In Mumbai, Dharavi is not the first place that comes to mind when looking for great examples of tech based innovation. But students from the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) and Indian Design Center (IDC) are trying to do just that by implementing an Internet of Things (IoT) based solution for shops and consumers in what is often called Asia's largest slum.

According to a report in the Hindustan Times, the student project uses beacon technology to connect shops in Dharavi to a network. When a customer nears a beacon, she will get a notification on her smartphone informing her about offers and products in nearby shops.

Students in IIT-B and IDC have collaborated with Swansea University in UK to install the beacons in almost 30 shops. The project is part of a research award competition organised by Google. The search giant has provided a 100 smartphones as beacons to the students.

"This enhanced shopping experience aims to not only boost the customer-seller relation but attract more buyers to the markets of Dharavi," a statement issued by IIT-B said. "In the greater scheme of things, this will bring a change in the way Dharavi is perceived."

The implementation of the technology involves creating a physical web between different points. The HT report says that students have also created posters for consumers to switch on the Bluetooth in their smartphones so that they can enjoy the shopping experience.

Apple has its own standard called iBeacon for iPhone 4S and later models. The beacon technology has been used by chains such as McDonald's to attract customers. While Google has its own version of the beacon, both variants have been used in industries such as hospitality, travel, sports and trade shows.

Once the project is completed, the team will submit a report on it to Google and seek more support and grants.

NEW DELHI -- The Supreme Court on Friday refused to give an urgent hearing to a plea filed by lawyer Manohar Lal Sharma in which he demanded the budget be presented in March.

An apex court bench headed by Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar said they would hear the matter in due course of time.

"I have mentioned the matter before the bench of the apex court seeking postponing of the annual budget to be presented by the government in view of impending assembly polls," Sharma told ANI.

"The apex court, however, said they would hear the matter on due course of time," said Sharma.

On Thursday the opposition demanded the date for budget presentation be shifted till after the elections get over.

The Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC) and others said they were not in favour of February 1 as the start of the budget session.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said the negation has been put forward as it would lead to biased elections, which are against the constitution and democracy, adding further that they have no problem with any date post elections.

"If the government wants, it can call session from 31. But, only the budget should be presented post March 8, as it is the last date of elections. It can choose any date after March 8 as it can announce it any day before March 31," he said.

TMC leader Derek O'Brien resonated the same saying the Centre can present the budget after March 8, once the elections get over.

"It is about 15-16 opposition parties together. There is a simple solution - the government has enough time to present the budget after March 8. It can get it passed before March 31. That is the fair way of doing," he said.

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Remember when India Today brought out the super meme-worthy cover of Baba Ramdev and the Internet just could not handle it? Truly, no one can recover from that image any time soon. Now, the Open magazine has come out with its own meme-worthy cover.

It might not be as soul-scarring as Baba Ramdev's booty shot, but it adroitly references global pop culture and local politics. The magazine's latest edition features a cover story on the feud in Uttar Pradesh's ruling Yadav clan that is being played out in full view of the public. The cover image perfectly captures the feud between the president of the Samajwadi Party, Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son, Akhilesh Yadav, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

Geddit?

Yes, Mulayam is Darth Vader and Akhilesh Luke Skywalker.

Mulayam, like Darth Vader in Hollywood's epic Star Wars film series, is the aging ruling overlord and son Akhilesh is challenging his supremacy, just like Luke Skywalker. Does that make Ram Gopal Yadav the Obi Wan Kenobi of Samajwadi Party? That remains to be seen.

Well played, Open.

The politics of Uttar Pradesh has often kept political pundits and expert analysts on their toes. It is as interesting as it's unpredictable. Indeed the current political scenario in Uttar Pradesh can at best be described in the words of Winston Churchill who once said, "Politics is the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month and next year and to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn't happen."

Uttar Pradesh has the unique distinction of giving India the greatest number of Prime Ministers out of all the states. It also once had a chief minister who became only the second living leader to have erected her own statues, the first one being Saddam Hussain. Another former CM once termed rape as "a mistake" boys make.

Akhilesh is being projected as the poor obedient leader of the youth who is sacrificing his personal relations and position in the party for the greater good of state.

From a sitting CM being unceremoniously removed from his post of party chief to a powerful woman politician being threatened with rape inside the State Guest House, the politics of UP has seen it all.

First things first—the political field of Uttar Pradesh is no one's home ground. Winning their own Lok Sabha seat is considered a cakewalk for incumbent Prime Ministers, but UP once robbed Indira Gandhi of this privilege as well.

