'We do not see Sabarimala as a political dividend issue': Rajeev Chandrasekhar

The right symbol: CPI’s incumbent MLA in Kerala, C.C. Mukundan, was recently expelled from the party after he raised allegations against its leadership upon realising he would not be renominated from the Nattika seat. Mukundan first announced he would contest as an independent, then approached Congress leaders seeking a UDF ticket. After failing to secure their backing, he joined the BJP and said he would contest from his seat on a BJP ticket. Asked about his talks with the Congress, Mukundan said he was asked if he could contest on the Congress symbol, which he declined. He then added that he would contest on a BJP symbol. “I have taken that decision and become a BJP member. There is nothing wrong with it,” he said, pointing to the saffron shawl around his neck | Illustrations by Job P.K.

Supreme mercy: Recently, the Supreme Court encountered a new breed of petitioner. A class 12 dropout, who was running a small business of sweaters, filed a petition complete with dense constitutional jargon about fiduciary risks and corporate donors. This prompted Chief Justice Surya Kant to question him on the language used and suggest an English test in court. Horror-struck, the petitioner confessed that it was AI that had led him astray. Luckily for him, the court stopped itself at issuing a stern warning against frivolous PILs and advising him against AI-generated arguments in the apex court.

Revenge of the Sussexes: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the duke and duchess of Sussex, are royally mad. They accused author Tom Bower, excerpts of whose latest book on the British monarchy were recently published in The Times, of “deranged conspiracy and melodrama”. According to the author, Queen Camilla had told a friend that Meghan had “brainwashed” Prince Harry. Bower writes that Meghan was seen as a “divisive agent” and “threat” by Prince William and Kate Middleton. “This is someone who has publicly stated that ‘the monarchy in fact depends on actually obliterating the Sussexes from our state of life’, language that speaks for itself,” said Harry and Meghan. The book—Betrayal: Power, Deceit and the Fight for the Future of the Royal Family—is scheduled to release later this month | Getty Images

Money-spinning music: According to an Ernst & Young report, Diljit Dosanjh’s sold-out Dil-Luminati tour last year generated a revenue of 943 crore and created 1.2 lakh jobs in logistics, security and production. The tour comprised 14 shows in 13 Indian cities, with a record 55,000 fans attending the Delhi show. Overall, it drew over 3.2 lakh attendees, of whom nearly half were from tier-2 and tier-3 cities. “This report tells the story beyond the stage—the livelihoods we supported, the tourism we sparked, the businesses we energised and the belief we ignited: that music in India is not just entertainment. It is a force that unites, inspires and elevates,” said Dosanjh | Getty Images

Fifth time’s the charm: There were many historic firsts this year at the Oscars, from director Paul Thomas Anderson winning after 14 years, to Sentimental Value becoming the first Norwegian film to pick up the award for the best international feature film. But the ‘first’ that attracted women everywhere was one of their own picking up the award for best cinematography for the first time in the 98-year history of the Oscars. Autumn Durald Arkapaw is also the first to win for shooting a film in IMAX format. She was recognised for her work in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, which took home four Oscars, including the best actor award for Michael B. Jordan. In her speech, Arkapaw asked all women in the room to stand up, as she wouldn’t be there if it had not been for them. Notably, only four women have been nominated in this category previously | Reuters

Feminism over fame: Objectification of women has seeped so deeply into the popular idiom that many of us don’t even notice it anymore. Not singer Shreya Ghoshal, though. She recently opened up about rejecting the popular track ‘Fevicol Se’ in the film Dabangg 2 due to too much objectification. “I cannot say these words. It just makes me feel red in the face,” she said. The song featured Kareena Kapoor Khan and was ultimately sung by Mamta Sharma. Ghoshal has earlier spoken about planning to stop singing raunchy numbers like ‘Chikni Chameli’ from Agneepath, especially when she hears young girls singing it without understanding the lyrics. “There is a fine line between being sensual, sexy and being outright objectified or objectifying women in general,” she said | Getty Images