NO WOOF IN NAGA KITCHEN SILENCE OF THE …...dey, assistant manager of Tarachand Blood Trails In...

How’s The Office

Josh?72%

fear more pay cuts

56% fear job loss

59% say work from home is

freedom from boss

OUTLOOK-TOLUNA

First-Ever Post-Covid Mood of the

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O U T L O O K I N D I A . C O M JULY 27, 2020 | OUTLOOK 5

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COVER STORYOffices are not functioning at full strength; work from home is the new norm...as are layoffs, pay cuts et al. Outlook-Toluna surveys the post-Covid workplace and workers

‹ N A V I G A T O R ›

24 | CALL OFF THE DOGSThe controversy over dog meat—now banned in Nagaland—spawns from mainland India’s refusal to respect the NE’s unique food habits

56 | PLAYING TO EMPTY GALLERIESAs stadia around the world echo in emptiness, sportspersons try to cope with the new Covid- spurred reality of playing without fans.

60 | BREATHING IN THE SHADOWSAbhishek Bachchan still finds his work and talent measured on a yardstick called Amitabh. Will it change with his maiden web series?

36

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Millennial Travel

THE GREAT DEBATE

DARK TOURISM SOMEWHERE ELSE?

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Top DestinationsTravel StyleHot TipsCool Gear

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DeepFake

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Top DestinationsTravel StyleHot TipsCool Gear

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पुडलस डिरासत और जेलों

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6 OUTLOOK | JULY 27, 2020

T has been three months since my daughter last stepped out, having hurried back home from the city where she studies just in time to beat the nationwide COVID19 lockdown enforced endMarch. Though the stayathome has not ended her trademark tantrums, it

has definitely put paid to her favourite pastimes such as long drives and dining out. My ability to do things has been severely limited too, including the umpteen coffee breaks in the company of colleagues. Unable to live life the way we are used to, the forced restrictions rankled. Chastised—one word comes readily to my mind when asked what I learned from the pandemic. We have been shown our place, robbed overnight of the simple pleasures. But nothing hurt me more than the suspension of the print edition of Outlook once the country shuttered down.

We had no choice. With state borders closed and all modes of transport and distribution at a standstill, there was no way a physical copy of the magazine could be del ivered to its readers. True, some in the business are continuing to claim uninterrupted print publication, but no explanations have yet been forthcoming on how they managed the impossible when the lockdown was at its peak. Unlike newspapers that are cityspecific, a magazine needs to be distributed from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and the lockdown posed an obstacle that, for all practical purposes, was insurmountable.

Never given to chestbeating, we instead

F R O MT H EE D I T O R

IR U B E N B A N E R J E EE D I TO R I N C H I E F

chose to immerse ourselves with what we do best—persisting with our incisive brand of journalism and delivering it online to our readers unfailingly, week after week. Convinced that substance has more merit than spectacle, Outlook’s journalism never slackened despite the odds. Our reporters, photographers, editors and designers ideated as imaginatively as ever and worked harder in the intervening months, bringing to you issues of the magazine that were both topical and cerebral.

Though there is always scope for improvement, the past few months have been satisfying no less. At a time most delved into what has already been reported, we del iberately charted a different course. Outlook, I have figured out in my two years with the organisation, always thinks out of the box and our recent covers reflected the originality that has come to define us over the years.

Our covers stood out of the clutter, covering facets of the Covid crisis that otherwise were unexplored. From being one of the first to tackle in a big way imponderables such as “Is My Job Safe” to “Losing Sanity” that focused on whether we were losing control over our mind in the midst of the debilitating crisis, we turned our gaze on subjects that gave us hope in a sea of despair. “Thank You Nurse” was one such that gave credit to where it was due—the nurses at the frontline of the coronavirus battle—and sought to reaffirm our trust and faith in the end earing quality of humanity.

It often, of course, took superhuman effort within the prevalent restrictive environment to put together some of our issues. When the media was engrossed with migrants struggling to reach home, our reporters went the extra mile to document what the future lay for those who had returned to the villages. The cover—What After Home?—proved to be a logistical nightmare, particularly when it came to catching up with migrants such as Mohammad Saiyub, who had become a face of the crisis after being photographed with his dying friend in his lap. Many of the returnees were from farflung areas, including some in quarantine, and reaching out to them required a lot of ingenuity on the part of our reporters. But ‘covided’ as we are—the topic of an imaginative cover on

We’re There, Always

O U T L O O K I N D I A . C O M JULY 27, 2020 | OUTLOOK 7

conduct a survey—a first in the country—and the findings on the mood at offices are interesting. For me, though, the best was the revelation that a sizeable section of employees is thrilled working from home because it allows them to stay away from their tyrannical bosses. Well, Outlook staff members are generally continuing to work from home, and I can only hope that it is not me but the coronavirus that is keeping them away. Here’s wishing happy reading.

(Ruben Banerjee)

how the virus has fundamentally affected or altered us one way or the other—our team rose to the challenging circumstances as only they can.

And I can vouch there will never be any letup in either effort or enterprise when it comes to Outlook’s journalism. Topicality being our hallmark, we bring you a cover this week on a topic that has been on everyone’s mind: How’s the josh at our workplaces? With lockdown restrictions being eased and offices opening up, many of us are returning to work after months amidst unprecedented uncertainties. But questions abound. Will our companies survive? Are our jobs safe? What about pay cuts and delayed promotions? Is work from home a better option than working from office?

Outlook commissioned market researcher Toluna to

SPECIAL DIGITAL ISSUE

eCOVID-19The Economy and The Virus

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LOSINGSANITY?

The fight against COVID-19 is also a psychological war. The forced isolation,

fear and stress are getting to us.

WORK FROM HOME: WORKING AT HOME



RNI NO. 7044/1961

NATION STATE

CAN INDIA FEED ITSELF?

R

SACHIN TENDULKARLOCKDOWN DIARY


COVID-19


0 0 outlook | july 20, 2020

Trouble Next DoorMUMBAIAshok Goswami: This refers to the cover story Little Fires Everywhere (July 6). Whether one likes it or not, India’s foreign policy lies in shambles. With hostile nations surrounding it, India may well be mired into unproductive pursuits. This is what China wanted. India’s dwindling clout in Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Myanmar is a cause for worry. We have been concentrating on powers like the US, Russia, France—no wonder these neighbours felt isolated and insecure. China is shrewdly trying to project India as a nation at loggerheads with its neighbours to detract from its expansionist policies. It is trying to portray India as a troublemaker. This is going to be a long-drawn affair, so India must come up with a long-term strategy. Otherwise, the dragon may spew venom on all fronts.

ON E-MAILVijai Pant: At a time when war drums are

again being beaten with ear-shattering vengeance, the article Must Our Hearts Break? makes us pause and understand the tough job of manning the inhospitable ter-rains along our frontiers. It poignantly delves into the void that remains behind for the families of the martyred. War-mongering on television chan-nels has always been easy, but that doesn’t mean our soldiers should lose their lives due to the faulty policies of govern-ments. They should know that soldiers are not paid to be killed—that’s the work of ter-rorists on suicide missions.

NAINITALVipul Pande: India has its hands full as far as its neigh-bours are concerned. A mix of complacency and ill-conceived moves has led to a situation where the dragon is breathing fire along the LAC and political opportunism is prompting Kathmandu to take a defiant stand against New Delhi. Even Bangladesh was not too happy about the distorted propa-ganda accompanying CAA and NRC. Amid the lack of bonho-mie with its neighbours, the looming China-Pak nexus is worrisome. India needs to rethink its relationship with China because it is the pivot on which India’s success with its neighbours hinges. Winning the goodwill of its neighbours while standing up to the bully-ing tactics of China will require a convergence of stra-tegic, diplomatic and martial skills. India has no option but to rise to the challenge.

NAINITALVijay Adhikari: Those who do not learn from history are doomed to make the same mis-takes. For decades, China and

India were developing at the same pace. But economic reforms in the former saw transformative changes. China’s disregard for demo-cratic institutions, its ambition of global dominance and con-tinuous efforts to develop tech-nological know-how and warfare tactics have bore fruits. Successive Indian govern-ments, however, have worked to garner votes rather than try-ing to build a competitive, cor-ruption-free economy. Internal enemies like corrupt politi-cians, bureaucratic bottlenecks and incompetent policymakers have left India floundering. Clapping, banging thalis and lightning diyas might have emotional value, but are not productive. Jingoistic reactions and boycotting Chinese prod-ucts will do more harm than good as it is virtually impossible to keep the engines of our industries running without the grease of Chinese inputs. For Make in India to become a reality, there needs to be a robust infrastructure and com-petitive market. The govern-ment needs to focus on roads, railways, electricity, basic healthcare services, the educa-tion system and industrial pol-icy. We have a bigger enemy than China and Pakistan that lies within our borders—false patriotism, which is the last refuge of scoundrels.

CHENNAIKangayam R. Narasimhan: While Outlook’s articles on China are insightful, we also need to focus on the troubled relationship between Xi Jinping and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). There are enough indications of a power struggle between the PLA and the Chinese President. PLA is not on the same page as

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Checks And BalancesMUMBAIBholey Bhardwaj: This re-fers to Missing In Action (July 6). The Opposition’s insistence on convening a special parliamentary ses-sion may be a political necessity, but when congre-gating in temples, malls and political rallies are banned, a gathering of more than 500 people is a big risk. If a single MP gets infected, both the media and political rivals will censure the gov-ernment. The Centre must take Opposition parties into confidence through a video conference. This is an extraordinary period and

missing one parliamentary session should not be con-strued as missing in action.

MUMBAID.K. Mishra: The article gives an impressive diagno-sis of the ailments threaten-ing the health of our parliamentary democracy. The country has been expe-riencing the heat of the pan-demic and intensified Chinese hostility. The coun-tries in our neighbourhood with whom we enjoyed friendly relations are now becoming hostile to us. It is high time for a session of the Parliament. The govern-ment must take all parlia-mentarians into confidence. Winning their trust will help boost the credibility of the government.

FrOM THE Daak Room

Sunday17 Nov ’68

Dear Mr. Kubrick,Thank you for the kind letter you wrote me—I am flat-tered and happy you would like me to work with you.I still don’t want to work for a while so cannot commit or involve myself in any project at this time.I hope you understand this…and will think of me again someday?

Thank you again

Warmest wishesAudrey Hepburn

A Casting Odyssey Hepburn’s response to Stanley Kubrick’s offer to cast her in a film about Napoleon Bonaparte. It is considered one of the “greatest movies never made”.

NEW DELHISangeeta Kampani: This refers to No One’s Godson (June 29). Sushant Singh Rajput’s tragic demise ignites a long-overdue con-versation. The boy with the infectious smile has put the spotlight on mental health-care. Obviously, there is no one-size-fits-all prescrip-tion for experiences that are intimately intertwined with our unique life stories. Who knows when Sushant’s tryst with depression began, but Bollywood’s strangely im-personal ways can prove fatal. All of us have to brave fierce winds and rough seas, though some get to travel on luxury yachts, while most of us make do with tiny boats. Sushant might have been a sensitive soul, but an unac-cepting, toxic workplace was his undoing. This proves that mental health needs a social response. We need to acknowledge that mental health problems are a mir-

ror to a society that is unfair and biased. Sushant’s death is the canary in Bollywood’s coal mine. It has sent out a warning, loud and clear. Will Bollywood wake up to the cesspool of toxicity that it has become?

GUrGAONKamna Chhabra: This refers to A Grey Area (July 6). Gone are the days when the first strand of white hair would lead to intense discus-sions within the family. Not any longer though. Now, peo-ple have no qualms looking their age, sporting a mix of salt and pepper with consid-erable pride. White hair has always been symbolic of wis-dom gleaned from life’s expe-riences. If there has been a marked shift and people have become comfortable experi-menting with different styles, celebs are to be credited for this healthy change. After all, one’s crowning glory need not always be black, isn’t it so?

Xi on many issues. Rapport with India is one of them. Xi was the first world leader to visit India after Modi assumed office in 2014. During the historic visit, the PLA deliberately intruded into Ladakh to stymie Xi’s goodwill visit to India. And recently, the PLA intruded into more areas in Ladakh, killing 20 Indian soldiers in the process. Xi, left to him-self, would not have endorsed the intrusion, especially when his country is in the grip of a killer virus. It looks like the PLA has taken a leaf out of Pakistan Army’s book. Xi must take the PLA into confidence before he tries to improve relations with India.

DEHrADUNRakesh Agrawal: Considering China’s expan-

sionist attitude, it is not sur-prising that it has intruded into Indian territory. What has changed is this govern-ment’s response, attitude and language. First, it de-nied that Chinese intrusion took place, only to issue a “clarification” later. Then, unlike the threatening lan-guage Modi used after the Pulwama attack in February 2019, he used much milder language this time. But the most pathetic was the gov-ernment’s response when people, especially the Opposition, asked questions regarding the Chinese intrusion. When the BJP was in the Opposition, it raised a hue and cry regard-ing China, but is now criti-cising the Opposition for doing the same. Alas, such double-speak and volte-face is common for the BJP.

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THENEWS

The US has announced that foreign students pursuing degrees in America will have to leave the country or risk deportation if their universities switch to online-only classes in this autumn semester. India sent the largest number of students—251,290—to the US after China (478,732) in 2017-2018.

The Chinese military has removed infrastructure and withdrawn from face-off sites in Hot Springs and Gogra in eastern Ladakh. The disengagement began after diplomatic and military talks to de-escalate the standoff, which peaked when 20 Indian soldiers were killed in Galwan valley on June 15. Around 30,000 Indian troops are dep-loyed along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh.

At least 800,000 Indians could be forced to leave Kuwait as its parlia-ment’s legal and legislative committee has deemed constitutional an expat quota bill, which says foreigners should not exceed 15 per cent of the popu-lation. The Indian community is the largest at 1.45 million.

Salik Ahmad

THE line between reel and real often blur in the wild west of Uttar Pradesh, where gangsters

call the shots, just like in the blood-soaked web thriller Mirzapur. The storyline of the hit web series appears to have replicated over the past week when eight police personnel were killed by henchmen of a powerful history-sheeter Vikas Dubey. The slain policemen were among a 50-member team that had gone to arrest the gangster in Kanpur’s Bikru village. Dubey has some 60 criminal cases against him, including murder and extortion. He had also been accused of killing a BJP leader inside a police station in 2001 but was acquitted for lack of evidence.

The most sinister part about the epi-sode is the alleged tip-off about the police action that seemed to have come from somebody within the police. Daya Shankar Agnihotri, one of the gangster’s men, caught by police later, claimed that the tip-off came from Chaubeypur police station. The station officer Vinay Tiwari and three other policemen have been suspended on suspicion. But the most damning revelation about the deep nexus seems to be a purported let-ter, written by DSP Devendra Kumar Mishra, who died in the shootout, to the senior superintendent of police (SSP), Kanpur, three months ago.

The letter says Tiwari diluted an extortion case against Dubey, used to meet the gangster often, and therefore, his integrity was suspect. In addition, Mishra’s letter recommended action against Tiwari and expressed fears that a serious crime could happen if Tiwari did not change his ways. It’s been over several days since the encounter but the authorities have not been able to trace the gangster. His house has been razed by the district administration. Dubey’s political connections, which

seem to transcend party lines, make the whole thing even murkier. In a video said to be from 2017, Dubey is allegedly speaking to officers of the police’s Spe-cial Task Force, boasting about his links with two BJP legislators and a Sama-jwadi Party leader.

Vikas is the main accused in the 2001 murder of UP minister Santosh Shukla. This aside, several high-profile murders were attributed to the criminal—among them the killing of Siddheshwar Pan-dey, assistant manager of Tarachand

Blood Trails In Vikas HistoryUP gangster with ties to police and politicians kill eight cops

Gangster Vikas Dubey’s property in Kanpur’s Bikru village is being razed to the ground

Inter College in Kanpur in 2000. Vikas is also accused of hatching a plot from jail to murder Rambabu Yadav, a former minister in the Samjawadi Party gov-ernment. His name emerged as a sus-pect in cable TV businessman Dinesh Dubey’s murder in 2004. The list goes on, but he has managed to keep the law and the lawkeepers at a distance—some say, with good help from the lawmakers. N.C. Asthana, a former Kerala Police chief, gave his perspective, writing on Twitter that hunting down a fugitive isn’t the problem, but “the big problem is to cover up all his now inconvenient connections in the police and with poli-ticians”. And so, Vikas’s fate is sealed—he will be found and killed to erase all traces of the nexus. O

P T I

O U T L O O K I N D I A . C O M JULY 27, 2020 | OUTLOOK 1 3

POLIGLOTM I X E D S H O T S

Yey, the monsoon is back. The annual rain came, went away and returned to Delhi —a normal affair, much like the ways of so many politicians who inhabit(ed) the city.

S N A P S H O T

Role of ConscienceSandeep Sahu in Bhubaneswar

Sabyasachi Mishra is a household name in Odisha, his

achievements as an actor are enviable. But for the past three months and more, he has been in the news for something out of his domain: helping people hit by the Covid pandemic. He has been receiving and responding to SOS calls from his fans and well-wish-ers and doing everything he can to come to their rescue. People have flocked to him and sought his inter-vention for solution to their problems: a group of people starved of money and ration, another group stranded in a faraway land by the lockdown des-perately trying to return home. And he hasn’t disappointed anyone. Hundreds of people have had their problems sorted out with his intervention and they can’t thank him enough. His Twitter handle @sabyaactor is full of pictures of people he has helped.

Sabyasachi says he didn’t plan to get into this but listened to the call of his conscience. “People see us on screen as heroes and think we can do any-thing in the real world too. While we know it is not possible, it is difficult to

stay impervious to their desperate pleas, break their hearts. That is how I got drawn into it,” he says.

He has spent a fortune pursuing his new passion, about Rs 15 lakh from his pocket. The rest has come from frie-nds, college-mates and well-wishers. “Money has never really been a prob-lem. In fact, there is more money on offer than I can accept from good hear-ted people, many of them total stran-gers. So far, I have accepted donations only from people I know closely. If I need more in future, I know there are people ready to contribute to a good cause,” he says. Besides, people have come out with generous help in terms of goods (mainly food) and services. The money is routed through the ‘Sm ile Please’, a trust that has his brain.

“As an actor, my job is to bring a smile to people. But there is a world of difference between that smile and the smile of someone I helped. I am over-whelmed by the love and affection of the people,” he says. And Sabyasachi, known for his on-screen histrionics, has brought smiles indeed—like Sonu Sood, Bollywood’s super-villain who have taken it upon himself to unite migrant workers with their families by arranging transport. O

ODISHA

Sabyasachi Mishra sees off a busload of migrants

Trench PeopleOutlook Bureau

A law, however liberal, has to run a gauntlet of questions about its feasibility before it’s cranked

into practice. After the Centre recently enacted legislation about the inclusion of transgenders—through the Trans-gender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act—in the paramilitary forces, among other areas, the CISF, the paramilitary force that guards over 60 airports and the Delhi Metro, has sought time to reply to the government’s proposal. The home ministry had recently asked for ‘comments’ from the five Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) so that the UPSC can be intimated about the inclusion of the ‘transgender’ category for this year’s assistant commandants (AC) exams. The AC is the entry-level officer rank in the five CAPFs –CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP and SSB. Four of them—BSF, ITBP, SSB and CRPF—have expressed readiness to take transgen-ders as officers, following the principle of ‘gender neutrality’.

The CISF has said it will “discuss the issue in detail” with its field command-ers. “Seeking more time…does not mean that the CISF is against the move. The force is committed to providing equal opportunities to everyone, irrespective of gender,” PTI quoted an official.

