Faith conquers all

History howler: The Ayodhya judgment apparently so thrilled K.V. Subramanian, the Union government’s chief economic adviser, that he made a faux pass by ‘calendarising’ history. “India transforms the significance of 9/11 in history,” he tweeted after the verdict. “Till yesterday, ‘9/11 = Divisiveness of a ghastly terrorist attack’. From today, ‘9/11 = The unifying force of wisdom that reflects unity in diversity’.” Many Twitter users told Subramanian that he had mixed up the date of Al Qaeda attacks in the US (September 9) with the day of the Ayodhya verdict (November 9). Others sent a rather blunt message: Focus on economy than history | Illustrations by Jairaj T.G.

Left, right, left: There is newfound love between the BJP and the CPI(M) in Kerala, thanks to the recent killing of four Maoists in Palakkad district and the arrest of two students in Kozhikode district for allegedly distributing pro-Maoist pamphlets. While critics flayed the state government for charging the students under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and for supporting the police action against Maoists, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan won plaudits from unexpected quarters—the BJP leadership. The BJP’s mouthpiece in Kerala even wrote an editorial, titled ‘Big salute to Pinarayi’, praising him for tackling Maoists with an iron fist. On the other hand, the Congress’s state unit, which had infamously suppressed Maoist activities when in power, is now batting for a liberal approach to solve the Maoist problem. It is a case of the right becoming the left and the left becoming the right, it seems.

High fidelity: It is well-known that Congress leaders and workers in Madhya Pradesh owe their allegiance to factions rather than the party. But the show of loyalty has scaled new heights, thanks to Food and Civil Supplies Minister Pradyumna Singh Tomar. Recently, as people at the Gwalior railway station looked on, Tomar prostrated himself on the platform to greet former Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. Tomar has recently been in the news for wading in nullahs, trying to clean them on his own. His proclamation of fealty is being perceived as a veiled attack on Jaivardhan Singh, his cabinet colleague and son of former chief minister and Scindia-baiter Digvijaya Singh. As they say, anything to please one’s maharaja.

Big Apple launch: Zarine Khan’s next film, Hum Bhi Akele, Tum Bhi Akele, will have its world premiere at the South Asian International Film Festival in New York on November 22. The film tells the story of a gay man (Anshuman Jha) and a lesbian (Khan) taking a road trip from Delhi to Mcleodganj. “I am feeling on top of the world that we will be premiering in New York,” said Khan. “It is a film that is very close to my heart and I am really very excited.” The film will release in India on Valentine’s Day 2020 | PTI

The imitation game: A picture of Ranveer Singh replicating Kapil Dev’s legendary Natraj shot in the film ‘83 has gone viral. Both Singh and the film’s director, Kabir Khan, shared it on Instagram. The film captures how the Indian team clinched the cricket World Cup in 1983. “The match that was never televised... a world record innings that India never saw... this April, the world will see how history was made on that cold windy day in Tunbridge Wells,” Khan captioned the picture. Dev, too, was impressed. He re-tweeted it with a comment: “Hats off, Ranveer.” | PTI

For the love of art: Nita Ambani has been elected an honorary trustee of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Mrs Ambani’s commitment to The Met and to preserving and promoting India’s art and culture is truly exceptional,” said the museum’s chairman Daniel Brodsky. “Her support has an enormous impact on the museum’s ability to study and display art from every corner of the world.” Ambani’s Reliance Foundation started supporting The Met in 2016, when it held the first museum retrospective in the US of artist Nasreen Mohamedi | Salil Bera

Perry makes merry: Katy Perry, who will perform at the OnePlus music festival in Mumbai on November 16, says she is thrilled about coming to India. “I am going to a fun party, going to meet some Bollywood people, hear some incredible bands....,” she said. Karan Johar is throwing her a star-studded bash ahead of the gig. The other big performer at the festival is Dua Lipa, whose second single, Be the One, made her a household name | AP