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Residents at
Antara Dehradun
enjoy a session of
water aerobics

SENIOR LIVING

THE GOLDIES
PLUSH RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES AND A BOOMING ECONOMY OF
ELDERCARE SERVICES HELP AGEING INDIANS LEAD A FULLER LIFE
FROM THE
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
etting old in India need not be the same anymore.
G The compulsion of sharing your living space with
grown-up children is no longer a necessity. Nor
do you need to live alone in a spartan religious
commune with no material joy. There are op-
tions. There is a transformation that’s unfolding in senior
living spaces. We are used to the idea of ‘old age homes’ as an
extension of the old idea of neglect. No rooms with a view, no
golden sunsets. Instead, they are dreary, depressing places
for those whose children have abandoned them. We certainly
don’t think of Rs 17 crore penthouses and 4BHK villas that
cost Rs 5-6 crore. Scrolling down the menu of options, you
can also score 1BHK units for about Rs 40 lakh. From lavish
complexes with all the bells and whistles all the way to the
more affordable ones that still cater to every need—places
you can buy outright or rent. Yes, the boxes are all ticked:
24/7 nursing, doctors just an intercom call away, even panic
buttons in every room if you so fancy.
But it goes much beyond mere assisted living. What we
are seeing is a redefinition of old age itself. One
part of this is a definite shift in social psychol-
ogy. With rising life expectancy and greater
disposable incomes, the seniors are no longer
seen as just a dead weight, a part of the popula-
tion sunk in passivity. Nor does their self-
image conform to that old cliché. Rather, as
active seekers of fulfilment, they have become
the agents of their own change. Though the
market presently addresses only those who can
afford it, fact is that this so-called tiny sliver is
itself quite big. As Dr Rana Mehta, partner and
healthcare leader at PwC India, points out, May 30, 2022
explaining the evolution of the elder market
over the past 5-10 years: “The first generation of seniors who
accumulated wealth during the post-liberalisation period of
the 1990s has entered this demographic.”
Normally, everyone associates trends and trendy things
with the young. And elderly people live behind a mist of
social neglect. We are breaking that stock picture because of
a vibrant phenomenon: there’s a big bazaar growing around
growing old. Call them ‘The Goldies’, and the economy
around them a Gold Rush for the Old. This is not merely a
bubble. It will be a fully sustainable, robust segment of our
social and economic life. One estimate by consultancy firm
PricewaterhouseCoopers says the elder economy is already a
$10-15 billion market in India. And it seems all set to grow
at a rollicking 13-15 per cent yearly. This buzzing market-
place, full of eager buyers and sellers, involves not only what
you would have expected in another era: things related to
healthcare and assisted living. Instead, what we have before
us is an explosion of products across a wide terrain that
takes in everything from fancy habitats to plush lifestyle
products, exciting travel options to assistance on financial
and technology services, besides a myriad of everyday conve-
niences. All are geared towards the elderly.
The reasons for this phenomenon are the breakdown of
old joint family structures, the shift to nuclear families in
constricted urban spaces and job-related migration. The
change in the infrastructure of society had made this boom in-
evitable. Anecdotally, all of us are familiar with the trend without
having precise figures for it. The official Longitudinal Ageing
Study of India’s 2021 data says as many as 26 per cent of our
elderly live with their spouse or alone away from their children.
However, the idea of shifting to a conventional old-age home
invariably evoked extreme reluctance because of that stigma.
The arrival of new-age spaces has broken that mindset. These are
objects of desire, not open-air prisons you check into with an air of
being resigned to fate.
S enior Associate Editor Sonal Khetarpal surveys this new
landscape for our cover story this week. She sees an over-
all increase in spending by and for the old. It is no surprise that
entrepreneurs have taken notice of this emerging customer base.
Eventually, India’s demographic pattern will shift. With longer
lifespans, the teeming young of today will make up a significant
silver population as they age, even as declining fertility rates will
mean fewer young people. According to the United Nations Popu-
lation Fund, by 2050, some 347 million, or over
20 per cent of our population, will be above 60.
And the elderly will outstrip the 0-14 demographic
by the end of this century. A readymade growing
market. So, expect investments to grow in tandem.
We visited some of the most well-appointed
senior living spaces to get a feel of what it is like for
the denizens. At Dehradun’s Antara Senior Living,
for instance, we came across affluent people who
have chosen to shift here as a matter of enhanced
convenience, not necessity. Like the octogenarian
Anil and Seema Sud, who moved in two years
ago from their spacious five-room house in Guru-
gram. Anil Sud, a former MD at EMI/ HMV, says
it’s just easier to outsource all the worries and have a button
to press for everything.
Besides accommodation, there is also on the table a range of
other services, from holidays to financial planning to technol-
ogy. There are gadgets relevant to the needs of the elderly. Take
wearable personal security devices with GPS trackers and SOS
buttons, smart pill dispensers, pocket-sized medical devices that
measure vital signs and hook up the results for remote diag-
nostics, “easyfones” that can be configured remotely by family
members, AI-powered smart lamps that trigger an emergency
response in case the senior has a fall and is unable to get up.
This is News You Can Use—applicable to all, bar none. Old
age is a station that everyone is eventually going to arrive at. And
everybody caught in mid-journey has old parents to fret about.
But most of all, this is about breaking the pattern of India’s el-
derly needing to be taken care of by their kids. We are witnessing
the arrival of the Goldies, those who are taking charge of their
lives and living it with robustness, grace and a lot of style. And
three cheers to them!
(Aroon Purie)
NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3 INDIA TODAY 3
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QATAR: INDIANS
ON DEATH ROW
PG 9
UP: GIVING
MUSLIMS A HAND
PG 12
THE AFTERSHOCKS
F
or Kerala and the followers
of Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW),
an obdurate Christian sect
with some 50,000 followers
in India, October 29 was a black Sun-
day. As a 2,500-strong congregation of
the sect rose for prayers at the Samra
Convention Centre in Kalamassery, a
Kochi suburb, a series of four explo-
sions ripped through the hall, the
first at 9.38 am, sending the faithful
screaming to the exits. Three people
KER ALA BLASTS
By Jeemon Jacob
died—Leyona Paulose, 55, on the spot;
Kumari Pushpan, 53, and Libina
Pradeepan, 12, in hospital. Some 52
were injured, at least five critically.
The incident fed right into a volatile
environment in Kerala and the country
in the wake of Israel’s bombing of Gaza,
and soon took on a life much larger than
itself. Coming as it did right after pro-
Palestine protests in Kozhikode on Oc-
tober 26 and the furore over a Hamas
leader virtually addressing another rally
ANDHRA PRADESH:
TDP’S SHIFT IN
STRATEGY PG 10
SABARMATI:
RIVERFRONT
BLUES PG 15
TERROR ON TAPE
Video grab of the scene at
the convention centre soon
after the blasts, Oct. 29
in Malappuram, rumours ascribing the
blasts to the hand of radical Islamist
organisations went viral. But just hours
afterwards, before matters spiralled
further out of control, Dominic Martin,
57, a former JW member, came out and
claimed authorship through a video
message posted on Facebook. It was
both a fortuitous anti-climax and a
curious turn in itself. Why did he resort
to violence? He said it was because the
sect’s ideology was “anti-national”. He
NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3 INDIA TODAY 7
UPFRONT
claimed to have been a JW member for
16 years, but grew disillusioned with it
six years ago. “They do not celebrate fes-
tivals, do not vote, do not join the mili-
tary or the teaching profession. They
won’t even sing the national anthem,”
he stated. His appeals to the sect to
mend its ways proved futile, he said. As
promised in the video, he surrendered
before the police at Kodakara
in Thrissur district, two hours
from Kochi, the same day.
By this time, the blast
had already set off a political
storm. BJP leader and Union
minister Rajeev Chandra-
sekhar—who traces his roots
to the state—alleged via a
vitriolic tweet that Kerala was
paying for soft-pedalling on
radical Islam. “Dirty shame-
less appeasement politics by
a discredited CM....protest-
ing against Israel, when in
Kerala open calls by Terrorist
Hamas for Jihad is causing
attacks and bomb blasts on innocent
Christians,” he wrote on X. The next
day, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan
hinted the Union minister was losing
his marbles and was “spewing deadly
poison” to further his politics. Later,
Chandrasekhar called Pinarayi a “liar”.
That fit a pattern: a channel war has
been playing out of late with TV stations
owing allegiance to the Left and the
Right sniping away at each other in the
state. The slugfest reached a crescendo
on October 31 when Kerala Police reg-
istered an FIR against Chandrasekhar
for promoting ‘religious hatred’.
P
olitics apart, the use of an im-
provised explosive device (IED)
by a seemingly ordinary family
man, as well as the knowhow involved
in assembling it—allegedly gathered
from the internet—is a real cause of
worry for a densely populated state
of 33.3 million people with all three
major religions—Hindus, Muslims and
Christians—well represented. Though
less stalked by religous violence than
the north, the southern state has not
been entirely immune to its effects. Nor
8 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3
is it a stranger to IED bombs. On De-
cember 6, 1997—the fifth anniversary
of the Babri Masjid demolition—an
explosion onboard the Chennai-Alap-
puzha Express had killed four people
and injured 55 in Thrissur. It was part
of three coordinated train blasts (two
in Tamil Nadu) allegedly engineered by
the radical Islamic Defence Force. The
ASHISH K VINCENT
‘ L O NE W O L F ’ M A R T IN ?
V elikakathu Martin Dom-
inic, 57, who lived in
Thammanam, Kochi, with
his wife and daughter, had
worked for a few years in
Dubai as a construction fore-
man. He has a son studying
in London while the daughter
works at the IT Infopark in
Kakkanad. Martin had been
with the JW for 16 years but
left the church about four
years ago. No one had any
inkling that he was harbour-
ing such anger at the church.
On the morning of October
29, Martin left for his flat in
Athanni, some 34 km away,
where he had assembled
the bombs. He arrived at the
centre, placed the bombs
and recorded the explosions
sitting in the back of the hall.
Hours later, after putting
out a video admitting to the
crime, Martin surrendered at
the Kodakara police station.
Kalamassery blast was unique in that
a Christian religious gathering was
targeted, the suspected perpetrator
surrendered to the police and offered
several pieces of evidence of the crime.
The JW have been operating in Ker-
ala for over a century after its founder
Charles T. Russell, an American pastor,
visited the state during British rule.
An evangelical sect, they even
have a village named after the
missionary, Russelpuram, near
capital Thiruvananthapuram.
Some of the practices that set
them apart are following the
Hebrew bible, not accepting
Jesus as part of the Holy Trinity
or celebrating festivals such as
Christmas and not donating/
receiving blood or organs even
for medical emergencies. But
they are more famous in India
for winning a 1986 case in the
Supreme Court, which held
that forcing JW members to
sing the national anthem vio-
lated their fundamental right to religion
under Article 25 of the Constitution.
What initially baffled the police was
that JW has no history of animosity
with other religious groups. Even before
the police started preliminary investiga-
tion, the media began flashing stories
linking the blasts to Islamist terror. “In
highly politicised Kerala, everyone plays
the role of investigator, reaching conclu-
sions that satisfy their affiliations,”
says a senior police officer, requesting
anonymity. Social media was full of
messages saying terror groups were
avenging Israel’s Gaza bombings, some
of them even confusing the JW with the
Jewish faith to prove their point. State
BJP chief K. Surendran, by contrast,
seemed the most tactful on all counts.
“They (the JW) are not anti-national.
But every detail behind the blasts must
be investigated,” he told INDIA TODAY.
“The use of IEDs distracted us ini-
tially,” says M.R. Ajithkumar, additional
DGP (law and order) who headed the
investigation team. “Our forensic team
found traces of petrol at the blast site.
We pegged our investigations to two
aspects—an insider job or a terror act.”
Martin later revealed that he bought
eight litres of petrol, using a part of it—a
litre each in the four bombs—to create a

Illustration by TANMOY CHAKRABORTY

blaze for maximum damage.

M
artin’s demeanour initially
put off the police, and the
idea that a Christian sect’s
internal dissensions could end in a
bomb blast seemed so out of whack—
there really was no precedent. They
treated him as a crank out to get media
publicity. “He reached the Kodakara
police station on a scooter and waited
for 15 minutes,” says Ajithkumar. “He
told the civil police officer that he was
behind the Kalamassery blasts. When
the officer tried to shoo him away, he
showed him videos of the blast on his
mobile. We immediately took him into
custody.” According to the police, Mar-
tin has been “composed and coopera-
tive throughout”, answering all queries.
I N D I A N S O N D E AT H R OW
The suspect, who lives in Thamma-
nam in Kochi with his wife and daugh-
ter, was working as construction fore-
man in Dubai. He has a son studying
in London. Martin and his family were
BELEAGUERED
regulars at the JW Bible study sessions
till about four years ago. “His wife says
she had no idea about his anger against
IN QATAR
the church. The man has no history of By Pradip R. Sagar
violence,” says a police officer who inter-
rogated the family and neighbours. “His

Google search history suggests he had
researched about bomb-making. We
also recovered bills for the petrol and
the batteries used for the remote.”
Trying to explain the event, a
retired top police officer says, “Kerala
has rarely seen bomb blasts despite
being pictured in the media as a centre
of Islamic terror after the ISIS episode
(21 people from the state migrated to
Afghanistan to join the terror outfit be-
tween 2016 and 2018). This handiwork
of a maverick is a warning for all of us.”
An in-depth investigation should reveal
whether anyone other than “lone wolf”
Martin was involved. Meanwhile, the
state government has acted swiftly to
nip any ripple effect acts of violence in
the bud, and reassure citizens that they
are safe. But the scars from Kalamass-
ery will take time to heal. „
I
ndia had already been walking
a difficult tight-rope on West
Asian politics, roiled by the
conflict in Gaza, when Qatar
served a shocker on it on October
26: it awarded the death sentence to
eight former Indian navy personnel
on charges of spying for Israel.
The decision, to which New Delhi
responded with dismay and by
cranking into motion the usual
diplomatic machinery of damage
limitation, marked a surprisingly
sharp low turn in bilateral ties that
are otherwise known to be robust.
The external affairs ministry, which
said it was “deeply shocked by the
verdict of the death penalty”, has
vowed to mount a full-blown legal
challenge against it, while working
to secure the release of the eight ex-
navymen. Employed with the private
firm Al Dahra Global Technologies
and Consultancy Services, they were
overseeing the induction of stealth
submarines for the Qatari navy.
They have been under detention in
separate locations in Doha since
August 2022.
Qatar has so far not made
any public statements about the
trial conducted by its Court of
First Instance. In fact, the charges
were never made public, not even
conveyed to the family members of
the naval personnel. Some reports
suggest secret details of Qatar’s
stealth submarine programme were
leaked to Israel and the Indians
were convicted on espionage charges
linked to that. Al Dahra, established
in 2014, is owned by Khamis Al

NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3 INDIA TODAY 9

UPFRONT
Ajmi, a retired squadron leader of
the Oman Air Force and a Qatari
national. Ajmi was also arrested,
but released on bail in November
2022. The eight Indians—Captain
Saurabh Vashisht, Commander
Purnendu Tiwari, Captain Biren-
dra Kumar Verma, Commander
Sugunakar Pakala, Commander
Sanjeev Gupta, Commander Amit
Nagpal and Sailor Ragesh—are
said to have had an ‘impeccable’
record while serving in the Indian
navy for up to two decades and
took voluntary retirement after
holding important positions.
Commander Tiwari was awarded
AN SOS MISSION
Ô Charged with
espionage, eight
former Indian Navy
personnel were
sentenced to death
in Qatar
Ô The MEA assured
their families that
India will take up
the issue
Ô India can appeal
the verdict in a Qatar
court or the ICJ, and
use diplomatic means
the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman—
the highest honour conferred on
overseas Indians—in 2019.
Notably, Qatar, though a
US ally, is one of Hamas’s main
backers and shares frosty relations
with Israel. Naturally, closer New
Delhi-Tel Aviv ties may not have
gone down well in Doha. India’s
initial support to Israel after it
was attacked by Hamas may not
have been liked too. South Block
mandarins suspect the West Asian
conflict has complicated any
future talks with Qatar and expect
10 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3
it to be a long haul, with formidable
challenges, especially so with the
impending Lok Sabha polls. Besides
challenging the death verdict legally,
India will also work through back-
door diplomatic channels, probably
bringing to bear its influence with
other West Asian nations.
The obvious legal option for India
is to appeal against the verdict in a
higher Qatari court. The families
may also move a mercy petition to
the Emir of Qatar, who has the right
to pardon prisoners on death row.
An official says that apart from one
Nepali migrant worker in 2021,
no other death penalty has been
carried out in Qatar in the last 20
years. That offers hope. Moreover,
there is the option to approach the
International Court of Justice, which
India did in the case of Kulbhushan
Jadhav, who faces a death sentence in
Pakistan on spying charges. Besides,
during Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Ta-
mim bin Hamad Al Thani’s visit to
India in 2015, both sides had signed
multiple agreements, including one
on prisoner repatriation. The pact
allowed citizens of India and Qatar,
who had been convicted of crimes, to
be extradited to their home country
to serve out their sentences. All that’s
in sync with the warm ties New
Delhi enjoys with Doha historically.
India was among the few countries
that recognised Qatar soon after
its independence in 1971. The two
nations established full diplomatic
relations in 1973, and 2023 marks
50 years of diplomatic ties. Around
800,000 Indians live and work in
Qatar, and defence and strategic
cooperation between the two nations
is on a positive trajectory.
On October 30, after meeting the
families of the convicted Indians, ex-
ternal affairs minister S. Jaishankar
wrote on X: “Fully share the concerns
and pain of the families. Underlined
that the government will continue
to make all efforts to secure their
release.” The challenge for him is to
accomplish that smoothly. „
By Amarnath K. Menon
T
he assembly ection may be
more than six months away, but
the political climate is already
heating up in Andhra Pradesh.
On October 31, Telugu Desam Party
(TDP) president N. Chandrababu Naidu
walked out of the Rajamahendravaram
Central Prison after nearly two months,
within hours of the Andhra Pradesh
High Court granting him a four-week
interim bail on medical grounds. The
former chief minister, who was in
jail since September 10, is accused of
siphoning off funds running into crores
of rupees that were meant to train un-
employed youths during his last tenure
(2014-19). Even as he received a hero’s
welcome from supporters en route to his
residence, Naidu’s troubles are far from
over. For, on October 28, the Andhra
Pradesh Crime Investigation Depart-
ment had registered another graft case
against him involving licences issued to
certain distilleries when he was the CM.
With Naidu’s fate unclear, the TDP
has already devised a Plan B to take
on the ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu
Congress Party (YSRCP) in the as-
sembly as well as general elections, set
to be conducted simultaneously next
summer. On October 25, Nara Bhu-
vaneswari, Naidu’s wife and daughter of
the late TDP founder N.T. Rama Rao,
had set out on a yatra with the slogan
‘Nijam Gelavali’, that is, ‘Truth must
triumph’, in support of her husband.
Bhuvaneswari, who has so far stayed
aloof from politics, began her tour from
Naravaripalle, Naidu’s native village, on
a sentimental note after garlanding an
NTR statue. The party claimed the tour
is to console the families of supporters
who purportedly died in the wake of
Naidu’s arrest and prolonged detention.
But the yatra has a familiar ring to it.
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy
banked on a similar ‘odarpu yatra’
(condolence tour), visiting the fami-
lies of those who had reportedly died
of shock after his father and then CM
Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy was killed in a
chopper crash in 2009, to springboard
into state politics. The TDP hopes that
Bhuvaneswari’s yatra, which has been
put on hold for now, will elicit a similar
response from the electorate.

A N DH R A PR A DE SH/ T DP
NAIDU’S SHIFT
IN STRATEGY
Aware of its inability to pose a stiff
challenge on its own, the TDP has al-
ready reached an understanding with
actor-politician Pawan Kalyan’s Jana
Sena Party (JSP) for a united battle
against the YSRCP. Naidu has always
run the TDP as a one-man show,
with second-rung leaders relegated
to a marginal role. Even Naidu’s son
Lokesh, who has been getting project-
ed as his successor since being made
the party’s national general secretary
in 2014, has had a limited impact.
PTI
The main plan, say TDP insid-
ers, is to rely on Bhuvaneswari to
keep the middle-rung leaders and
party cadre together in Naidu’s
absence. But political analysts point
out that while she may evoke sym-
pathy, her presence may fail to give
the much-needed fillip to the party.
“The TDP accounted for about a 40
per cent vote share [in 2019],” says
political analyst D. Subramanyam
Reddy. “It will decline if Naidu
remains away from the public eye.”
OUT, FOR NOW
TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu
walks out of jail after gettting
interim bail, Oct. 31
E. Venkatesu, a political scientist at the
University of Hyderabad, too, believes
that the people’s response to Bhu-
vaneswari could be muted, given Jagan
Reddy’s “sophisticated information
network” at the grassroots level.
But Naidu has the reputation
of being a skilful survivor. Earlier,
playing the victim card, he had shot
off a letter to the special judge of the
Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court
to seek “foolproof security”, alleging a
“threat to his life” in jail. He has also
decided against the TDP contesting the
Telangana assembly poll, where the JSP
THE TDP IS BANKING ON
SYMPATHY FOR NAIDU
AND ALLIANCE WITH
PAWAN KALYAN’S JSP TO
TAKE ON CM JAGAN REDDY
has an electoral understanding with the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and to
instead focus on Andhra Pradesh alone.
“The district coordination committees
[of the TDP-JSP alliance] will come up
with action plans based on local inputs,”
says TDP state president K. Atchan-
naidu, “which would be consolidated at
the state level in due course.”
On his part, Jagan Reddy is
determined to position himself as the
champion of the marginalised sections,
who are being showered with a slew of
sops. Within hours of Bhuvaneswari
kicking off her yatra, the YSRCP
flagged off the ‘samajika sadhikara’, or
social empowerment, yatra to reach
out to voters in all 175 constituencies by
December-end. Together, these yatras
are expected to set the agenda for the
upcoming elections. Further develop-
ments in the corruption cases against
Naidu will only add to the drama. „
NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3 INDIA TODAY 1 1
 UPFRONT
ANI
GIVING MUSLIMS A HAND
I
n a state where it has largely been
relegated to a position of irrel-
evancy, the Congress is trying hard
to get back into contention with
an extravagant nod at its old ‘big tent’
politics. Back in the day, that phrase
connoted a space capacious enough
to accommodate everyone, including
the minorities. But after decades of
being targeted by the BJP for ‘Muslim
appeasement’, the Congress had often
appeared mortified of inviting that
charge. Not any more, it seems. On
October 27, Uttar Pradesh Congress
chief Ajay Rai strode up purposefully
to Sitapur jail to meet Samajwadi
Party leader Azam Khan, whose es-
teem among local Muslims matches
his controversy index generally. When
jail authorities denied him permis-
sion, it prompted a sit-in outside the
1 2 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3
U T TA R P R A D E S H
By Prashant Srivastava
jail gates. Rai was making a larger
symbolic point: that the Congress is
ready to stand with the Muslims in
their distress. Even if the beneficiary
of this “humanitarian” gesture was the
Rampur strongman who, Rai alleged,
is being harassed by the ruling BJP in
UP to “settle political scores”. Khan was
sentenced to a seven-year jail term in
a 2019 fake birth certificate case along
with his wife and son.
The Congress’s discovery of its
capacity for demonstrative sympathy
towards a high-profile Muslim figure
BEFORE THE 2024
POLLS, CONGRESS
IS FOCUSING ON
ITS OLD VOTE BANK
OF MUSLIMS, PLUS
DALITS, BRAHMINS
ASKING FOR IDEAS
Ajay Rai pays homage to Indira
Gandhi after being appointed UP
Congress chief, Aug. 24
is neither untimely nor out of place.
Muslims, nearly 20 per cent of the
state’s population and who influence
the outcome in 34 out of 80 Lok Sabha
constituencies in UP, are seen as sunk
in a spot of political despair under
Yogi Adityanath’s Hindutva regime.
And as such, are exhibiting some
mobility in voting behaviour, explor-
ing options beyond the Samajwadi
Party (SP), its usual refuge. Mayawati’s
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had made
a conspicuous play for Muslim votes
during the local body polls in May.
Other parties like the AIMIM (All
India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen),
too, are eyeing the same base. Under
the circumstances, it’s no surprise the
Congress, too, may fancy its chances.
A blanket Muslim vote in Karnataka
has raised hopes of a like swing in
 UPFRONT

A CAUSE FOR CONGRESS

SP leader Azam Khan with his
son Abdulla Azam

Lok Dal (RLD). Also, Congress leader

Rahul Gandhi recently met Danish
Ali, the BSP MP from Amroha who
was subjected to abusive language
during the Women’s Reservation Bill
debate in Parliament.
Over the past three decades, the
Congress has watched its Muslim

Telangana. That ‘wave’ of optimism
has now evidently reached as far afield
as UP. Party leaders speak of a revival
of its old Muslim-Dalit-Brahmin vote-
bank ahead of 2024.
For starters, the party is woo-
MANEESH AGNIHOTRI
votes in UP gravitate towards the SP,
which was formed in 1992. Breaking
out of its resigned air, the Grand Old
Party hopes to reverse that trend. Ac-
cording to Shilp Shikha Singh, politi-
cal analyst and assistant professor at
Lucknow’s Giri Institute of Develop-
ment Studies, “The Congress believes
G R O UND P L A N Muslims prefer them over regional
parties in Lok Sabha polls, so they are
Ô By showing solidar- focusing on them. In the past, too, we
ity with Azam Khan, have seen this broad trend.”
Congress is wooing

ing and bringing on board Muslim
leaders, working on a list of desirable
targets in the SP and BSP. “We are
focusing on those who have not got the
respect they deserve in their parties.
We are concentrating on Azam Khan
because we feel issues pertaining to
him have not been raised properly by
the SP. His family has been suffering a
huge atrocity for several years, but the
SP did not raise its voice proportion-
ately,” a Congress leader says.
Asked if the move wouldn’t irk
the SP further—the two INDIA bloc
allies recently had a falling-out over
seat-sharing in neighbouring Mad-
hya Pradesh—Rai feigns normalcy.
“It shouldn’t,” he says. “This is a good
thing for INDIA. But we can’t say why
(SP chief) Akhilesh Yadav has not
met him (Azam Khan) so far.” On his
part, Akhilesh barely kept his cool.
“Everyone should meet Azam Khan.
But where was the Congress when he
was being framed? They were busy
framing him,” he says. With the MP
spat fresh in everyone’s minds, this
doesn’t augur well for the alliance.
Undeterred, the Congress is going
beyond just one show of solidarity:
Muslims in UP before
the 2024 LS polls
Ô Two West UP lead-
ers, Imran Masood and
Ahmad Hameed, joined
Congress in October
Ô The party will start
a campaign for Dalit-
Muslim unity soon
a senior party leader hints at several
programmes where they would demand
Azam Khan’s release.
In western UP—the 10-time
Rampur MLA’s extended home base—
several influential Muslim leaders have
either joined the Congress or are tipped
to cross over after the results of the five
assembly elections are out in December,
the leader adds. In early October, for-
mer MLA Imran Masood, who wields
some influence in Saharanpur and
nearby areas, returned to the Congress
after spending time in the SP and BSP.
Ahmad Hameed, son of late Congress
leader Kaukab Hameed Khan, also
joined the Congress from the Rashtriya
S
hahnawaz Alam, Congress mi-
nority cell chief , tells INDIA TO-
DAY that other plans, too, have
been chalked out for Muslims. “From
November 6 to 11, we are launching
‘Congress ki baat / Chai ke saath’ (Talk
about the Congress with a cup of tea).
For this, we will organise public meet-
ings in minority-dominated areas.
We will talk about why leadership has
been destroyed in the past two decades
in the state. We will also raise the issue
of Azam Khan. Later, we will tell them
what Congress governments have
done for them in the past.” A cam-
paign for Dalit-Muslim unity will be
started in the latter part of November,
says Alam. “The Congress is the only
party that has taken a genuine stand
on issues related to Muslims. Whether
it is anti-CAA protests or atrocities
against Muslim leaders, Congress
has always taken a strong stand.” SP
spokesperson Fakrul Hasan Chand
makes light of the Congress plans.
“Muslims support SP and they vote for
us in the assembly polls. Congress is
just dreaming that they will come to
them. Let them dream, we know the
reality,” he says. „

