HYDERABAD, NEW DELHI, MUMBAI, BENGALURU, KOLKATA, CHENNAI, AHMEDABAD, PUNE* VOL. 19 NO. 197 Rs. 15.

00 16 PAGES

THE WIDE WAGE

GAP IN TENNIS
SATURDAY, AUGUST 16 2025 Tennis led the movement for
prize-money parity but 55
years later, the gap between
men’s and women’s winnings
remains a sore point. The
four Grand Slams offer equal
prize money but outside of
them, women players earn
significantly less SEE PAGE 7

MODI’S I-DAY CALL: SWADESHI, SECURITY SHIELD, FARM FOCUS | PAGE 16

FREEDOM TO READ TO MARK INDEPENDENCE DAY, LOUNGE RECOMMENDS BOOKS THAT ENCOURAGE
YOUNG READERS TO REFLECT ON IDEAS OF FREEDOM AND RESILIENCE

ART DECOR
Mimic Geoffrey Bawa and bring play into your home
TASTE
The names chefs give their gadgets
FOCUS
Vittorio Sella, the man who photographed mountains

BUSINESS LOUNGE
Meet Kuku FM’s Lal Chand Bisu
02 SATURDAY, 16 AUGUST 2025
HYDERABAD FIRST

PLAN THE WEEK

A NOTE ON
THE ISSUE
NEW ON SCREENS
Rajinikanth and Lokesh Kanagaraj team up, the ‘Alien’ franchise
AHEAD
SHALINI UMACHANDRAN adds a series, and other titles to watch

Reading can
be liberating CELEBRATING A MILESTONE

G
allerie Nvya is celebrat-
ing 21 years with a new
exhibition in the Capital.
Aptly titled 21: Memories & Mile-
stones from then till now (2004 –
ISTOCKPHOTO
2025), the show features works
by artists such Akbar Padamsee,
Arpana Caur, F.N. Souza, Jamini
Roy, K.G. Subramanyan, M.F.
Husain, P.R. Daroz, Tyeb Mehta,
and more. For founder-director
Tripat Kalra, 21 is a symbolic
number signifying completion
and initiation. “In this spirit, 21
brings together a constellation
of artists who, like the gallery
WAR 2 itself, have traversed multiple
This sequel to Siddharth Anand’s War brings back Hrithik Roshan’s Kabir, who faces off against NTR Jr, who plays Vikram, a thresholds…,” states the gallery
fellow intelligence agent. The latest entry in YRF’s spyverse is directed by Ayan Mukerji, who will hope to do a lot better than note.
his action blockbuster, Brahmastra. Also starring Kiara Advani. (In theatres) At Bikaner House, New Delhi,
20-24 August, 11am-7pm. After
this, the show moves to Gallerie
For as long as I can remember, there’s been much hand- ALIEN: EARTH Nvya, Saket, 4-30 September,
wringing about the “loss of reading habit”, the dirges linking After a spaceship containing alien spe- 11am-7pm (closed on Sunday).
the decline to every other evil in the world. The Kerala gov- cies crashes on earth, the Xenomorph
ernment clearly sees it as a foundational concern, and is wor- threat is brought home. This horror
ried enough to have elevated it to a policy issue. A few days series is set two years before the events
ago, it decided to “give grace marks” to students who “engage of the original Alien. It’s created by
in activities that promote reading habit”, as the state’s educa- Noah Hawley. (Disney+ Hotstar)
tion minister announced, somewhat ironically, on Facebook,
which has probably contributed disproportionately to our
rejection of reading and engaging with anything meaning-
fully. In this age of wonderful and ever-changing imagery that
comes straight into our hands, it is easier to view than to settle
down, focus and take in alphabets, sew them into words, and
then string out sentences full of ideas, logic, insight and
knowledge. Reading seems like it needs superhuman strength
and powers of concentration, but not every idea or thought
can be captured in images, and very often, that wonderful
imagery starts its life as words on a page. Reading is another FIBRE-BASED ART
kind of freedom, as countless writers, poets and thinkers have

A
said many times over and in various ways. To mark Independ- nupa Mehta Contempo-
ence Day, therefore, we decided to compile a list of books for NEAR OROUET rary Art (AMCA) contin-
children—which could as easily appeal to adults—to start A hidden gem of early 1970s French cinema. Three young Parisian women ues its showcase of tex-
them off on this path of freedom. We have suggestions from head to the seaside town of Orouet for a vacation. The introduction of two men, tile-based practices with the
the Lounge team as well as books that have left a lasting impact a colleague and a local, complicates their carefree dynamic. (MUBI) new exhibition, Where the River
on well-known writers, book illustrators, publishers and edi- Meets the Sea. The show fea-
tors. Taken together, that’s close to 50 books to put on your tures six artists—Aparajita Jain
reading list—no matter if that list is analogue or digital. COOLIE Mahajan, Alamu Kumaresan,
Keeping with the theme of adventures of the mind, Sujoy Lokesh Kanagaraj is arguably the Savia Viegas and Meenakshi
Das explores the photographs of 19th century Italian moun- coolest action director working Nihalani—who have consist-
taineer Vittorio Sella, whose iconic images of the Himalaya in India today. This action film is ently engaged with contempo-
are not just a portrait of the mountains as they were before a his first collaboration with Rajini- rary textile and fibre-based art.
time when climate change began transforming the glaciers kanth. In the film, a former coolie “(Their works) explore mem-
and peaks but also a history lesson in early photography. union leader stands up to a cor- ory, materiality, feminist narra-
Sanjay Govil muses on the complex challenges of being a rupt syndicate that exploits and tives and intergenerational sto-
surgeon, and of blending empathy with efficiency. And in a abuses the coolies in a port town. rytelling through weaving,
fun story about professional adventures, chefs tell It’s a packed cast, with Nagarjuna, stitching, embroidery and
us about their favourite kitchen companions and the Upendra, Soubin Shahir, Shruti mark-making,” states the gal-
nicknames they’ve given these gadgets. Haasan, Aamir Khan and Sathy- lery note.
araj. The soundtrack album is At AMCA, Colaba, Mumbai, till
Write to the editor at [email protected] composed by Anirudh Ravi- 11 September, 11am-6pm (Tuesday
@shalinimb chander (In theatres) to Saturday).

Compiled by Uday Bhatia —Compiled by Avantika Bhuyan

LOUNGE DINE THINK PLAY LIVE

ONLINE
Savouring the Losing touch with Retro games make Good health
YOUR wild side of India nature’s rhythms a comeback begins in the gut
FAVOURITE
WEEKEND READ
I W W T
t’s not every day that some of the hat is the common thread hile gaming has undergone he spotlight has never shined
country’s top chefs spotlight ingredi- tying the cloudburst and flash drastic changes since the days brighter on gut health. And for
NOW THROUGH ents deeply rooted in the culinary cul- flood that flattened Dharali of Super Mario and Contra, good reason. As multiple studies
ture of India’s forest communities. In the village in Uttarakhand, and the gradual retro games have never truly disap- have found, the gut—home to trillions of
THE WEEK process, they also make these wild foods destruction of Aarey Forest in Mumbai? peared, and one doesn’t need an old con- microbes—is essential for nutrient
fun and relevant for the urban diner. The It is apathy, born of the fact that human sole to enjoy them. They are now availa- absorption, immune system regulation,
effort is part of a larger initiative of the beings are moving further away from ble in different formats, writes Shrey detoxification, hormonal balance and
The best stories from Wild Food Festival 2025, nature. When that hap- Pacheco. These include mental health. As
to highlight the signifi- pens, we forget how rereleases like Street Shrenik Avlani writes,
livemint.com/mint-lounge cance of India’s wild pro- nature works, and allow Fighter 30th Anniversary what’s also important to
from the week gone by duce, and understand destructive development Collection and remastered know is that the gut
their complex relation- practices that endanger games like Beyond Good & microbiome is shaped by
ship with the ecosystem. our lives. In his Climate Evil—20th Anniversary how we eat, drink, sleep,
Some 10 restaurants from Mumbai and Change Tracker column, Bibek Bhatta- Edition. Then there are remakes, which move and manage stress. An imbalance
Pune are part of the endeavour with charya writes about how this human completely rebuild classic titles from owing to bad diet, stress and alcohol can
chefs experimenting with mahua des- disconnect from nature is accelerating scratch, adding modern visuals and cause gut dysbiosis, which shows up as
serts, fish steamed in palash leaves, biodiversity loss and the climate crisis. updated gameplay mechanics, such as gas, bloating, skin flare-ups, brain fog,
risotto made of wild greens, and even a And how this disconnect shows up in the Final Fantasy VII Remake and Konami’s and increased inflammation. The solu-
Kashmiri thali, finds Rituparna Roy. fact that “nature words” are disappearing Silent Hill 2. No longer just for nostalgic tion to support gut health is to focus on a
The seventh edition of the festival is from the books that we read,while gamers, classic games are being revived diet that’s high on fibre, fermented foods
[email protected] scheduled on 23 August in Mumbai. urban-centric words are multiplying. through subscription services. and polyphenol-rich plants.
@mint_lounge
@livemintlounge

ON THE COVER: ILLUSTRATION FROM ISTOCKPHOTO

 FIRST SATURDAY, 16 AUGUST 2025
HYDERABAD 03

Mix and play to bring a bit of Bawa into your home

ART
DÉCOR
MANJU SARA
RAJAN

C
olombo is beautiful, like a sane,
disciplined version of Thiruvan-
anthapuram or Bengaluru. Heri-
tage structures sit elegantly beside con-
temporary buildings in peaceful self-as-
sured coexistence. The traffic is polite;
cars keep a safe quarantine line of dis-
tance from one another. It is tropical
and familiar yet its non-chaos is
strangely foreign. It could be India but
the city is so orderly and courteous that
it doesn’t feel like our country—in a bad,
good and sad way.
For years I’d wanted to visit Number never met, about his whims and its fan- reportedly almost 7ft tall. The pieces in
11, architect Geoffrey Bawa’s home in cies. There’s bric-a-brac, precious that world were simple, created to
the Sri Lankan capital, and Lunuganga, things and random collectibles, all sit- exemplify and masquerade shortcom-
his estate in Bentota. Very recently, I ting next to one another; Riten Mozum- ings in craft and material available in
made the pilgrimage. dar’s textiles on one wall, a collection of those times in Sri Lanka. The side
Perusing images of his spaces in stones somewhere else. tables and coffee table, in stone and
books, I always focused on the way he Bawa’s objects told me that for a metal, clean-lined perfect impervious
put things together, his skill for cajoling room, a sense of humour is more impor- partners to the dramatic textile on the
the natural surroundings to provide the tant than one may think. Peering into sofa. (Incidentally, Bengaluru-based
vistas he wanted, his seemingly preter- the iconic architect’s bedroom from studio Phantom Hands is now exclu-
natural skill at creating places that behind the cordon, I could see an sively licensed to produce edits of
taught the viewer how to see. But to see orange transparent inflatable armchair Bawa’s furniture designs for the con-
images of Bawa’s work without seeing at the foot of his bed. On either side of temporary market.)
Sri Lanka itself is to miss the intricate guage. Back in 1949 he took the 25-acre someone’s home. I’m not entirely sure The living room at Number 11, the bed, teddy bears sat comfortably on I imagined how the very tall architect
ways in which he was influenced by the rubber and cinnamon plantation and cut how to explain it, except to admit that Geoffrey Bawa’s home in Colombo; old wooden chairs. The architect mixed must have moved around this space,
place where he was born. through its rough-and-tough foliage to my eyes welled up. The space had a feel- and (right) the bedroom. materials and blended high-design with how its scale must have seemed like a
Bawa was a citizen of the tropics but create multiple personalities. In some ing of nurturing, of ensconcing, of shel- PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY GEOFFREYBAWA.COM humble materials. Shiny epoxy white cocoon, a womb-ish sanctuary in the
spent a significant part of his time as a parts, the nondescript tropical foliage of ter. I sat on a bench off the side of the liv- paint on the floor reflected and doubled centre of his city. Instead of a palace
young adult in Europe, which had a sig- the estate has been left to grow, con- ing room and with my little notebook the light coming through a small cutout that soared upwards, Bawa’s home
nificant impact on him. It was a failed trolled but not manicured. In other and ink pen, tried to make sense of what in the roof of the tunnelled entrance of wrapped itself around him. Its physical
attempt at building a home for himself scenes, the estate feels European, a disci- this home, once occupied by a tall archi- the home. There were mismatched Sri features all appeared to have the same
in Italy that finally brought him back plined rolling-hill and stone-sculpture tect whose life had nothing in common Lankan colonial armchairs but also a set intention: to capture and move light
home to Sri Lanka at the cusp of 30. montage that could have been in Italy. with mine, was trying to teach me. What of furniture resembling Eero Saarinen’s appropriately through the cavernous
Bawa chose Bentota because that was Somehow Bawa stitched these seem- lessons had he left behind? plastic Tulip series. Wood sat with metal home. Its poetry was personal, a feeling
where his elder brother, the landscape ingly incongruous instincts together, Architect Channa Daswatte, writing a sat next to textile, next to stone, next to that if you accumulate objects you love,
designer Bevis Bawa, lived on a prop- placing them quite seamlessly on the few years ago in Architectural Digest cane—instead of mix-and-match, it was they will sing together like a well-prac-
erty christened “The Brief”. If you do go estate. He tinkered with Lunuganga for about Number 11, described the series of all just mix. ticed choir, even if some of it is plastic
on a Bawa pilgrimage then Bevis’ prop- decades, till his death in 2003. cottages that made up the home as an Bawa had a natural ability to create and some of it is stone. Mix it up, don’t
erty is a must-visit for comparison. The If you work with décor, as I do, it is “extraordinary labyrinth of spaces” that aesthetic balance, and he achieved that stay just with wood or just with stone or
younger brother’s estate is a much more sometimes difficult to be truly capti- became Bawa’s “inner landscape”. Bawa Bawa’s objects told me that a perfection with enviable nonchalance. any other preciousness, let the limita-
architecturally articulated space than vated by a space. There’s too much criti- died 22 years ago, and visitors have Many of the pieces of furniture seemed tions of the materials, craftsmanship
Bevis’ somewhat ghoulish Brief. cality and rationalising. So I was sur- been traipsing through that inner land- sense of humour is important. like off-cuts or experiments or not and resources be your guide to simpler,
Lunuganga, now a boutique hotel, prised to feel so deeply moved at No.11 scape, which has been under the cloche Wood sat with metal, next to designed at all. The checkered lounge more tactile solutions. Have a bit of fun,
appears in various garbs, depending on in Colombo, smaller in scale and ambi- of time, in tableau, yet it doesn’t feel like textile, next to stone, next to at the heart of the living room—the Bawa seems to say.
where you look and what you see. Bawa tion than Lunuganga. I felt a deeply a mausoleum. There’s a cosy energy, the eye-candy of every image taken here— Manju Sara Rajan is an editor, arts
was able to realise here the many scenog- emotional stirring in the city property— anticipation of someone’s arrival. The
cane—instead of mix-and- was quite low, with a very deep seat and manager and author who divides her
raphies that had impacted his design lan- for the first time ever in response to objects tell you stories about a man you match, it was all just mix the perfect throne for a man who was time between Kottayam and Bengaluru.

Medium Talk More than small talk

Managing a diabetic cat ISTOCKPHOTO

WIZARD OF PAWS

Keeping a cat active with

lots of play and feeding
a diet rich in protein is
key to preventing feline
diabetes
Nameeta Nadkarni

I
ndia is often called the diabetes capital The aim of a book event is to get people to buy the book, but most don’t buy, and some just come for the free snacks. GETTY IMAGES
of the world, with over 100 million
people living with the condition. But if
you ask pet parents whether their cat
could get diabetes, they’d be surprised.
Feline diabetes is far more common than
people realise and in many ways, it mir-
Book launch or traffic jam?
rors the disease in humans, right down to
the causes and lifestyle risks. A panel of nine people nearly 20 years, I’ve been part of many ing to get their 5-10 minutes of speak-
I met Simba, a 10-year-old ginger cat, book discussions, either as audience or ing time at an hour-long event. That’s
when his owner brought him in because Early signs of diabetes in cats are often missed or misdiagnosed. ISTOCKPHOTO
to launch a single participant. Until the mid-2000s, a cer- assuming everyone is as good at time
he had been drinking so much water that book is a travesty that tain novelty and anticipation would management as the moderator. Some-
his litter tray was filling up twice as fast as pancreatitis, certain medication like their cat. In reality, most cats tolerate inform these gatherings. times the moderator needs to channel
usual. He had also lost weight despite eat- long-term steroids, and other hormonal insulin injections far better than we India’s publishing Readers would keenly await the the aggression of prime-time news
ing more than ever, and his immaculate
coat had become scruffy. His owner had
conditions such as hyperthyroidism can
also tip the balance. One of the challen-
expect. The needles are fine, the injec-
tion volume is tiny, and with a bit of prac-
industry can ill afford chance to meet and interact with
authors. In the heyday of the Jaipur Lit-
anchors to restrain the alphas in the
group. Which is why my thumb rule is
chalked it up to “old age” until she found ges in diagnosing feline diabetes is that tice, it becomes routine. erature Festival, serpentine queues after to agree to moderate only one-to-one
him once drinking water for five minutes many early symptoms are missed or mis- Alongside insulin, diet is key. Cats are Somak Ghoshal sessions were a common sight—and not conversations or, at most, with two
without moving. A blood and urine test taken for something else. Increased thirst obligate carnivores and are not designed [email protected] just to get signed copies from “celebrity” other people. But I’ve not always been
confirmed that he had diabetes mellitus. may be attributed to hot weather. Weight to process high-carb diets. Feeding a diet authors. I recall standing for an hour, one lucky.

A
In cats, diabetes occurs when the body loss could be seen as a sign of “getting fit- that is high in protein and low in carbo- sk any writer and it’s likely they year, to meet the writer Geoff Dyer, who, From a business perspective, the out-
cannot produce enough insulin or can- ter” or simply ageing. Cats are often hydrates helps regulate blood sugar. will admit that it takes a village to until then, I had assumed to have, at best, come of a launch is to get as many people
not use the insulin it makes effectively. brought in only when they become Monitoring is another key element. put a book out in the world. Start- a niche fan base in India. as possible to buy the book. But most
Insulin allows cells to absorb glucose lethargic or stop eating by which time the Traditionally, vets have relied on peri- ing with the author, the process usually Then social media arrived and turned attendees don’t buy. Some come for the
from the blood and use it for energy. disease is advanced. odic blood tests to track glucose control. unfolds through a widening circle of writers into “brands,” who became all too free snacks. Installing an entourage on
Without it, glucose builds up in the blood Left untreated, diabetes can lead to Increasingly, continuous glucose moni- actors, most of them working behind the accessible and, at times, all too disap- stage, creating a cacophony of views, is
leading to the symptoms we see: exces- life-threatening complications. One of toring devices are being used in cats as scenes, but each having a hand in the pointingly transparent. The pandemic even less likely to persuade attendees to
sive thirst, weight loss, frequent urina- these is diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a well. These small sensors sit on the skin chain of events that turns words typed on and the lockdown only made things buy the book. Reading is meant to be a
tion, increased appetite and a general state where the body, unable to use glu- and transmit glucose readings to an app. a screen into pages, printed and bound, worse. Even as online promotional private pleasure, not a competitive sport
decline in condition. cose, starts breaking down fat for energy. Prevention, of course, is better than then displayed on shelves, real or virtual. events emerged from the crevices of the which makes you keep multiple tabs
The Indian context makes feline dia- Cats with DKA are often very sick with cure. Keeping your cat lean is the best If the book happens to have a formal internet, it brought in attendant troubles: open in your brain to track what’s being
betes more concerning. As in humans, vomiting, dehydration, rapid breathing thing you can do to reduce their risk. launch event, that’s when a different “vil- economic downturn, bookshop closures, said.
the two biggest risk factors are diet and and weakness. Another long-term com- Regular play sessions can go a long way, lage” gets a public airing. A case in point shifting habits of reading, lower advan- Of late, indie bookshops around the
inactivity. Many urban Indian cats live plication is diabetic neuropathy where especially for indoor cats. Using puzzle is an invitation I recently received to ces and royalties for authors. country have started organising events
entirely indoors without enough space to high blood sugar damages nerves, often feeders or hiding small portions of food attend one such event with not one, not Book launches somehow survived the that pair an author with an interrogator
play. If they are also being fed calorie- in the hind legs. Affected cats may walk around the house encourages both men- two, but eight people on a panel to dis- crisis. For influencer-writers, there is a to ensure a more focused and intimate
rich diets, weight gain is inevitable. Obe- with their hocks (the equivalent of our tal and physical activity. Avoid free-feed- cuss a book—excluding the author. logic to these events as they can draw conversation. Ticketed book events are
sity is one of the strongest predictors of ankles) dropped close to the ground. ing and be mindful of treats as many While this may be an extreme case of large attendance and big sales. Lesser catching on as well. Having to pay to
feline diabetes. But feline diabetes is manageable and, commercial cat treats are high in carbs. traffic jam on stage, it’s usually par for the mortals would be lucky if the cost of the attend a launch is likely to bring in genu-
Breed and age also play a role. Middle- in some cases, reversible. Management course to have a four-five-person panel at chai and samosas served to the guests inely interested readers—and put the
aged to older cats are more likely to almost always involves insulin injections. Nameeta Nadkarni is a veterinary soft such events. As someone whose career could be recovered from book sales. onus on the organisers to curate the
develop diabetes. Male cats seem to be at This is the point where many owners tissue surgeon and pet blogger from has revolved around the publishing And then you have a travesty—half a event well. Some will call it gatekeeping.
slightly higher risk than females. Chronic recoil, imagining the ordeal of jabbing Mumbai. industry in one capacity or another for dozen or more panellists on stage try- I laud it as strategic business acumen.
04 SATURDAY, 16 AUGUST 2025
HYDERABAD HOW TO LOUNGE

STREAM OF
ALT PRINT STO R I E S
Multicolour Pome-
RAJA SEN
granate Printed
Co-Ord Set
POM POM Cotton multi-col-
Pomegranate oured co-ord set
Beaded Earrings
Earrings made from
cotton woven fabric
feature intricate work
with glass beads, nylon
includes a pomegran-
ate-embroidered
bralette top paired
with a wrap skirt.
Available on Nika-
Apocalypse
crayon
thread and leather sha.com; ₹10,000.
backing. Available on
Deepagurnani.in;
₹18,250.

