But two portraits-that of former Madhya Pradesh chief ministers Kamal Nath, 77, and Digvijaya Singh, 76-stand out, literally framing one of the key issues Patwari faces now. That is, how to work out a seamless transition from the old guard, represented by those two, to the new, of which he is the motif.
Patwari, 50, who took over the reins of the state Congress from Kamal Nath in mid-December, a fortnight after the party failed miserably in dislodging the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the assembly election, faces a trial by fire. There is the Lok Sabha election looming ahead, and the attrition in the Congress's ranksreal and potential is only making his job tougher.
While no one is willing to admit it on record, the Congress leadership has decided not to spread itself too thin. So, 14 out of the 29 Lok Sabha seats have been identified where it has a "realistic" chance of winning, discounting the 15 seats that the Congress has not won for the past five elections, such as Indore, Ujjain, Bhopal and Jabalpur. The seats in sharp focus are those with a substantial tribal population: Dhar, Ratlam, Chhindwara, Balaghat, Shahdol, Mandla and Sidhi. This assessment is based on the ST population's perceived affinity towards the Grand Old Party.
"My focus is on posts that work for the organisation, not on posts that are focused on elections"
Denne historien er fra March 11, 2024-utgaven av India Today.
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Denne historien er fra March 11, 2024-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
