The Economic Times - June 14, 2020
The Economic Times - June 14, 2020
The Economic Times - June 14, 2020
Covid in Delhi:
Shah to Meet India, China ‘Disengaging’ in 106 JSW Bellary
Plant Staffers
LG, CM Today
New Delhi: Home Minister Amit
Shah will meet Delhi Lt Governor
Phased Manner: Army Chief Test Positive
Kolkata: JSW Steel has asked
1 1 ,000 employees out of a
T
Anil Baijal, CM he military talks between India and China even transgressed into the Indian side of the de- 20,000-strong workforce at its
Arvind Kejriwal over the eastern Ladakh row have been “very facto border in several areas including Pangong main plant in Bellary to work from
and others on fruitful”, and both the armies are “disengag- Tso. The Indian Army has been fiercely objecting to home after 106 employees tested
Sunday to discuss ing” in a phased manner beginning from Galwan the transgressions, and demanded their immediate positive for Covid recently. How-
the situation in Valley, Army Chief Gen M M Naravane (pictured) withdrawal for restoration of peace and tranquillity ever, the plant is “operating at full
the national capi- said on Saturday, in first official confirmation of mu- in the area. Both sides held a series of talks in the last capacity and there has been no
tal. The number tual pulling back of troops from the region. few days to resolve the row. “I would like to assure impact of the developments on
of coronavirus cases in Delhi is The Chief of Army Staff also said “the entire situa- everyone that the entire situation along our borders production at the shop floor,” Vi-
the third highest in the country. tion” has been under control along India’s borders with China is under control. We are having a series nod Nowal, Deputy MD, told ET on
There has been complaints of with China and exuded confidence that the ongoing of talks which started with corps commander level Saturday.
non-availability of beds in hospi- dialogue will “settle” all the perceived differences talks which was followed up with meetings at the About 400 employees have
tals and difficulty in getting tests over the de-facto Sino-India boundary. Gen Nara- local level between commanders of equivalent been kept in quarantine while
done. vane was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of ranks,” Naravane said. “As a result a lot of disen- their family members and neigh-
the passing out parade of the Indian Military gagement has taken place and we are hopeful that bors are in containment after it
PM Reviews Situation Academy. “Both sides are disengaging in a through the continued dialogue that we are was found that a Covid positive
PM Narendra Modi on Saturday phased manner. We have started from the having, all perceived differences that we (India employee had come in primary
reviewed the country’s response north, from the area of the Galwan river and China) have will be set to rest.” and secondary contact with 500
to the pandemic with senior min- where a lot of disengagement has taken Military sources had claimed the two ar- of his fellow employees. Following
isters and top bureaucrats. Dur- place. It has been a very fruitful dialogue mies began “disengagement” around patrol- this, JSW Steel mobilised the ad-
ing the meet, it that we have had. As I said, it will go on and ling points 14 and 15 in Galwan Valley and an- ministration and got all the 500
was obser ved the situation will improve as we go other in the Hot Spring area, adding employees tested within a day.
that two-thirds of on,” he said. the Chinese side has even moved Out of them, 106 employees tested
India’s Covid-1 9 The Indian and Chinese ar- back up to 1.5 km in the two are- positive. “While all of them are in
infection load mies are locked in an over five- as. However, neither the min- hospital, barring five, the rest of
were in five states week standoff in Pangong Tso, istry of external affairs nor the employees have shown no sign
with an over- Galwan Valley, Demchok and the ministry of defence re- of the infection,” Nowal said.
whelming proportion of cases in Daulat Beg Oldie in eastern sponded to queries about Only those employees whose
big cities, the statement said. In- Ladakh. A sizeable number the disengagement so presence at the plant is necessary
dia surpassed the three lakh- of Chinese Army personnel far. —PTI/Dehradun have been asked to report for
mark on Saturday with the worst duty. — Rakhi Mazumdar
daily spike of 11,458 infections,
while the death toll too climbed to
8,884 with 386 new fatalities, the
Health Ministry said. — PTI Nepal Parliament Moves a Step Closer UTI AMC Gets a
:: Apar Gupta
A
s a growing number of Indians iing met, and while many
consume their news and con- may question whether such
tent online, there are high chances technologies may even be devel-
that you are accessing this op-ed on a oped, alternative models and nu-
device with components manufactured anced prescriptions are absent. To
in China. This long-standing dominance in build towards the future, not only for India
computer hardware has now tipped over but for the world, there are some solutions
b
towards software deployment. Today, which merit examination.
there are a growing number of online It is important here to recognise that
platforms with roots in China. This Chinese firms build products for closed
trend has not gone unnoticed. Local tech- societies, as evidenced in an influential
nology entrepreneurs have been visiting Chinese Communist Party memo titled “Docu-
these technology companies in China to un- ment No. 9”. The values that underlie state policy are
m
derstand their growing scale and adoption in of centralising control and viewing the internet as an
o
global markets, including India. There is a sense of extension of the political project of the state. While
admiration tinged with a hurt sense of national pride. this is a point of concern, within it rests an important
This insecurity has been growing in recent months as lesson of technology development being a function of
public opinion and commentary have focused on the the larger political economy of a state. Playing to the
growing dominance by China-centred companies. It has institutional culture of a country is a lesson which is
become an issue policy makers are engaged with. Critics worth emulating.
point to the spread of disinformation as well as content Unlike China, India is a multi-party state. It has elec-
and business models that appeal to the base instincts of tions, institutions which push back against the execu-
users. There are also concerns around national cyber tive, and a Constitution that guarantees fundamental
security due to the proximity of large Chinese tech com- rights to all citizens and all of these are, at the very least,
panies to the Communist Party of China. Tangibly, this is imperfectly practised. This poses a positive value that
demonstrated in growing demands towards data locali- can be built out as more technology frameworks are
sation or onerous compliances on not only Chinese but built that integrate with our daily lives. While threshold
even other large foreign social media companies. These issues centre on free expression in the age of big data,
arguments reached a tipping point recently when follow- informational privacy impacts all data-side interac-
ing the skirmishes on the India-China border, Indian so- tions. For instance, digital contact tracing technologies
cial media users mounted a large-scale campaign to re- provide a basis for quarantine, exit and entry, availing
move “Chinese apps” from their smartphones. public transit and even the ability to practically join em-
These public responses and policy conversations are ployment. Here, risks arise even in the context of dis-
here to stay. At their very root is the unexamined premise crimination—for instance, how do these algorithms
of protectionism. Such prescriptions are often made on work? Do they objectively further the policy objectives?
the basis of the policies which were adopted in China What risks do they create?
through barriers for foreign firms that were possible due Many of these answers can be found when product
to the unique and complex features of its nation-state at design and legal safeguards
safeguard match each other. They arise
a specific time. Replicating it from the pure standpoint of from a long ju jurisprudence of fundamental
imitating similar outcomes is a strategy prone to failure. rights and administrative
a law, which In-
For instance, one complication is that Chinese compa- dia shares with other democracies and
nies are among the biggest investors in local technology common law jurisdictions. Hence,
commo
start-ups. Hence, to discern what is “Indian” and what is leaning into these values offers a lev-
“foreign” is a moot issue as a natural consequence of glo- el of protection and user con-
e
balisation. trol which is a user expecta-
Another consideration is that such prescriptions for tion, something people ex-
protectionism have adverse ecological impacts towards pect and demand as they gain
broader innovation, which benefit local firms and end greater knowledge about tech-
gr
users. This has been demonstrated by economic studies, nology. Within India and beyond.
nolog
but also the fundamental political beliefs of the public Hence, the frefreedoms guaranteed under the
internet. The internet, as much as it becomes a walled constitution can enable entrepreneurs to see
garden controlled by large corporations, is still at its root them as features rather tha than bugs. Tangibly, this may be
a technology which permits cross-border data flows features and operational practices
through product feature
and collaboration agnostic of physical jurisdictions, thatt can h
th helpl grow th the market for our technology in-
enabling functionality and value for each participant. novations within and beyond India. To compete effec-
Hence, the prescription of bans, creation of regula- It is important to recognise that Chinese tively globally, we may learn from the practices of suc-
tory barriers or even consumer boycotts are crude im- firms build products for closed societies, cessful global firms but have to focus on the needs and
plements which do not satisfy the root of the issue, as evidenced in a Chinese Communist values of our own local users.
which is lack of adequate local innovation. This need Party memo titled “Document No. 9 The writer is executive director, Internet Freedom Foundation,
arises from user demand for services which are not be- a think tank
HOW COVID
04 special report DELAYS WORK
JUNE 14-20, 2020
BETWEEN
Shortage of
semi-skilled
labourers
ROCK
Conditional
permission
from districts,
social distancing,
&
quarantine of
COVID
returning labourers
Shortage of materials
such as sand in J&K,
and explosives for
blast in the Aravali
TUNNELS IN
Geological hurdles in building NUMBERS
tunnels seem surmountable to the In the Himalayas
Indian Railways when compared
with the challenges of the
pandemic: shortage of labour and
disruption in the supply of materials
P H OTO S B Y S H A N TA N U N A N DA N S H A R M A
H
appiness comes in many forms. For geolo- as they need to adhere to social distancing while, procuring unskilled labourers from Udhampur-Srinagar-
gist Amit Rawat, elation is what he feels norms. They are also facing frequent prob- nearby villages is turning difficult as they
when he hears the sound of metal while he lems in the supply of materials, particu- are suspected and mocked at by people as Baramulla Rail Link
is test-drilling rocks. He looks out for some- larly explosives. “We wanted to see the big potential carriers of virus. Project (USBRL)
thing else, too: whitish boulders. These two day — when both sides of the tunnel meet— In J&K, where work has resumed in nine
38
are necessary for flawless tunnelling. Once in May, but because of Covid-19, daylight- tunnels, including the 12.75-km-long tunnel Total no. of tunnels
he is assured of both — the sound and the ing will now happen only in August,” says in Ramban district that will soon be India’s (excluding escape tunnels
colour — it is the time to pick explosives and Kumar, an employee of Larsen & Toubro, longest, the procurement of sand is the key that are built parallelly)
trigger a blast to make tunnels. which is executing the project. This writer constraint, says an officer in the Rail Bha-
At Rojka Meo, a nondescript Haryana vil-
lage on the Aravali hills,
the rocks are of poor qual-
visited the tunnel in the second week of
March and spoke to engineers over the
phone later as well.
