Lives, buried: Untouchability persists in India, across villages and cities

A piece of home: Given that Justice Surya Kant, who is due to take over as chief justice of India in November, hails from Punjab, the land of butter-drenched parathas and creamy lassi, one might expect him to be missing street-side kulchas or sarson da saag. But when asked if he pines for Punjab’s gastronomic delights, the honourable judge does not skip a beat. “Miss Punjabi food? Not a chance,” he quips, with the confidence of a man who has never known a bad meal. “I take my cook with me—been with me for years, my culinary consigliere.” | Illustrations by Jairaj T.G.

Stealing hillocks: Of all the things that humans can erase from this earth, a hillock is probably among the most unbelievable. However, if Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav is to be believed, that is exactly what is happening in his home district Etawah. According to him, the mining mafia, in cahoots with the district administration, has a free run in the area and are scoping out entire hillocks for sand. There is also the hint of a “big” BJP leader’s son being involved in this loot.

Percussion discussion: Amid rumours that the Congress leadership might replace him, Kerala unit president K. Sudhakaran is beating his own drum, literally. Sudhakaran, who maintains that he will step down only after “throwing the LDF out of power” and has also dismissed reports of “ill-health”, was recently at a public event in Kannur district’s Kadambur—his home turf. When he noticed young percussionists who were lined up with their chendas to welcome him, Sudhakaran was seized with a sudden desire to play the instrument. Without further ado, he leaned forward, took the chenda stick from a boy and tapped out a few beats. While netizens were amused and cheered the moment, some speculated that Sudhakaran was sending a message to his party—that he still has rhythm and was far from unfit. However, there were those who observed that he did not even seem to know how to hold the chenda stick properly.

Tale of an icon: M.K. Stalin: The Modern Dravidian Icon, the coffee table book that marks 50 years of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s life in public service, was released by THE WEEK’s Chief Associate Editor and Director Riyad Mathew in Chennai on May 7, as the DMK celebrated four years of being in power. The launch was in the presence of Stalin and Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, with the first copy being received by Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu. The anthology comprises essays by Stalin’s teachers, friends, family and fellow politicians including Rahul Gandhi and Uddhav Thackeray. It spans his life from the young schoolboy who plunged into politics inspired by his father, M. Karunanidhi, to becoming the eighth chief minister of the state. In the book, Stalin talks about his dream for Tamils and Tamil Nadu in a detailed interview to Lakshmi Subramanian, THE WEEK’s Chief of Bureau, Chennai.

Thrilling pairing: The world’s top social media personality and businessman MrBeast is joining hands with writer James Patterson to co-write a novel. In this “high-octane, pulse-pounding” thriller, 100 contestants compete in a dangerous game for 1 billion dollars, navigating treacherous terrain and risking death every step of the way. The book, published by HarperCollins, is set to release next year. When a global entertainment powerhouse and one of the world’s best thriller writers come together, you better pre-order your copy | Getty Images

Keeping up with the Kapoors: It’s official. Another Kapoor has caught the acting bug. Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, sister of Ranbir Kapoor, will make her Bollywood debut with comedian Kapil Sharma in his upcoming film. Currently the duo is shooting in Shimla, from where Sharma shared on Instagram a picture on May 5 featuring him, his wife Ginni Chatrath, Riddhima, her mother Neetu Kapoor and a few others. “Smiles, stories and a whole lot of behind-the-scenes love,” he captioned it. The film, reportedly a situational comedy, is set to release later this year | Getty Images

Rhythms of the race: K-pop band Blackpink’s Rosé gets her first movie song with Brad Pitt’s upcoming race drama F1. The original soundtrack also features music royalty like Ed Sheeran, Doja Cat and Don Toliver. Rosé took to Instagram to express her excitement. “This movie’s gonna be willldddd,” she posted. In the film, Pitt stars as an ex-Formula One racer who returns to the game to train rookie driver Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). Both the album and the film are releasing on the same date―June 27 | Getty Images