Theatre of the absurd

Add-on trouble: Out of power for more than a year now, BJP leaders in Madhya Pradesh are already competing with one another to grab media attention and stay relevant. Now, they have to deal with a new issue—former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and Union minister Uma Bharti has said that she would contest the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from Madhya Pradesh. Bharti had to contest her last two Lok Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh, owing to staunch resistance from the state leadership. They are now pondering ways to keep her out | Illustrations by Jairaj T.G.

Back to school: It was a grand reunion at Balmohan Vidyamandir, a prominent school in Dadar, Mumbai. The school had organised the function to felicitate two of its illustrious alumni—Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Jayant Patil, state irrigation minister and NCP state president. Thackeray passed his SSC from Balmohan in 1976, while Patil did so in 1977. Classmates of both the leaders were invited for the event, and both had a good time with their old friends. Apparently, Thackeray did not forget to take a dig at the BJP at the gathering, too. He said: “In politics, friends leave you without honouring promises, but that is not the case with school friends, who always remain by your side.”

Welcome, Sappho!: Kalki Koechlin welcomed her baby daughter into the world with an emotional post on Instagram. “Please welcome Sappho,” she wrote. “She just spent nine months wrapped up like a momo in my uterus. Let’s give her some space. Thank you for all the good wishes and positive energy pouring in. And respect to all the women who go through the intense and gruesome experience of birth....” Koechlin, who had Sappho with Israeli boyfriend Guy Hershberg, seems to have named her after the Greek poet.

Dead end: The restaurant empire of former MasterChef Australia judge George Calombaris collapsed a year after it was hit by a scandal over him underpaying the staff. His group—MadE Establishment—operates 12 Hellenic-inspired restaurants and food venues in Melbourne. “To all my team, I truly regret it has come to this,” Calombaris posted on Instagram. “I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your loyalty and friendship. On a personal note, the last few months have been the most challenging I have ever faced.” About 400 employees are set to lose their jobs | Getty Images

Queen of hearts: Former Miss World Manushi Chhillar just finished the shoot of a song in her debut film, Prithviraj. “It was a huge learning experience for me to go through the drill of preparing, rehearsing and shooting my first song,” she said, adding that she is enjoying exploring “all the aspects of being an Indian film heroine”. In the period film scheduled to release later this year, Chhillar plays the wife of Akshay Kumar’s Prithviraj Chauhan | PTI

It’s a wrap: While Indian music might not have made much of an impact at the Grammys, Karma Nuts surely did. The turmeric-wrapped cashew nuts were included in the gift bags given to presenters and performers. Founded by Indian entrepreneur Ganesh Nair, Karma Nuts is based in Dublin, California. Nair said he was “very happy to get the endorsement of the entertainment industry titans”. Nothing like Ariana Grande munching on your cashews to help you come out of your shell!