Now coming to the present tug of war going on in Uttar Pradesh, it is really tough to segregate drama from reality.

There could be two ways of looking at it.

First would be to take it at face value and believe everything that's happening to be "real." But with someone as politically experienced as Mulayam Singh Yadav at the core of it, it would be a mistake to think of the recent friction as entirely spontaneous. Since the inception of the Samajwadi Party, Mulayam Singh Yadav has hobnobbed with and backstabbed almost all the bigwigs of contemporary politics. He left Mamata Banerjee in the lurch during last Presidential elections, moved out of the grand alliance of Bihar at the last moment and has in the past made coalitions with the BSP, Congress, RLD and whoever else made political sense at the time. Being so adept in his game, he cannot be viewed as being naïve enough to not understand the political implications of sacking his own son and UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav from the party.

So, the second option is to view recent events as a politically scripted drama to get the upper hand in the upcoming assembly elections.

Now before analysing who gains what from this entire hullabaloo, here is a summary of everything that transpired in the SP pari(w)ar.

Shivpal and Akhilesh are having administrative differences. Chacha considers Bhatija to be disobedient; Bhatija thinks Chacha is favouring the corrupt. Both wield their powers in party and government respectively to suspend, reinstate and demean each other's loyalists. Things escalate and they jump at each other. Akhilesh sacks Shivpal from his ministerial berth. Things go completely out of hand on the issue of ticket distribution and Akhilesh Yadav, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, is thrown out of the party by his own father.

Through this drama Akhilesh will become a winner even before contesting. The SP is betting on this image to stay in the people's mind.

To all those concerned, Shivpal's clout and image in Uttar Pradesh is an unsaid truth. Everyone knows the door they need to knock on for transfers, promotions, selections in state government posts, etc.

On the contrary, Akhilesh is being projected as the poor obedient leader of the youth who is sacrificing his personal relations and position in the party for the greater good of the state. He is the messiah of the masses who is completely against corruption.

Yet no politician worth its salt would ever willingly let go of power.

So the looming question remains the same, is it drama or is it reality?

In my opinion, if it is drama then it is in its last leg. This chapter is entirely dedicated to show the authority and power of Akhilesh Yadav. This is obvious in the way Akhilesh Yadav's suspension was revoked. Shivpal Yadav will go into oblivion, sacrificing his personal aspirations in favour of the people's will. In other words, the Samajwadi Party is playing its own primaries, albeit scripted, on the lines of the US presidential election. With media glare and constant focus, Akhilesh will gain the necessary traction and emerge as a winner even before the real elections. It is probably to convince the people how incorruptible and immensely loved Chhote Netaji is.

In the time of "notebandi" it is the best free promotion and advertisement that anybody can ask for.

The reason why telecasts of election polls have been banned during the voting process is because people do tend to vote for a person who seems to be winning. Here through this drama, Akhilesh will become a winner even before contesting. The SP is betting on this image to stay in the people's mind.

In the time of "notebandi" it is the best free promotion and advertisement that anybody can ask for.

BENGALURU -- A suo motu case has been registered against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ananth Kumar Hegde on charges of assaulting a doctor.

Hegde, who is the MP from Kanara constituency, had on 2 January thrashed two doctors and a private hospital worker in Sirsi as they were making delay in admitting his mother who sustained a leg injury.

The BJP MP's mother Lalita Hegde suffered a leg fracture after a fall in her house and was rushed to TSS Hospital in Sirsi.

Since the doctor on duty was busy in the operation theatre, he didn't attend to Hegde's mother on priority which irked the latter. The MP then dragged the doctor out of the ward and manhandled him.

When another doctor and an employee tried to intervene, Hegde assaulted them as well.

Hegde had also threatened the hospital authority of consequences if they lodge a police complaint against him.

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PATNA -- The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Friday slammed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for seating its party supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav in the audience during the event held yesterday to celebrate Prakash Utsav.

Expressing his ire, RJD's Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said the 'mahagathbandhan' between both parties is not visible, adding the Janata Dal (United) has been dominating everywhere.

"The people didn't like this. They were amazed to see that how Lalu Yadav was seated in the audience. There is ' mahagathbandhan' in Bihar. So, every leader of the alliance should have been there on the stage. But it seems now that only the JD (U) is ruling the state," he said

Rubbishing Nitish's explanation on the same, he said, "What kind of a protocol is this? If Nitish Kumar thinks that the event was organized in an appropriate manner then what can be said, but the people of Bihar did not like it."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who yesterday attended the 350th birth anniversary of tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh being observed as Prakash Utsav in Patna, congratulated Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for his 'nasha-mukti abhiyan' and said that it would inspire others as well.