14 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3

 UPFRONT
S A B A R M AT I R I V E R F RO N T
THE BURDEN
OF EXPANSION
By Jumana Shah
I
f things go according to plan, the
world will be coming down to
stroll along the Sabarmati river-
front. India is likely to bid for the
2026 Commonwealth Games, after the
Australian state of Victoria dropped
out earlier this year. The second phase
of the riverfront project should be
ready by then, taking off from where
the first ended—just before the Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave in
Ahmedabad. That 236-acre visionary
statement—not a modest one, at a Rs
4,600 crore cost—is also coming up as
the showpiece for India’s bid to host the
PRIME PROMENADE
The Sabarmati riverfront
in Ahmedabad
INDIA PICTURE
2036 Summer Olympics. Tying up that
vision, as if with a blue ribbon, will be
the expanded new riverfront.
Phase 2 of its makeover—5.5 km
on both banks—was approved in 2020
with an initial budget of Rs 850 crore
and has got the environmental nod. In
the pipeline are multi-layered prom-
enades, parks, food plazas, amphithe-
atres and other recreational facilities,
besides an extensive road network. But
many hurdles loom ahead, the tight
deadline being only one of them.
Conceived around the turn of the
century for ‘reconnecting Ahmedabad
to its river’, the Sabarmati project
saw an 11.5-kilometre stretch pass-
ing through the heart of the city being
developed in the first phase, which
was inaugurated in 2012. The plan is
to extend this all the way to capital
Gandhinagar—26.65 km in mul-
tiple phases over the next 15 years.
The twin cities are emerging as an
intertwined entity, whose manage-
ment could eventually be vested with
a single administrative authority.
The third phase, still at the pre-
feasibility study stage, will extend
further north for four kilometres till
the Narmada main canal, just before
the Gujarat International Finance
Tec-City (or GIFT City), a greenfield
smart city and fintech hub. The state’s
irrigation department is developing
another four-km stretch along GIFT
City, having acquired land in four
villages. Eventually, the riverfront
will culminate at Shahpur village in
Gandhinagar (see map).
“We are creating a green, healthy,
NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3 INDIA TODAY 1 5
UPFRONT
vibrant and well-planned metropo-
lis to attract talent and creativity,”
says Keshav Varma, chairman of the
Sabarmati Riverfront Development
Corporation Ltd (SRFDCL), a special
purpose vehicle formed in 1997 to plan
and oversee the project. Its officials
say the extension will generate 135
hectares of new land, creating a special
space that will transform the river into
a “focal point of leisure and recreation”
for those residing within 10 km.
B
ut there may be a gap between
vision and reality, especially see-
ing how the first phase went. The
204 hectares of land reclaimed then
from the riverbed was meant to be auc-
tioned to realtors for commercial and
residential development, but the idea
did not find many takers. The SRFDCL
has now come up with the revised
Sabarmati Riverfront Land Disposal
Policy, 2023, which will do away with
residential, bring down commercial,
and instead focus on open spaces, pub-
lic amenities and recreational facilities.
That said, even recreational
facilities have failed to generate much
interest. The seaplane service that
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had
inaugurated with much fanfare ahead
of the 2017 assembly election was shut
down in 2021. A sports park, readied
in 2020, was handed over to an Adani
Group firm recently after lying idle for
three years. The area does see a high
footfall of locals and tourists seeking
open spaces for leisure and activities
like boating and kayaking, but much
of the stretch continues to lack vibrant
cafes and cultural centres, typical of
riverfronts abroad. Among the reasons
realtors cite for this sluggish uptake is
that the commercial district has moved
further west while the government is
giving out land at high rates in an area
that is no longer the heart of the city.
SRFDCL officials insist there is no
dearth of enthusiasm among realtors,
and the revised policy will breathe new
life into the project. But why tenders
floated multiple times for development
were withdrawn remains a mystery.
16 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3
GANDHINAGAR
Shahpur village
Narendra Modi
Stadium
AHMEDABAD
Vasna Barrage
Sabarmati river
HURDLES AHEAD
Ô The Sabarmati river-
front is being extended
from 11.5 km to 26.65
km; will run seamless-
ly from Ahmedabad
to Gandhinagar
Ô The biggest chal-
lenge is the river itself.
The Sabarmati is not
perennial and is also
facing acute pollution
Ô The loss of natural
floodplains is also a
cause of concern
Ô A proper plan is
needed to rehabilitate
people who will be
affected by the project
Ô And all this has to be
done keeping in mind
the tight deadline of
2026 to complete the
first 5.5-km stretch of
the extension project
Prof. Navdeep Mathur, an urban
planning expert at the Indian Institute
of Management, Ahmedabad, also
flags concern about the rehabilitation
of people affected by the first phase and
GIFT City
Sabarmati Riverfront (11.5 km)
Proposed Extension (15.15 km)
the loss of natural floodplains due to
the construction of concrete walls on
the reclaimed land. “Thousands of
people lost their livelihoods,” he says.
“The rehabilitated colonies lack basic
civic infrastructure like schools and
health facilities. One hopes this is not
repeated.” The second phase alone
will require the relocation of “a few
hundred families”, says an official on
the condition of anonymity, while
the survey for the remaining phases
is awaited.
But the biggest challenge for the
project comes from, well, the river
itself. The Sabarmati is not perennial.
Currently, water is diverted into the
river from the Narmada main canal at
Karai while the Vasna barrage at the
southern end keeps it within the con-
fines of the city. Once the riverfront
is extended, the same outfall of the
canal will be utilised to divert water
upstream by creating a barrage near
Motera. Water will also be supplied
from the Dharoi dam in Mehsana in
the north. It’s not exactly a Venice.
That’s not the only worry. Untreat-
ed industrial effluents and domestic
sewage have endlessly polluted the
Sabarmati. A 210-km-long marine
outfall is in the works to discharge the
effluents from industrial clusters in
Ahmedabad directly into the Gulf of
Khambhat. But even that will take at
least a decade to fructify. „
UPFRONT
CHRONICLING TIBET
F
rom Ukraine and Armenia
to Israel-Palestine, 2023 has
reminded us that many people
across the world still fight for
their freedom, more or less seen, more
or less supported. Among them is the
75-year-old struggle of Tibetans against
the People’s Republic of China. With
Echoes of Forgotten Mountains, Jamy-
ang Norbu—a Kalimpong-born Tibetan
who joined the resistance in the 1970s
before becoming a prominent indepen-
dence activist, critical of a government-
in-exile he accuses of meekness towards
China—offers a magnificent history of
Tibetans’ resistance against Chinese
occupation, despite overwhelming odds,
fickle American support, and the world’s
indifference. Others have told the story
of this fight for survival. Few have told
it with such power and insight. Ever
since he began writing historical plays
for the Tibetan Institute of Performing
Arts in the ’70s, Norbu realised that to
document Tibetan history and culture
was to resist against its erasure. Over
the years, he became one of the sharpest
chroniclers of his people, doggedly track-
ing archival material and persuading
Tibetans to tell their stories.
The result is a book that is epic and
intimate; deeply researched, yet passion-
ately argued; informative, but simultane-
ously moving and inspiring; 962 pages
long, but impossible to put down. Norbu
takes us on a journey through time and
space, conjuring up the lush forests of
Markham, Lhasa’s bustling Banakshöl
neighbourhood, the meadows of Lithang,
the besieged fortress of Tsethang, the
mountain holdout of Mustang. In these
places, countless Tibetans (rich and poor,
monks and lay people, devout Bud-
dhists and devoted sceptics, oracles and
intellectuals, men and women, children
and elderly, aristocrats and commoners,
Lhasa urbanites and steppe nomads)
lived, fought, died, and hoped. Norbu
tells us of Yunru Pön, the unassuming
18 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3
BOOKS
By Bérénice Guyot-Réchard
ECHOES FROM
FORGOTTEN MOUNTAINS
Tibet in War and Peace
by Jamyang Norbu
Penguin Viking
` 1,299; 962 pages
tribal chief who led the 1955 Lithang
Uprising, among the first sparks in a
rebellion that would shake eastern Tibet
before spreading to Lhasa; of Phagpa,
the Lord Chamberlain who, Norbu
suspects, masterminded the Dalai
Lama’s escape from Lhasa in 1959;
of Chushi Gangdruk’s death-defying
“long ride north” through the desolate
Chantang plateau, the PLA hot on their
heels, a mirror image of Mao’s long
march; of Trinlay Chödön, the nun who,
thrown out of her monastery by the Red
Guards, became Nyemo Achi, the leader
of the Rebel Army of the Gods, as Tibet
buckled under the Cultural Revolution.
Echoes... carries the sound of
two hearts in particular: Bhusang,
“the man whose luck dried up”, and
Norbu himself. The first was born to a
peasant family chafing under aristo-
cratic overlords; the second, to one such
aristocratic clan forced into semi-exile
in India long before Chinese annexa-
tion. Bhusang, a rookie doctor in Lhasa
when it rebelled against Chinese rule in
1959, joined the desperate fight for the
city, later joining CIA-trained opera-
tives sent to Tibet to help the resistance.
India-raised Norbu grew up amidst the
echoes of these increasingly doomed
struggles, opting to join what remained
of it in northern Nepal, before going to
France to see if Paris’s support of Tibet
would be more tangible than Washing-
ton’s. Both men saw their dreams turn
to dust. Captured by the PLA, Bhusang
spent years in Chinese prisons and
labour camps, finding, upon release, that
his wife had remarried, and his children
had starved to death. He left the country
he had fought for, and where nothing was
left for him. Norbu, after the resistance’s
demise, turned to writing and activism.
With these myriad entwined stories,
Norbu recreates the Tibetan world in all
its complexity, richness and defiance.
His eyes see through its failings and
failures, starting with the Dalai Lama’s.
Chinese, Indian and westerners alike
tend to treat Tibet as a land beyond
time, too antique, exotic, spiritual or
isolated to survive modernity. Norbu
rejects such a prism, wielding his erudi-
tion to replace Tibetan cultural prac-
tices, recourse to violence and beliefs
in their global context. Meanwhile, the
compassionate distance Bhusang and
many interviewees display towards Bud-
dhism subtly undoes attempts to reduce
Tibetans’ resistance to a primordial,
atavistic and blind faith.
Today, China seems more powerful
and more intent on brutally assimilating
its minorities than ever. Norbu has given
us a book that is elegiac and defiant in the
face of this ongoing tragedy. Echoes is a
historical work, but it is also a reminder
to us, readers, that we have a responsibili-
ty to preserve that history from erasure. ■
Bérénice Guyot-Réchard is a senior
lecturer in history at King’s
College London
 UPFRONT

GL ASSHOUSE

SAVE THE DATE

V
ice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar has
never set great store by protocol. So it
was during a recent trip to Guwahati, when
he chose to touch the feet of Assam governor
Gulab Chand Kataria on stage at an educational
institution. Though the 72-year-old vice-president
occupies a higher office, he is seven years younger
than the Assam governor in terms of age. Both
Dhankhar and Kataria also hail from Rajasthan. The
vice-prsident, in fact, was on a roll. While making a
speech, he said he would never forget the birthday
of Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma
(February 1), for it was a tragic day in his life. The
explanation came a significant pause later—he
got married on the date. Wonder if Mrs Dhankhar
shares the vice-president’s sense of humour.
Illustration by SIDDHANT JUMDE

Command Centre WHAT’S IN A NAME?

I n a surprise reshuffle, Haryana BJP
chief Om Prakash Dhankar, a known
rival of Chief Minister Manohar Lal
Khattar, has been shifted to the national
team. Khattar loyalist
and Kurukshetra
MP Nayab S. Saini
takes his place. Saini
is not a Jat like his
predecessor and
it seems the party,
for now, is backing
Khattar’s ‘non-Jat
politics’ idea in the
state. This is unlikely
had carved out Ramanagara from the larger
to go down well with
Bengaluru Rural district, has threatened to
ally, the Jat-dominated Jannayak Janata
go on a fast unto death. Even Gabbar might
Party. But with Khattar calling the shots,
not be able to solve this one.
is there anything they can do?
A BATTLE FOR LOST GROUND
A suggestion to rename
Ramanagara, the
picturesque district south
of Bengaluru where Sholay
was shot in the 1970s, has
led to a face-off between
the region’s two political
heavyweights, D.K. Ghosh and josh
Shivakumar and H.D.
Kumaraswamy. DKS,
citing the local population’s
F ormer Bengal BJP
chief Dilip Ghosh’s
acolytes are just not ready
emotional bond with the
capital, wants to rename it
to accept his shrinking role
Bengaluru South. Kumara-
in the organisation. He
swamy, who as CM in 2007,
has been removed from all
party posts and reduced
to mere MP status of late.
He got a boost, though,
on October 30 when he
visited the party office in
Kolkata for a post-Durga
Puja celebration. Many
of those present raised
slogans asking, “How is

I s Lalu Prasad’s elder son and Bihar minister Tej Pratap Yadav
readying himself to take on Rajiv Pratap Rudy, the BJP MP from
Saran? A Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) bastion in the past—it elected Lalu
the josh?...Dilip Ghosh.”
The cadre’s enthusiasm
for his predecessor will
four times—the constituency has been Rudy’s happy hunting ground for not go down well with
the past two elections. The four-time MP defeated RJD candidates current state unit chief
Rabri Devi (Lalu’s wife) in 2014 and Tej’s father-in-law (now Sukanta Majumdar. As
estranged) Chandrika Rai in 2019. On October 25, Lalu visited for the ruling Trinamool
Saran after six years while Tej was in the district four days Congress, it’s with glee that
later for a programme where he even played the flute. RJD they talk of the “faction-
sources say Rudy will have to “face the music”, come 2024. ridden” BJP in Bengal.

Kaushik Deka with Anilesh S. Mahajan, Arkamoy Datta

Majumdar, Amitabh Srivastava and Ajay Sukumaran

ASSEMBLY
POLLS 2023
TELANGANA / CONGRESS
REBIRTH
PANGS
THE CONGRESS RALLIES A FIGHTING
FORCE AGAINST ITS MAIN RIVAL BRS WITH A
CONSTITUENCY-WISE CAMPAIGN STRATEGY
By Amarnath K. Menon
I
t’s one thing to generate expec-
tations of a revival after a long
drought. And quite another to
actually navigate such an opera-
tion from scratch—which needs
much more than merely relying on the
inertia of motion. That too through a
battlefield marked by a dynamic flux.
On October 27, when the Congress
released its second list of 45 candidates
for Telangana’s November 30 assembly
poll, taking the total to 100 out of 119
names, it gave clues to its blueprint
for battle. In a departure from its
norm, the Congress was priming for a
constituency-by-constituency contest.
In the past, the Grand Old Party
has often been able to ride its own
elephant, so to speak. As a behemoth-
like party with a captive vote, it had
the space to be held hostage to the
demands of community cohorts. With
no such luxury available in a fractured
polity, rather than giving in to that, it
has stressed winnability as the most
crucial factor in distributing tickets
2 2 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3
this time. This shift in strategy has not
been without its challenges, leading
to discord, with some former minis-
ters and others defecting to the ruling
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). But it’s a
gamble worth making, given the stakes.
The resurgent Congress is locked in
a fierce battle not only with the two-
term governing party, the BRS, steered
by the formidable K. Chandrashekar
Rao (KCR), but also with a rapidly ris-
ing BJP that is hoping to make it a keen
triangular contest in select constituen-
cies. And in a challenge to the unified,
agglomerative political platforms of old,
caste is becoming a primary factor. The
Congress, which has enthusiastically
backed a caste census nationally, found
the issue smiting it the other way in
Telangana. As the Congress put out its
second list, Union home minister Amit
Shah made a significant announcement
at a BJP rally in Suryapet: if the saffron
party seizes power, the chief minister
would come from the Backward Classes
(BCs). Shah’s statement was a direct
TOUGH BATTLE
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi
at a poll rally in Bhupalpally
district with state PCC chief
Revanth Reddy (left)
dig at the Congress, which is perceived
to be a party dominated by the Red-
dys. The community had bagged 38 out
of the first 100 nominations, though
it accounts for barely 7 per cent of the
state’s total population. This was part of
his party’s broader national strategy to
challenge the promises of the Congress-
led INDIA (Indian National Develop-
mental Inclusive Alliance).
Representation for the backwards
is a sore point in the current political
narrative as the Telugu states have never
had a CM from these communities since
1947—even if unified Andhra Pradesh
does have the distinction of having
India’s first Dalit chief minister in the
1960s. Though the backwards account
for about 52 per cent of Telangana’s
population of 36.2 million, they do not
get adequate political representation
from any party. The BJP has 20 BC
candidates in its first list of 52, while the
Congress has only 19 in the 100 named
and the BRS 22 out of 119. The saffron
party now appears poised to give BC

THE CONGRESS ARSENAL
Ô Strategic distribution of
party tickets, focusing on
candidates’ winnability
Ô The domino effect of the
Karnataka triumph
Ô The Six Guarantees
promised for welfare and
development
candidates more tickets than its rivals.
“The Congress, in the given circum-
stances, has done a relatively good job
in declaring its list of candidates. That it
did not walk its talk in providing tickets
to BCs is a lack of strategy. But it is also
true that there is a dearth of capable
BC leaders in the party—a question the
Congress has to grapple with,” says Ha-
rathi Vageeshan, who teaches Political
Science at NALSAR University, Hyder-
abad. “That the BC vote is not a single,
Ô Cashing in on
the two-term anti-
incumbency of the BRS
Ô Effort to change the
perception of KCR as a
formidable rival
Ô Commitment to citizen-
centric governance
monolithic bloc—unlike the more
consolidated Dalit and Muslim votes—
can work to its advantage. A split in the
BC vote will be one of the key deciding
factors in this election.” However, due
to protests from multiple aspirants, the
party is under pressure to reconsider
some candidates before the nomination
deadline on November 9. Each case is
being considered carefully.
That relates to the other significant
shift in the Congress: it is largely follow-
ANI
ing the recommendations of poll strate-
gist Sunil Kanugolu, who played a key
role in the Karnataka campaign. The
focus is on evaluating the winnability
of each contestant, rather than relying
on blanket factors like caste. The chal-
lenge is to marry this with the impera-
tives of caste. That’s why Kanugolu’s
teams have been regularly assessing the
sentiments of party leaders, cadres and
various demographic groups, including
castes, women and youth.
As a result, veterans who consider
the party ticket their entitlement and
wield influence at the local level have
found themselves sidelined in favour
of potential winners. Additionally, the
party has accommodated turncoats
from both the BRS and BJP, who hold
considerable sway in their respective
constituencies and the surrounding
regions. Analysts attribute this shift in
strategy to the influence of Telangana
unit chief A. Revanth Reddy, who
sniffs a winning opportunity. Notably,
Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy—an in-
NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3 INDIA TODAY 2 3
 ASSEMBLY
POLLS 2023
TELANGANA / CONGRESS

dustrialist who left the Congress barely
a year ago, resigned from the Munugode
seat, briefly joined the BJP and lost in
an election there—is back in the Con-
gress, and is to contest the same seat.
Among the others who have come from
the BRS is sitting MLA M. Hanuman-
tha Rao, who declined a party ticket
because his son did not get one.
The Congress is making a deter-
mined effort to change the perception
of KCR as a formidable rival. Revanth
Reddy will challenge the BRS chief in
Kamareddy, in addition to running in
his home constituency, Kodangal. This
is taking a cue from the BJP—Eatala
Rajender, a former BRS finance min-
ister, is taking on KCR in his original
constituency Gajwel, besides his native
Huzurabad. Revanth asserts, “What
KCR has done is not what the people of
Telangana had wished for, but rather for
his family.” The campaign also delves
into a nuanced targeting of KCR’s
larger-than-life image and his story of
struggle and sacrifice for Telangana’s
separate statehood. “KCR and his
family went to Sonia Gandhi’s home,
touched her feet, took photographs and
deceived her the next day,” recalls AICC
president Mallikarjun Kharge about
what the BRS chief did in 2014.
SLIDE OF THE
CONGRESS who quit as chairman of the Congress’s
local minorities department, now
Total assemby seats: 119 vows to help KCR win against a party
consumed by RSS-style “communalisa-
50 50
tion”. He also alleges “sale of tickets” to
Seats outsiders and criticises the Congress
40
Vote share for ignoring those like the party’s BC
(in %) department chairman Nuthi Srikanth
30
Goud. Others, however, argue that an
21 19 overriding factor in favour of the party
20
lies in KCR’s failure to fulfil its promise
of providing 12 per cent reservation for
10
minorities in education and employ-
ment, and the BJP’s promise to scrap
the existing minority quota altogether
33.1 28.4
25.2 and allocate it to the BCs instead.
But the bus yatras are seeing a surge
of action built around the theme of
2009 2014 2018 citizen-centric governance: a grievance
collection campaign, suggestion boxes
at all party offices in every district, a
“WHAT KCR HAS
toll-free number, a website to channel
DONE IS NOT complaints all the way to a new Griev-
WHAT THE ance Redressal Ministry. The buzz is
PEOPLE OF worrisome for KCR. In his aggressive
TELANGANA HAD campaigning, with rallies in two to
WISHED FOR, three constituencies every day, he warns
BUT RATHER of power blackouts and the scrap-
FOR HIS FAMILY” ping of welfare schemes, including the
Rythu Bandhu scheme, if the Congress
REVANTH REDDY
President, is elected. “Personally, we don’t lose
Telangana Congress anything. If you defeat us, we will take
a rest. But you will lose. As the one who

W
hat goes in its favour is a
certain domino effect of
its Karnataka triumph,
its Six Guarantees,
and the two-term anti-incumbency
plaguing the BRS. However, problems
related to ticket distribution may play
spoiler in several seats. To prevent
desertions and project a united front,
several leaders have collaborated on bus
yatras to select constituencies with visits
of the Gandhi siblings—Rahul and
Priyanka—thrown in, particularly to
publicly welcome new entrants.
But welfarism is still central to
its vocabulary. After kicking off the
campaign with the first meeting of the
newly constituted Congress Working
Committee in Hyderabad, Sonia Gan-
dhi unveiled the Six Guarantees at a big
rally on September 17. Analysts feel the
party’s commitment to implementing
these within the first 100 days of assum-
ing power has given it a boost. “This has
enthused the cadre, creating a percep-
tible change in mood. Such mobilisation
can work wonders if the promises are
conveyed effectively to the voters,” says
E. Venkatesu of the University of Hyder-
abad. But, he points out, “the failure to
keep Rahul’s promise of providing two
tickets to BCs in every Lok Sabha con-
stituency (totalling 34) is an issue.”
And for all the talk of a repeat of
Karnataka’s blanket Muslim backing,
the Congress is facing flak from that
quarter too. Shaik Abdullah Sohail,
fought for and achieved Telangana, it
is my responsibility to tell you, to guide
Telangana in the right way,” he declared
the other day at Achampet.
The BRS will use all the tricks at its
command, but anti-incumbency, unem-
ployment, corruption and other mark-
ers of irresponsible governance, besides
centralisation of authority and the urge
to annihilate the Opposition, may prove
to be its nemesis. In a tough election for
both parties, both grand rhetoric and
micro factors will play a role. “A sub-
stantial section of Dalits and Muslims,
a considerable percentage of Reddys
and other dominant castes, plus a large
segment of young voters, may go with
the Congress if it manages its campaign
well,” says Vageeshan. The determinant
may be those who will not. ■

2 4 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3

 A Mizo Minefield

W
hy did PM Narendra Modi
cancel his October 30
visit to Mamit in Mizoram?
The political bazaar was sizzling
with speculation, and naturally
so. It’s a delicate point on which
the Opposition lost no time to rush
in with its rapier-like sarcasm.
Congress’s Jairam Ramesh was
not one to let go of the opportunity
to say the PM felt embarrassed to
campaign in the state as he had
found no time to visit neighbour-
ing Manipur, which has witnessed
ethnic violence since May. Others
piled on more nuance, saying it
was because CM Zoramthanga had
refused to share a stage with the
PM. In an interview, Zoramthanga
had indeed alluded to the ongoing
conflict in BJP-ruled Manipur, and
said it’d not be good for his party,
the Mizo National Front, to “show
sympathy towards the BJP”. Mizos,
who are overwhelmingly Christian,
did not like what happened in the
neighbouring state—where plenty
DISHOOM DISHOOM
of churches were burned down in
the violence. “It’ll be better if the
DEMOCRAZY
prime minister comes alone and

he shares the platform by himself,
and I take the stage separately by
myself,” said the CM. Ironically,
Zoramthanga’s MNF is a part of the
BJP-led Northeast Democratic Alli-
ance (NEDA) and an NDA ally at the
Centre. But it does not work with
the BJP in Mizoram. Either way,
Manipur has become a poll issue
in Mizoram. And Zoramthanga has
defeated George W. Bush’s dictum
by being both “with” and “against”
all at once. „
F
rom duel to dangal,
electoral contests
are the time when
metaphors relating to
physical combat fly around ev-
erywhere. But of course, whether
we resort to fancy knightly
imagery or more homespun ones,
it’s all only figurative, isn’t it? No
one gets a cartoonish dark eye
or a bloody nose in real life. Or
so we thought. What we have
today—the TV channel debate—
is the near-equivalent of the old
barroom in the Wild West. A
place with blood in the air, where
a brawl is an inevitability waiting
to happen. Well, it happened that
night. Live. The combatants? On
one side, Kuna Srisailam Goud,
a grizzled old gunfighter from
those parts, who was elected as
Quthbullapur MLA during the
united Andhra days first as an

EXTRA DRY COCKTAILS

O
ur cops doing a desi
version of the prohibi-
tory Saudi Arabian
mutawa is a natural occur-
rence during poll season—sur-
veillance posses stand vigil at
random points to check for
the flow of booze, besides of
course cash bundles, weaponry
and other goodies that can be
used to lure or coerce voters.
But it’s having comical effects
in Madhya Pradesh. The state
jewellers association screamed
‘harassment’ after the Nagod
police seized gold ornaments
worth crores from bonafide
johris during a vehicle check.
And if Rajasthan managed to
have its elections deferred to