“This is a watershed moment for CAPFs like a few years ago, when women were first recruited in constab-ulary and officer ranks. Transgenders will add to the rich profile of these forces. Also, if uniformed forces do not lead by example, how can we expect society to shed old inhibitions,” a CAPF commander asked. It was analysed that initial issues of acceptance might occur, but like women gelled well as colleagues and commanders, it might be the same with transgenders. O


Jyoti’s journey is now the source of a controversy with filmmakers fighting over the story’s owner-ship. The row panned out when filmmaker Vinod Kapri reacted to news that production company Wemakefilmz has acquired legally exclusive motion picture rights for the story. Kapri said his Bhagi-rathi Films Pvt Ltd (BFPL) had an agreement on May 27—ten days after Jyoti reached her village—with Mohan Paswan, the teen’s father. He tagged a video on Twit-ter showing the signing of the contract. His company reaffirmed the claim, say-ing BFPL transferred 20 per cent of the contract money into Paswan’s bank account, with an agreement that the bal-ance will be paid when the project begins. A PTI report quoted Mahendra, an associate director with BFPL: “Today, we came to know about the new agree-ment, which is illegal and a breach of contract (for film, web series and docu-mentary) with Bhagirathi Films. We request Mohan to cancel this new con-tract and put an end to the dispute.”

But Wemakefilmz, a nearly two-dec-ade-old venture of four friends united by their love of movies and documentaries, said the previous contract is void because Kapri was not present during the signing, it was done through “some-body” else and “there was no sign of

brevis

Chinese shuttler Lin Dan, the first men’s singles player to retain the Olympic title (2008 and 2012), has retired at 36. He won five World Champion-ships and six All England crowns.

Everton Weekes, one of the three “Ws” of West Indian cricket’s batting for more than a decade, has died. He was 95. Weekes played alongside Frank Worrell and Clyde Walcott.

Nitin Menon, 36, is the youngest on ICC’s Elite Panel of Umpires. He has officiated in three Tests, 24 ODIs and 16 T20Is. He is the third Indian in the group after S. Venkatragha-van and S. Ravi.

Former Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone has become a father at 89 after his third wife, Fabiana Flosi, 44, gave birth to a boy. His other children are Deborah, 65, Tamara, 36, and Petra, 31.

The world’s long-est-surviving conjoined twins— Ronnie and Donnie Galyon, of Ohio—have died at the age of 68. They were born joined at the abdomen on October 28, 1951.

Cycle Girl in Filmy FeudOutlook Bureau

THIS is one story Bollywood would die to own—a doughty 15-year-old Bihari girl bicycles

almost 1,200 km over eight days from Gurgaon to her native village in Darbhanga during the nationwide lockdown, with her ailing father riding pillion. Jyoti Kumari’s feat this past May was undoubtedly extraordinary, praiseworthy. It was also emblematic of the hardships the poor—her father was an e-rickshaw driver in Gurgaon—faced when harsh restrictions were imposed to contain the Covid outbreak. The press, NGOs, politicos, government officials and retweet-hunting twitterati praised the “Awsum” teenager, and deservedly so. The New York Times screamed: Jyoti, the “lion-hearted”. Bollywood wasn’t far behind stirring its greasepaint. It must tell the story—in a way only it is capable of. It smells the cash and cachet—Covid or no—from a tale that has riveted the nation.

In an industry where right and wrong are as fake as glycerin-induced tears,

M O V I E R I G H T S

Jyoti or her mother”. That agreement “will not have any legal value”, the com-pany asserted, before clarifying that “we have crossed-checked” that contract. Wemakefilmz said its contract with Jyoti and her family has been signed, notarised and registered by the compa-ny’s partners— Shine Krishna, Sajith V. Nambiar, Mohammed Miraj Chathoth and Fairoz Chirammal. Krishna, who would be directing the movie, had said the project would begin in August.

Jyoti’s tale now spins more than the turns her bicycle wheels made and it is likely that a courtroom scene could become a jump cut—the oh-so-unnec-essarily Bollywoodish sideshow to a gripping story. O

Jyoti Kumari, her father and the bicycle that brought them from Gurgaon to Bihar

POLIGLOT

MixedShots

I L L U S T R A T I O N S : S A A H I L , T E X T B Y A L K A G U P T A A N D S Y E D S A A D A H M E D

SNIFF, SWEETIE, SNIFF

SYLVIE and Karim have a new friend to frolic with and fight crime. Sweetie is the

latest entrant to the canine squad formed to assist in anti-poach-ing operations in West Bengal’s Buxa Tiger Reserve. While Sylvie and Sweetie are German shep-herds, Karim is a Malinois, a breed with a strong prey drive. Though in the forest, they will use their hunting skills not against wildlife, but to catch poachers and discover hidden firearms. The forest department expanded its hound squadron to 10 members after reports of poaching and trafficking of wild animals’ body parts. While the king of the Indian jungle might be in danger, these dogs are surely having their day. O

NON-DISCLOSURE ALLIANCE?

THE Munger district chief of the Lok Janshakti Party, Raghvendra Bharti, thought he could have opinions about quotidian political affairs. So he declared that the NDA—an alliance of the BJP, LJP

and JD(U)—in Bihar is “intact”. But he was sorely mistaken. Party president Chirag Paswan seems to not like a

leader with an opinion, let alone its public avowal, and sacked Bharti.

The LJP, for its part, is known to switch alliances frequently. For

now, Chirag Paswan is busy darting barbs at CM Nitish Kumar, while

acknowledging Modi as his “leader”. Looks like we shall have to wait for

Chirag’s guiding light to illuminate the alliance’s future. O

FLIGHTY DREAMS

HOME sweet home. That’s probably what P. Shajahan was dreaming of before boarding a flight from Abu Dhabi to Thiruvananthapuram.

The Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre had chartered a jet to repatriate Malayalis from the UAE. Shajahan’s dream, however, turned into a nightmare after he took a nap and missed the flight. In March, another Indian expat had fallen asleep in the same terminal and missed the last flight to India before interna-tional flights were suspended. He remained stuck there for 50 days. Luckily, Shajahan might not have to wait that long for the next repatriation flight. O

KONNICHIWA KALA NAMAK

FANCY a kala namak sushi or kamameshi with the aroma of Maharajganj’s fields? That could soon be a reality in Japan as Indian restaurateur

Ganesh Yadav is cultivating kala namak rice from eastern Uttar Pradesh in the country’s Tsukuba region. Yadav, a native of Gorakhpur, runs a chain, The New Meera Indian Restaurant, there. On a trip to Japan, international cyclist Hiralal Yadav suggested that he should introduce this cultivar of rice, known for its aroma and flavour. Ganesh, however, is not picky. He likes Japanese rice too and uses it to whip up delicious khichdi and kheer. O

KEW AND QUEEN FIGHT CORONA

AMONG the many bizarre ‘cures’ for COVID-19 are a mole and turkey dish, driving tractors, inhaling smoke from a burning desert and even being poor. Compared to these remedies, the Tripura government’s vitamin-C-enriched

pineapple and lemon juice seem fairly benign. The state is known for its Kew and Queen cultivars of pineapples. While there is no conclusive evidence that vitamin C boosts immunity or fights coronavirus, it certainly is more harmless and tastier than other touted remedies. What more, it helps bolster farmers’ immunity against the economic downturn caused by the pandemic. O

JULY 27, 2020 | OUTLOOK 1 5

NIMSUNIVERSITY RAJASTHAN,JAIPUR


PATNA/POLITICS

Giridhar Jha

AHEAD of the assembly polls in Bihar—set to be fought over the pivotal plank of 15 years of

Nitish Kumar versus 15 years of Laloo Prasad Yadav—the RJD appears to have put its final card on the table. Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who is steering the RJD in the absence of his incarcerated father, has sought forgiveness from the people of Bihar for any mistake his party might have made during its reign from 1990 to 2005 in the state. “Yes, we had been in power for 15 years, but I was a child then. I was not in the govern-ment…. One cannot deny that Laloo-ji had done social justice. That was another era, but if we made any mistake or did any lapse, I am sorry for that,” Tejashwi announced at a party function recently, much to everyone’s surprise.

The 30-year-old leader’s stand is at variance with his party’s usual approach of brushing aside all allegations against the Laloo-Rabri Devi regime, which are still believed to have led to the RJD’s def eat in successive polls. Tejashwi’s apology for mistakes made during those years is an apparent bid to disown the baggage of the past and make a fresh beg inning, while blunting the Nitish-led NDA’s campaign against the Opposition alliance. In virtual interactions over the past few weeks, the CM has directed the ruling JD(U) cadre to “spread the word about what…anarchy prevailed during those days (the RJD years),” giving ample indication that this will remain the key issue for the NDA as in previous polls. NDA leaders mocked Tejashwi for saying sorry for the RJD’s mistakes. Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi says Laloo’s family does not deserve to be pol-itically pardoned for Bihar’s “15 years of dark age”. “Development came to a standstill even as Dalits, ‘backwards’ and traders were being killed,” the BJP leader tweeted. Sushil says Laloo shamed Bihar by ushering in poverty and violence, but “never atoned for it or offer any apology”. “The people finally had to punish him,” says the BJP leader.

Neeraj Kumar, minister for informa-tion and public relations in the Nitish

government, says Tejashwi must name those responsible for the crimes com-mitted during his parents’ rule. “Tej as-hwi seeks forgiveness for the mis t akes of RJD rule, but also propagates Laloowaad in the same breath,” he says. “Has he for-gotten that Bihar witnessed 18 massa-cres during an era known for crime, anarchy and corruption?”

Undeterred, Tejashwi says only those who have a spine can bend. “Can they (NDA) apologise? They should tell peo-ple what they did. Did migration stop? Did they provide employment?” the for-

mer deputy CM asked on the 24th foundation day of the RJD on July 5. “Nitish owes his rise to a great ext ent to those 15 years of RJD mis-rule and he apparently thinks the issue is still a potent factor in elec-tions,” says political analyst Nawal Kishore Choudhary. “Tejashwi’s dec ision to say sorry may help in improving his image as a leader flexible enough to understand the

ground realities, but it may not be enough for returning the RJD to power.”

Tejashwi indeed faces an uphill task to prevent Nitish from coming to power for the fourth time in a row. His biggest challenge is to keep his party flock tog-ether, while also impressing upon his all-ies to remain united in their fight against Nitish. Recently, five of the eight MLCs of his party defected to the JD(U), while RJD national vice president Raghuvansh Prasad Singh resigned pro-testing the induction of controversial former MP Rama Singh, who has crimi-nal antecedents, into the party against his advice. Tejashwi had to put Singh’s entry on hold, exposing the acute differ-ences within the RJD’s top rung.

Tejashwi also has to win back the trust of allies like the Congress, Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), Jeetan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (HAM-S) and Mukesh Sahni’s Vikashsheel Insan Party (VIP), who are apparently slighted at being ign-ored by the RJD. None of them has so far accepted Tejashwi as the CM candi-date of their mahagathbandhan, even though he leads its largest constituent. Though these leaders continue to swear by Laloo as the guiding force beh ind the alliance, they seem to have enough reservations about his young son and have also pressed for the for-mation of a coordination committee to discuss issues such as selection of the CM candidate. “The name will be dec-ided at the meeting of all alliance part-ners,” says RLSP president Upendra Kushwaha. “Our priority is to oust the NDA government from power.” O

POLL-TIME BACK-PASS Tejashwi’s biggest

challenge is to keep the RJD flock intact

Laloo’s son says a belated poll-time sorry. Yet rival NDA keeps focus on the ‘jungle raj’ barb.

Arithmetic of an

Apology

P H O T O G R A P H S : S O N U K I S H A N


Naseer Ganai in Srinagar

Since the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A on August 5 last year and the bifurcation of Jammu

and Kashmir into two Union territo-ries, the government has been extending central laws and adapting other laws in the case of J&K, but treading cautiously in Ladakh. “When Ladakh was declared a Union territory, China reacted sharply. This seems to be the sole reason for treating J&K and Ladakh differently in this way,” says Riyaz Ahmad, a Kashmir-based political analyst. The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson had said in a statement on August 6 last year:

“China always opposes India’s inclu-sion of Chinese territory in the western section of the China-India boundary under its administrative jurisdiction…. The unilateral revision of domestic laws by the Indian side continues to undermine China’s territorial sovereignty, which is unacceptable.”

In Muslim-majority J&K, the domi-cile law was brought in despite allega-tions of being part of an attempt to change the demography. Domicile cer-tificates are being issued to former sol-diers and others who lived in J&K for 15 years, or studied for seven years and appeared in the Class X and XII exami-

nations in an educational institution there. A Bihar-cadre IAS officer posted in J&K became the first ‘outsider’ to get the certificate.

This March, the Union home minis-try issued a gazette notification for adaptation of 37 central laws in the concurrent list for J&K. In April, the ministry ordered adaptation of J&K’s state laws, now called Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Adaptation of State Laws) Order, 2020. Out of 138 state laws, 25 have been repealed, while others have been adopted with substitutes. A domicile clause was inc-luded in the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Decentralisation and Recruitment) Act. “In the case of Ladakh, no such notifications have been issued,” says a law department official. Senior counsel Z.A. Shah says this means all central laws are applica-ble to Ladakh at present.“We are governed by old land laws

and employment laws, and seek con-stitutional safeguards such as inclu-

sion of Ladakh in the Sixth or Seventh Schedule,” says Ladakh Buddhist Association president P.T. Kunzang. Former Ladakh Hill Development Council (LHDC) chairman and Congress leader Rigzin Sapalbar agrees this is a popular demand. “The government has done nothing on this and BJP leaders have been asked not to voice such a demand.”

LHDC chairman P. Wangyal says Ladakh needs safeguards regarding their land, culture and environment.

“If we get safeguards on these three things, then it would be great. For now, we are still at the initial stage,” he says. Rigzin Jora, a former Congress leader who has been a minister in several gov-ernments in J&K, says there is no clar-ity about land laws and domicile laws since Ladakh became a Union terri-tory. “The LHDCs of Leh and Kargil can have jurisdiction over allotment of government land to people, but what about private land and employment? Land and domicile are burning issues here. Once the Sixth Schedule demand is granted, people won’t be deprived of their land,” he adds. The Sixth Schedule guarantees protection of land and other rights.

In a video last November, Magsaysay winner Sonam Wangchuk appealed to the Centre to include Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule. “People here have now started asking whether the status of UT was granted for others to exploit the resources of Ladakh…whether India will do what China did in Tibet,” he said. Local MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal has been arguing there is nothing to fear as land use is vested with the LHDCs. But Sapalbar and other regional leaders say the LHDCs are there only to create an impression of autonomy. The real power is else-where. “The hill councils have no pow-ers now. You have the lieutenant governor and a divisional commis-sioner here. The LHDC had to protest recently to press for its demands,” says the former LHDC chairman. O

Leh market—Covid and China,

twin anxieties, are hurting

businesses in Ladakh

Hostile Chinese reaction prompts

Centre to treat J&K and Ladakh

differently.

Ladakh has not seen a flurry of central notifications. Here’s why.

Left Out Of Centre

POLICY/LADAKH

p t i

Think gold loans in India and the one name that automatically comes to mind is The Muthoot Group. With a family business legacy of over

800 years, The Muthoot Group’s flagship company - Muthoot Finance Ltd, is India’s No.1 Most Trusted Financial Services Brand and also India’s largest gold loan company amongst NBFCs. And one of the key people who has played a vital role in steering this financial conglomerate to where it stands today, is Mr. Alexander George Muthoot, the Group’s Deputy Managing Director. In his challenging role as Deputy MD, Alexander also oversees the Group’s 20 diversified business divisions and champions business growth across 5000+ branches spread across India. He also directly oversees the business growth of over 10 product verticals specially across North, East and West India that are offering diverse financial products & services through Muthoot Finance’s strong pan-India branch network.

It is under his dynamic leadership, that the Company has implemented various technology-enabled initiatives, enhanced its branch network extensively across N.E.W India, introduced a number of employee-centric and business-centric initiatives and empowered teams to bring about innovative

sales & marketing strategies to enhance brand visibility and drive business impact.

Internationally too, Alex has contributed in expanding The Muthoot Group’s global footprints in a big way - by setting-up operations in USA, UK and UAE. Besides India and these three countries, the Group today has a vibrant presence across Sri Lanka, Nepal and Central America (Costa Rica) also. Sources in the company confirm how besides being a visionary, his participative leadership style and open office culture have played crucial role in consolidating the market leadership position of The Muthoot Group.

Quite impressively, under his dynamic leadership, Muthoot Finance, the flagship company of The Muthoot Group has been rated as India’s Most Trusted Financial Services Brand for 4 years in a row in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 in the prestigious Brand Trust Report by the Trust Research Advisory – India Study.

It is key to note, that in the recently announced financial results of Muthoot Finance & its subsidiaries for FY20, the Board of Directors (of which Alex is a Member and also the only one so far from the young generation) – a record net profit of Rs. 3,168 Crores was announced - a 50% growth over FY19. The Consolidated Assets Under Management (AUM) grew by 22% for the same period and stood at Rs. 46,800 crores.

InclusIvIty, the drIvIng force With an MBA degree from the prestigious Thunderbird University (USA) and an advanced diploma holder in Business Administration from Florida International University, personally, Alex is a self-driven individual, who is guided not by numbers alone, but also by the responsibilities his role entails.

Reason why, ‘inclusion’ figures high in his scheme of things. Not one to stop at financial inclusion alone, he has also been internally driving the concept of workforce inclusion by actively hiring women workforce at key positions across the group’s branches in India. Presently, over 30 per cent

Guided by his principles of inclusivity and dynamic leadership abilities, Alexander George Muthoot, Deputy Managing Director, The Muthoot Group, has played a crucial role in taking the financial

conglomerate to new heights, both in India, and abroad.

AlexAnder GeorGe Muthoot Deputy Managing Director

The Muthoot Group

Alexander George Muthoot An EntrEprEnEur with A GoldEn trAck

of the workforce in key branch leadership positions are women. Furthermore, under his guidance, the Group has been actively recruiting staff members from the most remote parts of India be it local cities, villages, small towns or districts - where the Group’s 5000+ branches are located, thereby giving employment and growth opportunities to people across 29 Indian States and Union Territories.

On the other hand, through its distinct model of gold loans, Muthoot Finance Ltd., the Group’s flagship company has enabled financial inclusion in a big way. More than 70% of the Group’s branches in India are located in rural and semi-urban areas and more than 92% of the gold loans disbursed by the Group are of value less than Rs 1 Lac. Further, with an average ticket size of just Rs 40,000 and by giving loans from as low as Rs 1500 to no upper limit in just a few minutes, the Group has truly transformed the lending landscape in India and empowered Indians to unlock the true potential of their emotional currency – Gold.

Beyond numBersOne of the many things that makes Alex truly stand apart is his strong urge to make a positive difference in the world outside by large-heartedly contributing through a range of Corporate & Individual Social Responsibility (CSR & ISR) initiatives, the very latest being ensuring relief for lesser privileged people, daily wage earners and migrant workers in the light of the corona pandemic.

Though he is part of a leading business family in India, Alex, has always been at the forefront in leading a host of welfare initiatives that have led to larger level social impact and uptake from Muthoot employees whom he has been motivating to make even if small but notable contributions. Both personally and professionally therefore, he has been supporting a number of social causes including providing financial support and material aid to old-age homes, skill-development centres, schools, and much more, over the years.


POLITICS/The TargeT

Bhavna Vij-Aurora

On June 30, the day before Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra received

an eviction notice for her Lutyens’ Delhi bungalow from the ministry of housing and urban development, the CBI filed an FIR that they believe will take them closer to nail her spouse Robert Vadra—something various investigating agencies have been trying to do through an intricate tangle of cases and associ-ates. From land deals in Haryana and Rajasthan to high-end ‘benami’ properties in London and kickbacks in a Rs 6,800-crore petroleum deal signed in 2009 when the Congress-led UPA was in power, the investigations are complex and also involve Vadra’s suspected aides—fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari and Dubai-based Kerala businessman C.C. Thampi.