"I congratulate Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for his 'nasha-mukti abhiyan'. It can save the coming generations and act as an inspiration for other states," Prime Minister Modi said while speaking at Patna's Gandhi Maidan on the occasion of Prakash Utsav.

Prime Minister Modi asserted that the state would play a major role in development of the nation.

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The Bengaluru mass molestation was not the only shameful incidence of violence against women to have happened on 31 December. According to the police, an incidence of molestation occurred in Delhi too.

Two men molested a woman on a motorcycle, pulling her off the vehicle she was riding and then attacked the policemen who tried to stop the assault. According to the Indian Express, this incident took place at 11:20 pm on New Year's Eve, when a group of policemen saw two boys approach an unidentified woman who was riding pillion on a motorcycle with a man. The CCTV and mobile phone footage recovered by the police show a mob and the two suspects, one in a blue shirt and another in a yellow shirt.

The police have registered a case of molestation, even though the woman has not filed a complaint, and rioting, and have detained at least 24 men, mostly students.

"The officers were taking the two men to the Batra police post when they were surrounded by a mob," a senior police officer who was on duty at the time told the Indian Express. "During this time, the woman and her friend drove away as they were scared of the mob building up."

The CCTV footage shows the victim and her friend on the motorcycle and a few seconds later, a mob is seen running in the opposite direction with the police chasing them. Another video, shot on a mobile phone, shows many young men dancing and shouting on the street. According to the police, some of the men in the mobile footage were part of the mob that attacked the Batra police post.

"They immediately called their friends to the Batra Cinema police post and were shouting and carrying stones...They started to pelt stones at the police post. The mob also took away the two suspects from the police post," said the FIR lodged on the complaint of one of the policemen.

"We were standing in the balcony when we saw a huge group of boys start attacking policemen and throwing stones," said a 60-year-old, who lives near the police post. "My son called police and we all rushed back inside the house. Some boys have created a ruckus here in the past. This is not the first time they started a fight with police."

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DHAKA -- One of the masterminds of Bangladesh's worst terror attack at a popular cafe here and another top militant behind the murder of a Hindu priest were killed on Friday in a gunfight with police during a pre-dawn raid in the Muslim-majority country.

Neo-Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen's wanted leader Nurul Islam alias Marjan and another extremist were killed by Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit in Mohammadpur Beribadh area of the capital.

"One is identified as Marjan and another is Saddam Hossain, an accused neo JMB member," Daily Star newspaper quoted Monirul Islam, chief of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, as saying.

Police say Marjan coordinated the 1 July attack on Gulshan's Holey Artisan Bakery that killed 22 people, including an Indian girl.

Saddam was wanted for at least ten murder cases, including Japanese national Kunio Hoshi murder, Jogeshwar Dasadhikari murder and attempt to murder a Bahai community leader in Rangpur, Monirul said.

Jogeshwar was hacked to death during an attack on a temple in Bangladesh s Panchgarh district in February last year.

"Acting on a tip-off, we conducted a raid around 3am...Sensing our presence, the militants opened fire at us. In retaliation, we fired back that left the two injured," Monirul said.

Later, they were declared dead when taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

According to an investigator, former Islami Chhatra Shibir leader Marjan was the youngest military commander of the Neo-JMB, a new faction of Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) affiliated with Islamic State, Dhaka Tribune reported.

He also had connection with a number of top leaders of the outfit. Marjan had expertise in operating heavy arms.

Marjan had stayed in the militant den of Gobindaganj in Gaibandha for a long period where he reportedly gave motivational training to seven militants. Of the seven, five took part in the Gulshan terror attack.

On 1 July, militants stormed the bakery. The attackers took diners and restaurant staff hostage and had confrontations with police, killing two police officials.

Next morning, a joint commando force stormed the bakery, killing all the attackers and rescuing the captives, ending the terror siege of nearly 11 hours.

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The Uttarakhand Congress has reportedly roped in poll strategist Prashant Kishor in the run-up to the state elections for a last-minute boost to their campaign. Kishor has been brought in at a time when incumbent chief minister Harish Rawat is under CBI lens for allegedly paying bribes to rebel Congress MLAs.

The mastermind behind the BJP's historic win in the 2014 national elections, as well as Nitish Kumar's Bihar victory, was reportedly hired last week on 30 December. "Kishor had met Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat a day before and everything happened so quickly that it came as a surprise both to the state Congress leaders and I-PAC team members," an unnamed source told Firstpost.

