A path to Free Progress

Home stretch: These days, Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav is making frantic efforts to “save” his house. Usually, chief ministers do not visit each other’s residences. But, Mulayam recently called on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to discuss the possibility of saving his government accommodation—bungalow number 4 on Vikramaditya Marg, Lucknow—where he has been staying for 27 years. A recent Supreme Court order had directed former chief ministers to vacate their official residences. Apparently, Mulayam is looking for a rented house, but has not found anything he likes | Illustrations by Jairaj T.G.

Mineral envoy: Bolivian ambassador Sergio Dario Arispe Barrientos is currently the youngest envoy to India. The 38-year-old, however, prefers to be known as the ambassador of lithium. Bolivia has a trove of lithium, which he hopes will be the game changer for his country. “If I ask you where Bolivia is, you won’t be able to place it on the map,” he said. “The only way to grab people’s attention is by telling them of the lithium reserves we have.”

Show time!: Barack and Michelle Obama have signed a deal with Netflix to produce “scripted series, unscripted series, docu-series, documentaries and features” that will deal with subjects the former president is passionate about. “We hope to cultivate and curate the talented, inspiring, creative voices who are able to promote greater empathy and understanding between peoples, and help them share their stories with the entire world,” said Barack | Reuters

Another feather: Amitabh Bachchan was recently felicitated by the European Union for his “artistic achievements and extraordinary contribution to building cultural bridges between Europe and India”. Bachchan said it was a humbling experience for him and he felt least deserving of such attention. “But EU is a robust institution and when they decorate they do so after much consideration,” he said. “I am most obliged and thankful.” | PTI

Osho again: After Wild Wild Country, the Netflix documentary on Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, or Osho, hit all the right notes, producer and director Subhash Ghai is making a movie on him called Osho: The Other Side of the Ocean. It will narrate interesting anecdotes from Osho’s life and will be directed by Italy-based Lakshen Sukameli. Who says Osho’s popularity has dwindled over the years? Wherever he is, he sure must be having the last laugh | AFP

Striking gold: The Japanese drama Shoplifters, directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, won the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival this year. The film tells the story of a young girl raised in a family of shoplifters. The runner-up prize, the Grand Prix, went to Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman, the story of a policeman who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan. Lebanese director Nadine Labaki’s Capernaum won the Jury Prize | AFP

Sailing through: On May 21, six naval officers—Vartika Joshi, Pratibha Jamwal, P. Swathi, S. Vijaya Devi, B. Aishwarya and Payal Gupta—became the first all-women team from India to circumnavigate the globe. They set off on September 10 last year in a 55-foot sailboat, the INSV Tarini, and covered 21,600 nautical miles in eight months. The women, led by Joshi, had been training for two years under Captain Dilip Donde, India’s first solo circumnavigator. “It is a staggering achievement at many levels... for all those involved... daring to dream big,” tweeted the Indian Navy | PTI