Sources in the investigating agencies say the attempt is to hem in Vadra one way or the other. Even as the agencies try to build a case against him, they admit it is difficult to connect all the dots. “We examined all the existing evi-dence and found nothing conclusive,” concedes an official involved in the probe. “We seized 23,000 documents, all

computers and hard discs from his office, yet found nothing of consequence. There are layers upon layers. It is becoming dif-ficult to track the paper trail as it goes through circuitous routes and a network of companies.”

Even Vadra’s extensive and much pub-licised questioning by the enforcement directorate in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections did not yield the result desired by the agency. He consistently denied any wrongdoing. The ED arr-ested Thampi in connection with Vadra’s alleged foreign assets and rel eased on bail. The latest FIR accuses Bhandari and officials of ONGC and Samsung Engineering Company Limited (SECL) of corruption and criminal conspiracy related to the 2009 petroleum deal. Though it does not name Vadra, the sleuths believe he was a key player and

may be called in for questioning. They say it will give an impetus to their probe into suspected ‘benami’ properties alleged to have been purchased for him in London. Bhandari has been in the UK since 2016 and the government is plan-ning to start extradition proceedings against him. Sources say the agencies have also been putting pressure on the fugitive to turn approver against Vadra. While he will be pardoned, it will help pin down Vadra, who they say is the bigger fish.

“We have been trying to make him an approver for the past four years, but he has not agreed,” says a CBI officer. “Now, we may have a better chance as we have managed to get extradition of bookie Sanjeev Chawla and are close to getting Vijay Mallya. The message has gone to fugitives in London that it may not be a safe haven anymore. We are hoping Bhandari will again weigh his options and consider turning approver.”

Bhandari, along with unnamed officers of the Indian Air Force and others, is also an accused in a corruption case involving

The probe against Priyanka Gandhi’s spouse keeps the pressure on the Congress

Vadra’s questioning by ED ahead of the

2019 LS polls did not yield desired result

for the agency.

POWER COUPLE Robert Vadra with his wife Priyanka Gandhi Vadra

In Search of Vadra’s Crime

P T I

o u t l o o k i n d i a . c o m july 27, 2020 | outlook 2 3

a Rs 2,985-crore deal in 2009 to procure 75 PC-7 trainer aircraft from Swiss air-craft-maker Pilatus. He is also being inv-estigated by the IT department for possessing over Rs 500 crore of alleged unaccounted money. A case filed by Delhi Police in 2016 is also pending.

In the latest case, it is alleged that Bhandari, acting as the middleman, “ind uced” public servants to grant undue favours to South Korean SECL in awarding a contract for a petroleum pro-ject in Gujarat’s Dahej. Bhandari’s UAE-based Santech International is alleged to have got kickbacks from SECL. Investigators allege that Santech is con-nected to the purchase of plush ‘benami’ properties in London, as are the Dubai-based companies Skylite Investments and Mayfair Investments, both linked to Thampi, with Vadra as beneficiary.

Since 2018, the ED is also probing sus-pected money laundering by Vadra as reg ards to possession of foreign assets, including a Bryanston Square house val-ued at 1.9 million pounds (Rs 17.77 crore). The ED also believes Vadra is beneficiary of two more high-end prop-erties worth 4 million pounds (around Rs 37.42 crore) and £5 million (Rs 46.77 crore), as well as six other flats in the UK. In another case registered in 2015, the ED is also probing acquisition of land by Vadra’s Skylight Hospitality in Kolayat, Bikaner, which was meant for rehabilita-tion of poor villagers.

Vadra’s lawyer K.T.S. Tulsi says agen-cies have long been trying to pin some-thing on him, but have failed to find any evidence against him. “They still have not been able to show what his crime his. About the much-talked about London property, there is nothing to show bene-ficial interest accruing to Vadra. The agencies are just clutching at straws,” says Tulsi, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP.

A former CBI director says nothing much is likely to come out of the various cases against Vadra. “It has been six years since the BJP came to power and they have been trying to nail him all this while. If the government had anything that would stand the scrutiny of the courts, then it would have acted on it. It just helps the government keep up the pressure on the Congress and sully the image of its key figures,” he adds. O

Congress general secretary Priyanka gandhi Vadra is likely to shift base to Lucknow later this

month. And her new address is expected to be Kaul House in Lucknow’s gokhale Marg locality, home of Pandit Jawaharlal nehru’s sisterinlaw and former Union minister, late sheila Kaul.

Predictably, Priyanka’s move—hastened by the Centre’s decision to evict her from 35, Lodhi estate in Delhi—has been welcomed by Congress workers in UP. What remains to be seen, though, is whether Priyanka’s presence in Lucknow will do anything substantial to actually revive the Congress in the state.

since 1991, the Congress has unsuccessfully tested various revival strategies in UP, an erstwhile bastion where it was pushed to the fringe by the ever ascendant politics of mandal and kamandal. In the 2009 Lok sabha polls, rahul gandhi succeeded partially when the Congress managed to wrest 21 of the state’s 80 seats—its best tally since 1991. The gains, however, were lost quickly. In the 2012 assembly polls, rahul’s aggressive campaign, Digvijaya singh’s wily manaeuvres and even election strategist Prashant Kishor’s expertise failed to stop the Congress’s downslide. rahul’s second attempt by piggyriding on samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav in the 2017 assembly polls with a sPCongress alliance too came a cropper.

on January 23 last year, when rahul—then the Congress president—appointed

Priyanka as the party’s general secretary incharge of eastern UP (Jyotiraditya scindia was given charge of western UP), he conceded that he wasn’t expecting any quick results. rahul was right. Priyanka couldn’t even help him retain his Amethi seat in the 2019 Lok sabha polls; the lone Congress winner in UP was sonia gandhi from rae Bareli.

Priyanka’s efforts at reviving the Congress in UP have been sporadic thus far. she hit the right notes last July with her protest against the brutal casteviolence incident in sonbhadra but failed to build a statewide agitation against Yogi Adityanath’s government. earlier this year, she joined cause with the anti CAA protestors in Lucknow but the coronavirusinduced lockdown derailed her momentum.

For the past three months now, she has been attacking the Adityanath regime on various fronts—from refusing her request to provide buses for ferrying migrants stranded due to the lockdown to an alleged scam in appointment of government school teachers and the visible deterioration of law and order. Yet, the Congress revival plan seems to revolve just around her. In a state where decades of political irrelevance have swiftly eroded the Congress cadre, Priyanka needs to shovel the dust to find workers. she has an opportunity to do so since the other two regional forces—Mayawati’s BsP and Akhilesh Yadav’s sP—are presently missing in action.

If central probe agencies revive investigations against her husband, robert Vadra, it may appear to be a case of political intimidation by the BJP, giving Priyanka cause for playing a sympathy card. However, as a yet untested leader with no cadre to implement her plans on the grassroots, it would take Priyanka much more than a Lucknow address to really rev up the Congress. O

Shifting BaseOutlook Bureau

Lutyens to Lucknow Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s address change


H au z e l i s a n i n d e p e n d e n t j o u r n a l i st a n d fo u n d e r o f w w w. n o r t H e a sto dys s e y. c o m a n d w w w.t H e n e sto r i e s . c o mO p i n i O n / Hoihnu Hauzel

...is another man’s poison. And the controversy over dog meat in Nagaland is about food habits, not cruelty.

One man’s meat….

north Indian friend once remarked jovially, yet bluntly: “Catch a dog, kill it, roast it and eat it, and what you have is a

Northeast delicacy.” I did not take that as an offence because I forgave his ignorance. What that friend and many others in the country do not know is that food from the Northeast is much more than just the imagined dog meat. Little do they know that food from the Northeast boasts exotic delicacies that are not a part of mainstream fare. But that ignorance does not grant one the legitimacy or the right to ridicule and conclude that whatever people in the Northeast eat be called “weird, strange”, or “unacceptable”. It is a shame that many in mainland India have never really tried to know or understand that the region, loosely termed as ‘Northeast’, is actually made up of eight states and each is unique and distinct in its own way.

The recent uproar over a ban on dog meat in Nagaland—which followed a similar order in Mizoram—is, to my mind, just one of the many examples of misconception and misunderstanding. The ban must be seen and examined strategically through the eyes of animal rights activists, who hailed it as a victory and a turning point and, through the eyes of Nagas, whose cultural practice is questioned by this decision. But what needs to be cleared first is that not all Nagas eat dog meat. Or, not all people from the Northeast eat dog meat. And for those who do, it is their prerogative and a personal choice. Naturally, some sections of Naga society frowned upon the decision, calling it an infringement on their personal space and belief.

First, let us uphold animal rights, which are a set of beliefs that animals too have the right to be free of oppression,

confinement, use and abuse by humans. By this doctrine, it simply means that all animals, regardless of whether it is a dog or a lion, must never be used in experiments or bred for this and other human activities—riding them during marriages, say, or as mounts for that fancy game of polo. Restaurants, by this logic, shouldn’t be serving tandoori chicken. Since time immemorial, animals served a purpose in biological research and drug testing in laboratories. All that, in the light of this argument, is frightfully wrong and puts us in the wrong. And I shudder to think of the plight of the poor guinea pigs that are used in endless medical researches time and again, as if it is their sole purpose of existence.

But to stretch it to that level may not entirely serve human purpose. For, animals in many ways are there for the benefit of mankind. And there will always be a question about differing standards—why, indeed, are animals typically used and seen as food by the majority, like chicken, fish and mutton, have lesser rights than dogs?

So, in essence, animal rights activists are right in that context if their con cern is purely on the ground that animals (dogs) must be treated with love

and care. But that uproar must be extended for every animal that is thus used—be it chicken, duck etc.

On the other hand, there is a deep cultural context when we address food and food habits. They are shaped by many factors, as sociologist Deborah Lupton rightly wrote: “Food consumption habits are not simply tied to biological needs but serve to mark boundaries between social classes, geographic regions, nations, cultures, genders, lifecycle stages, religions and occupations, to distinguish rituals, traditions, festivals, seasons and times of day.”

Indeed, there are deep cultural context when it comes to animals and the Northeast.

People in the region practised subsistence economy that barely fed their hungry bellies. Making it worse, they relied on shifting cultivation that yield enough not to starve. They were hunters, fishermen and gatherers—all rolled into one, and looked upon their environment for shelter and food. The rough terrain; harsh climatic conditions; impenetrably thick jungles went on to influence and define their diet and dietary habits. Pulses, something as basic to the rest of India, came to the region much later all because access was an issue. Cut to today, their food habits and choice cannot be put on a scanner and judged upon in isolation. “When we talk about food, we are, then, in the midst of a rich and complex mosaic of languages, grammars, narratives, discourses, and traditions, all of which are tightly intermeshed. In this binding, they overlap and even contradict each other,” as Angel F. Mendez Montoya explained in Theology of Food.

a

It must be said that not all Nagas eat dog meat. Or, not all people from Northeast eat dog meat.

O u t l O O k i n d i a . c O m july 27, 2020 | outlook 2 5

Since ancient times, dogs have been indispensible to humans all over the world, not just for the different communities of the Northeast, playing multiple roles. Not just as the faithful friend who accompanied them on their hunting or foraging trips. They also depended on the animal for sustenance, strange as it may sound to many. For instance, if you look at Manipur, among some communities the dog was used in exorcism rituals to cure illness, even madness. The blood of a dog was supposed to have curative effects, as found in folktales. Dogs were used as an offering to the spirits to cure all types of illnesses among the Chin Kuki Zomi people. Offering dog’s blood to the spirits as appeasement to cure madness was also a traditional practice. Some primitive rituals include the wearing of dog’s tail and teeth as amulets, as it was considered a shield against the dark forces of spirits. And its meat is considered potent and immunity building even to this day. It is no exception in Nagaland, where the life of Nagas has always been intertwined with dogs. Dogs are omnipresent in their life. In fact, a dog was responsible for the Nagas’ eternal loss of script. Legend has it that the handwritten script that was painstakingly written on an animal skin was carried away by a hungry dog. To this day,

Nagas rely on Roman script; their tradition and knowledge have been transmitted down the generations orally.

It is therefore, with a different, layered context that we say that dog meat has been part of Naga cuisine for a long time. The intake of the meat is not entirely for indulgence and nourishment like, say, pork, beef or chicken. It was always with a belief that it would stimulate them and give them the muchneeded physical power and vigour to climb mountains and walk on foot for miles into the jungle to gather food. Clearly, beyond the physiological function, there are unexplained cultural meanings and discourses surrounding the consumption of dog meat. Food habits are always products of sociocultural and economic environment. And that holds true for the Nagas and many other communities in the Northeast.

If the ban on sale of dog meat, “both cooked and uncooked”, is with an intention to put an end to this cultural practice, the abrupt act does not

seem like a longterm and a bankable solution. In fact, it does not also reflect a longterm policy that would steadfastly guide the Nagas—who have long evolved from a headhunting tradition—to yet another milestone of shunning something their forefathers did and that questions their identity. If the intention was such, then what was needed was a more structured policy to introduce smooth behavioural change and awareness building. And a thoughtfully studied process wherein authorities include stakeholders like church leaders and youth influencers in it to yield a more positive result. As a friend rightly pointed out, this change must be gradual and has to come from within; mere changing laws may serve little purpose. Of course, the reverse impact may only push up prices and illegal trade.

Again, as far as the customary practice is concerned, it has to strike a fine balance with the doctrine that is put forth by animal rights activists. And the freedom of what one wants

to eat must also strike an equally fine balance with public policy. The larger and more worrying issue is, just because what one community eats does not fall into the sensibility of certain section of society or, say, the majority, it may be absurd and rather insensitive to ban what is truly one’s question of identity. And how can the right of a goat or a chicken be lesser than that of a dog? That’s a tough question many need to ponder upon. O

(Views expressed are personal)

How can the right of a goat or a chicken be lesser than that of a dog? That question needs an answer too.

Q How is Namami Gange different from its previous version and how well it is progressing to achieve its goal?It is a unique initiative in many ways. We have been talking about Ganga cleaning for a very long time and several schemes and action plans were made earlier. However, what really differentiates Namami Gange when it was announced in 2014 and formally launched in 2015 is its integrated and comprehensive approach based upon long scientific research by a group of a consortium of seven IITs.

Earlier the focus was on cleaning only. Now it is on the rejuvenation of the river

which is much beyond cleaning, a comprehensive approach to tackle and find solutions to the challenges posed to Ganga in several sectors such as wastewater and solid waste management, industrial pollution abatement, river front development, Biodiversity conservation, Afforestation, River management Planning, wetland conservation etc. Under this mission, the approach has been changed from only pollution abatement to integrated mission for conservation of Ganga and its tributaries. It is like restoring the wholesomeness of river to the extent possible. We have embarked upon a

So there has been a marked improvement in water quality in the last few years and I think compared to many other rivers in the country, Ganga is in much better condition.

Q How has been the response of the various state governments towards the river rejuvenation schemes?Every state has naturally shown interest and enthusiasm as the cause of restoring health of mother Ganga is unifying and with universal appeal. The difference in approach often comes due to capacity constraints, lack of scientific data and planning. We do a lot of capacity building exercise among urban local bodies of all the states. They need a lot of hand-holding for preparing detailed project report or decisions during tender process.

All projects in Haridwar, Rishikesh, Muni ki Reti –the main cities in Uttarakhand on Ganga, have been commissioned and most other STPs in state on Ganga towns are also complete. It is a big achievement as the river meets the large population and hence pollution load from Haridwar and Rishikesh.

Almost entire Prayagraj now has sewerage network and STPs. Varanasi saw completion of 140 MLD STP at Dinapur and 120 MLD at Goitha. One city one operator approach HAM projects have been started for Kanpur, Prayagraj, Mathura etc. Mathura project has pioneered reuse of 20 MLD treated waste water in Mathura refinery with IOC sharing cost. In Bihar, Namami Gange projects are increasing treatment capacity by 10 times from existing functional capacity of about 60 MLD to 650 MLD. In Jharkhand, Sahibganj STP is already functioning and the only other STP on Ganga at Rajmahal will be completed in few months. Several projects in West Bengal too are making progress.

Q Give us a brief detail of the cities identified along the river for pollution control and how do you plan to implement various schemes?As I said earlier, we are looking at the river in continuity, so right from the beginning till the end, we have got mapping of 97 towns done on the bank of the river. There are over 4600 villages in these 97 towns. Then we also identified villages and towns on the tributaries of Ganga because Ganga cannot be cleaned unless tributaries are pollution-free. Out of 313 projects, 152 are sewerage projects costing roughly over Rs 23000 cr. 39 out of those 152 are on tributaries. These tributaries help maintain a good flow.

So after identifying cities, we conducted intensive work to find out the condition of existing STPs and their

capacities. Out of 50 STPs, some were defunct and some under-utilized. So besides rectifying the defunct ones, we improved the capacity and constructed new one keeping in mind the demand in 2035. For smooth operation and better governance, we introduced a concept of “one city one operator” which means one agency has been given the responsibility to construct new STPs, rehabilitate old STPs as required and maintain and operate all STPs-new and old for 15 years.

Further, to improve performance, we introduced Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM). Here, we pay to the concessionaire only 40% of the project cost initially. The remaining 60% will be disbursed in 15 years with interest.

Q In the past, crores of rupees were spent on cleaning up the river with no noticeable impact. How well is the money spent being monitored and how different are the outcomes this time around?The prior programmes for clean Ganga had a total allocation of less than Rs 4000 from 1985 to 2014. Under this government, it has been significantly scaled up through a dedicated outlay of Rs 20,000 cr for the period 2015-2020 with 100% central funding. A total of 152 sewerage infrastructure projects has been sanctioned to create 4856 MLD treatment capacity in the Ganga basin. In 2014, only 28 projects existed for only 462.85 MLD. Projects have been taken up as per a comprehensive plan for all the 97 cities/towns along Ganga. Subsequently, projects for tributaries have also been started. Prior to Namami Gange, there was no effective mechanism for linking the payment of operation and maintenance with the STP performance.

Q How soon a clean Ganga become a reality?Cleaning of a river is like cleaning your house. It is a continuous process and cannot be said that once done will not be repeated. The cleanliness needs to be maintained. We have to keep river clean and flowing. Ownership has to be taken by people. It cannot be the aim that any government-local or federal can clean up the river or rejuvenate the river. River cannot be cleaned in one day, it has to be kept clean & rejuvenated and that is why our mission also very strongly works for improving people- river-connect and several things are being done to improve the condition of banks.

Q How has lockdown improved the quality of water and what is the lessons learnt and plan of action for future

The nationwide lockdown imposed in the wake of COVID – 19, has resulted in overall ecological improvement due to curb on several human activities. There has also been improvement in quality of air and water. The improvement has come but we cannot have these kind of situations normally and we cannot depend upon such crisis to improve our river. Keeping river healthy must be our responsibility and we have to have long term perspective. There are many factors which combinedly resulted in the improvement of the Ganga river water quality during this period like increased flow in the river due to intermittent rains and lack of requirement of water for agriculture during this period, improved sewerage infrastructure in cities along the Ganga, reduction in industrial effluent discharge in the river, negligible human interaction with the river in terms of religious/ bathing activities, mining activities, motorboats activities, tourists.

Out of several sources of pollution, municipal sewage remained almost at same level as before lockdown, while other sources were reduced to minimal level during lockdown. If we talk about the improved sewerage infrastructure and curbing pollution along Ganga towns, several landmark projects have been completed intercepting several major drains falling into Ganga and diverting them to STPs – new and old.