Source
A compendium of pretty objects inspired by the pomegranate

JUICE UP
Archana Shah ‘Saga’ Dress Set
FRUIT PLAY
Yellow “Saga” oversized dress set Pomegranate
includes a kurta made of natural Printed Shirt
Men’s shirt made from ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ is Netflix’s most-watched animated film.
Bemberg™ silk adorned with
digital print of pomegranates, black cotton-satin
and pants. Available on Archa- features pomegranate

I
motifs in contrasting f you’re over 30, you have not watched the most popular animated movie
nashahofficial.com; ₹18,500.
pink. Available on in the world right now. Unless, of course, you are a parent. There exists a
Mapuworld.com; vast, brightly lit playground of content where grown-ups without chil-
₹9,500. dren never wander, and within that candy-coloured wilderness, KPop
Demon Hunters has planted its glitter-tipped flag. Six weeks after its 25 June
release, the Netflix original became the most-watched animated film in the
platform’s history.
This matters not merely because of the numbers (though those are gargan-
WILD EARTH tuan, with 158.8 million total views placing it fourth among all of Netflix’s
Pomegranates & Roses English-language films) but because it proves that the “adult market” is no
Panthera Platter longer the beating heart of global entertainment. The children, the tweens,
Presentation platter crafted from and the fervid fan-armies are in charge. The rest of us can either watch, or be
fine bone china and accented with left out of the conversation entirely. We may be one pop chorus away from
24-carat gold features vivid artwork. singing Baby Shark at cocktail parties just to fit in.
Available on Goodearth.in; ₹12,000. What KPop Demon Hunters truly signals is that the “mature” adult market is
now a minority demographic in global media consumption. Our prestige-TV
discussions, our Oscar-bait dramas, our limited-series think-pieces? They are
but niche pursuits compared to the universal reach of a K-pop anthem paired
with demon-slaying choreography.
Directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans for Sony Pictures Anima-
tion, KPop Demon Hunters is exactly what its title promises, and then some: a
neon mash-up of K-drama emotionality, splash pages, anime fight physics,
and arena-style concert lighting. The story follows Huntr/x, a girl group
whose day job is selling out stadiums, and whose night shifts involve slicing
RED RIDER IN TOP through supernatural baddies with otherworldly flair. Their power source?
Nike Jordan 1 Low SE FORM “Honmoon” energy—something that is part spiritual essence, part chart-top-
GEM WRAP “Pomegranate” Sneakers Uma Wang per adrenaline.
Anabele Chan Low top sneakers con- Pomegran- The set pieces alternate between the spectacular (stadium pyrotechnics
Tutti Frutti Necklace structed from synthetic ate-Print and demon-portal vortexes feel cut from the same storyboard) and the slyly
Statement necklace in leather detail come in a Trousers absurd. The action moves like choreography, every punch a pirouette, every
18-carat white gold and pomegranate colourway. High-waist, backflip a key change. The visual aesthetic owes a significant debt to the Spi-
rhodium vermeil features Available on Farfetch.com; straight-hem der-Verse movies, and the hyper-stylised cuts of Korean music videos, but the
lab-grown rubies, sapphires ₹39,087. brown trous- blend is seamless. The K-pop aesthetic appears to be made for fantasy com-
and diamonds. Available ers made from bat, and vice versa.
on Anabelachan.com; a Cupro and K-pop isn’t wallpaper here: it’s plot, propulsion, and in-story weaponry.
₹6.63 lakh. viscose mix The soundtrack boasts songwriting royalty (TEDDY, Danny Chung, IDO) and
feature a performances from EJAE, REI AMI, and TWICE’s Jeongyeon, Jihyo, and
bold pome- Chaeyoung. The album itself hit No.2 on
granate print. the Billboard 200, with over 1.5 bil-
Available on lion streams globally. The film’s
Farfetch.com; biggest hit, the single Golden,
Compiled by Mahalakshmi Prabhakaran ₹94,877. didn’t just go viral; it topped STREAMING TIP
the Billboard Global 200 for OF THE WEEK
three weeks and became the
first all-female group track Some things never change, and
to hit No.1 on the Billboard Spongebob Squarepants
Streaming Songs chart. I’d continues to be an animated
honestly be surprised if the favourite for children and their

LOUNGE LOVES track doesn’t get nominated

for an Oscar next year.
It is rare for critics to agree so
occasionally glassy-eyed
guardians. Twelve seasons of
undersea adventures are
all streaming on
enthusiastically on something
pitched squarely at younger audi- JioHotstar.
Things to watch, read, hear, do—and other curated experiences from the team ences. Yet KPop Demon Hunters wears a
97% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes like a
IT’S ALL ABOUT LAYERING sparkly tiara, while audiences give it a hearty 92%. The reviews have been uni-

T
he Japanese drama Glass Heart (Netflix) formly enthusiastic.
might be schmaltzy but the fashion is on If you want proof that the throne has shifted to the nursery, here it is: Net-
point. The story is about the elusive flix’s all-time top 3 English-language films are Red Notice (230.9 million
musician Naoki Fujitani (played by Takeru views), Carry-On (172.1 million), and Don’t Look Up (171.4 million). Most
Satoh), who forms a four-member band. recently, Adam Sandler sequel Happy Gilmore 2 swung on to the screen with a
Takeru is draped in billowing trench coats, record-breaking 46.7 million views in its first three days, marking Netflix’s
which, in keeping with his personality, look biggest US opening ever for a film. Yet here’s the kicker: while Sandler’s
like shells he can disappear into. His persona sequel shot out of the gate like a golf ball on fire, KPop Demon Hunters didn’t
transforms on stage, where he’s in floral just launch; it stayed—its momentum unrelenting as children (and their par-
shirts, sleeveless vests and striking accessories ents) fire up the film for repeat viewings. By the time you read this, it should
like chokers and earrings. Each character is easily have overtaken Don’t Look Up, a multi-starrer headlined by Leonardo
styled differently; band manager Miyako Kai DiCaprio. Will it go on to hit No.1? Don’t bet against it.
(Erika Karata) slays the double-denim look. Once upon a time, “children’s entertainment” was a ghetto, brightly col-
DELHI’S UNDERBELLY But the scene stealer is Toya Shinzaki (Masaki AN ELITE ADDITION oured, often simplistic, and easily ignored by anyone outside its target age

W F
hen Lounge writer and Suda) of the rival band with his ear cuffs, or seasoned connoisseurs of group. Today, shows and films aimed at young audiences far surpass the
former crime reporter Rud- layered chains, tattoos, spiked hair and nail fountain pens, the Pilot Elite 95S numbers ratcheted up by critically acclaimed prestige dramas. From Bluey
raneil Sengupta handed me art. He screams rock star. —Nipa Charagi may not come anywhere close to memes to the Frozen sing-along industrial complex, kids’ culture now seeps
a copy of his newest book, The Beast a Montblanc, Sailor or Pelikan, but it upward, dictating what trends, what gets made, and what dominates charts.
Within, I cringed quietly. Gritty police surely is a pocket-friendlier option if KPop Demon Hunters is the apotheosis of that shift: slick, savvy, and with
procedurals aren’t ever on my reading A PORTAL TO OTHER WORLDS you are in the market for premium music that lodges itself into adult ears despite themselves. It’s engineered for

O
list, having briefly covered the munic- f late, I seem to be enjoying writing instruments. I have always had fandom engagement as well as social media performance. Netflix doesn’t just
ipal corporation as a reporter and seen animated series meant for kids a lot a soft corner for fountain pens, espe- have a hit; it has a cross-platform juggernaut whose memes are multilingual.
the city’s underbelly IRL. If there’s more than any of the gore and cially ones with hooded nibs, and the The not so secret ingredient here is repeatability. Beloved prestige shows
murder afoot, I prefer the bodies to be horror that seems to be reigning the OTT Pilot Elite 95S is every bit as stylish as a like Better Call Saul or The Bear might inspire one or two methodical
elegantly discovered in libraries and space. One such series, which I discovered pen can be. It’s also incredibly slim rewatches among their faithful, but they are, by nature, slow-burn feasts. Ani-
the business of crime solving to be recently, is Amphibia. It centres on three and lightweight, just the right size to mated blockbusters, on the other hand, are espresso shots of colour and mel-
conducted over tea, maybe cocktails. I friends, Anne, Sasha and Marcy, who are tuck it into a shirt pocket. You can post ody designed for relentless looping. Parents hit “Play Again” because the tiny,
wasn’t wrong; Rudraneil’s book is magically transported to a world inhabited the cap to turn it into a full-size pen for tyrannical overlords demand it. One household, one account, can clock a
every bit as bleak as it promises to be, by anthropomorphic amphibians after ease of writing. It comes in two colour dozen views in a fortnight, and each is another gleaming tick in Netflix’s rank-
and with every page, it gets bleaker, opening a mysterious Calamity Box. They combinations—the black-and-gold ings. The numbers don’t just reflect reach. They reflect obsession, and that’s
but then, there’s a moment when your get caught up in a war between toads and version is a classic one, while the bur- where the grown-up market simply can’t compete.
resistance melts and you can’t help frogs, and end up hopping between gundy and ivory is more unique—and The pint-sized popstars of Huntr/x are, therefore, not only hunting for
but marvel at the language, at the plot adventures and misadventures. The story in different nib sizes. You can either demons. They’re out for dominance, and they’ve already won. We will have to
and dialogue, at his deep research and has underlying subplots of transformation, use cartridges or the converter to fill it recalibrate ourselves. We’re stepping into an age where the mainstream is
his understanding of the people and friendship and coming-of-age. It’s a up with your favourite inks. At defined by those still in school. The kids are holding the remote now, and the
the systems humming beneath what wonderful fantastical world to lose yourself ₹13,000, it is not an impulsive buy, but beat drops when they say so.
we see of Delhi. Put it on your reading for an hour or two daily. one to cherish for a lifetime. Raja Sen is a screenwriter and critic. He has co-written Chup, a film about
list. —Shalini Umachandran —Avantika Bhuyan —Somak Ghoshal killing critics, and is now creating an absurd comedy series. He posts @rajasen.
 THINK SATURDAY, 16 AUGUST 2025
HYDERABAD 05

Revisiting the stereotype of

the surgeon in the 21st century
Surgeons have to stay population and physicians. Sadly, the petent individual working on a complex
study also found that surgeons become challenge that meets their level of skill
compassionate while more prone to neuroticism as they age, the without overwhelming them, is something
inverse of the general population. all surgeons identify with, especially when
maintaining a work Another similar study found that surgeons they face a complicated case, have to make
who maintain their empathy and are more difficult decisions and experience a satisfy-
ethic that optimises introverted tend to have better patient ing outcome.
patient safety with outcomes.
Surgery, despite being deeply profes-
My wife says she now identifies three
phases of my personality—one, when I am
empathy and skill sionally satisfying, remains a demanding, waiting for the next challenging case dur-
stressful and unpredictable job. The gap ing which time I am crabby and cantan-
between success and failure can be kerous; two, when I get such a case, then I
Sanjay Govil frighteningly small. Surgeons experience am high and happy; and three, when the
tremendous highs and agonising lows. complex case experiences complications,

F
or surgeons of my genera- Some surgeons cope by numbing their I am sad and thoughtful and completely
tion, the “surgical personal- emotions, losing empathy and feeling absorbed within myself. And then the
ity” is a clearly identifiable emotionally disconnected. This condi- cycle repeats.
trait. We could fairly accu- tion, called compassion fatigue, causes It does appear that the stereotypical
rately recognise which med- them to lose interest in things they used surgical personality has dulled over time.
ical student would specialise in a medical to enjoy, and experience increased sad- You won’t see Lancelot Spratts in the
versus a surgical discipline. Dr Kathy ness and anger. operating theatre anymore. Modern sur-
Hughes in her blog Behind the Mask says The term “second victim syndrome” geons need to be empathetic to their
novelist Richard Gordon’s popular crea- has been coined for emotional trauma patients and kind to themselves. They
tion, Sir Lancelot Spratt, epitomises the experienced by healthcare professionals must create an environment in which
stereotypical surgeon, usually male with after an adverse patient event, made worse team members are not afraid to speak up
a “testosterone-induced swagger, confi- by feeling that their own trauma is illegiti- or offer an opinion, factors that are vital to
dent, brash, charismatic and commanding mate in comparison to that of the patient patient safety.
to the point of arrogance”. and patient’s relatives. Most surgeons In today’s world, surgeons need to be
“He is volatile, even bullying and abu- experience anxiety and grief, which leads confident not arrogant, passionate not
sive. Cuts first, asks questions later, to increased rates of burnout. Under the micromanagers, leaders not dictators, and
because to cut is to cure, and the best mask of an overconfident and narcissistic have the ability to remain calm even in
cure is cold, hard steel. Sometimes surgeon may be grief and pain, all the moments of life-threatening catastrophe,
wrong, but never in doubt. Good with his more difficult to diagnose because of their successfully overcoming the challenge at
hands, but has no time to explain. Com- facade of invulnerability. hand. I don’t know how we tread this fine
passion and communication are for sis- A recent study by Shanafet and others line, but I think family, friends and men-
sies.” He is also decisive, well-organised showed that 58% of surgeons experience tors help to show the way. An article in The
and hard-working. Surgeons score about 25% lower than the general population in happiness metrics. ISTOCKPHOTO burnout compared to 28% of working American Journal of Surgery (2017) advises
A 1991 study by Schwartz and others, individuals in the general population. A surgeons to “protect and mature impor-
analysing the personality of medical stu- complex. We all know surgeons who have Truly, they “attached themselves to their throwing of instruments are no longer tol- major contributor is poor work-life bal- tant relationships, debrief with trusted
dents found that those who were competi- these traits in varying measures, but the patient with the last stitch they took”. I erated. Today, no patient undergoes sur- ance, resulting from positive surgical per- friends and family after stressful events
tive, aggressive and highly confident stereotype needs to be accurate only some think that the great majority of modern gery without consent, and then after a sonality traits like passion, drive and the and seek professional help for symptoms
became surgeons. Kevin Dutton in his of the time for it to become a stereotype. surgeons are of this ilk. Today, preopera- clear and detailed discussion on what the pursuit of excellence morphing into nega- of depression and anxiety”. Surgeons in
book The Wisdom of Psychopaths (2012) So, how did this come to be? Probably tive diagnostics ensure every patient goes operation entails, treatment is delivered tive traits of poor delegation, microman- training at some centres in the US are
found that surgeons are No.5 on the list of because physicians looked down on the to surgery with an established diagnosis with kindness and respect. The public agement and perfectionism. taught relaxation techniques, mindful-
professions with the highest number of illiterate barber-surgeons of yore. Before and treatment plan, often defined at a now has access to information, demands Surgeons score about 25% lower than ness and cognitive reframing. The latter
psychopaths. It is cold comfort to know the discovery of anaesthesia, these traits multidisciplinary meeting. While the sur- quality and does not accept preventable the general population in happiness met- involves identifying a negative emotion
that CEOs and lawyers score ahead of us. were necessary in order to function. Sur- geon remains the captain of the ship, mul- complications. The qualities that a sur- rics. We know that 48% of happiness is and modifying the perspective with which
There are some kinder descriptions of gery at that time was often performed for tiple specialties are involved in patient geon needs have changed accordingly. genetically established, 40% is determined one views the thought behind that emo-
surgeons as well. The familiar adage that infectious conditions like gangrene. It was care perioperatively. Rudeness and the A 2018 study by Whitaker M., published by specific isolated events like buying a tion to reframe it more positively. Debrief-
surgeons must have “the eyes of an eagle, performed in front of an audience with in the Annals of the Royal College of Sur- new car or doing a new operation, and 12% ing after particularly stressful events like
the heart of a lion and the fingers of a lady” strong men holding the patient down, and geons used a psychological test called the is derived from family, community, and the death of a child or an on-table death
is attributed to Aristotle. Another good speed was of the essence. No time to think Five Factor Model, that breaks down per- work environment. The hedonistic tread- can be useful if done properly.
one is that “a surgeon should have a tem- or communicate. Mortality was very high. sonality into five key traits—extroversion mill is a term used to determine how much It’s time for the surgical community to
perate and moderate disposition. He Observers often fainted from the ordeal— (measured by sociability, a preference for happiness one derives from achieving reflect on how to help the next generation
should have well-formed hands, long a luxury not available to the surgeon. company), agreeableness (one’s tendency something. For example, as a junior sur- of surgeons remain compassionate, nur-
slender fingers, a strong body, not But times have changed, even from Surgery, despite being deeply to be compassionate, caring and trustful), geon, one might be thrilled repairing a ture and enjoy relationships, and maintain
inclined to tremble and with all his mem- when I trained 40 years ago. Although I conscientiousness (self-discipline, sense hernia, but soon it becomes routine and a work environment that promotes pro-
bers trained to the capable fulfilment of thought poorly of surgeons as a medical satisfying, remains a of duty), neuroticism (tendency towards mundane. The surgeon now craves a major fessional growth for their team members
the wishes of his mind” (from Chirurgia student, I quickly realised during my demanding, stressful and negative emotions like anger, anxiety and organ resection or transplant. The tread- and optimises patient safety.
Magna, written in 1296, by Guido Lan- internship that they were kind, thought- unpredictable job. The gap depression, emotional stability) and open- mill keeps getting steeper, so one needs to
franchi). Not surprisingly, both these ful, effective, and went out of their way to ness (intellectual curiosity, creativity). run harder and harder to maintain the Sanjay Govil is hepatobiliary and liver
quotes are from surgeons themselves. help their patients, reflecting and agonis-
between success and failure Surgeons scored significantly higher in all same level of happiness. Flow happiness, transplant surgeon at Apollo Hospitals,
Every personality is multifaceted and ing over each decision they had made. can be frighteningly small but extroversion compared to the general or happiness experienced by a highly com- Bengaluru.

Looking into the ‘diseased’ heart of the Hindi belt

GETTY IMAGES

Ghazala Wahab’s new with her choice of history books. While

discussing the Harappan period, she
individualism can trump seemingly insur-
mountable societal influence.
citation (it’s not uncommon to hear Bihari
barbers repeating this story) but it would
book captures the past refers extensively to Tony Joseph’s Early Of course, not every sociopolitical force have been nice to hear an academic
Indians. In a segment on the influence of can be worn down by individual interven- address this point directly.
and present realities of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), tions, as the chapter on caste reminds us. Similarly, Chapter 15, titled The Dance
the region with nuance we get A.G. Noorani (The Muslims of India) The groundwork for this section lies in of Democracy, features the writer and jour-
and Christophe Jaffrelot on the page. G.N. Wahab correctly locating a key difference nalist Rasheed Kidwai narrating a story
and attention to detail Devy is cited when we are being intro- between the states of Uttar Pradesh and about how Bhopal came to be the capital
duced to the linguistic diversity of the Bihar in this context. Whereas UP saw a of Madhya Pradesh. In Kidwai’s telling,
region, and Nandini Sundar when we’re successful era of land redistribution after Jabalpur was locked in as the capital-
Aditya Mani Jha talking about the influence of the Naxalite the country gained independence, lead- to-be, leading to veteran Congress leader
movement in Jharkhand and Chhattis- ing to dignity and upward mobility for Seth Govind Das buying up a lot of prop-
hat is wrong with the “Hindi garh. Urvashi Butalia is interviewed about Scheduled Caste (SC) communities, the erty in the city, in anticipation of future

W heartland”? Like a lot of Bihari

professionals living in Delhi,
Mumbai and Bengaluru, I have often been
her book The Other Side of Silence in the
segment analysing the impact of Partition
on the Hindi belt.
upper castes in Bihar did not allow such a
redistribution to happen. As a conse-
quence, caste hierarchy and class
gains. Jawaharlal Nehru, enraged at even
the suggestion of insider profiteering,
decided to move the capital to Bhopal.
asked variants of this question. A col- These research-heavy, historiographic remained closely correlated in Bihar, even Once again, cool story, but
league once used the term “bimaru” (“dis- summaries are bookended by interview in the 21st century. I could not find a history
eased” in Hindi; BIMARU is the deroga- segments—cinematic “cold opens” at the Historically poor com- book that actually backs
tory acronym used to describe Bihar, beginning and then more in-depth con- munities, for the most this up with proof.
Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar versations that fulfil dual purposes. One, part, have remained Overall, though, I really
Pradesh) while asking me why Biharis the interviews act as a tonal counter- poor. As Wahab is enjoyed reading The
always voted along caste lines. weight to the “book-smart” parts of the quick to note, this Hindi Heartland, not least
The episode reminded me, once again, text. Two, the interviews often give the explains both the elect- because its ambitions are
of the extent to which my home state has readers a counter-intuitive, contempo- oral success of socialist/ not limited to historiog-
been caricatured in popular imagination, rary spin on the research findings, communist parties in raphy and journalism.
a fate that it shares with Uttar Pradesh, reminding them that sociopolitical forces Lalu Prasad Yadav’s tenure as Bihar chief minister saw low levels of communal violence. Bihar, and the extra-ju- When it wants to, the
Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattis- keep the Hindi belt in a protean state, dicial appeal of Maoists/ book also unlocks a
garh and Rajasthan, sometimes referred always on the churn, always evolving. The historian Rana Safvi makes an I especially enjoyed how this section Naxalites. Lalu Prasad deeply literary mode,
to as “the Hindi belt” for clarity. I would The chapter on gender relations is a appearance here with a lovely little riff on ended, with the story of Badhwar bringing Yadav’s tenure as chief without diluting its
recommend Ghazala Wahab’s new non- good example of how and why this twin- wedding customs, like hiding the groom’s the patriarchs around to her point of view, minister of Bihar—much- focus. This is a work of
fiction book, The Hindi Heartland, to such pronged research-and-interview strategy shoes and the application of turmeric-san- after “years of gentle persuasion by her, maligned in popular cul- non-fiction where syn-
people. works. Wahab is diligent and methodical dalwood paste. Thanks to popular culture overt support by her husband, and covert ture and mainstream jour- cretism is demon-
Across 500-odd well-researched, copi- while presenting the condensed histories we have become accustomed to seeing encouragement by her mother-in-law”. nalism—was actually a strated via an Amir
ously reported pages, she has captured the of phenomena like sati across north India, these activities as either Hindu or Muslim It’s a powerful reminder of how outlier time of unprecedentedly Khusrau poem with
past and present realities of these regions underlining cases like that of Roop Kan- rituals (depending on our upbringing) but, low levels of communal both Braj Bhasha and Persian bits, where
with the kind of nuance and attention to war, the teenaged Rajput widow whose as Safvi points out, these are quintessen- and caste-related violence. the poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar’s world
detail that serious readers deserve. death in 1987 forced the Central govern- tial north Indian customs that have noth- In the handful of places where the book view is expertly connected to the median
The book is divided into five sections, ment to enact the Sati (Prevention) Act ing to do with any religious rationale. falters, it is because the interview seg- Bihari take on communal violence, and
moving chronologically from the medie- later that year. But sati is an evil in the Safvi, who had grown up thinking of these ments are inadequately backed up by cita- where the berserk linguistic diversity of
val past towards the contemporary rear-view mirror, so to speak, and Wahab phenomena as Islamic customs, only real- tions. For example, at one place, the jour- the Hindi belt is shown through a novelis-
moment. The first two sections are knows this. She, therefore, rolls out the ised this after she spent a few years living In the handful of places nalist Sankarshan Thakur says that bar- tic detour (Rahi Masoom Raza’s Topi
unfussy demonstrations of Wahab’s interviews just after this history-led seg- in Saudi Arabia and then in the United bers in Bihar (ordinarily occupying the Shukla). I can visualise this book becom-
methodology. Each begins with a con- ment, so the reader understands that the Arab Emirates (UAE). Similarly, the writer where Ghazala Wahab’s book “untouchable” rung of the caste ladder) ing a staple at educational institutions and
densed history involving the specific con- current state of gender relations in the and columnist Natasha Badhwar opens up falters, it is because the were given the “Thakur” surname so that libraries in the country. The few missteps
text being discussed (the first section is Hindi belt did not come about in a vac- about her Hindu father and Muslim interview segments are they could safely touch the faces of their can be ironed out in future editions.
divided into chapters like “Society”, uum. This series of wide-ranging conver- father-in-law, especially in terms of their upper-caste clients. This is an entertain-
“Economy”, “Culture”, and so on). sations with both Hindu and Muslim very similar attitudes towards women in
inadequately backed up by ing story, and a Bihari person would Aditya Mani Jha is a writer based in
More often than not, Wahab is on point women makes this chapter insightful. the formal workforce. citations. accept this without further explanation or Delhi.
06 SATURDAY, 16 AUGUST 2025
HYDERABAD TASTE

