In this issue

Highlights of India Today –14th September 2020 issue: The Cover Story talks of how the National Investigation Agency cracked a blind case and exposed how the bombmaker guided by Pakistan-based handlers was the lynchpin of the Pulwama terror strike.

The Special Report this week looks at India wresting high ground in Eastern Ladakh with some help from a secret commando force.

The Big Story this week focuses on a complex, intelligent individual, Sushant Singh Rajput, who's life reveals the many demons that haunted him.

The Future Of Indian Retail

For several years, Kishore Biyani, the 59-year-old founder and CEO of the Future Group, would just brush aside the idea that e-commerce was any kind of threat to India’s traditional brick-and-mortar retail business. Credited with pioneering organized retail in the country, he was a firm believer in the Indian shopper’s preference for the touch-and-feel experience of physical shopping. For years, Biyani seemed to be right, at least going by the scenes at his Big Bazaar stores, where people jostled for space on mega sale days. A three-decade veteran in modern retail, Biyani kept expanding his store count, taking the number to 1,800 across formats—apparel, lifestyle, and groceries. Flush with funds from banks, he also acquired as many as six companies in the past seven years to expand his reach. However, this did strain the Future Group’s finances—on sales of Rs 26,000 crore, his company’s debt ballooned to Rs 13,000 crore. When the pandemic set in and the lockdown abruptly halted business, he was pushed closer to defaulting on his loans. The absence of an e-commerce arm made matters worse.

3 mins

The Measure Of A Lockdown

In responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, India imposed one of the most stringent lockdowns anywhere in the world, beginning March 25. “Jaan hai to jahaan hai (life before anything else),” Prime Minister Narendra Modi famously said, rationalizing the total lockdown. But the economy, which was already in the midst of a slowdown, paid a very heavy price. Much has been said and written on the economic consequences of the controversial decision, and now the GDP data for the April-June quarter shows the full extent of the damage caused—the economy shrank 23.9 per cent in that period. The manufacturing sector collapsed by 39.3 per cent, while construction activity fell by 50.3 per cent. The trade, hotels, transport, and communications sector shrank by 47 per cent, with investment activity declining by 47.1 per cent. However, government consumption expenditure grew by 16.4 per cent.

3 mins

A LONE RANGER'S BATTLE FOR PRIDE

The one thing that strikes you as you enter Kamal Nath’s residence-cum-office at Shyamla Hills in Bhopal is that it does not have the gloomy vibe you might expect, given that he recently lost power and the way he lost it. Congress leaders, aides, and advisors troop in through the day to meet the recently deposed Madhya Pradesh chief minister. Though the Election Commission has not announced dates, all the buzz is about the by-elections to 27 assembly segments in the state. For Nath, nearly 74, the polls will be a crucial political test that will decide whether he returns to power or spends the remaining assembly term as leader of the opposition, an office he assumed recently.

4 mins

THE BOMBMAKER OF PULWAMA

The inside story of how the National Investigation Agency cracked a blind case and exposed how the bombmaker guided by Pakistan-based handlers was the lynchpin of the Pulwama terror strike

10+ mins

THE TIBETAN GHOST WARRIORS

INDIA WRESTS HIGH GROUND IN EASTERN LADAKH WITH SOME HELP FROM A SECRET COMMANDO FORCE

8 mins

NAVIGATING AN UNCERTAIN WORLD

The world is changing, and fast. A turbulent phase in international relations has begun and India needs to figure out how to not only rise, but to do so optimally. In his book The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World, Union Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar analyses the challenges India faces on the world stage and offers possible solutions on how to negotiate the tough times ahead. Excerpts:

10+ mins

A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS

With election just a month away, Nitish Kumar and JD(U)-BJP look the better side. Will he be chief minister fourth time in a row, or will RJD play spoiler?

7 mins

WANING SCENT OF SAFFRON

A CONGRESS-AIUDF ALLIANCE, ANTI-CAA SENTIMENT AND HIMANTA BISWA SARMA’S LONG-STANDING AMBITION MAY MAKE THE GOING TOUGH FOR BJP-AGP

6 mins

The Consensus Builder

Pranab Mukherjee’s decision to visit the RSS headquarters was not understood by many. It was an expression of faith in secularism. He believed it not to be a cloistered virtue

7 mins

PHANTOMS OF THE MIND

A complex, intelligent individual, Sushant’s life reveals the many demons that haunted him

8 mins

BOOKS Of Mothers and Melancholia

With her novel on the Booker Prize longlist, Avni Doshi is finding the wider readership she deserves

4 mins

Making The Cut - The Shadow King

The four novels by Black writers on the Booker longlist that deserve a spot in the shortlist

5 mins

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