Illustrations by SIDDHANT JUMDE

 ELECTIONS
2023
POLLPOURRI
independent in 2009 but later
joined the Congress. Now he
dons those six-shooters for the
BJP. On the other, K.P. Vive-
kanand Goud, the man who’s
been wearing the TRS/ BRS
badge since 2016 and lording it
over Quthbullapur since 2014.
That’s almost a decade as an
MLA. Enough time for rivals
to make up a long chargesheet
of ‘unfulfilled promises’. That’s
all the 57-year-old Kuna was
doing to K.P. Now, it’s Kuna
who has looks that wouldn’t be
out of place in a dangal—gruff,
bearded, of robust build. But
it was the bespectacled K.P., a
46-year-old with an engineering
degree, who charged towards
his inquisitor and roughed him
up even as the cameras were
rolling. Luckily, the anchor and
other channel hands inter-
vened even as the first televised
dishoom dishoom of Indian
democracy could draw blood—
though it did go viral on social
media. Kuna, in fact, kept his
composure through it all. “We
share the same surname but are
not close relatives,” he later said.
“He is welcome to file a defama-
tion case against me, but I’m
ready to prove my charges with
evidence.” The BJP has also
demanded that K.P. be debarred
from the November 30 poll. „
Y Me?
E
xpect a lot of whys, and Ys,
here. Y.S. Sharmila, sister
of Yuvajana Sramika
Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP)
chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy,
and founder of YSR Telangana
Party (YSRTP), is crying foul.
Why? She wants another poll
symbol instead of the ‘binoculars’ given to her party. The Indian voter does not
look that far out, she feels. She has asked the Election Commission to allot a
symbol that has a more familiar, downhome feel—like a farmer and plough. The
binocs, by the way, show a tough passage ahead for her in Khammam's Palair
seat. Her rival is the redoubtable Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, former YSRCP chief
in Telangana, close to the YSR family since the days of her dad…well, YSR…and
now the Congress candidate. „
TWICE
ROASTED
T
he BJP in Rajasthan burnt its fingers
once, with the first list, and then pro-
ceeded to burn them again with the
second. The first time sparked dissidence
all over, so they tried to make amends the
second time. Narpat Singh Rajvi, son-in-
law of party icon Bhairon Singh Shek-
hawat, was ‘unceremoniously’ denied a
ticket from Vidyadhar Nagar despite hav-
ing won it thrice in a row. So he was given
the ticket from Chittorgarh, hometown
of state chief C.P. Joshi. But what was a
sureshot seat has turned into a snakepit
with a strong local revolt. Rajvi could visit
his battlefield only after a week. „
November 25 so as to account for the for ‘election duty’—however cash-rich
50,000 weddings on November 23, politicians get, they are not known
MP’s November 17 voting is robbing to get desperate enough to buy voter
thousands of baraats further south of affections with single malt! Thing is,
their fizz. The other day, cops in Dhar Gurugram is perhaps India’s cheap-
seized 501 cases of single malt whisky est tavern for top-end brands and the
worth Rs 1.5 crore from a truck. The price advantage ensures liquor from
haute hooch was on its way to a South its stores is supplied all over—even
Indian state. Then, a vigilant posse at if it violates excise laws. So purity in
the MP-UP border seized premium MP has turned puritanical for others.
liquor worth Rs 3.5 crore. In both The ‘Gurgaon route’ is disrupted, and
cases, the source of the booze was Gu- it’s keeping thousands of baraatis
rugram and it was clearly not meant sober across India. „
-By Rohit Parihar, Amarnath K. Menon and Rahul Noronha
 DEFENCE [  INDIAN AIR FORCE

A FORCE
TO RULE
THE SKIES
WORLD-CLASS ACQUISITIONS HAVE GIVEN THE
INDIAN AIR FORCE A COMBAT EDGE IN THE REGION.
ROBUST IN DEFENCE, LETHAL IN STRIKE CAPABILITY,
IT SERVES AS A WARNING TO OUR TWO ADVERSARIES

By Pradip R. Sagar

in India by a private consor-

The Indian Air Force (IAF)
opened a new chapter in its
history in September when the
first of the 56 C-295 medium-
lift tactical transport aircraft
was formally inducted. The
first squadron of the C-295s
will be based at Vadodara.
Furthermore, while the first
16 aircraft will be assembled
at the Airbus facility in Seville,
Spain, the remaining 40 will be
produced by a joint venture of
Tata and Airbus in a manufac-
turing plant in Vadodara. This
is the first time that a military
aircraft will be manufactured
tium. Each aircraft will have an
indigenous electronic war-
fare system made by Bharat
Electronics Ltd and Bharat
Dynamics Ltd—a perfect Heron
blend of Western technology
and Indian expertise. With its
unique ability to take off and
land from unprepared landing
grounds, the IAF believes the
C-295 will boost its capabilities
to meet mission requirements
in forward areas near the Line
of Actual Control (LAC) with
China. Indeed, the Rs 22,000
crore contract to buy C-295s
is the latest instance of the
IAF’s acquisition of some of
the world’s most advanced
platforms. Today, Rafale
fighters, Chinook and Apache
helicopters, S400 air defence
systems, sophisticated missiles
integrated with fighter jets and
a host of radars have made the
IAF one of the world’s most
lethal air forces.

Photo illustration by NILANJAN DAS

 Chinook

C-295

Rafale

AH-64E
Apache

LCA
Tejas

SOME OF THE IAF’S NEWLY-ACQUIRED,

TOP-OF-THE-LINE AIRCRAFT
THE IAF: WINGS TO RECKON W
The Indian Air Force can project power through a wide swathe of the Indian Ocean Region. These are the platforms

HELICOPTERS
RAFALE
CH-47F CHINOOK
No. of squadrons: 2
IAF operates 15 of these
The French-origin Rafale is a 4.5 US-made transport
generation, twin-engine omnirole fighter helicopters
equipped to carry out a range of missions,
including in-depth strikes, anti-ship
attacks and nuclear deterrence. The IAF
will acquire 114 more omnirole fighters
FIGHTER JETS

MIRAGE 2000 squadron carry BrahMos MIG 21

No. of squadrons: 3
The French Mirage-2000
is one of IAF’s most
versatile aircraft. It
played a decisive role in
the 1999 Kargil War and
Balakot air strike in 2019
SUKHOI 30MKI
No. of squadrons: 12
The Sukhoi Su-30MKI is a
multirole combat fighter
aircraft. Jets of the new
cruise missiles
JAGUAR
No. of squadrons: 6
IAF uses an upgraded ver-
sion of the British fighter
MIG 29
No. of squadrons: 3
Forms a second line of
defence after Su-30MKI.
IAF uses the upgraded
MiG-29 UPG
No. of squadrons: 3
The MiG-21 Bison
formed the backbone
of the IAF. To be phased
out by 2025
LCA TEJAS
No. of squadrons: 2
A 4.5 generation
multi-role fighter for
offensive air support,
close combat and ground
attack roles
MI-26, MI-8, MI-17,
MI-17 1V AND MI-17 V5
Russian transport helicopters.
IAF has approx. 250 of these
AH-64E APACHE
IAF has 22 Apache, one of the
world’s most advanced attack
helicopters
LCH PRACHAND AND
ALH RUDRA

TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT Prachand is the only attack

C-17 III GLOBEMASTER,
C-130J-30 SUPER HERCULES
American transport planes ideal
for both long- and short-range
operations. The IAF operates 11 and
12 of these aircraft, respectively
copter to operate at 5,000
metres; IAF operates 10
Prachands and 16 Rudras,
ILYUSHIN IL-76, ANTONOV will get 66 and 50 more of
AN-32 AND DORNIER DO 228 the two, respectively
The Russian origin Il-76 and AN-32 are
workhorses of the transport fleet. Ideal
for short-haul operations, the German
UAVS
origin Do 228s are being upgraded by
HAL. IAF has 14, 105 and 6 of these SEARCHER II AND HERON
C-295 Both are Israeli drones used
for intelligence, reconnaissance
Can take off and land from unprepared and surveillance missions.
airfields, carry 9 tonnes of payload, 71 IAF has 108 Searchers
soldiers. All 56 to be delivered by 2031 and 90 Herons

Vayu Bhawan (the IAF headquar-
ters) in New Delhi seems to be brim-
ming with confidence of late. Former
IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Birender
Singh Dhanoa (retd) boldly claims that
India’s adversaries will think twice
before starting a war as the IAF now
has a major combat edge in the region.
The force is high on training and mo-
tivation too—much-needed skills have
also been acquired through regular
exercises with Western air forces like
the US Air Force, the Royal Air Force
and the French Air Force. To cap it
all, the US-based World Directory of
Modern Military Aircraft (WDMMA)
placed the IAF third in its global air
powers ranking for the second con-
secutive year in 2023. To evaluate each
air force, the WDMMA analyses them
not merely by the number of planes
but also by the quality and diversity of
its stock. The world’s fourth largest air
force was ranked above China and the
Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF),
the Israeli Air Force and the French
Air and Space Force.

3 0 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3

WITH
that enable it to do so
MISSILES
AND RADARS
Ô BrahMos hitting missiles
with extended range;
Advanced Short Range
Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM),
integrated with Jaguar;
indigenous Beyond Visual
Range (BVR) missile Astra for
Su-30, to be inducted soon
Ô Ground attack missiles
like AS-30 and Kh59 for
air dominance; long-range
air-to-air Python 5 & MICA
missiles; SPICE 2000 air-to-
ground missiles; HAMMER
air-to-ground precision-
guided weapon systems
Ô S-400
air defence
system
Ô The
IAF has
put in place
an Integrated Air
Command and Control
System (IACCS) that
monitors all intelligence/
reconnaissance input across
domains
Ô The various radars in
service with the IAF include:
Indra air surveillance radar,
Rajendra multifunction radar,
Swathi weapon-locating
mobile radar, tethered
aerostat radar; Swordfish
long-range tracking radar to
counter missiles
However, the sobering fact rem-
ains that the current modernisation
of the IAF is still a work in progress,
and the force is under-strength in
frontline fighter aircraft, operating
31 squadrons against a require-
ment of 42. The pace of acquiring
new aircraft has also been painfully
slow for decades. The Rafales were
DEFENCE [  INDIAN AIR FORCE
India’s first major fighter acquisition
in 23 years, since the Sukhoi jets were
imported from Russia. Even as the
country prides itself on its Rafales and
Apaches, ancient Mig-21s continue to
crash—the latest was in May—and kill
pilots. Crashes, often fatal, also bedevil
the indigenous Advanced Light Heli-
copters, Cheetahs and Chetak helicop-
ters operated by the Navy, Army, Coast
Guard and the IAF. Thankfully, Mig-
21s are already on their way out, and the
army will phase out Cheetahs/ Chetaks
from 2027. And some of the ambitious
indigenous programmes, like the Light
Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Mk 2, and
the fifth generation stealth Advanced
Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) are
still in the development stage.
“Owing to the volatile and uncer-
tain geopolitical landscape in our
region, the need to have a strong and
credible air force has become an imper-
ative,” IAF chief Air Chief Marshal
Vivek Ram Chaudhari said at a recent
event. He said the IAF will acquire
better tactical abilities where it cannot
match the numerical superiority of
China’s air force. Chaudhari added that
the IAF has plans to induct fighter jets,
helicopters, missiles and radars worth
Rs 2.5-3 lakh crore over the next seven
to eight years to tackle the China-
Pakistan collusive threat. Chaudhari’s
comments come at a time when China’s
PLAAF (People’s Liberation Army
Air Force), apart from mentoring the
Pakistan Air Force (PAF), is growing
exponentially. Besides jointly produc-
ing the JF-17 fighter jet with Pakistan,
China has in service a fifth generation
stealth-capable fighter, the J-20, and is
developing the H-20 stealth bomber.
RAPIDLY REARMING IAF
A few months back, the IAF came out
with its latest doctrine, which men-
tions how mere ‘strategic depth’ failed
to stop the IAF’s Canberras, launched
from Agra, from attacking Pakistan’s
Peshawar airbase in the 1965 war. Such
extended ‘reach’ can easily be attained
now—IAF aircraft such as SU-30
MKI and Rafale can project firepower
on to the Malacca and Sunda Straits,
while the C-17 and C-130 transport
aircraft can reach further afield. The
IAF is likely to have around 37-38
fighter squadrons by 2030, with each
squadron having 18 aircraft. The target
is to get to 42 squadrons by 2038,
including six squadrons of the under-
development LCA Mk-2 and four of
the AMCA. A decision has also been
taken to acquire 114 multi-role combat
aircraft like the Rafale.
The IAF operates a mix of aircraft
fleets (over 1,700 aircraft, including
900-plus combat aircraft) largely of
OWING TO THE
VOLATILE AND UNCERTAIN
GEOPOLITICAL LANDSCAPE
IN OUR REGION, THE NEED
TO HAVE A STRONG AND
CREDIBLE AIR FORCE HAS
BECOME AN IMPERATIVE
AIR CHIEF MARSHAL
V.R. CHAUDHARI
Chief, Indian Air Force
foreign origin, ranging from the legacy
MiG-21 Bison to Jaguar, Mirage 2000,
MiG-29, Su-30MKI, LCA Tejas, and
the Rafale. The IAF will start receiv-
ing the first of the 83 Tejas Mk-1A from
2024 onwards. With improvements
like air to air refuelling, AESA (active
electronically scanned array) radar
and an EW (electronic warfare) suite,
Mk-1A would meet many requirements.
Efforts are on to upgrade the Sukhoi
Su-30 fleet with the integration of
indigenous radar, Infrared Search and
Tracker (IRST) and other systems. The
fleet of 116 Jaguar fighter-bombers was
upgraded last year to enable them to
deliver nuclear gravity bombs, mak-
ing them a part of India’s nuclear triad
NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3 INDIA TODAY 3 1

DEFENCE [  INDIAN AIR FORCE
(missiles, submarines and aircraft).
Air Marshal S.B.P. Sinha (retd) says
that armed with long-range Meteor
missiles, Rafale is themost potent
fighter in the region. “This will force
adversaries on the defensive till the
time they can identify the absence of
the Rafale amongst IAF strike pack-
ages,” he says.
The IAF’s strategic transport
aircraft, like the fleet of 11 US-made
C-17 Globemaster and 12 C-130J
Super Hercules ensure swift move-
ment of equipment and supplies to
airbases close to the LAC. The Rus-
sian origin Ilyushin Il-76, Antonov
An-32 and the German Dornier 228
are part of IAF’s transport inventory.
The latest entry, the C-295, is a
massive shot in the arm. Capable of
carrying up to nine tonnes of pay-
load or as many as 71 troops along
with their equipment and vehicles
at a maximum speed of about 480
km, the C-295 can also be used for
air-to-air refuelling of choppers
and fixed-wing aircraft. The second
aircraft is due to be delivered in May
2024 and the next 14 rolled out at a
rate of one per month until August
2025. The first ‘Made in India’
C-295 will arrive in September
2026. All aircraft are scheduled to
be delivered by August 2031.
When it comes to its rotary fleet,
India has 15 American CH-47F
Chinook transport helicopters that
operate along with the Russian
origin Mi-26, Mi-8, Mi-17, Mi-17
1V and Mi-17V 5 transport copters.
For a strike role, the IAF has 22
US-made multi-role Apache attack
helicopters, and is acquiring 66 of
the highly praised indigenous HAL
Prachand Light Combat Helicopters.
Along with the Rudra Advanced
Light Helicopters, they enable IAF
to perform day/night, all-weather
attack missions, especially in the
mountainous border areas with
China. Air Marshal Sinha adds that
Apache is the most potent attack
helicopter in the world, capable of
annihilating enemy’s armoured
forces even at high altitudes.
3 2 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3
NORTHERN OPPONENTS
CHINA
Ô Fighter jets (No.: 1,215)
J-10B/C, J-11B, J-16, Su-30 and J20.
Also developing fifth generation
fighters like J-20 and FC-31/ J-31
Ô Transport fleet (238): Y-20 and
Russian-made Il-76 aircraft
Ô Early warning aircraft (64): KJ-
2000 Mainring AWACS and airborne
early warning and control (AEW&C)
aircraft KJ-200 Moth (Shaanxi Y-8),
and KJ-500 (Shaanxi Y-9)
Ô Helicopters (65): WZ-10 attack
helicopters, Mil Mi-8 and Harbin Z-9
utility helicopters, and Changhe Z-8
transport/ utility helicopters
Ô UAVs: Yunying (CloudShadow),
Gongji 1, CH-4 and CH-5 and Yilong
(Wing Loong)
INTEGRATED INTELLIGENCE
A nationwide integration of radars is
being undertaken to create a centralised
control centre under the Integrated Air
Command and Control System (IACCS)
of the IAF. The IACCS can use data from
space-based platforms, airborne aircraft
sensors, video from surveillance drones
and pictures from airborne warning and
control systems (AWACS) and airborne
early warning and control (AEW& C)
aircraft. The IACCS integrates ground-
based sensors of the IAF, army and navy.
Perfectly aligned with its expanding
fighter jet inventory is the growing mis-
sile arsenal of the IAF—from the deadly
BrahMos to Beyond Visual Range (BVR)
missiles. Besides the British Advanced
Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (AS-
RAAM), which is being integrated with
Jaguar and Su-30MKI, the indigenous
BVR missile Astra Mk-1 and Mk-2—that
can engage targets between 10 and 110
km—will be inducted by 2023-end.
Apart from ground attack missiles
like the French AS-30 and the Russian
Kh59 cruise missiles, Israeli long-range
air-to-air Python 5 and French MICA
missiles have been added to the IAF’s
arsenal. Used in the Balakot strikes,
SPICE 2000 air-to-ground missiles and
HAMMER air-to-ground precision-
guided weapon systems can pulverise
enemy targets.
The three regiments of Russian
S-400 air defence systems—which can
track and neutralise incoming aircraft—
are a potent threat to Chinese bomb-
ers, surveillance AWACS aircraft and
fighters. However, the remaining two
regiments of the S400 have been delayed
due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
“With its long reach, the S-400 will force
the adversary’s surveillance aircraft like
AWACS, reconnaissance and refueller
aircraft away,” Air Marshal Sinha says.
In any future conflict, Artificial In-
telligence-supported UAVs will be vital—
flying independently, in a swarm or with
manned aircraft. The IAF has Israeli
Heron and Searcher UAVs and Harpy
and Harop loitering munitions. A total
31 of the American MQ-9B SeaGuard-
ian and SkyGuardian drones, superb in
both reconnaissance and strike roles, are
expected to arrive in the coming years.
Robust in defence, the IAF today
has long-range precision strike capabil-
ity and the ability to exercise dominance
over a wide region. “IAF prides itself for
its reach, responsiveness and offensive le-
thality. All top-end fighters refuel in the
This is how the air forces of India’s main adversaries,
China and Pakistan, stack up against the IAF

operates around 150 J20 fifth generation

PAKISTAN
Ô Fighter jets (No.: 453)
Chinese-made J-7, JF-17,
J-10, French Mirage 5EF,
Mirage III EP, US-made F16
Ô Transport fleet (28):
C-130B, Saab 2000, CN
235, Y 12, IL-78
INDIA
Ô Fighter jets (No.: 632)
Rafale, Su-30 MKI, LCA
Tejas, Mirage 2000, Jaguar,
Mig-29, Mig-21 Bison
Ô Transport fleet (250):
C-17 III, C-130J-30, Ilyushin
IL-76, Antonov AN-32,
stealth jets. Its H-6 bomber can carry six
air-launched cruise missiles. Also, it has
over 50 Y-20 heavy transport aircraft and
a variety of flight refueller and AEW&C
aircraft in its inventory. The PLAAF has
indigenous and Russian utility and attack
helicopters and a large number of UAVs.
esides, it has a large number of

Ô AWACS & AEW&C

(13): Y-8, Falcon DA-20
and Super King Air

Ô Helicopters (35):
Dornier DO 228

Ô AWACS & AEW&C

AW 139 and SE 160, Mil-
171 transport helicopter,
medium utility Bell 205 and
Bell 412 copters, Bell H1
Cobra attack helicopter
Ô UAVs (10): Chinese
Caihong 4, Wing Loong,
Turkish Bayraktar Akinci
Defence minister Rajnath Singh
at the induction of the C-295 at
Hindon air force station near Delhi
(14): Gulfstream, A50E,
Embraers
Ô Helicopters (438): AH-
64E Apache, LCH Prachand,
ALH Rudra, CH-47F Chinook,
MI-26, MI-8, MI-17, MI-17IV,
MI-17 V5
Ô UAVs (198): Israeli-made
Searcher II, Heron
WELCOME, BIG BIRD
ANI
B aerial precision munitions, in-
cluding long-range BVR missiles
like the PL-12 and PL-21. China
has a significant inventory of land attack
cruise missiles with a 1,500 km range.
The PLAAF operates the Russian S-300
and S-400 systems, and the domestically
produced HQ-9 air defence systems.
However, the PLAAF’s stealth, elec-
tronic warfare and avionics technologies
are far behind international standards.
“The Rafale is superior to China’s J-10,
J-11 and Su-27 fighter jets. Only the
Su-35S and J-20 will perhaps compete
with the IAF’s Sukhoi Su-30MKI. Our
Mirage 2000s and MiG-29s have all been
upgraded,” Chopra adds.
Not just a tactical advantage, Indian
officials point out that China has 11 air-
fields facing India in Tibet and Xinjiang,
with most situated at over 10,000 feet.
In comparison, the IAF has around 25
airfields facing China, a majority of which
are at below 2,000 feet, thus being advan-
tageous in terms of load carriage and the
number of missions they can launch.
And what of the threat from our other
adversary, Pakistan? IAF officials say that
though the PAF operates fewer aircraft,

it has considerably modernised its force.

air and fly eight to 10-hour missions. It
is in a position to dominate from Ma-
lacca Strait to the Gulf of Aden,” says
Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retd).
IAF VS PLAAF, PAF
A recent report by the US Department
of Defense points out that the Chi-
nese are developing their H-20 stealth
bomber, projected to have nuclear and
conventional roles. It also notes the
arrival of the new Y-20U aerial tanker,
which will expand the PLAAF’s ability
to conduct long-range operations.
Military observers say that though
the PLAAF enjoys a numerical ad-
vantage, it is hampered by low combat
experience. Most Chinese fighters are a
result of reverse-engineering, making
them less reliable than the Western
aircraft that IAF operates. As former
IAF chief Dhanoa said, “If Chinese
equipment was so good, why did the
Pakistanis use F-16s in the Rajouri sec-
tor a day after the Balakot strike?”
However, it cannot be discounted
that the PLAAF is the third largest air
force in the world, with nearly 1,700
combat aircraft, of which nearly 800
are fourth generation-plus jets. It also
With nearly 75 American F-16 fighter jets,
25 Chinese fourth generation J-10Cs and
150 multi-role JF-17s, as well as opera-
tional exposure in exercises, they remain
a significant force.
While the IAF has been modernis-
ing steadily, more needs to be done. The
authorised level of 42 squadrons of fighters
must be achieved. Some strategists are
confident about India’s advantage, point-
ing to the greater efficacy of the Rafale and
the Su-30MKI. Chopra disagrees: “The ar-
gument is flawed. India’s adversaries have
fifth generation fighters. And they are not
cutting down on numbers.” The IAF has
indeed come a long way, but it can hardly
rest on its newly won laurels. „

NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3 INDIA TODAY 33

 COVER STORY

SENIOR LIVING GHANSHYAM

RATHI, 62
NAMRATA
RATHI, 56

WHERE Antara, Dehradun

MOVED IN 2020

WHY THEY MOVED

To live a hassle-free
retired life, with like-
minded people

“WE CAN’T IMAGINE A

BETTER RETIRED LIFE THAN
THE ONE WE ARE CURRENTLY
LEADING”

HOME TO HOMECARE, TRAVEL TO CONSUMABLES,

A WHOLE ECONOMY IS SPRINGING UP AROUND
THE NEEDS OF INDIA’S SENIOR CITIZENRY,
HELPING THEM LIVE LIFE ON THEIR OWN TERMS

By SONAL KHETARPAL Photograph by BANDEEP SINGH

here is an air of excitement at Dehra-

dun’s Antara Senior Living theatre.
The 30-seater space is brimming with
people, and the staff is hurriedly add-
ing more chairs. Residents Anil Sud,
89, and Seema Sud, 83, are particular-
ly thrilled as they have curated a song
sequence—‘60 years of Dev Anand’s
life in 60 mins’—to celebrate the leg-
endary actor’s 100th birth anniver-
sary. Anil, the former managing director of EMI/ HMV (now
Saregama), reminisces how “HMV made a lot of money from
Dev Anand’s films for years together…. Dev’s production house
Navketan was the highest royalty earner from HMV”. As songs
from his movies start playing, the audience join in, some singing
along, many others cheering and hooting.

3 4 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3

 
 COVER STORY

SENIOR LIVING

The Suds left their spacious five-room house in Gurugram and

relocated to Antara about two years ago. Anil had contracted herpes,
and it had become extremely difficult for the octogenarian couple
to manage both health and household. “Antara is not heaven, it is
heavenly,” says Anil. “It is four-button living here; you press the keys,
and work gets done.”
They are the golden oldies, or The Goldies, if you will. They are
driven by the desire to live independently, be with like-minded people,
remain physically and cognitively engaged, battle loneliness, not
worry about daily chores and be close to healthcare services. The
fact that they also have the financial wherewithal to make the choice
helps. The Covid-19 pandemic made them realise that life is short
and unpredictable and to make the most of one’s remaining years.
Community living in plush environs, therefore, has become a lifestyle
choice for many older Indians like the Suds.

