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FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
India Today
India’s Pride: Amitabh Bachchan • When the foundation is strong, you can build a great bank for the ages
Presenting India Today Insight • For sharp analysis on topical issues by the editors of INDIA TODAY, log on to www.indiatoday.in/india-today-magazine-insight
RSS PRICKS BJP’S CONSCIENCE
Domino Effect
IN NUMBERS
FEEDING CHANGE
CHIEF MINISTER PUSHKAR DHAMI PROVIDES GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES TO THE YOUTH • Uttarakhand is a young state. After 3 years, in 2025, Uttarakhand State will celebrate the silver jubilee of its formation. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has announced to include Uttarakhand in the list of leading states of the country by this time and his mantra is ‘Vikalp Rah it Sankalp’. Youth will play an important role in completing this mission. Keeping this in mind, Pushkar Singh Dami government in Uttarakhand is working to achieve the goal of overall development.
SPECIAL FOCUS ON SPORTS
THAKUR VS THAKUR
A HOLY PUSH
THE GENERAL FOR THE JOB
THE V-C FIASCO
THE LOTUS SUTRA
The Doval Hand
SINGING RETORT
A NEW LINE OF TREATMENT
SuperCM
On a Mission Building 6,000 Homes for the Homeless
NITISH’S MISSION OF UNITY • SOON AFTER ENDING HIS ALLIANCE WITH THE NDA, NITISH KUMAR STARTED THE PROCESS OF UNITING OPPOSITION PARTIES TO TAKE ON THE BJP IN 2024. HIS MATHS IS FLAWLESS, BUT GETTING ALL FRACTIOUS ELEMENTS ON BOARD IS A TOUGH ASK
OVERALL PLAN FOR A UNIFIED FRONT • Stitching an anti-BJP ‘main front’ with both the Congress and Left parties on board. The Congress is central to the plan as the grand old party is in direct contest with BJP in 186 Lok Sabha seats
HURDLES FOR AN OPPOSITION FRONT
NITISH’S BIHAR CHALLENGE
STILL THE SHAHENSHAH • Age hasn’t dimmed his aura; if anything, the luminescence that surrounds Amitabh Bachchan has only grown, born of a man who is constantly reinventing himself. A tribute
“Amitji is a unique phenomenon”
“He defines the very word stardom”
“Every shot for him is his first shot”
“An institution that defines discipline”
“A rare cine actor who has mastered anchoring”
‘Hey, Rockstar!’
“We need stars like him to keep the magic of cinema alive”
“They lie who say they don’t want to be like him”
THE SULTAN OF FATE • Amitabh Bachchan embodies stardom, but also so much more—speaking even to social and cinema history. As he turns 80, we trace the arc of his life and times in a scene-by-scene biography
The Young ’Un • October 11, 1942: Inspired by the agitations launched by Gandhi during the Quit India movement, poet-author Harivansh Rai Bachchan (1907–2003) and wife Teji initially name their first-born ‘Inquilab’ but then opt for ‘Amitabh’ (or ‘Enduring light’). A prescient name.
Newbie Blues • The struggling years common to every fresh face are unusually tough for the tall, lanky baritone with a passion for acting. Finally, it’s his talent that speaks
A Star Explodes • Beginning with Zanjeer in 1973, the next few years see Amitabh as the...