wan, on the condition of anonymity. At pre-
sent, 11.2-km-long Pir Panjal, also in J&K, is
India’s longest railway tunnel. Gotthard
11 No. of tunnels already in use
in the functional stretches
18
ity. But the engineers This project in the Aravalis is one of base tunnel in the Swiss Alps — measur-
camping there since Au- the 200 railway tunnels that are at ing 57.1 km — is the world’s longest. No. of tunnels being
gust 2019 to build a rail- various stages of development in With the pandemic delaying the readied for use
way tunnel are confident the country. These include 148 in proposed sand re-auctioning pro-
119km
that the geological chal- the Northeast and 27 in Jammu cess in J&K, the Railways is negoti- Length of tunnels
lenges can be overcome. and Kashmir. As the pandemic ating with the local administra- in a total route
They have state-of-the art hit the nation, the geological hur- tion to find alternative ways, in- of 272 km
technology to mend the dles seem minor for the cluding taking over a mining
“In the Kashmir
project, we are passing
through young fold
cracks and stitch the
rocks. The 1-km-long tun-
nel, built as part of the
Railways when compared
with the Covid-19 troubles.
The challenges include
“The beauty of tunnel
construction is that we
encounter geological
site on a temporary lease, to
tide over the crisis. Gam-
mon Infrastructure Pro-
67km Length of
escape tunnels
12.75km
mountains of the western dedicated freight shortage of labour and dis- surprises. Covid-19 has jects, Afcons Infrastructure
Himalayas. That itself corridor (DFC) from Dadri ruption in the supply of ma- also brought in and Hindustan Construc-
is a challenge for in Uttar Pradesh to Mum- terials, particularly sand in surprises. The good tion Company (HCC) are
building tunnels. Now, bai, will need 350 blasts in Jammu and Kashmir and news is that tunnelling some of the private firms India’s longest rail transportation
Covid is a new total, each using 180-200 explosives for the Aravali has resumed though that are engaged in building tunnel being constructed in Ramban
challenge. Still, we kg of explosives. project. Also, for the re- we anticipate a delay of the railway tunnels in the
district of J&K
have taken permission For Rawat and his col- sumption of work in each six months or so in `27,949 crore Udhampur-
from authorities and completing tunnels”
11.22km
leagues at the site, con- tunnel project, permissions Srinagar-Baramulla Rail
resumed work” quering the rock is easier need to be obtained from Link (USBRL) project.
Anurag Sachan,
Vijay Sharma, than facing the challeng- district magistrates. Work is MD, Dedicated Freight It’s not an ordinary rail-
Chief Administrative Officer, es thrown by the novel further hampered by social Corridor Corporation of way project. Out of a total Length of Pir Panjal railway tunnel,
Udhampur-Srinagar- coronavirus. As construc- distancing, which means India Limited route of 272 km in USBRL, the longest so far
Baramulla Rail Link Project tion manager Sanjeev Ku- bringing down the work- 119 km are tunnels. At pre-
2022
mar explains over the force by half; prohibition of 24x7 opera- sent, 11 tunnels in J&K are fully functional,
phone, the present situation has forced tions; and 14-day quarantine for migrant with trains regularly passing through them. Deadline for the
them to scale down the operation by 50%, labourers returning from home. Mean- In addition, there are escape tunnels meas- entire project
Source: USBRL
special report 05
JUNE 14-20, 2020
3.81km 21km
uring 67 km — these are built parallel to the main Length of the proposed
1km
tunnel for the purpose of emergency exit. Fur- undersea tunnel in the
ther, a provision for access roads to the tunnels Length of the longest tunnel Thane creek
Length of tunnels in a total for emergency exit and rescue services is added in Nuh district, Haryana
route of 63.1 km as an integral part of the project’s disaster man-
agement plan. Railways builds an escape tunnel
6.6km
810m
whenever the length of the main tunnel is three
kilometres and above. Total length of 7 tunnels in the
“In the Kashmir project, we are passing mountainous terrains in Maharashtra’s
Length of an escape tunnel through young fold mountains of the Himalayas. Palghar and Valsad districts
That itself is quite a challenge for building tun-
nels. We also face adverse climate with massive
snowfall and landslides. Now, Covid-19 is a new 12.6 km in 2014-19.
challenge. Still, we have taken permission from Now 148 tunnels are being built in the region,
In the district authorities and resumed work,” says Vi- and in terms of length, 87 km are completed. The
Northeast Hills jay Sharma, chief administrative officer of the
USBRL project. He, however, refuses to com-
110 km Jiribam-Imphal line, executed at a cost of
`12,524 crore, has the highest number of tunnels
ment on the possibility of shifting the 2022 dead- in a Northeast project— 47.
line due to the pandemic. The Northeast has unique challenges: pro-
The question of extending dead- longed monsoon, prevalence of sandstones with
lines is important as it bumps up
cost. The more the delay, the great-
WHAT GOES INTO high susceptibility to moisture, seismic vulnera-
bility and occasional insurgency. An officer con-
er will be the cost. Tunnel costs, in TUNNEL-MAKING? nected to the project says there is one more bot-
fact, vary depending on geology, A look at a tunnel tleneck now: barriers in inter-state movement.
location, specification and the A senior railway officer tells ET Magazine that
in the Aravali
size. A kilometre-long tunnel usu- with the deployment of an advanced technology
ally costs `60-80 crore. But there are exceptions. called the New Austrian Tunnelling Method a few
The tunnel in the DFC corridor, for example, years ago, India’s tunnelling activities have been
LOCATION OF THE TUNNEL: Rojka
costs `185 crore mainly due to its size and other fast-tracked both in J&K and the Northeast. “By
Meo village, Nuh, Haryana
features — like its diameter being double that of 2022, our project in Kashmir and most parts in
the tunnels in J&K. The escape tunnels, though, Part of Western Dedicated the Northeast will be completed,” he claims, add-
148
No. of tunnels
cost less — about `25 crore per kilometre. Freight Corridor ing that the line connecting Assam to Meghalaya
being built in eight
While the USBRL project is a legacy of the UPA (Tetelia to Byrnihat) is facing some land acquisi-
ongoing projects LENGTH: 1 km
era — two legs involving 161 km out of 272 km tion issues, and the first ever railway line in Sik-
were commissioned by July 2014 — railway pro- kim — the 45 km Sivok-Rangpo line, being con-
DIAMETER: 14 m
25
jects in the Northeast got a boost during the NDA structed at a cost of `4,086 crore — is expected to
No. of completed rule. If the average annual tunnel mining in the SHAPE: Modified Horseshoe be completed only by 2023. It will have 14 tunnels
tunnels Northeast in 2009-14 was 6.3 km, it jumped to measuring 38.5 km.
CONTRACTOR: Larsen & Toubro Tunnel mining could well be the mainstay of
160.8km
railway construction if the national transporter
PROGRESS: 720 metres
ventures into other geographies, including
completed connectivity under the sea. In the design of
Length of tunnels in TECHNOLOGY: NATM (New Austrian Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed corridor, for
ongoing NE projects Tunnelling Method) example, there are eight tunnels, the highlight
being the proposed 21-km-long undersea tun-
102km
nel in the Thane creek, mainly to avoid a fla-
mingo sanctuary and the nearby mangrove.
PROCESSES The rest of the seven tunnels in the proposed
Total length of tunnels flagship project are designed to pass through
Survey and Profile
already mined in NE 1 Marking: This is the key
mountainous terrains in Palghar and Valsad
“In tunnels, we work against nature. We districts of Maharashtra. Twenty more tunnels
are winners only if we can control the component of planning
are being planned in the Bhanupali-Bilas-
rocks. In this particular tunnel at Rojka Drilling: Two German pur-Beri line connecting Punjab with the
Meo in Haryana, we wanted to see the big 2 boomer machines are hills of Himachal Pradesh.
day — when both sides meet— in May, but The chief of the DFC project, Anurag
Tunnel Mining in because of the Covid crisis, daylighting will
deployed, each costing
`4.8 crore Sachan, anticipates delay in completing
NE and J&K (in km) now happen only in August. We are the tunnels he has been handling. “The
working at 50% capacity & maintaining Charging of Explosives:
2009-10 6.5 social distancing” 3 180-200 kg explosives
beauty of tunnel construction is that we
often encounter geological surprises, like
2010-11 8.6 Sanjeev Kumar, are required to achieve three a gush of water as we excavate. Covid-19
construction manager, Larsen & Toubro metres of depth has also brought some surprises. The good
2011-12 12.4 news is that tunnelling has resumed
Blasting: A total of 350
2012-13 15.8 4 blasts will be required though we anticipate a delay of six months
or so in completing our tunnels,” he says.
2013-14 18.2 Mucking: A method to Sachan had earlier headed the USBRL pro-
2014-15 24.9 5 remove the debris using ject in Kashmir.
loaders and dumpers In building tunnels, one works against
2015-16 28.5
nature. Only those who can control the
Rock Support System: Two
2016-17 29 6 Swedish Cifa machines –
rocks can win. “When perfect matching hap-
pens and we achieve daylight, we feel proud and
2017-18 34.3 each costing `1.5 crore — are happy. We have a good drink at every daylight,”
2018-19 39 deployed; boomers are used says an engineer in the Kashmir project. The
for stitching rocks (mending next cheers could take a while longer.