Meet Sujata the mixer

ISTOCKPHOTO

and other chefs’ tools

Chefs naming their
noodle machines and
refrigerators make the TEA NANNY
high-stress environment
of kitchens a bit
more fun to navigate
Tea can mean
Ruth DSouza Prabhu so many things
n April 2017, after a month-long jour-

I ney from Hungary by sea, it took six

people two days to settle Agotha into
her new 4x11 metre room. For the last
eight years, she has been hard at
work. Her colleagues say she is demanding,
precise, and a little high-maintenance, and it
took them a year to figure her out. Agotha is
M
Aravinda Anantharaman

ahatma Gandhi advocated against tea. It was a colo-

nial product, after all, and he was promoting Swade-
shi. He also disapproved of tea’s effects on the body.
He thought the tannin in teas had the same effect on the body
as that used in the tanneries to harden leather. In his time,
the copper pot still (traditionally used in gin even as the nationalists set out to discourage tea drinking, the
distillation) at the Nao Spirits & Beverages dis- East India Company was keenly marketing it in India, a coun-
tillery in Goa. try with no prior culture of tea, except in the far eastern parts.
“The name Agotha was chosen from thou- Eighty years later, tea is far from being a colonial habit.
sands of baby names that the distillery team A recent LinkedIn post by tea veteran Abhijeet Hazarika
went through,” says Anand Virmani, spoke of the first commercial production of tea extracts in
co-founder and master distiller. “It stands for Assam. Hazarika has been mentoring the team behind the
‘good-hearted’ in Hungarian, which was a company Evolving Innovations, started by tea planter Shekib
great sign because in the spirits line, we keep Ahmed, tea taster, buyer and broker Yubaraj Baruah and bota-
only the ‘heart’ of the spirit—the cleanest, nist Kiran Gogoi. For the last four years, they have been work-
most balanced part of the distillation run, toss- ing with experts Roshan Borkar (National Institute of Pharma-
ing the rest out. The heart is where the flavour ceutical Education & Research) and Arup Das (Tezpur Univer-
and the real craft lies, and Agotha has been Anjaneya, the open-fire pit at Farmlore in Bengaluru; and (below) Agotha, the copper pot still at Nao Spirits & Beverages in Goa. sity) to determine the optimum way to extract tea nutrients.
giving us just that since day one. She’s the Their experiments have led them to using green tea leaves—
force behind every bottle.” for a machine that crafts artisanal noodles. the kitchen has one, my respect for them not processed leaves—as the source material while determin-
Across F&B spaces, equipment and applian- “The name caught on, and today, the increases 10-fold,” Shetty laughs. ing the most suitable pathways for extraction.
ces are an integral part of several aspects— machine’s ramen noodles are fondly called Each gadget, humanised with a name, has Tea nutrients include a host of polyphenols like L-theanine,
processing, cooking and precision prepping. Rameni (a play on the name Ramani and powerful strengths to its credit. Kannagi, the theaflavins and catechins, now made available as an ingredi-
They become so much a part of operations ramen), and the udon noodles go by Damini. fire oven at Bengaluru’s Farmlore, is named ent to fortify food products such as cookies and chewable
that they are considered one of the team and It’s a way of bringing a little character and after the central character in the Tamil epic snacks. The team has seen a good run in their lab tests. What
are given names and even attributed personal- relatability to the behind-the-scenes pro- Silappatikaram who cursed the city of Madu- the success of this project does is offer tea farmers another
ities. Their backstories can be interesting too. cess—and a fun touch to how we talk about the rai for the unjust death of her husband and avenue to sell their tea leaves, while providing consumers
Step into Wine in Progress (W.I.P), a wine food we make,” Paliath says. turned the city to ash. It’s a story of justice, fire, access to nutrients from tea in other forms. Combining tea
bar in Bengaluru, and the light reflecting from Chef-partner Gresham Fernandes of Ban- and feminine ferocity. “That felt right for this extracts with those from other locally grown fruits and spices
the glass double doors of the refrigerator dra Born in Mumbai agrees. “A kitchen runs oven, our slow-burning, steady-hearted com- expands the possibilities even more. Where once tea tannins
catches your eye. You may naturally rest a on timing and trust, but it thrives on inside Across F&B spaces, panion in the kitchen,” says chef patron and were thought to be harmful, today’s developments offer a sci-
hand on the door as you peruse the wine bot- jokes and a bit of madness. It’s the only way to co-founder Johnson Ebenezer. ence-backed stand to tea’s uses, placing it within a growing
tles that stand upright, all perfectly aligned for survive service and stay human.” He shares the equipment and appliances Also, at the Farmlore kitchen is Anjaneya, band of good-for-you natural products. It’s exciting to think
maximum visibility. In doing so, you will be story of Champa, the Thermomix (a multi- become so much a part of the open-fire pit. Its story began in 2021, dur- about what this could mean for tea growers, especially in a
staring into the very being of “Sexy Karen”. purpose food processor) in the Bandra Born operations that they are ing the construction of the restaurant. “We state like Assam where it’s such a significant crop.
Arijit Bose, co-founder, drew inspiration for kitchen. One afternoon, a team member stood had a few tonnes of mango wood after pruning On tea’s place in the world today, it seems to have assumed
W.I.P’s custom-made retail fridge from some staring at the Thermomix—watching it whir
considered one of the our trees. That’s when the idea of cooking a role as a symbol, of hope or defiance, depending on what the
of his favourite wine bars, like Orihara Shoten with the poise of a seasoned multi-tasker. He team and given names entirely over fire took root. We named the fire campaign is, and also a great leveller. In Brooklyn, New York,
in Singapore. Sexy Karen has a capacity of 128 grinned and said, “she’s got grace, and pit after the mythological story of Hanu- Miles (who goes by one name only) runs The Tea Stand, a com-
bottles, and its vertical design makes it easier power. She’s a Champa!” And just like that, man (also called Anjaneya), setting Lanka munity building exercise that he has begun. I read about it in
to interact with the approximately 25-30 the Thermomix was christened. ablaze with his burning tail, in keeping the last edition of the Leafhopper newsletter by tea scribe, Max
labels it holds. Having the bottles upright is “The old vacuum packaging machine with our story-telling tradition. The pit Falkowtiz. Miles distributes free tea every month at pre-de-
key to faster service, making it simpler for staff earned the nickname Bhabhi. A little older was custom-built, and to enable control fined spaces like parks, food distribution centres and even his
to locate and pick up. Sexy Karen is as impor- and temperamental, but experienced. You over the heat, its intensity and flow, a own home. In 2019, while still in university, he travelled
tant as the team members who run the bar treat her right, she gives you magic. You pulley system was added to raise or lower around south-west Asia and North Africa and experienced the
and, as they will say, is built to show off what mess with her settings, she’ll stall and sulk. the cooking grates depending on what is communal nature of their teahouses.
matters. There is also Pushpa, the JTC brand mixer. being cooked,” he adds. Returning to the US, he started working in biotech but he
In a restaurant kitchen, what truly matters She’s loud, gets the job done fast.... Now The tendency to go with female names was still thinking about the camaraderie a cup of tea carries.
is precision and consistency. At the central when someone yells, ‘Where’s Pushpa?’ no perhaps defers to the instinctual belief So he set up a tea table in a neighbourhood park. It has since
kitchen of Nasi and Mee in Bengaluru, Yamini one’s asking for a person,” says Fernandes. that efficiency and hard work are femi- grown into his full-time job, and a hyperlocal movement. On
Yamato, the noodle machine, ensures this. Though when someone asks “where is nine traits in the kitchen. From Champa his website, Miles writes, “Sharing tea with our neighbors is
The name was coined by Sreepathy Paliath, Sujata?” at Mangaluru’s Buco Artisanal to Karen, each are not just reliable work- how we create opportunities for stillness and conversation in
assistant marketing manager at Foodsta Bakery & Café, there is a chance a member horses, but irreplaceable team mates. a world that could use a lot more of both.”
Kitchens, the parent company of the restau- of the staff will respond. Chef and They provide assured consistency, and That tea today connotes new meanings, a beverage for good,
rant, during a puja held before the machine’s co-founder Shriya Shetty named her are at the heart of good-natured team even a gentle resistance—Gandhi would have approved.
first production run. What started as a sponta- kitchen’s mixer-grinder Sujata (after the jokes, making their high-stress environ- Tea Nanny is a fortnightly series on the world of tea. Aravinda
neous alliteration (inspired by the machine’s age-old brand) and the name has stuck for a ments a bit more fun to navigate. Anantharaman is a tea drinker, writer and editor. She posts
brand, Yamato) quickly stuck. decade now. “Every time I head for a Ruth DSouza Prabhu is a features @AravindaAnanth1
Yamini means “artistic”, which felt fitting pop-up, I always ask if there is a Sujata and if journalist based in Bengaluru.

In praise of the buttery sweetness of pecans

pecan halves at Costco in US for HOT MAPLE PECANS 4 tbsp olive oil
$12.99—about ₹1,200 per kilo. A quick Makes 1 cup 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
DOUBLE online check back home showed Indian
retailers selling pecans for anywhere Ingredients
Half tsp vanilla extract
1 red apple, coarsely grated
TESTED between ₹3,300-5,000 per kilo. While 1 cup pecan halves Quarter cup chopped pecans
almonds and cashews might sometimes 1 tbsp maple syrup (or honey)
N A N D I TA be better value locally, pecans are still 1 tsp olive oil Method
IYER something of a niche nut here. With Half tsp salt Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Cel-
nuts, freshness matters. Long import Half tsp red chilli powder sius. Line a 9-cup muffin tray with
journeys and months on store shelves Preheat the airfryer to 160 degrees Cel- paper liners.
took my first bite of a raw pecan and can dull their flavour and texture, sius In a large mixing bowl, whisk together

I thought—this is exactly what you’d

get if a cashew and a walnut had a
baby. Pecans take the best from both:
which is why a bag hand-carried by a
friend or family member from abroad
will almost always trump anything you
Method
In a bowl, whisk the maple syrup, olive
the whole wheat flour, oat flour, cinna-
mon, salt, brown sugar, and baking pow-
der. In a separate bowl, whisk the milk,
the sweet butteriness of a cashew and can order online. That said, if there’s no oil, salt and chilli powder together. Add egg, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, vanilla
the earthy nuttiness of a walnut. travel on the horizon, a small pack from the pecans, tossing well to coat. and grated apple until well combined.
Until now, my encounters with a reliable local source can still be worth Line the airfryer basket with parch- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry
pecans had been in pecan pies or a it, if only to enjoy the distinct buttery ment, transfer the nuts and roast for 5-6 mixture and stir gently until just com-
brownie, but this is one nut that scores a sweetness that makes pecans so special. minutes, shaking once midway. Watch bined. Do not overmix. Fold in the
perfect ten, even when raw and But are pecans truly “cheap” in the closely as nuts can burn quickly. Serve chopped pecans. Divide the batter
untoasted. It also has an inherent crisp US? Climate change and global exports once cooled or store in an airtight con- evenly among the muffin cups, filling
texture that avoids one of the most mean that even the locally grown nuts (left) Hot maple pecans; and pecan apple oat muffins. PHOTOGRAPHS BY NANDITA IYER tainer and use them to top salads and each about three-fourths full. Bake for
annoying traits of most nuts when eaten are no longer super-affordable. I read grain bowls. 15-20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted
raw—that tendency of getting stuck this interesting piece on how pecan has in local gas stations. Add to that Texas flavour and roasting some for snacking, in the centre comes out clean.
between your teeth. become way too expensive for their own droughts, late frosts and the fact that I’ve used pecans in muffins—a perfect PECAN APPLE OAT MUFFINS Cool completely before storing in an
For years, nuts have been high on the Thanksgiving pecan pie. Historian bakers prize only the freshest, prettiest grab-and-go snack for kids. My kitchen Makes 9 airtight container in the fridge, where
shopping list of Indians visiting the James McWilliams recounts in The halves for pies, and you have the perfect notebook is filling with ideas: Sunday they will keep for up to a week.
US—and I’m clearly not alone in think- Pecan: A History of America’s Native Nut recipe for expensive pecan pie. banana pecan pancakes, quinoa salad Ingredients Tip: You can make oat flour by blit-
ing so. When I asked my Instagram (2013), it took just one tasting at a Paris I have a bit of a hoarding tendency with roasted vegetables and pecans, Half-cup whole wheat flour zing rolled oats in a blender until finely
audience what tops their “must-buy” trade show in 2006 for a group of curi- when it comes to exotic ingredients, pecan-and-chilli crusted paneer, home- 1 cup oat flour ground.
list from the US (given that you can find ous Chinese buyers to set off a chain saving them for a “special” day or dish. made granola with dried fruit and coco- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
almost everything here these days), reaction. Within a few years, China went I’m sure some of you reading this will nut flakes and a chocolate bark with sea Half tsp salt Double Tested is a fortnightly column
pecans and walnuts emerged as clear from having no word for “pecan” to relate. But after too many rounds of salt for a healthy-ish treat. Half cup brown sugar on vegetarian cooking, highlighting a
favourites. And with good reason: the importing a quarter of the US crop. clearing out expired treasures from the At this rate, my two-pound stash will 1.5 tsp baking powder single ingredient prepared two ways.
quality is excellent, and the prices can Brined, roasted, and marketed as an back of my freezer, I’ve resolved to use vanish sooner rather than later. I’ll be Half cup milk Nandita Iyer’s latest book is The Great
be far more attractive than in India. antioxidant-packed luxury snack, they these pecans in the here and now. hoping a travelling friend steps in and Half to three quarters cup of milk Indian Thali. She posts @saffrontrail on
I picked up a two-pound bag of fresh went from unheard of to being available Beyond eating a few raw to savour their gets me a bag. 1 egg Instagram and X.
 SPORTS SATURDAY, 16 AUGUST 2025
HYDERABAD 07

From the silver

screen to the
racing track
After three podiums in four races this season,
Ajith Kumar says the team is also eyeing GT3

Tennis and the

illusion of equal pay Actor Ajith Kumar participated in his first race at the age of 18.

Renuka Kirpalani

t’s a cool, sunny day in May at the Misano race track on the east coast of Italy.

Tennis led the

movement for equal
WTA chairman and CEO Steve Simon had
told AP while unveiling the plan. “That’s
I The air is alive with the sound of cars blasting down the straight at practice ses-
sions for the Creventic 24h Series, an FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Auto-
mobile) approved endurance racing series that features GT3 and GT4 cars, sports
just an economic reality.” cars and silhouette cars. The calendar consists of 12- and 24-hour races, which test
So far, of the big combined ATP and the endurance of the drivers and the vehicles on Formula 1 tracks in Europe, with
prize money in sport. WTA events, the Miami Open and Madrid one race in Dubai. While the series has been around a while, it hasn’t seen the
But 55 years later, pay Open are the only ones offering the same
prize money. Two summers ago, the Ital-
audience frenzy of this season before. Fans are thronging races to see Tamil mega-
star Ajith Kumar.
parity remains a sore ian Open had promised that they would Pulling his helmet off, Thala, as he is known to fans, breaks into a boyish grin:
bridge the gender pay gap by 2025. When “I don’t know, I just drove my pants off. How did I do?” In that moment, I catch
point, even at majors the clay-court tournament was held in a glimpse of the superstar charm as well as of a racer determined to prove himself.
May this year, the men’s champion Carlos Why is the 54-year-old actor at a race track, recovering from crashes and trying
Alcaraz walked away with €985,030, to better his timing, instead of basking in the success of his latest blockbuster,
Deepti Patwardhan while Jasmine Paolini, who became the Good Bad Ugly (April 2025)? “I always wanted to be a race car driver. It’s an expen-
first Italian woman to win the home tour- sive sport, and my parents used to say, ‘Do it when you can afford it yourself.’ Now,
ast week, the US Open nament in 40 years, was awarded by the grace of God, I can now pursue it on my own terms,” says Ajith, who

L announced the “largest

purse in tennis history,’ for
the 2025 edition. The final
Grand Slam of the season,
which gets underway in New York on 24
August, will have a total prize pot of $90
million, with the men’s and women’s sin-
€877,390.
“The prize money level is decided by
ATP and WTA, as a tournament we follow
the ATP/WTA rules,” Marcel Hunze, the
tournament director of the Libema Open,
which is a combined ATP and WTA 250
event, tells Lounge. “At several events the
debuted his team, Ajith Kumar Racing, earlier this year.
Endurance racing internationally has only seen one Indian team competing
before, comprising of Narain Karthikeyan, Arjun Maini and Naveen Rao at the
2021 Asian Le Mans Series in Dubai. Last week, Karthikeyan, India’s first F1 driver,
and Formula BMW Series driver Aditya Patel joined Ajith’s team for the Asian Le
Mans series next year.
Ajith, who received the Padma Bhushan this year, began his acting career in
gles champions set to pocket a cool $5 mil- prize money is already equal and the WTA the 1990s and is regarded as one of Tamil cinema’s most bankable stars with hits
lion each. It is a dazzling sum, dazzling has developed a strategy to realise this for such as Viswasam, Mankatha, Billa and Veeram. Yet, he’s never forgotten his pas-
enough to maintain the illusion of equal more tournaments in the future. This pro- sion for racing.
pay in tennis. cess will take some time since the differ- He grew up going to the races at Sholavaram near Chennai, and participated
While the four Grand Slam tourna- ence in WTA revenues realised through in his first race at the age of 18 on a motorcycle before racing single-seater cars at
ments (Australian Open, French Open, its commercial assets, is not equal to that the Sriperumbudur track in the early 1990s. Over the years, he has dipped in and
Wimbledon and US Open) do offer equal of the ATP at this moment. We are com- out of racing, going back to it in 2003 and competing in Formula BMW Asia,
prize money, they constitute only eight municating the tournament as a com- where he finished 12th overall. The following year, he raced in the British Formula
weeks on a 11-month-long calendar. Out- bined event to our sponsors and fans.” Ford Championship, where he was on the podium twice. In 2010, after a hiatus,
side of the majors, women’s players con- While pay parity remains a sore point, he competed in six Formula Two races.
tinue to earn significantly less. even at majors, which purport equality, Racing requires commitment and consistency, hard to achieve alongside a suc-
The disparity is apparent even at two of women’s players are often made to play cessful film career. Back on the track after 15 years, he is determined to give it his
the biggest US Open tune-up events. The second fiddle. The prime example is the all. “During the season I will not shoot. I will take up only one film a year in the
ongoing Cincinnati Open and the Cana- French Open firestorm over shutting out break between October and March.”
dian Open, which ran from 27 July-8 women from the night session. As for launching his own team, he says, “Sure, I could have bought a seat on
August, are both designated 1000 level Since 2021, the Parisian major has another team, if it was a vanity project. I want to put India on the endurance racing
events—a tournament tier one rung below carved out a night session match at Court map and generate interest in the sport.” Ajith Kumar Racing has had three podi-
the four majors. Despite that, the prize Philippe-Chatrier as a separate ticketed ums in four races this season. They stand second in the 992-cup car category.
money on offer for the men’s event was They are also in charge of striking broad- At the Canadian Open, Ben Shelton event. In the five intervening years, only “Three podiums from a brand new team was unexpected, especially their first
over $9 million and that for the women’s cast and sponsorship deals for their tour- (above), who won the men’s singles four women’s matches have made the win in Dubai, which had the highest number of participants,” says Peter Freij,
event was just over $5 million. Ben Shel- naments and generating revenue streams. title, got $1,124,380, while the grade. In 2024 and 2025, 22 men’s and operational manager of the Creventic Series. “It’s the first time we have had an
ton, who won the men’s singles title at the Historically, women’s sports have been women’s singles champion, Victoria not a single women’s match was sched- Indian team and we knew there was a film star, but no one expected the crowds
Canadian Open, got $1,124,380 while the pushed to the sidelines. The US Open had Mboko, earned $752,275. uled in the prime-time slot. French Ten- that came to see him, we had to get extra staff to manage it,” he says, laughing.
women’s singles champion, Victoria pioneered change when it became the PHOTOGRAPHS FROM AFP nis Federation president Gilles Moretton “For endurance races you need three, sometimes four drivers. I fund this team
Mboko, earned $752,275. first tennis tournament to offer equal defended it, saying, “Sometimes for the and pay the drivers (instead of the usual model of having drivers bring in funds
The gender pay gap widens down the prize money in 1973, but it took over 30 night session, we need to put better and sponsors). I wanted to create a safe environment where drivers are not fight-
ladder—the first-round loser in the men’s years for all the majors to fall into line—the match, we think could be better for the ing for a spot but instead working together to make the team successful,” he
event got $23,760 as opposed to $12,770 at French Open was the last to adopt equal spectators.” explains. His team includes drivers Mathieu Detry, Fabian Duffieux and Cameron
the women’s event. With all the men’s pay in 2007. Ever since tennis opened “We are an event that is supposed to be McLeod, while businessman Shiva Swamynath is the team manager. “Ajith is not
tournaments reduced to best-of-three sets doors to professionals, in 1968, women equal. Slams, it’s supposed to be equal. here only for himself; he’s a humble guy and most people can’t believe what a
outside the majors, the previous argument have been playing catch up. Why not give us some more chances to mega star he is till they see it,” says Duffieux.
of “more money because they play five Roger Federer had sparked a wave of be?” World No.4 Jessica Pegula told Ajith and Swamynath have been close friends for decades; they met while he
sets” does not hold water anymore. They support during the pandemic in 2020, reporters after her third-round match at was working in the latter’s family garment business, Global Resources. Swamyn-
play the same best-of-three format, the when he suggested it was time for the the 2025 French Open. “But again, it feels ath is also the managing director of a leisure marine business, consultant to multi-
same number of rounds in the same num- men’s and women’s tours to merge. This like just hitting my head against the wall ple management and retail businesses, and co-owns Venus motorcycling tours
ber of days at the same level of tourna- would mean not just a fairer distribution because I feel like we have been talking with Ajith. He may not have prior experience in the world of racing but he knows
ment. Yet women earn less. of wealth but also a better overall prod- about this for two, three, four (years), how to build and manage organisations.
“From the TV point of view, from the uct. While that remains a pipe dream, the probably forever, to be honest, because it’s As for the Asian Le Mans series, he says, “Next year, we’re are also eyeing GT3—
ticket selling, from every point of view, it’s WTA attempted to take away some never been equal.” that’s where the big game is in endurance racing—but the ultimate goal is Le
unfair,” World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka was scheduling ambiguity by adopting the Tunisian trailblazer Ons Jabeur, who Mans. People think it’s all glamour, but you’ve seen the reality—the crashes, the
quoted saying by The Guardian in August same tournament levels and structure as has been a vocal advocate for equal prize late-night repairs, the pressure.”
2024. “Of course, guys are always going to the ATP. money too, said, “It’s a bit ironic. They Spending a weekend with Ajith and his team in the pit garage is a revelation.
be physically stronger than women but it In June 2023, the WTA laid out a don’t show women’s sport, they don’t The atmosphere is emotionally charged but beneath the chaos is a deep camara-
doesn’t mean we’re not working as hard as planned “pathway to equal prize money” show women’s tennis, and then they ask derie. “Films… there were highs and lows, hits and flops but I kept at it, and here
they do. Women deserve to be paid an on the 50th anniversary of its formation. the question, ‘yeah, but mostly they I am. Racing is the same. I’m a nobody again. I have to work hard, improve myself,
equal amount of money that men do.” By 2027, they want to achieve parity watch men’.” and make sure our team gets the recognition it deserves,” he says. “It’s a lot like
One of the problems plaguing tennis is across all rounds of singles at the joint Billie Jean King, one of the founding my film career—the only difference is, in racing, there are no retakes.”
that it is governed by seven different enti- WTA-ATP 1000 and 500 events. Mean- members of the WTA, picked up the baton Ajith poses patiently with the hundreds of fans who gather at the garage after
ties. While the overbearing global body is while, the standalone WTA 1000 and 500 for pay parity when in 1970 the Italian every race. At an age when most people are contemplating retirement, he’s com-
the International Tennis Federation (ITF), events, which happen in the same week as Open paid her, the women’s champion, a peting with 18-year-olds. “I knew I was too old for single-seater racing. Here you
the four Grand Slams have their own sepa- ATP equivalents but in different cities, are With all men’s tournaments mere $600, as opposed to $3,000 to men’s see people even 60-plus racing; in fact, they’re probably the quickest drivers. I
rate committees. The Association of Ten- hoping for equal prize money by 2033. champion Ilie Nastase. Tennis has come a have a couple more years that I can race.”
nis Professionals (ATP) manages the “Women’s professional sports don’t reduced to best-of-three sets long way since and led the movement for With his star power, I wonder why the team doesn’t already have major spon-
men’s tour; the women’s tour is handled receive the same level of compensation for outside the majors, the equal prize money in sport. But 55 years sors. “Yes, many have approached us,” Ajith admits. “But I’m looking for a partner
by Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). those rights as men’s professional sports argument of ‘more money later, the battle for equality is still on. who sees me as a driver—not just a celebrity. I love that my fans are discovering
All these outfits have certain autonomy do, which is why you see lower prize and supporting motorsport because of me… I want this team to thrive beyond me
over the rules and regulations, be it over money paid or contracts (given) across all
because they play five sets’ Deepti Patwardhan is a sportswriter and offer opportunities to other Indian drivers as well.”
on-court coaching, tie-break rules etc. women’s sports versus those of men,” doesn’t hold water anymore. based in Mumbai. Renuka Kirpalani is executive editor, video content, at Autocar India.
08 SATURDAY, 16 AUGUST 2025
HYDERABAD COVER