A
ccording to the United Nations Population Fund’s In-
dia Ageing Report, 2023, India currently has 149 mil-
lion people—nearly 10 per cent of its total population—
above the age of 60. This is expected to rise to 347
million people, or 20 per cent of India’s population by 2050. In
fact, the elderly will overtake the number of children between zero
and 14 years of age by the end of this century. So, despite India’s
CHANDRADEEP KUMAR

much-touted ‘demographic dividend’ of young people, the longer-

term trend is towards an ‘ageing India’. There is also a growing
trend of seniors living alone or with their spouse. According to the
Union ministry of health and family welfare’s Longitudinal Age-
ing Study, 2021, out of the 72,250 individuals above the age of 45
years surveyed, 5.7 per cent above the age of 60 were living alone
and 20.3 per cent with their spouse (see How the Elderly Live).
With a demographic like this, can business opportunity be
far behind? Taking note of this emerging customer base, en-
trepreneurs are developing offerings that cater to the lifestyle
aspirations as well as the well-being of the elderly. So whether it’s
$
housing, healthcare or convenience services, wearable tech, life-
style products, travel, entertainment or financial products, every 10-15 13-15
BILLION PER CENT
offering has a silvern edge.
Consulting firm PwC estimates that the elder economy is ELDERCARE YOY GROWTH
already a $10-15 billion (Rs 83,300-Rs 1.25 lakh crore) market MARKET* IN INDIA RATE
in India, slated to grow at 13-15 per cent year on year across its
various segments. These include home healthcare services, senior
living, lifestyle products and non-health services related to travel,
finance and convenience. “The elder market in India is relatively
new,” says Dr Rana Mehta, partner and healthcare leader at PwC
149 347
MILLION
MILLION
India, “as the first generation of seniors who accumulated wealth
during the post-liberalisation period of the ’90s have entered this PEOPLE ABOVE PROJECTED
demographic. Over the past 5-10 years, services catering to this THE AGE OF 60 NUMBERS OF
customer base have demonstrated both cultural acceptance and IN 2022, OR SENIORS BY 2050,
financial viability, which will accelerate investments in the sector 10.5% OF INDIA’S OR 21% OF TOTAL
in the coming years.” POPULATION POPULATION
*Includes home healthcare services, senior living, lifestyle
products, travel, financial and convenience services
36 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3 Source: PwC India; UNFPA India Ageing Report 2023
 ANJULA RAY
CHAUDHURI, 70
MRINAL RAY
CHAUDHURI, 70

WHERE Ashiana Nirmay,

Bhiwadi

MOVED IN 2018
40.6% 27.6% WHY THEY MOVED
With spouse
and children
HOW With children
(without
Wanted to live a life
THE spouse) of independence and
ELDERLY let their kids live their
own lives
5.7% LIVE
Live alone “SENIOR LIVING
SOCIETIES ARE LIKE
ANY OTHER SOCIETY
5.7% Source: 2021 Longitudinal
20.3% BUT WITH EXTRA
With others Ageing Study India With spouse BENEFITS”
 COVER STORY
SENIOR LIVING
Home Run
Talk of an old-age home and the vision it
throws up is of a depressing homestead
with abandoned parents spending the
last days of their lives in penury and
desolation. It’s a fate that many senior
citizens are pre-empting. A chang-
ing mindset and increased disposable
income over the past decade is leading
many of them, particularly in the upper
middle and high income segments, to
consider independent living in retire-
ment communities. Houses built for the
elderly, PwC India estimates, constitute
10-15 per cent of the total market.
R
evathi Bhasker, 72, has no
cause to regret her decision.
A decade ago, she and her
(now deceased) husband,
S.K. Bhasker, relocated to the verdant
surroundings of Covai Coimbatore
after he retired from a bank job. “We
spent most of our life in Mumbai. But,
in large cities, hardly anyone talks to
each other. Often, you don’t even know
who lives next door,” she says. Senior
living communities are different from
that perspective, she feels. “Everyone is
connected together through retirement
and old age. The problems are similar
and the empathy, higher. There is no
one to impress nor any expectations to
fulfil. So, everyone lives together like an
extended family, participating in each
other’s joys and sorrows,” she says.
Building on that sentiment, real
estate developers are positioning retire-
ment homes as a new lifestyle option for
seniors and offering options across price
segments. In the north, Delhi NCR is the
major hub of senior living communities,
whereas down South, Chennai, Coim-
batore and Bengaluru in particular have
a high concentration of such properties.
Antara in Dehradun is an outlier,
catering to a high net worth clientele,
with the average cost of a dwelling
ranging from Rs 3.5-4 crore, depend-
ing on size. Most other players, such as
38 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3
RISE OF AGE TECH
With digital and remote monitoring on the rise,
seniors now have an array of gadgets that are less
intrusive and can be seamlessly integrated into
their daily lives, helping them live independently
EASYFONE
A Seniorworld product, it can
be configured remotely by fam-
ily members and allows them to
initiate calls on speaker mode if
the senior isn’t answering calls
and has phone on silent mode
AI-POWERED
SMART LAMP
They call it Nobi. An offering
by Welldercare Agetech, it
uses optical sensors to detect
and trigger an emergency response in case an eldely
person falls and is unable to get up
TRACKING DEVICE
TigerTRACK, a wearable
personal security device with
GPS tracker, SOS button and
phone, can track location and
autodial emergency numbers
even without a cellphone
SMART PILL DISPENSER
An automatic medication
dispenser by Med-E-Lert that
buzzes to remind seniors to
take their medicines as per
their schedule
TELEHEALTH MONITOR
A portable, pocket-sized device,
RHEMOS can measure BP, heart
rate, ECG, respiratory rate, sugar,
blood oxygen and temperature via
self-administrated tests and trans-
mit results directly to the app or to
the cloud for remote diagnostics

“A 30-40 per cent growth
for senior living players is
nothing out of the ordinary.
Most of them are aiming for
these growth numbers”
ANKUR GUPTA, Joint Managing Director, Ashiana Housing
Ashiana Senior Living, Primus Senior
Living Homes, Columbia Pacific
Communities and CovaiCare, offer
apartments in an affordable band.
So if Ashiana in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan,
has a 1BHK apartment for Rs 40 lakh
and a 3BHK one for Rs 85 lakh, the
CovaiCare retirement community
in Coimbatore offers a 1,000 square
feet 2BHK villa for Rs 70-80 lakh. Of
course, the cost of an apartment may
vary based on factors such as loca-
tion, apartment size and the services
offered. Seeking such properties are
consumers who have a net worth of
Rs 3-10 crore at the time of retire-
ment and a monthly passive income
between Rs 50,000 and Rs 1.5 lakh,
says Ankur Gupta, joint managing
director, Ashiana Housing.
These apartments can be bought
and sold like any other property. How-
ever, residents must be above 55 years
of age. In case of the owner’s death,
the nominee can choose to keep the
apartment, rent it out or put it up for
resale. The real estate providers can
also assist with the resale in exchange
for a brokerage fee. At Antara Dehra-
dun, houses are sold on a lease tenure
CHEERY MOMENTS
A birthday party at
Antara Dehradun
Photograph by BANDEEP SINGH
of 60 years, which can be extended
every 15 years for a consideration of
Rs 10,000. In case of the lessee’s
demise, the lease is transferred to the
nominee without any additional cost.
Despite the age restriction limit-
ing the consumer base, this segment is
seeing growing interest from develop-
ers due to the fact that senior living
facilities command a premium of
20-30 per cent over other residences,
says Rajit Mehta, CEO & MD, Antara
Senior Living. This is because these
homes are designed with seniors in
mind. “The infrastructure is carefully
designed to make it old age-friendly,”
he says. The houses at Antara are built
in accordance with the guidelines of
the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA), with wheelchair access, anti-
skid tiles, grab bars near the bed and
on walls in the toilets, emergency call
buttons and sensor-based lighting,
among other things. Even the height
of the switches, bathroom door locks
and light lux level are carefully chosen.
Other facilities, such as a resident
doctor, round-the-clock nursing, an
emergency response system, house-
NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3 INDIA TODAY 39
 COVER STORY

SENIOR LIVING

keeping, maintenance, senior-friendly

meal options, are now standard in
senior living homes.
This could mean a higher monthly
maintenance fee compared to regular
societies where the charge is between
Rs 2 and Rs 5 per square foot. The
maintenance fee at Antara Dehra-
dun, by contrast, is Rs 27 per sq. ft,
adding up to between Rs 47,000 and
Rs 75,000 plus taxes, depending on
apartment size. Antara Noida is rela-
tively cheaper, charging Rs 6 to Rs 8
per sq. ft for maintenance, totalling an
COURTESY REVATHI BHASKER

all-inclusive Rs 13,000 to Rs 22,000

(see A Space of Their Own).
Back in 2018, the CII Senior
Care Industry Report projected the
estimated demand for senior hous-
ing at around 300,000, with the
supply limited to 90 communities
and 20,000 units. The demand has
only grown since. Antara, therefore,
plans to invest Rs 200 crore in the
next 4-5 years to build 4,500 apart-
ments across Bengaluru, Hyderabad,
Chennai, Pune, Goa and Chandigarh. 1,000 residents in South India.
Similarly, Ashiana Housing, which The reason is not far to seek. Indi-
will be closing this fiscal with 500 ans are living longer, with the average
units, plans to increase its sales to lifespan increasing from 47.7 years in
900 units per year over the next three 1970 to 69.6 years in 2020, per World
years. “A 30-40 per cent growth for Health Organization data. The onset
senior living players is not unusual, of many diseases common among the
and most of them are aiming for these elderly take root in middle age, be it
growth numbers,” says Ashiana JMD
“As a service diabetes, hypertension, cardiac ail-
Gupta, who is also the co-founder and provider, if ments, bone and joint issues or sight
chairman of the Association of Senior and hearing, says Dr Rajinder Kumar
Living India (ASLI).
your residents Singal, principal director & head of
develop specific the department of internal medicine
At Your Service conditions, at the BLK-Max Super Speciality
Though they started with offering Hospital in Delhi. Consequently, the
independent homes, over time, players
you cannot number of years individuals now re-
such as CovaiCare, Ashiana, Antara shy away from quire support to manage their physi-
and others expanded to provide as-
sisted care to their elderly residents
assisting them in cal ailments has also risen.
It is this need that niche players
according to their varying needs. “As managing their such as the Chennai-based Athulya
a service provider, if your residents ailments” Assisted Living are answering, with
develop specific conditions, you can- eight centres across Chennai, Kochi,
not shy away from assisting them in COL. ACHAL SRIDHARAN Bengaluru and Coimbatore. The as-
managing their ailments,” says Colo-
Founder and Managing
sisted living segment is divided into
Director, CovaiCare
nel Achal Sridharan, founder & MD four broad categories, explains Dr
of CovaiCare, which currently serves Karthik Narayan, its managing direc-

4 0 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3


“Eldercare is often viewed
through the lens of disease.
The most basic question
asked is ‘aap theek ho?’
(are you okay?). But ‘theek ho’ has
many dimensions”
SAUMYAJIT ROY, CEO, Emoha Elder Care
tor: seniors who are largely indepen-
dent but require help with daily tasks,
seniors with dementia who cannot live
alone, transition care for seniors need-
ing post-operative care and rehabili-
tation, and palliative care for elderly
individuals with advanced conditions
who choose not to undergo aggressive
medical treatments.
Unlike retirement homes that
operate on a house ownership model,
REVATHI
BHASKER, 72
ago after his wife passed away and it
WHERE Covai S3 became difficult for him to live alone.
Retirement Community, “No one wants to leave their home,” he
Coimbatore says, “but for people our age, some-
times it is challenging to get out of
MOVED IN 2010 bed or even open the door to accept
deliveries. That’s where assisted living
WHY THEY MOVED
places like this come to our rescue,”
Living alone was tough he says. Kannan finds the call bell
and getting timely help system, essentially a public speaker
difficult system, extremely useful. He can
press it to get trivial tasks done, such
“IN SENIOR LIVING as requesting a hot water bottle or
COMMUNITIES, reporting an emergency. “Assistance
EVERYONE IS arrives within minutes,” he says. He
CONNECTED also takes advantage of their escort
services when he visits the doctor or
TOGETHER THROUGH
the bank, for a minimal charge of
RETIREMENT AND
Rs 100 per hour.
OLD AGE. THE While Kannan is at Athulya for a
PROBLEMS ARE longer duration, 68-year-old Ratna
SIMILAR AND THE Ghosh, a former government school
EMPATHY, HIGHER” teacher, chose Antara Care Home in
Gurugram for post-hospitalisation
recovery. “I have lung and heart issues
as well as hypertension, so I needed full
care with constant monitoring of my
vitals, dietary requirements and assis-
tance with movement, which was not
possible at home,” she says. At home,
there was always someone seeking her
attention. Being away from home al-
lows her to focus solely on her recovery.
Home Healthcare
Services in this segment account for
around 40 per cent of the eldercare
market, as estimated by PwC India.
Offering such services are top hospi-
tals, including Apollo, Medanta, Sir
Ganga Ram, and home care provid-
ers like Portea Medical, Medrabbits
assisted living spaces work on a rental and HCAH. They cater to consum-
model, where residents can rent a ers across all age groups, including
room. Rental rates at Athulya range seniors. Then, there are home care
from Rs 55,000 to Rs 75,000 and providers specifically targeting the
Antara Care Home costs Rs 1.25 to Rs elderly. Among them are Emoha, El-
1.5 lakh per month depending on the derAid and Samarth. Making a start
property’s location, the type of room with offering clinical services, such
taken and the services availed. as home attendants, nurses, physio-
Among Athulya’s residents is therapy, lab collections, and even ICU
87-year-old Kannan V., who moved set-ups at home, over time, they have
to their Chennai facility four years expanded their services to include
NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3 INDIA TODAY 41
 HARDIK CHHABRA

COVER STORY

SENIOR LIVING
A SPACE OF
THEIR OWN
Housing options for the elderly
non-clinical support such as home
who want to live independently
maintenance (plumbing, electrical
work, housekeeping), convenience
and with others like them, and
services like chauffeurs and travel as-
the model of ownership offered
sistance, teleconsultations and even
technology support for laptops and
smartphones. COVAICARE S3
“The idea behind providing care Coimbatore
services at home,” says Saumyajit
Ownership: For sale
Roy, co-founder and CEO of Emoha
Elder Care, “is to create an ecosystem Facilities: Housekeeping,
that works for elders in the comfort nursing, doctor, library, security, ANTARA
of their own home and enables them caregiving, assisted living, activity Dehradun
to live an independent life.” In the centres, funeral services Ownership: Lease tenure
business for over four years now, COST of 60 years, extended
Emoha has served 60,000 elders every 15 years
2BHK villa: Rs 65 lakh
across 120 cities and towns. Their 4BHK villa: Rs 1.4 cr. Facilities: Housekeeping,
model involves assigning a caregiver nursing, resident doctor,
from the local area to a senior for MAINTENANCE library, heated swimming
regular check-ins, understanding Rs 10 per square foot (Rs 8,000– pool, customised activity
their daily needs and arranging the Rs 12,000) + Food (Rs 260 per day) plans, customised
necessary support. Seventy-two- diet plans, accessible
year-old educationist and child infrastructure
counsellor Rashmi Gautam turned COST
to them this March when she experi-
1BHK: Rs 2.41 cr.
enced stomach issues and had to be
to Rs 4.11 cr.
hospitalised. Since both her children
are abroad, she had been living alone
Penthouse: Rs 16.17 cr.
to Rs 17.73 cr.
in Ghaziabad with a full-time help,
who happened to be on leave. A care- MAINTENANCE
giver from Emoha assisted her with Rs 27 per square foot
hospital check-in, admission and (Rs 47,000–Rs 75,000,
insurance until her daughter arrived plus taxes)
from Singapore the next day. “They
took over completely,” says Gautam.
“In fact, I trusted them so much that
I even shared my PIN with them. I
had to hand over the jewellery I was
wearing, all of which they returned Beating Loneliness With people living
to me safely.” “Eldercare is often viewed through
In fact, senior living players such the lens of disease,” says Roy of Emo- longer, the number
as Antara and CovaiCare have now ha. “The most basic question asked of years they
expanded clinical and non-clinical is ‘aap theek ho?’ (Are you okay?).
services to not just their residents but But ‘theek ho’ has many dimensions.” require support
also to other seniors in the cities they Physical health accounts for just 20 for has also gone
operate in. CovaiCare, for example, per cent of the care requirement; the
launched Namma Jini, a home and rest is social, mental and psychologi- up. Hence the rise
health management service for cal, he adds. A study published in in assisted living
elders, in Chennai this July and will medical journal The International
introduce it in Coimbatore, Mysuru, Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry in
services
Bengaluru and Hyderabad next year. 2021 found that 20.5 per cent of

42 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3


CHANDRADEEP KUMAR
ASHIANA ADVIK COST
Bhiwadi 1BHK: Rs 45 lakh
3BHK: Rs 85 lakh
Ownership: For sale
Villas: Rs 2 cr.
Facilities: Dining services,
MAINTENANCE
activity area, card rooms, table
tennis, religious space, walking Rs 4 per square foot
track, housekeeping (Rs 3,500–Rs 9,000)
ATHULYA
ASSISTED LIVING
Chennai
Ownership: Rental
Facilities: Senior-friendly
bed and furniture,
accessible buildings
and bathrooms, medical
facilities, activities and
engagement areas
RENT
Rs 55,000–Rs 75,000 per
month, inclusive of food
adults over 45 years in India reported and precipitate the onset of illnesses
moderate loneliness, and 13.3 per cent such as depression, anxiety, dementia,
severe loneliness. “Human beings are and Alzheimer’s.
social creatures designed for com- To address the emotional and
panionship,” says Dr Nimesh Desai, social needs of the elderly, many of
a psychiatrist and former director of these service providers offer opportuni-
the Institute of Human Behaviour ties to participate in events, learning
and Allied Sciences in Delhi. “Having programmes, social gatherings, etc. to
a sense of belonging and community improve not just their quality of life but
can significantly improve mental well- also to pursue their forgotten passions.
being.” Several studies have shown the Ashiana, Antara and CovaiCare
negative impact of loneliness on men- thus offer two to three activities for
tal health; it can directly cause stress seniors each day. On the day Antara
Dehradun was screening Dev Anand
films, the residents had finished chair
yoga in the morning. At Ashiana,
Gupta says there are around 150
activities for residents, with music and
dance, table tennis and cards being
the most popular.
Anjula Ray Chaudhuri, 70, who
has been staying at Ashiana Nirmay
in Bhiwadi for the past five years, says
they offer a wide range of activities,
including religious, spiritual, cultural
and sporting activities. “Between
raising my two daughters, working
a full-time job, and taking care of
my aged mother, I didn’t have time
for anything else,” she says. It was at
Ashiana that she began acting in plays
and has already participated in five.
Her husband, Mrinal, is now taking
keyboard lessons and often performs
at their weekly musical evenings.
“The concept of a bucket list is very
real for them, and they are excited to
talk to people and explore new places,”
says Asheesh Gupta, co-founder
of home eldercare firm Samarth
Eldercare. Their care counsellors
visit and work with the elderly to help
them rediscover forgotten hobbies,
volunteer at nearby NGOs and build
connections within the community.
They work on a subscription model
and their packages range from
Rs 7,500-15,000 per month.
E
moha has designed its
services around an app, as
more elders overcome their
fear of smartphones. Their
most popular feature is MohTV, offer-
ing over 4,000 programmes, includ-
ing doctor talks on bone health, home
remedies, gut health, magic shows,
breathing techniques and workshops
on chakra healing. Real-time sessions
generate even more interest. Nearly
500 adults complete their morning
chores daily to be in front of the screen
by 7.30 am for their daily exercise
session. What they look forward to
most is the first 15 minutes of general
chit-chat with each other before get-
ting into the groove. Conversations
NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3 INDIA TODAY 43
 COVER STORY

SENIOR LIVING

flow from childhood stories to health

to even impromptu songs.
Service providers also rely on their
clients to form interest-based social
and support groups, which help them
bond and foster a sense of together-
ness. The Bollywood Club is the most
popular social group at Emoha, says
Rashmi Gautam. She has performed
13 times at their cultural programmes
and excitedly claims, “I’m called the
Bollywood queen of Emoha.”
In addition to these services, there
are start-ups offering niche services.
The Ratan Tata-backed Goodfellows,
for instance, hires young people to
offer companionship to the elderly as
a service. WisdomCircle helps seniors
above the age of 50 find jobs and feel
relevant in their golden years.

Travelling Light
CHANDRADEEP KUMAR

Having dispensed with their respon-

sibilities, the elderly are now finding
the time and the money to spend on
themselves. And travel is a crucial part
of this liberation, as Gen S pursues
their passions with a vengeance and
has no qualms about giving in to their
wanderlust. Varanasi-based Prem
Narain Pandey, 74, a former sales
and marketing professional, has gone
To help seniors rediscover hobbies
on seven trips with his wife Madhu and socialise, many service
through Silverwings senior group providers help organise events,
holidays. “We are free now and want
to see the world as long as our health learning programmes and social
allows,” he says. gatherings to participate in
Why senior-only groups? The re-
laxed pace, a preference for quiet places
and the expectation of customised
cuisine to suit their dietary preferences.
A Frost & Sullivan report projects that increased by over 30 per cent over the feel you want to do it before it’s too
the number of elderly travellers in India last two years post-Covid, thanks to late,” says 73-year-old Naveen Anand,
is expected to grow seven-fold to 7.3 the pent-up demand. Mahindra Holi- promoter of the New Delhi-based
million by 2030. The increase in travel days & Resorts India also launched sound and vibration instrumenta-
is also on account of seniors visiting Bliss, a membership product for senior tion firm Baseline Technologies, who
their children who have migrated away citizens, back in 2017. takes three to four such trips a year.
from their hometowns. In fact, seniors love adventure “Rolling up my pants and wading
“Travel is the biggest discretionary within their physical limitations. If through the cold water of a river in
spending that elders make,” says She- not bungee-jumping, hot air balloon- Arunachal is just as exciting today
fali Jain Mishra, founder of KareVoy- ing or a ride on a speed boat certainly, as it was earlier,” he says.
age, which provides holiday packages says Mishra. “The sense of adventure Nor is it small and local desti-
for the elderly. Their queries have doesn’t change with age; in fact, you nations that seniors are restricting

4 4 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3


themselves to. Anand is currently
planning a curated trip with his
friends to Egypt and went to
Arunachal Pradesh in April and
Georgia and Azerbaijan in August
last year. Narain Pandey is cur-
rently packing his bags for Bali.
Who’s Afraid to Spend?
With Gen S now characterised by higher
disposable incomes and well-settled
children, money is no consideration.
Seniority.in, an e-tailer recently acquired
by home healthcare services provider
HCAH, offers a range of over 10,000-
BURSTS OF ACTIVITY
(Far left) Asha Chowdhary, 80,
at the gym in Ashiana, Bhiwadi;
Karevoyage clients ride an ATV
in Nubra Valley in Ladakh
plus health and lifestyle products for
senior citizens, from grooming essentials
to splints and adult diapers. “Consum-
ables such as Zero Block, adult diapers,
massagers and wheelchairs are our top-
selling products,” says Vivek Srivastava,
co-founder and CEO at HCAH India.
Incontinence is a critical issue among
adults, and Seniority is soon going to
launch a range of adult diapers under its
own brand, Everactiv.
There is no dearth of products and
services to cater to the whims of the well-
heeled elderly. But a larger part of the Gen
S population comes from the low-income
segment, and this is where the govern-
ment and regulators need to step in to
build a senior-friendly society with walk-
able pavements, accessible insurance,
affordable healthcare, wheelchair access
and elder-friendly public transport. Only
then will seniors from all walks of life lead
their lives with grace and dignity. „
—with Sonali Acharjee
 AGRICULTURE | APPLES

BITTER
HARVEST
Changing weather patterns are wreaking
havoc on Indian apples, robbing them of their
deep red colour and premium quality
By Moazum Mohammad in Srinagar

ack in 2005, 54-year-old Mo- variety, which earned him nearly Rs 2.5 lakh a year. All
hammad Rajab, like others in that changed when early snow in October 2021 devou-

Bridhaji village in Pahalgam,
left maize cultivation and
planted apple trees on his 4.5
kanals of land. Apple farm-
ing had brought prosperity
to many of his neighbours in
the village of 150 households,
after many of them converted
their maize fields into apple
orchards from 2000 onwards. Rajab would arrive ear-
ly in the morning to tend to his apple trees. He would
regularly spray them with pesticides and nutrients
and employ scientific techniques such as maintaining
10-20 feet distance between them. When the fruit
was ripening, he would stay the night at the orchard
to protect it from wild bears. “I nurtured the orchard
like a child,” says Rajab, in the hope that it would fetch
him quality yield and profit. Over the past three years,
however, recurrent economic losses have forced Rajab
to reconsider apple farming.
“The erratic weather, like abrupt rain in the morn-
ings or evenings or a hailstorm during the flower-
ing season, as well as disease outbreak, have made
farming untenable here,” says Rajab. Until 2020, the
orchard would yield Rajab 450 boxes of the Delicious
ABID BHAT
red apple orchards across the Valley. The damage in
Rajab’s orchard is still visible, as 70 trees stand with the
support of nuts and bolts. “Since then, my orchard does
not yield even 35 per cent fruit. We will axe these 100
apple trees and use them as firewood,” says a disheart-
ened Rajab, father of five. “My family does not want
me to grow apples any more due to economic losses.
Like the others, I am going to plant walnut trees next
year. They do not need pesticides or care like apples and
are not affected by erratic weather.”
Erratic weather has indeed been playing havoc on
the livelihood of millions in the region. Winters are
getting warmer while the summers see scorching heat
and unseasonal rain, affecting agriculture and allied
activities. Official data from the India Meteorological
Department’s regional centre shows that temperatures
in J&K have soared by more than a degree compared to
the global increase of 0.8˚-0.9˚ Celsius in the past cen-
tury. They often exceed 30˚C against the earlier normal
of 20-25˚C. Jammu and Kashmir is experiencing a
rain deficit of 25 per cent, with August and September
(harvest season) seeing over 209 mm of rain as against
the average precipitation of over 280 mm in those
months, triggering scarcity of water for drinking and
irrigation. The flow in the Jhelum, the main source of

46 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3


irrigation in the region, is also seeing a
70-year low. According to a study, titled
‘Mapping of climate change hotspots
in Indian forests’, by the Forest Survey
of India (FSI) and the Birla Institute of
Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani,
the heat is projected to increase further
by 2030 in J&K, Ladakh, Himachal
Pradesh and Uttarakhand. These
Himalayan states, the study predicts,
will experience the ‘highest increase’ in
temperature in 2030, 2050 and 2085,
and the least increase, and sometimes
even decline, in rainfall.
Climate change was a primary im-
petus for the conversion of agricultural
land to horticultural use since the latter
requires comparatively less irrigation.
A 2020 study, titled ‘Linking the recent
glacier retreat and depleting and
streamflow patterns with land sys-
tem changes in Kashmir Himalaya,
India’, carried out by the Geoinfor-
matics department of Kashmir Uni-
versity along with the department
of environmental science, Nichols
College, Dudley, USA, corroborated
that the land system changes had a
cumulative impact on the depleting
GROWERS’
UNIONS PROJECT
A 40 PER CENT
DROP IN APPLE
YIELD FROM LAST
YEAR
ROTTEN FATE
Bilal Ahmed Qureshi
with disfigured fruit in
Kolipora, Budgam
streamflow and economic dividends
from apple orchards. Statistics reflect
that the area under irrigation-intensive
agriculture has shrunk by 39 per cent
whereas orchards have expanded by 177
per cent between 1980 and 2017.
However, the changing weather pat-
terns are now taking a toll on the hor-
ticulture sector too, according to Prof.
Ashiq Hussain, an agronomist at the
Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricul-
tural Sciences & Technology (SKUAST)
in Kashmir. Apples, for instance, need
1,400 hours of 0-7˚C temperatures
in winters to sprout buds or flowers.
“But the rise in winter temperatures
results in fall of flowers or bud bursts in
spring,” he says. “Similarly, when there
is increase in temperature and humid-
NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3 INDIA TODAY 47

