Table of contents for 26 May 2025 in India Today

THE PAST THREE WEEKS HAVE been a frenetic blur for Naushad Solanki. District chief for the Congress in Surendranagar, his political life usually reflects the placidity of this Saurashtra outback. So why has he been meeting and interacting with so many others of his ilk? Perhaps more than ever before? It’s Rahul Gandhi. In mid-April, he made his third visit to Gujarat in 45 days, and set rolling a party revamp that seeks to strike at the root of its rot: the districts. After the symbolism of choosing Gujarat for its AICC session (April 8-9), Rahul was back a week later to kickstart some action on the ground. Chosen teams have been spending up to five days every week since mid-April in the districts, interacting, eliciting points of view, identifying…

THE SMELL OF SYRUP IN THE AIR, the hot petha rolling out of factories on both sides of the road, their candied memories travelling up and down the country in tiny coloured boxes by road, rail and now air—this is the identity of Agra’s Noori Gate area. About seven kilometres from the Taj Mahal, these desi pâtisseries also churn out tiny, delicate monuments to the sweetness of composite culture. If the Taj was born in Shah Jahan’s mind, legend has it that the petha was born in his royal kitchen—upon a royal firman to create a sweet delicacy as pure and white as the Taj! Marble was traded for white pumpkin, Agra’s magic spell was spoken, and voila…the world was suddenly sweeter. SUGAR SPIKED That magic spell is being broken.…

ON May 7, after India struck terrorist infrastructure inside Pakistan, Islamabad responded by lifting a 15-month-old ban on X (formerly Twitter). Though the Pakistan military’s official handle remained dormant, affiliated proxies sprang into action. A deepfake video of Indian external affairs minister S. Jaishankar appearing to apologise for the strikes went viral. The Fact Check Unit of India’s Press Information Bureau (PIB) quickly debunked it. In a counterstrike of sorts, another clip went viral, showing Pakistan military spokesperson Lt General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry admitting the loss of their two JF-17 jets—shared nearly 700,000 times on X before it was exposed as a fabrication by the media watchdog Bellingcat. The battle during Operation Sindoor wasn’t fought solely with fighter jets, missiles and drones. It raged just as fiercely in the digital domain—a…

THE PROJECT: AVISHKAR HYPERLOOP GOAL To build the world’s longest hyperloop test track (40-50 km) SUPPORT  Rs 30+ crore from Modi government since 2022 FIRST-USE CASE  High-speed cargo movement via Indian Railways TARGET SPEED 1,200 KMPH Faster than a commercial jet CORE TECHNOLOGIES HOW IT WORKS ↘ With the air removed, the vacuum tube eliminates drag ↘ Electromagnetic levitation lifts the pod off the surface ↘ The linear electric motor provides thrust ↘ A near-frictionless glide at breathtaking velocity BUILT SO FAR 422-metre-long, 2-metre-diameter vacuum tube: The world’s largest studentbuilt Hyperloop testbed Pod prototypes developed: Currently progressing to Version 8.0 Onboard systems under testing: Life support, humidity control, thermal regulation Concrete tube prototype in progress: Projected 80% cost reduction THE CHALLENGES ↘ No full-scale working Hyperloop demonstrator yet ↘ Concrete…

The humble custard apple (‘shareefa’ or ‘sitaphal’ in Hindi) is cherished across north India for its int ense sugary taste and the zing it adds to otherwise straitlaced desserts. But before I saw several 18th-century gouache-on-paper paintings of the fruit, drawn in the style of European botanical drawings, I had never quite realised the geometric elegance of its honeycomb-like form. The works are on display at Delhi’s DAG, a part of their ongoing exhibition ‘A Treasury of Life: Indian Company Paintings c. 1790-1835’ (on till July 5). As the name suggests, these ‘Company paintings’ (nearly 200 of them, from the 18th and 19th centuries) were drawn by Indian artists commissioned by India-based European patrons. “In all of the com pany paintings, there is a substantive dialogue going on between Indian and…

The Supreme Court of India has embarked on an unprecedented transparency drive. Late on the night of May 5, it quietly uploaded an unusual set of documents to its official website, making public the personal asset declarations of 23 of its 33 sitting judges. It also noted that the remaining disclosures would be uploaded “as and when” submitted. Alongside this, the court also released detailed records of its typically opaque appointment process. This disclosure followed a unanimous resolution at a Full Court meeting held on April 1, where all SC justices agreed that judges’ asset declarations must be placed in the public domain. The move comes amid intensifying scrutiny of the judiciary, including allegations of corruption, nepotism, caste bias and a lack of accountability in how judges are appointed. Two…