A field guide to
reading freely
This Independence Day,

T
he freedom to read isn’t one of the fully inspire our readers to start many conversations
fundamental rights protected by the and discover the special freedom that books can
Lounge recommends Constitution. But it certainly is one of
those pesky acts of rebellion that
send our way.

books that encourage sleepless nights.

gives governments around the world
OF MESSY HANDS AND TOILING ANTS
young readers to Last week, the Jammu & Kashmir government
banned 25 books written by scholars, writers and
Jamini Roy’s Unbroken Lines (2023)
By Vinitha & Tanvi
reflect on ideas of journalists from being sold in the state, blaming
these works for “misguiding youth.” As an official oung Jamini wants to paint. He loves to mix
freedom and resilience notification put it, “This literature would deeply
impact the psyche of youth by promoting a culture
of grievance, victimhood, and terrorist heroism.”
Y mud and water and make a mess of his hands.
He is a keen observer of the land and its many
wonders. The scent of the shiuli flower, the designs
In a just world, a book’s merit ought to be left to of the alpona his mother draws every morning, the
the judgement of the reader, not pre-emptively carmine vermillion on her forehead, the leaves of the
decided and dismissed. So, this Independence Day, champa plant, the
Lounge decided to offer a small gift of freedom to ants who work
India’s youth—in the form of a curated reading list. tirelessly each
We wanted to take young readers on a journey of day. His family
discovering stories of freedom, resilience and grit. would say, “He
We didn’t want to set a bar in terms of genre, lan- will get over this
guage, level or geography. The best children’s girly thing of
books, we believe, resonate with readers of all ages. drawing alponas
We did set ourselves one condition: The books and drawing on
had to be quirky, exciting and the walls.” But
absorbing in a way regular “educa- Jamini knew he
tional” books are not. They had to would continue
be so good as to make young to work at it, just
readers forget online distrac- like the ants.
tions for some time and focus only on This book tells the story of artist Jamini Roy’s
the book at hand. early life, growing up in Beliatore in West Bengal,
While we put our heads together as a team a small town known for its folk art traditions.
and brainstormed, we also invited writers, Vinitha Ramchandani’s lucid prose is enriched by
illustrators, editors and publishers to tell Tanvi Bhat’s illustrations of Roy’s magical world
us about a book that mattered to them. of clay, cats and cows. Unbroken Lines is a celebra-
They may have read it growing up or dis- tion of the freedom to choose your path and be who
covered it as an adult but it is one they you want to be.
want every child to read. For obvious — Rituparna Roy
reasons, it had to be a book they had
no hand in producing.
What follows is a list of titles we LESSONS FROM MANTO’S
came up with—necessarily sub- SODA THEORY
jective, selective and incom- Mantoo Ke Mazameen (2016)
plete—but one that will hope- By Saadat Hasan Manto

A SEA OF FANTASTICAL STORIES Ten leading writers, illustrator

favourites—stories, poems, p

RUN WILD, RUN FREE, RUN HOME Another book, which I would highly recommend is readers aged 8 and Aparna Kapur reads, writes and edits children’s books.
MANJULA PADMANABHAN OGD by Anushka Ravishankar. When I first acquired above, which is about Her latest novel is An Absence of Squirrels.
Where the Wild Things Are (1963) it, I thought that it was full of such fantastical nonsense a young child bring-
Written & illustrated by Maurice Sendak that it would be easy to read. But I was wrong. The ing a polar bear back
book poses quite a to Bear Island. It is
ax is naughty. He’s sent to bed without supper. lovely challenge for about empathy, kind- ENTERING MAGICAL WORLDS

M So he runs off to where the Wild Things are. Has

a grand time. When he tires of having fun, he
returns to his room. And his supper “… is still hot.”
kids and adults alike—
you have to approach
it with an open mind,
ness and the fact that
you are never too
young to make a dif-
PANKAJ SAIKIA
Haroun and the Sea of Stories (1990)
By Salman Rushdie
The drawings show us gloriously comic monsters. turn down logic and ference. The book
Fearsome horns, teeth and tails! Some have human feet, submit yourself to the also spotlights here are three books that meant a lot to me grow-
some have friendly eyes.
The sublime twist of
the tale is packed into
story. Another book in
a similar vein is What
the Dark Sounds Like. I
human-animal rela-
tionships and creates
environmental aware-
T ing up. One is about Haroun—this book is signifi-
cant as it is a story about stories, and how impor-
tant they are to our lives. Haroun, in his magical jour-
those final words. Max bought the book for ness. Each of these ney, discovers that we are all made up of such stories,
is free to run AND free its illustrations and books will wean kids away from the screen and and that happy endings do come about—but to achieve
to return. No penalties stayed on for the immerse them into these wonderful worlds. those, we first need to
either way. He enjoys words. This sparsely Stuti Agarwal is an author of children’s and young embark on an adventure.
his wildness thor- written book says so adult fiction, including Daisies in the Wild and The Then there is Siyali Pale-
oughly. But when he much without trying too hard. The words put seeds in Adventures of Young Kalam. goi Ratanpur, or The Fox
returns it’s because he your head, and the ideas keep germinating. Take, for reaches Ratanpur in
wants to. instance, the sentence: What does happiness smell English, by Nabakanta
To choose what you like? It is such a lovely idea about the tiny little things Baruah. This is an Assam-
already have must that we overlook. A WORLD WITH NINE KINDS OF PIE ese classic and probably
surely be the happiest freedom of all. Ogin Nayam is a visual artist and picture book maker APARNA KAPUR one of the best nonsensi-
Manjula Padmanabhan is an award-winning from Arunachal Pradesh. Harold and the Purple Crayon (1955) cally sensible books ever
playwright, novelist, cartoonist and children’s book By Crockett Johnson written. Nothing makes
illustrator. sense and yet you will not
f there’s one book that represents the sort of freedom be able to put it down till

SUBMITTING TO THE STORY

BOOKS THAT BUILD WORLDS
STUTI AGARWAL
I Go Quiet (2019)
I we need most in our lives right now, we couldn’t do
much better than this simple masterpiece about a
child and the world he
the last page. And then
there is Persepolis, the
graphic novel by Marjane
OGIN NAYAM By David Ouimet builds with his purple Satrapi, which is one of the best coming-of-age stories
What the Dark Sounds Like (2023) crayon. Crockett John- told in this format. I keep revisiting the book as I never
By Aparna Kapur his is an exquisitely illustrated picture book, son was an outspoken, tire out of Marjane’s childhood memories of the Iranian
Illustrated by Krishna Bala Shenoi

am a picture book maker and yet while growing up

T which I highly recommend for parents and kids
alike. Authored by David Ouimet, the story is
about an anxious, shy girl, who discovers possibilities
radical artist and his
strong belief in the
freedom of thought
revolution and her journey of self-discovery.
Pankaj Saikia is an illustrator and children’s book
author from Assam.

I in Arunachal Pradesh, I had no idea or concept of a

picture book. Tinkle came into my life only when I
was in class V. My school library had age-inappropri-
for herself in the world of books and words. The book
is about how she finds her voice and courage to speak
out in a society that is isolationist and judgemental. I
runs through Harold’s
story.
Harold’s self-made
ate books like Tell Me Your Dreams by Sidney Sheldon. don’t see a lot of picture books taking on such com- journey exemplifies LIFE LESSONS FROM BOOKS
A class VII student should not be reading this. I got plex themes. I feel I Go Quiet is a reminder to parents the freedom to be curi- SHAHU PATOLE
introduced to picture books very late in life, when I to accept their kids as they are and let them become ous and open-minded; Mother (1906)
was pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Bengaluru. Illus- their own person. For slightly older kids, I would sug- the freedom of move- By Maxim Gorky
trator Canato Jimo became a mentor to me, and I came gest Greenglass House by Kate Milford. I am a fantasy ment; of making mis-
across the wonderful Owl Babies in the mini library head and enjoy world building. It is tough to find takes and recovering from them; the freedom to lose t was after joining junior college in Osmanabad (now
that he has at his home. This 1992 book by Martin
Waddell, with illustrations by Patrick Benson, was a
revelation. If I had found Owl Babies early in life, my
books with intricate worlds, which really do a great
job of drawing you in, and Milford does it beautifully
in this book. The winter setting adds to the intrigue.
one’s way and ask for directions. Most of all, readers can
walk away with the freedom to imagine the sort of world
they want to see—hopefully, it’ll be one that includes
I Dharasheev district) that I first came across books by
Maxim Gorky and George Orwell, and titles such as
Mother, Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm left a
engagement with art would have started way sooner. Another one is The Last Bear by Hannah Gold, for nine kinds of pie. huge impact on me. The library became my haven.
R STORY SATURDAY, 16 AUGUST 2025
HYDERABAD 09

O
f the 21 short essays in this book, Hindi A CHILDHOOD UNLIKE ANY OTHER TWO LIVES IN THE MIRROR
Aur Urdu is a favourite. Manto (1912-55) Postbox Kashmir (2021) Savitribai Phule and I (2020)
imagines a conversation between a Hindu By Divya Arya By Sangeeta Mulay
and a Muslim. Both are quibbling over which

T S
drink is better: lemon or soda. Munshi Narain he distance between Srinagar and Delhi is less habri and Savitri may be separated by more
Prashad prefers lemon soda because it has flavour, than 800km, but the psychological gulf that than 200 years of “progress”, yet their experi-
is tangy and also sweet, while Mirza Muhammad separates children growing up in these two ences remain uncannily similar. Born in a poor
Iqbal is adamant cities is hard to bridge. In 2017, BBC journalist Divya Dalit village, both overcame insurmountable odds
on soda as that’s Arya got two schoolgirls, Saumya and Duaa, to write to get where they are. Shabri got admission into an
what he has at letters to each engineering college in the 21st century through the
home. At one other from Delhi reserved cate-
point Munshi and Kashmir, gory, while Savi-
says, “Arrey bhai, respectively. As tribai Phule
lemon aur soda K a s h m i r became a pioneer
main farak hi remained caught of women’s edu-
kya hai.... Unki in a communica- cation in the
poori jaan gas tion blackout, 1800s.
main hai.” This they had to do In this hard-
tongue-in- this the old-fash- hitting story of
cheek banter ioned way: with grit and resil-
continues with pen and paper. ience, Sangeeta
neither man Thus began a Mulay draws par-
ceding ground. dialogue between allels between
T her e’s a n pen pals of the the lives of her
essay on corrupt same generation, two protagonists
politicians and each bursting to reveal the
one on flirting. with questions (often invisible)
A young reader might wonder what has changed for the other: Are trauma that
since Manto wrote Hindi Aur Urdu? Aren’t we there only Muslims in Kashmir? Do girls throw informs the expe-
still debating over languages? Perhaps they can stones at the army? Can you imagine living without rience of Dalit young adults, even in “reputed” edu-
apply the “soda” theory to various situations and phone network or internet even for a day? cational institutions. While beacons like Savitribai
figure out in what proportion they want the Postbox Kashmir paints an authentic portrait of Phule continue to show the way to Dalit teenagers,
tangy, sweet and salty. Or they could keep it children’s lives in conflict zones to their more fortu- her story will hopefully also inspire other young
plain. But what’s important is that they should nate peers who have always been able to take their readers to speak up against one of the grossest injus-
not let go of the fizz. right to exist and live freely for granted. tices of humanity.
— Nipa Charagi — Somak Ghoshal — Somak Ghoshal

A SKY FULL OF DREAMS A QUESTING SPIRIT GOING BEYOND LABELS

Out in the moonlight (2023) Nalak (1916) Freak the Mighty (1993)
By Perumal Murugan By Abanindranath Tagore By Rodman Philbrick
Illustrated by Ashok Rajagopalan Translated by Urbi Bhaduri

T
his book is an emotional roller-coaster ride

B F
etween grazing the cattle, farming and or Bengali children of my generation, Abanin- about two friends, who are seen as “freaks” by
cooking, Amma hardly got a break,” Peru- dranath Tagore’s Nalak was a rite of passage. society. Max is tall and large and suffers from
mal Murugan writes in Out in the Moon- The book was prescribed as a “rapid reader” in a developmental disorder. Though gentle by nature,
light, drawing on his experiences as a child. The school but widely loved, despite it being a part of the he is deemed as a bully by people who are intimi-
book is set in a curriculum. A lyrical story about the life of the Bud- dated by his size. Kevin, who has been diagnosed
small village in dha told through the eyes of a village boy, it is suf- with Morquio
Tamil Nadu, fused with a mag- Syndrome, also
where a mother ical aura of quest carries the weight
works in the mil- and discovery. of society’s labels.
let fields in the Instead of going A chance
middle of the to school, Nalak, encounter brings
night, while the eponymous the two together,
tending to her boy hero, longs after which little
newborn and his for the freedom Kevin starts rid-
five-year-old of the forests. He ing on Max’s
brother as they likes to sit with shoulders regu-
fall asleep under the wise men and larly—and as a
a moonlit sky. meditate instead. joke they start
To her children, Amma is fearless and unstop- Nalak has a vision calling this form,
pable as she ferries them along the lonely forest of the birth of the Freak the Mighty.
path, undaunted by the perils of the wild. Com- Buddha and, This story, meant
plete with vivid images of rural life, this pic- while he never for kids aged 12-13 and above, is not about accept-
ture book evokes the hardships as well as gets to meet him ance from others but about confronting inner
the freedom of living on a farm, espe- in person, he is demons and making peace with them. As my daugh-
cially for young readers consumed by touched by his ter—who is reading it for a school project— puts it:
the distractions of city life and its easy grace forever. A quietly rebellious and questioning “The story helps you recognise that it is your differ-
conveniences. tale that remains evergreen to this day.
—Rituparna Roy — Somak Ghoshal TURN TO PAGE 10

ILLUSTRATIONS FROM ISTOCKPHOTO

rs, editors and publishers from the industry share their personal
picture books that readers of all ages would enjoy and learn from

Before that, when I was in boarding school in my vil- sacred bonum bottu (pot) on her head and leading the ature of the time. of Karadi Tales.
lage, Khamgaon, boxes of books would come to the procession). Determined and armed with an almost oth- Bannada tagadina
classroom every week. They were mobile libraries of er-worldly fervour, she marches on, balancing the bottu tuttoori, kaasige kon-
sorts, which featured popular books like Shyamchi Aai, on her head. She belongs to the shepherd community, danu Kasturi, is a per-
an autobiography of social activist Pandurang Sadashiv and therefore, not of a sonal favourite, about a RELIGION AS ENCHANTMENT,
Sane, or Sane Guruji, which was later turned into a caste high enough to boy called Kasturi who MYTHOLOGY AND LITERATURE
movie that won the own the ritual. She is very proud of his L. SOMI ROY
first Presidential threatens to break his small trumpet and The Pilgrim’s Progress (1678)
Award for best film in bones and rip his intes- learns a lesson in By John Bunyan
India. However, I tines out if he dares to humility by the end of

I
could not relate to the stop her. the song. The poems came across John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress in
book—I am not being A more defiant and are set in an older, now the school library one day. I did not know then it was
critical of the book but fiery set of words has obsolete, world but the the first novel in the English language, in 1678; and
its setting and culture not been associated sense of innocence, only vaguely that it was a Christian allegory. I got deeply
was different from the with a mother in any of about finding joy in immersed in the landscape of our hero Christian’s
one that I had grown our homegrown picture books; words that not only simple things, are adventures. Even today when I feel down, I remember
up in. But in junior col- challenge and subvert centuries of caste- and gender- reminders even us Christian crossing the Slough of Despond. Surely Bun-
lege, when I read based oppression but also inspire her son to later take adults could use today. I read them now and then, for a yan would have been rather dismayed to learn that it
Mother, it did not seem on championing the cause of the trampled-upon. In her touch of nostalgia, sure, but more to appreciate just how was The Pilgrim’s Progress that opened my eyes to reli-
alien to me. It ferocity is the seed of freedom that she sows, not just for many wonderful kinds of Kannadas there are in speech gion as enchantment, mythology and literature, and for-
expanded my world- herself but for her lot. and text in Karnataka. ever inoculated me
view, and I could relate And then, Deepa Bhasthi is a writer and translator based in against religion as
to the themes of social With the Bonam pot in her left hand Kodagu, Karnataka. She won the International Booker belief— quite the
injustice. I also read Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Throwing a curse with her right, Prize 2025 for translating Heart Lamp: Selected Stories opposite of the good
Farm by Orwell alongside. A year later, in 1975 when She demolished the Patel, by Banu Mushtaq. preacher man’s intent
the Emergency was declared, I felt that I had read about Shooed the brother away, in writing his classic.
such events only recently, and they were unfurling in Pallu tied to the waist, That a book could be
front of my eyes. I can still relate to these books, and She m a r c h e d across t h e m a i z e fields structured and told in
recommend it to all teens and young adults, as the Ahead of all. FINDING YOUR OWN VOICE different ways was
themes mentioned in them continue to stay relevant. Richa Jha is a writer, editor and publisher of Pickle SHOBHA VISWANATH impressed upon my
Shahu Patole is a retired government officer and author Yolk Books, an indie publishing house for children’s books Sa Re Ga Ma Pakshi (2025) young teenage mind
of books, including Dalit Kitchens of Marathwada. in English. Written & Illustrated by Rishi Sahany by the two-volume All
Men are Brothers, the

S
a Re Ga Ma Pakshi is a wordless picture book translation by the
where music takes flight as birds. The guru’s birds wonderful Pearl S.
THE MOTHER WHO MARCHED JOY IN SIMPLE THINGS (notes) soar with Buck of the Ming
BRAVELY DEEPA BHASTHI grace, but the child’s Dynasty Chinese clas-
RICHA JHA Ratnana Padagalu—Nagana small bird falters, falls, sic novel, Water Mar-
Mother (2024) Padagalu (2016) and is tucked back in gin, written by Shi Nai’an in the mid-14th century. Oh,
By Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd, By G.P. Rajarathnam until, through patience the rousing fights, the never-ending run from the gov-
Illustrated by Lokesh Khodke and Shefalee Jain and practice, it finally ernment forces, the testing of loyalties, the betrayals,

G
Translated by Deeptha Achar P. Rajarathnam was best known for his chil- takes wing. It circles the brotherhood of the 108 outlaws offered thrill after
dren’s poems, although his writing career oceans and forests, thrill for this boy reader. And each chapter followed a

T
here is a point in Mother, written by academic, spanned literary criticism, essays, short stories wraps the sky, and hero, who was a minor character in the preceding one.
Dalit rights activist and political theorist Kancha and much else. Several generations of us grew up returns to stay. This What a way to keep the multiple heroes entering and
Ilaiah, where the book’s already charged narrative singing his songs, collected, most recently, as Rat- story shows that free- exiting the ever-evolving narrative. These were some of
takes on a viscerally terrifying, almost ominous tone. nana Padagalu—Nagana Padagalu. I don’t remember dom isn’t about doing anything you wish; it’s about find- the many, as I recall today, which sealed my love of
The author describes his mother’s fearless challenge to reading his widely loved poems as much as listening ing and keeping your own voice. When the little bird reading with the wonder and enchantment of a child.
her brother (and, by extension, to the high caste Patels to them on cassette tapes. The Kannada he used was soars at last, it’s not just music in the air, it’s the quiet tri- L. Somi Roy is a cultural conservationist, curator,
and Patwaris who “conspired to trample her right” at colloquial, rooted in rural, everyday lives, and had umph of true independence. translator and author of books such as And That is Why:
the Bonalu festival for stopping her from carrying the none of the lofty, formal tone one found in adult liter- Shobha Viswanath is a writer and publishing director Manipuri Myths Retold.
10 SATURDAY, 16 AUGUST 2025
HYDERABAD CULTURE

Spy series focuses on the wrong lead

Gaurav Shukla’s spy what we do). Both are delivered in a flat can feel the tension between a character the capture of a minor antagonist named
voiceover by Pratik Gandhi, who plays actor who’d relish the challenge of making Bilal (Rajesh Khera), an arms dealer in
series ‘Saare Jahan Se intelligence agent Vishnu Shankar. After a drab agent interesting and a star who’s London with a weakness for women. The
the formation of RAW in 1968, its head, supposed to carry the production. Vishnu multiple subplots—the race to extract
Accha’ can’t add anything R.N. Kao (Rajat Kapoor), sends Vishnu on is a cypher, as spies must often be, but information from Bilal, the kidnapping of
new to the saturated a top-secret mission: relocate to Islama- Gandhi can’t find a way to make this shad- his son back in Pakistan, Murtaza getting
bad and sabotage Pakistan’s nuclear owy figure compelling. He keeps losing increasingly suspicious—are woven
espionage genre weapons programme. scenes—to the confident Hinduja, to Till- together nicely by editor Aarif Shaikh and
Vishnu’s primary asset there is Sukh- otama Shome, rather wasted here as his Sumit Purohit, who directs all the epi-
bir (Suhail Nayyar), alias Rafiq, an Indian confused, neglected wife, and to Nayyar, sodes. I also appreciate that the Indian
Uday Bhatia posing as a Pakistani stockbroker. Rafiq, whose Sukhbir turns out to be the sad agents, till then less cutthroat than their
[email protected] a capable but reluctant spy, helps cor- heart of the series. I couldn’t help but Pakistani counterparts, are shown using
rupt lieutenant colonel Rizwan (Kapil imagine a richer, more complex show torture, not on a particularly bad person,