One of the important steps towards sustaining the river quality is creating awareness among people. Sustainability can be achieved by focusing on involving people living on the banks of the river. Everyone should be actively involving themselves in Swachhata & water conservation activities. Behavioural change is not only needed for keeping the river clean and achieve Nirmalta, it is also required for demand side management of water and improve water use efficiency to reduce abstraction which is very important for improving flow in the river to achieve the objectives of Aviralta.

It has been again clearly demonstrated during lockdown that rivers do not pollute themselves, but those who live on its banks and run industries, business etc are to take responsibility.

People’s connect with river and their awareness is very important to rejuvenate the river. We have to learn the lesson from ecological resurgence during lock down that, even if we go to the river which we revere so much, we love so much, we have to change our behaviour, we have to control ourselves, we have to regulate ourselves. n

A clean Ganga river is the dream of every Indian. The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), aims to achieve this through Namami Gange. Though efforts were made since the late 80s to keep the river in its original state, the desired result remained off the mark till May 2014 when the Modi government came to power. A year later, the new government made an integrated and comprehensive approach to restore its piousness and glory by making several vital additions to the previous schemes.

Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Director General, NMCG, who has been entrusted with the gigantic task of achieving the dream of the nation, says that the new initiatives have already started showing the perceptible change in the quality of water.

An IAS officer of 1987 batch from the Telangana cadre, Mishra has achieved many targets ahead of deadlines with his dynamic and inspiring approach. In an interview with Outlook, he reveals how soon a clean Ganga will be a reality.

INTERVIEW

process of scientific river rejuvenation for the first time in India. The two basic requirements to rejuvenate the river are, first the Nirmal Dhara which means unpolluted river and second Aviral Dhara which means maintaining a continuous flow. Besides that, we have also looked at the complete ecology such as aquatic life, flora and fauna, sediments etc so as to rejuvenate it in all aspects.

So far as achieving the goal is concerned, out of 313 projects taken at a cost of Rs 28,966 cr, 122 projects have been completed and the remaining are at various stages of execution. These projects are related to pollution abatement (sewerage infrastructure, solid waste management, Industrial pollution abatement, rural sanitation and water quality monitoring); development of riverfront, ghats and crematoria; afforestation, biodiversity conservation, research just to name a few.

Several major drains falling into Ganga have been intercepted and diverted to STPs –new and old. Almost 80 major drains in five states have been tapped and waste water stopped from directly falling into the river. The Sisamau Nala in Kanpur, infamous Kasawan Nala in Haridwar and Chandreshwarnagar nala at Rishikesh are other notable examples of such tapping. Along with short term goals, we have tried to achieve long term sustainability through Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) projects and “One city One operator” approach.

Q Now when 37% project is already complete, can we perceive these changes on the ground?Of course, we can see the water quality improvement along the entire stretch of river starting from Gangotri till the West Bengal. One of the indicators is the amount of dissolved oxygen which should be 5 mg per litre. In the entire stretch of Ganga, it has gone beyond that. Another indicator is BOD (biochemical oxygen demand) which should be less than 3 mg/litre. 351 polluted stretches of rivers in the country identified in 2018 by CPCB were prioritized on basis of BOD from category I to V, with category I being most polluted or critical. At present, not even one stretch of Ganga is in priority I to IV. There are only two stretches left now, that too in priority V.

For the first time, notification for ecological flow was issued for River Ganga in October 2018, formally establishing the right of river over its own water which has far reaching implications for ensuring river health in long term.

Because of the improvement in water quality the sighting of aquatic life of the river especially Ganges Dolphin has also increased.

Excerpts -:

There is a marked improvemenT in GanGa's waTer qualiTy

rajiv ranjan mishraDirector General, NMCG,


Puneet Nicholas Yadav

Welcoming Jyotiraditya Scindia into the BJP in March at a function

in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had called his new party colleague ‘Vibhishan’. The appellation, straight out of the Ramayana in which Vibhishan betrays his brother Ravan to side with Lord Ram, led many to wonder if Chouhan meant it as a compliment or a taunt. The political din over Chouhan’s remark soon died down as focus shifted to his poor handling of the coronavirus

pandemic, which gripped the state soon after he assumed office for a record fourth term.

Over 100 days later, as he finally managed to expand his cabinet—the first five-member cabinet was formed on April 21—Chouhan signalled that he had moved on from the lessons of Ramayana to the battlefield of the Mahabharata. Curiously though, Chouhan’s rival in the political battle in M.P seems to be his newly acquired colleague, Scindia, and not the Congress party. If machinations in Bhopal are anything to go by, Chouhan seems to be mired in a more intricate chakravyuh than the one his predecessor, Kamal Nath, had been

Sneaky Tigers Can Steal Thunders TooA grasping Scindia pushes loyalists in the MP cabinet, as Chouhan fights disaffection in his ranks and endures snubs from Delhi

Double bill Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Jyotiraditya Scindia at the Sewa-Samvad virtual rally in Bhopal

madhya pradesh/politics

trapped into by Scindia.That Scindia, who helped the BJP

topple Nath’s Congress-led govern-ment in March, would demand his pound of flesh soon enough was exp-ected. What has, however, surprised many is the tough bargain that Scindia, now a BJP Rajya Sabha MP, has been striking with his party and the high pol itical price Chouhan is being made to pay for the power-sharing deal. The signs of strain have already begun to show on Chouhan.

On July 1, a day before his cabinet’s expansion, when he returned to Bhopal after spending three harrow-ing days in Delhi, unsuccessfully trying to get his party’s central leadership and Scindia to endorse his ministerial nominees, the CM made no secret of his exasperation. “Samundra manthan se amrit nikalta hai aur Shiv vish pi jaate hain”, (the churning of the ocean throws up elixir while Lord Shiv drinks the poison) Chouhan said, hinting at the widening fault-lines.

The next day, as 20 cabinet ministers and eight ministers of state were admi-nistered oath of office at Raj Bhawan by Governor Anandiben Patel, the full

P T I


import of Chouhan’s statement bec-ame clear. Factoring in the five cabinet ministers inducted in April, the induc-tion of 28 new ministers had exhausted the 34-berth-limit for the state’s coun-cil of ministers, leaving Chouhan with no room to accommodate possible dis-senters within the BJP in the near fut-ure. Complicating matters further for Chouhan, 14 of his cabinet colleagues owe their allegiance to Scindia, while several BJP veterans inducted as min-isters are known intra-party rivals of the CM (See Box).

“Chouhan may still be the captain but he has had to compromise in a big way on selecting his team,” a close con-fidante of the CM tells Outlook, adding that “the present cabinet gives the im-pression of Scindia being the super CM and that the central leadership wants to destabilise its own CM through his rivals within the party.”

For Chouhan, the tough balancing act of appeasing BJP veterans, while keeping Scindia in good humour by ind ucting a large chunk of his loyalists as ministers did not end with the cabi-net expansion. At the time of going to press—a full week since the expan-sion—Chouhan had failed to allocate portfolios to the ministers despite spending another long weekend in Delhi, trying to get the central lead-ership and Scindia to vet his choices. Sources say that after cornering a lion’s share of ministerial berths for his loy-alists, Scindia is now haggling for major portfolios to be assigned to his coterie. “Scindia wants key ministries like rural development, power, irriga-tion, revenue and PWD. If Chouhan is forced to accept this demand, what will he be left with to offer senior BJP min-isters like Narottam Mishra, Gopal Bhargava, Vijay Shah, Yashodhara Raje and others? By accepting Scindia’s every demand, the BJP leadership is making Chouhan—a fourth term CM—look weak and helpless,” a senior BJP MLA who was left out of the cabinet tells Outlook.

The BJP’s rationale for being extr-emely accommodating towards Scindia is that it needs his support to wrest the 24 assembly seats up for by-elections in the state in September.

Of these 24, 22 are seats that fell vac-ant after Scindia’s loyalists resigned from the assembly and the Congress.

There is also a clear message for Chouhan—he can’t rely on the uns-tinted support of the leadership as he did when L.K. Advani still held sway over the party. BJP sources say the present leadership of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah “tolerated Chouhan because he was seen as a leader who could keep MP in the BJP’s kitty, but the 2019 assembly poll defeat broke that impression, making him dispen-sable”. A section of the state BJP leadership also believes that a larger plot has now been put in motion by

the central leadership to “clip Chouhan’s wings and prop up an alt-ernative leadership in the state”. Curiously though, no one in the party believes that Scindia would replace Chouhan “any time in the future” and that “agreeing to whatever Scindia wants is certainly a present necessity but not one that will always be relevant”.

Since the cabinet expansion, Scindia has been holding virtual meetings with supporters and party workers in the seats bound for byp-olls. In his speeches he is already put-ting himself at par with Chouhan, telling supporters that they have to choose between Chouhan and him on one side and Congress leaders Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh on the other. Soon after the cabinet expan-sion, Scindia had also addressed BJP workers in Bhopal, launching a scath-ing attack against Nath and Singh. “Tiger abhi zinda hai”, Scindia had said, mocking Congress leaders who have been taunting him for his bet-rayal. Singh was quick to ret ort—“Madhavrao Scindia (Jyotiraditya Scindia’s father) and I used to hunt tigers”. Nath too shot back, asking whether Scindia was a “paper tiger or a circus tiger”.

Chouhan, meanwhile, has been busy staving off rebellion from his own partymen who are upset at being den-ied ministerial berths because of ‘Scindia ke mantri’. Ajay Vishnoi, senior BJP MLA from Jabalpur’s Patan constituency and a former minister, has shot off a letter to Chouhan, complaining that the new cabinet doesn’t adequately represent the Mahakaushal region. Other BJP warhorses like Gauri Shanker Bisen and Rajendra Shukla, too, are upset at being left out of the cabinet.

The Congress, predictably, is mak-ing no secret of its jubilation at the discontent brewing within the BJP old guard because of Scindia and his herd of followers. Congress general secretary Mukul Wasnik met Nath, Digvijaya Singh and other leaders in Bhopal over the weekend to dis-cuss possible candidates and the strategy for the upcoming bypolls. O

the 14 for ScinDia

Tulsi silawat, Govind singh Rajput (the two scindia loyalists were

inducted in the mini-cabinet formed in April)

Mahendra singh sisodia, imarti Devi, Prabhuram Chaudhary, Pradyuman singh Tomar (like silawat and Rajput, they were ministers in the Kamal Nath regime too), Rajvardhan Dattigaon, Brijendra singh Yadav, Giriraj Dandotiya, suresh Dhakad and O.P.s. Bhadoriya.

Bisahulal singh, Endal singh Kansana and Hardeep Dang (the three former MlAs weren’t scindia loyalists but had quit the Congress because Kamal Nath didn’t make them ministers).

Was he a “paper tiger or a circus

tiger,” asked Kamal Nath of his former party colleague.

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Infrastructure augmentation

` https://www.facebook.com/investharyana/

Directorate of Industries & Commerce, Haryana, 1st Floor, 30 Bays building Sector 17, Chandigarh, India Helpline No, 1800-180,2132 www.investharygna.in

• Investmentsubsidy: Up to 75% of SGST net paid for the first 5 years, 35% for the next 3 years, up to 100% of FCI

• 50% exemption towards EDC• Up to 100% StampDutyrefund • Up to 100% ElectricityDuty

Exemption• Employmentgenerationsubsidy

of Rs. 30,000 per year for General category for 5 years, for persons belonging to Haryana

• Financial assistance of 50%ofprojectcostuptoINR10Cr.fordevelopers of Textile Parks

• InterestSubsidy up to 8% on term loan for 7 years for all units

• Capitalsubsidyup to 25% (maximum INR 50 Cr.) on eligible investment

• Employmentgenerationsubsidy @ INR 30,000 per year for 5 years or 20% of the SGST deposited

• 25% CapitalInvestmentSubsidyup to INR 1 Cr.

• Assistance to 10MiniFoodParks @ 50% of total project cost up to INR 10 Cr.

• 100%nettax(SGST)reimbursement for 10 years up to 100% of FCI for units setting up in Food Parks

• Assistance @35%capitalinvestmentsubsidylimitedtoINR5Cr.for10coldchain infra projects

• Assistance @50% capital investment subsidy up to INR 2.5 Cr. for creatingbackwardandforwardlinkagesinruralareas

• Assistance of100%ofthecostofexternalandinternalinfrastructurefor upcoming Pharma Park at Karnal

• CapexforsettingupofsecondaryETP(CETP)for units in Pharma Park/Cluster borne by State Government

• 25%reimbursement(uptoINR5Olakh)ofcostofplantandmachineryfor units setting up in Pharma Park at Karnal

• Interestsubsidyof5%p.afor5yearsin form of reimbursement, up to INR 25 lakh per unit for units setting up in Pharma Park at Karnal

• LeaserentalsubsidyforStartups@25% reimbursement for 1 year, up to INR 1 lakh

• Innovationpromotionsubsidyfor Startups up to a limit of INR 2 lakh for domestic & INR 5 lakh for international Patent/Quality certification

• 50%capitalgrantofcapitalinvestmentfor incubators up to INR 1 Cr. for Govt. Institutes

• 100%StampDutyreimbursementfor incubators

• Powersubsidy*@INR5.49perunit (restricted to a certain level of consumption)

• 100%reimbursement(nettax)ofSGSTfor10 years up to 100% of FCI

• CapitalsubsidyfordevelopersofITTownshipsof up to 50% of FCI in buildings and infrastructure facilities, to a maximum of INR 2.5 Cr.

• 100% Electricity Duty exemption for 7 years

• For Warehousing, Logistics Park and Multi Modal Logistics Park:• CapitalSubsidyof up to INR 25 Cr. • InterestSubsidyof up to INR 50 lakh for

3 years • Fiscal support to developers of TruckersParks• Permission to set up WarehousingcumRetail

facilitiesinAgri-Zones

• Clusterdevelopment,balanced regional development, quality manufacturing processes

• Flatted factory complexes/plug & play facilities

• Global Marketing Intelligence Cell• Alternatemodesoffinancing• ICT, renewable energy and advance

manufacturing technologies

Enterprise Promotion Policy

2015

Entrepreneur & Startup Policy

2017

Textile Policy 2019 Pharmaceutical

Policy 2019 Agri-business & Food Processing

Policy 2018

Logistics, Warehousing & Retail Policy

2019

IT & ESDM Policy 2017 MSME

Policy 2019

ADVANTAGE HARYANA

Unique Locational Advantage: • Approximately 2/3rd of Haryana lies in NCR region• The entire State is within 250 km from New Delhi

International Airport and just 5 minutes from Gurugram

Robust industrial connectivity and world-class infrastructure:

• Robust network of road, rail and air connectivity• Haryana was ranked 4th in Infrastructure Development Index

by CMIE (Central for Monitoring Indian Economy)

Lucrative Industrial Policy & Sector-specific Policies • Best-in-class incentives for investors through Enterprise

Promotion Policy 2015 • Policies specific to sectors including: Logistic, Agri & Food

Processing, Textile, MSME and IT & ESDM

Pioneer in Ease of Doing Business: • No. 1 State in North India in Ease of Doing Business• No. 3 in the country in Ease of Doing Business • DIPP has recognized the Central Inspection System of Hary-

ana as one of its best practices.

A strong ICT Network: Targeting digital inclusion:

• First State to have implemented its own State Wide Area Network (SWAN) for voice, data and video transmission.

Vast Pool of Skilled Labour and abundance of human resources

• Home to leading educational institutions including IIM Rohtak, NIT Kurukshetra & NID Kurukshetra

• 44 universities including 1 Central University, 15 State Uni-versities, 19 Private Universities & 9 Deemed Universities

A Thriving MSME base

• Presence of over 1,20,000+ MSMEs • Major MSME clusters in Ambala, Faridabad, Bahadurgarh,

Karnal, Panipat, Sonepat, Yamunanagar

Abundance of Industrial Land:

• Food Parks • 28 IMTs (Industrial Model Township) • Land parcels along the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal Expressway

• Toreduce‘CostofDoingBusiness’,intheAgri&FoodProcessingBusiness,the Department of Industries andCommercelaunched‘AgriBusinessandFoodProcessingPolicy’in2018offering best in class incentivesto investors.The policy extends awide array of benefits includingcapital investment subsidy, SGSTreimbursement,exemptionofCLUcharges, exemption of market feeetc. Our focus will be on ground implementation of these policies to attract investments and to ensure employment to the people of Haryana.

• Agriculture is a major source ofemployment intheState, thereforeGovernment of Haryana isproactively working to strengthenlinkages between agriculture andIndustrytopromotecitizenwelfare.

• Government ofHaryana envisionstofurtherstrengtheninfrastructureby investing in Food Processingclustersthusdevelopingstrongandrobustvaluechain.Theseclusterswillbeequippedwithcommonfacilitiessuited to distinct requirementsof each cluster. Presently, 140clusterswithhorticulturepotentialhave been selected and work hasstarted for the development ofinfrastructurefacilities.

• The State Government has alsosetupaminiclusteronAgricultureimplements at Karnal, carryingtotal investment of INR 386.65lakhandGovernment’sshareinthedevelopmentofcluster is INR180lakhs.Thebuildingsforclusterhavealreadybeendeveloped.

• Several landmark measures havebeen taken to strengthen the agri-industry linkages. Major regulatoryreforms through simplification ofprocedures,completedigitizationandminimization of waiting procedures

havebroughtHaryanaon3rd position among Indian States in Ease of Doing Business ranking. Strengthening ofMSMEecosystemandintroductionofnationallyacclaimedSingleWindowMechanism is expected toprovideavitalancillarysupportto‘Agriculture&Food-Processing’sectoraswell.

• Haryanahasthedistinctionofbeingquotedasthe‘BreadBasket’ofIndiabecause of its consistent ability toretainadiversemixofagriculturalproducts. Main agricultural cropsproduced in Haryana includewheat,rice,barley,gram,sugarcane,cottonandoilseeds.Haryanaistheleading exporter of Basmati rice (60%) in India,withKarnal, Jind,Panipat,SonepatandSirsabeingthemajorcontributorstotheStatepool.

• There are 2 Food Parks which arealready fully operational in Raiand Saha, followed up by 2 moreupcomingMegaFoodParksatBarhiand Rohtak with state of the artcommon infrastructure facilities.More than 3000 processing units are operationalintheStateand9coldchain projects are currently beingimplemented,outofthese,4projectshavealreadybeencompleted.

• The State is also making everyeffort to supplement the growthof other allied sectors such asfisheries, dairy farming, animalhusbandryandirrigation.A Centre of Excellence for Dairy and Milk products is planned to be set up with the cooperation of Israel at Government livestock Farm in Hisar under ̀ Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana’.Forfurtherenhancementsof allied sectors, the StateGovernment is actively looking tocollaborate with countries whichhavedevelopedmodelstopreserveandharnesstheagriculturesector.

• Going forward, our vision is

Growth Story of Haryana in laSt few yearS (aGri &

food-ProceSSinG Sector)to strengthen the agriculturalecosystemby:• Attracting investment andgeneratingemploymentthrough-out the value chain of FoodProcessingSector

• Increasing farmers’ incomeacrosstheintegratedvaluechaininfrastructure through agri-marketing reforms and enabledmandis

• Bringing 14% of total cropped area under Horticulture, upfromalevelof7.58%andachievemaximumcropdiversification

• Bringing all 108 State Mandis under E-trading, NationalAgriculture Marketing(E-NAM)initiative

• Increasing the level of processing in perishables by 10% (fruits,vegetables,dairy,fisheriesetc.)bytheyear2023

• State has set aside INR10 crorefund of Haryana Entrepreneurand Start-up policy 2017 foragricultureinnovationstartups.

• The State shall collaboratewith NIFTEM (NationalInstitute of Food TechnologyEntrepreneurship andManagement) to incubate 10businessideasperyear.

• 50%ofthetotalcostofthetraininglimitedtoINR5,000per traineeonobtainingindustryrecognizedskillcertificationfromrecognizedinstitutions.

