India Today

Jute jargon While studying in Iowa, USA, Samriddh Burman, 30, felt the need to do something positive for the planet. His family had been in the jute business for many years and therefore he picked this eco friendly natural fibre, the eponymous burla

Picking your wedding wardrobe is possibly one of the toughest decisions you will make in your life. It might help a little to learn what's trending this season. Kolkata has a soft spot for saris and most Bengali brides remain loyal to the traditiona

At Bulgari Resort Bali's open walled Il Ristorante, Luca Fantin, sister concern of Chef Luca Fantin's Michelin star flagship restaurant at Tokyo's Bulgari Ginza Tower, dinner is best enjoyed with a view facing pretty little lanterns bobbing around in

Last year Porsche introduced the second generation Panamera which was longer, wider and with more spacious interiors, courtesy a 30mm longer wheelbase. Along with the change in its dimensions, the insipid styling was also redone and the car in its se

India has taken a shine to Forevermark Diamonds as the brand collaborates with local jewellery houses like Senco Gold & Diamonds, C Krishniah Chetty Jewellers, and Notandas & Sons among others and top Indian fashion designers like Sabyasachi and Bibh

What's your idea of a good time? I love to travel, to get away. But the one aspect in which I differ from others is that my good time is very strenuous. When I travel with my boys (Hrehaan and Hridhaan), I wake them up at 7.30 am and we head to the g

That's the only narrative behind the figures in motion on canvas. The million lines have been drawn for no particular reason. It is all human angst, poetic endeavour and metaphors of life. "How can I compress my 60 years of work in an interview?" ask

Sixty two year old farmer G. Narayanappa used to find it impossible to eke out a living from his 2.5 acres of land in Melavoi, a village in Anantapuram district and the second driest area in India. Since 2015, though, after the farmer turned to zero

They sat facing each other and told stories that were almost like parallel lines and yet, as when you are looking out of a train window, they seemed to merge. In the early years, around 1994 95, they lived in the same neighbourhood in Mayur Vihar in

A marble mine owner, Hemendra Kalal, 24, in Dungarpur paid Rs 12 lakh in 2015 to procure a weapons licence backdated to 2008 when the man was himself a minor! A four month long investigation by the state anti terrorism squad (ATS) has unearthed a gun

As cliches go, men and jewellery may sound like a conflicting combination, but history and tradition bear witness that the Indian man's relationship with jewellery has been a particularly passionate one. If royalty's tryst with baubles is legendary,

In 2015, Harshal Vibhandik, a 35 year old New York based investment banker, returned to his hometown Dhule to partner with Pragat Shaikshanik Maharashtra, a state programme to bring government schools onto digital learning platforms. In just two year

It's been a good year for fashion designer Madhu Jain. At 57, she has come into her own, with awards for her work as textile revivalist as well as a show at the Amazon Fashion Week in October of three weaves: the coarse bamboo, subtle silk, and damat

Bharatiya Janata Party Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha chunaav Shri @DhumalHP ji ke netritva mein ladegi," BJP president Amit Shah tweeted minutes after proclaiming two times chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal as the party's chief ministerial candidate f

I love to design men's collections, maybe because that's precisely where my own career began. Dressing a man is always a challenge, and what makes it even tougher is coming up with new, modern ideas, all the while resisting the urge to resort to simp

It's the new mantra in Kerala's Thrissur city. Literally translating to 'Don't, Bro', Venda Bro is an anti drug campaign initiated by the local police. The campaign employs flash mobs sudden gatherings of people, usually orchestrated on social medi

The domestic made to measure market caters to the Indian man who is busy, discerning and informed; a consumer who has a taste for luxury but looks beyond flaunting labels. A shirt today is more than just perfectly tailored; it is a reflection not onl

When Shamima, a Rohingya refugee imprisoned at Dum Dum Central Jail in Kolkata, gave birth to a child in August 2016, she named him 'Azad' (free). As a refugee and prison inmate facing trial under the Foreigners Act, this note of hope was about all s

At 10 pm, after a 12 hour long shoot, Shahid Kapoor is refreshingly energetic and enthusiastic. He swiftly transforms from a casuals clad young man into a nattily dressed star in a deep green jacket ensemble sporting a well styled beard and moustache

It's one of India's greatest shames and it is hidden in plain sight. In absolute terms, India has the largest number of modern day slaves in the world, 18 million and counting. In the Global Slavery Index, compiled by Australia based rights group Wal