2019-20* 33.7 cracks) [email protected]
(*till February) | (Source: Ministry of Railways)
06 cover story
JUNE 14-20, 2020
9%
The share of China and
Hong Kong together in
India’s export basket
17%
The share of China and HK in
India’s import basket
220
Number of Indian companies
with legal linkage to
companies in China
$550 mn
The amount spent by Chinese
tourists in India every year
Electronics
Reducing industrial Trade Imbalance 17,041 the way he likes.
Bose says it is almost impossible to re-
dependence on China Between April 2019 and
Machinery place Chinese sticks in India, although
January 2020, India’s
has to be a gradual effort exports to China added 13,727 some north Indian producers make ice-
cream sticks from poplars in Uttarakhand.
up to $14.42 billion,
over several years of while imports were over
He buys the second grade in the trade at $17
$57,936 mn
per carton of sticks, and says similar quality
four times that at
accelerated $57.93 billion
sticks made in India would cost $25-26 a
carton. The year 2020 is likely to be a wash-
indigenisation. Any other Imports from China out for the business, says Bose, although he
$mn says Chinese suppliers have been constant-
approach will spell pain ly in touch. With the summer gone and
monsoon a lean season for ice cream, Bose
in Indian markets says he will likely place his next order close
to December.
:: Suman Layak What is true for something as mundane
D
uring his yearly visits to China, food re- as ice-cream sticks is also true for a range of
mains an issue for businessman Rajnath intermediary products that India buys from
Bose. The supplier of wooden ice-cream China. Be they automotive parts, active
sticks, spoons, and medical tongue depres- pharmaceutical ingredients (API) or elec-
sors, who works out of Mumbai and Kolka- tronics, they remain key ingredients for
ta, sources his wares from a bunch of Chi- products that are made in India. Industry
nese companies. Bose visits the Chinese experts and economists who spoke to ET
cities of Dalian and Harbin, to the north and Magazine say that any move to reduce our
east of Beijing, respectively, close to that Chemicals reliance on Chinese products and compo-
country’s borders with Mongolia, Russia 13,506 nents has to be a long drawn-out project,
and North Korea. The Birchwood needed and sudden moves will be painful for Indi-
for making the sticks comes from Russia or an industry. It is a question that has gath-
Mongolia. Bose’s firm — Wood- ered heft over the past few months, due to
makers —also makes ice cream the stand-off at the border, the US-China
sticks in their own factory in
Kolkata using local wood, but
$14,421 mn trade war that India has sought to benefit
from as a potential destination for factories
Bose says Chinese quality is Exports to China moving away from China, popular calls for
better. Besides, the latest ice $mn Metals boycott of Chinese products and a general
cream machines coming from Minerals 4,423 4,380 move towards self-sufficiency as a country
Italy or China, need sticks in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
made of Birchwood or Poplar. Chemicals 3,716 Rajeev Karwal, founder of robots maker
Therefore, in spite of the Agriculture 2,377 Milagrow Robots, and a veteran of the con-
severe cold, Bose keeps Textile sumer durables industry, says it will be im-
“If we can improve visiting northeastern Chi- Textile 1,171 3,768 possible for the Indian consumer electron-
transportation, we na and his dozen-odd sup- Metals 956 ics industry to survive without supplies
can become as pliers there. The Chinese Stones 1,389 coming in from China, and adds that even
Machinery 837
competitive as hosts try to make his stay Covid-19 testing kits come from China. “Ge-
China” as comfortable as possi- Electronics 737 Vehicles 1,353 opolitical issues and border issues will al-
ble, going to the extent of Agriculture 1,337 ways be there and need to be addressed at a
Arun Singh, Stones 115
Source: D&B
16
chain), Maruti Suzuki India comes from Australia,” Bhandari says, pointing
out that India would do well to wait out for other Shunwei Capital
EV technologies to develop.
zero,” Karwal adds.
A look at the numbers of India-China trade
Paytm While EVs are things of the future, the supply
chains of the automobile sector of today is also
Swastika 10
Alibaba,
8
tells the story. According to CARE Ratings, In- largely China-dependent. Sunil Kakkar, the ex-
dia’s exports to China grew from $9 billion in Alibaba Group, ecutive director for supply chain at Maruti Su- Xiaomi
2015-16 to $16.78 billion in 2018-19, at a com- Ant Financial zuki India, says: “At Maruti Suzuki, our localisa-
pounded annual growth rate of 23%. On the
other hand, imports from China, a much larg-
er number, also grew in the same period from
tion levels are quite high and our direct imports
are very limited. However, our suppliers, which
are global auto component manufacturers, im-
Fosun RZ Capital 6
$61.72 billion to $70.4 billion at a CAGR of
4.48%. Imports had hit a high of $76.37 billion
ports certain category of parts, mainly electron-
ic parts like semiconductors, LCDs, Sensors, or
Hillhouse Capital Group 5
4
in 2017-18 before dropping in 2018-19. There is LCDs from China and use for local assemblies
a huge trade imbalance between the two
Ola and then supply to us.” NGP Capital
countries. But, encouragingly, the Indian ex- China-Eurasia Economic Kakkar says while supplies from China have re-
ports were growing way faster than imports.
Arun Singh, chief economist with Dun &
Cooperation Fund,
Didi Chuxing,
Sailing Capital,
sumed now, the company had also activated oth-
er suppliers who have a base outside China, in
Alibaba Group 3
Bradstreet, says that there are around 220 In- February. Maruti is now looking at pushing local-
dian companies that have legal linkages (read
sister-company relationship) with around
Tencent ised manufacturing. Kakkar adds: “We are work-
ing aggressively, along with our vendor partners,
Axis Capital Partners 3
3
350 Chinese entities. Also when China and for Make in India to reduce overseas dependence.
Hong Kong are taken together, they consti- We see these events as a big opportunity to pro- BAce
tute 17% of India’s imports and 9% of India’s mote localisation. We are discussing with our ven-
Source: TRACXN
exports. dors along with their global partners to invest in
Singh further points out that some Indian India and to bring in their Tier-2 sup-
industries are more deeply dependent on Oyo pliers in India to reduce dependency
China than the others. According to calcula- Didi, on other countries.” dia. We have to look at the bill of mate-
tions from a March report by Dun & Brad- Huazhuhui Singh of Dun & Bradstreet points rials and see if the Indian content is
street at the outset of the lockdown, China’s out that local industry can benefit if 50% or more,” Karwal says, adding
share in India’s import of bulk drug and phar- the degree of localisation in the sup- that components imported from ASE-
maceuticals intermediaries was 68%. The ply chains of the various China-de- AN countries often have parts that are
share of China in consumer electronics im- pendent industries can go up. He imported from China. He adds that 80-
ports was at 43% and for textiles and gar- points out that there is a manufactur- 85% of magnetrons, a component for
ments, China’s share in imports was at 27%. ing exodus happening out of microwave ovens, are made in
Snapdeal China and companies are look- China and India does not have
Balance of Trade ing at India. “If we look at the “We must know chip or fab plants (expensive fab-
Alibaba Group, Manufacturing Cost Index and exactly how much of ricator units that make semicon-
The report further identified industries such
Tybourne Capital
as gems and jewellery, media and entertain- if USA is at 100, China is at 95 the product is made ductor chips, found in all com-
Management
ment, tourism and metals as areas where In- and India is 86. But where we in India. We have to puting devices) or units making
dia had substantial export earnings from become uncompetitive is the look at the bill of flat panels, compressors or in-
China. Around 3% of all foreign tourists visit- cost from factory gate to port materials and see if verter motors, either. “Reducing
ing India are Chinese, and they are high- gate and then from the port gate dependence on China will be a
spending tourists who stay an average of 19 to the port gate of the importing
the Indian content is three-to-five-year process and
days in the country, cumulatively spending nation,” Singh says.
50% or more” must start at the component lev-
about $550 million in India every year. Indian In 201 8, D&B had done a Rajeev Karwal, el,” Karwal says.
films make a killing in Chinese cinema halls study on port logistics and had founder, Milagrow Robots Malay Mukherjee, the former
Swiggy
and around 38% of India’s gems and jewellery graded all India ports on their chief operating officer of Mittal
exports are to Hong Kong. China was also the Hillhouse Capital Group, performance and efficiency. “If Steel (now ArcelorMittal), says it
largest importer of copper from India till two Meituan, we can improve the transportation, we can be- has to be a carefully considered strategic move
years back, when a larger facility owned by Tencent come as competitive as China,” Singh adds. rather than an emotional move. “Every country
Sterlite in Tuticorin had to shut down. Karwal of Milagrow says that India will need to is looking at how to reduce their dependence on
Singh says: “Any disengagement with Chi- look carefully at the current products that are China. It has to be a coordinated move by a
na will be painful. It will also affect price sta- Source: TRACXN touted as made in India. “We must know exactly group of countries.” He points out that while In-
bility in the Indian markets.” how much of the product is actually made in In- dia can seek mass-production opportunities,
Madan Sabnavis, economist with ratings something the western countries are not very
agency CARE, points out that unless the en- good at. China has strategised over the years
tire world decides to reduce dependence on how they will handle the situation of trade barri-
China, India cannot do it alone. “Boycott calls Key Industries Dependant on Imports from China ers coming up. “Consumer goods can be re-
can appeal to you and me, but people will al- Figures are % share of China in imports by India placed quickly, but our problem will be in capital
ways buy Chinese if prices are lower than goods. They have designed equipment in a way
Bulk Drugs and Auto
Japanese or Korean products,” he says. so that a key component has to be made in Chi-
Intermediaries Electronics Garments Ancillaries
Amit Bhandari, fellow of energy and envi- na, and everything else must fit. A prime exam-
FAMILY
RIVER
An improbable thread links two generations of
my family to India-China border conflict
:: Rasul Bailay
I
t’s probably safe to assume that you have known among the expeditions of a man
by now heard of the Galwan river. Its valley who appears to have been travelling near-
is one of the flashpoints of the ongoing ly all of his relatively short life — he died
high-altitude standoff between the Indian at 47, in 1925.
and Chinese forces. During the 1 892 mission with
The river, which runs 80 km westwards Murray, the 7th Earl of Dunmore,
from its origins in Karakoram range the group had hit a wall of tall
through Aksai Chin and east Ladakh to join mountains and steep gorges
the Shyok river, a significant tributary of with no possible way out. Gal-
the Indus, is deemed to be of strategic sig- wan, a 14-year-old boy at the
nificance in this region, with simmering time, went ahead searching for
border tensions between India and China. a possible route out of the laby-
The valley was also a flashpoint during the rinth. To the group’s surprise,
1962 India-China war.
It is named after Ghulam Rassul Galwan,
a hardy Ladakhi adventurer and explorer
who assisted many famed European ex-
plorers at the turn of the 19th century. He
later brought alive that world — of treacher-
ous expeditions through high Himalayas
The Man Behind
during The Great Game, as Russia and Brit-
ain jostled for dominance in the region — in the River
the book Servant of Sahibs.
