Month: October 2021

** Gajanan Upadhyaya: The father of Indian furniture design

In 1966, he left for Copenhagen to train in furniture design at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, worked with Poul Kjærholm, and a host of other designers during the golden period of Danish design.

In 2018, when I last met Gajanan Upadhyaya, he was as full of enthusiastic energy as in the 1980s when I was a student at the institute. He quizzed me in that inimitable way of his, ‘But you are not a furniture designer, you are a communication designer, why have you come to ask me about my chairs?’. As quickly and without waiting for my reply, he proceeded to explain the details of the particular chair he was holding up.

** 65 Indian artists will get together in Italy for a groundbreaking exhibition in November

The Hub India art show in Turin marks what one hopes will be the re-emergence of physical art viewing worldwide

Sometimes art is the best catharsis. Even as India emerges into what seems like the beginning of the end of the pandemic, a major project featuring more than 65 Indian artists will open in Turin, Italy, in the coming days, signalling the relaunch of public and overseas engagements for art. Coming in these fractured times, the Hub India exhibition seems like a testament to the irrepressible quality of the humane and artistic spirit.

** An Economist at Home and Abroad: A personal Journey’ review: A ringside view of India’s path to tax reforms and liberalisation

Shankar Acharya, former chief economic adviser, gently looks back at his time in the government, without revealing any secrets

When economist Shankar Acharya returned to India in 1982, after studying and working abroad for 23 years, he had a job waiting for him in the newly set up National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) in Delhi. He was to head a study commissioned by the Finance Ministry on the dimensions of India’s black money problem. He and his team submitted the report in early 1985 and it made quite a splash. Among other things it was sceptical about demonetisation and voluntary disclosure schemes to deal with the problem. Anecdotes like this are strewn all over An Economist at Home and Abroad.

** PM Modi and other G20 leaders visit iconic Trevi Fountain in Rome

It is believed that if you throw a coin over your shoulder into the water of the fountain, you will be sure to return to Rome

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday visited the famous Trevi Fountain here along with other world leaders on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

The fountain is one of the most visited monuments of France and is loved by tourists. The historical fountain has drawn many filmmakers to it who have popularised the Baroque art-styled monument as the epitome of a place of romance.

** First in Telugu States, gay couple to announce their wedding in December

The couple plan to hold a celebration of their relationship without any marriage formalities, as the law still does not permit same gender marriages.

It is just a normal story of two people living together next door, but in this story there are two men, says Hyderabad-based hotel management school lecture Supriyo Chakraborty, who along with his partner Abhay Dang, will announce their wedding to be celebrated on December 18th, making it the first gay wedding in the Telugu States.

** HAL delivers 200th Gun Bay Door for Boeing Super Hornet

This partnership is a testimony to the world class capability of our industrial partners in the country’, Salil Gupte, the president of Boeing India, said.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Friday delivered the 200th gun bay door for Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet. HAL has been supplying the aero-structure to Boeing for the last 10 years. 

“Our partnership with HAL is an example of our commitment to Atmanirbhar Bharat and to the growth of India’s aerospace and defence ecosystem. We see tremendous potential for India to contribute to the global aerospace industry as an industrial and technology partner. This partnership is a testimony to the world class capability of our industrial partners in the country”, Salil Gupte, the president of Boeing India, said.

** Biggest medal haul, longest list of awardees

India had its biggest medal haul at the Tokyo Olympics with one gold, two silver and four bronze medals.

The unprecedented medal haul by Indian sportspersons at this year’s Olympics and Paralympics has resulted in a highest-ever number of recommendations for the Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards.

Tokyo Olympics javelin throw champion Neeraj Chopra, silver medallist wrestler Ravi Dahiya, bronze-winning boxer Lovlina Borgohain and hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh are among 11 names selected for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, the country’s highest sporting honour.

India had its biggest medal haul at the Tokyo Olympics with one gold, two silver and four bronze medals. The other three medallists – wrestler Bajrang Punia, shuttler PV Sindhu  and weightlifter Mirabhai Chanu  – have already been conferred with the Khel Ratna.

** Who is Anita Anand, Canada’s new defence minister?

Anita Anand, an Indian-origin Canadian, will replace Harjit Sajjan and take oath as the 43rd Defence Minister of Canada.

She is only the second woman to hold the position. She is preceded only by former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell, who held the Defence Minister’s post for five months in 1993.

Who is Anita Anand?

The 54-year-old minister was born in the coastal Canadian province of Nova Scotia to Indian parents hailing from Punjab and Tamil Nadu. She has two sisters — Dr. Sonia Anand and lawyer Gita Anand — who have been with her on the campaign trail.

** Isha Ambani appointed on the Board of Trustees of the prestigious Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art

In 2019, Nita Ambani, wife of Reliance Industries’ Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani, was elected to the board of New York’s The Metropolitan Museum of Art

** Different take

THE THIN EDGE | Reconstructing India’s freedom struggle on celluloid

Re-examining periods of the past is crucial to deepening our understanding of history. Today, when we are fighting a massive, relentless hijacking attempt on the history of our freedom struggle by the falsification factories of the Hindutva brigade, genuine re-examinations of the first few decades of the 20th century matter more than ever.

Shoojit Sircar’s recently released film, Sardar Udham, positions itself as such a project, one which brings to light the almost forgotten story of Udham Singh, who also went to the gallows, ten years after the execution of his younger and much more famous HSRA comrade, Bhagat Singh.