In fact, The Hindu reported that Kishor is behind the Congress slogan: "Baaki sab sapne hain, Harish Rawat apne hain" ("The rest is a dream, Harish Rawat is ours"). According to the report, Kishor himself had offered his services to the state Congress.

The Uttarakhand elections are expected to take place on 15 February.

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A giant of parallel and new wave cinema, Om Puri delivered some stellar performances in Ardh Satya, Aakrosh and Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron while being equally at home with Bollywood potboilers and Hollywood movies such as East Is East and City of Joy.

With his instantly recognisable rich baritone and chameleon-like ability to transform on-screen, 66-year-old Puri was at ease playing an angst-laden police officer in Ardh Satya to the comic role of a corrupt builder Ahuja in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro.

He was the major face of the parallel cinema movement alongside his contemporaries Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil, working collectively in some of the biggest Indian classics like Bhumika, Aakrosh, Sparsh, Bhavni Bhavai, Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Ata Hai, Mirch Masala, Sadgati, Arohan, Ardh Satya and Mandi.

The actor, who starred in around 300 movies, won the National Film Award for best actor for his role as a police inspector in the 1982 film Ardh Satya. He also received the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award of India in the year 1990.

After the end of art cinema movement, Puri shifted to mainstream cinema where he did memorable character roles while continuing to give noteworthy performances in films like Vijeta, Ghayal, Droh Kaal, Maachis, Ghatak: Lethal, Chachi 420, Khoobsurat, Pukar, Hera Pheri and Dev.

Puri had appeared in the 2015 Salman Khan movie Bajrangi Bhaijaan. He played the part of a progressive imam, who protects Bajrangi and Munni from the Pakistani security forces and offers them refuge at the madrassa he teaches in.

After Bajrangi Bhaijaan, he teamed up with Salman and Kabir Khan again in Tubelight, which is expected to release on Eid 2017.

The actor was recently in line of fire owing to his comments on Indian soldiers following the Uri attack.

Puri broke the stereotype of the conventional 'good looking' Bollywood hero by setting an example of artistic prowess.

"His greatest contribution has been that when a face like Om Puri was accepted, he actually set a trend. If actors like Nawazuddin Siddiqui are big stars today it is thanks to Om Puri, who convinced audiences to look beyond an actor's face," veteran actor-director Satish Kaushik told PTI.

Born in Ambala, Haryana, to a Railway officer, the multi- talented actor graduated from Pune's prestigious Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). He also studied in National School of Drama (NSD) along with Shah.

Puri made his acting debut with the 1976 Marathi film Ghashiram Kotwal.

The 66-year-old actor is also remembered for his cameo in Richard Attenborough's Oscar-winning film Gandhi, which brought him into limelight on international cinema platform.

He appeared in Hollywood films, like City of Joy opposite Patrick Swayze, Wolf with Jack Nicholson, The Ghost and the Darkness opposite Val Kilmer, and was also seen in Charlie Wilson's War which had Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.

He last worked with British acting icon Helen Mirren on The Hundred-Foot Journey.

His biography - Om Puri: Unlikely Hero (2009), was authored by his estranged wife Nandita Puri.

The book stirred a major controversy with Puri expressing displeasure over some of the references made in it from his personal life. The book to also led to his split with Nandita.

Apart from Hindi cinema, Puri also acted in films of various Indian languages, including Malayalam.

"Om Puri was one of the versatile actors that India had since 1970s, in the backdrop of the so-called New Wave cinema. In Kerala, he has a large fan following, not just because he had acted in a few Malayalam films but on account of his outstanding contributions to the Indian cinema as a whole," said Balagopal, a film scholar.

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MUMBAI -- After several failed attempts to interview Om Puri in the past two weeks, an interaction was finally scheduled at 11 AM on Friday, but fate had other plans as the veteran actor breathed his last this morning.

Puri, aged 66, died at his residence on Friday after a massive heart attack.

The actor had been giving interviews for his upcoming film Rambhajan Zindabad and we were to talk about the same, on 23 December.

That day, however, Puri's phone was answered by his manager, who informed that the actor had undergone a tooth-operation and so won't be able to speak.

What followed was a series of missed opportunities to interview him, for nearly 14 days. Sometimes he was shooting, or the interviewer was busy and in between there were also days, where we were told "he is not well".

Finally, a date and time was fixed to do the interview.

On Thursday, when we called him, the actor cut the call twice which was followed by an automated text response, "Hi...I am busy, Please call my manager."