He was also my great-grandfather.
Born in 1878, Galwan either led or was
Ghulam Rassul Galwan
part of numerous expeditions into Tibet,
Yarkand (now in the Uygur Autonomous
c 1878 -1925
Region of Xinjiang, China), the Karakoram
range, the Pamirs and other Central Asian Born in Leh, Ladakh
regions — mostly through inhospitable ge-
ographies with altitudes ranging from
5,000 m to 7,000 m above the sea level and
where temperature plunged to -30 degree
Celsius in the winter. At that temperature, the boy found a relatively easier pas-
an inadequately clothed person develops sage through the ravines that helped
hypothermia in 10 minutes. the expedition to go ahead without
Galwan assisted and travelled with the much difficulty or any casualty.
legendary names of those times. In 1887, he Impressed, Dunmore decided to
travelled with Major HH Godwin-Austen, name the newfound passage
the English geologist who determined the through the edge of the gurgling
height of K2, the world’s second tallest water the “Galwan Nullah”, ac-
peak, also known as Mount Godwin-Aus- cording to Ladakhi historian
ten. In 1892, he travelled with Charles Mur- Abdul Ghani Sheikh.
ray, the 7th Earl of Dunmore, on a trip “I have never heard of an
thought to be a diplomatic or espionage instance of naming of major
mission. In 1890 and 1896, he travelled geographical feature after a
SUNEESH K
My father was
wounded but
The Ladakh of those days was a land- Pamirs and Central Asia. Dead Man Walking survived. The
high ridges. Despite their
scape stricken with poverty. Galwan was During Galwan’s life, his homeland was The same fear of being survivors were
precarious positions and
forced to go on risky, long-distance expedi- part of the famed Silk Route, which was killed by the Chinese captured by the PLA,
with their modest fire-
tions when he was just 12, to supplement volatile (how some things never change), would be experienced arms, the Indian contin-
which made them
the meagre and inconsistent income of his with different kingdoms and tribes trying by another member of gent fought bravely but
carry the bodies of
single mother, a winnower. But the path he to maintain their control over the lucra- my family seven dec- 10 Indian lives were lost
chose due to compulsion later became a tive paths, swarming with robbers. ades later. This was
their deceased
in the incident.
passion and he never looked back even af- Galwan was born in Leh, possibly in 1878. when a hail of bullets colleagues back to the
My father was wound-
ter his material circumstances improved. He was raised by his single mother; both of from the People’s Lib- Chinese side
ed but survived. The sur-
Starting out as a porter and pony man, them got by doing menial jobs and house- eration Army (PLA) vivors were captured by
he rose through the ranks to eventually hold chores for a government official. rained down on a the PLA, which made
become the aksakal or the chief assistant The book offers early glimpses of his the hostages carry the bodies of their de-
search party of Indian security forces in Oc-
of the British joint commissioner at Leh. doughty spirit. Once to protest being chid- ceased colleagues back to the Chinese
tober 1959 near the Hot Springs check post
For about 35 years, he assisted or led ed by his mother, he left home for a friend’s side. For more than a month, they were
near Aksai Chin, close to the Galwan river.
expeditions with British, Italian and house, and walked defiantly for miles in the kept in underground bunkers. With no
In that patrol party was a 24-year-old
American explorers. He spoke the native freezing winter, without shoes. news from the border, my father was con-
recruited by the Intelligence Bureau — my
Ladakhi, Turki and Urdu and had work- During those days, Leh, the capital and father Abdul Majeed Bailay. sidered dead. My devastated grandmother
ing knowledge of Kashmiri and Tibetan, principal town of Ladakh, was an impor- performed his last rites as per Islamic ritu-
Tensions were brewing between India
according to Ghani Sheikh. During the tant hub on the Silk Route, where traders als and local Ladakhi traditions.
and China that year. During the 1959 Ti-
courses of his trips, Galwan also learnt from Kashmir, Punjab, Afghanistan, Ti- Then as part of an agreement after five
betan Uprising, the Dalai Lama had fled to
English language and eventually wrote bet, China and Central Asia would con- weeks, China released the hostages and
India in March and India had granted asy-
his autobiography. Ghani Sheikh reckons gregate and barter their goods — teas to handed over the bodies of Indian jawans
lum to the Tibetan spiritual leader.
Galwan was probably the first person in turbans, creams to carpets. The triangu- who died in the Hot Springs shootout.
On October 21, one of the three recon-
the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir lar town, situated at an altitude of 13,500 On a winter afternoon, children playing
naissance parties that had gone to the Hot
to write an autobiography in English. ft above sea level, was a melting pot of at Stalam, near the Leh Palace, saw an ap-
Springs area did not return to the base.
“When he joined my husband, he had various ethnicities. proaching party of security forces on
Sensing something amiss, a search team of
an English vocabulary of a dozen words, Petty fights would often horseback. When some of them recog-
about 20 members, comprising Central Re-
and therewith an ambition to write ‘the break out between them. nised my father among the soldiers riding
serve Police Force (CRPF) jawans and Intel-
story of his happened’ in English,” Kath- In one such scuffle, Gal- the horses, the children were stunned.
ligence Bureau (IB) men, including my fa-
erine Barrett, who edited the book, wan and his friends Old-timers say the children ran scared,
ther, went searching. At
would write in the Editor’s Introduction. were chased through shouting, “ghost... ghost”, as he was be-
around noon, when
In a bid to increase his vocabulary, her the streets of Leh and Galwan lieved to be dead.
the Indian search
husband, the American adventurer Rob- were badly beaten by a Valley After that episode my father gained
party was passing
ert Barrett, spoke to Galwan in his style of group of Chinese traders Leh some notoriety in Leh as datlok, loose
through ravines, look-
broken English, exchanged notes and and their aides, according translation for “dead man walking”, in
ing for their lost col-
gave him the King James Bible and a copy to his autobiography. J&K Ladakhi. He married Galwan’s eldest
leagues, they were am-
of a 17th century travel book to read. Gal- As he lay on the ground, granddaughter (my mother) in the late
bushed by the Chinese
wan kept jotting down the experiences of Galwan recalled in his book, 1960s.
PLA forces. Bullets and
his trips and about various sahibs on thin “I thought: ‘This people will In 2018, a year before he passed away at
grenades rained down
paper and kept shipping them to the kill to me.’” the age of 84, my father and three other
from the PLA vantage on the
surviving members of the Hot Springs
search party were honoured by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi when he inaugu-
The Mission rated the renovated National Police Me-
the Pamirs and Kashgar hit a wall of Galwan either led or was
Expeditions by sacrifices made by the brave personnel of
CRPF and IB at the Hot Springs in 1959 is
remembered every year on October 21,
tall mountains and steep gorges. part of expeditions into HH Godwin-Austen in 1887
observed as the National Police Com-
Galwan, then just 14 years old, went Tibet, Yarkand (now in the Charles Murray, Earl of memoration Day.
searching for a possible route and Uygur Autonomous Dunmore, in 1893
I grew up hearing the tales of my fa-
ther’s hostage saga as well as the storied
found a relatively easier passage Region of Xinjiang, China),
Sir Francis Younghusband adventures of Galwan. The treks lasted
through the ravines that helped the the Karakoram Range, the months and ran through dangerous trails
expedition go. Dunmore decided to Pamirs and other Central in 1890 and 1896 in gorges with the ever-present threat of
snowstorms. While the European sahibs
name the passage with the gurgling Asian regions Filippo de Filippi in 1913 got mountains named after them, the
water Galwan Nullah porters and pony men did the backbreak-
ing work. Poverty and lack of opportuni-
ties led many Ladakhi locals to take up
American editor for more than a dec-
ade.
He spoke Ladakhi, Turki, Urdu, Tibetan
dangerous jobs. Tours were so tough that
many had to amputate all toes and fingers
“The thin sheets of manuscripts have
been following us all over the world for
He wrote Servant of Sahibs (1923), due to frostbites.
But Galwan’s sacrifices bestowed good
fourteen years,” wrote Barrett. “Unin- becoming arguably the first Ladakhi fortune on successive generations of his
telligible early chapters have been sent to write a book in English family. As Ladakh over the years became
back several times for rewriting. At a highlight of the domestic tourism cir-
last, Rassul has acquired a style with cuit, the land Galwan owned in and
which we do not tamper.” The around Leh town became prime
book, Servant of Sahibs: A Book property and the clan produced a
to be Read Aloud, was finally pub- Abdul Majeed Bailay, new breed of hoteliers.
lished in 1 923 by Cambridge- a 24-year-old jawan and 6 The sacrifice made by Whenever I build a modest hotel
based W Heffer & Sons Ltd, with
colleagues, who were patrolling the brave Indians at on the Galwan land I inherited in
an introduction by Sir Francis Leh, a friend suggested that I
Younghusband, then a British in the Hot Springs area on India- the Hot Springs in should name it after my great-
army officer who was dispatched China border, were captured by 1959 is marked every grandfather. But my uncle already
by the British India government
PLA on October 21, 1959. 10 year on October 21 as runs an establishment across the
to gather intelligence on the stra- road — Galwan Guest House.
tegic and trade routes of the other Indians laid down their the National Police [email protected]
lives in the skirmish Commemoration Day
10 centrespread centrespread 11
JUNE 14-20, 2020 JUNE 14-20, 2020
TAKING
Why June?
