YOGA IS NOT A RELIGIOUS PRACTICE

HANSA YOGENDRA—endowed with geniality, flexibility and the ability to motivate people—has been practising yoga from age three. Today, at 76, she is one of the most respected yoga teachers in the world. She has also been at the forefront of the yoga movement in the country

TOWARDS PHYSICAL WELLNESS, COMFORTABLY

RARITY OF STRENUOUS ACTION IS AN ADVANTAGE THAT YOGA HAS OVER OTHER WORKOUT REGIMENS

A PERENNIAL GIFT OF INDIAN WISDOM TO THE WORLD

Interview: Sarbananda Sonowal, minister of Ayush

GROWING INTERNATIONAL ACCEPTANCE

TOP SCIENTIFIC FORUMS HAVE EXTENDED INVITATIONS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CIMR’S RESEARCH

Artisan as artist

The fanfare around the much touted opening of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC, cleverly pronounced ‘en-mac’) has diminished. Sadly, so has the fuss around one of the most excellent exhibitions ever put together with India as its focus. The ‘India in Fashion’ showcase highlighted the global influence of Indian embroideries, textiles, drapes, motifs and design language.

The hotchpotch Ramleela

Trapped in our homes on the outskirts of Bengaluru in the autumn of 2020, and desperate for a little festive cheer, my township decided to build a 30-foot Ravana from scratch and put up a production of the Ramleela. Rachna ji’s cook was a decent carpenter and his young daughter could blow on a conch shell impressively. Brij ji’s driver’s baby girl had naughty eyes and monkey-like antics. Kamal ji’s ten-year-old grandson could pull off a booming, evil Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Armed with a bunch of yellow saris that could be swathed as either saris or dhotis, a playlist of traditional aartis and Bollywood bhajans, and a massive pile of donated cardboard cartons, bamboo poles and bright kite paper in every colour, we kickstarted our production.

Sajni Gill's scoop

We were meeting after several years. The setting was surreal. As was the journey from our temporary home in Canggu, Bali, to Sajni Gill’s sprawling ocean-front mansion on a cliff in upscale Uluwatu, three hours away and right next to the swish Bulgari resort. Our three hour drive time through insane traffic to chill with Sajni (who’d especially flown in for the day from Singapore), was efficiently halved by a manic cop on a motorbike, shooing vehicles off the road to let us pass. This invaluable service had been organised by Jagdev Singh, Sajni’s husband and business partner.

Beware the Dragon

Delhi should know that every opportunity created by its sectarian policies in the northeast will be exploited by China

Mahinda has a bigger role to play

President Mahinda Rajapaksa says professionals have a greater role to play in country’s development drive at CA Sri Lanka’s building opening ceremony

Check (up on) Big Tech

Oh, utopia exists. At least in our minds. But dystopia comes and goes, in different countries, in different eras, in different hideous forms. Now we are in “Technopia”—a world re-engineered by the omnipresent Big Tech. Their complicity in surveillance, data theft, disinformation, addictive click-baiting algorithms and unfair competition persists. The worry now is Big Tech’s corrupting influence on authorities—everywhere. European Union’s whistleblowers warn that tech companies are “subverting” democracy. They have spun out of democratic control; they have “captured” governments.

SHOCK ABSORBER

Shaitan is a show of blood, gore and expletives

Memories of mayhem

A new museum in Old Delhi is preserving partition memories and sparking conversations

REWRITING HER STORY

Forgotten tales of tawaifs are seeing a revival on screen and in print

Eye on Earth

The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar, set for an early 2024 launch, will help predict natural disasters like the Joshimath sinking

Without India on board we cannot save the planet

India and Denmark launched a green strategic partnership back in September 2020, focused on cooperating and promoting sustainable development. Freddy Svane, the ambassador of Denmark to India, says the partnership is ready to take off now like a rocket, with many initiatives and projects already under way. Excerpts from an interview:

DARE TO DREAM

Having rediscovered their mojo in the Indonesia Open, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy are eyeing bigger victories

SILVER-WHERE?

After the heartbreak at the World Test Championship final, and with the ODI World Cup at home looming large, a look at where the Indian team stands now

Never point fingers at IPL; see how we can get more out of it

Ravi Shastri debuted for India in 1981. He was 18. A left-arm spinner who batted right-handed, he took six wickets in the Test at Wellington, which India lost to New Zealand, and scored 22 at number 10. Playing alongside the likes of captain Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev must have been a great learning experience for the Mumbaikar. So, when he advocates the need to blood youngsters when the experienced are still around, he has to be taken seriously. After India were defeated at the Oval in the final of the World Test Championship early this month, Shastri, who was in London as a commentator, was the first to say that India has to learn from Australia on making the transition smooth.

Making Gandhi greater

Gujarat goes ahead with a 1,200-crore project to expand the Sabarmati Ashram complex, brushing aside opposition from Gandhi’s descendants

Battleground Barsu

People of eight Ratnagiri villages are torn between the benefits a refinery would bring and the environment it would spoil

ALLY-DALLYING

Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP is wooing estranged allies, but on its own terms

Family plan

The Rajapaksas believe that the Sinhala majoritarian feeling is alive in Sri Lanka, and it will help them make a comeback

ALL QUIET ON THE WATERFRONT

A YEAR AFTER THE GALLE FACE PROTESTS, SRI LANKA IS LARGELY PEACEFUL, BUT THE ACTIVISTS WHO LED THE MOVEMENT FACE GOVERNMENT PERSECUTION. AND, THE ECONOMY REMAINS A MESS

Unwelcome Mat

Wrestling controversy puts question mark on dreams of young girls in Haryana

Failing The Test

Changes are needed to take Indian cricket ahead from this moribund state

Best Friends Forever

Modi has thrown his weight behind making Indo-US ties stronger than ever; Biden, too, appears clearly committed

UNICORN UTOPIA

With G20’s first-of-a-kind Startup20 initiative, India aims to position itself as a global go-to hub for startups

India can be great for manufacturing

INTERVIEW: Nadir Godrej, chairman and managing director, Godrej Industries

Unlocking future

With acquisitions, expansion and new businesses, Godrej is spreading its wings

Return request

NIA hopes Modi’s diplomatic outreach in Washington could help the Tahawwur Rana extradition process