It was, however, in the evening that his associates called saying that Puri was free and ready to give the interview.

But, as fate would have it, the interview again couldn't happen due to certain circumstances.

In the brief conversation with his associate which lasted not more than 40 seconds, Puri could be heard in the background talking to someone in his usual jolly style.

He assured us that on Friday morning at 11 AM, he will be free from his work and we will finally do the interview.

However, the veteran actor died this morning, hours before we could talk.

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NEW DELHI -- On New Year's Eve, 14 billion messages were exchanged through WhatsApp in India, 32 per cent of which were in some form of media, the instant messaging app said on Friday.

The number of messages shared on the platform on New Year's Eve is even higher than the last record set during Diwali when eight billion messages were sent in one day, WhatsApp said.

A total of 3.1 billion images, 700 million GIFs and 610 million videos were sent on WhatsApp on the occasion.

Facebook-owned WhatsApp has more than 160 million monthly active users in India. It has a total of over a billion users across the world.

LUCKNOW -- In their first one-to-one meeting since the vertical split in Samajwadi Party, Shivpal Yadav on Friday held talks with defiant nephew Akhilesh at his residence in Lucknow on a "compromise formula" for a possible patch-up.

Party insiders were tight-lipped on what transpired at the brief meeting Shivpal had with Chief Minister Akhilesh.

Shivpal later met his brother Mulayam Singh Yadav as well.

However, sources privy to the fast-paced developments did not rule out the possibility of resignation of Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh, the "outsider" whose return to SP triggered a storm in the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh, under a "compromise formula".

Another possibility could be resignation of Shivpal from the post of state SP chief, a charge held by the chief minister before the current family feud broke out.

It was the first meeting between Akhilesh and Shivpal since the chief minister donned the mantle of SP chief replacing his father Mulayam.

An inkling of a patch-up came on Thursday night when Akhilesh planned to go to the airport in Lucknow to receive his father, but dropped the idea when he came to know that Amar Singh was accompanying him in the chartered flight.

Soon after Mulayam's return from Delhi, his apolitical brothers Abhayram Yadav and Rajpal Yadav met him apparently to end the strife in the family.

During a meeting with SP MLAs, MLCs, MPs and senior leaders to collect their signed affidavits for submission before the EC, Akhilesh had on Thursday asked his father to give him Samajwadi Party's control for three months.

The meetings Shivpal had with Akhilesh and later with Mulayam on Friday morning reflected hectic behind-the-scene negotiations as the Akhilesh camp prepared to hand over documents to the EC to claim that it was the "real" SP.

Leader of the Akhilesh camp Ramgopal Yadav claimed they have collected signatures of 212 of the 229 MLAs, 56 of the 68 MLCs, 15 of the 24 MPs and a majority of the 5,000 delegates, "making it crystal clear as to which was the real SP".

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NEW DELHI -- The Madras High Court on Friday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking direction to the Centre to announce Bharat Ratna for late Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa.

The first bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M Sundar, rejected the PIL filed by Managing Trustee of Tamil Nadu Centre for Public Interest Litigation K K Ramesh.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Pannerselvam had on 19 December last year urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to confer Bharat Ratna on Jayalalithaa, who passed away on 5 December. At its first meeting on 10 December after Jayalalithaa's death, the Tamil Nadu Cabinet had decided to recommend her name for Bharat Ratna and to propose to the Centre to install her life-size bronze statue in the Parliament complex.

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NEW YORK -- Apple has announced that its app developers earned over $20 billion, up over 40 per cent from 2015, in 2016 alone and also stated that New Year's Day was the highest single day ever for the App Store with nearly $240 million in purchases.

Since the App Store launched in 2008, developers have earned over $60 billion, creating amazing app experiences for App Store customers across iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Mac, Cupertino-headquartered tech giant announced on Friday.

"We want to thank our entire developer community for the many innovative apps they have created, which together with our products, help to truly enrich people's lives," said Philip Schiller, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Marketing, Apple, in a statement.

Purchases from the App Store topped $3 billion in December.

In the same month, Nintendo's Super Mario Run made history with more than 40 million downloads in just four days after its release, and was the most downloaded app globally on Christmas and New Year's Day. Super Mario Run is also among last year's top 10 most downloaded apps worldwide, with Pokemon Go taking the top spot.

Available in 155 countries, the App Store offers 2.2 million apps in total, up over 20 per cent from last year.