Pride Month JUNE Who Joins?
Pride month is
Why ‘Pride’?
“The poison was shame, and
Why the Rainbow?
The LGBTQ flag has the
began as a focused on the LGBTQ the antidote is pride,” says colours of the rainbow to
commemoration community, where activist Craig Schoonmaker, reflect the various groups
of the Stonewall LGBTQ stands for who coined the term “Gay within the community.
uprising in New York on June 28, 1969, lesbian, gay, bisexual, Pride” for the events in It was designed in 1978
when police raided the Stonewall Inn, a transgender and queer. 1970 to commemorate the by artist Gilbert Baker
gay bar in New York City. People fought The last is a catch-all Stonewall upraising. It was after San Francisco city
back, and protests sparked by that day’s term for those who popularised by activists like supervisor Harvey Milk
arrests continued for weeks. The first pride identify as non-straight. Brenda Howard, an iconic commissioned him for the
marches took place the following year However, anyone who LGBTQ figure who was part job. Milk himself was one of
in June, and is considered a watershed wants to support the of the panel that planned the the first openly gay elected
moment in LGBTQ rights in the US community can join first Gay Pride Week in 1970 officials in the US
Going Virtual
On June 27, organisers expect 300 million viewers to watch icons address the global LGBTQ
community at Global Pride, a 24-hour virtual celebration. The event, which will be streamed
on YouTube and the Global Pride website, is likely to see the participation of president of
The parades are going virtual this June, celebrated as Pride Costa Rica, PMs of Norway and Luxembourg and Manvendra Singh Gohil, who hails from an
erstwhile royal family in Gujarat. The Dixie Chicks and Olivia Newton John will perform
Month by the LGBTQ community in various countries. Here
is a look at its origins, events being held this year and shows
and films you can catch up on
:: Indulekha Aravind
GLOBAL PARADES
NEW YORK CITY
The city where it all began sees one of the biggest turnouts for its Pride parade. Last
year, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, New York held a month-long THE INDIAN
celebration called WorldPride 2019 with rallies, concerts and exhibits across throughout
the city. This year, 5 million were expected to attend the celebrations, which will now be
EXPERIENCE
virtual due to the Covid-19 pandemic Pride Marches are held in
metros and non-metros in
November-December. The
first one, the Rainbow
Pride Walk, was held in
SAO PAULO Kolkata in 1999. From
2008, marches were
The Sao Paulo Pride Parade is simultaneously held in
among the biggest in the
world, with about 3 million TORONTO multiple cities
& BOOKS
life in a small town based on the premise of the journey of a young, gay director Luca Guadag- America as it is failed novelist about
became a sleeper hit. It Cyrano de Bergerac, man looking for love nino follows 17-year- about the characters, to turn 50 who has
stars cocreator Dan Levy it has teen Ellie Chu get- old Elio as he falls in who are black, poor, been invited to his
as David, a pansexual, ting paid to write love love with his father’s and gay ex-boyfriend’s wed-
who went on to become letters on behalf of the 24-year-old graduate ding. The novel won
one of the most-loved school jock to his love student assistant the Pulitzer Prize
gay TV characters interest, who Chu herself
gets attracted to
Source: CNN, USA Today, Feminism In India, Harpers Bazaar
12 spotlight
JUNE 14-20, 2020
Obstacles abound even for those who are fortunate to have access to
online classes, as parents, teachers and students learn the hard way
:: Indulekha Aravind
W
ith the new academic year starting, 8 am in Ruchika Ra- not been able to buy them for everyone yet.
chel Premi’s house is rush hour. But this year, the morn- The Premis’ predicament might be familiar to
ing hurly-burly is slightly different. Instead of scrambling many others. With no let-up in the Covid-19 pandemic
to reach school on time, the schoolteacher and her three in India and children staying at home, several schools
children have to divvy up the devices at home so that they have begun online classes. While there is consensus
can all log in for their respective classes, using mobile that virtual learning can never really replace physical
phone hotspots. Since there aren’t enough laptops to go classes for students up to 12th grade, or K-12 classes, it
around, the 38-year-old hands over her phone to her el- is considered the next best alternative when going to
der son for his eighth grade lessons. “I’ve told people I school is not an option.
can’t take calls till 1pm but sometimes calls do come, and In India, access is one of the biggest challenges in a
some of them are important,” she says. A phone call nationwide rollout of virtual classes. Only 12.5% of
means the internet connection snaps. households of students in India have internet access
Premi, who teaches French in a private school, has to at home, according to National Sample Survey data,
be online most morn- economist Abhiroop Mukhopadhyay re-
ings, while her husband, cently wrote in ThePrint. But even for
an entrepreneur, takes Cecil & Ruchika Premi those fortunate enough to have access,
business classes a couple Bengaluru obstacles abound, as teachers, students
of times a week. “At and parents are discovering while taking
times, there will be five tentative steps in this new territory. In Vishakha Khadria
CLASSES FOR: Three children, aged
Google Meets happening the last month, for instance, pictures of Mumbai
13, 11 and 8 years
in our house and none of teachers and students climbing up trees
us is supposed to disturb THE CHALLENGE: Sharing devices and perching on rooftops for that elu- CLASSES FOR: Two children, aged 11
others,” she says. While between five people sive mobile signal have gone viral. years and 6 years
the children’s school has
suggested they use head- Age Appropriate? THE CHALLENGE: Attention span is an
phones, the parents have “My son uses my phone for his Conversations with parents reveal issue for the younger one, a parent
classes so I’ve told people not that lack of enough devices and needs to stay with her
to call me from 8 am to 1 pm” patchy connectivity apart, niggles
vary according to age groups. The “Six years is a little early for online classes
first day of school for Mumbai- but I guess there isn’t much choice, given
based Anurag and Vishakha Khad-
ria’s two children, aged 11 and 6 the situation”
years, could not have been more
different. “It was pretty smooth for
my son, who is in the sixth grade,
because he is quite familiar with took a while for everyone to settle down,” says Radhika,
gadgets. For my daughter, who is in mother of a six-year-old in Delhi, who requested that
the first grade, it was the opposite,” only her first name be used. It was no different on the
says Anurag. It was the first time first day of class for Premi’s youngest. “There were 50
the six-year-old had to sit for so noisy, over-excited children who had logged in. Every-
long in front of a computer, and her one wanted to say ‘good morning’ to the teacher and
attention kept wandering, he says. ‘hi’ to each other,” she laughs. Vocabulary, too, has
Maintaining discipline among adapted to the new normal — instead of the traditional
tots is not easy either when the “Keep quiet”, teachers now exhort students to “Mute
teacher is on a screen instead of in yourselves”.
front of them. Classes tend to de- Children as young as five and six years getting online,
scend into chaos rather swiftly, often for the first time, means that one of the parents has
especially when it’s early days. “It to be around, which is not always easy. “My wife is a
Sonia Joseph
Bengaluru spotlight 13
JUNE 14-20, 2020
CLASSES FOR: Son, aged 13 years
:: Prerna Katiyar
B
(Clockwise from right)
ihar has moved from jungle raj (anar- Home Minister Amit Shah
chy) to janta raj (democracy) under the addresses a virtual rally in
NDA,” Home Minister Amit Shah said Bihar from New Delhi on June
on June 7, addressing the people of Bi- 7; BJP workers outside the party’s
Bihar HQ before Shah’s address;
har in a first-of-its-kind virtual rally party members participate in a virtual
from Delhi. He also said he was confi- rally in Patna
dent the alliance in power in the state
would get a majority in the assembly
polls due later this year. organisational units at the panchayat
The comments made it clear the BJP, level. “Please remember, labour today
which is part of the ruling alli- will bear fruit tomorrow. Mobilise every-
ance led by Chief Minister Nitish one for house-to-house contact pro-
Kumar of the Janata Dal (Unit- grammes and virtual rallies. Take a
ed), would go full steam ahead WhatsApp connection and follow up. Set
and organise virtual rallies for a target of how many houses we have
the elections so that it can can- reached out to.”
vass safely in the midst of the The party has been training its district,
pandemic. “Amit Shah’s virtual block and booth presidents on partici-
rally kicks off our digital cam- pating in virtual meetings. “Now even
“The virtual rally paign for the assembly elections our booth-level presidents are trained in
can be called the in Bihar,” says state BJP presi- this,” Jaiswal added.
commencement dent Sanjay Jaiswal. The BJP has 54 MLAs in the 243-strong
Bihar is home to a large num- assembly. The largest media, television advertising, known for his rustic one-liners, was a
of our digital Election
ber of migrant workers who are partner in the 131-MLA al- FM and community radios, Na- crowd-puller on his own.