S
aare Jahan Se Accha spends most Radha) with his investments, and is woo- built around Sukhbir: a fascinating figure, but one they need information from
of its time listing differences ing his sister Naseem (Diksha Juneja). resourceful, lonely, an Indian pretending quickly. This and a messy kill in the previ-
between India and Pakistan. But Vishnu, tailed and intimidated by local to be Pakistani, a Sikh posing as Muslim, ous episode go some way to dispelling the
Netflix’s new spy series can’t help draw agents despite ostensibly being a diplo- blackmailed by his country, with genuine notion of a “right” side.
attention to a common heritage: lan- mat, carefully pulls strings too. He attachments to the people he’s spying on. There are only six episodes, each
guage. Characters switch naturally pushes Naushad (Anup Soni), a Pakistan There are recent shows that have gone between 30-45 minutes—a fairly slim
between Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and army brigadier whom they’ve been all-out with period recreation (Jubilee) offering. Surprisingly, there’s no real
English, as so many did in undivided blackmailing, and tries to win over Fat- and those that managed it with a few attempt to tease a second season. Vishnu
Punjab. The Punjabi in particular—spo- ima (Kritika Kamra), an anti-bomb jour- smart touches (Rocket Boys). Saare Jahan and Kao spend all season insisting India
ken by Pakistani and Indian characters— nalist who happens to be nuclear engi- Se Accha tries the latter, but, apart from a isn’t working on a nuclear bomb (it’s
is mellifluous, flowing off the tongues of neer Munir Khan’s niece. Seemingly sequence at a screening of cult horror described as a “moral line”, one that a
the actors, not the same intonations ahead at every step is Murtaza Malik film Zinda Laash, the research and nation like Pakistan would cross but we
you’d hear in a modern Hindi film. It (Sunny Hinduja)—“Pakistan’s most detailing are inadequate. The clothes, the wouldn’t). The truth is, India’s nuclear
reminded me of Song of Lahore (2015), capable officer”, in the words of Presi- hair, the speech, the cultural markers— weapons programme was very much in
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s musical doc- dent Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Pratik Gandhi in ‘Saare iour, and it keeps us on edge. He’s as for- little of it suggests a convincing 1970s swing by then, culminating in the Pok-
umentary, with the Punjabi session play- From the moment he’s introduced, Jahan Se Accha’. midable a spy as Vishnu, but happier in Pakistan. “Tumhare takes kya hain?” is hran-I tests. I thought the show might be
ers hitting the consonants in trumpeter the show has a problem. Murtaza is sim- the spotlight, wittier and more com- something you wouldn’t hear today, let saving this as the A-plot for Season 2, but
Wynton Marsalis’ name: “Vin-ttun”. ply more interesting than Vishnu. Hin- manding. alone 50 years ago. was less certain once the 1974 tests were
The show, created by Gaurav Shukla, duja plays him with a mixture of sardonic Vishnu, on the other hand, never feel Rajat Kapoor may be styled to look like mentioned at the end of the last episode.
opens with conspiracy theory (the CIA reserve and restless intelligence. It lends right at the centre of the show. Gandhi is Alec Guinness’ Smiley, but Saare Jahan Se Espionage is a saturated genre in India
blowing up a plane with Indian nuclear a tension to every scene he’s in, even a deft actor who was working steadily in Accha doesn’t want to be John le Carré. In right now, and Saare Jahan Se Accha
physicist Homi Bhabha on board) and when the situation doesn’t warrant it— the theatre and Gujarati cinema before its better moments, it has some of the doesn’t do enough to stand out. If it does
boilerplate spy drama truths (we operate we can’t tell how closely he’s reading Scam 1992 thrust him into lead roles in enjoyable pulpiness of the Yash Raj spy return, I hope it’s at least with a more
in the shadows, our families don’t know into his close friend Naushad’s behav- Hindi films. In Saare Jahan Se Accha, you films. One of its episodes revolves around stirring, less shaken protagonist.

FROM PAGE 9

ences that make you powerful, no matter what peo- learns about the tragedy, he swears revenge and THE ARTIST’S STORYBOARD ment in 1946-47. His series, Wounds, featuring love rises above societal diktats. A young girl, Aye-
ple say.” sets out in pursuit of the Japanese colonel who This is How I Draw (2025) broken bodies, stemmed from all that he saw and sha, is all set to participate in the wedding of her
—Avantika Bhuyan killed his friend, Uti. By Aindri C, Deepa Balsavar, Ogin Nayam, Pankaj felt. Likla and Bhatia introduce children to Hore’s cousin, Ritu. Even though family and friends stand
Part-adventure story and part-historical fiction, Saikia, Prabha Mallya, Priya Kuriyan, Rajiv Eipe childhood—which was witness to such horrors— in support of this same-sex wedding, certain people
Siddhartha Sarma’s acclaimed young-adult novel and ask them to reflect on what a world without try to disrupt the

W
FORGOTTEN HISTORIES OF REBELLION resurrects a relatively forgotten era of Indian his- here do artists and authors get their violence would feel like. There are pages where ceremony. The
Disaibon Hul (2014) tory through a story of friendship that turns into a amazing ideas from? Does a part of their kids can articulate feelings of anxiety and pain. At book shows the
By Ruby Hembrom quest for justice and independence. brain suddenly go eureka or does magic a time when the world is gripped by uncertainty, power of the
Illustrated by Saheb Ram Tudu —Somak Ghoshal happen in their dreams? Kids have always won- books such as these help children give expression youth’s voice
dered about how creative people get inspired and to complex emotions. against preju-

O
ver 10 years ago, Ruby Hembrom, this book acts as the perfect behind-the-scenes. —Avantika Bhuyan dice and homo-
founder of the not-for-profit publishing THE WISDOM OF ANIMAL COMPANIONS Seven artists- phobia. In an
platform Adivaani, published Disaibon ‘Sona’ from My Family authors share interview, Nar-
Hul (“Remember the rebellion,” in Santali), a pic- (originally published in Hindi as ‘Mera Pari- how ideas from A FABLE THAT KEEPS GIVING vankar has said
ture book commemorating the Santal rebellion of var’ in 1972) the everyday The Giving Tree (1964) that the book
1855-57. Beautifully illustrated by Saheb Ram By Mahadevi Varma coalesce on to By Shel Silverstein consciously steered clear of a tragic representation
Tudu, the story their story- of the queer community. Rather, it was a celebra-

S S
brings to life a ona is one of the many evocative portraits that boards. If Rajiv hel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree has gone tion of love, and an effort to make the community
key moment author-educationist Mahadevi Varma drew of Eipe becomes a into many reprints, beloved for its evocative more visible in children’s books. And that’s what it
from India’s her animal companions. Whether it was the fly on the wall, yet simple illustrations of the lifelong rela- does beautifully.
recent past, young calf Gaura, or the mischievous squirrel Gillu, Deepa Balsavar tionship between a boy and a tree, and the idea of —Avantika Bhuyan
which is and the majestic peacock Neelakanth, each of these experiments generosity. Reading it as an adult, it feels less like
ignored by adopted family with material a tale about sharing (as it was held up to me when
mainstream his- members in and lets her I was a child) A STORY ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE
tory, when a Varma’s stories imagination take over in her drawings. Aindri C. and more like a Savi and the Memory Keeper (2021)
contingent of stands as a testa- opts for nature printing, an age-old method of cautionary tale By Bijal Vachharajani
Santali men, ment to the capturing impressions of plants. The book is for about human

H
women and children, took up arms against their compassion, children of all ages, who seek inspiration to get self-centred- ow does a teen grapple with loss—of a par-
colonial masters, exploitative traders and unscru- wisdom and their creative juices flowing. ness, and in that ent, a known way of living and of the
pulous zamindars. emotional intel- —Avantika Bhuyan sense, this is a immediate environment? In this book,
Led by the brothers Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu, ligence of ani- fable that keeps Vachharajani brings together grief, climate
this revolt was a precursor of the freedom move- mals, which we on giving. For change and magical realism. The story is centred
ment, which deserves to be studied and remem- don’t often IN OTHER WORLDS adults and chil- around Savi, who arrives in a new city called Sha-
bered by children and adults across ages. acknowledge. The Secret Commonwealth (2019) dren today, this jarpur, clutching on to 42 plants, which remain
—Somak Ghoshal Sona is a heart- By Philip Pullman is a great book the most tangi-
warming tale of to start conver- ble memories of

I
a doe, who n The Book of Dust, Philip Pullman expands the sations about her father. A
HUMAN FACE OF HISTORY becomes a part universe he created in His Dark Materials, a tril- healthy rela- giant ficus tree
Footnotes in Gaza (2009) of the author’s ogy of books that explore ideas around religion, tionships, choi- in her school
Written & illustrated by Joe Sacco household and philosophy, love and friendship via a ripping ces and bounda- becomes her
the curious adventure tale that is quite unlike anything ries (because the boy is ultimately an ingrate who companion in

A
s the genocide against Palestinians contin- interactions she has with the other animals. I first devoted readers of fantasy have ever read. The strips the tree of everything, leaving just a stump grief when it
ues in Gaza, there’s no better time to intro- read the story in Hindi in my school reader and was Secret Common- behind), selfishness, gratitude, even the joy of giv- starts commu-
duce young readers to this classic by one of drawn to the visual vocabulary Varma used to wealth is the ing and receiving. Each reading can spark a dis- nicating with
the pioneers of graphic non-fiction books. Jour- describe her: “Sunehre rang ke reshmi lacchon ki second book of cussion about the many emotional lessons we the young girl.
nalist Joe Sacco looks back on the trail of destruc- gaanth ke samaan uska komal laghu shareer, chota the new series need to make our way in the world. Around the
tion left by Israel on Khan Yunis and Rafah in 1956 sa muh aur badi badi paanidar aankhein… (her tiny (of which the —Shalini Umachandran same time, the
through inter- body akin to a cluster of golden threads, a small face third and final climate in Sha-
views with eye- and big fluid eyes)”. The end would move anyone to book is jarpur takes a
witnesses 50 tears—but more importantly, Varma’s writing spot- expected in BIG ISSUES AND WHIMSICAL ART turn for the
years later. The lights ways of co-existing with nature, ways which October). Pro- Our Friends, the Ogres (1974) worse and it is
result is “epic have now all but disappeared. tagonist Lyra is By K.G. Subramanyan left to Savi and
and intimate,” —Avantika Bhuyan older and has Eco Ants club

K
as one review lost some of the G. Subramanyan (1924-2016) is one of members to do something about it. Vachharajani
noted. Sacco’s moral certitude India’s most eminent artists, at once pro- bases parts of her book on Suzann Simard’s
history lessons FINDING PERFECT STORIES IN FLAWED of childhood lific, versatile and world famous, but it’s in research about the communication network
are delivered CHARACTERS here. As she his children’s books that I think one gets a meas- between trees in a forest and connects it with a
through his Nimona (2015) grapples with ure of the man. The characters in his stories for child’s life. Savi and the Memory Keeper is a gentle
nuanced story- By N.D. Stevenson questions of children, which speak as easily to adults, are play- companion for any teen undergoing loss or grief
telling, which individuality ful even as the of any kind.

I
makes the book watched the movie, Nimona, before reading the and identity stories are —Avantika Bhuyan
at once engag- graphic novel, and found the Oscar-nominated resulting from a fractured relationship with her sharp, critical
ing and memo- animation to be a watered-down version of the closest companion, she must also go on a journey and thought-
rable. The com- original story—perhaps to make the plot palatable to unravel a mystery that is threatening her world. provoking. Our CELEBRATING ALL BODY TYPES
bination of text to children of all ages. The graphic novel, intended This is a fascinating universe about power and pol- Friends, The Bodies are Cool (2021)
and images puts a human face to geopolitics, for young adults, itics to get lost in, and if you find echoes from our Ogres with its By Tyler Feder
building empathy and understanding in the presents an own in it, well, that’s a different adventure alto- paper collage

F
reader, which standard-fare history books rarely array of flawed gether. artwork in black reckled bodies, dotted bodies,
do as effectively. characters. Not —Shrabonti Bagchi and white is rosy-patched or speckled bodies,
—Somak Ghoshal one is perfect— easy to read and dark-skin-swirled-with-light-skin bodies,
something that understand, Bodies are cool!
appeals to teens ARTICULATING DIFFICULT FEELINGS using ogres as This body-affirming and inclusive picture book
JOINING THE JUSTICE LEAGUE far more. Stev- Somnath Hore: Wounds (2021) metaphors to is a must-read for adults and children alike. In a
The Grasshopper’s Run (2009) enson challen- By Likla explain complex ideas about industrialisation, global culture
By Siddhartha Sarma ges perceptions Illustrated by Kripa Bhatia and designed by environmentalism, urbanisation and displace- populated with
of good and evil, Shambhavi Thakur ment. The thoughts it evokes could even be used diet and lifestyle

I
t is 1944 and of monsters and to talk about feelings of loss that accompany envi- fads, which tend

H
the Japanese heroes. Unlike ow do you convey complex emotions ronmental change—after all, who hasn’t mourned to idealise a sin-
have invaded the film, the behind an artwork to kids? Somnath Hore: the loss of a beautiful tree or a beloved playground gle body type,
British India. As book offers Wounds to a glassy office complex. Bodies are Cool
they massacre plausible scien- can help. Hore, —Shalini Umachandran by Tyler Feder is
an Ao Naga vil- tific explana- a sculptor and about body posi-
lage in the Naga tions as to why printmaker, was tivity and
Hills, a young Nimona shape- d e e p l y A CELEBRATION OF LOVE acceptance and
boy, who had shifts. It presents complex worlds and themes of impacted by the Ritu Weds Chandni (2020) that not every-
been away in fluid identities. A 13-year-old, who keeps going suffering that By Ameya Narvankar one needs to
Calcutta (now back to the graphic novel, revealed that the book ensued after the look alike. “Feder hopes the book shows that it is

I
Kolkata) for his had relatable problems at the heart of it—unlike Bengal famine s it utopian to imagine a world where a union of normal to be trans or visibly queer or very fat or
studies, loses his fantasy stories, which present conspiracy theories of 1943 and the two people is viewed beyond the stifling silos of with a really noticeable disability,” as a 2022-article
best friend. that not everyone can connect to. Tebhaga peas- gender, caste and class? In Ritu Weds Chandni, in NPR puts it.
When Gojen —Avantika Bhuyan ant-led move- Narvankar tries to imagine such a scenario, where —Avantika Bhuyan
 FOCUS SATURDAY, 16 AUGUST 2025
HYDERABAD 11

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY DELHI ART GALLERY COLLECTION GETTY IMAGES

The man who

photographed
mountains
Vittorio Sella’s camera itself weighed around 40
pounds and each glass negative
pioneering work from around 2 pounds. Along with this
there was a heavy tripod to sup-
his 1899 and 1909 port the equipment. Sella carried
Indian expeditions much of this equipment himself as
he climbed up steep mountain
revolutionised heights. Later as technology
evolved, he switched to the
K2 photographed by Sella from Camp V on the Savoy Glacier during the 1909 Karakoram expedition.

nature photography smaller Ross and Co. cameras shot what was eventually recog- tains in Uganda known as Mountains of the classics of mountain photography.
around 1893 and finally towards nised as one the finest photo- the Moon. On the Uganda expedition Sella returned to Biella in 1909 after
the end of his career, he also used graphs of Siniolchu (6,888m). along with the ascent of Mt Stanley, the the expedition and focused his energies
Sujoy Das one of the first hand-held Kodak Freshfield later described Siniol- fourth highest peak in Africa, Sella photo- on selling his prints and photographs. A
cameras. When Sella started out, it chu as “the most superb triumph graphed the exotic vegetation, rainforests large collection of his work was bought

F
or many years, I had looked was the era of the wet collodion of mountain architecture and the as well as the indigenous people of the by the National Geographic Society in
at books, magazines, web- photo process—where the glass most beautiful snow mountain in region. 1912. He was also made an honorary
sites and blogs, searching negatives had to be coated and the world”. The DAG exhibition Sella’s last major expedition was to member of the American Alpine Club in
for photographs taken by developed on site, a daunting task. has two prints of Siniolchu the Karakoram in 1909, at age 50, 1938. Sella continued to climb in the Ital-
Vittorio Sella. Over the Later around 1880, the dry gelatine besides images of Kangchen- where he produced some of his finest ian Alps, the Grand Paradiso ranges and
course of time, these photographs plate was introduced. It allowed junga and other satellite peaks of work, including K2, Broad Peak, the in 1935, at the age of 76, he made one last
became like familiar friends—and often, photographers to leave their the range. The expedition com- Gasherbrums, Muztagh Tower and attempt to climb the Matterhorn but was
on seeing a mountain image on Google, mobile darkrooms and work with pleted the circuit of the moun- Chogolisa, all of which can be seen at unsuccessful. Sella died in Biella in 1943
I knew it was by the Italian photogra- higher exposure speeds and better tain crossing the high Jongsong the exhibition. There are some magnif- at the age of 84.
pher. But nothing prepared me for the sensitivity and process the plates La, around 6,045m, from Sik- icent panoramas of the range from the In his memory, the Italian Alpine Club
enormity of the moment when I visited back home. Many of Sella’s later kim into Nepal in extremely dif- Baltoro glacier. The climb of Chogolisa set up Rifugio Vittorio Sella, an alpine hut,
the exhibition, titled Vittorio Sella: Pho- prints were the conventional silver ficult and snowy conditions. set a new altitude record of 7,498m, in the Grand Paradiso National Park. One
tographer in the Himalaya, which opened gelatine ones. Sella was possibly one Sella’s three major expeditions which remained unbroken until the of the peaks in the Ruwenzori range of
at Victoria Memorial Hall in Kolkata on of the first photographers to include (top) Broad Peak, Karakoram were with the Duke of the Abruzzi, who British expedition to the Everest in Africa on Mount Luigi di Savoia was also
8 August. human figures in his mountain land- mountain range, toned silver had a passion for mountains and the desire 1922. Unfortunately, the duke was named Sella peak in his honour.
Delhi Art Gallery (DAG), in collabora- scapes to provide a sense of scale, a tech- gelatin print mounted on card, to climb the highest peaks in the world. forced to turn around just 150m below In November 2019, I trekked to the
tion with Victoria Memorial, is showing nique which many modern photogra- 1909; and (above) Siniolchu, The duke also wanted to document his the summit due to bad weather. Inter- Pangpema base camp of Kangchenjunga
for the first time in India a collection of 78 phers also follow today. silver gelatin print mounted expeditions and with this in mind, he estingly, Chogolisa remained at 5,130m in Nepal, where Sella had
Sella prints from his expeditions around Sella climbed extensively in the Alps on card, 1899. invited Sella to accompany him to Alaska, unclimbed for 66 years until an Aus- climbed up to a grassy shelf and shot his
Kangchenjunga in 1899 and the Karako- from 1880-93. Some of his notable climbs Ruwenzori and finally to the Karakoram. trian expedition summitted the peak in magnificent panorama of Kangchenjunga
ram in 1909. were the first winter ascent of the Matter- In 1897, the duke along with Sella and 1975. Sella’s photograph of the duke and the glacier. In Sella’s footsteps, I
To see the original Sella prints—some of horn in 1882, the first winter ascent of his team summitted Mount Saint Elias in and his guides climbing the Chogolisa struggled up a steep slope trying to reach
the panoramas are over 10ft in length and Mont Rosa in 1884, and the first winter Alaska. In 1906, the duke asked Sella to icefall with enormous seracs about to the viewpoint. The Nepal earthquake of
meticulously stitched together—is truly a traverse of Mount Blanc in 1888. accompany him to the Ruwenzori moun- topple over their heads remains one of 2015 had reduced the hillside to a jumble
revelation. The stupendous details in the He also looked further afield and made GETTY IMAGES of rock and scree and the going was hard.
ridges, icefalls, glaciers and scree slopes in three expeditions to the Russian Caucasus As I looked out over the glacier and the
the images shot well over a hundred years in 1889, 1890 and 1896. On the first expe- base camp below to the lofty heights of
ago is mindboggling to say the least. dition, Sella and his team made an ascent Kangchenjunga on that clear autumn
A pioneering mountain photographer of Mount Elbrus (5,642m), the highest morning, what was most startling was the
of his generation, Sella set a benchmark in peak in Europe. Sella photographed absence of snow on the glacier. In around
the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In mountains in four continents—the Alps in 120 years, the snow covered glacier below
an era when photography was mainly con- Europe, Mount St Elias in North America Kangchenjunga had been reduced to a
fined to the realms of a studio in con- in 1897, Ruwenzori in Africa in 1906, and wasteland of rock and rubble. In these tur-
trolled conditions and the emphasis Kangchenjunga in Sikkim and Nepal in bulent times of extreme weather patterns,
remained on documentation, Sella took 1899 and K2 and the Karakoram in 1909 in glacial lake outbursts and climate change,
the large-format studio equipment to the Asia. Sella’s photographs stand as testimony as
lofty heights of the Himalaya and the Kar- It is pertinent to point out Sella’s rela- to what the great glaciers and mountains
akoram, creating images that went far tionship with two towering personalities: of the Himalaya and Karakoram looked
beyond mere documentation and are val- the British lawyer and explorer Douglas like many years ago.
ued today for their aesthetic beauty and Freshfield, who was president of the Royal The legendary American landscape
composition. Geographical Society and the Alpine Club, photographer Ansel Adams was a great
Sella was born in the small town of and the Italian nobleman, Prince Luigi admirer of Sella’s work. In an article in the
Biella at the foot of the Italian Alps in Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi, who Sierra Club Bulletin in 1946, Adams says,
1859. The family was wealthy and his became Sella’s patron. “… we are amazed by the mood of calm-
father owned a textile mill. He worked Knowing Sella’s reputation as a moun- ness and perfection pervading all of
for some time in the family business tain photographer, Freshfield invited Sella’s photographs. In Sella’s photo-
before his passion for mountains and Sella and his brother Erminio on a land- graphs there is no faked grandeur; rather
photography got the better of him. He mark expedition around Kangchen- there is understatement, caution, and
was inspired by his uncle Quintino, who junga, the third highest mountain in the truthful purpose… Sella has brought to us
was a keen mountaineer and the founder world, in 1899. In a letter to Sella, Fresh- not only the facts and forms of far-off
of the Italian Alpine Club. Sella started field wrote, “Could I hope to get you to splendours of the world, but the essence
climbing in the Alps. The story goes that bring your equipment and experi- of experience which finds a spiritual
one night in 1879, while attending an ence…but I should like to see those great response in the inner recesses of our
opera in Biella, Sella noticed a clear night peaks and go around Kangchenjunga… I mind and heart.”
sky. Dressed in his formal clothes, he have thought so for 20 years…perhaps it
rushed up the mountain to his small tent has got too late!” At Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata till 7
where a camera was mounted for such The Kangchenjunga expedition September, 10am-6pm. Closed on Mondays
eventualities and took a brilliant pano- encountered bad weather and extreme and public holidays.
rama of Mont Mars. snowfall on many days. Sella was
Sella started out by using the large undaunted. He put his heavy tripod and Sujoy Das is a Kolkata-based trekker,
plate 30x40cm Dallmeyer camera that 40-pound plate camera in the 3ft of snow mountain photographer and co-author of
he carried with him to the field. The on the Zemu glacier in North Sikkim and Vittorio Sella (right) with other members of the 1909 Karakoram expedition. Everest, Reflections on the Solukhumbu.
12 SATURDAY, 16 AUGUST 2025
HYDERABAD BUSINESS LOUNGE

Lal Chand Bisu

PUMP UP THE VOLUME The co-founder of Kuku FM and Kuku TV talks about the rise of microdramas in India, why
content is a volume game today, and hitting the 10-million paid users mark
Illustration by Priya Kuriyan

Shrabonti Bagchi
[email protected]

reparing for this meeting

P with Lal Chand Bisu,

co-founder of digital enter-
tainment company Kuku
FM, I started watching a
popular microdrama on Kuku TV, an app
launched by the company earlier this year
We are in the
for short-form fictional storytelling. The
show, called Revenge of My Fake Boyfriend,
turned out to be a slickly produced drama
with a tight script and competent acting by
fourth transition
fresh faces, aesthetically shot in a vertical
video format. Each episode of the show,
about a mega-rich girl fake-marrying a
now, when
self-made businessman, was only about 2.5
minutes long, like all Kuku TV’s microdra-
mas—a new genre in India inspired by
Korean and Chinese microdramas that the
streaming has
company is largely responsible for popula-
rising over the past few months.
It occurred to me that there was a whole
evolved into
world of entertainment out there that
people like me, hooked on British and
American TV shows on Netflix and Ama-
zon Prime, are completely unaware of. So
mobile-first
when I meet Bisu, 35, at Kuku FM’s office
in Bengaluru’s HSR Layout—the company
occupies two floors in a co-working
space—one of the first questions I ask is
premium content.
about this fragmentation of entertain-
ment. “This has been happening for a
while. Even if you look at user-generated
content on social media, your YouTube
feed and mine will be completely differ-
ent,” says Bisu. He has no doubt, he says,
that this is a good thing. “Now this is hap-
pening in professionally made content,
what we call premium content, as well.
And it is the future of entertainment—
because of the high number of content
pieces, everyone will have a different feed
and library.”