The App Store's top-grossing markets include the US, China, Japan and Britain, with China experiencing record year-over-year growth at an incredible 90 per cent.

iPhone and iPad customers grew the App Store's subscription billings significantly in 2016 to $2.7 billion, up 74 per cent from 2015, the company said.

I've mastered the art of sitting; winter allows for plenty of practice. It's not as easy as it sounds, not like the effortless sitting that ergonomic chairs and leather sofas allow. No, this kind of sitting, the kind that takes skill and builds vitamin D, is the kind that requires practice, perseverance, fresh air and a cloudless sky.

The art of sitting is heightened by what's done when one is not sitting.

I wait for the sun in the morning, because it is cold, a cold that begs me to bask in the warmth of cotton-stuffed blankets. After the fog lifts up from the valley and the mountains are glazed with snow, the sun filters through treeless branches and lights up the whitewashed wall by the front door. It then crawls along the balcony, grazing the yellow grill, and pools onto the wide, stone terrace. This is where I have my breakfast, sitting so as to cloak my feet in warmth. The light travels up my shins, my knees, and settles gently on my lap; this is when I begin the day's writing, building sentences one word at a time, shaving the unnecessary, moulding opportunities, polishing possibilities until something stands on its own. It still wavers, but it is there, a paragraph or two, mostly crap, but it's something.

This is the type of sitting that distracts—birds chirp, fluttering their plumage unabashedly. Women gossip, and I catch pieces of their laughing words without wanting to. The worst distraction of all is the tall, disapproving, immobile silence of the trinity; Trishul, Nanda Devi and Panchachuli glitter and gloat, staring at me in the way only mountains can, in a shade of blue and white for which crayons don't exist (periwinkle comes the closest). They mock me with their magnificence, as if asking: what have you accomplished today that comes remotely close to our timeless existence? I bow my head, reminded of my insignificance, and continue to sit, consoling myself by moving with the orbit of sunlight. This type of sitting humbles.

Around noon, the light leaves the terrace and finds a new ground to flood with heat. I follow its path to the water tank, a cemented container of stone that provides water to the rest of the village. The tank is over a hundred years old. The water echoing in its dark hollow reminds me of a strumming guitar.

Now, my seat is not the concave bend of a plastic chair but flat, dusty rock. Legs bend, legs straighten, legs fold, legs cross. I pass hours here, joined by others drying their hair, drying their clothes, or simply searching for warmth in a merciless winter. Soon, the light will be gone, and whatever remains is poured, slathered and absorbed by browning skin. This type of sitting evokes gratitude. I am reminded of an earlier time, when life consisted of moving from one walled bubble to another. My new relationship with sunlight ensures I spend most of my time outdoors, unbubbled, unwalled.

I can feel the light's disappearance before I see it. The temperature drops ever so slightly, like a hot bath that isn't so hot anymore. This is when, for the first time since waking up I crawl back into bed, finding heaven in the guise of hot water bottles. We cuddle together, the bottles and I, under cotton-stuffed blankets, while the air I breathe exits foggily in the tiny sunless room. The light fully disappears, the mountains say goodbye, and the glitter of constellations takes their place.

Sitting is, just like everything else, an integral part of this life, one where a delicate balance teeters between what is free and what is harnessed...

The art of sitting is heightened by what's done when one is not sitting. There are vegetables to buy, food to prepare, dishes to wash, clothes to clean, wood to collect, people to talk to, and of course, things to write about. Sitting is, just like everything else, an integral part of this life, one where a delicate balance teeters between what is free and what is harnessed, like land and fire.

I sit outside by the saggad filled with pine cones and pinewood and thick branches of oak. Fire, I recently read in Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens, once separated my kind of human from other, similarly insignificant kinds of human. It gave my ancestors unprecedented power over forests and other difficult habitats, a power that led to the extinction of all the other types of human. It is this same power that I harness as the temperature drops further, my hands cupped over the crackling flames. It is a luxury, this power, but it is also hard work. The one time I collected firewood, my shoes and woollen socks dripped with dark muck, my clothes tore from thorned vines, and my scratched skin burned each time I poured water on it. The memory of this adventure adds relish to my warmth as I add another branch to the saggad. This type of sitting, I've earned.

The Aam Aadmi Party's national Facebook page reach recently crossed 150 million users (15 crores). This is not new. We have been the biggest political social media page in the world at regular intervals, beating the US Democrats, Pakistan's Tehreek-e-Insaaf and PSDB. Our audience is several times larger than the readership of many large Indian national dailies combined. It is also solely run by volunteer contributors who aren't paid any monthly salary. The silent media revolution is here and no one seems to have noticed.

