Le Journal

The failure of the telecom venture and the renegotiation of the price of the digital venture shattered me to the extent that it took a toll on my health. I now had a pacemaker in my heart and atypical Parkinson’s had affected my hand and impaired my speech. To top it all, I was 60 per cent down on my original wealth. But, not one to cower down and, against all odds, I decided to go in for the final kill.My motivation came from Harvard psychology professor, Stuart Brown, who spoke on the importance of “play” in developing a high emotional quotient as well as bonding. Dr Brown had dedicated most of his career to the study of non-competitive activity games and how they positively impacted mental and physical health. According to him, the lack of play resulted in depression and anxiety.He conducted studies on various successful and unsuccessful people, including serial killers and proved that people who made bad lifestyle choices like alcoholism or drug addiction had an absence of play in their lives.As a father, I had not given enough time to my daughter. Now, I had been blessed with two adorable granddaughters. My mind was ticking. How could I make...Read more

My first film with Premendra Mitra to be released was Kankantala Light Railway. This was followed by Shetu, in which Dhiraj Bhattacharya played a double role, and Chandraboti Debi was the heroine. I recall several other films I acted in, such as Ashabarna and Boloygrash, both directed by Pinaki Mukherjee. In Boloygrash, Shikharani Bag played the role of Suchitra Sen’s daughter, while I played the daughter’s friend.And then, Baishe Srabon. The connection came about in a strange way.Bijoy Chatterjee and Bholanath Roy were the distributor and producer of the film, respectively. They lived in Dhanbad, and had acted with me on stage when we performed the play Ulka there. I’d forgotten them, but they had remembered me. They were the ones who told Mrinal-babu about me. He in turn asked Anupkumar to get in touch, and he collected my address from Gita Dey. After this someone from the production team came to my house and asked me to meet Mrinal-babu. He used to live on Manoharpukur Road then. I went to his house, where he interviewed me.‘Do you know how to mop the floor?’‘Yes.’‘To do the dishes?’‘Yes.’‘To put cow dung pats on the wall?’Now I stumbled. I’d never done this. I was wondering what to say when Geeta Sen, Mrinal-babu’s wife, rescued me. ‘What a...Read more

The original text by Navid Kermani was published in the German daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. This translation has been authorised by him.For days on end now my gaze has returned, with an almost compulsive insistence, to the small illuminated screen of my smartphone, lingering there in the faint, irrational hope that at last the second check mark might appear on WhatsApp – the discreet sign that my words have reached you, and that you, in turn, will soon reassure me that you are unharmed.As was to be feared, once the internet was sealed off, the regime, after a fortnight of calculated restraint, has begun anew to crush in blood the uprising that has seized Iran. No longer was there talk merely of dozens of dead; over the weekend, suddenly and with chilling abruptness, the numbers swelled to two thousand and more.Then, on Sunday, the images reached us: footage from the forensic institute in Kahrizak, south of Tehran, where relatives wander among hundreds of body bags scattered across the floor, weeping, lamenting, calling out names that receive no answer. The images are said to date from Friday – though it remains uncertain whose bodies they show. Experts who have examined these and...Read more

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday told Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski that the “selective targeting” of India for purchasing Russian oil amid the war in Ukraine was “unfair and unjustified”.The statement was in line with New Delhi’s response in August to the United States announcing punitive tariffs on India for buying Russian oil. US President Donald Trump had also reportedly urged the European Union to impose tariffs of up to 100% on China and India to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.Opening remarks during meeting with DPM & FM @sikorskiradek of Poland. 🇮🇳 🇵🇱 https://t.co/XVG4WhmFxY— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) January 19, 2026 The external affairs ministry had said at the time that it was unfortunate that the US was imposing additional tariffs on India “for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest”.Jaishankar on Monday also urged Poland to show “zero tolerance for terrorism” and not help “fuel the terrorist infrastructure in our neighbourhood”. The foreign minister also told Sikorski that he hoped to discuss “some of your recent travels to the region” during their meeting.He appeared to have been referring to Sikorski’s visit to Pakistan in October, when he had met the country’s top leadership, The Hindu reported.Speaking to reporters outside the Hyderabad House in New...Read more

In the early 1930s, Tatya became aware of the potential of the sugar business because he had very recently bought shares worth 20,000 rupees in a sugar factory in North India, belonging to a Marwari friend; and in the very first year, had made a profit of 35 per cent. Soon after the sugar tariff was imposed in 1932, Tatya sent an exploratory team to Phaltan state, comprising his son Bhausaheb, son-in-law Baburao Dabke and nephew Balasaheb. They were to meet the Rajesaheb of Phaltan to get preliminary information and discuss the possibility of setting up a sugar factory there. Tatya’s wife, Kaku, also decided to accompany the young men. On arriving in Phaltan, they first met Dr Bhadkamkar, a close friend of the Rajesaheb of Phaltan and Tatya. Along with Dr Bhadkamkar was Rao Bahadur Godbole, the diwan (prime minister) of Phaltan who was known for his disciplined and honest administration of the state. The two briefed the Apte delegation about what kinds of concessions they could expect from Maloji Raje, the Rajesaheb of Phaltan, for setting up a sugar factory there. The following day was the meeting with the Rajesaheb himself, who urged them to come to a decision...Read more