campaign for returning home from across the liance is the JD(U), which tional Voter Service Portal and The younger son, Tejaswi, says it is not
assembly Likely in
country as the lockdown has has 70. Oct-Nov the ECI app,” Chief Election the time to discuss elections. But the par-
elections in Bihar. wiped out jobs. There have been The JD(U), meanwhile, Commissioner Sunil Arora told ty held a door-to-door campaign called
Out of 72,727 several reports on the hardships is staying in step with its No. of Seats in the ET Magazine in an interview. Gareeb Adhikar Divas on the day Shah
booths in Bihar, being faced by such migrant IT-savvy alliance partner. Assembly Parties are aware of the limi- had his virtual rally. “BJP’s double engine
we have got
243
workers. The state health depart- “We started training our tations of this form of election- (at the Centre and state) has failed and
reports from ment has had its hands full testing cadre for virtual meets eering. “Earlier, a rally by the Nitish babu is merely holding video con-
60,000 over residents and migrants for the well before the lock- PM could easily accommodate ferences,” says Tejaswi. “Bihar is in a bad
WhatsApp that novel coronavirus. down,” says JD(U) leader Campaign in 10 lakh people. The limitations shape with poor quarantine facilities and
On May 31, the state BJP unit KC Tyagi. “Use of social Covid-19 Times of WhatsApp and virtual rallies hospitals. Migrant labourers are dying
we are every day. NDA held a maut ka jashna (a
kicked off a campaign — Pradhan media will only grow would mean the frequency of
poll-ready” Mantri Ke Mann Ki Baat, Saptari- now. The traditional
Through virtual such programmes has to in- celebration of death) on June 7.” He says
rallies, FB live, live
Sanjay Jaiswal, shi Ke Saath. The PM addressed ways of holding rallies crease,” says a senior leader he would rather reach out to people di-
several seven-member booth- are being reworked.” chats, WhatsApp who works closely with the Un- rectly than hold virtual rallies.
president, BJP, Bihar
level committees. These people The engagement for groups, virtual ion home minister. Therefore, People in the state, on their part, are
were then asked to take his message to electioneering will conferences, BJP is set to hold virtual meet- questioning his two-month absence from
the people to mobilise support. “Both change due to restric- door-to-door ings covering all 243 assembly Bihar during the lockdown. The ruling
programmes were grand successes,” tions on public meetings pamphlet segments. “No part of Bihar parties had even put out mock look-out
says Jaiswal. The state BJP chief was ad- and mass gatherings and distribution will remain untouched,” posters targeting him. There have also
dressing the party’s district unit presi- also because of the fear of claims a state BJP leader. been some murmurs of discontentment
dents through video conference when ET the contagion. The opposition camp, led by the Rash- within the RJD-led alliance, the Mahagat-
Magazine caught up with the Lok Sabha The Election Commission is also gear- triya Janata Dal, is yet to come up with an bandhan. Tejaswi says all differences will
MP from West Champaran and the BJP’s ing up for sweeping changes in the con- election plan for the state. With party su- be sorted out in time.
chief whip in the Lok Sabha. duct of elections. “We shall step up the premo Lalu Prasad in jail, his sons The BJP, meanwhile, is strengthening
Sitting a few feet away and speaking use of digital technologies in voter aware- Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav its booth network. “Out of 72,727 booths
from behind a mask, BJP’s General Secre- ness, outreach and training. We will have been holding fort. However, senior in Bihar, we have got reports from
tary (Organisation) Nagendra Nath ex- make greater use of digital and media party members say the sons can’t be 60,000 over WhatsApp shows that we
horts the district chiefs to energise the platforms, including bulk SMS, social compared with the father. Lalu Prasad, are poll ready,” says Jaiswal.
But will virtual canvassing satisfy the
“NDA’s double engine (at the Centre and in Break-up of Parties in the Assembly appetite of a population obsessed with
the state) has failed. Bihar is suffering the political parcha, kharcha and chai pe
National Democratic Alliance Opposition Alliance
most due to the corona crisis. charcha? “This is not an alternative to
mass rallies but parties don’t have an op-
Rather than helping the migrants Independents 5
JD(U) 70 Cong 26 Vacant 1 tion,” says Badri Narayan, a political ana-
and the poor, power-hungry NDA lyst and director at GB Pant Social Sci-
is talking about polls. Are they ence Institute. But one thing is certain, he
celebrating the deaths of our says. “Any party with a strong cadre and
migrant labourers?” organisation will benefit even if the battle
Tejaswi Yadav, RJD leader BJP 54 LJP 2 RJD 80 HAM 1 Others 4 for votes is fought virtually.”
AIMIM 1 & CPI-ML 3 [email protected]
Source: ECI
the interview 15
JUNE 14-20, 2020
No Plans to Defer
Bihar Elections
The Election Commission will increase the
use of digital and media platforms and
limit voters in polling booths to conduct
elections in the midst of the pandemic,
says Chief Election Commissioner
Sunil Arora. In an email interview with
Prerna Katiyar, the retired 1980 batch IAS
officer of the Rajasthan cadre says the
commission has also requested the law
ministry to allow postal ballots for people
above the age of 65. Edited excerpts:
C
ovid-19 has made social distancing a part of
everyday life now. How is the Election Com-
mission (EC) planning to conduct polls?
We will have to constantly reassess the proce-
dures that we follow at various stages. A team of
EC officials is working on these aspects right now.
All instructions and electoral processes will be
suitably modified to ensure smooth functioning
during the pandemic. We will conduct elections
without breaking the orders, advisories, instruc-
tions and guidelines issued by the National Disaster
Management Authority (NDMA). Any rule in force dur- sion, on its part, will ensure that a standard operating postal method.
ing the period of the election process will be followed. procedure is made and followed at all stages.
The Election Commission will take appropriate ar- The EC is also looking at rationalisation of polling sta- The Rajya Sabha elections due on June 19 will be
rangements regarding social distancing, sanitisation, tions and a reduction in the number of electors at each the first major elections after the outbreak of
disinfection and use of masks, gloves, etc. All officials polling station. This will avoid crowding. Covid-19. What change in procedures will be in-
on election duty are being duly sensi- Currently, Bihar has 72,723 polling stations to cater troduced for these?
“The EC is tised about Covid-19 and related precau- to approximately 7.18 crore electors. Different permu- The commission has already conducted MLC elections
looking at tions. tations and combinations are being in Maharashtra in May. So we have
The poll panel’s flagship Systematic worked upon, factoring in the number of “Postal ballots some experience in this. During that
rationalising Voter Education and Electoral Participa- people at each polling station, the addi- process, all arrangements were made
polling stations tion programme is being suitably modi- will ensure
tional manpower requirement and the vulnerable according to the statutory require-
and reducing the fied. We will step up the use of digital associated infrastructure augmentation. ments of public health authorities.
number of technologies to spread voter awareness sections are
For example, if the electors per polling The state was asked to depute a sen-
electors at each and training. The commission will make not exposed to
station are capped at 800, around ior nodal health officer to ensure that
polling station. greater use of digital and media plat- 55,000 additional polling stations would
undue risk. instructions related to the contain-
All guidelines forms, including bulk SMSes, social me- be required.
Widening its ment of Covid-19 were adhered to. On
pertaining to dia platforms, television advertising, FM All ECI guidelines pertaining to elec-
eligibility criteria the direction of the commission, the
political parties and community radios, the National toral machinery, voters, political parties, will help in safe Union home secretary, who is also the
and other Voter Service Portal and the voter hel- candidates and other stakeholders are conduct of chairman of the NDMA, appointed a
stakeholders are pline app to reach out to as many people being modified. Training and capacity- elections” nodal officer to facilitate the process.
being modified” as possible. building of electoral machinery are being We will conduct the Rajya Sabha elec-
planned accordingly. There will be ap- tions in a similar manner.
Is there a possibility that the Bihar assembly propriate signage and displays at all polling stations. Chief secretaries of the states concerned have been
elections, due in October-November, or the by- These rules will be applicable to all elections that will asked to depute nodal health officers to ensure pub-
polls due in Madhya Pradesh and Bihar might be be conducted during the pandemic period. lic health norms are not breached. Each state may
postponed due to the pandemic? have a different set of norms with regard to the pan-
The by-elections for legislative assem- While most people would take demic and the lockdown.
blies and Parliament due in April, May “No matter what precautions to keep themselves All the rules regarding social distancing and saniti-
and June had to be deferred because of we do, all safe during voting, older people sation will be followed.
the pandemic. The commission will de- stakeholders will might stay away as they carry a Every elector will be informed in advance appropri-
cide on conducting by-polls in various
have to higher risk of catching the novel ately of the dos and don’ts. The chief electoral officers
states at the appropriate time. At the mo- coronavirus. That could mean a of states would act as observers for these elections.
collectively
ment, no plan is being considered to de- large section of people are exclud-
fer Bihar elections. Necessary prepara-
ensure that the ed from this democratic process. How are you harnessing technology to help
tions are underway at the Election Com-
relevant safety Postal ballots are a way to ensure vul- you conduct elections through limited human
mission to conduct the polls. guidelines issued nerable sections of society such as contact?
by the NDMA and senior citizens and differently-abled All facilities relating to information technology are
State elections involve mass public health people are not exposed to undue being further augmented to handle the extra usage.
gatherings and public rallies. What authorities are risk. Widening the eligibility criteria The Election Commission has already set up a tech-
measures are the EC taking on this followed in letter for postal ballots will help in safe nical advisory group that includes eminent experts
front? and spirit” conduct of elections by minimising from IITs and other places to work on a solution to
No matter what we do, all stakeholders congregation. enable remote voting using secure blockchain fea-
will have to collectively ensure that the relevant safety The Election Commission has already recommend- tures. However, it is too early to say when this will be
guidelines issued by the NDMA and public health au- ed to the Ministry of Law and Justice that voters above ready for implementation.
thorities are followed in letter and spirit. The commis- the age of 65 be also allowed to cast votes through the [email protected]
16 trendspotting
JUNE 14-20, 2020
Thinning
the
Wardrobe
Overzealous decluttering by people forced
to stay indoors due to the lockdown is
fuelling the recommerce industry
:: Nupur Amarnath Before the Lockdown: An offline swap
T
his lockdown, the one thing that has been or low,” she says. party for This for That; (left and below)
swap events organised by Exchange
on an upswing for Nohar Nath, founder Several studies have said most of us Room in Bengaluru
and CEO of pre-owned clothing website use only 20-30% of our wardrobes.