63% of Bihar’s population are either EBCs or OBCs 12 No. of seats the RJD-led Grand Alliance lost by in 2020 despite a near-identical vote share IT WAS A SWELTERING SATURDAY IN PATNA ON MAY 3, but the heat wasn’t just from the rising mercury in the summer. At the Miller High School Ground in the centre of the city, Tejashwi Yadav was whipping up some serious passion of his own. The Rashtriya Janata Dal leader was addressing a rally—the ‘Ati-Pichhda Jagao, Tejashwi Sarkar Banao (Wake Up the EBCs, Elect a Tejashwi government)’ rally organised by his party’s EBC (Extremely Backward Classes) cell. “No EBC community has prospered, while Nitish has flourished,” Tejashwi thundered, mounting a salvo against his once grand ally—Janata Dal (United) supremo and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. He…

Heavy metal has a niche following within India, but New Delhi band Bloodywood’s take on the genre—which blends in hip-hop and Indian folk music rendered in a mix of Hindi and English and occasionally Punjabi—has won fans around the globe. The trio of composer and multiinstrumentalist Karan Katiyar, singer Jayant Bhadula and rapper Raoul Kerr is currently on a world tour in support of their recently-released second album NU DELHI. The record, which is dedicated to their home city and features ‘Bekhauf’, a collaboration with Japan’s BABYMETAL, is their first since signing to American label Fearless Records on whose roster they’re the only Indian act. The 2024 signing was another among Bloodywood’s long list of achievements that includes playing almost every major metal festival in the world and cracking the…

Published 30 years after his passing, and in his centenary year, Myself & Other Animals should revive interest in naturalist Gerald Durrell’s legacy. Jamshedpur-born Durrell’s childhood was spent in a wild rapture. Happily for his readers, he never grew up. In 1930, following his father’s death, his mother Louisa moved with her four children (including eldest son Lawrence, later another famous writer) to England. But the India-raised Durrells couldn’t cope with life there. The family followed Lawrence to Corfu, a Greek island where young Gerald spent an idyllic Mediterranean boyhood among creatures great and small. There he met his natural history mentor, the polymath Theodore Stephanides. These recollections would appear, garnished with saucy humour and serendipity, in the bestselling Corfu Trilogy—My Family and Other Animals; Birds, Beasts and Rela- and…

In today’s whirlwind world, bathrooms have graduated from practical spaces to sanctuaries of serenity. Welcome to the age of wellness, where relaxation blends seamlessly with luxury, and your humble bathroom is now your personal spa retreat. Setting the Spa Scene A spa-inspired bathroom isn’t just a trend, it’s therapy. The secret? Meticulous attention to detail. Ambient lighting sets the mood, while multi-sensory showers transform mundane routines into indulgent rituals. At Aquant, our Cascade Flow showers deliver rainfall, waterfall, and mist experiences that whisper, “you’ve earned this moment.” Tailored Technology Customisation reigns supreme at Aquant. We collaborate with homeowners, architects, and designers to create bathrooms that reflect personal style—be it minimalist or lavish. Our tech-enhanced features include digital thermostats, Bluetooth showers, body jets, and mood lighting—seamlessly controlled for a truly personalised,…

There’s a design renaissance brewing in India—craftsmanship, detailing, aesthetics, and function are finally vibing in perfect harmony. The latest sign? A new wave of multi-brand stores. But not your usual shop-in-shop snoozefests; we’re talking about handpicked edits that celebrate the crème de la crème of design. Here are four new spaces that’ll blow your socks off (and maybe your credit card limits too). LUXE, WITH LOVE Asian Paints has long been ahead of the curve, and with Nilaya Anthology—a 1,00,000 sq ft luxury design haven in Mumbai’s mill district—they’re cementing that reputation. Spearheaded by creative director Pavitra Rajaram, it’s less store, more cultural experience, built on three pillars: curation, creation, and experience. “It’s not just a multi-brand store, it’s a cultural space, an anthology of design, craftsmanship, and storytelling,” says…