• While we have come a long way,there is a lot more still to beachieved. The State Governmentwill continue to focus on pathbreaking reformsandmeasures toensureemployment generation on the back of greenfield investments with an emphasis on balanced regional development throughgeographicdisbursalofindustry.

sans frontiers

President Vladimir Putin has ordered amendments that would allow him to remain in power until 2036 to be put into the Russian

Constitution after voters approved the changes during a week-long ref-erendum. “The amendments… come into force, without overstating it, at the people’s will,” Putin said after he signed a decree to have the consti-tution revised. The changes allow Putin to run for two more six-year terms after his current one expires in 2024, but also outlaw same-sex marriages, mention the “belief in God as a core value” and emphasise the primacy of Russian law over international norms.

Kremlin critics denounced the results—with 78 per cent “yes” votes and a nearly 68 per cent turnout—as falsified. The weeklong exercise was tarnished by widespread reports of relentless pressure that state and private employers put on their staff to vote, monitoring undermined by bureaucratic hurdles and virus-related restrictions, and other irregulari-ties. In January, Putin first proposed the constitutional changes. His intentions became clear only hours before a vote in parliament, when legislator Valentina Tereshkova, a Soviet-era cosmonaut who was the first woman in space in 1963, proposed letting him run two more times, meaning the 67-year-old could rule till he turns 83. Putin, who has been in power for over two decades—longer than any other Kremlin leader since Stalin — said he would decide later whether to run again in 2024. If he does continue for that long, Putin won’t be the first leader in the neighbourhood to have such a run—Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko has been in power since 1994, and Kazhakhstan’s Nursultan Nazarbayev resigned in March 2019 after being in power since 1990.

Putin’s move comes two years after China approved the removal of the two-term limit on the presidency, effectively allowing Xi Jinping to remain in power for life, in a vote widely regarded as a rubber-stamping exercise. Xi would have been due to step down in 2023. Xi’s sweeping powers were reflected in the containment measures to stop the corona-virus from spreading. Chinese authorities also followed up with more intrusive measures to monitor citizens for dissent, continued their repression in Xinjiang, and pushed a hard line over a range of issues, including over Hong Kong, Taiwan and the rivalry with the US.

In Hungary, self-styled “illiberal” Prime Minister Viktor Orban pushed a legislation that gave him power to rule by decree during the coronavi-rus crisis (it was later revoked by parliament). And in Israel, Benjamin Netyanhu used the pandemic to postpone his criminal trial over his charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in three separate cases. O

FOREIGN HanD

worlD tour

Botswana Mystery surrounds the deaths of hundreds of elephants over the last two months. The reason for the deaths is unknown, with lab

results awaited. Botswana is home to the world’s largest elephant population. Officials had spotted over 350 elephant carcasses in the Okavango Delta since the start of May. Poaching is ruled out,

so is natural anthrax poisoning.

new ZealanD Health minister David Clark has resigned after a series of gaffes.

He had earlier described himself as an “idiot” for breaking lockdown measures.

Last week, he placed the blame for allow-ing some travellers to leave quarantine without tests with director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield—the nation’s

public face of the virus response, trigger-ing anger throughout the nation.

Hong Kong The national security law for the restive city gives the police

authority to conduct searches without a warrant, restrict suspects from leaving,

and intercepting communications. The law, imposed last week following anti-govern-

ment protests last year, makes ‘secession-ist, subversive and terrorist’ activities ille-gal. Critics see it as Beijing’s boldest step

to erase the legal firewall between the former British colony and the mainland’s

communist party system.


By Alam Srinivas

It took me 90 days to muster courage to make the first visit to the office. For three months, I locked myself at home, working in sequestered comfort. Or discomfort, as some would say. The only excursions included the weekly trips, on and off, to the nearest paan shop 20 metres away. To be frank, it wasn’t guts, but fear, which forced the decision. One set of fear—about the safety and health of my ageing mother—had kept me confined. Now, another set of dread—the one we still feel with trepidation—made me go to office. It’s that dark anxiety of losing one’s job. Masked with an N95—the New Yorker said those were used by the medical staff in the US—I reached the magazine’s headquarters.

Working from home, or from office—how’s your workplace and your work adapting to the new Covid-churned ecosystem?

Cover Story/outlook-toluna WorkplaCe Survey

Office Officein cOViD TiMe

How much has the pandemic impacted people’s job, pay/income and the way they foresee the future?

Worried about losing job due to the current situation

Pandemic has negatively impacted the monthly household income

Worried about a possible salary cut due to the global health crisis

56%

73%72%

Disagree

18%

Disagree

17%

Disagree

29%

15%Undecided

8%Undecided

11%Undecided

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Will Covid effect company revenues this year and to what extent?

Do not expect any

impact

Expect increase in revenues

Say it will be down by more than

50%

30%Say it will

be down by less than

25%

36%Say it will

be down, but unsure about

the range

26%

5% 3%

I l l u s t r a t I o n s b y s a a h I l ; G r a p h I c s b y s a j I c . s .


Like everyone, who has been to office or hoped to go after the lockdown, I expected the obvious changes, but was ready for the startling ones. My mind was in a twirl—hopeful and pessimistic, brooding and excited.

It’s a good time to check the mood of the workplace. And so, Outlook teamed up with Toluna— an intelligent techniques for web personalisation (ITWP) company that delivers insights on demand— for a survey among whitecollar workers across India, the most definitive one on the postCovid situation. The country’s first employee study of its kind succinctly captures the postCovid sociobusiness changes in office spaces, and reveals that there is no overencompassing feeling of gloomanddoom. Despite the crushing impact on the economy and businesses, employees can still see the positives. Their lives have changed, but it may be for the better to some extent.

People are scared about future job losses, salary cuts, and huge declines in corporate earnings. They feel socialdistancing norms will make them lose office friends as they become nervous about colleagues. But they are also buoyant and confident. They think they will be more productive, offices will become more professional, and a cure for the virus will be found in the next six months. The majority contends that the situation will improve within a month.

DeSPITe the millions of pink slips and acrosstheboard salary slashes of up to 50 per cent, every

surviving employee, including the top bosses, in every office is still apprehensive. For them, today can be the last day in office. As the survey shows, 56 per cent of the respondents are still scared of losing their jobs. An overwhelming 72 per cent say they are “still worried” about remuneration cuts. A higher percentage (76 per cent) believes there will be no appraisals, and no increments, possibly until March 2022.

The reasons for such a hopeless mindset are clear. Most businesses are decimated, or are on the verge of bankruptcy. Despite Unlock 1 and 2 in India, several sectors may take at least three years to recover to their past levels of financial performances.

employees realise this, and 92 per cent of the respondents are sure that their firm’s revenues will be down in 202021. Almost a third (30 per cent) envisages a drop of more than 50 per cent. For 49 per cent of them, it may take more than six months—13 per cent claim more than a year—for their company “to get back to business as usual”.

What is unusual is that employees aren’t clear whether the costcutting measures were imperative. even though businesses have suffered, there is a sense that owners and management could have avoided the sackings, and survive without them in the future. Half of the respondents say their companies are “using the COVID19 crisis to fire people and cut salaries”. According to them, it is an excuse for the bosses to get rid of the deadwood, unsavoury elements, and those who were the causes of regular officerelated problems.

However, there is a positive edge to this bleak scenario. employees surviving this mayhem, and retaining their jobs, may benefit. Fourfifths of the respondents categorically state that they will become more productive, as they will “focus more on work”, rather than indulge in office gossip and banter. As social and personal interactions come down, and there are pressures to meet targets and show results, offices may become more profes

if COViD-19 were to end today, how long would it take for the company to get back to normal business?

Less than a month

3-6 months

6-12 Months

More than 12 months

Don’t know/

Can’t say

7%

43% 36%

13%2%

feel it would take over six months for their company to rebound49%


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Has the company taken care of empoyees during the lockdown and after restrictions were eased?

Think company has made the

office environment safe by taking steps such as fumigation, sanitisation, and temperature check

84%

Feel the company has betrayed him/her

There is a sense of fear, colleagues are suspicious of each other

37%71%

Disagree

43%

Disagree

17%

20%Undecided

12%Undecided

What actions the company took, or is planning to take, to support employees as we progress through the current COViD-19 crisis in india?

Focusing on digital communication for increased outreach to employees

Providing more flexible work options to align to new way of working

Providing reskilling training for employees that may be left with less work

Offering increased financial support to those who need this badly

Redeploying employees who have no work into new roles or assignments

None of the above

71% 70%

35%

7%33%

36%

Focusing on digital tools of communication and flexible work options are the

key steps that companies are relying on to support

employees during the COViD-19 crisis.

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sional, say 78 per cent of the respondents.After the visit for the urgent meeting at

office, I noticed the alterations in my work style. I was saddled with more work, as the number of people in the office declined. I became more prompt, and tightened my internallyset deadlines. Surprisingly, I sought work so that I don’t vanish from the radar of my boss. It was the same with everyone; there was a push factor among the colleagues to deliver more. The desires may be laced with panic, but it may lead to quantitative and qualitative changes.

One of the factors that may concretise these trends in the near future will be the management’s attitude towards employees’ presence in offices. Most may allow 4060 per cent to come to offices and the others to either work from home or work from anywhere (cafes, friends’ houses, and business centres). In this context, the efficiencies of the WFH workers will be crucial. If the consultancy option takes off, and more people feel satisfied and comfortable about it, productivity norms may be redefined.

DUrINg my conversations with friends recently, most seemed troubled by the WFH culture.

Some felt bored and lonely, and decided to gather at someone’s house to work in small groups. Others said they had to work more, even on weekends. There were constrictions of being at home, especially for the majority who worked in media. Since the children and husband were at home, it was difficult to focus on work. Not many seemed enthused.

Surprisingly, the OutlookToluna Survey to understand the impact of COVID19 on employee sentiments wasn’t so emphatic. It is true that 57 per cent admitted they had to work more hours from home, and 50 per cent say they felt “lonely and isolated”. However, 79 per cent loved WFH a lot, or loved it a bit. Nearly half of the respondents claim the most important benefit was “flexible working, i.e. anytime, anywhere”. More than a third say they spent more time with their family.

More than half of the respondents claim that they were more productive when they worked from home. As was expected—though it is not usually articulated—60 per cent contend that it was a relief, and signi

fied “freedom from the pressures of my boss”. A combination of the impetus to WFH or WFA (work from anywhere) culture, and stricter socialdistancing norms in offices, will lead to “better workhome balance” and help people to “focus more on children”, add 80 per cent of the respondents in each case.

One can safely assume that such observations, which are related to the temporary and forced WFH scenario, may change as this work culture becomes the norm for a sizeable number of employees. The attitudes and feelings may be different in the future. The same will be true about the employees who do go to offices. Their relationships with their bosses and colleagues will witness severe adjustments. For various reasons, professional interactions may not be the same.

I noticed this on my first visit to the office. My first reaction was to search for an isolated post, away from the others. Initially, I took refuge in the firstfloor conference room, and realised that people still hovered in the vicinity. I shifted to the design section that was more secluded. Finally, when my editor turned up 10 minutes before the meeting, he suggested that we shift to the second floor. “It will be empty, and we will be able to maintain socialdistancing in a better fashion,” he said.

Over the next few months, there will be

How people worked during the lockdown?

54%Say they were working

from home but have started going to office now

40% Say they continue to

work from home

6%Say they were regularly

going to the office during the lockdown (essential services)


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WFH means I will be more productive as I would be able to focus more on work and avoid office gossips, traffic jams etc. 80%My office will run more professionally, as unwanted and avoidable personal interactions will come down 78%

WFH means less office gossip, and after-office banters 74%

WFH signifies freedom from the pressures of my boss 59%I will be nervous and afraid during interactions with colleagues in office 52% Figures are

percentage of people who say yES

People are working from home, while social distancing, health and safety norms are being followed in offices that have opened tentatively, here’s what the employees think...

WFH means I will find a better work-home balance

WFH means I will focus more on my children

Less cases of sexual harassment and gender-related

issues in my office

Extramarital office affairs and personal relationships in my

office will go down

80%

80%

73%

64%

What are the mood and sentiments of people over their current job?

Feel confident about their

employment/job despite ups and downs caused by the viral outbreak

34%

Anxious Confused IndifferentDetermined26% 20% 8%12%

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a tendency to shun colleagues, unless necessary, and stay away from them. This reflects in the survey. More than half of the respondents contend that they will be

“more nervous to interact” with colleagues, and a similar percentage predict that they will “lose office friends” due to both WFH and social distancing in office spaces. Worse, 71 per cent admit that there is a

“sense of fear” in offices, and people are “suspicious” of each other.

Such a combustible emotional mixture can lead to several personal and social constraints. Feminists (including males who think the same way) and the supporters of the #MeToo campaign will be thrilled to know that 73 per cent feel the cases of sexual harassment in the offices will come down. Almost twothirds contend that the same will happen in the case of officerelated extramarital affairs. The professional will become more important than the personal in the work environment.

CLeArLy, the employees’ sentiments about their current spaces are mixed, a few good and bad, and

some ugly. However, the overall feelings veer towards the middle point. For example, the current mood of a large proportion of respondents (46 per cent) is either confident or determined, and the same percentage feels confused and anxious. Just less than a third (30 per cent) is “very optimistic” about their work lives in the next six months, and another 36 per cent is “somewhat optimistic”. The two combined say that “life will be the same as it was before COVID19”.

As expected, the hopefulness is higher among those in the 3555 year bracket, compared to the 2534 agegroup. The

reason is logical. Those who have reached a certain professional level, think they can combat the adverse impact of the crisis better than their younger counterparts. The employees in firms with 2501,000 people are more sanguine, compared to those in the smaller (less than 250) and larger (more than 1,000) ones. yet again, the reason is obvious. Unlike the latter two categories, the midsize ones have higher growth potential.

The overall cheerfulness is possibly due to an underlying belief that the health crisis is temporary, and will not last beyond this year. This is because 79 per cent agree the world will find a cure for COVID19 within the next six months, i.e. by the end of 2020. In fact, 58 per cent say India’s overall social, health, and economic situation will improve—either a lot or a little bit—by the end of July 2020. If the pandemic doesn’t exist in its severe form, there is no reason for a pandemonium. O

50%of employees mention that working from home makes them feel isolated, while 44% feel otherwise

Did WFH make people feel lonely and isolated?

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HOW surVey Was COnDuCteDThe Outlook–Toluna Survey on Employee Sentiments covered 20 cities—Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Calcutta, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, Jaipur,

Lucknow, Indore, Surat, Bhopal, Patna, Guwahati, Vijayawada, Cochin, Chandigarh, Kanpur and Vishakhapatnam. A total of 1,206 respondents—all

fulltime employees (men and women) of private companies—were interviewed online this past June using a standard, structured, self-filled questionnaire and the data captured in Toluna’s server. Employees were interviewed in the 25-55

age-band. These aside, a few other variables were used additionally.


How comfortable are people working from home?

are they able to be as productive working from home as they were in the office?

in general, people end up working for more hours at

home than in office.More productive working from

home

Less productive working from

home

Place of work does not make

any impact

What is the most important benefit of working from home?

Flexible working i.e. anytime, anywhere

More time with the family

No time wastage on commuting , Less pollution

Better social life

46%34%

17%3%

Do people work more or lesser hours working from home?

More hours than working in office

57%

Fewer hours than working in office

30%

Same hours as in office

13%

Feel they are very

comfortable working from home

40%

Somewhat comfortable,

love it a bit39%

Neutral Somewhat uncomfortable, hate it a bit

Very uncomfortable13% 7% 1%

53% 28% 19%

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Cover Story/Covided Biz

Imagine a visit to a mall where you are the only person within a 10ft x 10ft space. Think about the situation that when you enter a PVr theatre with your husband and child to watch a firstday, firstshow blockbuster, you confront “staggered seating arrangement”, empty seats on both sides, and floor stickers to indicate the onemetre socialdistancing gap. Visualise a logistics company that offers you the option to not just workfromhome, but workfromanywhere.

COVID19 has changed the professional and social atmosphere in offices and factories, transformed business models across sectors, and altered the mindset of consumers. This is especially true of segments such as tourism, travel, and hospitality, where physical proximity and persontoperson politeness was considered inevitable, and an intimate part of businesses. No longer can owners, employees, and customers feel the same, or beh ave in the same manner, as they did yesterday.

We look at three sectors—physical retail, logistics, and entertainment —where the hustleandbustle and congregation of crowds was considered a norm. In the future, footfalls may fall in the malls, but percapita spending will go up. A simplified model of “click, ship, done” may be adopted in logistics. Amusement will largely be in the form of homeentertainment, without live audience or restricted one, and with a focus on how to curate content, rather than merely to create it.

Physical Retail: A slow-and-steady approachIt is evident that over the next few months, or more, buyers will be choosy, thanks to job losses and salary cuts. A survey by the retailers Association of India (rAI), with LitmusWorld, revealed that 78 per cent of the respondents felt that their shopping spends will reduce. However, the confidence level among consumers was high at 62 per cent. Another rAI study among 100 retailers concluded that malls witnessed degrowth of 77 per cent, and highstreet retail 61 per cent in the June 115, 2020, period.“Most customers will hesitate to resume shopping in the coming months,” says Kumar

rajagopalan, CeO, rAI. Shoppers will venture out only if they have to; their visits will be needbased. The situation is exacerbated by health and socialdistancing norms. The new norms res trict the entry of visitors, with an eye on footfall counters, based on the size and common areas of the malls. For example, there will be one customer for every 100 sq ft of common area.

The frequency of sanitisation will increase—the cleaning of public spaces and utilities

By Lola Nayar, Jyotika Sood & Lachmi Deb roy

Alt, CtrlSPAceBusinesses are re-inventing the wheel in a post-Covid world ruled by social distancing


every two hours—which too will restrict the number of people in the malls. There will be fixed and mandatory gaps between two groups of people inside the shops. Many of these changes will remain in force for longer periods. rajneesh Mahajan, CeO, Inorbit Malls, explains,

“Our shortterm worry revolves around health concerns, and holding people back, which is not going to help the sector.”

Obviously, footfalls have declined. Now that some states have allowed a few malls to reopen after lockdown, the reported visits were 3540 per cent of the numbers during the preCovid period. However, there is a positive impact. The conversion rates are higher; those who come to the shops are more eager to spend because they come with a purpose to buy specific items, be it essential provisions or electronic goods. The hangerouts, who filled the malls earlier, aren’t visible.

These trends have disrupted the busi

ness models of the retailers, and affected their expansion plans. In March this year, contends Anuj Kejriwal, CeO and MD, Anarock retail, the industry was estimated to witness the launch of 54 malls spanning 22.2 million sq ft in 2020. Of this, 35 were to be constructed in the top seven cities. Now, only five or six of them may be built this year. The construction of the others, over 19.4 million sq ft, will be delayed to the next year.

At the same time, the crisis provides an opportunity for owners, who wanted to shut down their unviable operations or sell off the malls. Susil S. Dungarwal, Promoter and Chief Mall Mechanic, BeyondSquarefeet, which manages eight malls, says that he has several enquiries from owners who have sought professional advice. The latter want him to take over the management of their malls. BeyondSquarefeet may finalise a couple of deals over the next few weeks.

Do people think life will return to pre-Covid times in next six months?

9%22%

Somewhat optimistic36%

30%

4%

Very optimistic

Unsure

Somewhat pessimistic

Very pessimistic

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Cover Story/Covided Biz

There will be consolidation, change in management, and closures. A dozen brands that own or control 5,055 of the estimated 600 malls in the country may expand their reach. New retail economics and real estate trends will drive a shift in retail mall dynamics. Instead of a focus to woo customers through the year, the focus will be more on specific occasions—Christmas and New year sales and festival discounts—to drive volumes, and change the sentiments of the cautious consumers.

