How Modi government is changing the bureaucracy

‘Press’ing matters: To celebrate the BJP government at the centre completing nine years, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath hosted a congratulatory media conference. What everyone noticed was that it turned out to be an ode to nine years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, not of the BJP government. Also, the venue was neither the chief minister’s residence nor the secretariat, but Lucknow’s grandest five-star hotel. The naysayers were quick to point out that with the 2024 elections in the offing, this was the government’s way of wooing journalists, a breed it has not been particularly fond of | Illustrations by Jairaj T.G.

Poster boy: Senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh is known for his pluckiness and ready wit. Both were on display when three of his aides were recently raided in connection with the excise policy case. Singh promptly put up a banner outside his house reading“Fakkad house mein ED ka swagat hai (ED is welcome in this house of poverty)”. His party colleagues have since then been referring to his official residence as ‘Fakkad house’. He put up another banner advising visitors to keep a distance of five feet from him or the ED would raid them “with permission from Narendra Modi”.

Horo’scope’ to win!: Congress Rajya Sabha member Pramod Tiwari recently gave a ‘heavenly’ reason why Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will not win their third terms. Addressing a press conference in Raipur, Tiwari said that he had got horoscopes checked and there were no chances of both winning again. He claimed he was a “learned pandit”. BJP leaders did not take to the prediction kindly; BJP’s Chhattisgarh in-charge Om Mathur suggested that the Congress should get its own horoscope checked instead.

The Indian Konnect: The K-pop girl band Blackswan has just released its new EP, and guess where the video for the lead single, 'Karma', was shot—in various locations in and around Bhubaneshwar, like Dhauli Giri, Lingaraj Temple, and old houses and streets of the city. “All these heritage locations were so fascinating,” said Philip Y.J. Yoon, managing director of Blackswan's label. “So we really wanted to introduce all these to our fans and global audiences. Odisha deserves to be well-known universally.” Incidentally, Sriya Lenka, one of the band's latest members and India's first K-pop star, hails from Odisha.

Break-up blues: Pop star Ananya Birla has just brought out her new single, 'Caught Up'—a rousing number that brings together elements of R&B, afrobeats and classic Indian instrumentation. It is shot inside a house and is about a toxic relationship. “My mind is hard to escape, when your name gets brought up. I can't ignore the pain, I'm caught up,” sings Birla in her throaty contralto. She said she wanted to find a way to bring the taste of India into her soundscape in a “non-stereotypical, integrated kind of way”. This is her first English single since 'Do It Anyway' (2021), and it has already got over 5.6 million views on YouTube | Amey Mansabdar

Haute and happening: Manish Malhotra won the Outstanding Achievement for Fashion in Cinema at the International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA). “Thank you IIFA for honouring my work and my love for Indian films...,” shared Malhotra on Instagram. “All this love gives me more strength to work harder continuously, keep learning and work towards making my craft better.” Other big winners included R. Madhavan (best director), Alia Bhatt (best actress) and Hrithik Roshan (best actor). Malhotra has been working in Indian films for over three decades now, having made his debut in Swarg (1990), starring Rajesh Khanna and Juhi Chawla | AFP

The pope effect: During a visit to Italy after the premiere of his film Killers of the Flower Moon, Martin Scorsese met Pope Francis and said he is inspired to make a film on Jesus next. “I have responded to the pope's appeal to artists in the only way I know how,” said the ace filmmaker. “By imagining and writing a screenplay for a film about Jesus. And I'm about to start making it.” Killers of the Flower Moon, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Lily Gladstone, had received a nine-minute standing ovation at its Cannes premiere | AP

God, father!: They say age is just a number, and there is no one better than the godfather of cinema to prove it. Al Pacino, 83, is expecting his first child with film producer Noor Alfallah, 29, who, it is rumoured, had previously dated singer Mick Jagger and billionaire Nicolas Berggruen. Pacino already has three children, two with Beverly D'Angelo and one with Jan Tarrant. Last month, Robert De Niro, 79—Pacino's co-star in The Godfather 2—had welcomed his seventh child with girlfriend Tiffany Chen.