2.4
MILLION TONNES
>2
L AKH HECTARE S
India’s Area under apple
apple production cultivation
ity in summer, we see pests on crops
and outbreak of diseases like scabs and
insects and mites. It reduces quality and
yield.” The current high temperature
and dryness have resulted in half the
fruit falling and the remainder lacking
in juice content, he adds.
India produces 2.4 million tonnes
of apples annually. The total area
under apple cultivation in the coun-
try is over 2 lakh hectares, with J&K,
Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand
being the chief apple-producing states.
Kashmir produces 75 per cent of the
total yield. This year, growers’ trade
unions and commission agents project
a 40 per cent drop. The fruit is also
lacking in its trademark red colour,
water content and lustre.
Harish Chauhan, convenor of the
Hill States Horticulture Forum for
Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Ut-
tarakhand, is disheartened to see the
farmers sustain mounting losses. In
Himachal, after the initial lack of rains
resulted in the fall of flowers and buds,
floods ravaged another 10 per cent of
the orchards. “Whatever was left on
the trees was ruined by the floods,” says
Chauhan, who also serves as the co-con-
48 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3
ANI
75
PER CENT
Kashmir’s share in
total production
GROWERS FEAR
THAT THE FALL
IN WASHINGTON
APPLE PRICES
WILL AFFECT THE
PREMIUM QUALITY
LOCAL FRUIT
venor of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha,
a conglomerate of 27 farmer outfits.
“Similarly, Kashmir, where harvest is
under way, will witness a 40 per cent
drop in annual output due to diseas-
es, scab and erratic weather. Farmers
are suffering losses at both places. We
want the government to announce
a special package to compensate for
flood losses in Himachal, as well as
a market intervention scheme (MIS)
and crop insurance for growers.”
Natural calamities have affected
the quality, including the size and
colour, of the fruit. The 100 trees in
Mushtaq Ahmad’s 4-kanal orchard
in Nehalpora in north Kashmir
would once yield 400 boxes of
apples, including the red Delicious
AGRICULTURE | APPLES
and the large and bright red-coloured
Maharaji. The unseasonal and inces-
sant rain and the current drought-like
spell have resulted in dwarfish and
yellow-coloured fruit even as the yield
has whittled by half. “I am waiting for
divine intervention,” says the 52-year-
old as he scans the bright afternoon
sky for a hint of rain. Walking through
a canopy of trees, Ahmad says the
rotten and fallen fruit getting crushed
underfoot is grade ‘C’ apple. Apples are
classified into A, B and C categories
based on size and colour, with ‘A’ being
the premium category. “This year,
we have a huge quantity of C-grade
apples. We would sell it at throwaway
prices, but a large portion of the pro-
duce this year is of low quality. Now, I
am waiting for rain so that it can give
the fruit some colour.”
In the wake of floods in Him-
achal, the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-
led Congress government in the state
had announced that its procurement
agencies will pick up the inferior apples
at Rs 12 per kg. In Kashmir, the J&K
administration had announced an
MIS during the two-year lockdown
that followed the abrogation of Article
370 in August 2019 and the Covid-19
pandemic lockdown thereafter. It
allowed the National Agricultural
Cooperative Marketing Federation of
India (NAFED) to directly buy apples
from growers in Kashmir. Farmers’
profits jumped by Rs 2,000 crore. This
year, horticulturists in Kashmir rushed
to J&K Lieutenant-Governor Manoj
Sinha seeking a reintroduction of the
same scheme to offset losses from the
glut of inferior apples.
On September 13, the Srinagar
chapter of the Apple Farmers’ Federa-
tion of India also submitted a memo-
randum demanding MIS be restarted.
Pointing to the glut of C-grade apples,
federation president Zahoor Ahmad
Rather says the low-quality fruit will
affect market sentiment and spoil the
good brand name of the ‘Kashmir ap-
ple’. “There will be no floor prices, and
growers will be forced to sell their stock
at throwaway prices. Reduction in the
 AGRICULTURE | APPLES
supply of quality apples may lead to an
increase in their market prices as there
will be no takers for the flood of culled
fruit entering the markets,” he says.
More than 64 million fruit-bea-
ring trees are planted in J&K over 2.15
lakh ha of land producing more than
2.4 MT of fruit. Of them, some 45
million are apple trees, grown in over
70 per cent of land (1.5 lakh ha) and
producing over 2.1 MT of the apple an-
nually. The Rs 10,000 crore horticul-
ture sector, which is a major contribu-
tor to the J&K economy, directly or
indirectly employs 700,000 families
or 3.5 million people. Mohammad
Amin, technical officer of the Kashmir
horticulture department, says that
compared to the corresponding period
last year, production will drop 5 per
cent from the 2.1 MT yield. “The hot
dry weather has affected the quality of
the apples, particularly the Delicious
variety both in terms of colour and
size,” he says. “During the blooming
period, the weather was erratic. We
have advised orchardists to irrigate
their fields wherever possible, spray
suitable nutrients and other chemicals
to mitigate the adverse effects of the
hot and dry weather.”
Likewise, annual apple production
in Himachal, according to official data
of the state horticulture department,
touched 6.7 lakh tonnes (30.3 million
boxes) in 2022, but is estimated to
be 29 million boxes this year. Subash
Chandar, the joint director of horti-
culture in HP, cites multiple factors,
including disease outbreak and floods.
The last flood, he says, inflicted losses
worth Rs 155 crore on growers. “We
won’t meet last year’s production,” he
says. “Markets are doing fine, but there
is less supply.” The department has
tasked the University of Horticulture,
Solan, to study the impact of climate
change on horticulture and take mea-
sures to safeguard growers.
At the Azadpur Mandi in Delhi,
Asia’s largest wholesale market for
fruit and vegetables, almost 150 truck-
loads of apples would arrive daily last
harvest season. “Only 50-70 trucks ar-
rive in a day now,” says Rakesh Kohli,
5 0 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3
FARMERS ARE
SUFFERING LOSSES IN
KASHMIR AND
HIMACHAL. WE WANT
THE GOVERNMENT TO
ANNOUNCE A SPECIAL
PACKAGE TO
COMPENSATE FOR
FLOOD LOSSES IN
HIMACHAL, AS WELL
AS A MARKET
INTERVENTION
SCHEME AND CROP
INSURANCE FOR
GROWERS”
-HARISH CHAUHAN
Convenor, Hill States Horticulture
Forum for Kashmir, Himachal
Pradesh & Uttarakhand
general secretary, Kashmir Apple
Merchants’ Association in Delhi’s
Azadpur, who has been in the fruit
trade for more than four decades now.
“The decline in production has spiked
rates and demand. For example, a kilo
of ‘A’ grade apples is sold between Rs
90 and Rs 140, which is 25 per cent
higher than the previous year.”
G
rowers are also unhappy with
the government’s removal of
the additional 20 per cent
tariff it had imposed on agricultural
produce, including apples, from the
US in 2019, in retaliation to that
country raising duties on Indian
aluminium and steel exports in 2018.
On a visit to the US this June, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi reached an
agreement to remove the duty. The
increased tariff had curtailed apple
imports from the US from $145 mil-
lion in 2017-2018 to $5.27 million in
2022-2023, but its benefit primar-
ily went to other countries such as
Iran, Turkey, New Zealand and Chile
which acquired the US’s market
share in India. Apple imports from
these countries, per commerce min-
istry data, grew from $160 million in
2018-19 to $290 million in 2022-23.
The removal of additional duty,
though, has not meant any relax-
ation on the most favoured nation
duty on imported apples, which
includes products of US origin. It
continues to be 50 per cent. The
commerce ministry has also im-
posed a minimum import price of
Rs 50 a kg on apple imports from all
countries except Bhutan. This move
could compensate for some of the
dent local growers suffer on account
of the bulk of the duty-free apples
imported from Iran under the Free
Trade Agreement via Afghanistan.
Countering criticism, Union
commerce minister Piyush Goyal
says there is uniform import duty for
all nations now. “No import duty has
been reduced,” he says. “To support
apple production, the Modi govern-
ment imposed a heavy duty on im-
ported apples. A few months back, we
also set a minimum import price for
apples.” Many at Azadpur Mandi also
concur that the removal of the extra
tariff will not impact local produce,
since US apples will cost Rs 170-180
per kg. This will not make it easy for
the Washington apple to gain market
share that the relatively cheaper im-
ported varieties will occupy. “People
will buy cheaper apples from these
countries,” says a trade leader.
Yet, growers fear the fall in Wash-
ington apple prices will affect premi-
um local fruit. The price of a 20 kg box
of Washington apples, for example,
may come down to Rs 3,000-3,200
from the current Rs 4,000, competing
directly with premium local variet-
ies that sell at Rs 2,500-Rs 3,000.
“People will prefer it given its sophisti-
cated packaging and shiny look even if
it cannot compete with the Kullu, the
Delicious from Himachal or Kashmir,
which are crunchier, juicier and red in
colour,” says Chauhan. Apple-growing
is evidently becoming a fruitless pur-
suit for the Indian farmer. ■
 2023

Illustration by RAJ VERMA

 I N D I A’ S
BEST
B-SCHOOLS

L E A D E S S AY

CHANNELING
THE CHANGE
THE INDIA TODAY GROUP-MDRA BEST BUSINESS SCHOOLS SURVEY SHOWS AN
ENCOURAGING TREND—THE GAP BETWEEN THE TOP-RANKING INSTITUTES AND THOSE
AT THE BOTTOM HAS ALMOST HALVED. ANOTHER NEW BEGINNING—RANKING
OF THE BEST SHORT-TERM COURSES
By Kaushik Deka
 BIG STRIDES
Students at
SPJIMR

TOP 10 B-SCHOOLS OF INDIA

RANK RANK
NAME OF THE INSTITUTE CITY CATEGORY
(2023) (2022)
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
1 1 Kolkata Government
MANAGEMENT, CALCUTTA
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
2 2 Ahmedabad Government
MANAGEMENT, AHMEDABAD
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
3 3 Bengaluru Government
MANAGEMENT, BANGALORE
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
4 4 Lucknow Government
MANAGEMENT, LUCKNOW
SP JAIN INSTITUTE OF
5 5 Mumbai Private
MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
6 7 Indore Government
MANAGEMENT, INDORE
MANAGEMENT DEVELOP-
7 8 Gurugram Private
MENT INSTITUTE, GURGAON
FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT
8 9 STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF New Delhi Government
DELHI
MANDAR DEODHAR

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
9 10 New Delhi Government
FOREIGN TRADE
SVKM’S NMIMS SCHOOL OF
10 11 Mumbai Private
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

M
anagement education in India saw
a rapid evolution after the economic
liberalisation in 1991, paving the way
for the entry of global corporate culture
in India. As private industry grew, it
also led to substantial increase in the
demand for management graduates.
Consequently, a large number of public and private in-
stitutions offering management courses came up. These
were in addition to the globally reputed Indian Institutes
of Management (IIM). So, today we have more than 4,000
management schools, including the management depart-
ments at universities, enrolling around 300,000 students
each academic year.
Yet, the mushrooming of management schools has not
necessarily led to improvement in the quality of pedagogy,
with a large number of them suffering from structural
weaknesses such as lack of infrastructure and well-trained
faculty. These shortcomings create a disconnect between
academia and industry as curricula and training are not
aligned with industry requirements. It’s not surprising
then that the India Skills Report 2023, published by online
testing firm Wheebox, has found that 40 per cent of the
management graduates in India are unemployable.
In this context, an independent assessment of the man-
agement institutes to examine if they are aligned with the
emerging business environment, new requirements and con-
sequent challenges becomes crucial. The India Today Group-
MDRA Best Business Schools survey does exactly that. With
the rising cost of business education and the shrinking space
for employment with existing skills, students need to be well-
informed on which institutes have the best curricula, faculty
and industry connect to prepare them for the evolving work
environment. What differentiates the top B-schools from the
rest is their awareness about the challenges of the future and
readiness to upgrade the pedagogy and physical infrastruc-
ture to adapt to these changes.
Not surprisingly, the traditional best performers have
retained their strongholds in the 2023 edition of the India
Today Group-MDRA Best Business Schools survey, which
saw the participation of 273 management institutes. For the
third consecutive year, the Indian Institute of Management

NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3 INDIA TODAY 53

 I N D I A’ S
BEST
B-SCHOOLS L E A D E S S AY

management education space that was

massively impacted by the Covid-19
RATIO OF GOVERNMENT INSTITUTES pandemic and subsequent technologi-
VS PRIVATE INSTITUTES cal innovation. B-schools now have the
flexibility in course delivery with three
modes available—classroom, hybrid
TOP
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 (blend of classroom and online) and ful-
B-SCHOOLS
ly online. Though educational institutes
TOP 1 - 25 44:56 48:52 52:48 56:44 52:48 56:44 52:48 52:48 52:48 have reverted to classroom teaching,
most of them have retained the online
TOP 26 - 50 28:72 24:76 24:76 36:64 32:68 32:68 28:72 36:64 36:64
mode partly to plug in the gaps in terms
TOP 51 - 75 20:80 20:80 20:80 16:84 12:88 4:96 20:80 12:88 16:84 of reach and affordability. Besides, the
usage of modern pedagogical tools
TOP 76 - 100 8:92 8:92 12:88 20:80 8:92 12:88 12:88 8:92 12:88 such as computer simulations, big data
analytics, artificial intelligence, aug-
mented reality, virtual reality, games
and flipped classrooms are adding new
HOW GOOD ARE THE PAY CHEQUES? dimensions to management training.

Average annual domestic salary earned by students

S
uch technological innova-
through campus placements tions have also created
among the existing workforce
Top GOVERNMENT VS PRIVATE fears of becoming redun-
25 1-25 (Among top 100 B-schools)
(in Rs lakh) Govt dant. So, there is an eagerness among
20 22.54 20
17.4 a significant section of the workforce to
15 26-50 15
opt for upskilling and reskilling. A large
10 11.48 10 Pvt
10.2 number of professionals and even stu-
5 51-75 5 dents are now showing preference for
8.3
0 0 shorter-duration modular programmes
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023

76-100
2023
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022

offering specific skills and capabilities.

6.84
Calcutta (IIM-C) has emerged the No. 1
B-school in the country, followed by IIM
Ahmedabad at No. 2 and IIM Bangalore
at No. 3. The IIMs occupy five of the top
10 positions in the rankings. Among the
private institutes, the SP Jain Institute
of Management and Research (SPJIMR)
retains its numero uno position from the
previous year, occupying fifth position in
overall rankings.
What’s encouraging is that the gap
between the top-ranking institutes and
those at the bottom is narrowing. The
difference in overall scores between the
top and bottom B-schools has almost
halved from the previous year, down
from 623 points to 319 (out of a total
achievable score of 1,000). This qualita-
And management institutes are re-
sponding to these demands. According
to a study by market analysis platform
Future Market Insights, the global ex-
34
PER CENT
Share of female students in the
ecutive education market is expected to
reach $109.6 billion by 2031 from $37.8
billion in 2021, growing at a CAGR of
11.2 per cent.
Considering these developments,
Top 25 B-schools, up from the India Today Group-MDRA B-
28 per cent in 2015 School survey has introduced two new
categories for evaluation—one-year
management courses and executive
tive gap needs to shrink further with education programmes. While execu-
a healthy and scientific competition tive management programmes have
among institutes. been in vogue for some time, several
That’s the purpose of this survey—to top institutes such as the Ahmedabad,
constantly encourage the qualitative im- Bangalore and Kolkata IIMs, the Indian
provement of India’s B-schools so that School of Business (ISB), SPJIMR and
management education gets a collective XLRI have also started the one-year
boost. At the same time, the survey also format to cater to the growing demand.
takes note of the evolving changes in the In the introductory year, the win-

5 4 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3

 I N D I A’ S
BEST
B-SCHOOLS L E A D E S S AY

ners in these categories are ISB,

Hyderabad (best one-year management
course) and IIM, Ahmedabad (best SHARE OF FEMALE STUDENTS IN B-SCHOOLS
executive management programme).
While the traditional ranking of two- RANK OF 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
year management courses is based B-SCHOOLS
purely on objective data collected from
the B-schools, these three rankings TOP 1 - 25 27.8% 26.3% 28.6% 28.6% 30.3% 30.3% 32.3% 34.5% 33.6%
are based on a combination of second-
ary data plus a perception survey of TOP 26 - 50 40% 37% 40% 37% 43.5% 37% 37% 33.3% 34.2%
different stakeholders.
The su r vey a lso ex pose s the TOP 51 - 75 37% 41.7% 41.7% 40% 41.7% 43.5% 41.7% 43.5% 44.8%
abysmally low share of female students
in business schools, particularly among TOP 76 - 100 35.7% 38.5% 43.5% 41.7% 41.7% 47.6% 45.5% 45.5% 47.4%
the top 25—34 per cent—though it is
an improvement from the 28 per cent
in 2015. Ironically, the lower ranked
B-schools show better gender ratios,
with women accounting for 47 per
cent of the total students in institutes THE COST OF BUSINESS SKILLS
ranked between 76 and 100. According Average fee for the entire course charged by B-schools
to the AMBA Application and Enrol-
ment Report 2022, only 19 per cent
of the aspirants and 20 per cent of the AVERAGE COURSE GOVERNMENT VS PRIVATE
RANK OF (Among top-100 B-schools)
students enrolled in management edu- FEES (TUITION FEE+
B-SCHOOLS
cation were women in contrast to China OTHER FEES)
where the figures are 49 per cent and TOP 1-25 `17,70,344 AVERAGE COURSE
CATEGORY OF
FEES (TUITION FEE+
50 per cent, respectively. This is un- B-SCHOOLS
TOP 26-50 `11,14,883 OTHER FEES)
fortunate as women are considered to
have natural strengths in terms of per- TOP 51-75 `9,61,211 GOVERNMENT `10,84,239
sonality traits essential for leadership TOP 76-100 `7,41,574 PRIVATE `11,72,639
positions. A 2021 survey conducted by
the Pew Research Center found that
women tend to exhibit greater honesty,
empathy and innovation as leaders.
The B-schools of the country must
now take pro-active steps to encourage
and facilitate admission of more female
THE BEST VALUE FOR MONEY SCHOOLS
students in management courses. It How different categories of B-schools fare in terms of
will certainly add more muscle to the return on money spent as course fee
already growing women workforce. In
2023, women in mid-market compa- GOVERNMENT VS PRIVATE
RANK OF
nies in India held 36 per cent of senior AVERAGE ROI* Among top-100 B-schools
B-SCHOOLS
management positions, surpassing the
TOP 1 - 25 1.27 CATEGORY OF
global average of 32 per cent, reveals AVERAGE RoI
B-SCHOOLS
the Women in Business Report 2023 TOP 26 - 50 1.03
by the advisory firm Grant Thornton. GOVERNMENT 1.60
TOP 51 - 75 0.86
What’s even more encouraging is that PRIVATE 0.87
the percentage of Indian businesses TOP 76 - 100 0.92
with a female CEO/MD has almost
*Note: RoI (return on investment) is calculated by dividing average domestic annual
doubled from 29 in 2019 to 53 now. At salary with fees for the entire course
least one woman founder or co-founder

56 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3

 I N D I A’ S
BEST
B-SCHOOLS L E A D E S S AY

TOP 20 B-SCHOOLS FOR ONE-YEAR MANAGEMENT COURSE

RANK
NAME OF THE INSTITUTE CITY COURSE SCORE OUT
(2023) OF 1,000
1 INDIAN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS Hyderabad POST-GRADUATE PROGRAMME IN MANAGEMENT 950.3

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF POST-GRADUATE PROGRAMME IN MANAGEMENT

2 Ahmedabad 949.1
MANAGEMENT, AHMEDABAD FOR EXECUTIVES
EXECUTIVE POST-GRADUATE PROGRAMME IN
3 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, BANGALORE Bengaluru 925.4
MANAGEMENT

4 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, CALCUTTA Kolkata MBA FOR EXECUTIVES PROGRAMME 918

POST-GRADUATE PROGRAMME IN BUSINESS

5 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, KOZHIKODE Kozhikode 885.7
LEADERSHIP
EXECUTIVE POST-GRADUATE PROGRAMME IN
6 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, INDORE Indore 865.3
MANAGEMENT
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMME IN MANAGEMENT
7 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, LUCKNOW Lucknow 834.2
FOR EXECUTIVES

8 SP JAIN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH Mumbai POST-GRADUATE PROGRAMME IN MANAGEMENT 805.3

9 XLRI XAVIER SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT Jamshedpur PGDM (GM), PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS GMP 804.8

10 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, SHILLONG Shillong POST-GRADUATE PROGRAMME FOR EXECUTIVES 799

POST-GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN MANAGEMENT-

11 MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE, GURGAON Gurugram 791.6
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

12 GREAT LAKES INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, CHENNAI Chennai POST-GRADUATE PROGRAMME IN MANAGEMENT 761.7

EMBA- GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT &

13 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, UDAIPUR Udaipur 761
DIGITAL ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT

14 INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE New Delhi PGDM (EXECUTIVE) 757.3

POST GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN BUSINESS MANAGE-

15 INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY, GHAZIABAD Ghaziabad 754.5
MENT ACCELERATED PROGRAM (PGDM EXP)

16 XAVIER INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT (XIMB) Bhubaneswar EXECUTIVE MBA 725.8

EXECUTIVE POST-GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN

17 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF FOREIGN TRADE New Delhi 721.9
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

18 GREAT LAKES INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, GURGAON Gurugram POST-GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN MANAGEMENT 703.2

19 KJ SOMAIYA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT Mumbai MBA-EXECUTIVE 695.4

20 SOIL INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT Gurugram POST-GRADUATE PROGRAMME IN MANAGEMENT 611.5

Note: MBA programmes for working executives were ranked. Ranking is based on objective and perception survey data. B-schools that did not submit
data were ranked on the basis of publicly available data

58 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3

 I N D I A’ S
BEST
B-SCHOOLS

L E A D E S S AY
TOP 10 B-SCHOOLS OFFERING
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
is leading 18 per cent of the start-ups SCORE OUT
RANK INSTITUTE C CITY COURSE
OF 1,000
in India, as per a report published by
Nasscom in collaboration with the glob- ACCELERATED GENERAL
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
al management firm Zinnov in 2022. 1 Ahmedabad MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME- 896.3
MANAGEMENT, AHMEDABAD BLENDED LEARNING
As markets become borderless, In-
dian B-schools also need to make them- INDIAN INSTITUTE OF EXECUTIVE GENERAL
2 Bengaluru 891.1
selves globally relevant, with a compre- MANAGEMENT, BANGALORE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
hensive reform in the design and scope INDIAN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, GENERAL MANAGEMENT
3 Hyderabad 873.8
of curriculum, upgrade of infrastructure, HYDERABAD PROGRAMME
technological innovation and diversi- INDIAN INSTITUTE OF EXECUTIVE PROGRAMME
4 Kolkata 873
fication of student intake. Despite the MANAGEMENT, CALCUTTA IN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
large business education ecosystem, only GENERAL MANAGEMENT
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
four Indian B-schools—the three IIMs at 5 Lucknow PROGRAMME FOR 830
MANAGEMENT, LUCKNOW
Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Calcutta, EXECUTIVES
and ISB—have found a place among the GENERAL MANAGEMENT
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
top 100 institutes in the Quacquarelli 6 Indore PROGRAMME FOR 775
MANAGEMENT, INDORE
Symonds (QS) World University Global EXECUTIVES
MBA Rankings 2024. SP JAIN INSTITUTE OF
EXECUTIVE PROGRAMME IN
As the global economic order shifts 7 MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH, Mumbai 766.3
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
towards Asia, more Indian B-schools MUMBAI
must soon populate such global lists. XLRI - XAVIER SCHOOL OF Jamshed- POS-GRADUATE CERTIFICATE
8 762.5
With a massive young population, In- MANAGEMENT, JAMSHEDPUR pur IN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
dia is in a unique position to emerge as PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATE
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
the hub for manpower to manage the 9 Kozhikode PROGRAMME IN BUSINESS 760.8
MANAGEMENT, KOZHIKODE
future of global business. The focus, as MANAGEMENT
the India Today Group-MDRA survey POST-GRADUATE
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
highlights, should be on qualitative 10 Shillong CERTIFICATION IN ADVANCED 732.5
MANAGEMENT, SHILLONG
improvement rather than the numeri- GENERAL MANAGEMENT
cal expansion. That’s the right direc-
Notes: Executive programmes for general management were ranked. No specialised execu-
tion towards becoming the third largest tive programmes were considered for ranking; ranking has been done based on objective data
economy in the world. „ (information from secondary sources)

METHODOLOGY

HOW THE B-SCHOOLS WERE RANKED

T
he 2023 India Today Group
survey of the country’s
business schools was
conducted by reputed
Delhi-based market re-
search firm Marketing &
Development Research
Associates (MDRA). The
ranking provides the most
credible and exhaustive
rankings of India’s Best B-
schools based on the most
recent data. With signifi-
cant improvements in the
number of data points
and the changing needs of
time, new rankings have
been introduced, such
as top 20 one-year post-
graduate programmes;
top 10 Edtech platforms

60 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3

providing management
courses, and top 15 ex-
ecutive management
programmes.
FULL-TIME MBA/
PGDM RANKING:
A comprehensive list of
B-schools offering full-
time classroom man-
agement programmes
(PGDM/ MBA), estab-
lished at least five years
ago and with a minimum
of three graduated
batches till academic
year ending in 2022,
were considered for
the rankings. An objec-
tive questionnaire was
fine-tuned to obtain the
latest relevant informa-
tion—current year data—
from the institutes on 127
attributes to give stake-
holders more realistic,
updated and accurate
information. More than
2,500 B-schools across
India, fulfilling the quali-
fication criteria for par-
ticipation, were con-
tacted and 273 of them
responded within the
deadline. One entry was
not considered as the in-
stitute failed to meet the
eligibility criteria.
After receiving the
objective data, four pro-
cesses—data cleaning
logical checks, valida-
tion, back-checks and
audits—were conduct-
ed. In the first stage,
ever y aspect of the
details provided by the
B-schools was care-
fully examined through
available information
and database available
with MDRA. In the sec-
ond stage, verification
and audits of the partici-
pating B-schools were
conducted by MDRA re-
searchers to ensure ac-
curacy and correctness
of the data submitted.
Nearly 15 per cent of the
participating B-schools
were physically visited
by the research team to
verify the authenticity of
the data. In the past 11
years, MDRA research-
ers have visited close to
650 campuses to verify
various information pro-
vided by participating
institutes. After cross-
checking the data with
the original documents/
infrastructure, some
irregularities were cor-
rected.
The five key param-
eters of evaluation were
Learning Experience,
Living Experience, Se-
lection Process, Place-
ment Performance and
Fu t u r e O r i e n t a t i o n .
The scores of these
parameters were then
summed up to get the
total objective score for
each institute.
PARAMETERS
AND WEIGHTAGE
Learning experience: 250
Placement
performance: 250
Future orientation: 200
Selection process,
governance and
establishment: 150
Living experience: 150
Total: 1,000
The final rank was
assigned to the B-
schools based on ob-
jective data after various
levels of cross-validation
through multiple sources
and also physical audits.
ONE-YEAR
MANAGEMENT
COURSE RANKING:
It has been prepared
based on objective data
and perception survey
of management pro-
grammes (12-18 months)
for working executives.
These are full-time, in-
classroom programmes
with tough admission
criteria such as work
ex p e r i e n c e a n d e n -
trance test scores that
require rigorous com-
mitment from the stu-
dents. The objective pa-
rameters cover aspects
such as admission at-
tractiveness, pedagogy
and infrastructure, ca-
reer growth, return on
investment and brand
appeal. In this first year
of the ranking, a total of
nine institutes submit-
ted the objective data of
their executive manage-
ment programme within
the timeline. However,
some institutes, which
did not submit data,
we r e r a n ke d b a s e d
on publicly available
data. Simultaneously,
a perception sur vey
was conducted among
stakeholders, includ-
ing faculty, students,
recruiters and alumni.
In all, 190 relevant res-
pondents, including 64
students, 43 faculty, 33
NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3 INDIA TODAY 6 1
alumni and 50 recruit-
ers, participated in the
perception survey. Final
scores were given by
adding both objective
and perception scores
in equal proportion.
EXECUTIVE PROG-
RAMME RANKING:
Only those general man-
agement programmes
from top institutes that
are rigorously operated
and have been there for
quite some time were
evaluated for this rank-
ing. These programmes
were also ranked based
on the objective data
collected through sec-
ondary research. Pa-
rameters such as pro-
gramme fees, institute’s
reputation, course sus-
tainability, number of in-
teractions per week, eli-
gibility criteria, number
of online/offline classes
and pedagogy were the
main considerations.
A large team com-
prising researchers,
statisticians, econo-
metricians and ana-
lysts worked on this
project from December
2022 last year to June
2023. The MDRA core
team was ably led by
Abhishek Agrawal (ex-
ecutive director) and
included Abnish Jha
(project director), Vaib-
hav Gupta (assistant re-
search manager), Aditya
Srivastava (research
executive), Poornima
Shukla (assistant re-
search executive), and
also Manveer Singh (se-
nior executive EDP). „
 I N D I A’ S
BEST GOVERNMENT I I M C A L C U T TA
B-SCHOOLS