Dream in green It is rare for a whimsically named stone, unusual and precious, untouched by the ravages of time to fascinate collectors and connoisseurs alike. Yet, the exceptional 6,100 carat Zambian emerald, discovered at Gemfields' Kagem mine in L

Farakh Ali Gayen, 22, is just over five feet tall, appears quite frail and in general cuts an unassuming figure. He is the son of a teashop owner in South 24 Parganas, the largest district in West Bengal and one of the 250 "most backward districts" i

Written as a memoir, M.K. Ranjitsinh's A Life with Wildlife: From Princely India to the Present is a fascinating account of the history of wildlife conservation in India. As Ranjitsinh points out, India squandered the firm control over hunting and wo

The first taste of Eliza Robertson's phrases in Demi Gods is like an unknown and pleasurable fruit: a splash of sensation in your mouth, sometimes revelatory, sometimes not so much. But the pleasure of the sensation never quite goes away. The evocati

In The Pagoda Tree, Claire Scobie tells the story of Maya, a devadasi belonging to the Brhadeswara temple of Tanjore in the 18th century. Maya, descended from a family of poets and dancers, is dedicated to Lord Shiva as his bride and seems destined t

A quirky homage to 1980s classics like Steven Spielberg's ET and Poltergeist, the first season of the Netflix original series Stranger Things was a global sensation. Despite a few hiccups, creators Matt and Ross Duffer mostly manage to keep the charm

Earlier this year, Aj Namo became the first Tibetan fashion designer selected for China Fashion Week, the country's biggest fashion show. But when the organisers offered her their models, including some of China's most well known faces, she declined.

Days before the backlash began, Nawazuddin Siddiqui already seemed to be regretting some of the revelations in his now withdrawn memoir. Perhaps he'd heard that two former girlfriends were unhappy with how they'd been depicted. Or maybe he was just

My dear citizens, I hope you ended the festive season of Diwali with joy and new hope. Today, I will be speaking to you about some critical issues and important decisions." It was a year ago that Prime Minister Narendra Modi first addressed the natio

The most charming story in actress turned author Twinkle Khanna's bestselling The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad centres on two widowed sisters, Noni and Binni, in Mumbai. Along with captivating readers, Khanna's warmth and wit appealed to actress and thea

It was a Jewish telephone operator, Ruby Myers, who rose to become the first superstar of Indian silent cinema. Renamed Sulochana, she was presented as a glamorous icon on Hollywood lines, billed above the title like Garbo and Dietrich. Others follow

In Jesmyn Ward's National Book Award nominated novel, Sing Unburied Sing, set in rural Mississippi, a young African American mother, Leonie, and her 13 year old bi racial son, Jojo, wrestle invisible evils that are the legacy of slavery and the Jim C

J'accuse Raya Sarkar, a law student at the University of California, Davis, named nearly 70 Indian academics on Facebook, some very prominent, as perpetrators of sexual harassment. Some established, credentialed feminists appealed for the list to be

One of the hallmarks of Nirmala Sitharaman's two months as defence minister has been daily morning meetings with the three service chiefs and defence secretary and fortnightly meetings of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC). Sitharaman, who took ov

For the second time in two years, an effort to sanction the Pakistani terrorist Masood Azhar, who heads the Jaish e Mohammad (JeM), appears to have run into a Chinese wall. On October 30, the Chinese foreign ministry said there were "disagreements" a

All in the family Former UP CM Mayawati has always been a staunch anti dynast. Even recently, during the UP elections this March, she had railed against dynastic politics. Her party, the BSP's rout in the elections, though, seems to have led to a cha

Even as price wars in the mobile telephony market bleed existing service providers following the entry of Reliance Jio, smartphone makers are having a field day. Not surprising, since India is now touted as the world's second largest smartphone marke

It was in the wake of the Holey Artisan Bakery terrorist attack in Dhaka on July 1 2, 2016 (where 29 persons, including the five terrorists, were killed) that the extraordinary success of Zakir Abdul Karim Naik hit a wall. Rohan Imtiaz, one of the te

The recent ceremony to flag off a consignment of Indian wheat for Afghanistan, the first shipment through the Chabahar port after the conclusion of the 'Transport and Transit' agreement among India, Iran and Afghanistan in May 2016, was an event of c

Giraneza is a dude, and I mean total dude, from Rwanda. He's a sex bomb 200 kg of solid muscle, gorgeous silver in his hair but a family guy, with several wives and babies who are his top priority. If you mess with his loved ones, he's capable of

