How Lutyens Delhi is changing in Narendra Modi's new India

Left, right, and Naidu: Politicians from the left and right rarely share space at a public event. But, at a recent event in Hyderabad, former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was flanked by a former BJP leader and a CPI(M) leader. Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya was seated to Naidu’s right and Sitaram Yechury to the left. The image was representative of Naidu’s politics—he had joined hands with the CPI(M) in 2009 and the BJP in 2014 | Illustrations by Jairaj T.G.

Double deference: In May 2014, prime minister-elect Narendra Modi bent down and touched his forehead on the steps of the Parliament. Nine years later, Karnataka’s deputy chief minister-elect D.K. Shivakumar did the same before entering the Vidhana Soudha building—which houses the Karnataka legislature—for the first cabinet meeting. However, Shivakumar went a step further by bowing to the steps again on the first day of the legislature session.

Political reasoning: Following the Union government’s decision to pull Rs2,000 currency notes from circulation, jokes and memes filled social media, and opposition leaders began the predictable attack against the BJP. However, P.C. Sharma, Madhya Pradesh Congress leader and former minister, managed to stand out with a different political take. He said that it was “being said” that the BJP had distributed Rs2,000 notes to voters ahead of the polls in Karnataka and since they did not get votes, the currency notes were being taken out of circulation to “torture” the voters.

The memory project: Georgi Gospodinov became the first Bulgarian to win the International Booker for his novel Time Shelter, translated by Angela Rodel. “It is a very profound work that deals with a contemporary question and also a philosophical question: what happens to us when our memories disappear,” said Leila Slimani, chair of judges. The story is about a “clinic for the past” which recreates the past decade in minute detail to help Alzheimer’s patients reconstruct their lives. The award comes with a prize of £50,000 (051.18 lakh), which will be split equally between the author and translator. Last year, Geetanjali Shree had won the award for her book, Tomb of Sand, translated by Daisy Rockwell | AP

Second time lucky: Author Amish Tripathi got married for the second time at a “simple registration ceremony” in London to a woman he identified as Shivani, but gave no other details. “A moment comes in life when its beauty is in its simplicity,” he tweeted. “And more importantly, the wonderful woman you share the moment with.” Described as ‘India’s Tolkien’ by the BBC, Amish is known for his sprawling mythological potboilers like the Shiva Trilogy and the Ram Chandra series. He had announced his divorce from Preeti Vyas in 2020 | Satya Gaud

Sailing into matrimony: After five years of being together, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is now engaged to his Emmy-winning journalist girlfriend Lauren Sanchez, who was spotted flaunting her diamond ring on Koru (a Maori word for ‘new beginnings’)—the billionaire’s new $500 million mega-yacht. The couple has been spending a lot of time on the yacht, which apparently features a wooden sculpture resembling Sanchez. They are currently attending the Cannes Film Festival | Getty Images

Postcard from Britain: Richa Chadha is all set to make her international debut with Indo-Brit production, Ainaa. The film, co-starring British actor William Moseley, was officially launched at the House of Lords. Directed by Markus Meedt, it is a commentary on the impact of violence and war on society. “I’m excited to be working in a new part of the world,” said Chadha. “I like to experiment.... I have always strived for a challenging role and this sure is one of the toughest parts I have taken up.” The shoot commences on June 2 | Getty Images

A K-greeting: South superstar Mohanlal had a birthday surprise in store as he turned 63 on May 21. During the Cannes Film Festival, Panorama Studios and Anthology Studios announced the Korean remake of his crime thriller Drishyam, which has already been made into four Indian languages—Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Hindi. Reportedly, Korean star Song Kang Ho (of Parasite fame) will play Mohanlal’s role. Drishyam had become the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time when it released in 2013 | Sreekanth Kalarikkal