Logistics: Digitisation and aggregationOver the past few years, India’s position in the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index climbed 10 notches to reach No. 44 (2018). More importantly, in the preCovid era, the aim was to reduce overall logistics costs from 1314 per cent of gDP to 910 per cent. The sector was estimated to grow at an annual growth rate of 10.5 per cent over the next few years, and employ 14 million people. All these figures will go out of the window due to the ongoing public health crisis. What is required is a new blueprint.

While this may seem like a huge setback, it offers prospects to accelerate the existing twin trends of digitisation and aggregation.

“Automation will be one of the key verticals, as we witness a major shift tow ards robotic processes. This will increase efficiencies, and reduce turnaround time to respond to emergencies,” explains Vishal Sharma, CeO, who looks after the Indian subcontinent operations of DB Schenker, which is part of the Deutsche Bahn group.

Clearly, there will be changes in the workforce structure. The need of the hour will be skilled employees, who are comfortable with cloud, internet, 3D printing, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence (AI). “The employment landscape will witness dramatic reallocations, as the changed processes require new skills,” says Sharma. Aditya Vazirani, CeO, robinsons global Logistics Solutions, adds, “There will also be a skew towards localisation of labour and resources.”

Dual and multiple sourcing by endusers, the desire to make the supply chains more agile, and the objective to protect against unforeseen calamities dislocate existing business models and workforce manage

ment. Vazirani predicts an era where the administrative and nonfield staff may have the option to workfromanywhere. Sharma talks of a simplified logistics process that’s restricted to three steps— “click, ship, done”. This will help customers to customise their needs with instant real time quotes, and online visibility.

Aggregation and thirdparty licensing will become an integral part of the transportation and delivery segments. This will give a fillip to nascent, but emerging and growing, business models adopted by the likes of Swiggy, grofers, and Zomato. India’s current transportation costs—rs 2.28 per km for roads, rs 1.41 for railways, and rs 1.19 for waterways, as estimated by the World Bank—are still high. In addition, twothirds of the goods are shipped through five million trucks.

PostCovid, there are renewed attempts to consolidate the truckers. Most vehicles are owned by MSMes, which are now enthusiastic to join aggregators such as rivigo, Blackbuck, and TruckSuvisha. The latter offer benefits like insurance, boarding, and lodging to the drivers. “We cannot invest huge sums in technology, as the big companies can, and which is crucial today. We have to deploy our fleet with the aggregators,” confirms Binder grewal,

in the next month or so, people think the COViD-19 situation in india is going to…

13%20%

Improve a lot27%

31%

9%

Improvea little

Get a little worse

Get a lot worse

Stay as it is now

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t r I b h u v a n t I w a r I


a Punjabbased MSMe transporter.Apart from infrastructure, logistics is

another weak link in India’s manufacturing chain. If the current crisis can propel the supplychain players to adopt new technologies, as well as consolidate their operations, it will enable the country to woo private investments. This may prove to be a key step in India’s ability to compete with China, and emerge as an alternative ‘factory to the world’. It is an opportunity that lurks within adversity, and we need to grab it with both hands.

entertainment: A new picture-in-picture conceptMost of us get the big picture. But there are a few surprises in store for you. If you dare to go to a cinema hall, the experience will be unique. PVr Pictures will be the first major distributor to release nine Hollywood titles in theatres only. They inc lude The True History of Kelly Gang, The Personal History of David Copperfield, and The Wild Goose Chase. “We are thrilled that we will do this when the theatres open, and in this difficult environment,” says Sanjeev Kumar, JMD, PVr group.

Outside the theatre, you will face fibre glass shields at the box office, and the various points of sale. employees will be clad in PPe gears with face masks, gloves, and face shields. Inside, socialdistancing norms will segregate your group of family and friends from the others. The halls will seem a bit empty, especially on the first weekend of the releases. “We have ascertained various scenarios, and we have thoroughly worked out our plans,” explains Alok Tandon, CeO, INOX Leisure.

Most action will happen inhouse, i.e. in your living rooms and bedrooms. The OTT platforms will be the new winners in the newnormal atmosphere. Big movies that were postponed due to the lockdown were premiered on OTTs. Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, whose stardom has lasted 51 years, was amazed that his new film, Gulabo Sitabo, made a digital debut on Amazon Prime. He said he was

“honoured” to be part of “another challenge” in his career.

The same will happen with Vidya Balanstarrer Shakuntala Devi, a biopic on the math whiz. More content, not just movies but also serials will be created for OTTs.

The revenueshare model between OTTs, theatres, and TV channels will get a further boost. “People will need to collaborate to exist. A chunk of viewers will switch to OTTs, but TV will remain a more relatable option for the majority. There will be less panic as equal importance is given to curation and creation,” explains Shailia Kejriwal, CeO (Special Projects), Zee entertainment.

If you are an addict of live performances, technology will help to find new solutions.

“Computer graphics, virtual reality, and AI will play important roles in the finished content, and the manner in which performances are exhibited,” says Amit Behl, Chairperson, Outreach Committee, CINTAA.

This is happening even in movies. Ali Husain, CeO, eros Now, explains, “We shot A Viral Wedding and Metro Park–Quarantine Edition, during the lockdown. We used technology and innovation to shoot, and put them together at the postproduction stages. The crew needs to evolve to adopt technologies like virtual sets.” The actorcouple, rasika Dugal and Mukul Chadda, cowrote and acted in a short film, Banana Bread, which was shot on mobile phones at their residence.

At the end of the day, the various platforms, and genre of content, will coexist. According to Behl, viewers will veer towards cinema halls because of the “wow” factor. “Theatres also offer a more collective experience,” feels Neeraj roy, Founder and CeO, Hungama Digital Media. OTTs and TV channels are more personal, intimate and emotional, as well as secure. Mobile streaming provides the flexibility to watch onthego. As roy puts it diplomatically, “every platform has its USPs.”

Finally, it will be a case of consumer segmentation, and an indepth analysis of viewer behaviour. Different kinds of content and platforms will appeal to different categories, and at different times. Humans cannot avoid the urge to assimilate different experiences. “What works for us is to understand how to retain the customers,” says Nachiket Pantvaidya, CeO, ALT Balaji, and group CeO, Balaji Telefilms. This is an insight that’s possibly true for all platforms and content creators. O

How many people feel there will be a vaccine or cure in next six months?

Somewhat optimistic35%

14% Unsure

4% Somewhat pessimistic

3% Very pessimistic

44% Very optimistic

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By Lachmi Deb roy

When it comes to employee wellbeing, companies hype their compensation packages, flexible working hours and snack bars. Few, however, talk about mental health, let alone make it a priority. According to a Lancet paper, one in seven Indians suffered from a mental illness in 2017. With the pandemic causing a surge in anxiety, depression, sleep disorders etc, it is more important than ever to address these concerns.

At the workplace, mental illness remains a largely taboo subject. A 2016 study by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India revealed that nearly 42.5 per cent of employees in the country’s private sector organisations suffer from depression or general anxiety disorder. even though many individuals with mental health issues are part of the workforce, they rarely divulge these at the workplace, fearing prejudice and stigma. According to a 2019 study by Businessolver, an Iowabased employeebenefits administration services company, 68 per cent of employees worry that reaching out about their mental health issues could negatively impact job security. Although 50 per cent of all employees (and 60 per cent of millennial employees) reported having had a mental health problem, only onethird of them reached out to their employers. Organisations do not actively seek this information

Organisations have begun addressing employees’ mental health, but much more needs to be done

One Flew Over The HR’s cabin

Cover Story/mental health


from employees. “Most prejoining medical tests that organisations mandate consist of tests on physical health parameters,” says Nimisha Dua of Conagra Foods.

The rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, recognises mental health iss ues as a disability and mandates emp loyers to make provisions for suffering individuals. Most organisations, however, don’t have a formal rec ruitment policy that add r esses mental health, nor the tools and environment to successfully integrate people with such illnesses in the workforce. Both employers and employees skirt conversations about mental health. employers hesitate to hire individuals with mental health issues as they fear erratic behaviour, inability to work eff e c tively in teams, prolonged absences and the inability to cope with the dem a nds of the job. employees, on the other hand, do not disclose their mental hea lth issues or seek counsellors to avoid stigma. They believe they might be ridiculed, made the butt of office jokes and that it could affect promotions and participation in prestigious projects.

Human resource departments should be more proactive in providing counselling services to employees and assure them of confidentiality. Some organisations have a panel of mental health professionals.

“Though some workplaces have been actively getting counsellors on board for their employees, it is certainly not a widespread practice,” says Dua. “Where they exist, their services remain underutilised because of employees’ apprehensions and hesitation.”

EXPerTS believe that offices must openly talk about mental health to reduce the stigma surrounding it.

These discussions should be inclusive, avoid derogatory references and uphold the dignity of employees. Corporate wellbeing programmes are now emphasising stress management, worklife balance and mental wellbeing. Flexibility, inclusivity and a stress and harassmentfree environment should be incorporated into the work culture. A weekly meeting discussing different kinds of psychological problems and encouraging people to speak about mental health disorders is also helpful.

Psychiatrist Avinash De Sousa says, “Hr professionals, team leaders and senior executives must be trained in peertopeer support and how to respond when someone

discloses their mental illness..” Tushar Chadha, CeO, People Plus Advisors, believes organisations should plan their growth trajectory from two perspectives—business achievement and life satisfaction.

“I know people who are successful and have realised their professional ambitions. They often have status, power and money, but not satisfaction and fulfilment, which often leads to mental illnesses.”

experts say most mental illnesses are treatable, but some cases require longterm interventions. Dr Santosh Bangar, consultant psychiatrist, global Hospital, Mumbai, says, “A mental health professional makes a diagnosis after assessing the person. This process may take several sessions. Sometimes, psychological tests may be required.” Treatment involves psychotropic medication, psychological intervention or social management or a mix of these.

There is a considerable shortage of mental health professionals in India—we have one psychiatrist for a lakh people and one psychologist for every 30,000 to 40,000. While the cost of treatment varies from city to city and professional to professional, it can range anywhere between rs 500 to 5,000. There are charitable trusts offering lowcost services. In municipal and government hospitals, services are free, though there are long waitlists. The price of treatment, however, stands in stark relief to the costs of mental illnesses. A WHOled study estimates that depression and anxiety disorders cost the global economy $1 trillion each year in lost productivity.

There is growing evidence on the efficacy of counselling. Sheetal Nair, corporate head, DSS group of Companies, says, “Workplace counselling interventions have been found to reduce sickness absence rates. This alone demonstrates the costeffectiveness of counselling and the positive impact it can have on productivity. Organisations are beg inning to realise that mental health lies along a spectrum, just like physical health. Anybody could suffer from an illness, with varying degrees of severity, and equally well recover from it. “Hiring a person with a history of depression and mental health is not a problem. employers should not forget that dep ression and anxiety are common and rarely serious to impact the ability to perform at work,” says Chadha. “If an employee has a mental illness, the emp loyer should accommodate their needs.” O

How satisfied are workers with the efforts made by the company to reduce stress and anxiety caused by the COViD-19 situation?

2 out of 3 people are satisfied with the efforts made by their company

Very satisfied27%22% Neutral

4% Dissatisfied

3% Very dissatisfied

41% Satisfied

S u rv e yOUTLOOK

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Focus south IndIa

a School of Architecture is a journey where intellectual excellence takes place. It is progressive in its ideas and outlook and is not restricted by teaching only common practices and proven paths of syllabus. Above all, it represents a school of thought in line with the culture and aspirations

of the country. School of Architecture not only creates good architects, but it produces visionaries for the nation’s future.

No School can aspire to produce full-fledged professionals, let alone in Architecture. Commercial practice alone should not be the sole aim of architectural education without assistantship in a private practitioner’s office. The young architect must be able to adapt himself to a widely varying situation especially in a developing country like India where development and new projects are the call of the hour. In India urbanization and digitalization is fast changing reality which is already making impact in the field of architecture, design and town planning mechanism. Global ways and local constraints is making ways for new approach for new age architects.

‘Practical experience’ is a mirage that leads on many architects who are made to concern with architectural education. The most powerful professionals in the vicinity are the ideals of quite a few of them, unmindful of their technical or ethical competence to be so, such striving after the mirage drains off a lot of academic enthusiasm which is the spirit of higher education.

Journey of Excellence in Architecture Education:

The interaction with the field of practice is something which has to be imparted with much care and control to have the desired effect on young architects.

Architectural education should aim at theoretical and academic excellence if its aim is to produce worthwhile architects for the nation. Instead of trying to streamline its system according to the dictates of the immediate market, that is commercial practice.

There are a few Institutes in south India who not only imparts world class education to produce young architects but helps young minds to dream big and become visionaries in the world of architecture, design and planning. They create truly excellent professional architects ready to face new challenges of the modern complex world of architecture. It is proved that not only academics but a zeal to excel and desire to follow success needs focus and determination to adapt new changes in climate, culture and consumer mindset. A true architect is not only trained but skilled to change the world and ready to explore and start his own journey of excellence.

A look at ancient school of art and architecture the typical image of a guru teaching student under a tree or the gurukul pedagogy through a way of life are all indicative of practice leading, theory following.

With many students residing away from home for education, Architecture institutes today are no less than Gurukul in theory but far from it in practice. Structuring the course in two parts – The practical and the Theoretical, students must be substantially exposed to practical aspects upon a yearlong induction program into the course.

It is time institutes should act as anchors of development and awareness in the various regions they are located in. Autonomy should enable institutes to contextualize and tailor the syllabus and course structure to suit their locational context. Lastly, a deep-rooted industry – academia collaboration can ensure continuous renewal of knowledge, possibility of materializing thoughts, availability of funding for collaborative research & development and generate potential for future employment for young architects.

Architects should be visionaries who bridge the limitations of vocations thereby segregating vocation from profession. Additionally, Institutes should act as forums to discuss, speculate, and test new ideas. Institutes can benefit from the diversity of ideologies. Senior students and faculty must get involved in the discussion and generation of theories and new ideas. Functioning as scientist and social workers, architects should possess an inventive spirit and a spirit of positive social change.

In the contemporary era, architects should be empowered to start up upon graduation whilst institutes should act like incubators of young talent ensuring continuous flow of opportunities. A sense of business management should be inculcated through education as the profession of architecture today is a business and architects categorically fail to possess an acumen for business.

In Summation, we believe ideas can radically transform the nature of architectural education in India to benefit the profession and society at large.

VISION 2020To establish The Oxford School of Architecture, the most preferred and distinguished Centre for learning through design as well as to create innovative platform for learning.

STRENGTHS• TheCampusofTheOxfordCollegeisa

notablelandmarkinBengaluru.• TheCampusislocatedataprimelocation

whereMetroStationStopisnamedasTheOxfordCollegeStation.

• TOSAisintheacademicdomainsuccessfullyforthepast8years

• University1stRankandagoldmedalwerereceivedbyourstudentsfromthe1stbatchandarenotedtobearemarkableachievement.

• Followedbyafewotheruniversitiesranksinadditiontooursuccess.

• ExperiencedandAward-winningfaculty• CommodiousStudios• Excellentrecordsinotherextracurricular

activitieslikesports• Thecampusissituatedjustafewkilometers

frommanyIThubsandIndustries.

TOSA pROvidES CHAllENGiNG & COmpETiTivE ENviRONmENT TO NuRTuRE CREATivE miNdS SuppORTEd wiTH RiCH ExpERiENCEd ANd wEll quAlifiEd TEAm Of fACulTy.

Bommanahalli, Hosur Road, Bangalore-560068 Karnataka, India | Tel: +91-80-61754603/ 626/ 601 /602Fax: +91-80-25730551, E-Mail: [email protected]: www.theoxford.edu

THE OXFORD SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

T he ICFAI School of Architecture (ISArch) is a constituent of the ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education. ISArch was established in 2018 with the approval from Council of

Architecture (COA), New Delhi. ISArch, offers five year full-time Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) Degree Program.

What makes Isarch UnIqUe:Avant – garde Curriculum: ICFAI School of Architecture has a strong interface with industry in its approach to curriculum design. Eminent Architects are part of the team of faculty members in guiding the students in design projectsPractical training and summer Internship: Apart from one full semester training in renowned architectural firms in India and abroad, ISArch curriculum also includes Summer Internships.skill enhancement courses: ISArch offers an extensive curriculum that includes 5 courses spread across 3 years that equip the students with necessary software skills.Global exposure students: Faculty Members from Internationally acclaimed Universities are invited to conduct workshops and interact with students. teaching methods: Teachers are continuously engaged in the study of ever-expanding trends in Architecture. The synthesis of such relevant information on trends with modern methods will only brighten student’s individual capacities.Placement assistance: IFHE has a full-fledged team for the assisting the students for campus placements with top notch companies.

admIssIon Process Candidates should fulfil the following for admission in to B.Arch

nPass in 10+2 with 50% marks in MPC and also 50% in aggregate

or

n Pass in 10+3 Diploma Examination with Mathematics as compulsory subject with at least 50% in aggregate.

nIn addition to the above:nPass in National Aptitude Test NATA conducted by Council of

Architecture (COA)

or

nPass in JEE Main – Paper II (B.Arch) conducted by CBSE

Candidates who are shortlisted will be called for admission counselling.

ICFAI School of Architecture (ISArch)

t he School of Architecture, established in the year 2015-16, with approval

from the Council of Architecture, has carved a niche for itself in the field of architectural education. The faculty, which is the School’s main strength, is an excellent blend of hard core academics and noted professional architects of Bengaluru. The well-knit team imparts both theoretical and practical skills and trains the budding architects to face the changing trends of the architectural profession. The faculty and students have been provided with state of the art infrastructure.

The Pedagogy used in the B.Arch program is an integrated process of directed, experiential, hands-on, reflective and independent learning, with continuous assessment. In addition to the regular courses of architecture prescribed by the Council of Architecture, the CMRU “Makerspace” promotes multidisciplinary thinking and collaboration with technology disciplines. The space is open for students to incubate companies, build prototypes and conduct academic projects.

Technology, Industry and Academics converge with dedication, creativity and innovation at CMR University. Our vision is “to nurture creative thinkers who will drive positive global change” and together explore, discover and create the future.

At CMRU, we believe that creativity is the key competence required to excel in our complex world where independent thinkers, product leaders, artists, designers and innovators are the need of the hour. Our students learn creative concepts and design thinking regardless of their area of study. Students are evaluated on the basis of real life skills such as teamwork, presentation, research and initiative.

dr. k s anantha krishnaDean, School of Architecture

CMR University

The School of Architecture at CMR University

R V COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTUREPioneering Leadership in Architectural Education

Architectural Education needs to essay the dual role of preparing students with expertise essential for the current challenges in

society and the added responsibility of teaching skills necessary to design for the future. Since, its inception three decades ago, this very motto has aided R V College of Architecture make a mark in the world of Architectural Education. A well-rounded and holistic approach that integrates humanities, sciences and arts with design education, makes it a much sought-after destination by bright creative young minds for Architecture and Urban Design Studies. It has propelled R V College of Architecture, to the illustrious position of being one of the top ten Schools for Architectural Education in India.

RVCA has earned its reputation as an institution firmly engrained in pedagogy by focusing not only on inter-disciplinary courses and their application in architecture but also on supporting diverse views, practices and approaches to ‘design thinking’ through its Studio projects. RVCA firmly supports student- centric teaching- learning practices. Creative and critical thinking processes at both undergraduate and Master’s programs are inculcated by addressing contemporary design challenges presented by the city/ society. It believes in the invaluable experience provided by people interaction in understanding on ground realities and encourages hands-on learning activities.