Starting at 250,000
subscribers in 2021, the
company has just
crossed 10 million paid
users, with 45% from
tier-2 cities

The five-year-old company is generat-

ing content at a fast clip. While the older
Kuku FM app contains thousands of audi-
obooks, talk shows, and audio dramas,
mostly in regional Indian languages, the
Kuku TV app is adding new videos every
day (they added over 200 new shows, each
between 1.5-2 hours long, just last month),
with many of the hit microdramas on the
platforms getting over 50 million views
each. “Indians had limited options to con-
sume content, especially professionally
made content. YouTube videos, Insta-
gram Reels are all there, but they don’t
meet the demand for knowledge-based
content or fiction and drama. We are close
to releasing 10 shows every day on Kuku
TV. Over time, based on people’s choice
and taste, they will get personalised and
different feeds on the app,” he says.
He does see it as a volume game, and
talks about how with each transition in the
way we consume entertainment, the net
volume of content available to us viewers
has jumped by several degrees. “First we
had movies releasing in theatres, right?
One movie every Friday. Then came tele- in revenue each month (Bisu did not con- While the Kuku FM app, among the top ciplinary test preparation for cracking sume while doing these tasks. Yes, there is
vision—and with the growth of cable TV, firm these numbers). Monetisation has 10 free apps on the Google App Play Store Last book read competitive exams, was acquired by no big audio culture in India—we will cre-
the amount of content being produced happened at a fast clip, driven by the ₹99 today, still contains a considerable ‘Alchemy: The Surprising Power another edtech company, Toppr, in 2015 ate that culture!”
jumped 100x. Then it was about stream- monthly subscription plan for Kuku FM amount of non-fiction content, audio of Ideas that Don’t Make Sense’ (Toppr was subsequently acquired by The next wave of content—one that we
ing, and once again the viewer needed a and ₹499 for three months for Kuku TV. series are the fastest-growing segment by Rory Sutherland Byju’s in 2021). Living in Mumbai was a are already in, by most accounts—is
lot more content because now they could Starting at 250,000 paying users in 2021, across the category in which it exists, with big change for Bisu, who was not used to AI-generated. Bisu says that almost
choose what they wanted to watch. We are it recently crossed 10 million paid users, competitors like Pocket FM (the current A recent show you local trains and long commutes. To kill 70-80% of their work, at least at the con-
in the fourth transition now,when stream- reveals Bisu. Around 35% of their users are market leader) and Pratilipi FM. Indian liked time as he travelled across Mumbai, he ceptualising and writing level, is done by
ing has evolved into mobile-first premium from tier-1 cities, while the bulk of the listeners clearly can’t get enough of serial- ‘White Lotus’ started listening to podcasts. “I realised AI today. It is also used in voiceovers,
content,” he says. audience, at 45%, is from tier-2 cities, with ised fiction, dramas, romance, thrillers, that it fit very well in my day-to-day life. I translating content from one language to
In this world, content is treated prima- the 25-35 age group over-represented in mythology, and biographies—all deliv- All-time fave used to do a lot of exercise, and in Mumbai another and many other tasks—pretty
rily as a commodity that will be consumed terms of the demographic of listeners. ered in episodic, binge-listenable formats. podcasts there was big commute time, so I would much everything except the actual acting
like so many packets of biscuits or bhu- Kuku FM started life as a podcast aggre- India’s audio boom is well docu- The Naval Podcast; The Joe end up consuming more than two hours of which is (still) done by humans in the
jiya—the snack food of art or entertain- gator in 2018, co-founded by Bisu, Vinod mented—a December 2023 survey by Rogan Experience podcasts daily...like Tim Ferris, Joe microdramas. “We start by thinking about
ment, if you will. “In mobile-first content, Kumar Meena and Vikas Goyal—all three Pocket FM showed that Indian users Rogan, and many podcasts related to the the title. Then we write the plot. Then we
you need a high pace, because your thumb are alumni of IIT Jodhpur. “At that time, spend over 140 minutes daily on audio startup world. Most of them were Ameri- write the script. Then we take it into audio
is literally one centimetre away from the audio content in India was almost entirely series, with 81% of the over 20,000 users can—there weren’t that many Indian pod- and video. Finally, we make visual assets
screen and from the stop or back button… music. There was a lack of spoken-word polled in the survey saying that they con- casts. And I thought ‘yaar, yeh to tagda for- like thumbnails, marketing material, or
you can change it at any moment. And sec- content, especially in regional languages,” sume audio entertainment daily. Mean- mat hai’ (‘it’s a solid format’).” episodic videos. So, in all these areas, AI
ond, you need lots of content, because you says Bisu. Around 2016, when the launch while, a 2024 report from Redseer indi- This observation came back to him after plays a big role,” he says. “We have created
can consume it any time—in the wash- of Reliance Jio brought high speed, cheap cated that the audio series segment has the sale of EasyPrep, when he and his our own AI tools and we use this native AI
room, while travelling—and again the vol- mobile data into the lives of millions of already captured an audience base at par co-founders were looking around for a end to end.”
ume has jumped 100x. In every transition Indians for the first time, there was a grow- with video-streaming and OTT platforms, fresh idea. “I started observing myself— He believes, however, that AI is a tool,
we needed 100x more content and that’s ing hunger for content in all formats, and with 10-11% of that base comprising paid what do I do in my day-to-day life, what much like search or email, and not a com-
what we are providing,” he explains. This the founders zeroed in on audio seeing the users, Mint reported in April 2025. impacts me? And usme se audio nikal ke petitor for humans: “You actually need
is also the logic behind the short-form gap in the category. “In the early days, we Born and raised in the village of Bathoth aya (the answer was audio). And after better quality creative people who can use
content the company is focused on today, experimented with a lot of things—self- in the Sikar district of Rajasthan, Bisu was almost a year, I connected the dots—I AI and give you more and better con-
because it believes full-length films or epi- help, biographies, summaries of popular among the first of his family to go to col- would create a product that I would con- tent...your AI output depends on the per-
sodes of shows are not ideal for quick, English books. We realised very quickly lege. He met his co-founders at IIT Jodh- sume myself, otherwise I will not start,” he son who is sitting in front of the desktop.
on-the-go consumption. that India’s audience responds to storytel- pur, from where he graduated in 2012 and says. “I was sure that though this is for a If you give AI tools to a mediocre creative
Valued at around $500 million, the ling in a very personal way and we ven- his co-founders in 2014. In 2013, he niche audience, the niche is quite big— guy, then you will get mediocre output,”
company is currently in the market for a tured into fiction (in the form of audio dra- founded edtech startup EasyPrep, which there are so many people who do repeat he says. “And at the volumes we are pro-
$70 million fund-raise, as per media mas)—horror, fantasy, romance, all these Meena joined later. Based in Mumbai, the tasks, from drivers to housewives—and ducing, we can’t do it without AI. We can’t
reports and is clocking around $10 million genres became huge hits.” company, focused on providing multi-dis- they need something that they can con- supply the need.”
LIVEMINT.COM NEWS SATURDAY, 16 AUGUST 2025
HYDERABAD 13

MSMEs seek rapid launch of IPO power shift:

Domestic funds
export intelligence platform take front seat
FROM PAGE 16

reveals how domestic institu-

Besides $30 billion worth of MSME exports, 70,000–80,000 jobs are at risk from US tariffs tions investors gradually over-
took foreign portfolio inves-
Compensation cess on some tors in IPO anchor books.
items to expire. ISTOCKPHOTO
Manas Pimpalkhare & Rituraj Baruah Indian government to create the GMIS In 2019, while FPIs contrib-
NEW DELHI and fund it through the International uted ₹2,624 crore, DIIs put in
Diwali GST Co-operation scheme. ₹1,475 crore. Two years later,

I
ndia's micro, small, and medium International cooperation scheme is FPI allocations surged to
enterprises (MSMEs) have urged a demand-driven scheme under which ₹29,030 crore, but domestic
bonanza on the government to operationalise
without delay the long-pending
financial assistance is provided on a
reimbursement basis to eligible state
institutions narrowed the gap
significantly with ₹16,433

way: Govt to global market intelligence service

(GMIS)— a portal meant to help them
identify and tap export opportunities
and central government organisations
and registered industry associations,
societies, and trusts associated with
crore. Global investors have turned
The reversal came in 2022, more selective.
when FPI anchor investments
BLOOMBERG

scrap 12%, worldwide.

GMIS, planned under the Union
promoting and developing the MSME
sector. Industry associations can par-
dropped to ₹7,105 crore and which currently account for
DIIs stepped up with ₹10,903 10.5-11% of the secondary mar-
MSME ministry’s international co-op- ticipate in three events in a year, and in crore. In 2024, the divergence ket versus FPIs’ 17%—expected
28% rates eration scheme, was envisioned as a
one-stop platform for the country’s 66
the same event for three years at a
stretch under the scheme.
became more pronounced— to overtake foreign investors
FPIs subscribed ₹26,122 crore, in the coming years, said
million MSMEs. However, the system The GMIS would provide informa- while DIIs outpaced them with Pranav Haldea, managing
FROM PAGE 16 remains non-functional despite being tion about potential export markets, ₹29,254 crore in anchor allot- director of Prime Database
proposed by the ministry’s task force in demand trends, pricing benchmarks, ments. Group.
on overall demand, particu- 2021-22. competitive landscapes, logistics net- So far this year, through 7 “Mutual funds now play a
larly in rural areas and in low- Industry lobby group India SME works, and shipping costs, the letter August, the pattern has held. key role in IPO pricing, lever-
er-to-middle-income groups Forum, representing about 100,000 added. Of the ₹61,499 crore raised aging their size. Participation
in urban areas, explained Sriv- businesses in the country, has written The appeal comes with MSME exporters, who contribute around 45% of India’s Queries sent to the MSME ministry through 37 IPOs, in the anchor
astava, who expects the tax to cabinet secretary T.V. Somanathan total exports, face mounting headwinds, including high tariffs. ISTOCKPHOTO on Wednesday went unanswered. FPIs accounted The reversal in book allows them
restructuring to be either near and the MSME ministry seeking imme- Mint reported on 3 August that the for ₹8,913 crore in IPO allocations to deploy large,
revenue-neutral or have some diate implementation of the GMIS por- external shocks or pivot rapidly to new “Many MSMEs simply do not know union MSME ministry was reviewing anchor invest- mirrors the regular inflows
fiscal costs. tal and expedited creation of trade markets,” said the letter dated 9 which products have demand in which the International Co-operation scheme ments and DIIs secondary into fresh paper at
The revamp of the GST sys- desks in foreign jurisdictions to facili- August. countries, what prices prevail, or how in the face of a global tariff war. for ₹10,306 crore. pre-decided pri-
market, where
tem will also see the expiry of tate MSME export opportunities. Mint has seen a copy of the letter. to navigate regulatory and logistical In FY24, the government assisted Mutual funds ces rather than
the compensation cess levied The appeal comes at a time when Of the total MSMEs in India, only requirements,” the letter said. 545 MSMEs under the International alone accounted DIIs are closing in only chasing lim-
on items such as sports utility MSME exporters, who contribute Co-operation scheme with a sup- for ₹7,920 crore. on FPIs’ share ited supply in
vehicles (SUVs), tobacco, and around 45% of India’s total exports, TRADE INTELLIGENCE port of Rs 19.22 crore, according to The broader already listed
sugary drinks. face mounting headwinds, includ- a Lok Sabha disclosure in March reversal in IPO stocks,” he said.
Given that many of the ing high tariffs imposed by US GMIS envisioned as US tariffs impact THE GMIS was to PLATFORM to give 2025. allocations mirrors the sec- Prakash Bulusu, joint chief
products and services taxed at President Donald Trump. India one-stop platform
for India’s 66 million
MSMEs due to their
limited capacity to
use data from govt,
World Bank, United
info on export
markets, demand
“While there is no fixed ratio, ondary market, where DIIs— executive, private wealth and
28% will move to 18% slab, SME Forum estimates that besides MSMEs, but remains absorb shocks or Nations to help trends, pricing , India’s exports in 2023-24 sup- dominated by mutual funds— securities, IIFL Capital Servi-
some segments of the automo- $30 billion worth of MSME non-functional pivot to new markets MSMEs in strategy logistics and costs ported approximately 32 million are closing in on FPIs’ share. In ces Ltd, added that the grow-
bile market could also benefit, exports, 70,000–80,000 jobs are jobs, with an estimated 2.5 to 3 mil- the secondary market, inves- ing dominance of DIIs in IPO
but the officials declined to at risk. lion jobs created for every billion tors buy shares from existing anchor books represented a
comment on individual com- “The repercussions are immediate about 173,000 enterprises export their A market intelligence system was dollars of exports,” Vinod Kumar, pres- holders, and the money goes structural shift rather than a
modities or services. and severe, with over $30 billion in products, according to the forum. This envisioned by the union MSME minis- ident, India SME Forum told Mint to the seller, not the company. cyclical blip.
Special rates for select annual business at risk, and MSMEs is due to low awareness, lack of accessi- try’s task force to bridge that gap and quoting data from an Exim Bank of This reversal in favour of For an extended version of
items—such as the 3% rate for being disproportionately impacted due ble market intelligence, and uncer- use data available from the World India study. domestic institutions is likely this story, go to livemint.com.
gold, silver, and precious to their limited capacity to absorb such tainty around regulations and logistics. Bank, the United Nations, and the [email protected] to persist, with mutual funds— [email protected]
stones—will continue.
The 28% slab had started
with 229 products when GST
was introduced in 2017, but
many products have been
moved to the 18% bracket in
Trump wants to command Ola Electric’s brave new bet Mahindra
multiple rounds of tax rate
reduction. The 28% slab still bosses like Xi. He is failing FROM PAGE 16
bets on
Bold Bets
covers products such as
cement, certain types of air-
conditioners, dish washers, FROM PAGE 16 age companies like Apple to
Agarwal said. “I want to tell the
street that we are making a lot
Ola Electric and founder Bhavish Aggarwal have a
habit of making bold bets on 15 August every year,
single
with nationalistic pitches of self-reliance. Here's
and automobiles of different
specifications, including also given away one of Amer-
reshore manufacturing to
America. Yet America’s presi-
of money from these products.
The advantage of doing all
how the company has delivered so far.
 Announcement  Status
platform for
sports utility vehicles. ica’s biggest sources of leverage dent receives mostly lip ser- these technologies in-house is 2021
Products currently in the
12% slab include sugar, boiled
before a proper deal is reached
with China. Meanwhile Mr Xi
vice. When Apple’s boss, Tim
Cook, unveiled a $600bn, four-
that we make a lot of margins.”
Other key announcements
 Launched S1 and S1 Pro scooters. Deliveries
promised from October 2021.
 Deliveries started in January 2022
many fuels
confectionery, jams and mar- still has the rare-earths cudgel year investment pledge into on Friday include the launch  Phase out petrol two-wheelers sales by 2025
malades, condensed milk, pre- in hand, even if in the long run America this month, it was of S1 Pro Sport, the most pow-  Petrol vehicles 94.2% of two-wheeler FROM PAGE 16
served meat, vegetables, fish, its use will spur efforts around more of an update than a erful Ola scooter till date. market in FY25
insulin, animal fat, beverages the world to reduce depend- change of plan. Not for nothing Deliveries are planned to start 2022 Korean giant announced at the
 Electric car with 500 km range by 2024
containing milk, tableware ence on Chinese supplies. did he embellish it with a next January.  Put on hold indefinitely January-March earnings call
and kitchenware, diagnostic Mr Trump’s H20 gambit, 24-carat gold gift to Mr Trump. While the markets will price  Announced the Battery Innovation Centre to make cells in-house that it will launch hybrid vehi-
kits, and handbags. moreover, is muddle-headed. If No big dealmaker the announcements into the  Achieved cles and soon roll out 26 vehi-
The reduction in tax burden his intent is to undercut Hua- Trump had permitted Nvidia It is perhaps unsurprising stock on Monday, Ola’s record 2023 cles in the country to take back
will lead to further lowering of wei and make China dependent to resume H20 exports to that Mr Trump, who lacks Mr of delivering on its 15 August  Showcased four motorcycles. Launch by end of 2024. market share and hold on to
the revenue neutral rate of on American chips, it would China. AFP Xi’s authoritarian power, has promises and ambitions over  Deliveries of one motorycle - Roadster - started in 2025 the number two position,
in small numbers
GST—the weighted average make more sense to dump been less effective at making the past four years has been which it has occupied since the
 In-house cells in Ola Electric vehicles by 2024
rate needed for the transition cheap Nvidia products there balance of power shifting from his country’s businesses sub- patchy. The company  Pushed back to September 2025 financial year 2009.
to the indirect tax regime in rather than raising their price China’s Communist Party to its servient to his political goals. It achieved some of its targets, Anish Shah, group chief
2024
2017 to be a revenue-neutral through an export tax. That is internet billionaires. Mr Trump is also a relief. China’s approach albeit with significant delays,  Announced 5 GW of Bharat Cell capacity and plans to ramp it up to
executive officer (CEO) at
affair to the exchequer. the approach China has taken is similarly determined to keep of state capitalism may seem but it has also abandoned or 20 GW by 2026 and 100 GW by 2030 M&M, said that after years of
The rate was last estimated with great effect in its exports of America’s bosses under his attractive to politicians in scaled down many others.  Cell capacity to stay at 5 GWh till 2029 dominance by foreign car-
to have dropped from 15.6% to solar panels, electric vehicles thumb. In the past week he has countries held back by demo- For instance, a determined  To make India's first Edge AI Chip Ojas and others by 2026 makers, domestic companies
a little more than 11% due to and drones (as well as, on occa- called directly or indirectly for cratic processes that make it Aggarwal made a bold pitch in  No update yet are finally making their mark.
Source: Company announcements and disclosures
successive rounds of tax cuts. sion, rare earths). It knows the the resignations of Lip-Bu Tan, difficult to effect change. But its his first Independence Day “There was a time not long
PARAS JAIN/MINT
However, the expansion of the implications. Perhaps that is the new boss of Intel, a chip- model is creaking. Growth in announcements in 2021 that ago, global automakers domi-
tax base has led to strong GST why it is pressing Chinese firms maker, and David Solomon, China has slowed and venture- Ola Electric would lead an the cells that power its vehicles even partly deliver. For nated the Indian roads. Today,
revenue buoyancy for both to shun the H20 chips. chief executive of Goldman backed entrepreneurial activ- EV-revolution, phasing out in-house. The centre was built instance, he promised in his the tide has turned. Indian
central and state governments, Mr Trump’s ham-fisted Sachs, an investment bank. But ity has waned in recent years. the sale of new petrol two- in time and, despite some 2022 address that the com- companies like Mahindra are
said the second official quoted approach to chips is not the he is more easily won over than Businesses are mired in a brutal wheelers from India by 2025. delays, the company has man- pany will have an electric car at the forefront of technology,
earlier. only way in which he is proving Mr Xi. After Intel’s boss visited price war. In fiscal year 2025 (FY25), pet- aged to start the production of by 2024. The project has been scale and ambitions,” Shah
“The government’s intent to to be a poor student of Mr Xi. the White House on August Thankfully, Mr Trump only rol two-wheelers continued to its 4680 Bharat Cell by April put on indefinite hold. said at the gathering.
move towards a two-rate GST Consider the pair’s efforts to 11th, Mr Trump hailed his dabbles in state capitalism. rule the roost, with electric this year. The Ola Electric stock, Subhabrata Sengupta, part-
(and a demerit rate on select assert themselves over their career as an “amazing story”. Even so, his approach is dam- vehicles accounting for just But the company is yet to which listed on 7 August 2024, ner at Avalon Consulting,
goods) coupled with stream- countries’ chief executives. Mr Xi has likewise been aging. These days businesses 5.8% of all two-wheeler sales. ship any vehicles fitted with has touched a high of ₹157.53 noted that the biggest advan-
lined input tax credit refunds When Jack Ma, co-founder of more effective at whipping up in China can at least rely on a However, Ola did lead the these cells, running several and a low of ₹39.58 since then, tage Mahindra gets from the
(both on inverted duty and Alibaba, a Chinese e-com- patriotic fervour among com- degree of coherence and con- pack in electrification of two- months behind schedule. On compared to its offer price of new platform is the ability to
exports) is clearly a move in the merce giant, became too big for panies in order to get them to sistency in policymaking. wheelers, accounting for Friday, Aggarwal said that ₹76 per share. It closed 2% hedge per market needs.
right direction to make the his boots in 2020, Mr Xi’s gov- do his bidding. China installs America Inc will not thrive almost 30% of the 1.1 million deliveries of Ola scooters fitted higher on Thursday at ₹41.32. “A platform where ICE
system more efficient and less ernment did not just repri- party cells to ensure they amid chaos. such vehicles sold in FY25. with in-house cells will start by nehal.chaliawala@live- (internal combustion engine)
litigious,” said Abhishek Jain, mand him. He was purged from adhere to the government’s ©2025 THE ECONOMIST NEWS- In August 2022, the com- late September. mint.com and EV can be developed gives
partner and national head, public life for five years. Such objectives. Mr Trump has used PAPER LIMITED. ALL RIGHTS pany promised to set up a bat- Some of Aggarwal’s prom- For an extended version of the company the flexibility to
indirect tax, at KPMG. was Mr Xi’s paranoia about the the threat of tariffs to encour- RESERVED. tery innovation centre to make ises were too ambitious to this story, got to livemint.com. react quickly to market trends.
If EVs pick up more, the com-
pany can move production to
meet demand quickly, and
US administration weighing
m MINT SHORTS 2 million barrels per day in August, as refiners continue
to prioritize economic considerations in their sourcing
decisions. As much as 38% out of an estimated 5.2 million
‘Tariffs on semiconductors
soon, could reach 300%’ refugee cap of 40,000
AFP
vice-versa,” Sengupta said.
The development of a mul-
tiple powertrain model also
barrels per day of crude oil imported in the first half of BLOOMBERG Washington: US President comes at a time when the new
Schwalb files suit over Federal August came from Russia, according to global real-time Donald Trump’s administra- emission norms, CAFE 3, are
data and analytics provider Kpler. Imports from Russia tion is discussing a refugee scheduled to come into force
takeover of police dept at 2 million bpd were up from 1.6 million bpd in July.PTI admissions cap of about in 2027. Jejurikar said that the
Washington: Washington, D.C. attorney general 40,000 for the coming year new platform will allow it to be
Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit on Friday challenging with a majority allocated to flexible with production of
AP U.S. President Donald Flash floods kill over 200 white South Africans, two US vehicles, enabling it to meet
Trump’s attempt to take con- officials briefed on the matter emission norms effectively.
trol of the district’s police
people in India and Pakistan and an internal refugee program email stated, reflecting “The new platform will
department. Schwalb said the Chositi: Flash floods triggered by torrential rains have a major shift in US’ approach to refugees. REUTERS allow it to accommodate pro-
lawsuit, filed in federal court killed over 200 people and left scores of others missing duction requirements quickly
in Washington, aims to get in India and Pakistan over the past 24 hours, officials said between diesel, petrol and EVs
the court to rule that Trump’s Friday, as rescuers brought to safety some 1,600 people President Donald Trump said he would set levies China’s economy slows with CAFE norms in mind.
takeover of the city’s police from two mountainous dis- on semiconductors in the coming two weeks.“I’ll Currently, most of its sales are
department is illegal. PTI
AP

tricts in the two countries. In be setting tariffs next week and the week after, on
sharply as trade war bites coming from diesel models,”
Pakistan, a helicopter carry- steel and on, I would, say chips — chips and semi- China’s economy slowed in July , suggesting Beijing’s Sengupta added.
ing relief supplies to flood-hit conductors, we’ll be setting sometime next week, crackdown on destructive price wars and spillovers from In FY25, 77% of M&M’s total
Business as Usual: India buys Bajaur region crashed on Fri- week after,” Trump told reporters Friday aboard Donald Trump’s tariffs are affecting the economy. Pro- 551,000 sales in the domestic
day due to bad weather, kill- Air Force One en route to Alaska for a summit with duction at Chinese factories and mines rose at the slow- market were diesel models.
2 mn bpd Russian oil in August ing all five people on board, Russian President Vladimir Putin.. BLOOMBERG est rate since November, data released by the National For an extended version of
New Delhi: India’s purchase of Russian oil has risen to the government said. AP Bureau of Statistics on Friday showed. BLOOMBERG this story, go to livemint.com.
14 SATURDAY, 16 AUGUST 2025
HYDERABAD NEWS LIVEMINT.COM