Why is this happening?

Facebook and WhatsApp are emerging as the primary sources of media consumption for millions of Indians, and a silent media revolution is underway. It is taking place right under the nose of the mainstream media of India.

More than 7 million people on various AAP Facebook pages watched Arvind Kejriwal's speech about the Sahara/Birla diaries. Has this issue been fairly covered in the mainstream media...?

An increase in Facebook reach, for example, happens only when many people support your post or view by endorsing it publicly and aggressively. Engagement metrics like Likes, Shares, Comments and Forwards are used to measure impact.

Like any other media organisation, AAP's social media team has developed a way to approach political stories. We first ensure accuracy, fact-check, verify using third-party sources, consider legal and political ramifications and take editorial calls on content on a daily basis. All of this is orchestrated through a small group of passionate unpaid volunteers in design, content and strategy.

The important question to address is how does an unpaid massive media organisation work at scale and why are we growing?

There are 3 major reasons.

First, you need a communicator whose message is simple, effective and honest. In AAP's case, it is Arvind Kejriwal.

Second, you need a base, a core set of people who believe in the communicator (leader) and the organisation's message and will become your influencers. AAP's youth and lack of ideological or historical baggage helps us identify ourselves with all cross-sections of society and doesn't restrict our communication to any particular "vote bank" based on caste, creed, religion, language, gender or region. Our revolution now spreads from Delhi to Punjab, Goa and Gujarat—three completely dissimilar states on any dimension of identity—which shows the party's appeal across the country.

Thirdly, it is necessary to be innovative and aggressive, and make sure that the base grows.

AAP checks all three boxes. But there's more to it.

What's pushing people away from mainstream media?

People are opting out of mainstream media for their news. The mainstream media in India is experiencing an implosion and doesn't seem to be prepared for the disruption that is social media.

Let's take an example. More than 7 million people watched Arvind Kejriwal's speech in the Vidhan Sabha about Sahara/Birla diaries on various AAP Facebook pages. Has this issue been fairly covered in the mainstream media debates or well, even covered? If not, then who is out of touch with the citizens at large? The online media platforms that covered it got tremendous jumps in their readership.

This reality of today's media and the contrasting personalisation of digital channels are getting citizens to shift their preferences to alternate media. Punjab and Goa, where we will fight elections in a month, are two excellent examples of this change.

Brilliant journalists who ask the right questions lose out to uninspired stenographers. Speaking truth to power has given way to being a prisoner of profit.

Alternate media in Punjab is being fuelled by millions of videos being shared daily via WhatsApp, Facebook and YouTube. Good orators with selfie videos dominate and they are creating content, stimulating debates and reaching digital screens of different sizes across India.

Likewise, in Goa, more than 600,000 voters are active Facebook users. Content is being locally created and served, without a profit motive. Democratisation of our media has begun with social platforms empowering people to share their stories and impact the mainstream debate.

All this is a direct threat to the business model and purpose of a TV studio, a newspaper or news desk. Given the structural constraints and cost-lines that the mainstream media faces, they must realise that fiery graphics, hash-tags, propaganda or stenography are not the solution.

Where do we go from here?

Is this slow death of political mainstream media good for democracy? I think not.

Investigative journalism, asking hard questions that make politicians go "bas dosti bani rahe", deep dive exposés of corruption, asking the questions that the citizen wants to ask and speaking truth to power are the responsibility of the fourth estate, which is essential for any well functioning society. However, the mainstream media could do better to prepare for this explosive future.

The mainstream media needs to remind itself that great content is great business. Advertisements aren't the only source of revenue. The Indian Express gained circulation tremendously when it spoke truth to power during the Emergency in 1975-77. Grovelling when you're not asked to bend is not only amoral but also terrible for business.

People want stories about them, their area, government and society. They don't want old recycled stories, propaganda or Delhi stories which sometimes feel like the only kind of news that exists. The maddening focus on Delhi and its politics irritates many. Why is the Northeast covered like it is the United Nations? Why is Tamil Nadu news only when its capital drowns or when a greatly loved politician passes away? The mainstream media needs to answer this question with honesty and fix it.

India, that is Bharat, is not interested in Lutyens' gossip or propaganda. They want news and analysis told in interesting formats and hate being served brainless news.

India, that is Bharat, is not interested in Lutyens' gossip or propaganda. They want news and analysis told in interesting formats and hate being served brainless news.

Finally, in our two years in politics, we have heard umpteen tales of pressure on management, editors, journalists and beat reporters. However, many confuse independence with neutrality and don't call a spade a spade, or do so in a rather selective manner.