RVCA is ably supported by highly competent team of adjunct & visiting faculty who come from some of the best Universities in the world and nurture the core ethos and instill fundamentals of architecture among the students. The team comprises of some of the well know architects who bring in very essential dimension of practicality to architecture learning. Today the college includes a unique and diverse community of designers, architects and practitioners from allied fields who collaborate and engage in critical discourse on the discipline of architecture and urban design.

“Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family”, Kofi Annan.

With nearly four decades of academic and administrative

experience, Dr. Bawane is one of the seniors most professors of

architecture in Karnataka. Recipient of Teachers’ day Award, an alumnus

of NIT Bhopal and IIT Roorkee, Dr. Bawane specializes in areas of climatic design, building servic-es and quality management in

construction industry. He has been a visiting professor to several archi-tecture schools across the country

and serves in various boards of prestigious architecture schools

and Council of Architecture.

PrinciPal Dr. Om Prakash Bawane R V College of Architecture, Bangalore

Seminar, talks, juries, workshops, interactive sessions with eminent architects and consultants are routine episodes.

The carefully designed curriculum prepares the students to face the challenges of profession in real life. The interactive learning environment at RVCA is braced by its state-of-the-art infrastructure and architecturally inspiring self-contained premises.

The Urban Design Master’s Program, since its inception a decade ago, has strived to contribute to the discourse on the city by investigating contemporary issues/ practices through its Studio projects, undertaking research publications and by collaborating with government and non-government agencies that engage with the urban issues. The final year Dissertation Projects have represented and won accolades at the national and international

levels including NIASA, Archiprix, IUDI. A distinguished team of practicing urban designers and core faculty mentor the aspiring professionals. The Research Centre at RVCA offers its scholars a platform to pursue Ph.D. program by undertaking research in the thrust areas of energy efficiency, green architecture, thermal comfort to name a few.

The academic rigor and earnestness in the cause of architectural education has propelled RVCA into lime-light across national and international platforms. RVCA has the distinction of winning the prestigious National Thesis Awards (NIASA) instituted by the Council of Architecture for record numbers of times in India since 2006. Other national and international competitions include Vowels and Idea League awards for excellence in Thesis, Annual Architecture Drawing Prize (UK), AIA Dallas Ken Roberts Memorial Delineation Competition (USA), IS ARCH International Awards for Architecture Students (Spain) and Asian Contest for Architectural Rookies award.

After completing their graduation here, a large number of students pursue post graduate programs at some of the best Universities in USA, UK & Europe. RVCA’s academic agreement with premier European Universities viz., Fribourg University, Bern University & KU Leuven University provides its students and faculty with learning opportunities at international level.

The key factor that distinguishes RVCA from other institutions is adherence to its core values viz. devotion to cause of learning architecture, academic rigor, being self-critical and setting high standards for students and faculty.

RVCA is one of the constituent institutes of R V Educational institutions patronized by Rashtreeya Sikshana Samithi Trust Bangalore, a seventy-five-year-old educational trust known for imparting quality education in the field of engineering, management, Dental Sciences, Law etc. apart from School to Collegiate level programs in general education .

SPORT/SILENCED STADIA

Soumitra Bose

ON a mild winter’s afternoon on February 22, 2009, Salt Lake Stadium in Calcutta—that

bursting cauldron of heaving, imprecat-ing football enthusiasts—witnessed something unusual. Subhash Bhowmick, the newly-appointed coach of the East Bengal team, hurriedly walked towards a section of the stands packed with red and gold shirts, banners and festoons. The burly coach took upon himself the onerous task of cheerleader, goading thousands of rabid East Bengal fans to keep up their partisan chants with over an hour to go before kick-off. It was an I-League match; East Bengal came into the showpiece ‘derby’ with a depressing record against arch-rivals Mohun Bagan.

In nine derby matches starting August 2007, East Bengal had lost to the green-maroons six times. A hassled club management had sent an SOS to Bhowmick, holidaying in Shantini ketan after resigning as Salgaocar coach, to save the club from the continuing igno-miny. On Christmas Day 2008, Bhow-mick replaced Stanley Rozario for the upcoming IFA Shield and the remainder of the I-League (national league). This was Bhowmick’s third stint as East Bengal coach. He had been immensely successful with the red-and-golds during his 2001-04 tenure. Among the dozen trophies the club won, the Asean Club Cup victory in July 2003 stood out.

“When I arrived, the club’s morale and the confidence level of the players were in the pits. We were scheduled to play Mohun Bagan in a second leg

I-League match in a couple of weeks and I was determined that this game will turn everything around. We were training hard but I realised that the only thing that can galvanise the boys would be the passionate fans. Much before the team started warming up, I went to the East Bengal section of the stands and like a bandmaster egged the fans to build up the mood for the play-ers. The high-pitch team chant was enough for them. That day, East Bengal was like a team possessed. We beat Mohun Bagan 3-0. The roar of 1,00,000 fans from either camp was something to behold,” remembers Bhowmick.

Such scenes, replicated in grand arenas

Fans ahoy Players try to motivate themselves before cut-outs that stand for spectators in a German stadium during a Bundesliga match.

A Hushed PenaltyThe unique energy generated through the proximity between fans and sportspersons that we drink in greedily has ceased to be. Now is the time to adapt and play safe.

P T I


around the world wherever team sports have mass following, are suddenly held in abeyance; empty bleachers stare mutely at vacant turfs; echoes of past tum ult linger on in the high vaults. After weeks of Covid lockdown, professional sports gingerly resumed on May 16 with the Bundesliga. The German football league was followed by the English Premier League, Spanish and Italian championships. They were preyed upon by the ‘new normal’—held in empty, cav-ernous stadiums. An unnatural, eerie hush envelops the action on the field.

“The one key characteristic for striv-ing in times like these comes from Charles Darwin, who stated that the ones who adapt the best will survive. Only that it is less about actual survival now, but more about striving and adapting to the situation,” explains Niklas D. Neumann, a research scholar of sport and performance psychology at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

“In a world with ever-changing cir-cumstances, athletes must have the abil-ity to adapt. How athletes respond to playing in empty stadiums can’t be gen-eralised since it is individual-specific. Some players or even whole teams may benefit from it in a way that they per-form better, some may be unaffected, while others succumb,” says Neumann.

Two of India’s greatest sportsper-sons—Sachin Tendulkar and M.C. Mary Kom—feel empty stadiums can be detrimental to performance. High-performing athletes like Usain Bolt draw energy from fans and Tendulkar feels social distancing, that new imper-ative, doesn’t work in live sports events. “I was always excited to play in Calcutta (Eden Gardens), Chennai (Chepauk) and Mumbai (Wankhede). Fans came in huge numbers, sat in compact groups, were knowledgeable, passionate and really drove us,” says Tendulkar, who fondly recalls the fam ous, deafening “Eden roar” that can be heard from miles away. Mary Kom, a six-time world amateur boxing champion, shares a similar view. “Empty stadiums mean less excite-ment, so our motivation suffers. Cheering from fans and family is part of our strength,” says Mary.

Unlike football or cricket, where team chants—in a variety of wails, shrieks, even the fearsome Icelandic ‘Huh’—play a major role in boosting the ‘dopamine effect’, “individual ath-letes adjust to the noise factor in dif-ferent ways”, says Dr Chaitanya Sridhar, a sports and performance psy-chologist. Dopamine, a hormone res-ponsible for transmitting signals between nerve cells, is also a mood reg-ulator and is associated with happiness and emotions.

Tokyo-bound shooters Angad Bajwa (shotgun) and Anjum Moudgil (rifle) say the noise factor has no significance in their sport, which is all about focus and precision. “Once we are in our shooting stations, we simply cut off distraction. We are so focused that our minds are tuned to negate any effect of noise,” says Bajwa. Anjum concurs: “Shooting will remain a non-spectator sport. In international events we are virtually on our own. We don’t look around for support. The authorities were keen to increase fan participation but the virus will act as a dampner,” said Anjum.

Virtual fans and crowd simulation have already been tried at high stakes events like the Indian Premier League or the English Premier League, where global broadcast rights are sold for billions of dollars. However, Dr Sridhar says virtual can never rep-lace the real and at the end of the day “athletes have to adjust to any condi-tion because performance is directly proportional to livelihoods”.

“The relationship between fans and athletes and fans among themselves is very unique and sometimes not com-prehensible to outsiders. They are dep endent on each other, creating a unique, interdependent culture and I think only live events bring that to life. People meet others in person and have to react to their thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. All that is limited in a virtual environment,” explains Neumann. “If you ever had a meeting or a presentation online you will know how different it feels compared to live situations,” he adds.

The concept of ‘home’ advantage has been transformed too. Interestingly,

“Crowds can really motivate. I had a great emotional connect with East Bengal fans. In intense matches, fans lifted our performance by at least 40 per cent. When matches went on to extra-time and beyond, crowd support would add energy to our tired legs.” Bhaichung BhutiaEx-India football captain

“In many tournaments, we have seen very few spectators. Except in countries like New Zealand, Australia, you don’t get crowds for women’s hockey. In that sense, I don’t think it will affect us. Safety of all is important. Matches without spectators are better than no games at all.”Rani RampalIndia women’s hockey captain

“Contact sports shouldn’t happen till we find a vaccine for COVID-19. It is important to have spectators in the stadium as it boosts morale and brings in a different energy. But now, competition should be stopped.”Vijender SinghProfessional boxer


SPORTS/SILENCED STADIA

there seems to be an inverse trend in the home advantage situation in soc-cer. The ratio between winning and losing at home games was about 60 per cent to 40 per cent; the trends are the exact opposite now. Reasons can be multifaceted, but two factors stand out: less (visible and acoustic) support for the home team and less pressure, exerted by the opponent’s fans, for the guest team.

Organisers in an apparent rush to fill their coffers will now have a rethink on staging events in the near future after Novak Djokovic received death threats in Croatia for his role in the controver-sial Adria tour. The world No. 1 tennis player’s charity tournament in the Croatian city of Split became a Covid hotspot after social distancing rules were openly flouted. Not only did Djokovic and his wife Jelena catch the virus, but coach Goran Ivanisevic and other participants like Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki were all infected. “Why are we in such tearing hurry to flout safety rules and host events?” asks Tendulkar. Dr Sridhar says such brazen indiscretion will hurt. “Ath-letes are yearning to go out and compete but it can’t be at the cost of lives. If empty stadiums are a solution in the int-erim, where is the harm?” she asks.

On March 24, when Prime Minister Modi announced the lockdown, sport-spersons like Virat Kohli, Tendulkar, and Mary Kom et al featured in cam-paigns promoting social distancing and other precautions in a bid to halt the virus. For other sportspersons too, now is the time to walk their exhorta-tive talk. Sports can send a social mes-sage of wellness because an exquisite cover drive or a bicycle kick will prompt the same adrenaline rush in us even before a television set. O

Sachin Tendulkar, as admired now as in his playing days, feels athletes will have to adjust to performing in arenas minus spec-tators. The 47-year-old Bharat Ratna con-tinues to be a crowd puller, besides having 23.7 million followers on Instagram, nearly 33 million on Twitter and another 28 million on Facebook. He spoke to Soumitra Bose on what fans meant to him in an international career spanning 24 years. Excerpts:

Pakistan and West Indies are touring England in July. Bundesliga and Premier League are underway but fans are miss-ing. Isn’t that a strange feeling?> Yes, indeed. We always enjoyed playing in stadiums which were full. They are a major stakeholder in the sporting ecosystem. It’s certainly a bit of shock to walk out on the pitch and not see anyone around.What did spectators mean to you?> They were a big part of me. I drew a lot of energy from them. Whether it’s at home or away, crowds made competition interesting. When stands are full and the crowd is behind you, the adrenaline pumps even more. When the crowd is against you there is a great urge to prove that we are the better team. A standing ovation...raising the bat after having done well. All that will be gone....> True. An acknowledgement from fans

not only gives joy, it urges you to do better. Appreciation amplifies output. When you hit a cover drive for a boundary and the crowd loves it, you want to strike the next ball even better. Same goes for a bowler. When the crowd is behind you, they always produce something extra. Without fans, one will have to make a lot of mental adjustments.Can you remember an incident where fans lifted someone’s performance?> Yes, at the third Test against Australia in Chennai in 2001. In the energy-sapping March heat at Chepauk, Rahul (Dravid) and I were in a good partnership. The Australians needed a breakthrough. There were just four-five Australian fans who were loudly cheering for Jason Gillespie. He responded brilliantly. Gillespie (who dismissed both Tendulkar and Dravid) bowled a fiery spell to peg us back. We won the Test to end Australia’s record winning streak but fans really make a difference.Scientists say great performers often have the ability to ‘switch off’ from fans.> Sport is all about the mind. It was the Desert Storm series in Sharjah in April 1998. The storm was scary. We had a stiff revised target (277 in 46 overs) and my aim was to win the game against Australia. I was focused on winning, which would help us qualify for the finals (Tendulkar scored 143 off 131 balls) and we did qualify. That day, all I saw was the ball. I could switch off the fans because I was completely in my zone. These moments do happen. What about the future?> I believe that direction is more impor-tant than speed. It’s important to follow guidelines to stay safe. Players will surely get used to empty stadiums. O

‘Appreciation from fans amplifies performance’

In team sports, noise generated by fans

boost players’ ‘dopamine effect’.

In individual sports this is different.

N A R E N D R A B I S H T

How did you take up cyclothon and how did it become part of a social cause?I represented my college in badminton and cricket. I play tennis and have always had an active lifestyle, but in 2009 I developed a knee problem. This was operated on and the doctor advised me to stay away from highimpact sports. I then had two options--swimming or cycling. As an outdoor person, I focused on cycling.

How many RBL employees were with you for the cyclothon?Thanks to the support by the management team of RBL Bank, the awareness about Umeed 1000 has increased tremendously amongst the employees. While in 2014, the first year, I rode solo from Mumbai to Bengaluru, the numbers have swelled to 98 applications in 2019 from which we chose 35 cyclists who qualified based on the criteria defined. Not only the cyclists but employees across all branches and offices promote the cause with full commitment to their customers.

What causes have you supported so far?Out of the six years of the UMEED cyclothon, we have supported girl child education. For the last five

years. Of which the last four years, we have raised funds for Udbhav school based in Hyderabad and managed by IIMA Hyderabad chapter.

What has been the response of the people enroute the cyclothon?Fortunately, UMEED has now become a brand and we get a lot of ground support, thanks to IIM Ahmedabad Alumni Association Hyderabad Chapter. They manage Udbhav schools. We have also received fantastic support from the Police across all the states that we have cycled through over the years. In the last ride that we did in 2019, Haryana Police purchased 50 new bicycles. From the time we entered Haryana till the time we exited into Punjab, every district in the state would have 50 riders from the cadre cycling with us till the next district. In 2018, when we went from Mumbai to Bengaluru, from Belgaum onwards the DCP of Bangalore Police along with 60 women constables joined us, cycling with us the entire

From tech products to promoting causes, Jasmeet singh gandhi, has raised a few crores through cyclothons. Lead cyclist and coach with Umeed 1000, a RBL Bank initiative, he talks about sports and raising awareness for education and healthcare of underprivileged children

Wheels of Progress

500 km to Bengaluru. This huge convey of almost 100 people was a life changing experience.

Acting as a bridge between RBL Bank and Udbhav in their social objective, how would you sum up the entire experience?Our aim is to educate 10,000 students in the next five years. Over 1000 children are studying in two schools in Hyderabad currently. Last year, they had 100 per cent result all the students passed with first class. RBL Bank has been the rock solid pillar of support in this entire journey. They are the lead sponsor and host and every year the participation level goes up. Effective communication from the bank has raised awareness among employees and RBL. From Rs.30 lakh in the first year, to Rs.5.1 crore last year, we are sure that with the unflinching support of the management teams of RBL Bank Udbhav school, we will reach bigger milestones and do more for the deserving children.

I n t e r v I e w

INTERVIEW / ABHISHEK BACHCHAN

Abhishek Bachchan, 44, has just completed 20 years in Bollywood and is looking forward to his maiden web series, Breathe: Into the Shadows. He talks to Giridhar Jha about the show, the highs and lows of his career and comparisons with his legendary father. Excerpts:

Why did you choose Breathe: Into the Shadows to be your debut on a digital platform?> I never looked at it as a debut. I thought of it as just another job, another project. When I heard the story, I loved it and wanted to be a part of it. The emotions of the story resonated with me. What do you think is the USP of the show? > Mayank Sharma, the director, is the USP of the series. He is brilliant. The concept of the show grabbed my attention. The credit for that goes entirely to Mayank, Vikram Tuli, Bhavani Iyer and Arshad Syed, the writers of the show. Does it make a difference to you as an actor when you work in a web series?> The only difference is that you get more time to

flesh out your character. In cinema, we get two to three hours to justify why a character does what he does. In web series, you can spend time to properly establish a character. Expectations from your show are quite high. Does it put extra pressure on you?> Not at all! My concern is to be able to do my best and be part of something that entertains people. I think Amazon Prime Video, with its original series, has been doing great work. Even if you see Breathe Season 1 (2018), it was a lot of fun. With the advent of streaming platforms, the face of the entertainment industry is going to change forever. Or has it changed already?> It has changed across the world. I don’t think any new medium is the substitute for another medium. It is a new medium. I don’t think that it is going to take away anything from another medium. Theatre is still thriving, at least in Mumbai. When cinema came, it did not take anything away from theatres and when television happened, it did take anything away from cinema. Now that digital platforms have come, they

‘You don’t deal with failure. Failure deals with you’


INTERVIEW /

too are not going to take away anything from any-thing else. It is just another medium through which creative people showcase their talent.Breathe: Into the Shadows has come exactly 20 years after you made your debut in J.P. Dutta’s Refugee (2000). What were your feelings on the eve of its release then and what are your feelings now?> They are exactly the same... the same butterflies in the stomach, the same nervousness, the same sleepless nights and the same anticipation of whether people will like the show or not. That never goes away. That is a feeling you never get used to. How do you cope with failure as an actor?> The only good thing about failure is that you don’t deal with failure, failure deals with you. It does not give you a choice. It just bulldozes you, so that is one thing you do not have to worry about. It is going to do what it wants to do. You have to bear with it. I have always looked upon a stumbling block as an opportunity to learn and improve myself. I think, “Look, the universe is telling you what not to do.” How does it feel when movies where your performances have been appreciated end up not doing well. Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey (2010) and Manmarziyaan (2018), for example?> If you are talking about it from a commercial point of view, Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey, unfortunately, did not do well, but Manmarziyaan turned out to be director Anurag Kashyap’s biggest success. I think it achieved all that we expected it to. Yes, Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey was disappointing because the film was not just a commercial venture. It was an honour to bring the story of Surya Sen to celluloid and to be able to acquaint the current generation with the great sacrifice of a 29-year-old schoolteacher and 60 of his students who managed to overthrow the British Raj for a night in Chittagong. When director Ashutosh Gowariker first narrated the story to me, I was embarrassed that I did not know about it. You give your best to a film and when it does not do well, you learn from it and say, “Look, buddy, your best is not good enough. You have to work even harder.”Have you paused and reflected on your career in Bollywood?> Every day is a time to reflect. An actor must spend some time, all by himself, thinking about how he can improve himself. Not just actors, every individual should spend some time thinking about how they can do better tomorrow what they did today. This is how you improve, grow and become better. I do it every day. I reflect on how I could have done a certain film or performed a certain character differently. I always analyse my work and try, in my limited capacity, to improve and teach myself how to be better.