Madhya Pradesh: it's India's biggest secret. It lies there, hidden in plain sight, in the middle of the country. It's bigger than most Indian provinces, in fact until 2000, when Chhattisgarh seceded, Madhya Pradesh was by far the largest Indian state

Ami Kothari Proprietor, Dining Couture, Mumbai The wabi sabi of a Japanese table setting is simple to understand. Of course, it has changed over the centuries. Initially, hakozen, small box shaped tables or trays, were used. And every one had their o

Can a handful of colourful neckties at a time when narrow and plain was the norm, change everything? It can if you are Ralph Lauren, the man behind his eponymous brand. He started his fashion line in 1960s, which quickly became the most sought after

He is 51 but does not look a year more than 40. He attributes it to a simple life, and running. He has been in the Punjabi film industry for more than 25 years now and is, therefore, qualified to talk about it. He speaks about how it soared, and also

There are 54 cells in this jail. Abandoned and heavy with silence. They carry the stories of those who once held the bars. Dagshai Jail, about a two hour drive from Chandigarh, which has now been converted into a museum, was where Mahatma Gandhi was

Connecting venues and institutions with the common thread of design, the London Design Festival (LDF), in its fifteenth year now, is spread across nine design districts from East to West and North to South. Here are the key highlights and top trends.

Darul Uloom Deoband, one of India's largest seminaries, has been no stranger to controversy, thanks in no small measure to the various fatwas that have emanated from its hallowed precincts. But things hit a new low last month when it decreed that gro

Hue knew Here's a wardrobe that won't malfunction. The Hombres Almirah in by Bohemiana from Pepperfry adds just the right amount of colour. PRICE Rs 36,532 ATwww.wismaatria.in Bowled over The latest collection by ArgentOr Silver has a number of prett

The Bhaavantar Bhugtan Yojana (BBY), or the price deficit financing scheme for agri produce, which came into force on October 16, is not proving to be the panacea for farmers it was built up to be. Under the scheme, announced in the aftermath of the

Pooja Bihani Architect and Founder, Spaces & Design, Kolkata www.spacesanddesign.com Dearth of space means vertical housing is looked upon as the only solution. And people are forced to adjust within the confines of a limited space. We decided to cha

In the first week of November, an audio clip of a local woman journalist was doing the social media rounds in Assam. She was heard seeking help from an unknown person on creating a forum to unite the state's Muslims against the "heinous plot" to depr

In the air Don't let air pollutants get you down. With the Dyson Pure Cool Link air purifier, you can finally breathe easy. It comes with a purifying fan with a HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter that traps ultra fine particles, removes po

Toucans dancing on stylish bowls, lotuses blooming on pretty mugs and leaves whispering on gold rimmed plates how is that for a visual extravaganza? You, may be what you eat, but for 36 year old Janaki Kirloskar, on what you eat is as important. But

From technical glitches to cumbersome filing procedures to unreasonably high tax rates on certain goods and services, the many problems with the Goods and Services Tax (GST), introduced this July, have raised quite the furore in the business communit

He insists that consistent hard work, sticking to quality, professionalism and ensuring that the customer gets the best value for money is what has metamorphosed Pooja Sarees from a small shop in Ambala City, set up in 1989, to a multi crore business

At a joint press conference in March with China's Premier Li Keqiang in Canberra, Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull reflected, "China's history, 3,000 years of civilisation, is so remarkable". Without waiting for a second, Li interrupted hi

POKER FACE There's intense speculation within the Aam Aadmi Party about who will be nominated for the three Rajya Sabha seats from Delhi falling vacant next January. The AAP with 66 seats in the assembly has claim to all three. What makes things inte

French President Emmanuel Macron's maiden visit to India on December 8 is likely to be leavened by two exciting items of military commerce, the sale of three additional French submarines and orders for 36 more Rafale fighter aircraft. India is curren

The idea that India could play the role of a counterweight to China in its backyard has always been more fantasy than based on ground realities. It's true that many of the 10 members of ASEAN are embroiled in maritime disputes with China, most notabl

Snowflake Politicians When you see Indian politicians in their bullying, swaggering pomp, you imagine their hides are thick and scabrous, impermeable to shame. At other times, though, their skin is so thin, so easily bruised, you imagine even a baby

Most people are very interested in knowing what's good for them to eat. As medical science and research progresses, new findings keep emerging, making it quite confusing for the layperson. For me, one of the most debated issues is the benefits or oth