Kiabza, is the rising number of people get- Even Kiabza’s self-conducted market
ting in touch to put up their clothes for sale research survey had found that most India, it never will.”
on the platform. Kiabza, which procures women don’t use 70% of their ward- The community of swappers on
branded second-hand clothes from various robe; 50 for men. This for That have been adding new
sources on a consignment basis, gets 800 Mumbai-based organisation coach categories on their own. For instance,
products for sale every month. After April Rohini Rajagopalan, founder of Organ- Bhasin notes they never added inner-
15, that has shot up to 1,400 and ise with Ease, has been re- wear and loungewear as a category.
more are showing interest eve- ceiving queries on products But swaps on these items are happen-
ryday. Even though the plat- that will make homes func- ing. With a 75-80% repeat rate, she
form’s sales have dropped 60% tional and less cluttered. says most swappers will only buy a
due to lockdown restrictions, “Decluttering is overwhelm- product once they are not able to find
Nath says these consignment ing for most. But with no oc- it on a swap platform.
deals have grown 30-40%. casions this year, people are Second-hand, subscription and
Realising a hidden potential relooking at possessions and rental are the top three fastest grow-
ing retail categories. Online consign-
early on during the lockdown,
Kiabza tweaked its market-
realising they are blocking
real estate in their clos- Time for ment and thrift store ThredUP’s 2019
ing communication “The lockdown is a ets.” Gandhi says: “You will
Recommerce resale report suggested the global second-
hand apparel market would double by
through digital channels
towards the sell side. “For
turning point when have occasions to carry your
Gucci bags, but you proba- 2023, from $24 billion to $51 billion. The $7
people will notice Second-hand, subscription
the first time, people are sit- bly don’t need 10 of them”. billion global luxury resale market is pro-
the underutilised and rental are the fastest growing
ting at home with so much Even the resale of luxury jected to grow to $11billion by 2022, accord-
and unutilised retail categories
time at hand. They are goods has been witnessing ing to Cowen.
value in their home. an upswing due to the trend
reevaluating their closets.
There is a realisation that For the resale/swap to lighten the load. Anvita $24 bn is size of second- Shopping second-hand goods has a sus-
tainable sheen too. Did you know that if a
you don’t need these many segment to take off, Mehra, founder of Confi- hand apparel market million people bought only one second-
clothes. So they are looking this is the time. If it dential Couture, a website hand clothing item, it would save 6 pounds
for options other than do- that sells pre-owned luxury $51 bn is projected size of of CO2 emissions — equivalent to removing
does not open up second-hand apparel market in 5 years
nating,” says Nath. accessories and clothing, half a million cars? It is the 18-25-year-olds
now in India, it who are active in the garment resale seg-
Other recommerce play- has noticed a 45% jump in
ers such as P2P swap plat-
never will” selling enquiries. “Luxury
49% of recommerce market ment. For luxury resale, the age-group is
Nancy Bhasin, in the US dominated by clothing, shoes
form This for That and buys are high-value goods above 30. Nath says, “Now even the 30-35
Bengaluru-based swap cofounder, This for That that don’t make much finan- and accessories category is coming round to buying pre-
pop-up Exchange Room cial sense to hold on to dur- owned.” Historically, an economic slow-
20 times faster growth seen
have also noticed similar trends. ing this time. They are taking up space and down has helped recommerce as people
by US recommerce retailers
Prithvi Rao, cofounder of Exchange you don’t have enough occasions to take have less money to spend.
Room, says, “Increased awareness of cli- them out now. That reflects wasteful hoard- 1 in 3 European consumers The luxury segment is also adapting to
mate change, personal carbon footprint ing,” she adds. the post-Covid realities. For instance, Con-
take sustainability into account when
and also the realisation for many that less is Two prime areas of hoarding are clothes fidential Couture has added entry-level
shopping for clothes
more is giving rise to a wave of ‘make do’ (including accessories like shoes and bags) luxury brands and made the payment plan
and ‘reduce’ habits. It is a good time to be in and kitchen equipment, says Rajagopalan. Source: apparelresources.com more flexible. Mehra adds, “The more sup-
this space. The enquiries we get for sales Since lockdown, people have gone and Fashion Revolution ply you have the more demand it will
have increased.” beyond sharing clothes to sharing create as India is a demand-driven
That decluttering is on top of the mind of kitchen equipment, baby goods and economy for pre-owned luxury.”
people in lockdown is evinced from the advice, and tips and tricks on other Sai Sangeet Paliwal, cofounder of
popularity of decluttering coaches who are subjects, says Nancy Bhasin, cofound- Exchange Room, says, “Resale is pick-
running packed webinars and workshops. er of This for That. “Even as deliveries ing up faster. We have seen a rise of
KonMari-trained organising expert Gayatri were shut, transactions didn’t fall as online thrift stores. Every single day,
Gandhi of Joy Factory says she has been people kept exchanging. The lock- there is a new one popping up. Every
flooded with decluttering queries since the down is a turning point when people single day, there is a new one popping
lockdown. “The prime reason to not organ- will notice the underutilised and unuti- up. Even during the lockdown, items
ise has been lack of time. People want their lised value at their home. It looks like were getting sold in spite of disclaim-
home to be a space that calms them and not the resale/swap segment is taking off. If ers for delayed deliveries.”
something that makes them anxious, upset this segment does not open up now in [email protected]
in focus 17
JUNE 14-20, 2020
Weaving a
Success Story
KVIC, which has surprised many by posting a
turnover that would make FMCG majors jealous,
now sees a larger role for itself as the country
gets set to tread the path of self-reliance
:: Nishtha Saluja
F
inding its bearings in the freedom Now, KVIC is well-positioned to
2004-2014. When KVIC was set up in and creates facilities to ucts that can be easily
value intact”
KVIC Turnover 1956, 0.42 million sq m of khadi were make goods made in the country. tablished a mustard oil
made. It reached 103.22 million sq m Earlier this year, the VK Saxena, unit in a village close to
(` cr)
in 2013-14. Since 2014-15, production government increased chairman, KVIC Jaipur in 2018. “I was
In 2019-20, KVIC has
74,292.1
has gone up by 15.8 million sq m a Has set a target the customs duty on in- able to generate a sus-
reported sales that are twice
that of Hindustan Unilever, year. In 201 9-20, the output was of `5 lakh cr cense sticks and bam- tainable employment
India’s largest consumer 198.29 million sq m. turnover by boo used to manufacture these, cit- avenue,” says Mathur, who recently
goods company KVIC has also been leading the 2023-24 ing the onslaught of imports on the supplied a batch of mustard oil to the
59,182.4
fight to protect the term khadi. It had domestic industry. CAPF canteens. “Thanks to this or-
asked several entities to not use KVIC is also pursuing the com- der, I not only see better order visi-
52,138.2
terms such as “handspun or hand- merce ministry for a ban on im- bility but am also assured of returns
woven” while selling khadi products ports of silk and wooden toys. on my investment.” He now plans to
without getting its permission. This KVIC, set up by an act of Parlia- double the number of machines de-
41894.6
protective measure started in 2013, ment, is also set to gain from the ployed at his oil extraction unit to 40.
when the UPA government made it home ministry’s order that only KVIC has helped people set up
33136.3
mandatory for companies to get a products made in India be sold over 2 lakh industry units in villag-
27,839.7
“Khadi Mark” certificate from at the Central Armed Police es in the last five years. These units
27,770.4
26,797.1
25,792.9
KVIC to sell khadi products, after it Force (CAPF) canteens. This produce food and agriculture-
noticed that mill-made products was part of the government’s based products, small electronic
were being sold as khadi. “Khadi is “atma nirbhar” move. “Ap- items such as fan regulators, elec-
a national fabric. There are senti- proximately, 75-80% of the tric tandoors and doorbells, among
ments attached to it. We have to products to these canteens others.
protect these. It is a fabric gifted will now be supplied by Though it is a decades-old organi-
to us by none other than Mahat- KVIC. We are looking at 30- sation, KVIC has become relevant
ma Gandhi and it is being nur- 40 lakh new consumers now by leveraging sustainable fash-
tured by the PM,” Saxena says. now,” Saxena says, adding ion and entrepreneurial spirit. It is
He quickly clarifies that KVIC is that they were not supplying also upping the cool quotient of the
2010-11
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
2015-16
2016-17
2017-18
2018-19
2019-20
2011-12
not against allowing khadi a to the canteens earlier. homegrown, hand-spun fabric.
wider market. In fact, the com- KVIC has also leveraged its [email protected]
Source: KVIC
18 food & drink
JUNE 14-20, 2020
Food Chains
How slavery influenced the food we eat
because
produced food, but
slaves
A
fter anti-racism protesters in Bristol easier for a large family to might use the arms against their to be made edible, but Collingham
dramatically pulled down the statue of share. Colston left funds to have them masters). Beef and pork were reserved notes that a further twist to slavery
Edward Colston, a local merchant and distributed on specific occasions. for the masters, but slaves did receive provided the solution. The traders
philanthropist, who became rich in the They became a Bristol speciality the cheaper cuts and offal. Chicken mostly wanted male slaves, so many
17th century slave trade, there is now would become the ideal solution, and female slaves were left with their African
pressure to drop his name from other poultry farming (and fried chicken) was owners to mass produce the food that
city institutions. So Colston Hall, exchanged in Europe for cloth and popularised by the Black communities sustained both the trade and the region
Colston Tower and Colston schools other commodities that went to African descended from slaves. devastated by it.
might all change their names, but will rulers in exchange for slaves. Triangular Before that, though, the abundant Both maize and cassava would later
they stop baking Colston buns? trades like this c o d c au g h t i n c o l d come to India, and this shows how
These are large sweet buns divided were a feature of northern seas and salted efficiently the slave trade worked to
into eight wedges to make it easier for a s l av e t r a d i n g , Beef and pork were reserved for preservation was a disperse new food crops around the
large family to share (one extra small increasing its for masters; slaves had staple of slave food, adding world. Collingham quotes from an
bun is given to those taking them influence across chicken. Poultry farming (and another trading element to account left by a French slave trader,
home, so they don’t eat the big the w o r l d . fried chicken) was popularised the business. After slavery Michel Jajolet de la Courbe, of a meal
one). Colston left funds to Stopping the trade by Black communities ended, one reason Indian given to him in 1686 by a West African
have them distributed on was always going descended from indentured labourers filled ruler’s daughter who was a leading slave
specific occasions. They to be a problem slaves their roles was because it owner herself. The food included
became a Bristol when so many was felt that they didn’t chillies and pineapples which were
speciality — and a people in so many need meat in the same way, from the Americas, but now being
reminder of how places profited from it. and could be supplied with grown in Africa, most probably brought
complex the Protesters today rightly protein from cheap yellow by the same ships that came to take the
interactions of food want Western countries to peas grown on Canadian slaves with them.
and slavery have reckon with their legacy of prairies. Stories like these show the complexity
been. slavery, but its links with One often overlooked of the network spread by slavery, and
American slavery food show how complex this part of the slave trade is its the number and diversity of people it
was mainly for cotton can be. This was not just impact in West Africa. In Lizzie ensnared. But if dealing with its legacy is
cultivation, but the hard, at least the protesters are trying.
