THE FIRST CITIZEN
Droupadi Murmu, 65 President of India
OUT THERE, INDIA'S TRIBALS LIVE ON the furthermost orbits of the State's social planetary system-the circles of power, patronage and paternalistic welfare that radiate outward from New Delhi and structure the country's economic pyramid. But since last year, she has been a resident of the absolute centre: a First Citizen from among the First Peoples. As the 15th occupant of Rashtrapati Bhavan, Droupadi Murmu manifests in her person a grand gesture of inclusivity. Also, a radiant picture of what's possible, what can come from the vast human potential that stays untapped, from a social grouping where enforced privation gives us the country's grimmest statistics.
Murmu is neither a stranger nor a silver-spooned exception to the harsh realities that define life for the Adivasis, having risen up from the parched earth herself. She was born to a Santhali farmer in Mayurbhanj, Odisha-a district with a nearly 60 per cent tribal population, and a state with a mosaic of 63 Adivasi communities, the most in India. Now she stands like a beacon for the entire 100 million-plus tribals of India.
She managed to follow a resolute path to self-actualisation because she could: her family were traditional village heads and the homestead was in the vicinity of Rairangpur, a liaison town between Asia's oldest modern iron mines and steel cities like Jamshedpur and Durgapur. So, over half a century of modernity had flowed down roads just a handful of miles away. That momentum is what took her as a child out of Uparbeda village, to schooling and graduation in Bhubaneswar, and after brief stints as a clerk and teacher, to nagar panchayat councillorship, membership of the BJP, the first of her two stints as state legislator (winning a 'Best MLA' award in 2007), then governorship and finally Raisina Hill.
Denne historien er fra January 01, 2024-utgaven av India Today.
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Denne historien er fra January 01, 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