Don’t you think it is unfair that your critics and the media constantly compare you to your father?> That is the question you should ask the audience and yourself as the media. It would not be correct for me to answer it. The way I look at it, you guys consider me worthy of being compared to Amitabh Bachchan. That is a huge achievement. How many actors have the pleasure, honour or talent to be compared to the great Amitabh Bachchan? So, I am obviously doing something right. How many of your dad’s qualities have rubbed off on you as an actor? Anything you wished you had imbibed more from him?> His discipline is amazing and his sense of duty is unparalleled. You can always do more with that in life. From a performance point of view, I would like to believe that I do things unique to me, something that is not obviously inspired by him. Regardless, there is so much to learn from him even today, despite him having been at the top of his game for 50 years. The other day, when I completed 20 years in the film industry, I went up to him, touched his feet and took his blessings. He asked me where I was going so early in the morning and I said, “Pa, when you completed 50 years in the industry last year, I had come to congratulate you and asked where you were going. You had replied, ‘Beta, main kaam par jaa raha hoon (Son, I am going out for work)’.”

That was a huge lesson for me. Even at this stage, after having completed 50 years, you still feel the hunger to go out for work and do your best! Work is worship and that is what I also try to do. I hope I can live up to his expectations and give him an opportunity to feel proud of me as a father, not just as a colleague. O

“PEOPLE CONSIDER ME WORTHY OF BEING COMPARED TO AMITABH BACHCHAN. THAT IS A HUGE ACHIEVEMENT. HOW MANY ACTORS HAVE THE PLEASURE, HONOUR OR TALENT TO BE COMPARED TO THE LEGEND?”

Manmarziyaan (top), Khelein Hum

Jee Jaan Sey

BOOK REVIEW


Committee of the Partition Council, functioned in relative cordial-ity “against the backdrop of savage rioting and bitter political ani-mosity” (p.24). Again, Sri Prakasa, the first Indian High Commissioner to Karachi, then the capital of Pakistan, and Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman, the first Minister for Minority Welfare in Pakistan, “had many commonalities. Both were from the United Provinces and had cut their teeth in the agitations of the 1920s and ’30s…and could assert a reasonable degree of proximity to Nehru and Jinnah respectively” (p.40). And the two prime ministers, Nehru and Liaquat Ali, knew each other well and had no difficulty in meeting frequently in the aftermath of Partition and right up to the 1950 Nehru-Liaquat Pact. This illustrates Raghavan’s basic thesis that “many of the questions of state-making in India and Pakistan had to be done in consultation with each other” (p.13) to attain the “shared goal of finalising the partition” (p.9).

She takes us through the bilateral negotiations that led to “Islands of Agreement” (p.16), beginning with the joint decision to dissolve the feckless Punjab Boundary Force that had done next to nothing to mitigate the ghastly massacre of migrants (pp. 31-34); the resolution of the vexed question of abducted women, running to tens of thousands on either side through “an inter-Dominion agreement” which established a “joint machinery for the recovery of abducted women on either side of the Punjab” (pp. 34-39); the aching problems of resettling and rehabilitating refugees and the

related issues of “evacuee property”— to which Raghavan devotes a chapter (pp. 74-98)—through evacuee property conferences that stretched from 1947 to 1953 (p.79) and led to India and Pakistan “vouchsafing their claim to statehood vis-à-vis one another” and “consolidating the effects of partition” (p.98).

The over-arching question left by Partition was the need to define national responsibili-ties for the religious minorities in both states. In the west it had been ‘jhatka’: within weeks millions had been driven across divided Punjab. The ethnic cleansing was almost complete. In the east, it was ‘halal’: the bleed-ing went on for at least three years after

Partition, picking up momentum in September 1949 and reaching such a pitch by February 1950 that Liaquat wrote to Nehru suggesting that a declaration be made “from the two governments that all possible steps shall be taken to rehabilitate the minorities in their homes and to see that they are given full protection of life and property.” (p.65). This was the origin of the Nehru-Liaquat Pact of April 1950 that engaged both governments to “ensure to the minorities, throughout its territory, complete equality of citizenship, irrespective of religion, a full sense of secu-rity in respect of life, culture, property and personal honour, freedom of movement within each country and freedom of occu-pation, speech and worship, subject to law and morality”. (p.65)

Mani Shankar Aiyar

IT is nearly 75 years since Partition--some three generations. The first

generation, from the ’40s to the ’60s, was brought up in the shadow of the horrors of Partition and the ‘animosity’ that brought about the vivisection. The second generation, from the ’60s to the ’80s, was brought up in the period that witnessed the second Partition of the subcontinent, with the liberation of Bangladesh, the attempted reconciliation with rump Pakistan through the Simla Agreement and the unravelling of bilateralism. The third generation runs roughly from Kargil (1999) to the present.

Pallavi Raghavan belongs to the third generation and, through this little gem of a book, has returned us to the all-but- forgotten first generation period when, notwithstanding all the hatred and vicious violence that caused and accompanied Partition, the relationship between the two Dominions was characterised by a “dense set of bilateral negotiations” (p.17) that that are difficult to credit in the present age of bitter stand-off.

That was because the principal personalities—politicians or bureaucrats—knew and had worked with each other. Thus, both H.M. Patel and Chaudhry Muhammad Ali, who were repre-sentatives of their respective countries on the Steering

A revelatory account shows how, in the years after Independence, India and Pakistan tried to thrash out all outstanding issues—from minorities and refugees, Indus waters and a possible guard against conflict

Our Talking Heads

Pallavi RaghavanANIMOSITY AT BAY: An Alterna-tive History of the India-Pakistan Relationship, 1947-1952 | HarperCollins | 260 pages | Rs 699

THE NEHRU- LIAQUAT PACT OF 1950 BOUND THE TWO GOVERNMENTS BILATERALLY TO UNILATER-ALLY ENSURE THE RIGHTS OF MINORITIES. IT IS UNIQUE IN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMACY.


dilemmas in (the) wake (of partition) would be mutually recon-ciled” so that they could “evolve structures of statehood and its demands on mutually constituted terms” (p.71).

Raghavan’s chapter (pp.99-16) on the No War Pact shows how through intensive interaction at both diplomatic and political level, it was possible to consolidate the statehood of both countries even when the outcome amounted to no more than an agreement to disagree, with India being all for a simple but clear commitment to not going to war on any unresolved issue, and Pakistan being ready to go along only if all these outstanding issues were listed.

Perhaps the principal outstanding issue, apart from the question of the minorities, was the sharing of the Indus waters. Raghavan sets the stage by pointing out that this was an issue that long pre-dated Partition and went back to the 1920s and 1930s when “com-plaints had been made to the (Imperial) Government of India by

the provincial governments of Sindh, Patiala and Punjab”. So, in the immediate aftermath of Partition, a Standstill Agreement was put in place and an Arbitral Tribunal estab-lished. Although Raghavan does not mention this, the West Punjab government failed to seek an extension of term for the Tribunal before the Standstill Agreement lapsed on 31 March. So, from April 1 “India unilaterally cut off the water supplies to Pakistan” (p.121) [Actually, it was not ‘India’ but the

Government of (East) Punjab that egregiously did so without con-sulting the central government]. Instead of refusing to engage, as is the practice now, a negotiating team from Pakistan that included the finance minister and two senior West Punjab minis-ters was despatched to work out an interim agreement, signed on May 4, 1948, defusing, at least for a while, an issue of the highest concern in both Punjabs (p.121). In September 1948, chief engi-neers of the two Punjabs met at Wagah to “further elaborate the arrangements by which irrigation supplies should be distributed” (p.121). Numerous bilateral meetings, largely technical but also at high political level (Zafrullah Khan and Gopalaswamy Ayyangar), and some convened by the World Bank, followed but it was not till more than a decade later, in 1960, that the Indus Waters Treaty was signed, with India retaining absolute control over the headwaters, Pakistan securing an assured supply of water, and the World Bank providing funding to building the alternative irrigation arrange-ments in Pakistan and the Bhakra-Nangal dams in India. Not all the wars that have happened since between India and Pakistan have been able to cause the abrogation of this mutually negotiated Treaty. It shows what persistence and patience can do. As Ayub Khan, as cited by Raghavan, wrote in his memoirs, “The only sensi-ble thing to do was to try and get a settlement, even though it might be second best, because if we did not, we stood to lose everything” (p.136). That unexpected wisdom applies to every outstanding dispute between India and Pakistan.

While affirming that the treaty certainly confirmed the finality of Partition and consolidated the statehood of the two nations, surely Raghavan is right in concluding that there is a “deeper signifi-cance” to the “hectic cooperation and dialogue” that characterised the first five years of the separate existence of India and Pakistan: that the “best remedy for the situation called for a series of detailed negotiations…and can also serve as a relevant guide to the maze of India-Pakistan relations today” (pp. 185-186). That is why I keep maintaining that the only way forward in our relationship is through “uninterrupted and uninterruptible dialogue”. O

There are five points of note in this unique international agree-ment. First, it binds the two governments bilaterally touni-laterally ensure the rights of minorities in their respective territories. I cannot recall a sin-gle other instance in interna-tional diplomacy of such an agreement. Second, as Pakistan was still to formulate its Constitution, the rights to be guaranteed are drawn from the Indian Constitution without embarrassment to either party. Third, although inter-Dominion conferences on refugees and minorities had been going on since January 1948 at the civil servant level, and even resulted in joint machinery for resolving issues, it did not succeed satisfac-torily and so top political leader-ship had to take matters in hand. Fourth, it was a Pakistani initia-tive, not an Indian one. Give them credit where credit is due. Yet, fifth, the pact’s foundational value is that it embodied Nehru’s answer to the “constant cry for retaliation and vicarious punishment of Muslims, because the Pakistanis punish Hindus. That argument does not appeal to me in the slightest. I am sure that this policy of retali-ation and vicarious punishment will ruin India as well as Pakistan.” (p.109).

Raghavan emphasises that “the only way that both governments could assert their final separa-tion from one another had to be through a process that synchro-nised and calibrated their dia-logues about the position of minorities across the border”. (p.66). The Pact, she notes, was “nothing less than a signed state-ment by two prime ministers about the nature of their policies to their minorities being of con-cern to the other” (p.67). They were “giving a viable and practi-cable shape to the meaning of partition” and “seeking a collab-orative arrangement…in the expectation that some of the

THE CHAPTER ON THE NO WAR PACT SHOWS HOW THROUGH INTENSIVE TALKS IT WAS POSSIBLE TO CONSOLIDATE THE STATEHOOD OF BOTH COUNTRIES, THOUGH ITS OUTCOME WAS INDECISIVE.

Leading lights Jawaharlal Nehru and Liaquat Ali sign the pact in 1950

la dolce vita

Throne Of The Therons On better days, now seemingly lost to the world, Charlize Theron would spread

herself like this, sleepy abandon spilling out like silky gowns out of a wardrobe,

disporting in slinky nothings that were a necessary counterpoint to those

ferociously meaty screen roles. But inactivity is the mother of long-supressed

clarifications, and Charlize put an end to over a decade’s mispronounciation of

her surname—’throne’, with a roll of the ‘r’ minus the depth of the ‘h’; not ‘ther...

on’, as we are used to. French origin too, not Afrikaans.

She Relishes Tiebreaks Coco Chanel brought a sensuously brazen feminism on to Paris catwalks,

and thence to the fashion world. Can the prodigiously talented Coco

Gauff—slayer of Venus Williams in the opening round of Wimbledon

last year, and the youngest winner, at 15, of the Linz Open—usher in

an age of the politically vocal tennis star? Her speech at a Black

Lives Matter speech at Delray Beach in Florida was noted for its

mature appeal. Taking quiet note was Martina Navratilova, queen

of the All England Championship. Coco can help change the

world for the better, she predicts. Look at that young face set

hard in determination. Martina knows that when she sees it.

Desperado’s Day In Masquerade balls, the masques of fashionable

criminals in gaslit Europe, the fearsome masks

that gladiators would don to intimidate snarl-

ing adversaries and beasts.... The masks that

brought Glenn Jacobs his fierce reputation as

Superstar Kane in professional WWE wrestling

must have originated from the latter. The world,

however, turns in irony—at a time when masks

are a necessary appendage across the world,

Knox County in Tennessee, made it mandatory to

wear them—grumblingly, we imagine—in certain

buildings. The board of health officials voted 7-1 in

favour of the move. The lone dissenting vote came

from the man who covered his unlovely mien in

public under a mask for long—Mayor Jacobs.

JULY 27, 2020 | OUTLOOK 6 5

A Smile Refuses To Be Masked Ach so.... Pardon the teutonic flourish, but

our pursed lips break into a chuckle as we

behold one of our faves for this page—all

arched eyebrows, sharp angles and cheek-

bones, in postures provocative enough to

lead impressionable lads astray. Yet look at

Urvashi Rautela here—stripped of movies,

award shows and glitzy photoshoots by a

virus, she marches on undeterred, grab-

bing instead a new mask brand to launch.

Shorn of pasty make-up, too, she appears

happier than she has looked in a long time.

P T I


AGEINGParikshat Sahni is a veteran film and

television actor

The Next Khan?When I went for my morning jog the other day, I was apprehensive. I have grown a huge handlebar moustache and side burns for a film. The colo ssal, silverywhite fuzz has changed my persona completely. I was worried that this would be disastrous for my career. Like all actors, I try to look younger than I am.

What happened on the beach, however, was utterly unexpected.

A rotund, welldressed gentleman stopped me and said, “I say you look handsome. Who are you? I like your moustache? What is your name?”

I was taken aback at not being recognised.

“Afzal Khan,” I lied to him.“Afzal Bhai! Ah yes, of course. I have

seen you somewhere before. Where was it? Would you like to act in an ad film? Have you ever acted before?”

“No, I am afraid not,” I replied meekly.“Don’t worry. We will coach you. Act

ing is a bum’s job anyway, quite simple. Get in touch with me.”

He handed me his card and went along. You might think I would have felt down in the dumps after this conversation. On the contrary, I felt supremely happy.

Silvery StraitMost people tend to hang on to their youth. Some actors refuse to change and try their utmost to maintain a youthful image till the very end. Some get facelifts, dye their hair or have their teeth polished and realigned. They wear youthful clothes and sport inky black hairpieces. They continue to do the same youthful, romantic roles and stick to the mannerisms that made them popular in their heyday.

I must say, though, that sometimes

they are supremely successful. Dev Saheb is one such star. In his

mideighties, he looked as young and vibrant as he was in his fifties and women continued to be attracted to him like bees to flowers.

But the rest of us—neither legends nor phenomena, but fairly mediocre character actors trying to eke out a living—hang on to our

youth for as long as we can. And I am beginning to realise that this is

a mistake.

Embracing The YearsSome actors are wise. They accept the onset of age with grace and profit by it. Naseeruddin Shah is an

example. He has made no efforts to hide his age or dye his grey hair.

South India’s abiding idol Rajnikant is well into his sixties and completely bald, but he goes around offscreen without a wig. And yet, when he appears onscreen with his makeup and toupee, women swoon.

Mr Bachchan’s transformation is inspiring. He grew a white goatee a few years ago. Everyone, including me, thought that he was making a blunder and doing irreparable damage to his image. We were all mistaken. He came out stronger and has become a legend.

Zindabad!I was shooting with Amitabh in the desert outside Bikaner a few years ago. One day, I witnessed something incredible. A young lady became hysterical, broke through the visitors’ cordon, fought 10 hefty armed guards and the many members of the film unit to make her way to Amitabh. She fell and rose persistently, paying no heed to her torn clothes. She finally collapsed at his feet, bleeding and bruised.

Amitabh gently picked her up and hugged her as a father would a child. The woman sobbed uncontrollably for a while and then calmed down. A hush fell over the spectators. They were touched by his solicitude, his warmth, his kindness. They began to chant “Amitabh Bachchan Zindabad!” at the top of their lungs. It was a profoundly moving experience.

For his role, Mr Bachchan was sporting a huge white beard that made him look much older than he was. And yet, audiences adore him more and more with each passing year—his age hasn’t dented his popularity at all.

Change is a universal law. Growth is integral to life—only stones do not grow. Clinging to one’s old image ossifies a person and more often than not, makes an actor stale. I must thank the rotund man on the beach. He taught me a great lesson. I think I will cultivate this huge, silverywhite moustache from now on.

I L L U S T R A T I O N : S A A H I L

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COVID impact on education has brought about major changes to meet continuing crisis in some

pockets of the country and overcome persisting apprehension over vulnerability to the disease that has taken toll of hundreds of lives. While maintaining the need for social distancing and health safety, institutions across the country including the IITs, NITS, and premier private institutions like Bits Pilani, Thapar, Amity, Jaipur Manipal, LNCT Bhopal, SIRT Bhopal, Prestige Indore, etc., have fast forwarded their online education and training efforts to ensure no loss or minimize impact.

As the “India Remote (Higher Education, Language & Casual learning) Market Overview, 2020-2025” report by Research And Markets.com states online higher education can be referred to as the distance form of learning which includes the courses related to under graduation, graduation, or various post-graduation courses and programmes. It is observed that online higher education has a huge adaption of the course. The enrolments for these courses have increased at a CAGR of around 44% in the last couple of years.

Distance education has become a useful mode of obtaining degrees for a large number of students who are staying in far off and remote areas and for whom accessing universities on regular basis is still a dream. Distance enrolment constitute 10.62% of the total enrolment in higher education, of which 44.12% are female students.

Riding on the demand the higher education sector in the country has witnessed a phenomenal growth in student enrolment. Home to the world’s largest youth population about 500 million in the age bracket of 5-24 years, India is also a country with the world’s largest higher education system with over 78.0% colleges running in Private sector. Aided and unaided colleges and universities taken together caters to around 66.4% of the total enrolment. Stand alone institutions are mainly run by Private sector (75.5%); Private unaided – 66.20% and Private aided – 9.30%. Only 24.53% Institutions are in Government sector while 56.2% Institutions are located in rural area.

The ability to think well and think fast will assume greater significance than it has thus far. Along with the development of online learning, India has observed growing interest in learning various types of language and casual learning besides developing skills in order to communicate with others professionally.

DISTANCE FORM OF LEARNING

Dr. Davish JainPrestige Education Foundation,Indore/Dewas/Gwalior

In the present pandemic state, virtual class rooms have successfully filled in the gap. At Prestige Group of Institutions we have trained our faculties to deliver mixed mode education which I foresee as the necessity of academic world. We have invested in technology enablers to stay ahead of the curve

Dr. Anupam ChoukseySecretary, LNCT group of Institute

I believe learning is the only tool for success of individual, irrespective of the age. At LNCT, we are committed for betterment of society through development of students in every stage.

Governments recent initiatives such as PM-eVIDHYa is expected to give a boost to online higher education as top 100 universities such as IITs, IIMs, etc., are permitted to resume online education.

These learning courses are more towards personal development related stuff, as the consumers are gaining a lot of attraction towards such stuff it is expected that the segment will grow at a CAGR of

Riding on the demand the higher education sector in the country has witnessed a phenomenal growth in student enrolment in higher education, which was estimated to be 37.4 million by the HRD Ministry in 2018-19 according to a report released late last year. Of the total enrolment female constitute 48.6%.

Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Higher education in India is 26.3%, which is calculated for 18-23 years of age group. GER for male population is 26.3% and for females, it is 26.4%.

About 79.8% of the students are enrolled in Undergraduate level programme. 1,69,170 students are enrolled in Ph.D, that is less than 0.5% of the total student enrolment. Maximum numbers of students are enrolled in B.A. programme followed by B.Sc. and B.Com. programmes. 10 programmes out of approximately 187 cover 80.3% of the total students enrolled in higher education. At Undergraduate level the highest number (35.9%) of students are enrolled in Arts/ Humanities/Social Sciences courses followed by Science (16.5%), Engineering and Technology (13.5%) and Commerce (14.1%).

The top 7 states in terms of highest number of Colleges in India are Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat which have 28 and more colleges per lakh population.

We believe in providing quality education alongwith human values

Dr. (Prof.) Gopalakrishna PrabhuPresident, Manipal University Jaipur

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