana.
DETAILS mummaplease.com
5
CATCH THEM YOUNG
Enrol your little ones for a fun workshop at Tiny
Feet Giant Leaps. From pottery to storytelling
sessions to spa parties, there's enough to keep
them busy all through summer vacations.
ON June 13 onwards AT#11, Sector 8-A,
Chandigarh TEL 9888070910

6
FASHION FIESTA
Spruce up your party-wear collection with a
visit to the wedding and lifestyle exhibition
Veer Di Veera. The season 2 of this exhibition
will showcase latest designer wear.
ON July 7 and 8 AT Hyatt Regency,
Chandigarh TIME 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

7
MRS THE STAGE
If a career in the modelling
industry has always fascinated
you, here comes your chance
to see your dream come true.
Enroll for Mrs Punjab 2018, a
beauty pageant for married
women, in which women in
the region below 35 years can
participate and win big.
ON June 10
AT Radisson Blu, MBD Neopolis
Mall, Ferozepur Road, Ludhiana
TIME 10 a.m.
DETAILS mrspunjab.in

22 INDIA TODAY PUNJABI ✦ JUNE 2018