Vi gets new CEO,

but revival hinges
IT firms tap GCC consulting S&P Global
upgrades
on funds, govt sops route to win tech contracts ratings of
10 lenders
Jatin Grover
[email protected] PTI
NEW DELHI [email protected]
Mphasis, Hexaware are investing in GCC advisories to win larger tech, engineering contracts NEW DELHI

A
leadership change at

S
Vodafone Idea is not &P Global Ratings on
expected to immedi- Jas Bardia final stage of transfer often caused ten- Friday upgraded ratings
ately change the company’s [email protected] sions with the clients. of top 10 financial insti-
outlook, with analysts and BENGALURU IT outsourcers traditionally set up tutions, including SBI, HDFC
proxy advisory firms noting and run captive tech centres for clients Bank and Tata Capital, a day

M
that its revival will rely more id-sized information initially and then transfer ownership, after the US-based agency
on fresh capital and policy technology (IT) services which is known as the BOT model. raised India’s sovereign credit
support than on the change in companies like Mphasis Small GCC advisory firms can rating.
leadership. Vi warned that without relief, it and Hexaware Technol- expand fast and deliver quick results, “India’s financial institu-
On Thursday, the telecom may not survive. MINT ogies are investing in prompting IT outsourcers to invest in tions will continue to ride the
operator announced the advisory firms that help large corpora- them, analysts said. “Mid-cap IT firms country’s good economic
appointment of chief operat- factors. tions set up back-end technology hubs aren’t avoiding GCCs, they’re cutting to growth momentum. These
ing officer Abhijit Kishore as “Vodafone Idea’s problems or global capability centres (GCCs) in the front of the line. By investing in entities will benefit from their
chief executive officer (CEO) can ultimately be traced back India, in their bid to win substantial specialist advisory shops, they buy domestic focus and structural
from 19 August for three years. to the delays in the legal sys- tech and engineering contracts later. instant expertise,” said Phil Fersht, improvements in the system
This follows the completion of tem,” said J.N. Gupta, founder This strategy, analysts say, enables chief executive of HFS Research. such as in the recovery of bad
the current CEO, Akshaya and managing director of IT services firms to get faster access to These investments also reflect the loans,” S&P said.
Moondra’s term. Stakeholders Empowerment new clients and an easier entry into the changing demand patterns in the GCC S&P has raised long-term
However, industry experts Services, a not-for-profit proxy country’s $68 billion global capability landscape. “The moves by mid-tiers issuer credit ratings on seven
caution that this change is advisory firm. The leadership centre market, which is expected to like Hexaware and Mphasis reflect a Indian banks—State Bank of
unlikely to alter the company’s change appears routine, and swell to $105 billion by 2030. changing demand pattern for IT Servi- India, ICICI Bank, HDFC
trajectory unless accompanied the company’s survival now Picking up a stake in these consult- ces. Just like AI, GCCs are a topic that Bank, Axis Bank Ltd, Kotak
by substantial financial and hinges on relief from its AGR- ing firms makes business sense for the cannot be avoided when discussing the Mahindra Bank, Union Bank
policy support. Vi continues to related dues. The court's homegrown IT outsourcers, as they can future of the market,” said Thomas of India and Indian Bank— and
face mounting losses, a stag- refusal to even address the start providing tech services, and India’s Global Capability Centre market is valued at $68 billion and projected to Reuner, principal analyst at Pierre three finance companies —
gering ₹2 trillion so-called calcula- secure support and maintenance deals reach $105 billion by 2030. MINT Audoin Consultants. Bajaj Finance, Tata Capital,
in government Vi faces a tion mistakes is as soon as the big foreign firms set up According to a Mint report on 19 and L&T Finance.
dues and stalled staggering intriguing, he their GCCs in India, the analysts said. that Hexaware will bring, and we think own captives and large banks, large April, smaller GCC advisory firms like “We expect India’s banks to
fundraising ₹2 trillion in added. On 10 July, Mphasis invested $4 mil- it will deepen the relationship with the enterprises, etc.,” Sandeep Kalra, ED Gloplax Solutions, Stratinfinity, and maintain adequate asset qual-
efforts. The end government dues “The change in lion in Aokah, a US-based GCC advi- customers for whom we set up GCCs,” and CEO, Persistent Systems, said dur- Bridgepath Innovations were spring- ity, good profitability, and
of a four-year leadership can sory firm, for a 26% stake. During the said Ramakarthikeyan Srikrishna, Hex- ing the company’s post-earnings call ing up across the country. These enhanced capitalization over
and stalled the next 12-24 months. This is
moratorium on neither be viewed company’s post-earnings interaction aware CEO, during the company’s on 23 July. Persistent ended Q1 with smaller firms help global companies set
regulatory pay- fundraising positively nor with analysts on 25 July, MD and CEO post-earnings call on 25 July. Mphasis $389.7 million in revenue, up 3.9% up GCCs and manage hiring, regula- despite some pockets of
ments this Sep- efforts negatively,” Nitin Rakesh said the acquisi- and Hexaware ended April- sequentially. Many IT outsour- tory compliances, infrastruc- stress,” S&P said, adding,
tember adds added Shriram tion was done “with a view June with $437 million and cers look at GCCs as a threat ture and day-to-day opera- credit risk in the system has
urgency, with Subramanian, that we will essentially $382 million revenue, up because Fortune compa- tions for the parent com- reduced.
₹16,428 crore in adjusted gross founder and MD of InGovern
revenues (AGR) dues due by Research. “The business now
have an opportunity…in
helping shape deals as mn
Invested by
$4 1.6% and 2.8% from the nies are hiring engineers
preceding quarter. to handle their back-end
The number of
pany.
Still, the trend of 2,200 S&P had on Thursday
upgraded India’s credit rating
March 2026 and ₹2,641 crore is not dependent on who leads clients start thinking The investments come tech work rather than acquiring a GCC advisory to ‘BBB’, after a gap of over 18
in deferred spectrum pay- but on funds.” about GCCs and the vari- Mphasis in when GCCs present a giving that work to them. GCCs India will firm is not new. Last July, years, as it expects India’s
ments by June. The Supreme Court’s recent ous shapes and forms that US-based Aokah complex web of challen- Mphasis’s Rakesh have by 2030 Accenture Plc, which is sound economic fundamentals
Kishore’s immediate priori- rejection of Vi’s plea to waive it takes.” ges and opportunities. One attributed his decision of the world’s largest IT servi- to underpin growth momen-
ties could include negotiating ₹45,000 crore in interest and Similarly, Hexaware chief executive of an IT firm investing in a GCC advisory ces company, acquired an tum over the next 2-3 years. It
with the government for relief penalties on the ₹83,400 crore acquired SMC Squared on 17 July attributed higher attrition to cli- firm to the non-feasibility of set- undisclosed minority stake in also said monetary policy set-
and securing bank funding to pending AGR dues has further for $120 million. Its management ents hiring away talent for their own ting up a GCC unit internally. ANSR, the country’s biggest GCC con- tings have become increas-
support a p l a n n e d strained its prospects. Vi attributed the move to the “robust rev- in-house tech hubs. Hexaware’s Srikrishna also high- sulting firm, for $170 million. ingly conducive to managing
₹50,000-55,000 crore capex warned that without relief, it enue opportunity” that SMC brought. “Overall, if you look across the indus- lighted the trust issues that clients India has over 1,760 GCCs. Nasscom inflationary expectations.
over the next three years. Ana- may not survive beyond the Currently what SMC does is to have try, there's a slight uptick in attrition faced in the build-operate-transfer estimates that GCCs in India will surge The ratings on many Indian
lysts argue that the leadership current fiscal year. (GCCs) set up. But what it does not do is and that may have to do with the GCCs model, under which the IT outsourcers to 2,200 by March 2030. financial institutions are
change is routine and that Vi’s For an extended version of transform operations, especially with being more active, the product compa- set up the tech centres, before handing For an extended version of the story go capped by our sovereign rat-
survival hinges on external the story, go to livemint.com the AI opportunity. “That's a capability nies coming here and setting up their over the team after a few years. This to livemint.com ing on India, S&P said.

Modi’s I-Day call: swadeshi, stronger security shield, farm focus NRT eyes ₹450 cr
FROM PAGE 16 access into India in agriculture
and dairy sectors in bilateral
possible to make the popula- door, the Red Fort reference
tion feel secure, and will be can be seen as a nuanced
series B fundraise
to that country for continuing trade agreement negotiations. modernized to counter any response to the more recent
to buy Russian oil, a standoff in Even while expressing his technological threat to India. nuclear sabre-rattling by field Sakshi Sadashiv NRT’s swarm drone tech
India’s trade deal talks with the desire to see an indigenous To be sure, during Opera- marshal Asim Munir,” said [email protected] reportedly playing a key role.
US, and China’s restrictions on engine on an Indian fighter jet, tion Sindoor in May, India’s commodore (retired) Chitrapu NEW DELHI Mint queries sent to NRT,
exports of critical raw materi- Modi called for greater invest- advanced defence systems had Uday Bhaskar, director at Cornerstone, 360 One Asset,

B
als for Indian manufacturing, ment in domestic manufactur- successfully thwarted Paki- Society for Policy Studies. engaluru-based defence an investor in the company,
among others. ing, and stressed the impor- stani drone attacks. Operation In his address, Modi also startup NewSpace and LGT Wealth India did not
To revive consumption, tance of ensuring a robust flow Sindoor, where spoke of the BJP’s Research and Technol- elicit a response.
Modi said the central govern- of raw materials for the manu- Indian forces PM’s statement ideological par- ogies Pvt. Ltd (NRT) is in talks India’s drone manufactur-
ment is working with states to facturing sector. attacked and also comes amid ent, the RSS, list- to raise a ₹450-crore Series B ing potential is projected to
reform the goods and services He called for increased destroyed terror- China restricting ing its core val- round, led by Cornerstone grow to $23 billion by 2030
tax (GST) and bring significant research and development ist targets in Paki- exports of critical ues, and referring Ventures, by the end of this from $4.2 billion in 2025, a
relief to people. (See story funding, semiconductor chips stan and Paki-
raw materials for to it as “an NGO year, said three people close to Ficci-EY report said.
alongside for details.) made in India, as well as local Modi also said the central government was working with states to stan-occupied (non-govern- discussions. For 2023-24, NRT's reve-
The Prime Minister said he electric vehicle batteries. Modi further reform the Goods and Services Tax (GST). PTI Kashmir, was Indian mental organisa- Founded in April 2017 by nue from operations were
would stand for the interests of also said India would bolster India’s response manufacturing tion), in a way”. Sameer Joshi and Julius Amrit, ₹96.25 lakh, down sharply
farmers without compromise. private sector investments in ductor ecosystem. “We need to constantly against the 22 Opposition the startup is cur- from ₹103.02
“Modi is standing like a wall new energy sectors such as In his address, he unveiled a upgrade defence technology,” April Pahalgam parties criticised rently raising a The startup is crore a year ago,
against any harmful policy nuclear energy generation. new security strategy under he said. “That is why, in the terrorist attack, which left 26 the mention, with Congress ₹267-crore raising a ₹267-cr showed company
related to the farmers, fisher- Sankalp Gurjar, professor of the Sudarshan Chakra mission next 10 years till 2035, a new individuals dead. party leader Jairam Ramesh bridge round, bridge round, filings with the
men and cattle rearers of India. geopolitics at Gokhale Insti- to create a shield against technological platform shield The PM reiterated that India referring to it as the “most with about ₹140 with about ₹140 corporate affairs
India will never accept any tute of Politics and Economics, national security threats. With will be used to secure key pub- will not be bullied by nuclear troubling element of the PM’s crore already m i n i s t r y ,
crore already
compromise regarding its said the semiconductor indus- advancements in defence lic places including hospitals, threats, and not distinguish speech today”. subscribed by accessed by data
farmers, its livestock rearers, try is a new battleground technology, India needs to railways, and places of wor- between terrorists and terror- manas.pimpalkhare@live- existing inves- subscribed by platform Tofler.
its fishermen,” he said. between major powers, and widen its security response ship,” said Modi. ist-sponsoring governments. mint.com tors. The com- existing investors NRT designs
This assumes importance as India has been making efforts after the victory in Operation The shield will be widened “While this stance was For an extended version of pany has and develops
the US is seeking market to build a domestic semicon- Sindoor, the PM said. to cover as many locations as asserted soon after Op Sin- this story, go to livemint.com. appointed LGT hi gh- a lt i t u de,
Wealth India, among others, long-endurance drones capa-
as advisors to help with the ble of operating for months at
fundraising, and the transac- 5-20 km altitudes, and AI-ena-

India looks East, deepens trade links with Singapore, Asean tion is undergoing due dili- bled autonomous swarm
gence, the people said. drone systems for both mili-
In Operation Sindoor, tary and civilian applications.
India's precision strikes on ter- Its competitors are US’
Rhik Kundu The measures have also hensive Economic Coopera- added. India hosted the tenth ering customs procedures, ror camps in Pakistan in the Anduril Industries, Shield AI,
[email protected] sharpened the government’s tion Agreement (CECA). meeting of the Asean-India market access, sanitary and aftermath of the Pahalgam ter- and Tata Advanced Systems.
NEW DELHI focus on diversifying trade rela- The JWGTI followed a min- Trade in Goods Agreement phytosanitary measures, rules ror attack, loitering munitions For an extended version of
tionships and deepening ties isterial roundtable between the (AITIGA) joint committee from of origin, technical standards, systems were deployed—with this story, go to livemint.com

I
ndia is strengthening its eco- with fast-growing Asian part- two nations a day earlier, rein- 10 to 14 August, alongside seven and trade remedies, the com-
nomic engagement across ners. forcing Singapore’s role as a sub-committee sessions aimed merce ministry said. CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS
Asia, holding trade talks with The commerce ministry said regional trade and investment at updating the 15-year-old In FY25, India’s goods
Singapore and the Association on Friday that India had, a day hub and India’s position as one pact. exports to Asean, of which Mint welcomes comments, suggestions or complaints about errors.
of Southeast Asian Nations earlier, hosted the 4th meeting of the fastest-growing large Co-chaired by Nitin Kumar Singapore is a member, fell
(Asean) to expand market of the India-Singapore Joint economies, the commerce Yadav, additional secretary in 5.45% year-on-year to $38.96 Readers can alert the newsroom to any errors in the paper by
access, update trade agree- Working Group on Trade and ministry said. the commerce department, billion, while imports rose emailing us, with your full name and address to
[email protected].
ments and enhance cross-bor- Investment (JWGTI), where In FY25, India’s goods exports “Discussions during the and Mastura Ahmad Mustafa, 5.64% to $84.16 billion, accord-
der connectivity. senior officials discussed trade to Asean fell 5.45% year-on- JWGTI focused on deepening Malaysia’s deputy secretary ing to commerce ministry data. It is our policy to promptly respond to all complaints. Readers
The outreach comes as New facilitation, investment promo- year to $38.96 billion. BLOOMBERG bilateral trade and investment general for trade, the discus- The next AITIGA joint com- dissatisfied with the response or concerned about Mint’s journalistic
Delhi braces for the impact of tion, supply-chain resilience, ties, identifying priority sectors sions built on eight previous mittee meeting will be held on integrity may write directly to the editor by sending an email to
recently announced US recip- and regulatory streamlining. apore’s permanent secretary for greater alignment, improv- negotiating rounds. 6-7 October at the Asean Secre- [email protected]
rocal tariffs on a range of Indian The talks, co-chaired by for trade and industry, came as ing logistics and supply chains, The review aims to make tariat in Jakarta, Indonesia,
Mint’s journalistic Code of Conduct that governs our newsroom is
goods, a move that could pres- Rajesh Agrawal, special secre- the two countries marked 60 streamlining regulatory frame- AITIGA more effective, acces- with Malaysia as the host. available at www.livemint.com
sure export earnings in one of tary in the commerce depart- years of diplomatic relations works, and exploring ways to sible, and conducive to trade, For an extended version of the
the country’s largest markets. ment, and Beh Swan Gin, Sing- and 20 years of their Compre- facilitate cross-border trade,” it with technical discussions cov- story, go to livemint.com

FOR ANY QUERIES/DELIVERY ISSUES

CALL: 60004242, Monday-Saturday, 10am-6pm (Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Pune and Lucknow) MAIL: [email protected] TO SUBSCRIBE: Give a missed call on 7039035039 or visit www.mintreaders.com or write to us at [email protected]

First published in February 2007 to serve as an unbiased and clear-minded chronicler of the Indian Dream.
RAVI KRISHNAN (EDITOR) - Responsible for selection of news under PRP Act, @ All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of Publisher is prohibited; PUBLISHED/PRINTED BY MANHAR KAPOOR ON BEHALF OF HT MEDIA LTD, 18-20 Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi 110001
Printed at HT Media Ltd presses at •Plot No. 8, Udyog Vihar, Greater Noida, Distt Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh 201306; •MNSPrinters Pvt. Ltd, 345/4, Bhatrahalli, Near KR Puram RTO, Old Madras Road, Bangalore 560049; •Saraswati Print Factory Pvt. Ltd, 789, Chowbhaga (W), Near China Mandir, Kolkata 700 105; •MNSPrinters Pvt. Ltd, 76/1, Poonamallee High Road, Velappanchavadi, Chennai 600077; •
Bhaskar Print Planet, Survey No. 148P, Changodar Bavla Highway, Sanand (Tal), Distt Ahmedabad, Gujarat. •Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No. D75 & E52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Rangareddy Distt. Hyderabad 500037; *Also available in Pune.
RNI Registration DELENG/2007/22485; Mint welcomes readers’ responses to all articles and editorials. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. Send in your views to the editor at [email protected]. ©2025 HT Media Ltd All Rights Reserved
LIVEMINT.COM NEWS SATURDAY, 16 AUGUST 2025
HYDERABAD 15

IBC plan eyes partial sale of Insolvency exits, settlements

to get tougher after new bill
assets, second shot at rescue Priyanka Gawande &
Krishna Yadav

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI

T
he Insolvency and Bank-
Lenders can consider sale of individual assets if the whole business finds no buyers ruptcy Code (Amend-
ment) Bill, 2025, tabled
in the Lok Sabha on 12 August,
Gireesh Chandra Prasad closes a key exit route, making
[email protected] it harder for companies to quit
NEW DELHI insolvency proceedings for an
early out-of-court settlement.