The media and its business is under threat. Brilliant journalists who ask the right questions lose out to uninspired stenographers. Conscientious editors lose out to management. Speaking truth to power has given way to being a prisoner of profit.

At the same time, digital and social media is generating content by the minute, has cheaper advertising and found innovative methods to engage citizens directly

In this reality, the mainstream media needs to evolve its format, delivery, content, style, method and process of finding, analysing and disseminating news. Because, if it doesn't, the silent media revolution lead by cheap digital and social media is already here and is ready to take over.

NEW DELHI -- The Supreme Court on Friday brought curtains down on the contempt proceedings against its former judge, Justice Markandey Katju, as it accepted an unconditional apology tendered by him.

Closing the case, the bench of Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit in their order said: "In view of the apology tendered, we accept and close the proceeding."

"I offer my unconditional apology for publishing the above captioned writings and have deleted the same from my blog entries on Facebook," Katju said in his apology that was read out in the court by senior counsel Rajeev Dhavan appearing for him.

"I express my respect for the judicial appointment process and for the judiciary as an institution of governance," he said.

Urging the court to take his unconditional apology on record, Katju told the court: "I am prepared to read it in open court if I am called upon to do so."

Also on HuffPost India:

Hundreds of women, out on the streets of Bengaluru, were harassed by a mob of men on New Year's Eve.

While politicians such as Abu Asim Azmi resorted to 'blame-the-victim' attitude and didn't blink an eye before saying things like, "Where there is sugar, ants will follow," many celebrities did stand up to the misogyny and called out the incident for what it was — a telling sign of everything that is wrong with the men in our society.

On Friday, Indian captain Virat Kohli took to Twitter and said that those who watched in silence when women were being molested in Bengaluru have "no right to call themselves men." He also said that he feels ashamed to be a part of such a society.

He said:

"What happened in Bangalore is really really disturbing. To see something like that happening to the girls and for people to watch and not do anything about it is a cowardly act. Those people have no right to call themselves men."

"I would like to ask a question, God forbid, if something like that happened to someone in your family, would you stand and watch or would you help? These things are allowed to happen because people stand there and watch it and they are absolutely fine with it. That's why these things happen to a girl."

"Just because she is wearing short clothes. It's her life and it's her decision, her choice and for men to accept that it is an opportunity to get away doing this and men in power defending it is absolutely horrible."

"The fact that these things are in certain people's heads and is acceptable to a certain degree, it's disturbing and it's shocking and I am ashamed to be a part of that society."

"I think we need to change our thinking, treat men and women in the same way, be respectful, and treat women with some compassion and put yourself in that situation and think what if we were the family members of those girls. How would we feel about it?" he said in conclusion.

Here are the videos the captain uploaded:

This country should be safe & equal for all. Women shouldn't be treated differently. Let's stand together & put an end to such pathetic acts pic.twitter.com/bD0vOV2I2P

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) January 6, 2017

Change your thinking and the world will change around you. pic.twitter.com/FinDIYv2aV

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) January 6, 2017

Also On HuffPost India:

NEW DELHI -- The Supreme Court on Friday said the Aircel spectrum would be seized and transferred if the four accused in the Aircel-Maxis case fail to appear in the special court in two weeks.

A bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, comprising Justice N. V Ramanna and D. Y. Chandrachud said the Aircel spectrum would be seized and transferred in two weeks if controller-company and its owner Ananda Krishnan and owner of Maxis company Ralph Marshall do not appear in the court in two weeks.

"If T. Ananthakrishnan and Ralps Marshall of Maxis fail to appear in court on 27 January, the 2G license granted to Aircel in 2006 shall be ceased," said the apex court.

The apex court has fixed 3 February as the next date of hearing.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in August, 2014 filed a charge sheet against former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran and his brother Kalanidhi Maran, T. Ananda Krishnan, owner of Malaysian company Maxis, Ralph Marshall, a senior executive of the Maxis Group, and four companies, including the Sun Direct TV Pvt. Ltd.

Dayanidhi Maran, his wife Kaveri Kalanithi, his brother Kalanidhi Maran and four others had moved a Delhi court in July last year seeking bail in connection with the case.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged that the two firms, South Asia FM Limited (SAFL) and Sun Direct TV Private Ltd. (SDTPL) had received ₹742.58 crore as "proceeds of crime" from Mauritius-based firms and that the two firms were then allegedly controlled by Kalanidhi Maran.

Also on HuffPost India