In celebration of its 100th anniversary, Le Creuset has unveiled a new chapter: Flamme Dorée. This limited-edition colourway reimagines the brand’s original ‘Flame’ hue with a luxurious golden shimmer, created using light-catching minerals and an innovative third enamel layer. A sparkling tribute to Le Creuset’s heritage and innovation, Flamme Dorée features real gold accents and a redesigned crucible knob. The shallow casserole heats evenly, sears beautifully, and locks in moisture with its domed lid—making it ideal for everything from casseroles and steaming to shallow frying. Stylish enough to go from stove to table, it’s a piece of history you can cook with. PRICE ₹23,000 to ₹36,000 AT www.le-creuset.in…

JUST LIKE IT WAS FOR T20 INTERNATIONALS last June, in a confluence of cricketing destinies, Rohit Sharma, 38, and Virat Kohli, 36, stepped away from Test cricket within days of each other. Distinct in style and temperament, they left an indelible mark on Indian cricket. If Rohit imparted a sense of elegant calm and quiet assurance, Virat embodied a hyperactive brilliance. And while Rohit’s departure stirs a quiet nostalgia—an ode to a late Test bloomer—Virat’s exit reverberates with seismic resonance. A figure of relentless ambition, Virat redefined Indian cricket’s onfield image as ironclad profess ionals. Both were inst rumental in India achieving new highs: under Virat, India held the No. 1 spot in the ICC Test rankings from 2016 to 2021. Again, those were the duo’s fin est years. Their parallel departures…

DRUG ABUSE AMONG KERALA’S young, especially schoolchildren, has been making panicky headlines of late. The Marxist regime has now struck upon a novel Latin American fix. Novel and Latin American? Marquez? No, that was the teenaged Malayali of the 1980s. Their Gen Alpha legatees will also go Colombian, but with dance: Zumba, to be precise. Beginning June, the next academic year, Kerala’s schools will have the last period every day devoted to Zumba. The pilot run, in Thiruvananthapuram on April 30, saw 1,500 school students kick and stomp with gusto. At its launch, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan counselled “students and teachers to participate actively” in the Zumba sessions to stay fit and reduce stress. Education minister V.. Sivankutty credits the 79-year-old CM with the idea of integrating Zumba into the…

DAY 1 MAY 7 0100-0130 HRS ↘ India initiates Operation Sindoor, launching precision strikes on terrorist infrastructure across nine locations in PoK and Pakistan Punjab ↘ Drones, loitering munitions and Rafale/MiG 29 jets equipped with precision weapons hit JaisheMohammed and LashkareTaiba hubs; 100 reportedly killed. Pakistan claims downing of Indian jets ↘ Later in the day, Pakistan convenes National Security Council. Crossborder shelling intensifies in Kashmir 2030 HRS ↘ Pakistani counterattack starts; 15 Indian air bases—Pakistani counterattack including Awantipur, Srina gar, Jammu, Amritsar, Jala ndhar, Adampur, Bathinda, Pathankot, Uttarlai and Bhuj—targeted with drones, loitering munitions ↘ India’s air defence (AD) grid neutralises attacks ↘ India asserts that Pakistani AD targets were hit in retaliation, crucial AD systems in Lahore destroyed through Suppression of Enemy Air Defences (SEAD) operations DAY 2…

Glinting in the summer sun amid the lush green expanse of the sprawling Discovery campus at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras in Chennai is a 422-metrelong metallic tube. Inside it lies an idea, one that a team of students is developing which could hasten India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat. This is the Avishkar Hyperloop, India’s most ambitious shot at joining the elite group of nations racing to make vacuum tube-based ultra-high-speed transportation a reality. It’s a government-supported, academia-led effort placing young engineers at the heart of a mass-mobility experiment. Since 2022, the Modi government has pumped in over Rs 30 crore into the project, the latest tranche arriving this February. Spearheaded by the railway ministry under Ashwini Vaishnaw, the plan is to build an ultra-long Hyperloop test track of 40…

An intelligent filmmaker knows that all stories have been told already, and a fresh story means fresh storytelling. Case in point: the new Sony LIV Hindi series Black, White & Gray—Love Kills. Written, directed and edited by Pushkar Sunil Mahabal, the Rashomon-like six-episode series is part true crime mockumentary, part chase thriller, and full metafiction. What could have been a straightforward crime story is explored as a fake documentary looking into the aftermath of the crime, juxtaposed with its dramatic re-enactment. This style coaxes us to question the ethics of the true crime genre, and the intersections of caste, class and gender across which crimes occur. A politician’s daughter and the son of the politician’s driver sneak out one night to have sex in a hotel. Later, CCTV footage suggests that…