A
part from speeding up the The amendment makes the
disposal of distressed Committee of Creditors' (CoC)
companies as going con- approval mandatory for an The bill seeks to make it harder for companies to quit insolvency
cerns, the proposed applicant to withdraw from proceedings for an early out-of-court settlement. MINT
amendments to the Insol- bankruptcy proceedings under
vency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) Section 12A of the IBC. scope for back-channel deals Lights’ bid to quit insolvency
tabled in Lok Sabha on Tuesday also A CoC—a group of financial but potentially prolonging proceedings initiated by opera-
makes it easier for splitting up such creditors—is set up by the timelines,” he added. tional creditor Sunstar Indus-
firms so that lenders could consider interim resolution professional To be sure, many firms in tries. Even after a settlement,
sale of individual assets when they are (IRP) after the corporate insol- high-profile bankruptcy cases financial creditors, including
unable to find takers for the whole vency resolution process have attempted to exit at an IDFC First Bank and SBI,
business, two persons informed about (CIRP) is initiated. As of now, early stage—before the CoC is o p p o s e d the with-
the government’s deliberations on companies can withdraw the formed—by offering quick set- drawal.Though experts fear the
insolvency reforms said. CIRP application even before tlements to lenders. Edtech proposal will give dissenting
The proposed amendments will also the CoC is formed by securing major Byju's is one such firm. creditors more leverage, they
prevent orders for liquidation of a dis- approval from 90% of the cred- In 2024, Byju’s sought to also believe it will prevent the
tressed company just because the 330- itors. quit the legal proceedings after filing of frivolous applications
day window available for debt resolu- However, the proposed settling dues with its lead oper- under Section 12A.
tion under IBC has expired. This is Clause 8 in Section 12A permits ational creditor Board of Con- “Even a small minority hold-
meant to avoid situations like the only the IRP to seek with- trol for Cricket in India. The ing more than 10% of the voting
Bhushan Power & Steel Ltd., the reso- drawal—and only within a nar- Supreme Court, however, share can now effectively veto
lution plan for which was annulled by row window after stayed the bid, settlements, as seen in high-
the Supreme Court in its now-recalled The proposed amendments will prevent liquidation just because the 330-day window for resolution has expired. ISTOCKPHOTO the CoC is formed The amendment noting that the profile matters like the one
2 May order. but before the makes CoC CoC had already involving Byju’s. This could
The apex court had then said that India (IBBI) seeking comments for the lution within a maximum period of 120 despite prior expiry of the CIR pro- first call for reso- approval been formed. The lead to prolonged proceedings
approving the corporate turnaround story remained unanswered till press days even when grounds of liquidation cess period,” explained Anoop Rawat, lution plans. Early mandatory for case is still being unless a broader consensus is
plan after the 330-day window was “a time. are met after the 330-day period is national practice head (insolvency and or late withdraw-
withdrawal under heard at multiple built early," Adatiya pointed
grave error of law”, setting aside JSW To be sure, stakeholders can request sought to be allowed by inserting a new restructuring) at law firm Shardul als would be forums. out. The amendment will allow
Steel's ₹19,700 crore resolution plan tribunals to grant extra time even sub-section 1A in Section 33 of IBC, Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. barred, and the Section 12A of On Wednes- discussion among all financial
for Bhushan Power and ordering its liq- under the current system, but formally which deals with liquidation proceed- Experts are also of the view that the National Com- the IBC day, in SKIL Infra- creditors at a very early stage
uidation. flexibility to dispose of individual pany Law Tribu- structure Ltd’s prior to admission, considering
The proposed amendments spe- REVIVAL GOAL assets will be useful in the resolu- nal (NCLT) must matter, the NCLT that 90% CoC approval will
cifically allow insolvency tribunals tion of businesses with operations rule within 30 days. rejected the IRP’s request to anyway be required for post-
to grant a 120-day fresh opportu- THE proposed THE amendments THE amendments EXPERTS said the in multiple sectors. “The ban on withdrawals withdraw from the insolvency admission withdrawal, added
nity to consider a new resolution amendments to the
IBC tabled in Lok
aim to speed up
the disposal of
allow a 120-day fresh IBC’s goal is to
opportunity to rescue a struggling
“Explicitly incorporating in before CoC formation and after proceedings. SKIL was admit- Siddharth Srivastava, partner,
plan before finally sending the Sabha will prevent distressed consider a new business, instead of the Code that a resolution plan the first plan invitation will ted into insolvency in February Khaitan and Co.
company to liquidation, explained orders for liquidation companies resolution plan just shutting it down can include sale of one or more likely discourage early, 2024 after its financial creditor He said the change would
one of the two persons cited earlier, assets of the corporate debtor informal settlements that were Amluckie Investment Co. Ltd also “inculcate discipline in the
both of whom spoke on the condi- recognises the need for this flexi- sometimes reached between initiated bankruptcy proceed- CoC members and will reduce
tion of anonymity. writing into the Code that there is a sec- ings. For such second chance, 66% of bility and to avoid legal challenges. the debtor and a few credit- ings in February 2020. Other any complacent behaviour to
“The second attempt will benefit ond official chance available for reviv- creditors have to consent. In May this year, IBBI had intro- ors,"said Mohit Adatiya, creditors blocked attempts to consider settling at an
from the wealth of experience from the ing a distressed company will bolster “In certain circumstances, the duced this provision through regula- director at NPV Insolvency settle outside the formal pro- advanced stage”.
first effort,” said this person. the view that IBC’s main goal is to res- amendment empowers the adjudicat- tions. But specifying this in the Code Professionals Pvt. Ltd. cess, underscoring the challen- priyanka.gawande@live-
Queries emailed on Thursday to the cue a struggling business, instead of ing authority to allow the recom- itself gives greater comfort to stake- “It will push stakeholders to ges of reaching consensus. mint.com
ministry of corporate affairs and the just shutting it down, experts said. mencement of the corporate insol- holders in opting for this,” said resolve disputes within the for- Similarly, in March 2025, the For an extended version of
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of A second chance at insolvency reso- vency resolution (CIR) proceedings Rawat. mal CoC framework, reducing NCLT rejected Syska LED this story, go to livemint.com.

Do we have enough rabies EPFO funds,

vaccines, immunoglobulins? not rich
Jessica Jani
folks, fuel
[email protected]
MUMBAI
PMS assets Markets
Srushti Vaidya

A
six-year-old’s death in
Delhi recently due to a [email protected]
dog bite prompted a MUMBAI

Stock Recos by SEBI-Registered Analysts

Supreme Court directive that

P
has sparked widespread furore. ension savings of mil-
On Monday, the apex court lions of Indians have tur-

Free daily picks on the Mint App

directed municipal authorities bocharged the assets of
to round up and put all stray portfolio management servi-
dogs in Delhi and parts of the ces (PMS), often seen as the
National Capital Region (NCR) preserve of India's well-
in dedicated shelters within heeled. The reasons: A rule
eight weeks. This triggered that binds the retirement fund
widespread outrage among cit- manager to invest via PMS,
izens and animal advocacy and higher tax and compliance
groups who are concerned that India has one of the highest burdens of rabies deaths globally, burdens that dampen the
the order may set a precedent with dog bites being the primary cause. HT enthusiasm of rich individuals.
for other cities and towns. On These schemes, where you
Thursday, the top court vaccinations, pre- and post-ex- A recent study backed by the must put up a minimum of ₹50
reserved its order on a plea posure prophylaxis, and public Indian Council of Medical lakh, managed assets worth
seeking an interim stay on the 11 education. Research (ICMR) and pub- ₹35 trillion as of May 2025,
August order. Continued availability of lished in The Lancet, noted that data from the Securities and
To be sure, India has one of the anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) India has made significant stri- Exchange Board of India (Sebi)
the highest burdens of rabies and rabies immunoglobulins des in reducing rabies-related showed. Of this, 79%, or ₹28
deaths globally, with dog bites (RIG) is key to eliminating deaths. trillion, came from the
being the primary cause. An human rabies by 2030, a In the past two decades, Employees’ Provident Fund
estimated 5,700 people die 2019 research paper by the India has witnessed a 75% Organisation (EPFO). Five
from dog-mediated rabies Association for Prevention decline in dog-mediated years earlier, the share stood at
annually in India, according to and Control of Rabies in human rabies deaths, most 75%. Meanwhile, the share of
a 2024 The Lancet study. A India (APCRI) noted. likely due to the increased PMS assets from other sour-
national plan to eliminate According to a fisheries, ani- availability of ARV and RIG in ces—read HNIs—shrank from
rabies caused by dog bites by mal husbandry and dairying health facilities, the study, 24% to 21%.
2030 is still underway, but the ministry press release, dated 1 which surveyed 534 health The EPFO, which manages
country has April 2025, dog- facilities across 60 districts in 15 retirement funds of nearly 70
made significant An estimated bite cases and states, stated. million Indians, invests a slice
strides in reduc- 5,700 people die deaths across the According to The Lancet of its investable corpus in debt
ing cases. from dog- country have study, a majority of public instruments. This is mandated
Amid the mediated rabies increased from healthcare facilities in India to be done via a PMS. While
ongoing contro-
annually in India, 2022 to 2024. maintained stocks of anti-ra- the PMS clientele is often seen
versy, Mint takes a In 2022, the bies vaccines. They were as wealthy, EPFO's money
look at India’s according to country reported found in 80% of the facilities comes from regular employ-
rabies vaccine The Lancet close to 2.2 million and 90% of secondary and ter- ees, who set aside a share of
market and cases. In 2023, tiary care centres. Meanwhile, their earnings to fund retire-
examines how this increased to 95% of district hospitals and ment.
access is shaping up. 3.05 million, in 2024 to 3.7 mil- 92% of medical colleges had “The EPFO utilizes a sophis-
In accordance with the lion. In January 2025, there stocks. ticated outsourced model
WHO’s 2015 call to eliminate were over 400,000 reported But what is lacking is the where the day-to-day manage-
dog-mediated rabies by 2030, cases of dog bites. availability of rabies immuno- ment of its extensive corpus
India announced in 2021 Human deaths from rabies globulins. Four in five facilities including debt instruments is
National Action Plan for Rabies grew from 21 in 2022 to 50 in surveyed lacked immunoglob- delegated to a select group of Scan now to download
Elimination (NAPRE), which 2023 and 54 in 2024, accord- ulin stocks. The largest short- appointed external fund man- the Mint App.
aims to wipe out dog-mediated ing to the release. In January age was at the primary care agers,” said Kalyani Sharma,
rabies from the country by 2025, there was one reported level, where over 94% facilities partner, Singhania & Co.
2030. case of death. lacked supplies. Immunoglob- Between 45% and 65% of the
Under NAPRE, the Centre It is important to note that ulins are administered around EPFO portfolio should be in
has issued a set of guidelines for many cases of dog bites go the wound to neutralise the government securities, and
states and stakeholders to unreported due to a lack of virus, especially in cases of 35-45% in various debt instru-
develop their own action plans, awareness, and as people severe bites. ments, Sharma said. Mint App www.livemint.com Mint Newspaper
and aims to reduce rabies risk often don’t get vaccinated in For an extended version of For an extended version of
through sustained mass dog time. this story, go to livemint.com. this story, go to livemint.com.
 Hyderabad, NEW DELHI, MUMBAI, BENGALURU, KOLKATA, CHENNAI, AHMEDABAD, PUNE* VOL. 19 NO. 197 Rs. 15.00 16 PAGES

Saturday, August 16, 2025

IT firms tap GCC consulting to India deepens trade links with

livemint.com win tech contracts uP14 Singapore, Asean uP14

SENSEX 80,597.66 0.00 NIFTY 24,631.30 0.00 DOLLAR ₹87.57 ₹0.00 EURO ₹102.30 ₹0.00 OIL $67.26 $0.63 POUND ₹118.71 ₹0.00

Modi’s I-Day call: swadeshi, Diwali GST bonanza on way:

Govt to scrap 12%, 28% rates
security shield, farm focus Gireesh Chandra Prasad
[email protected]
NEW DELHI
The Prime Minister looked to deliver a strong response to challenges the country is facing
I
n a major overhaul of the
PTI multi-tiered goods and ser-
Manas Pimpalkhare, Dhirendra Kumar vices tax (GST) structure,
& Gireesh Chandra Prasad growth roadmap the central government has
proposed scrapping the 12%
NEW DELHI KEY ANNOUNCEMENTS and 28% slabs, among other
reforms to India’s indirect tax

O
ver 103 minutes of Swadeshi: Use local products to regime that are expected to
exhortation – the long- boost domestic manufacturing and stimulate economic growth.
est by any Prime Minis- reduce import dependence In the short term, however,
ter in independent India GST reforms: A Diwali gift to citizens, the restructuring could result
– Narendra Modi used GST to be restructured to only two in lower revenues to the
his 12th Independence Day address to slabs, likely to boost consumption exchequer, a central govern- As per the proposal, most products and services attracting tax
urge citizens to make a decisive shift ment official said on Friday. rates of 12% and 28% will be shifted to the 5% and 18% slabs. MINT
towards swadeshi (local) products, Made-in-India semiconductors As per the proposal, most of
framing it as a shield against global sup- By the end of this year, the country will the products and services that Council at its next meeting in like fertilizers and textiles, said
ply chain disruptions, tariff wars, and roll out its first Made-in-India chip attract rates of 12% and 28% September or October. the first official quoted above,
shifting geopolitical alliances, even as will be shifted to the 5% and Sectors such as auto compo- adding that resolving this will
he put farmers’ interest as top priority. Sudarshan Chakra Mission: To 18% slabs, respectively. A few nents, handicraft, healthcare help improve investments in
Speaking from the ramparts of the protect public places and infrastructure remaining items in the 28% and medical devices, textiles, these sectors.
Red Fort on the 78th anniversary of from technology that threatens them bracket—currently the high- fertilizers, and insurance ser- “There will be a revenue gap
India’s independence, Modi outlined a est—will be moved to a new vices will benefit from the GST in the short term because of
Nuclear Energy Capacity to
roadmap that tied together increased 40% slab that will cover only a restructuring, the official said, shifting goods and services
Grow Tenfold by 2047: Work
domestic manufacturing, sweeping few ‘sin goods’ such as tobacco adding that tax anomalies will from higher slabs to the lower
underway to set up 10 nuclear reactors
indirect tax reforms, and a strength- products, the official said. also be corrected and refunds ones, but it will be made up for
ened national security architecture Made-in-India Jet Engines: A “In the context of the US tar- expedited. by increased consumption of
under the Sudarshan Chakra mission, challenge for India’s youth, scientists to iff-related uncertainty, some “As a result of the proposed goods and services,” the offi-
as he looked to deliver a strong develop indigenous jet engines boost in demand was needed. restructuring, a substantial cial said, adding that a simpli-
response to several challenges the The GST reform comes in majority of the goods and ser- fied registration process as
country has been facing in recent handy in this regard,” said D.K. vices will come to the 5% and part of the GST reforms will
months. Modi’s address, reflecting themes of just about exports, imports, the rupee, director-general of Federation of Srivastava, chief policy 18% slabs,” said a second gov- benefit businesses, especially
“If the sacrifices of crores of people ‘New India’ and ‘Nation First’, also or the dollar. It is about our capabilities, Indian Export Organisations (FIEO). advisor, EY India. ernment official. Both of them small enterprises and startups.
can lead to an independent India, then included measures to improve ease of our strength to stand on our own,” The PM’s address comes in the back- The consumption stimulus spoke on condition of ano- “Overall, the GST rate
the decisiveness, self-reliance, and doing business, along with plans to Modi said. drop of several geopolitical challenges follows a massive income tax nymity. rationalisation and restructur-
choice of swadeshi products can lead to curb illegal immigration. “The daam kam, dum zyada mantra —including punitive 50% tariffs relief offered in the Union Prime Minister Narendra ing effort will be a growth-en-
a prosperous India,” the Prime Minister Self-reliance was essential to insulat- projects India’s resolve to compete glo- announced by the US on Indian exports Budget for 2025-26 and a 100- Modi first announced the GST hancing move because of the
said, urging traders to prominently dis- ing the economy from external disrup- bally while insulating its economy from basis-point reduction in the overhaul as part of his Inde- support it gives to consump-
play and market locally made products. tions, Modi said. “Self-reliance is not external shocks,” said Ajay Sahai, TURN TO PAGE 14 repo rate by the Reserve Bank pendence Day speech on Fri- tion demand and the cost
of India since February to day, describing it as a ‘double reduction to businesses by way
DON’T MISS boost economic growth. Diwali’ for people. of efficiency gains in the tax
The Centre’s proposal has Correcting the anomaly of system,” said Srivastava.
IBC plan eyes assets split MSMEs push for GMIS launch Vi to bank on funds, govt sops Are there ample rabies shots? been sent to a GST Council higher taxes on inputs and Because of the tax relief on
Proposed Insolvency and Bankruptcy Indian MSMEs have urged the Centre to Analysts and proxy advisory firms note Amid the ongoing controversy of the ministerial group led by Bihar lower tax outgo on finished mass consumption goods,
Code (IBC) amendments allow lenders quickly operationalize the global market that Vodafone Idea’s revival will rely Supreme Court order on stray dogs in deputy chief minister Samrat products will reduce instances there will be a positive impact
to sell individual assets when unable to intelligence service (GMIS) portal to help more on fresh capital and policy support Delhi-NCR, Mint examines India’s rabies Chaudhary. The panel will of tax credits getting accumu-
find takers for the whole business. >P15 identify, tap export opportunities. >P13 than on change in leadership. >P14 vaccine market and access to it. >P15 place its report before the lated for businesses in sectors TURN TO PAGE 13

Local surge
Domestic investors, backed by record inflows into mutual
Ola Electric makes bold new Mahindra bets on one tech
funds, are increasingly positive on public listings.
Anchor category-wise allotment amount (in ₹ crore)
Total Issue amount FPIs DII
bet, with old promises pending platform for multiple fuels
180,000
150,000
Nehal Chaliawala & become a prototype now,” a Ayaan Kartik there is customer demand, we
120,000 Ayaan Kartik white kurta-clad Aggarwal [email protected] will bring hybrid vehicles.”
90,000
said at an event at Ola Elec- MUMBAI M&M joins Tata Motors in
MUMBAI tric’s factory at Krishnagiri in securing access to a technol-
60,000

M
Tamil Nadu on Friday. ahindra & Mahindra ogy platform that can accom-

B
30,000
havish Aggarwal-led Ola On Friday, the company also will develop new pet- modate multiple powertrains.
0 Electric, which makes unveiled India’s first indige- rol, diesel and electric The new set of announce-
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025*
*Latest data as on 7 August 2025. Source: Ministry of commerce and industry
key product and strat- nously developed ferrite models on a common technol- ments was part of M&M’s
egy announcements on Inde- motor that uses no rare-earth ogy platform to give it the flex- annual event on 15 August, this
SATISH KUMAR/MINT
pendence Day every year, on magnets, which will help it ibility to meet global emission time in Mumbai. M&M’s share

IPO power shift: Friday said the company is

eyeing a new motorcycle
called Diamondhead by mid-
overcome the crisis triggered
by China restricting its export
of rare-earth magnets. These
norms and adjust its products
based on market demand.
While revealing a new vehi-
price has increased by 6% so
far in 2025, as against a 4% rise
in the benchmark Nifty50.

Domestic funds
2027 that would “revolution- Bhavish Aggarwal, founder of magnets are crucial for making cle platform NU_IQ, the com- Anish Shah, group CEO at The company is locked in a
ize” the industry. Ola Electric. REUTERS motors for EVs. The motors pany on Friday unveiled Mahindra and Mahindra. PTI fierce battle with Hyundai
This comes in the backdrop will power Ola's vehicles start- design prototypes of four Motor India and Tata Motors
of the company grappling ₹5 lakh. Aggarwal called the ing from the third quarter of SUVs that will be based on it. focused on petrol, diesel and to occupy the second spot in

take front seat with missed targets, scaled-

down ambitions and a volatile
stock since its debut last year.
motorcycle, which was first
showcased as a concept two
years ago, Ola Electric’s new
fiscal year 2026 (Q3FY26), the
company claimed.
The integration of cells,
These SUVs will begin arriving
in the markets in 2027. The
automaker, however, did not
electric vehicles,” Rajesh
Jejurikar, executive director
and chief executive officer
India’s automobile pecking
order. So far in FY26, M&M
has been able to beat Hyundai
Sneha Shah & Mayur Bhalerao share offerings less susceptible Ola aims to deck the motor- moonshot project. motors and other key compo- commit to the launch of hybrid (auto and farm sector), M&M, to the second spot in terms of
MUMBAI to wider macroeconomic cycle with its in-house artifi- “We showed you a concept nents in-house helps the com- vehicles just yet. said on the sidelines of the wholesales in all four months.
shifts. cial intelligence (AI) chips, bat- two years ago. Many people pany eke out better margins, “Hybrid vehicles are not launch. “Our earlier stance on The Indian subsidiary of the

I
ndia’s booming market for FPIs have turned net sellers tery cells, airbags and new thought it would remain a part of the architecture yet. electric vehicles remains
initial public offerings in India, offloading shares materials, with a target price of concept. But here it is – it has TURN TO PAGE 13 This platform is currently unchanged, which is that if TURN TO PAGE 13
(IPOs) is undergoing a deci- worth $31 billion (₹2.7 trillion)
sive shift, with domestic insti- from October to July, while
tutional investors (DIIs) such DIIs purchased shares worth
as mutual funds, insurance
companies, and banks estab-
lishing dominance over for-
₹6.65 trillion.
When it comes to IPOs
larger than Rs 1,500 crore, the
Trump wants to command bosses like Xi. He is failing
eign players in underwriting participation of FIIs and DIIs
new share sales. remains broadly even. H20s to China, the argument floated a similar approach for it may face a legal challenge.
Data from the past 24 “There is a balanced mix is that it will reduce the incen- Nvidia’s “super-duper-ad- By contrast, China’s approach
months show DIIs are now between DIIs and FIIs as we tive for China’s own chipmak- vanced” Blackwell chips). is becoming more sophisti-
responsible for at least 50% of see it in most large IPOs. How- ers, such as Huawei, to develop Contrast that with the quieter cated. In recent months it has
the subscriptions in an IPO’s ever, there is one clear trend substitutes. That will keep way China has used one of its established a system of export

I
anchor book—allocations where domestic investors, gnore for a moment Donald Chinese developers of genera- most sought-after resources— controls that tries to track the
made to select large investors backed by the record inflows Trump’s shakedown of tive AI hooked on American rare earths—as a bargaining end customer of commodities
at a fixed price before an offer- into mutual funds, are increas- Nvidia, in which he has hardware, and make China chip. When it comes to med- and spans hundreds of prod-
ing opens, helping gauge ingly positive on the domestic allowed the world’s most valu- less likely to invade Taiwan, dling with markets, America’s ucts, from sensors to manufac-
demand and stabilize the deal. stories,” said Arvind Vashistha, able firm to resume limited where the bulk of the world’s nickel-and-dimer-in-chief has turing equipment.
That marks a sharp break India head of equity capital exports of its artificial-intelli- cutting-edge chips are made. much to learn from Xi Jinping. So far Mr Trump’s approach
from the days when foreign markets at Citi. gence (AI) chips to China in The other side takes a tougher A lot about the way Mr appears neither to help Amer-
portfolio investors were the “In many instances, DIIs return for a 15% cut of the pro- approach. Its advocates, Trump has handled chip ica nor to hurt China. He has
primary anchors in Indian lead the price-setting in IPOs, ceeds for Uncle Sam. Think including this newspaper, exports to China pales besides surrendered an important part
public listings. and given the depth of the instead of the argument about contend that choking off A lot about the way Mr Trump has handled chip exports to China the way America’s rival has of America’s national-security
While global uncertainties local market, it is giving a lot of whether it is wise to let China access to the H20s, which are pales besides the way China has used rare earths for leverage. AP used rare earths for leverage. strategy for a pittance. Assum-
have spooked foreign portfolio comfort to issuers that at the have access to one of Amer- hot stuff in China even if sub- The American president’s ing H20 sales generate $20bn
investors (FPIs), India’s deep- right price and size, IPOs are ica’s most coveted technolo- par by American standards, Mr Trump alluded to nei- chips, too). Instead he boasted strategy is capricious and con- of revenues to Nvidia, the 15%
ening capital markets have doable.” gies. would slow the development ther of these arguments when of the haggling that took place fusing. In the space of three surcharge would net $3bn—less
enabled midsize and large A Mint analysis of anchor One side of the debate wants of Chinese technology just he confirmed on August 11th between himself and Mr months, H20 sales have been than the cost of a new nuclear-
IPOs to sail through with investor allocations since 2019 to flood China’s market. By enough for the US to secure an that Nvidia would resume sell- Huang to determine how big a banned and unbanned. His powered submarine. He has
strong institutional and retail permitting Nvidia to resume insurmountable lead in the AI ing H20s to China (AMD, a cut America should get in export levy probably violates
participation, making new TURN TO PAGE 13 exports of its dumbed-down race. rival, will sell some of its AI return for the favour (and Article 1 of the constitution, so TURN TO PAGE 13