Very few Indians today breathe air that would meet WHO standards. In other words, we are being slowly poisoned to death. Yes, death. I asked my colleagues Rajat and Pitambara to research some numbers in time for Diwali. Of all the scary data they pul

It's one of the great 'about turn' stories of our time. After issuing controversial dietary recommendations for 40 years, the world's top nutrition advisory panels have dropped their caution on eating cholesterol laden food. Blacklisted by the Americ

"Off with eggs," said his doctor. "So what the egg do I eat now?" The doctor stared him down. With sky high cholesterol numbers, eggs were brushed aside from his table like unwelcome guests at a party. It was pretty rough, after years of starting his

Our Jury Chef Kandla Nijhowne Among the top five finalists of MasterChef India Season 1, she now judges food contests and holds culinary workshops across the country. Anukruti Jhamb The first food blogger in tricity who started her blog Worth Eat fiv

1. A European Affair A venture by architects, innovators and culinary experts, the newly opened European lounge and brewery Barcode IXC takes its inspiration from Barcelona and aims at revamping the concept of socialising. Boasting a bespoke bar, th

He looks elsewhere. The entire time. Dishevelled hair and that peculiar permanent abandoned look. He is on the edge of the cliff while getting photographed. He whispers, "Should I move two inches more?" He sounds serious. He also looks into the valle

When Italian moviemaker Sergio Leone snatched the western away in the 1960s with his 'dollar westerns', Hollywood hit back by wresting the Mafia movie away from Italy with Francis Ford Copolla's Godfather movies in the 1970s. But now, streaming video

It shines more than gold and its malleability is better than silver. Yet most don't give it a second look. But this wasn't always the case. Back in the 17th century, metalworking artisans called Tambats migrated to Tambat Ali in Pune. Over 800 crafts

Stand up comedian Biswa Kalyan Rath has made a habit of tickling the funny bone in his audience. But in his new Amazon Prime original series, Laakhon Mein Ek, he also makes viewers think, even asking some tough questions of them. With the help of wri

To showcase India's cultural heritage and commemorate 70 years of the country's independence, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) has collaborated with the British Museum in London and National Museum, New Delhi, to present a f

Irrfan Khan continues to successfully juggle dual careers in Indian and Hollywood films. But this year has been particularly memorable. Hindi Medium, the Saket Chaudhary directed comedy in which wealthy parents pretend to be poor to get their kid adm

Bangladeshi photographer Munem Wasif's debut show in India, Jomin o Joban A Tale of the Land, features just four works. But Wasif has packed into it a multitude of ideas about history, borders, ecology and economy. Jomin o Joban, which translates t

Five years after poet Jeet Thayil's debut novel Narcopolis made the shortlist for the Booker Prize, he's back with a long, winding follow up, The Book of Chocolate Saints. It has been a work long in the making, carved out (or vice versa) from the ini

Over the last few years, Indian publishing has been bombarded with big names from Bollywood. Such book launches, where Twinkle Khanna, Sunny Leone, Karan Johar and Rishi Kapoor shill for their memoirs, autobiographies or short stories, are invariably

In the title story of Jeffrey Eugenides' crackling collection of short stories, Fresh Complaint, an Indian origin teenager accuses an American professor of rape. The timely tale of sexual misconduct with unanswered questions and a dash of what some

Just when you think it's safe to go back in the bookstore, the Harry Potter franchise comes back to bite you. The latest temptation? Limited edition illustrated Harry Potters, the third of which hit shelves last month. Artist Jim Kay spoke with India

Attracting the highest private investments in industry mainly in manufacturing and mining compared to other states and clocking 8 per cent growth rate between 2003 and 2011, Odisha has dramatically reduced poverty. The percentage of population living

"From a rice deficit state, we are the third largest contributor of rice to the public distribution system in the country. From a state known for subsistence agriculture to the only state that has doubled farmer's income in the last decade. From a st

China's President Xi Jinping took Prime Minister Narendra Modi by surprise when he pulled the PM aside, during their long walk at Xian's Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in May 2015, and proposed linking China and India through Nepal. Modi listened as Xi outl

The information came in late but the source was good and the target too big to lose. On August 30, a police informant reported seeing two Telugu speaking men leaving the Garu forest area in Gumla district heading towards Ranchi. The input was passed

Party workers and volunteers are flocking towards the Gujarat Pradesh Congress office in Ahmedabad's affluent Paldi area. For the first time in the last three state elections, the Congress believes it has a genuine chance when polls open on December