EXPANDING
HORIZONS
FROM COURSES FOR THE ARMED FORCES TO TEACHING
FISCAL PRUDENCE TO ZILLA PARISHAD MEMBERS, INDIA’S
FIRST IIM TAKES MANAGEMENT EDUCATION BEYOND
BUSINESS WHILE REMAINING TRUE TO ITS CORE
By Arkamoy Datta Majumdar

he feathers in its cap only keep

T
growing. The Indian Institute of
Management Calcutta, one of the
TOP 10 GOVERNMENT B-SCHOOLS
oldest IIMs in the country, found RANK
a place in the top business schools (2023) NAME OF THE INSTITUTE CITY
in Asia—alongside its counterparts
in Ahmedabad and Bengaluru—in 1 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT-CALCUTTA Kolkata
the QS Global MBA Rankings 2024. And that is only
its latest achievement. India’s first IIM is also the first 2 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT-AHMEDABAD Ahmedabad
among the only three triple-accredited (Triple Crown)
Indian business schools. A Triple Crown business school 3 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT-BANGALORE Bengaluru
is one that has received accreditation from the Associa-
tion of MBAs (AMBA), Association to Advance Collegiate 4 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT-LUCKNOW Lucknow
Schools of Business International (AACSB) and EQUIS,
which work as a quality benchmark for the institution. 5 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT- INDORE Indore
The AMBA accreditation is awarded to only 3 per cent of
B-schools of the world. FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES,
6 New Delhi
Taking the institute from strength to strength is Pro- UNIVERSITY OF DELHI
fessor Uttam Kumar Sarkar, who was elevated as the di-
rector of the premier institute in August 2021 even though 7 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF FOREIGN TRADE New Delhi
his association with the institute dates back to 1997. “In its
continuous journey toward excellence, IIM Calcutta always 8 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT-SHILLONG Shillong
strives to keep itself as the dream destination of students,
faculty, staff, and recruiters by fulfilling their high priority 9 DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, IIT DELHI New Delhi
needs,” says Prof. Sarkar. Under his helmsmanship, IIMC
is taking management education to everyone. So, it has 10 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT UDAIPUR Udaipur
launched a six-month Business Management Programme

6 4 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3


for Defence Forces and partnered with
the West Bengal government to train
newly elected zilla parishad members
on fiscal prudence, transparency, time
management and teamwork.
With the rise of emerging technolo-
gies, the institute is teaching courses
that can strengthen overall manage-
ment education. These include Artifi-
cial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Ma-
chine Learning, Design Thinking and
Industry 4.0, which integrates intel-
ligent digital technologies into manu-
facturing and industrial processes. In
addition, it offers online courses—for
six months, a year, or even a shorter pe-
riod—for working executives.
However, even as registration for
IIMC’s online or certification courses
has gone up, the relevance of its tradi-
tional two-year management degree
remains intact. According to the insti-
tute’s 2021-23 placement report, the
average annual salary offered to the
58th batch of MBA students was Rs
35.1 lakh and the highest domestic CTC
and highest international CTC were Rs
HABIT OF EXCELLENCE
IIMC director Prof.
Uttam Kumar Sarkar
with students
DEBAJYOTI CHAKRABORT Y
1.1 crore and Rs 94.8 lakh, respectively.
A total of 39 new recruiters participated
in the placement. The stipend for sum-
mer internships averaged Rs 1.65 lakh
for the 513 offers that the 466 students
of the batch received this year.
The report also offers a peek into the
vibrant student pool that IIMC contin-
ues to attract—58 per cent of the total
465 students came from B.Tech. back-
ground, 15 per cent had a B.E. degree,
followed by 14 per cent with B.Com.,
B.B.A. and B.M.S. degrees. Thirty-nine
per cent of these students were freshers,
while the rest had work experience be-
tween one month and over three years.
Four per cent of the students had an
experience of more than 36 months.
One of the biggest achievements
of the institute has been its ability to
provide 100 per cent placement to its
students even during the Covid-19
pandemic. Today, a key aspect of IIMC
is that the students select the recruit-
ers since there is a higher demand for
graduates from the institute. To avoid
inconvenience to the recruiters and to
 I N D I A’ S
BEST TOP 10 GOVERNMENT B-SCHOOLS
B-SCHOOLS WITH BEST VALUE FOR MONEY
RANK
(ROI) NAME OF THE INSTITUTE CITY ROI
GOVERNMENT
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, FACULTY
OF COMMERCE & BUSINESS, DELHI
1 New Delhi 40.54
its placement cell, the institute now allows only a select few SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS, UNIVERSITY
companies that it finds fit as per students’ demand to come for OF DELHI
campus placements.
FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES,
There has been a visible shift in the general mood of the stu- 2 Delhi 16.00
UNIVERSITY OF DELHI
dents as far as choosing recruiters is concerned. While, earlier,
they would opt for investment banks and consulting firms, now FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT STUD-
they are increasingly choosing start-ups. IIMC’s placement is 3 IES & RESEARCH, ALIGARH MUSLIM Aligarh 15.27
divided into three clusters. This year, 266 offers were rolled out UNIVERSITY
for Cluster I, which consists of finance and consulting compa- FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES,
nies. Offers came from market giants such as Avendus Capital, 4 Vadodara 13.91
MS UNIVERSITY OF BARODA
Citibank, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Goldman Sachs, Morgan
Stanley, Standard Chartered, Accenture Strategy, Bain & Com- INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES,
pany, Boston Consulting Group, Ernst and Young, Mastercard,
5 Varanasi 9.77
BANARAS HINDU UNIVERSITY

SYDENHAM INSTITUTE OF MANAGE-

6 MENT STUDIES, RESEARCH & Mumbai 9.66
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION
CALCUTTA KOLKATA DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL AND
7 MANAGEMENT ENGINEERING, Kanpur 5.65
Established in: 1961
IIT KANPUR
Campus size: 135 acres
Director: Professor Uttam Kumar Sarkar SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES,
Total students (first and second year): 960 8 NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, Kozhikode 5.03
Share of female students: 33 per cent CALICUT
Total faculty (permanent and visiting): 130 THE BUSINESS SCHOOL, UNIVERSITY
Highest annual salary earned by a student: `1,05,17,000* 9 Jammu 4.92
OF JAMMU
Average annual salary earned by students: `34,20,000*
Total number of recruiting companies: 136* JAMNALAL BAJAJ INSTITUTE OF
10 Mumbai 4.49
Total course fee (for two years): `23,00,000 MANAGEMENT STUDIES
Note: ROI (return on investment) is calculated by dividing average
* Figures for 2022
domestic annual salary with fees for the entire course

BEST B-SCHOOLS ZONE-WISE (GOVERNMENT)

EAST WEST

TOP 5 B-SCHOOLS TOP 5 B-SCHOOLS

RANK NAME OF THE INSTITUTE CITY RANK NAME OF THE INSTITUTE CITY
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
1 Kolkata 1 Ahmedabad
MANAGEMENT- CALCUTTA MANAGEMENT-AHMEDABAD
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF 2 Indore
2 Shillong MANAGEMENT-INDORE
MANAGEMENT- SHILLONG
JAMNALAL BAJAJ INSTITUTE OF
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF 3 Mumbai
3 Sambalpur MANAGEMENT STUDIES
MANAGEMENT-SAMBALPUR
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
4 Nagpur
4 Bodh Gaya MANAGEMENT-NAGPUR
MANAGEMENT-BODH GAYA
SYDENHAM INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL WELFARE & 5 STUDIES, RESEARCH & Mumbai
5 Kolkata ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

66 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3

 I N D I A’ S
BEST
B-SCHOOLS
SOUTH
GOVERNMENT
NORTH TOP 5 B-SCHOOLS
TOP 5 B-SCHOOLS RANK NAME OF THE INSTITUTE CITY
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
RANK NAME OF THE INSTITUTE CITY 1 Bengaluru
MANAGEMENT-BANGALORE
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
1 Lucknow INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
MANAGEMENT-LUCKNOW 2 Tiruchirappalli
MANAGEMENT-TIRUCHIRAPPALLI
FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES,
2 New Delhi NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURAL
UNIVERSITY OF DELHI 3 Hyderabad
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF EXTENSION MANAGEMENT
3 New Delhi
FOREIGN TRADE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES,
DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT 4 NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY- Kozhikode
4 NewDelhi CALICUT
STUDIES, IIT-DELHI
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF INSTITUTE OF INSURANCE
5 Udaipur 5 Hyderabad
MANAGEMENT- UDAIPUR & RISK MANAGEMENT

TOP 15 STANDALONE GOVERNMENT B-SCHOOLS

These institutes offer only postgraduate management courses

RANK RANK
(2023) NAME OF THE INSTITUTE CITY (2023) NAME OF THE INSTITUTE CITY

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF INDIAN INSTITUTE OF Tiruchirap-

1 Kolkata 8
MANAGEMENT-CALCUTTA MANAGEMENT-TIRUCHIRAPPALLI palli
9 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT-NAGPUR Nagpur
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
2 Ahmedabad
MANAGEMENT-AHMEDABAD INDIAN INSTITUTE
10 Kashipur
OF MANAGEMENT-KASHIPUR
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
3 Bengaluru
MANAGEMENT-BANGALORE INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
11 Amritsar
MANAGEMENT-AMRITSAR
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
4 Lucknow NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURAL
MANAGEMENT-LUCKNOW 12 Hyderabad
EXTENSION MANAGEMENT
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
5 Indore 13 Sambalpur
MANAGEMENT-INDORE MANAGEMENT-SAMBALPUR
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
6 Shillong 14 Bodh Gaya
MANAGEMENT-SHILLONG MANAGEMENT-BODH GAYA
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF INDIAN INSTITUTE OF FOREST
7 Udaipur 15 Bhopal
MANAGEMENT-UDAIPUR MANAGEMENT

McKinsey & Company, Franklin Templeton Investments, and
Stakeboat Capital. Cluster II, which deals with conglomerates,
e-commerce, FMCG and fintech companies, attracted 253 of-
fers from 65 recruiters. Twenty-three firms from sectors such as
IT services, banking and financial services, research & advisory,
analytics, manufacturing, and startups & local organisations
participated in Cluster III of placement.
IIMC alumni are successfully leading their respective sec-
tors globally. The list includes T.V. Narendran, global CEO and
MD, Tata Steel; Ajit Balakrishnan, founder and CEO, Rediff.
com; Sunil Duggal, former CEO of Dabur; Sanjay Gupta, coun-
try manager, Google India; author Amish Tripathi; Amolak
Rattan Kohli, the former governor of Mizoram; Krishnamurthy
Subramanian, the 17th chief economic advisor to the Govern-
ment of India; Ajay Bisaria, former career diplomat who served
as the Indian high commissioner to Pakistan, and Swami Mu-
kundananda, spiritual leader, among others. They have done the
institution proud and it now wants them to guide future genera-
tion of students who pass through the picturesque environs of
the 135-acre campus which has seven lakes. „

68 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3

 I N D I A’ S
BEST P R I VAT E S PJ I M R , M U M B A I
B-SCHOOLS

TURNING
THREAT INTO
OPPORTUNITY
SPJIMR, MUMBAI, SHOWS HOW TO PUT THIS WISDOM
INTO PRACTICE WHILE TEACHING MANAGERIAL SKILLS
TO BUSINESS LEADERS OF THE FUTURE
By Shelly Anand

MANDAR DEODHAR

he Covid-19 pandemic came

T
as a challenge for all and sun-
dry. The S.P. Jain Institute of
TOP 10 PRIVATE B-SCHOOLS
Management and Research RANK
(SPJIMR), Mumbai, was no (2023) NAME OF THE INSTITUTE CITY
exception. But turning this
S.P. JAIN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT
threat into an opportunity, the 1 Mumbai
AND RESEARCH
42-year-old institute undertook a robust digital
transformation, allowing it to seamlessly integrate MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT
2 Gurugram
online and in-person learning to minimise disrup- INSTITUTE, GURGAON
tions for its students.
SVKM’S NMIMS, SCHOOL OF
It’s this consistent emphasis on innovative edu- 3 Mumbai
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
cation and programmes catering to a wide array of
learning needs and career aspirations of its students INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT
4 New Delhi
that has helped SPJIMR overtake all other private INSTITUTE
management institutes in the country in the India INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT
Today Group-MDRA Best Business Schools survey. 5 Ghaziabad
TECHNOLOGY
And this comes after the Financial Times in its
2023 global rankings placed SPJIMR among the SYMBIOSIS INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS
6 Pune
top 40 B-schools in the world and the No. 1 in India MANAGEMENT
for a master’s in management. SYMBIOSIS CENTRE FOR MANAGEMENT
Set up in 1981, SPJIMR offers a range of pro- 7 Pune
AND HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
grammes with the core focus on nurturing leaders
and change-makers of tomorrow. “In addition to GREAT LAKES INSTITUTE OF
8 Chennai
regular programmes (like the postgraduate di- MANAGEMENT
ploma in management),” says Prof. Varun Nagaraj, XAVIER INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT,
9 Bhubaneshwar
dean, SPJIMR, “our executive education initiatives XAVIER UNIVERSITY

10 T.A. PAI MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE Manipal

70 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3
 LEARNING CURVE
Dean Varun Nagaraj (fourth from front),
with students at the S.P. Jain Institute of
Management & Research, Mumbai
 I N D I A’ S
BEST
B-SCHOOLS
PRIVATE B-SCHOOLS
TOP 10
P R I VAT E WITH BEST VALUE FOR MONEY
RANK
(ROI) NAME OF THE INSTITUTE CITY ROI

DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT
1 STUDIES, EASWARI ENGINEERING Chennai 6.57
COLLEGE
SP JAIN INSTITUTE OF
PUNJAB COLLEGE OF TECHNICAL
MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH, 2
EDUCATION
Ludhiana 5.42
MUMBAI
DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT
Established in: 1981 3 STUDIES, JAWAHARLAL NEHRU NEW Shivamogga 3.39
Campus size: 45 acres COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING-MBA
Dean: Prof. Varun Nagaraj
DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT,
Total students (first and second year): 479 4 SAGAR INSTITUTE OF RESEARCH Bhopal 3.23
Share of female students: 31 per cent AND TECHNOLOGY
Total faculty (permanent and visiting): 114
Highest annual salary earned by a student: `53,16,649* 5 ST. JOSEPH’S DEGREE AND PG COLLEGE Hyderabad 3.22
Average annual salary earned by students: `32,01,549*
Total number of recruiting companies: 49* RUNGTA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND
Total course fee (for two years): `16,80,000 6 Bhilai 3.14
TECHNOLOGY
* Figures for 2022
PRESTIGE INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT
7 Indore 3.03
AND RESEARCH

further exemplify our commitment to empowering CHANDIGARH BUSINESS SCHOOL OF

individuals at various stages of their careers.”
So, when the Covid-19 pandemic struck, the fac-
ulty members took it upon themselves to lead by ex-
ample. “Recognising the importance of flexibility in
learning, we provided a range of resources, including
recorded lectures and e-books, empowering students
to tailor their learning experience and revisit materi-
als as needed,” says Nagaraj. As mentorship and sup-
port were crucial during this period of adjustment,
faculty and mentors conducted regular one-on-one
sessions with students to offer guidance, address con-
cerns and provide personalised assistance, helping
them adapt to the new learning environment and stay
motivated. To maintain academic integrity, online
assessment and evaluation methods were introduced.
Incorporating real-world projects and industry
collaborations into the curriculum was another key
step that allowed the students to bridge the gap be-
tween theory and practice by working on live projects.
“Despite the physical distance,” says Nagaraj, “we
made every effort to maintain a sense of commu-
nity by organising virtual events and extracurricular
activities, ensuring students remained connected to
their peers and the institution.”
Keeping pace with changes happening all around,
the institute has also teamed up with Coursera to of-
fer a two-year online PGDM programme for working
professionals who want a top-tier management educa-
8 Mohali 2.85
ADMINISTRATION
ACROPOLIS FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT
9 Indore 2.69
AND RESEARCH
DEPARTMENT OF MBA, CMR COLLEGE
10 Hyderabad 2.54
OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
Note: RoI (return on investment) is calculated by dividing average domestic
annual salary with fees for the entire course
WHEN FACED WITH THE COVID-19
CHALLENGE, THE SPJIMR FACULTY TOOK IT
UPON THEMSELVES TO ADAPT AND LEAD BY
EXAMPLE TO PREVENT DISRUPTIONS
tion without putting their careers on hold. It has also launched
Finnovate Accelerator, a unique platform that connects prom-
ising start-ups, experienced mentors and established players in
the banking, financial services and insurance sector, to foster
innovation and create partnerships.
Further, programmes offered at SPJIMR go on to show how
the institute promotes value-based education. “Our unique ap-

72 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3

 I N D I A’ S
BEST BEST B-SCHOOLS ZONE-WISE (PRIVATE)
B-SCHOOLS

P R I VAT E WEST

EAST
TOP 10 B-SCHOOLS
RANK NAME OF THE INSTITUTE CITY
TOP 10 B-SCHOOLS 1
S.P. JAIN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND
Mumbai
RESEARCH
RANK NAME OF THE INSTITUTE CITY SVKM’S NMIMS, SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
2 Mumbai
XAVIER INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, MANAGEMENT
1 Bhubaneswar
XAVIER UNIVERSITY SYMBIOSIS INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS
3 Pune
2 INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE Bhubaneswar MANAGEMENT
SYMBIOSIS CENTRE FOR MANAGEMENT
3 INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE Kolkata 4 Pune
AND HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
4 XAVIER INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL SERVICE Ranchi 5 K.J. SOMAIYA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT Mumbai
RUNGTA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND
5 Bhilai 6 GOA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT Sanquelim
TECHNOLOGY
6 CALCUTTA BUSINESS SCHOOL Bishnupur 7 INSTITUTE OF RURAL MANAGEMENT Anand

AMITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, NIRMA

7 Raipur 8 Ahmedabad
AMITY UNIVERSITY CHHATTISGARH UNIVERSITY
INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND SYMBIOSIS INSTITUTE OF OPERATIONS
8 Bhubaneswar 9 Nashik
INFORMATION SCIENCE MANAGEMENT
9 ICFAI UNIVERSITY TRIPURA Agartala S.P. MANDALI’S PRIN. L. N. WELINGKAR
10 INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT Mumbai
10 ICFAI UNIVERSITY JHARKHAND Ranchi DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH

NORTH SOUTH

TOP 10 B-SCHOOLS TOP 10 B-SCHOOLS

RANK NAME OF THE INSTITUTE CITY
RANK NAME OF THE INSTITUTE CITY
MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT
1 Gurugram
INSTITUTE-GURGAON 1 GREAT LAKES INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT Chennai
2 INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE New Delhi 2 T. A. PAI MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE Manipal
3 INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY Ghaziabad 3 ICFAI BUSINESS SCHOOL Hyderabad
BIRLA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT
4 Greater Noida 4 JAGDISH SHETH SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT Bengaluru
TECHNOLOGY
LAL BAHADUR SHASTRI INSTITUTE OF SVKM’S NARSEE MONJEE INSTITUTE OF
5 New Delhi 5 Bengaluru
MANAGEMENT MANAGEMENT STUDIES
IILM INSTITUTE FOR BUSINESS AND 6 RAJAGIRI CENTRE FOR BUSINESS STUDIES Kochi
6 Gurugram
MANAGEMENT
LOYOLA INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS
AMITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, 7 Chennai
7 Noida ADMINISTRATION
AMITY UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT, 8 INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ENTERPRISE Hyderabad
8 Pilani
BITS PILANI
SDM INSTITUTE FOR MANAGEMENT
9 Mysuru
9 SOIL INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT Gurugram DEVELOPMENT
JAGAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT SYMBIOSIS INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS
10 New Delhi 10 Hyderabad
STUDIES MANAGEMENT

74 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3

 I N D I A’ S
BEST
B-SCHOOLS
BEST B-SCHOOLS CITY-WISE (PRIVATE)
P R I VAT E

DELHI /NCR PUNE

TOP 5 B-SCHOOLS TOP 5 B-SCHOOLS

RANK NAME OF THE INSTITUTE CITY RANK NAME OF THE INSTITUTE
1 MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE Gurugram 1 SYMBIOSIS INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

2 INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE New Delhi
3 INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY Ghaziabad
BIRLA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT
4 Greater Noida
TECHNOLOGY
LAL BAHADUR SHASTRI INSTITUTE OF
5 New Delhi
MANAGEMENT
SYMBIOSIS CENTRE FOR MANAGEMENT AND HUMAN
2
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
3 SYMBIOSIS INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
SYMBIOSIS INSTITUTE OF DIGITAL AND TELECOM
4
MANAGEMENT
5 BALAJI INSTITUTE OF MODERN MANAGEMENT

BENGALURU
HYDERABAD
TOP 5 B-SCHOOLS
RANK NAME OF THE INSTITUTE
TOP 5 B-SCHOOLS
1 JAGDISH SHETH SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
RANK NAME OF THE INSTITUTE
1 ICFAI BUSINESS SCHOOL
SVKM’S NARSEE MONJEE INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT
2
STUDIES
2 INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ENTERPRISE
PRIN. L.N. WELINGKAR INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT
3
DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH 3 SYMBIOSIS INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT, CHRIST
4 4 SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, WOXSEN UNIVERSITY
(DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY)

5 INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT EXCELLENCE 5 AURORA’S BUSINESS SCHOOL

MUMBAI
proach focuses on driving managerial practices aligned
TOP 5 B-SCHOOLS with value-based growth for students, alumni, organisa-
tions and society as a whole,” explains Nagaraj. “We fos-
RANK NAME OF THE INSTITUTE
ter the development of socially-sensitive leaders through
1 S.P. JAIN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH our programmes, which include immersive experiences
like social internships and mentoring.”
2 SVKM’S NMIMS, SCHOOL OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT Sriraam Ashok, a first-year student pursuing PGDM,
information management, attests to this. “What sets
3 K.J. SOMAIYA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT SPJIMR apart,” he says, “is its unwavering commitment
to value-based education.” Ashok cites non-classroom
S.P. MANDALI’S PRIN. L.N. WELINGKAR INSTITUTE OF initiatives like ADMAP and Abhyudaya that play a piv-
4
MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH otal role in inculcating a sense of social responsibility
5 among students. ADMAP, or Assessment and Devel-
SIES COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES
opment of Managerial and Administrative Potential,

76 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3

 I N D I A’ S
BEST
B-SCHOOLS
BEST B-SCHOOLS CITY-WISE (PRIVATE)
P R I VAT E

JAIPUR
COIMBATORE
TOP 5 B-SCHOOLS
TOP 5 B-SCHOOLS
RANK NAME OF THE INSTITUTE
RANK NAME OF THE INSTITUTE
INSTITUTE OF HEALTH MANAGEMENT RESEARCH,
1
1 VIVEKANANDA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES IIHMR UNIVERSITY

2 DR. SNS RAJALAKSHMI COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE 2 JAIPURIA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, SREE SARASWATHI 3 INSTITUTE OF RURAL MANAGEMENT

3
THYAGARAJA COLLEGE
4 AMITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, AMITY UNIVERSITY RAJASTHAN
4 DJ ACADEMY FOR MANAGERIAL EXCELLENCE
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND COMMERCE,
5
5 HINDUSTHAN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY POORNIMA UNIVERSITY

KOLKATA INDORE

TOP 5 B-SCHOOLS TOP 5 B-SCHOOLS

RANK NAME OF THE INSTITUTE RANK NAME OF THE INSTITUTE

1 INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE 1 PRESTIGE INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH

2 INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT 2 JAIPURIA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

3 HERITAGE BUSINESS SCHOOL IPS ACADEMY, INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT AND

3
RESEARCH
BHARATIYA VIDYA BHAVAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT
4 4 MEDI-CAPS UNIVERSITY
SCIENCE

5 SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, JIS UNIVERSITY 5 ACROPOLIS FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH

CHENNAI
is a mandatory course which instils in the participants
TOP 5 B-SCHOOLS core principles of self-learning and self-management by
RANK NAME OF THE INSTITUTE “doing, observing, reflecting and recording”. Abhyudaya,
on the other hand, is an experiential learning course in
1 GREAT LAKES INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT which participants mentor schoolchildren from under-
privileged backgrounds.
2 LOYOLA INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION “My experience at SPJIMR has been exhilarating,” adds
Ashok. “Even in the classroom, the enriching discussions
COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT, SRM INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE about real-world scenarios have broadened my perspective.”
3
AND TECHNOLOGY Global internships and experiential learning further enable
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, HINDUSTAN INSTITUTE students to apply classroom knowledge to real business
4
OF TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE challenges, refining their problem-solving skills. That’s
how, in a rapidly evolving educational landscape, SPJIMR
BHARATH INSTITUTE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
5 is preparing its students to thrive with a comprehensive
AND RESEARCH
skill set that transcends traditional textbooks. „

78 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3

 I N D I A’ S
BEST
B-SCHOOLS

P R I VAT E
TOP 50 STANDALONE PRIVATE B-SCHOOLS
These institutes offer only postgraduate management courses

RANK RANK
NAME OF THE INSTITUTE CITY (2023) NAME OF THE INSTITUTE CITY
(2023)
S.P. JAIN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND 25 PUNE INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT Pune
1 Mumbai
RESEARCH
MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT 26 SCMS COCHIN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS Ernakulam
2 Gurugram
INSTITUTE-GURGAON 27 JAIPURIA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT Noida
3 INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE New Delhi INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
28 Pune
4 INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY Ghaziabad AND MEDIA
N.L. DALMIA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT
5 GREAT LAKES INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT Chennai 29 Mumbai
STUDIES AND RESEARCH
6 T.A. PAI MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE Manipal 30 XAVIER INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL SERVICE Ranchi
7 JAGDISH SHETH SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT Bengaluru 31 UNIVERSAL BUSINESS SCHOOL Mumbai
8 GOA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT Sanquelim FORTUNE INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL
32 New Delhi
BUSINESS
9 INSTITUTE OF RURAL MANAGEMENT Anand
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
BIRLA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT 33 Bengaluru
10 Greater Noida EXCELLENCE
TECHNOLOGY 34 JAIPURIA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT Jaipur
LAL BAHADUR SHASTRI INSTITUTE OF
11 New Delhi 35 IIEBM, INDUS BUSINESS SCHOOL Pune
MANAGEMENT
S.P. MANDALI’S PRIN. L. N. WELINGKAR JAGANNATH INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT
36 New Delhi
12 INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT Mumbai SCHOOL
AND RESEARCH 37 INSTITUTE OF RURAL MANAGEMENT Jaipur
38 I.T.S SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT Ghaziabad
13 RAJAGIRI CENTRE FOR BUSINESS STUDIES Kochi
39 JAIPURIA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT Indore
LOYOLA INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS
14 Chennai 40 GLOBAL INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS STUDIES Bengaluru
ADMINISTRATION
41 NARAYANA BUSINESS SCHOOL Ahmedabad
15 INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY Nagpur
42 CALCUTTA BUSINESS SCHOOL Bishnupur
16 INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ENTERPRISE Hyderabad
43 AURORA’S BUSINESS SCHOOL Hyderabad
SDM INSTITUTE FOR MANAGEMENT
17 Mysuru 44 INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES Noida
DEVELOPMENT
PRIN. L.N. WELINGKAR INSTITUTE OF 45 ICBM SCHOOL OF BUSINESS EXCELLENCE Hyderabad
18 Bengaluru
MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND
46 Bengaluru
19 INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE Bhubaneswar MEDIA
20 ITM BUSINESS SCHOOL Navi Mumbai 47 DOON BUSINESS SCHOOL Dehradun
VIGNANA JYOTHI INSTITUTE OF
21 SOIL INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT Gurugram 48 Hyderabad
MANAGEMENT
22 INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE Kolkata INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND
49 Bhubaneswar
INFORMATION SCIENCE
23 JAGAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES New Delhi
INSTITUTE OF HEALTH MANAGEMENT
24 JAIPURIA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT Lucknow 50 Bengaluru
RESEARCH

Footnotes: Ranking is based on objective data only.