British trade Colston This can be contrasted with the
engaged in was mostly for Once in Western captivity, the slaves had to be fed, comparative silence over the equally
sugar produc tion in the and more food was needed to stock the ships when tangled webs that caste has woven with
Caribbean. One reason the they made the notorious Middle Passage across food in India. For example, when under-
Black-eyed peas, the Atlantic. The solution came from two New
British became famous for cakes nourished children in schools in
which originated World crops — maize and cassava
and puddings is the surge of Madhya Pradesh are denied free eggs on
in West Africa
where most cheap sugar that came from the grounds that this is somehow
slaves came from, Caribbean plantations to the UK. impure, but no equivalent source
were taken with Sugar supplied quick energy to of nutrition is provided, it
them as a pulse to fuel workers in the Industrial shows a world of privilege
grow in captivity Revolution, though its poor linked to food and status that
nutrition led to lasting health we need to question, just as
problems, and a reputation for much as protesters in the West
bad teeth that dogs the British till today. are doing with the legacies of
Sugar also resulted in molasses that slavery.
was exported to the US to be made into [email protected]
cheap rum. Sugar and rum were
tech talk 19
JUNE 14-20, 2020
GET IT FOR:
`62,990
HIGHLIGHT:
Asus TUF A15 Strong
performance
GAME ON
Apart from a slightly
audible fan, the TUF A15 is
a delightful package
:: Utkarsh Saurbh
G
Vivo V19 aming laptops have a niche but loyal
audience. To cater to them,
SHARP
Asus has launched
the new
SHOOTER
TUF A1 5 FA566.
The new gaming
laptop from Asus
Despite a less-than-ideal comes powered with
processor, the phone performs an AMD Ryzen 7 4800 proces-
sor, coupled with the Nvidia GeForce GTX
without any lag 1660Ti graphics card. It has a default memory of
16GB and comes with up to 1TB of storage and sports a starting without any tear or stutter and very less frame rate fluc-
:: Shaurya Shubham
V
price of `62,990. tuations, the Witcher 3 proved more challenging at the highest
ivo’s V-series smartphones have al- It has a very solid hinge design, the sturdiness of which contin- possible settings that included turning on Nvidia Hairworks also.
ways been about the camera. The Chi- ues all the way up to the full-HD display, making the display Heat dissipation is quite effective and you won’t notice heating
nese brand wants to extend that prop- panel uniform in thickness from top to bottom. of the top right part of the chassis until you touch it (after about
osition with the new V19. Vivo has The back of the display has a steely, professional look, that 3 hours on Turbo mode). Fan noise at Turbo mode could be an
priced the smartphone at `27,999 for the base says gamer without screaming. The chassis, especially the right issue for some.
variant that comes with 8GB + 128GB and there’s side of the keyboard area, remains very slightly warm when the Watching video content at 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution was a
also an 8GB+256GB that costs Rs 31,990. laptop is used for both gaming and other applications. The lap- pleasant experience, with accurate and vivid colour reproduc-
The smartphone comes with a Qualcomm top comes with four USB ports, one of which is a Type-C one. tion. The audio is okay for watching films and some soft music.
Snapdragon 712 processor with Adreno 616 There are four modes to operate the laptop: Windows, Silent, The battery life of the laptop, when not gaming, can go on for an
GPU, which is not the ideal processor in this Performance and Turbo. The first is meant for activities that average of 2-3 hours.
price segment. However, it manages to deliver don’t require performance load on the CPU and GPU. The re- Barring the noise of the fan, which can be exasperating at
a good output as most apps run without break- maining three are the gaming modes. times, the TUF A15 delivers competent performance on all
ing any sweat. App-loading was fluid and lag- We played Crysis 3, Shadow of The Tomb Raider and The fronts: strong hinge design, staid looks and can run some graph-
free. Games ran with a smooth frame rate with- Witcher 3: Wild Hunt at the maximum possible graphics settings ic-intensive games very smoothly. It delivers the strongest in the
out any noticeable lag. However, you might possible on both Performance and Turbo Mode. While for the most important factor: Smooth gaming.
need to tone down the graphics setting for first two, the 144Hz display of the laptop handled the challenge The writer is with gadgetsnow.com
some games to make them run
smoothly. The device does not
GET IT FOR:
heat up at all, even under heavy Butter Royale
load. `27,999
There is a quad-camera set- HIGHLIGHT:
up here that consists of a 48MP
primary shooter, an 8-meg-
apixel wide-angle camera and
Capable
camera
UTTERLY, BUTTERLY, GAMEILICIOUS
two 2-megapixel cameras for The best thing about this 'PUBG-with-pudding' game is that it comes in small servings
macro and bokeh shots. For selfies, it comes
with dual punch-hole front-facing camera set-
:: Aabhas Sharma
S
up of 32MP and 8MP. The camera quality is
good and offers some sharp and detailed pho- ince Fortnite and PUBG but give them a fun experi-
tos in both daylight and lowlight conditions. exploded on the scene, ence. The controls are easy to
Selfies too are vivid and offer good details in the battle royale genre use and you won’t take much
every shot we took. Vivo has also added a Super of games has seen a lot time getting used to them. Hav-
Night Selfie mode to the camera that works sur- of activity. Most of these games ing said that, after playing a
prisingly well and manages to light up the entire are all about guns, bombs and dozen times or so, we did lose
face and surroundings while retaining the natu- non-stop action. Just like any some interest.
ral colour tone. Also, the Aura Screen Light other game in this genre, But- One thing that works in fa-
adds a soft light in low light. ter Royale is all about the ac- vour of Butter Royale is the
Vivo V19 aims to be a premium phone. The tion but with a twist. game duration. Games rarely
smartphone features a modern-looking mini- Instead of guns, you indulge last more than 5 minutes,
malistic design — symmetrical bezels across the in fighting with food items like which means you can squeeze
sides of a 6.44-inch full HD+Super AMOLED dis- Breadzooka, hot dog Miniguns in a round or two after getting
play. At the back, it features a rectangular cam- or Snipermeasan rifle. It takes some work done or in between
era housing with four lenses stacked in L-shape food fight to a different level. those Zoom meetings.
and 3D glass curved back with a gradient de- Unlike PUBG, where 100 players congregate and fight, GET IT FOR: The game is free but you require an Apple Arcade
sign. The battery managed to last for a day and Butter Royale has 32 players. The idea is simple: elimi- Free on Apple subscription, which costs `99 per month. Since Apple
a half under normal usage. The phone also nate competition and be the last person standing. Arcade doesn’t encourage in-app purchases on Arcade, you
comes with a 33W FlashCharge 2.0, which It is fun and quirky, albeit a bit childish. But if you are don’t have to deal with constant popups about buying
charges the smartphone up to 70% in just under tired of playing in Sanhok (PUBG) or Killhouse (Call of HIGHLIGHT: this or that. So you don’t really have to spend real cash
30 minutes. Duty Mobile) then Butter Royale is a tasty treat. It is not Quirky to get the best out of this game, something that can’t be
The Vivo V19 is a capable smartphone when all fun and games, however, as there is tactical warfare gameplay said about other popular titles in the genre.
it comes to performance and features. The at play as well. You can hide in the bushes or tents and It can’t be the staple of your gaming menu but it is
camera that may just tilt the balance in its fa- ambush the enemy. fun and quirky and gives you a nice feeling — just like a
vour for a lot of buyers. The graphics are good but lack the finesse of a battle. That is un- nice dessert.
The writer is with gadgetsnow.com derstandable as the idea is not to put gamers in a warzone situation The writer is with gadgetsnow.com
20 feel smart
JUNE 14-20, 2020
PUBLISHED FOR THE PROPRIETORS, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. by Rajeev Yadav at Times House, 7, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi-110 002 and printed by him at (A) The Times of India Press, 13 & 15/1, Site IV, Industrial Area, Sahibabad, UP (B) Elegant Offset Printers, Shed No. D2-31, Thivim Industrial Estate, Karas-
wada, Mapusa Goa - 403526. EDITOR: Sruthijith K.K.(Responsible for selection of news under PRB Act). © Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. All rights reserved. RNI No.: DELENG/2012/48648. MADE IN NEW DELHI VOLUME 09 NO.23. AIR CHARGE: Raipur, Ahmedabad,
Srinagar, Leh & via `2.00 PRICE IN NEPAL: NEP `15.00 except on Saturday & Sunday: NEP `26.00.