Kamareddy, a busy poultry hub 117 km from HyderaK bad and the district headquarters, is a sea of pink on November 9. Fivestorey-tall cutouts of the Telangana chief minister, K. Chandrashekar Rao, better known by his acronym KCR, line the streets. As also the party symbola car in the shape of the erstwhile Ambassador of Hindustan Motors. Everything is in bright pink, the colour of the party rechristened the Bharat Rashtra Samithi last year, to burnish its national credentials. Pink symbolises universal peace and love, and also evokes comfort, compassion and warmth-reasons KCR chose that colour for BRS.
Even the band at the venue of the public meeting is dressed in shades of pink. It is belting out party songs in praise of KCR, most of which end with a rousing call of "Jai, Jai, Telangana". Another popular rhyme goes-"Ek Do Teen Baar, Desh Ka Neta KCR" (Once, twice, third time, the leader of the nation is KCR). It well captures the aspirations of a man who first led the agitation for the state and since 2014 has been guiding its destiny. Now, he is seeking a third successive term as chief minister when Telangana goes to the polls on November 30.
In an unusual move, the 69-year-old KCR chose Kamareddy as an additional seat to contest from. He has represented the Gajwel constituency in neighbouring Siddipet district in the 2014 and 2018 assembly elections. The Opposition sees it as a sign of KCR's insecurity. Opinion polls, too, are reflecting anti-incumbency against him, which may see his party secure far less seats than the 88 out of 119 seats it won in 2018.
Denne historien er fra November 27, 2023-utgaven av India Today.
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Denne historien er fra November 27, 2023-utgaven av India Today.
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He gave the beat to the world
He would pick up the rhythms of each experience of mobility and weave them into his taals. Thus it was that he reflected joy and laughter in rhythmic cycles...such was the magic of Zakir's fingersText and photographs by Raghu Rai
KERALA TOURISM CAMPAIGN, 1989 - TICKETS TO PARADISE
All it took was a catchy tagline-'God's Own Country'-for the world to discover Kerala's wealth of natural beauty. It remains among the best tourism ad campaigns, earning the state a place among top 10 international destinations
SPIRITUALITY - THE GURUS OF COOL
Among the cult Indian gurus, no one had a bigger hold on western minds than 'Osho' Rajneesh. He's also perhaps the role model for the enterprise-building gurus of today
RETAIL SHOPPING - THE MALL MANIA
Shopping malls, a 1990s innovation in India, changed the way the Indian middle class shops. Their success now lies in being 'shoppertainment' destinations, offering something for everyone
CULINARY RENAISSANCE, 1978 - TANDOORI NIGHTS
ITC's Bukhara and Dum Pukht turned the world to tandoori cuisine and had an enormous impact on the F&B industry. Decades on, they are still a pit-stop for celebrities and heads of state visiting Delhi
INDIAN WRITING IN ENGLISH - REVENGE OF THE NATIVE
Rushdie lit the way but Indian writing in English has taken a life of its own in the past few decades, with translated Indian fiction most recently having its moment in the sun
INDIAN ART - A BRUSH WITH GOLD DUST
The 1990s economic liberalisation came as oxygen, lighting up the Indian art scene. Today, artworks by established masters routinely go for astronomical amounts
FESTIVAL OF INDIA, 1982 - CULTURE CAPITAL
The Festival of India grew into a symbol of our 'soft power', introducing our art and aesthetics to a global audience while also helping rebrand our domestic products
THE INDIPOP TREND - DISCO GOES DESI
For ages, the film song ruled. Nothing else was audible. Then came Nazia, charioteered by Biddu, and Indian ears went into a pleasant madness. Literally, Disco Deewane. A whole genre was born
SHOLAY 1975 - THE BIRTH OF THE FANDEMIC
India had seen hits before. But Sholay seared into its collective psyche like a badland bullet. The effect was on a scale never seen before- one film creating a new mass folk culture. And a trail of monster blockbusters that still continues