Standalone institutions offering PGDM/ PGP or MBA (IIMs) are considered as per Govt. of India standalone institution definition.
Only those B-Schools which submitted their objective data have been ranked. Institutes like IIM-Kozhikode, ISB Hyderabad, etc.,
which did not submit their objective data on time or refused to participate have not been ranked.
Only those colleges which fulfilled the below criteria were considered eligible for participation in ranking:
i. Minimum three batches passed out
ii. Offering full-time Post Graduate Programme in Management
All scores have been rounded off to one decimal place; this may result in rounding-off errors while adding the parameter-wise score.
 GUEST COLUMN | MANISH SABHARWAL & KARTIK NARAYAN

BRAVE NEW WORLD

FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF INDIA’S MBA GRADUATES, THE CHOICES THEY MAKE WILL MATTER AS MUCH AS
THEIR CAPABILITIES. FIVE PIECES OF ADVICE TO NAVIGATE THIS EXCITING NEW LANDSCAPE

D
Dumbledore tells Harry Potter in the
Chamber of Secrets, “It is our choices
more than our abilities that reveal what
we are.” As a nation, our political choic-
es after 1947 ensured that we built the
world’s largest democracy on the infertile
soil of the world’s most hierarchical so-
ciety. But our mass democracy couldn’t
pave the way for mass prosperity as
our economic choices created a weak
economy. However, in the next 25 years,
Indian MBAs will graduate to a grow-
ing, productive and complex economy
that is on its way to become the world’s
third-largest one. Our economic renewal,
combined with a new world, offers some
unique choices for the next generation of
MBA students and institutions.
Choices, though, are downstream of
context, and thus it’s important to under-
stand the drivers of change in India. In the
new world of careers, the life expectancy
of a Fortune 500 company has come down
from 64 in 1950 to 15 today. This means
employment has shifted from a lifetime
contract to a taxicab relationship—it’s
short, but intense. In the new world of
work, there is no such thing as a technol-
ogy company; all companies are tech-
nology companies. Work is less tied to a
physical office; it is a dial tone of remote or
physical, synchronous and asynchronous
work enabled by digital collaboration. In
the new world of education, Google knows

8 0 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3

 I N D I A’ S
BEST
B-SCHOOLS

SALARIES OFFERED TO TOPPERS FROM TOP 25 B-SCHOOLS

AVERAGE AVERAGE
POSITION ANNUAL POSITION ANNUAL
CTC IN Rs CTC IN Rs
PRODUCT MANAGER 51,93,083 CONSULTANT 21,68,500
PROGRAM MANAGER 50,74,617 ANALYST - RISK MANAGEMENT 21,32,041
ACCOUNT MANAGER 45,00,000 GENERAL MANAGER 20,80,000
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT 42,00,000 DEPUTY MANAGER 20,51,250
MANAGEMENT CONSULTING ANALYST 35,31,700 CORPORATE INVESTMENT BANKER 20,00,000
CONSULTING ANALYST 35,21,300 CLIENT ACCOUNT MANAGER 19,00,000
MANAGER 35,20,000 BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT REPRESENTATIVE 18,66,667
SENIOR ASSOCIATE 35,00,600 BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER 18,55,000
ASSISTANT MANAGER - ONLINE MARKETING 34,00,000 ASSISTANT MANAGER 17,60,000
MANAGEMENT TRAINEE 33,08,730 BUSINESS PROGRAM MANAGER 17,60,000
TECHNICAL RECRUITER 32,50,000 SENIOR ANALYST 17,45,000
ASSISTANT MANAGER- HUMAN RESOURCES 32,00,000 BUSINESS ANALYST 16,85,400
FINANCIAL ANALYST 32,00,000 AUTOMATION ARCHITECT 16,54,000
HR BUSINESS PARTNER 31,75,000 CAPABILITY ANALYST 16,50,000
DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIST 30,40,000 BUSINESS CONSULTANT 16,50,000
ASSOCIATE PROCESS MANAGER 30,12,780 SOLUTION ADVISOR 15,80,000
ANALYST - TALENT GROWTH 29,00,000 PROJECT MANAGER 15,00,000
ANALYST 26,27,750 FUNCTIONAL CONSULTANT 14,20,000
TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANT 24,17,500 PROGRAM ASSOCIATE 13,70,000
PRODUCT ANALYST 22,60,000 INTERNAL AUDITOR 13,50,000
ANALYST - FINANCIAL OPERATIONS 22,50,000 ASSOCIATE CONSULTANT 12,84,000

Note: Above data given as shared by B-schools during objective survey

everything; learning continuously is more important
than knowing. In the new world of entrepreneurship,
the availability of venture capital means the courage in
your heart and the sweat on your brow matters much
more than your surname. In the new world of talent, big
or multinational companies no longer have an unfair
advantage over smaller or Indian companies. In the
new world of Foreign Direct Investment, 50 per cent of
what India has got since 1947 has come in the past five
years. In the new world of public capital markets, there
is a considerable premium for growth and governance.
Most importantly, MBA graduates must under-
stand India; the Sanskrit word Sthanabalam (not your
roots but the inner strength that comes from knowing
and marinating in your physical space) is of great im-
portance. The success of the UPI (Unified Payments
Interface), designed for India but adopted globally,
exemplifies the concept of ‘Build for Bharat, Sell to the
World’. Addressing India’s unique challenges can lead
to innovations that are relevant globally. Tomorrow’s
leaders must craft solutions rooted in Indian realities,
ensuring local advancement and positioning India as
a global beacon for innovation.
We have five pieces of advice for MBA graduates.

Illustration by TANMOY CHAKRABORTY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3 INDIA TODAY 8 1

 I N D I A’ S
BEST
B-SCHOOLS

GUEST COLUMN
HAPPENING CITIES FOR
PLACES OF POSTING OF TOPPERS FROM CAREER GROWTH (OVERALL)

New Noida
TOP 10 B-Schools TOP 25 B-Schools Delhi
Kolkata
Gurugram
New Noida New Noida
Delhi Delhi
Kolkata

Gurugram Gurugram
Mumbai

Mumbai Mumbai Pune

Hyderabad Hyderabad
Hyderabad
Pune
Bengaluru Bengaluru Guntur Bengaluru
Chennai
Coimbatore Chennai

monumental feats require teamwork. During your academic

years, you form bonds due to shared experiences. These peers
COMPANIES OFFERING HIGHEST will be your allies through life’s highs and lows. Nurture these
PACKAGES@ TOP 10 B-SCHOOLS relationships: be kind, forgiving, and fair.
Second, challenge yourself academically. In her book
NAME OF THE COMPANY NAME OF THE COMPANY Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Carol Dweck dif-
GOOGLE UDAAN ferentiates between fixed and growth mindsets. The latter,
which views capabilities as being malleable, is indispensable.
MICROSOFT CORPORATION FLIPKART PRIVATE LIMITED Arguably, nurturing a growth mindset is more vital than basic
(INDIA) PRIVATE LIMITED literacy. Engage with demanding subjects; they’re challenging
SPRINKLR
BOSTON CONSULTING for a reason. Tasks that don’t push your boundaries often lack
GROUP MAGICPIN value. Equally crucial is being able to differentiate between
popular and truly beneficial educators. Initially, you might
MICROSOFT INDIA (R&D) CITIBANK
resent teachers who demand more, but with time, you’ll ap-
PRIVATE LIMITED D. E. SHAW INDIA PRIVATE preciate their insistence on pushing you. In the realm of learn-
AMAZON INDIA LIMITED LIMITED ing, there’s an inevitable “eat your vegetables” phase. The best
teachers press you because they see your potential.
MAKEMYTRIP RECKITT (INDIA) LIMITED
Third, engage in lifelong reading. Einstein believed that
PAYTM MEDIA.NET true education continues beyond classroom learning. College
merely initiates a journey of perpetual learning. Through read-
ATLASSIAN ACCENTURE SOLUTIONS
ing, one can master any subject in a year. It’s a misconception
PRIVATE LIMITED that novels are solely for entertainment and that non-fiction
ADOBE SYSTEMS INDIA
PRIVATE LIMITED MERRILL LYNCH is dull. George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion delved into
expectation’s power and was the inspiration for the film My
ITC LIMITED LINCOLN INTERNATIONAL Fair Lady. Winston Churchill’s biography of the Duke of Marl-
borough is not just a historical account but offers insights into
Note: Above data given as shared by B-schools during objective survey
strategic alliances and mergers. Salman Rushdie’s Haroun and
the Sea of Stories, which depicts a war over a kidnapped prin-
First, learn through relationships. You can’t do anything great cess, explores subjects like communication, transparency, and
alone and must establish long-term relationships with peers, tolerance. To understand India’s economic state, Ramchandra
teachers and mentors. There is a toxic myth among young Guha’s India after Gandhi is enlightening.
people that successful CEOs, chief ministers, principals or Fourth, remember that being cool is being different. Our
generals are one-person armies. Life is a collective game; definition of the word cool has changed as we have grown

8 2 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3

 I N D I A’ S
BEST
B-SCHOOLS

GUEST COLUMN

COMPANIES OFFERING HIGHEST PACKAGES@ TOP 25 B-SCHOOLS

NAME OF THE COMPANY NAME OF THE COMPANY NAME OF THE COMPANY
ACCENTURE SOLUTIONS PRIVATE LIMITED DELOITTE CONSULTING INDIA PVT LTD ORACLE FINANCIAL SERVICES
ARCESIUM INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED
SOFTWARE LIMITED
CARDEKHO
GOOGLE
ARTERIA TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED
IBM INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED
PHARMEASY
PAYTM RELIANCE INDUSTRIES LIMITED
MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA LIMITED
MICROSOFT CORPORATION (INDIA) ATLASSIAN
PRIVATE LIMITED FLIPKART PRIVATE LIMITED
MAKEMYTRIP
ITC LIMITED MCKINSEY & COMPANY
ERNST & YOUNG PRIVATE LIMITED
AMAZON INDIA LIMITED RECKITT (INDIA) LTD
UNACADEMY
D.E. SHAW INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED MEDIA.NET
PORTER
UDAAN SALESFORCE INC
SEARCE INC
BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP MERRILL LYNCH
ADP INDIA
SPRINKLR ALTIMETRIK
BAIN & COMPANY
PHONEPE PRIVATE LIMITED TATA CAPITAL LIMITED
CITIBANK
PLANETSPARK ZS ASSOCIATES INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED
GOLDMAN SACHS SERVICES
ICICI BANK PRIVATE LIMITED AMERICAN EXPRESS
MICROSOFT INDIA (R&D) PRIVATE LIMITED INFOSYS LTD ALLCARGO LOGISTICS
VEDANTA LIMITED LOGINEXT SOLUTIONS WELLS FARGO

COGNIZANT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.

CAPGEMINI TECHNOLOGY SERVICES
INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED INDIA LTD L&T INFOTECH
MONEYVIEW MAGICPIN LINCOLN INTERNATIONAL
ADOBE SYSTEMS INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED
Note: Above data given as shared by B-schools during objective survey

older. A “cool teenager” has never existed because when you are
young, you define “being cool” as doing what most others do.
But when you grow older, you realise that cool people don’t do
what others do. They dare to resist the warmth of being at the
centre of the herd. Cool people think hard about who they are
because they have learnt that “fashion means never having to
decide who you are”. Nobody says it better than Tagore: “Jodi
tor dak shune keu na ase tobe ekla cholo ee”, even if nobody
walks with you, walk alone.
Finally, find something that’s at the intersection of doing
well and doing good. What will happen in India over the next
10 years doesn’t happen once in a decade or a millennium, but
once in the lifetime of a country. So, young people mustn’t de-
fine success as being rich or good-looking; hitch your wagon to
a bigger theme as there still exist mighty injustices in India: il-
literacy, disease, malnutrition, poverty, corruption, unemploy-
ment. If you find something that allows you to do something
well while also doing some good, no day will feel like work.
Life after an MBA is not the solving of a sum but the paint-
ing of a picture that depends on our choices. Whatever the
other choices, we hope our new MBAs will choose courage and
persistence. As poet Sohan Lal Dwivedi reminded us, lahron
se dar kar nauka paar nahin hoti, koshish karne waalon ki
kabhi haar nahin hoti (a boat that’s scared of waves can never
cross the sea, and those who try never fail). „
Manish Sabharwal and Kartik Narayan are
with TeamLease Services

84 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3

 I N D I A’ S
BEST
B-SCHOOLS GOVERNMENT INSTITUTES | RANKS AND SCORES

SELECTION PROCESS,
LEARNING LIVING PLACEMENT FUTURE OVERALL
GOVERNANCE &
RANK EXPERIENCE EXPERIENCE PERFORMANCE ORIENTATION SCORE
(2023) INSTITUTE ESTABLISHMENT

250 150 250 150 200 1,000

1 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT-CALCUTTA, KOLKATA 213.9 143.5 227.6 135.4 179.5 899.9
2 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT-AHMEDABAD, AHMEDABAD 226.0 141.3 226.8 135.5 167.5 897.1
3 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT-BANGALORE, BENGALURU 216.9 144.3 231.1 130.7 169.3 892.3
4 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT-LUCKNOW, LUCKNOW 204.3 138.9 217.5 132.8 168.3 861.8
5 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT-INDORE, INDORE 203.3 137.1 201.1 127.0 178.8 847.3
6 FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF DELHI, NEW DELHI 196.1 131.3 212.7 121.7 133.0 794.8
7 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF FOREIGN TRADE, NEW DELHI 189.5 129.7 203.8 115.6 151.0 789.6
8 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT-SHILLONG, SHILLONG 185.1 131.8 197.6 111.1 137.1 762.7
9 DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, IIT DELHI, NEW DELHI 185.4 132.8 184.5 119.5 129.3 751.5
10 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT-UDAIPUR, UDAIPUR 186.8 126.6 184.0 107.3 146.4 751.1
11 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT-TIRUCHIRAPPALLI, TIRUCHIRAPPALLI 179.9 128.8 182.7 123.6 135.4 750.4
12 JAMNALAL BAJAJ INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, MUMBAI 188.7 120.1 199.2 113.6 125.4 747.0
13 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT-NAGPUR, NAGPUR 184.1 138.3 180.9 112.6 124.8 740.7
14 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT-KASHIPUR, UDHAM SINGH NAGAR 183.6 126.8 183.6 112.4 119.8 726.2
15 DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL AND MANAGEMENT ENGINEERING, IIT KANPUR, KANPUR 187.4 121.5 176.3 111.5 127.8 724.5
16 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT-AMRITSAR, AMRITSAR 178.9 116.0 177.4 108.7 139.2 720.2
SYDENHAM INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, RESEARCH AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
17 181.1 113.0 178.7 111.3 133.6 717.7
EDUCATION, MUMBAI
18 NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION MANAGEMENT, HYDERABAD 185.9 128.0 173.7 100.4 119.6 707.6
19 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT-SAMBALPUR, SAMBALPUR 176.9 122.0 172.0 110.0 114.6 695.5
20 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT-BODH GAYA, BODH GAYA 179.1 125.5 176.1 112.9 87.5 681.1
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, FACULTY OF COMMERCE AND BUSINESS, DELHI SCHOOL OF
21 165.3 123.2 174.4 108.9 109.0 680.8
ECONOMICS, UNIVERSITY OF DELHI, NEW DELHI
22 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF FOREST MANAGEMENT, BHOPAL 180.5 133.3 170.0 102.7 89.1 675.6
23 INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, BANARAS HINDU UNIVERSITY, VARANASI 168.6 112.7 165.4 101.2 116.7 664.6
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY CALICUT,
24 183.0 125.9 150.4 99.4 91.0 649.7
KOZHIKODE
25 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL WELFARE AND BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, KOLKATA 172.7 120.4 158.1 103.7 92.2 647.1
26 VAIKUNTH MEHTA NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF COOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT, PUNE 177.3 109.8 158.4 97.1 103.2 645.8
27 UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, NEW DELHI 165.5 119.0 134.2 96.4 115.4 630.5
28 INSTITUTE OF AGRIBUSINESS MANAGEMENT, BIKANER 150.0 124.0 148.4 89.2 112.7 624.3
29 DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, TEZPUR UNIVERSITY, TEZPUR 126.1 122.4 149.5 103.6 106.3 607.9
30 INSTITUTE OF INSURANCE AND RISK MANAGEMENT, HYDERABAD 148.3 108.6 149.2 90.9 88.8 585.8
FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND RESEARCH, ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY,
31 157.9 108.7 122.0 89.3 100.8 578.7
ALIGARH
32 CHANDRAGUPT INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT PATNA, PATNA 146.9 115.5 137.5 72.3 86.3 558.5
33 THE BUSINESS SCHOOL, UNIVERSITY OF JAMMU, JAMMU 134.8 108.3 134.0 97.7 71.6 546.4
34 ALKESH DINESH MODY INSTITUTE FOR FINANCIAL AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES, MUMBAI 126.7 100.3 133.4 90.7 91.6 542.7
35 FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, M. S. UNIVERSITY OF BARODA, VADODARA 113.8 101.7 137.0 88.7 92.3 533.5
SARDAR VALLABHBHAI PATEL INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF TEXTILES AND MANAGEMENT,
36 159.8 86.4 85.3 81.6 87.2 500.3
COIMBATORE
POSTGRADUATE DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, SARDAR PATEL UNIVERSITY,
37 140.0 98.7 99.0 76.2 46.9 460.8
VALLABH VIDYANAGAR ANAND
 I N D I A’ S
BEST
B-SCHOOLS PR I VAT E IN S T I T U T E S | R A N K S A N D S C O R E S

SELECTION PROCESS,
LEARNING LIVING PLACEMENT FUTURE OVERALL
GOVERNANCE &
RANK EXPERIENCE EXPERIENCE PERFORMANCE ORIENTATION SCORE
(2023) INSTITUTE ESTABLISHMENT

250 150 250 150 200 1,000

1 S. P. JAIN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH, MUMBAI 213.7 133.3 206.0 124.4 179.2 856.6

2 MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE-GURGAON, GURUGRAM 196.0 132.3 203.8 120.2 158.7 811.0

3 SVKM'S NMIMS, SCHOOL OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, MUMBAI 185.1 129.5 200.0 115.4 145.0 775.0

4 INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE NEW DELHI, NEW DELHI 187.3 126.7 187.3 115.3 156.5 773.1

5 INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY GHAZIABAD, GHAZIABAD 191.8 129.1 181.0 111.2 148.4 761.5

6 SYMBIOSIS INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, PUNE 194.0 126.9 195.3 106.1 134.8 757.1

7 SYMBIOSIS CENTRE FOR MANAGEMENT & HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT, PUNE 181.7 123.6 190.3 114.3 146.2 756.1

8 GREAT LAKES INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, CHENNAI 187.5 129.3 183.4 108.3 142.9 751.4

9 XAVIER INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, XAVIER UNIVERSITY, BHUBANESWAR 182.2 126.4 193.4 117.1 130.0 749.1

10 T. A. PAI MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE, MANIPAL 178.9 128.2 173.0 109.3 159.0 748.4

11 ICFAI BUSINESS SCHOOL, HYDERABAD 187.1 126.6 171.7 114.2 145.2 744.8

12 K J SOMAIYA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, MUMBAI 183.2 126.5 171.0 108.8 150.7 740.2

13 JAGDISH SHETH SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, BENGALURU 187.7 124.2 165.7 106.5 151.6 735.7

14 GOA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, SANQUELIM 188.0 124.9 170.5 112.8 135.9 732.1

15 INSTITUTE OF RURAL MANAGEMENT, ANAND 175.8 132.0 178.3 112.6 127.2 725.9

15 SVKM'S NARSEE MONJEE INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, BENGALURU 179.5 122.9 175.0 104.9 143.6 725.9

17 BIRLA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY, GREATER NOIDA 181.9 129.0 173.4 113.0 128.0 725.3

18 LAL BAHADUR SHASTRI INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, NEW DELHI 183.6 121.5 173.5 109.6 134.5 722.7

19 INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, NIRMA UNIVERSITY, AHMEDABAD 180.6 126.5 169.0 112.8 128.6 717.5

20 SYMBIOSIS INSTITUTE OF OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT, NASHIK 179.6 118.3 173.4 108.7 125.4 705.4

S. P. MANDALI'S PRIN. L. N. WELINGKAR INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT

21 183.5 108.5 166.4 106.7 139.9 705.0
AND RESEARCH, MUMBAI

22 RAJAGIRI CENTRE FOR BUSINESS STUDIES, KOCHI 180.0 124.8 158.5 95.2 145.8 704.3

23 SYMBIOSIS INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS, PUNE 183.0 122.5 169.8 97.6 127.7 700.6

24 LOYOLA INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, CHENNAI 183.2 115.3 160.3 107.8 133.2 699.8

25 INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY, NAGPUR 173.2 126.1 167.4 101.0 121.3 689.0

26 INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ENTERPRISE, HYDERABAD 181.7 117.8 154.6 107.9 124.3 686.3

27 IILM INSTITUTE FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT, GURUGRAM 175.9 119.2 152.1 99.4 128.8 675.4

28 SYMBIOSIS INSTITUTE OF DIGITAL AND TELECOM MANAGEMENT, PUNE 164.5 113.6 169.3 99.8 127.2 674.4

29 SDM INSTITUTE FOR MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT, MYSURU 162.0 112.2 162.0 110.9 121.8 668.9

30 BALAJI INSTITUTE OF MODERN MANAGEMENT, PUNE 159.6 117.8 157.9 107.8 122.8 665.9

31 AMITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, AMITY UNIVERSITY, NOIDA 169.2 125.7 151.7 97.7 120.6 664.9

32 SYMBIOSIS INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, HYDERABAD 165.5 117.7 149.2 101.3 130.0 663.7

PRIN. L.N. WELINGKAR INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT AND

33 175.2 112.1 148.9 100.6 126.7 663.5
RESEARCH, BENGALURU

86 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 1 3 , 2 02 3

 I N D I A’ S
BEST
B-SCHOOLS PR I VAT E IN S T I T U T E S | R A N K S A N D S C O R E S

SELECTION PROCESS,
LEARNING LIVING PLACEMENT FUTURE OVERALL
GOVERNANCE &
RANK EXPERIENCE EXPERIENCE PERFORMANCE ORIENTATION SCORE
(2023) INSTITUTE ESTABLISHMENT

250 150 250 150 200 1,000

34 DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT, BITS PILANI, PILANI 175.5 125.0 164.3 103.2 88.7 656.7

35 SIES COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, NAVI MUMBAI 177.3 100.8 157.7 98.6 121.1 655.5

36 INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE BHUBANESWAR, BHUBANESWAR 165.1 117.3 157.1 98.1 117.3 654.9

37 ITM BUSINESS SCHOOL NAVI MUMBAI, NAVI MUMBAI 172.9 117.1 157.2 98.4 108.4 654.0

37 VIT BUSINESS SCHOOL, VELLORE 164.5 115.8 140.6 101.9 131.2 654.0

39 SOIL INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, GURUGRAM 174.8 113.8 160.1 93.4 111.4 653.5

40 INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE KOLKATA, KOLKATA 160.1 112.7 157.9 99.1 123.6 653.4

41 JAGAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, NEW DELHI 183.8 94.7 156.5 99.2 119.1 653.3

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT, CHRIST (DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY),

42 154.7 109.9 158.0 103.7 125.2 651.5
BENGALURU

43 JAIPURIA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, LUCKNOW 163.3 114.4 154.8 102.3 114.6 649.4

44 PUNE INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, PUNE 174.5 100.9 153.1 91.9 126.1 646.5

45 PRESTIGE INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH, INDORE 164.8 115.7 154.3 95.0 114.3 644.1

46 INSTITUTE OF HEALTH MANAGEMENT RESEARCH, IIHMR UNIVERSITY, JAIPUR 163.3 113.8 156.6 96.4 113.1 643.2

47 SCMS COCHIN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, ERNAKULAM 177.6 121.8 146.4 86.4 110.0 642.2

48 JAIPURIA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, NOIDA 168.1 101.4 150.1 94.1 125.7 639.4

49 INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BUSINESS & MEDIA, PUNE 178.7 109.6 158.9 92.7 98.9 638.8

50 SYMBIOSIS CENTRE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, PUNE 162.7 103.3 162.8 95.6 114.3 638.7

51 CHITKARA BUSINESS SCHOOL, RAJPURA 173.5 103.6 148.8 81.3 131.0 638.2

52 N. L. DALMIA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND RESEARCH, MUMBAI 179.6 98.7 142.6 96.0 121.2 638.1

53 XAVIER INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL SERVICE RANCHI, RANCHI 156.3 91.8 153.3 107.3 128.3 637.0

54 SYMBIOSIS SCHOOL OF BANKING AND FINANCE, PUNE 158.0 112.0 159.3 93.2 113.9 636.4

55 UNIVERSAL BUSINESS SCHOOL, MUMBAI 172.1 122.5 145.4 76.2 112.4 628.6

56 FORTUNE INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS, NEW DELHI 169.1 101.7 139.3 100.5 115.5 626.1

57 INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT EXCELLENCE, BENGALURU 170.9 113.0 132.9 93.8 114.8 625.4

58 JAIPURIA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, JAIPUR 162.6 101.5 141.8 97.5 121.2 624.6

59 IIEBM, INDUS BUSINESS SCHOOL, PUNE 163.2 106.5 154.9 89.7 110.0 624.3

60 SHOOLINI UNIVERSITY OF BIOTECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCES, SOLAN 161.9 115.2 138.6 89.1 119.1 623.9

61 BALAJI INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT, PUNE 154.1 109.9 152.7 89.8 117.0 623.5

62 JAGANNATH INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT SCHOOL, NEW DELHI 170.8 88.5 146.3 99.0 118.0 622.6

63 INSTITUTE OF RURAL MANAGEMENT, JAIPUR 178.3 95.4 138.4 97.8 111.5 621.4

64 KRISTU JAYANTI COLLEGE, BENGALURU 151.9 123.4 148.7 86.1 110.0 620.1

65 SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, D. Y. PATIL (DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY), NAVI MUMBAI 154.1 122.7 140.0 88.7 114.5 620.0

66 AIMS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, BENGALURU 169.9 105.0 139.4 87.2 118.3 619.8

67 I.T.S SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, GHAZIABAD 162.2 110.4 143.8 87.7 115.2 619.3

68 SCHOOL OF BUSINESS STUDIES, SHARDA UNIVERSITY, GREATER NOIDA 182.5 119.0 99.7 88.9 126.5 616.6
 I N D I A’ S
BEST
B-SCHOOLS PR I VAT E IN S T I T U T E S | R A N K S A N D S C O R E S

SELECTION PROCESS,
LEARNING LIVING PLACEMENT FUTURE OVERALL
GOVERNANCE &
RANK EXPERIENCE EXPERIENCE PERFORMANCE ORIENTATION SCORE
(2023) INSTITUTE ESTABLISHMENT

250 150 250 150 200 1,000

69 PUNJAB COLLEGE OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION, LUDHIANA 161.0 107.5 146.8 84.7 115.4 615.4

70 JAIPURIA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, INDORE 162.7 109.7 146.7 86.6 102.1 607.8

71 AMITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, GURUGRAM 170.2 121.7 121.2 88.8 105.8 607.7

FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, MANAV RACHNA INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF

72 177.5 118.2 112.5 98.0 101.4 607.6
RESEARCH AND STUDIES, FARIDABAD

73 COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT, SRM INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, CHENNAI 165.3 122.3 129.6 83.7 103.7 604.6

74 CMS BUSINESS SCHOOL JAIN (DEEMED-TO-BE UNIVERSITY), BENGALURU 137.2 112.7 149.5 87.8 114.7 601.9

75 SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, HINDUSTAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE, CHENNAI 163.4 118.8 124.7 93.6 100.5 601.0

76 GLOBAL INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS STUDIES, BENGALURU 149.4 103.0 149.0 80.3 118.4 600.1

77 PRESTIGE INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH, GWALIOR 152.3 111.0 142.4 91.3 99.6 596.6

78 AMITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, AMITY UNIVERSITY MADHYA PRADESH, GWALIOR 158.6 122.9 137.7 65.5 111.1 595.8

79 R.V. INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, BENGALURU 164.3 89.0 138.4 89.9 112.7 594.3

80 NARAYANA BUSINESS SCHOOL, AHMEDABAD 170.4 100.5 152.1 91.6 77.0 591.6

81 RUNGTA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY, BHILAI 158.0 107.7 123.7 90.5 111.3 591.2

82 SRMS INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SCHOOL, LUCKNOW 157.2 113.9 127.3 90.7 101.7 590.8

83 CALCUTTA BUSINESS SCHOOL, BISHNUPUR 143.8 113.3 139.7 77.6 115.2 589.6

84 BHARATH INSTITUTE OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND RESEARCH, CHENNAI 151.5 103.8 148.8 90.2 94.5 588.8

85 AMITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, AMITY UNIVERSITY CHHATTISGARH, RAIPUR 153.6 117.7 132.4 74.3 110.6 588.6

BHARATI VIDYAPEETH (DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY) INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND

86 141.5 109.0 145.9 94.4 97.4 588.2
RESEARCH, NEW DELHI

87 SYMBIOSIS INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES AND RESEARCH, PUNE 139.1 111.3 146.0 91.1 100.6 588.1

88 NEVILLE WADIA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND RESEARCH, PUNE 145.1 116.3 119.5 91.1 115.2 587.2

89 JAIPURIA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, GHAZIABAD 151.1 101.8 145.1 93.5 95.5 587.0

90 SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, WOXSEN UNIVERSITY, HYDERABAD 144.7 124.1 122.8 83.5 111.0 586.1

91 SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, ITM UNIVERSITY, GWALIOR 163.5 108.5 124.1 84.5 103.3 583.9

92 MET INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, MUMBAI 151.7 81.3 148.0 91.0 111.4 583.4

92 MEPCO SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, SIVAKASI 160.9 111.2 125.1 91.3 94.9 583.4

94 AURORA'S BUSINESS SCHOOL, HYDERABAD 167.5 97.7 135.5 70.6 111.8 583.1

95 INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, NOIDA 155.3 101.0 133.5 94.1 99.0 582.9

96 AJAY KUMAR GARG INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, GHAZIABAD 165.2 106.9 136.1 76.7 97.8 582.7

97 AMITY BUSINESS SCHOOL, AMITY UNIVERSITY RAJASTHAN, JAIPUR 159.5 116.9 103.1 89.4 113.7 582.6

98 BALAJI INSTITUTE OF TELECOM AND MANAGEMENT, PUNE 146.9 112.3 147.8 85.7 89.2 581.9

99 SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, IMS UNISON UNIVERSITY, DEHRADUN 139.6 96.0 152.0 83.6 110.3 581.5

100 DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, KONGU ENGINEERING COLLEGE, ERODE 164.1 109.3 101.3 98.6 107.6 580.9

Ranking is based on objective data only. Only those B-schools that submitted their objective data have been ranked. Institutes like IIM-Kozhikode, ISB Hyderabad,
etc., which did not submit their objective data on time or refused to participate, have not been ranked. Only those colleges that fulfilled these criteria were con-
sidered eligible for participation in ranking: (i) Minimum 3 batches completed (ii) Offering full-time postgraduate programme in management. All scores have been
rounded off to one decimal place; this may result in rounding-off errors while adding the parameter-wise score.
 PRUSSIAN BLUE: RAFTAAR: IN THE
AN EXHIBITION FAST LANE
PG 92 PG 94

FEMINA : LOOKING Q&A WITH

FOR WOMEN MUZAFFAR ALI
PG 97 PG 98

CASTING
A RT

CHARACTERS
At 99, sculptor Ram Sutar is
busier than ever—and has just
unveiled a statue of
Photograph by BANDEEP SINGH B.R. Ambedkar in the US
 am Vanji Sutar is an extreme
case. At 99, he is probably the
oldest practising sculptor any-
where. And if size were the true
measure of a sculptor’s merit,
he would perhaps be considered
the greatest. In our times, Ram Sutar is best known for his
many truly enormous statues.
A Padma Bhushan awardee, Sutar was in the news
once again when his 19-ft statue of B.R. Ambedkar was
unveiled in Maryland in the US on October 14. Although
it was Lilliputian by Sutar’s otherwise Brobdingnagian
standards, it was touted as the “largest” statue of the key
architect of the Indian Constitution outside India. In 2018,
Sutar became an international name as the creator of the
Statue of Unity, the 597-ft bronze statue of Sardar Vallabh-
bhai Patel in Gujarat. It is the world’s tallest statue.
Since 1994, Sutar has worked in collaboration with his
son, Anil Ram Sutar, who is qualified in architecture and STATE OF ART
urban design from Washington University in St Louis. The Ram V. Sutar showing
son does the maquettes now, but the father still supervises, photographs of the Chambal
making daily visits to the studio. The industry-scale studio monument to Jawaharlal Nehru
and foundry on New Delhi’s eastern outskirts is equipped
with 3D scanners, robots, cranes and six CNC machines
that cut thermocol to make monumental statues. DECADES AGO, JAWAHARLAL NEHRU HAD
Sutar’s works can be found all over the world. His Ma- COMMISSIONED SUTAR TO CREATE A 50-FT
hatma Gandhi statues are installed in 450 cities interna-
tionally. In an email interview, Sutar made a list of his own
BRONZE MONUMENT DEDICATED TO WORKERS
outstanding works: the Statue of Unity, the statue of Kempe WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES TO BUILD THE
Gowda at the Bengaluru International Airport, the 125-ft-
high B.R. Ambedkar statue in Hyderabad, the 100-ft-high
BHAKRA NANGAL DAM. BUT THE PROJECT
Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj statue at Pune. However, WAS SHELVED DUE TO PAUCITY OF FUNDS

EXHIBITION

T
he story behind
the genesis of the
pigment Prussian
blue is very much
in the classic ‘ac-
cidental discovery’ tem-
plate, à la Alexander Fleming
and penicillin. Two German
chemists circa 1704 were
making Cochineal red, a
pigment made from insects,
when they accidentally used
potash contaminated by the
iron in the insects’ blood,
turning the solution a deep
blue colour. Down the years,
this affordable and versa-
tile pigment has been used
by noted artists around the
world. At KNMA (Kiran Nadar
Museum of Art), Noida, one
can see several artworks
involving this versatile pig-
ment, in the show Prussian
Blue: A Serendipitous Colour
that Altered the Trajectory
of Art (on till December 10).
An impressive lineup of art-
ists, including Anita Dube,
Mithu Sen, Subodh Gupta,
Ranbir Kaleka, Shilpa Gupta
et al, have created works
(paintings, sculptures, video
art, installations) specifically
commissioned for this show.
For instance, Anju
Dodiya has created a pair
of paintings, ‘Sea-wind
of the Night, I-II’ (charcoal
and water colour on fabric
stretched on padded board),
that incorporate a famous
PAINTING
THE
BLUES
An ongoing show example of Prussian blue
usage—Japanese wood-
at the Kiran Nadar
cut artist Hokusai’s iconic
Museum of Art,
‘The Great Wave’. Ranbir
Noida—Prussian Kaleka’s How far…? (sin-
Blue—focuses on an gle channel video), which
iconic pigment that includes recordings of
Bulgarian and Punjabi la-
was discovered
ments, connects the co-
by accident but
lour to climate change,
changed the course epistemic violence and
of art mass displacements of
LEISURE

his statue of a seated, contemplative Gandhi for Parliament
House is considered his most distinguished creation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had pushed for the
colossal Patel project from the days he was chief minister of
Gujarat. He laid its foundation on October 31, 2013. After
Modi’s landslide victory, its creation became a certainty.
Decades earlier, Sutar had caught the eye of Jawaha-
rlal Nehru when he was employed by the Archaeological
Survey of India to restore the Ellora sculptures. After his
45-ft concrete statue of the Chambal river personified as a
beautiful maiden with her two sons—Madhya Pradesh and
Rajasthan—clinging to her was unveiled, Nehru was much
impressed. He commissioned Sutar to create a 50-ft bronze
monument dedicated to the workers who laid down their
lives to construct the Bhakra Nangal Dam. The theme of the
statue was to be the ‘Triumph of Labour’, but it was shelved
owing to paucity of funds.
Sutar was a favourite of Mayawati. As a Dalit CM of
Uttar Pradesh, she stipulated an impossible “auspicious”
deadline when she commissioned Sutar to create a statue of
B.R. Ambedkar. On completion, Mayawati demanded the
statue be installed forthwith despite torrential downpours.
Finally, when the gruelling exercise was over at an ungodly
11.30 pm, Mayawati happily garlanded it. How many sculp-
tors would put up with such whimsicality?
Neither would many artists be willing to quote the low-
est figures when a government tender is floated. If Sutar is
to be believed, only once—while working on a Gandhi statue
when Morarji Desai was PM—did he have to face the hu-
miliation of bidding for two tenders for a single project, one
for creating the clay statue, the other for casting it. Usually,
both are done by the same sculptor for consistent quality.
The simple and unassuming Sutar has survived because
he has navigated through the murky waters of politics, yet
managed to keep his own hands clean. In his six-decade-
long career, he is India’s best known “sarkari” sculptor. He
has been the favourite of almost every government at the
Centre. Born in February 1925 at Gondur, Dhule, Maha-
rashtra, Sutar arrived in Delhi in 1959, after landing a mod-
eller’s job with the Directorate of Audio Visual Publicity. He
was born into a poor family belonging to the Vishwakarma
community of traditional artisans. With the help of Shriram
Krishna Joshi, a drawing teacher at the teachers’ training
college in Dhule, he graduated from Mumbai’s Sir JJ School
of Art with the Mayo gold medal in 1952.
When Bandeep Singh, INDIA TODAY’S Group Photo
Editor, went for a shoot to Sutar’s studio, he was surprised
at the “agility” of this nonagenarian who preferred to stand
rather than sit. Singh was also struck by his “unflinching
gaze…as if he was seeing into things”. In the vast halls of
the studio, “gods jostled for space with political leaders.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee stood next to Hanuman. Saraswati
stood next to Indira Gandhi. The statues were at different
stages of completion. Limbs scattered all around looked
surrealistic. It was like simultaneous creation and destruc-
tion,” says Singh.
Ram Sutar’s countless statues, life-like—based as they
are mostly on photographs—may be conventional, but they
have the virtue of being instantly recognisable. A West Ben-
gal minister had in 1984 expressed his disapproval of Ram-
kinkar Baij’s statue of Rabindranath Tagore because it “did
not look like” the poet. No one can make such an accusation
against Ram Sutar. Replication is his speciality. ■
Soumitra Das

populations. Bihari artists Subodh pigment—he studied in Germany as

THE DEEPEST COLOUR
(Clockwise from top left) Works
by Prajakta Potnis, Anju Dodiya,
Shilpa Gupta and Parul Gupta,
showcased at the Prussian Blue
exhibition
Gupta and Shambhavi have both
created nostalgia-laden works
that link Prussian blue to a feeling
of homecoming, or of pining for
the simple, pastoral life of their
homeland.
According to curator Arshiya
Lokhandwala, “One of the start-
ing points for the exhibition was
my late father. He had a paint fac-
tory and Prussian blue was his
favourite. Almost all of the artists
included here met him and knew
him and I think that adds a personal
touch to the show. You can’t create
an elaborate, detailed show like
this without love, without having a
deeply personal connection with
the theme.” Lokhandwala’s father
also had another connection to the
well and, later, because of his fac-
tory, realised the artistic as well as
commercial value of Prussian blue
(the pigment was sturdy, afford-
able and had superb tinting ability).
“If you see the German artist Alke
Reeh’s work in the show,” says
Lokhandwala, “it’s called ‘Sewed
Ceiling’ (textile and Prussian blue
pigments) and it’s a beautiful ex-
pression of what the colour means
to the artist. She has linked it to the
symbolism of the sky and of vari-
ous world mythologies.”
Prussian Blue is one of those
instantly agreeable exhibitions
that have something of obvious
value for everyone, regardless of
age or taste or artistic leaning. ■
Aditya Mani Jha
LEISURE

M USIC

In the Fast Lane

True to his name, rapper Raftaar maintains a heady pace—juggling rapping with
entrepreneurship and, now, acting in a web series

here is perhaps a reason why Dilin The ace singer-songwriter a choreographer early in his
Nair rechristened himself as Raftaar. has added another feather to his career, was rather apprehensive
And it’s not just to do with his im- cap with his debut as an actor about his acting debut. “I’ll be
mense talent for rapping. “I’ve been with JioCinema’s web series Ba- honest. I wasn’t sure of being
known for speaking my heart out. jao, where he plays Babbar. “This able to act. One of the first scenes
Now, of course, I have mellowed,” says character is exactly how I was we shot was a party sequence.
Raftaar. Aside from being in the news when I started out. I have grown I downed two tequila shots
for mincing no words in his art, or and he is growing as the show because I had to be drunk for
in life, Raftaar also has a penchant for trying out progresses. I identify a lot with the scene. That was a party and
everything under the sun while pushing the enve- him,” says Raftaar. The series shoot at the same time and the
lope as an entertainer. The sheer pace at which he follows the hilarious escapades ‘method’ helped,” he laughs.
hops into diverse projects leaves fans breathless. of three young filmmakers, navi- Speaking about the foun-
The occasional reality-show judge and former gating the high-octane world of tainhead of Raftaar’s multitask-
choreographer also has a slew of endorsements in Punjabi pop music. ing energy, long-time friend,
his kitty. In his trademark style, he says, “Raftaar Raftaar, who has mentor and business
means speed, I see no point in slowing down!” given us chart- partner Ankit Khan-
“Babbar is exactly
busters like ‘Swag na says, “Raftaar is
how I was when
Mera Desi’, I started out. I pure energy! And
‘Lonely’, ‘Damn’ identify a lot with that energy comes
and ‘Sick’, and him,” says Raftaar out in many ways.
has also been about his character I have seen him
in Bajao



in the phase when he would flare
up, be reactive—much more than
was good for him. But, you see him
now—all he wants to do is work.”
Not only did the performer have
a successful multi-city tour in the
US, Raftaar recently crooned ‘3 Ka
Dream’, a spirited track to boost
the men in blue for the ICC Men’s
Cricket World Cup.
Having worked his way up
through the Hindi, Punjabi and
Haryanvi music world, collabo-
rated with Yo Yo Honey Singh in
the Mafia Mundeer crew and
RDB’s Manj Musik, Raftaar broke
into Bollywood with tracks like
‘Dhaakad’ (from the movie Dangal)
and a remake of ‘Haseeno Ka Dee-
wana’ (for Kaabil). The rapper is
now reclaiming familiar terrain by
collaborating with leading Punjabi
singer, Parmish Verma, for a song
that will release later this year.
Not one to be confined by geo-
graphical or linguistic boundaries,
the 33-year-old, Thiruvanantha-
puram-born, Delhi-bred rapper
is also joining hands with Indian-
American DJ-producer KSHMR
for an electric club banger, ‘Legacy’,
the third track from KSHMR’s
much-awaited Indian hip-hop
album Karam.
As if this weren’t enough, the
man of many talents is also focus-
ing, as an entrepreneur, on his label
Kalamkaar, which he co-founded
with Khanna in 2019. Speaking
about his different avatars, Raftaar
says, “Once I started rapping, I
used that platform to showcase my
other talents. I am grateful that the
hard work has paid off and I have
managed to make a little space in
people’s hearts.”
It has also got him rubbing
people the wrong way, but that’s
something the singer brushes off.
“I’m a very blunt guy,” he says. “But
now I don’t get angry anymore. I
fail to understand why people are
dissing each other right now. De-
pressed ho? Dukhi ho? Kalamkaar
ke gaane suno na,” he signs off. ■
Aarti Kapur Singh
M USIC
Season’s Specials
Some fresh-out-of-the-oven releases for your next winter deep listening sesh
MULTANI MITTI, DRV and Boyblanck
F resh off the success of his single ‘Farak
Nahin Padhta’—you may have heard
it in the OTT show Farzi—DRV teams up
with fellow rapper Boyblanck for an album
of North Indian trap focused on their
shared ancestral Multani heritage. Over
reverb-drenched kicks and overdriven
synths, the young duo trade bars full of
history, mythology and self-aggrandising
braggadocio. A particular highlight is
‘Tarakkiyan’, its Punjabi folk vocals cutting
their way through DRV and Boyblanck’s
murky trap beats.
DEV NAGRI AUR MAIN
Dakait x Sez On The Beat
THE GROUND
B
BENEATH eatmaker Sez On The Beat has crafted some of India’s
HER FEET biggest rap hits—including the 2015 Divine and Naezy
Sandunes collab ‘Mere Gully Mein’—on his way to becoming Indian
hip-hop’s most coveted producer. Now he teams up with
F or years, Sanaya
Ardeshir—aka
Sandunes—has been
Uttarakhand’s Dakait for Dev Nagri Aur Main, an album that
pays tribute to the rapper’s home state. Blending global hip-
at the forefront of hop and trap with Uttarakhandi folk music, Dakait raps about
India’s electronic his cultural roots and self-discovery journey. Keep an ear
underground, thanks to out for features from Raga, Yungsta and 2FISTD, as well as a
her eclectic, forward- Garhwali rap verse by Aniket Raturi.
thinking compositions
that bring her roots in
classical piano and jazz
in conversation with
contemporary dance
music. Written during CHAPTER I:
FOREVER,
the lockdown, her third
album explores themes FOR NOW
of migration, identity Anoushka Shankar
TURBO
and womanhood ast summer,
through songs that
Talal Qureshi
L Anoushka Shankar
blend jazz, soul, synth-
pop and avant-garde P akistani producer and
composer Talal Qureshi
has been making waves
was spending a lazy
afternoon in the
electronica. garden, strumming
with his signature blend of her sitar as her two
downtempo electronica sons dozed in the sun.
and traditional Pakistani
INTIHA A memory surfaced,
music since 2007. His latest an old Carnatic lullaby
Ali Sethi x Nicolas Jaar
album Turbo brings together that her mother and
collaborators from across
O n paper, ghazal
revivalist Ali Sethi
and Chilean-American
the South Asian music
landscape—Pakistani indie
grandmother once
sung to her. Her latest
four-track EP—the first
experimental producer trailblazers like Zaw Ali and in a planned trilogy
Nicolas Jaar seem like odd Natasha Noorani, Indian of ‘mini-albums’—
collaborators, their music rapper Yashraj and Indian is all about that
ensconced in dramatically classical-meets-R&B singer moment. Shankar’s
different sounds and Mitika Kanwar—for sitar paints in bold
cultural contexts. But they 12 tracks of shiny strokes of emotional
share a love for intuitive neon synths, colour over ambient,
improvisation, which they stuttering 808s minimal soundscapes
deploy to great effect on and smooth consisting of
Intiha. The duo rework Jaar’s vocal harmonium bass
fluid ambient soundscapes melodies. drones and glass
from his 2020 album Telas harmonicas.
into a timeless backdrop for
Sethi’s raw, full-throated by Bhanuj Kappal
vocals, as he sings about
love, loss and longing.
LEISURE
BOOKS
Bonds That
Matter
Two women-centric books—Mauli and
The Woman Who Climbed Trees—explore
Nepali society and how women navigate it
M
Malati/ Mauli, Sangita,
Elder-Mother, Dhankumari,
and Radhika in Badrina-
rayan Pradhan’s Mauli;
Meena, Kaveri, Kumud,
Sawari Devi, Preeti and other
women in Smriti Ravindra’s
The Woman Who Climbed
Trees share bonds that go well
beyond the written word.
Although privileged to
have studied in Darjeeling,
Mauli has been alienated

from her culture and learns
about it from her extended
family and father’s employees
in Jhapa and Ilam in Nepal.
The border with India is fluid
and people move freely, phys-
ically and culturally. Mauli is
proud of her inheritance, but
grows aware of its patriarchal
and feudal restrictions. Buf-
feted by life’s vagaries, Mauli
comes into her own and faces
the challenges head-on.
Meena, married to Man-
mohan at 14, leaves her home
in Darbhanga for Sabaila and
later Kathmandu. Meena
navigates the complexities of
marriage—to someone who
MAULI
by Badrinarayan
Pradhan (translated by
Anmole Prasad)
RACHNA BOOKS
`499; 185
pages
does not even try to under-
stand her—and motherhood,
her identity as someone from
the plains in a city dominated
by people from the hills, her
spirit that unravels as her
constricted life takes its toll.
In letting Meena’s daughter
Preeti tell her own story as
well as parts of her mother’s,
Ravindra signals welcome
albeit slow social change.
Female relationships are
meaningful and crucial to
the well-being of the women.
Elder-mother and Mauli
grow to love and respect each
other. It is through Mauli’s
help that Sangita’s political
life emerges. “It was only
with Sachi that I lost all my
fears,” Preeti states. Meena
and her sister-in-law Kumud
together face their demand-
ing mother-in-law Sawari
Devi, a widow hardened by
patriarchy and the demands
of a farm. Meena, Kirti and
THE WOMAN WHO
CLIMBED TREES
by Smriti Ravindra
HARPERCOLLINS
`599; 432 pages
Shanti understand each other
in ways only sisters can.
The women are hemmed
in by inflexible gender roles.
They devise ways to escape
their confines, and this seems
easier in the city than in
rural settings. Meena, with
her irreverence towards the
deities whose images dot the
streets of Kathmandu, takes
her children to the cinema
where she has to comfort and
hush them with honey. She
steals from Manmohan who
does not deem it necessary
for Meena to have her own
money. Dhankumari, who
works in the house, scoffs at
the tradition of men danc-
ing the Maruni dressed
as women; encouraged by
Mauli, she agrees to take
part in the festivities and
becomes “lost in the dance”.
Mauli laments that “there is
no mauka [opportunity] in
Nepal” for Dhankumari to
become a great artiste.
The novels engage deeply
with the political landscape.
Pradhan’s leftist orientation
comes through in his show-
casing of a feudal, casteist
society. Both authors deal
with the monarchy in Nepal
and its opponents, many of
whom lived in exile in India,
artificial borders that sepa-
rate people but can’t prevent
shared experiences. Ravindra
weaves in myths and songs as
she also explores the history
of the Madhesis in Pahadi-
dominated spaces. The books
are welcome additions to a
growing list of South Asian
voices, especially of women
and their allies. ■
Vineeta Rai
 LOOKING FOR WOMEN
Janina Ramirez’s Femina tries to right the wrongs of history by resurrecting
the medieval women who were erased from it

or relief from contemporary imagine the Loftus princess as one of

F feminist fatigue and energy

for the struggle forth, Oxford
historian Janina Ramirez
asks that we look backward. It’s easy
to feel sceptical—I was too—that the
those powerful women.
The Loftus princess is one of many
resurrections that allow Ramirez
to refute the romantic idea of the
medieval woman as a product of the
seventh century can hold role models. Victorian male imagination. No lovely
But Ramirez’s method is persuasive: frail creature here, no woman work-
she meticulously mines archaeologi- ing on her embroidery in an isolated
cal records for women, while simulta- tower waiting for her knight to return.
neously re-reading the Ecclesiastical We have been had, she tells us, by
History of the English People written what historians now call the Great
by the medieval monk-scholar Bede. Men Theory. First attributed to British
The ‘Venerable Bede’, as he is historian Thomas Carlyle, the Great
known, is regarded as something of a Men Theory is a practice of seeing
FEMINA father of English History. He has been history as composed of the stories of
A New History of the great men. It’s a practice that causes
concerned with the lives of great
Middle Ages, Through
the Women Written men—bishops, warriors and kings— women—and men who are considered
Out of It but his book also insignificant—to fade
by Janina Ramirez features powerful from history.
W.H. ALLEN THE ‘GREAT MEN
and significant THEORY’—A Within the discipline
`1,299; 464 pages
women through- PRACTICE OF of history, the effect of
out; they are simply SEEING HISTORY the Great Men theory
not fleshed out. AS COMPOSED OF has been a long-stand-
Ramirez’s work STORIES OF GREAT ing resistance to letting
lies in adding MEN—HAS LONG women in. When in
flesh to medieval CAUSED WOMEN 2017, a team of Swedish
women, often ac- TO FADE FROM archaeologists—mostly
companied by their HISTORY women—declared that
literal bones. they had uncovered
One such a woman in a 10th-
archaeological un- century Viking grave,
earthing is ‘the Loftus princess’, a title they were met with circumspection
Ramirez uses to refer to a collection and online hate mail. This lack of
of bones found in a seventh-century disciplinary imagination—which makes
grave in northern England. The Loftus the idea of an exceptional warrior
princess shows the two archaeologi- woman in the male-dominated Viking
cal signs of having been a woman of world impossible—is the darkness
power: she has been buried in her bed from which Ramirez delivers reprieve.
and with her jewellery. From these Femina: A New History of the Middle
bejewelled remains, Ramirez goes Ages, Through the Women Written
back to the writings of the Vener- Out of It is not just a rather interest-
able Bede, to show us that certain ing list of found medieval women; it
seventh-century Northern women is a compendium of inventive meth-
were warrior-like, rich, respected, odological possibilities with which to
and with the same opportunities as search for women in history. ■
the men around them. We start to re- Amrita Narayanan
 Q A

BRUSH WITH
SUFISM Q.
What made you
Muzaffar Ali’s upcoming do a series of paintings on
exhibition fuses his passion Zooni and what are your
for painting and cinema plans for them?
The artistic angst of an unfulfilled dream of
the beauty of Zooni—my film about the 16th-
century Kashmiri poet Habba Khatoon—and
its setting has haunted me since I took on the
project. The best way to manifest it today is
through paintings, my original passion. I will
be exhibiting four phases of Zooni at the
first India Art, Architecture & Design
Biennale being held at the Red Fort
in New Delhi (December
9-15).

Q.
Why has your
focus shifted to art and
paintings of late?
All arts are one and integrated; and
film is an integration of all arts. My ideas
start with sketches and paintings and
reach people through films. My paintings
span multimedia, and are stylistically realis-
tic and aesthetically abstract. There’s a
blend of beauty and mysticism. Like
M.F. Husain, I have my own version
of a horse, which recently also
appeared as a bronze
sculpture.
Q.
Which of
these describes you
best—author, filmmaker,
fashion designer, culture
revivalist or painter?
I would say that, above all,
I’m a humane aesthete
following my creative
soul.

Q.
Will you be
doing a film again? If
yes, what about?
Of course. Film is the culmination
of my sensibilities and my audiences
are yearning for it every time I do a
reading of my autobiography Zikr: In
the Light and Shade of Time (2023).
It will possibly be a film on Rumi.
He is the need of the moment—
we need to coexist to
exist.

Photograph by HARDIK CHHABRA with Shashi Sunny

98 Volume 48-Number 46; For the week November 7-13, 2023, published on every Friday Total number of pages 100 (including cover pages)