The nationwide Bharath Bandh announced by various political and trade unions in support of the protesting farmers in Punjab met with mixed reactions across the country. While almost all of the country ignored the call for a complete shutdown of the state, Punjab and Kerala wholeheartedly participated in the bandh.
The use of bandh and hartal to cause inconvenience to the general public while scoring a few imaginary political brownie points has been the norm in the country for a long time now. With the highly charged up political environment within the country, party workers express extra zeal and enthusiasm to ensure that the whims of the political bosses are followed to the tee. Current protest leader Rakesh Tikait went ahead to so far as saying that it is ok that the public was inconvenienced for a day.
The prevalence of archaic methods of protest like bandhs and hartals where public transport, business, shops and establishments are forced to shut down is very common in the states of Kerala and West Bengal where the communist party still has a very strong influence. Other small pockets within the country extend support to these calls, once again with a higher following for the red flag.
The communist parties are not solely to blame as almost all political parties have used this method to rile up some PR whenever they felt that they needed to get some television or media footage. The irony is when the ruling party of a state decides to announce a bandh to protest against something.
The Bharath Bandh that was announced yesterday was to mark the first anniversary of the protests by farmers in the states of Punjab and Haryana over the 3 Farm Laws that were brought into practice by the central government. The NDA government claims that these laws are meant to reform the current setup and to empower the farmers while the farmer unions and trade unions believe otherwise.
They have been protesting ever since the government brought these laws into practice with the opposition parties adding fuel to the fire by openly spreading their versions of the laws and also incentivising unions that are affiliated with the parties to actively rally the support of as many farmers as possible.
The protesting farmers braved cruel weather and multiple rounds of talks with the government but their idea of a complete victory where the government will unconditionally repeal the laws has met with a dead end as the government has refused to relent believing that this will set an unwanted precedent.
Read the full article at - https://thedailyvanilla.com/2021/09/28/bharath-bandh-gives-kerala-hope-of-return-to-normalcy-amidst-covid19/

Weddings are a huge market in India especially since the societal structure build up to marriage as being one of the cornerstones of an Indian man or woman’s life. Earlier generations considered the wedding ceremony to be a right of passage of sorts to enter what was considered as the most important phase of a person’s life.
With weddings getting grander and more intricate with every passing year, the traditional elements have taken a back seat. The whole wedding event is slowly turning into an entertainment extravaganza with an entry song and dance routine for the bride, groom and their entourage. This is usually followed by a few more songs and dance routines by the brothers, sisters, friends etc. The whole ceremony is now nothing less than an Indian movie wedding scene.
This evolution of the wedding event has been welcomed wholeheartedly by the younger population who otherwise found weddings to be an extremely boring affair. Added to this the pressures of being prodded on their careers, marriage, children by gossiping aunties and patronising uncles, it wasn’t something that they attended on free will. The whole monotony of the event followed the inevitable and inexplicable mad rush to the dining room and the excruciatingly long wait to get a photograph clicked with the bride and groom has now got a more bearable face to it.
There is a section of the population who turn their nose up at these “dilutions of our culture” but are already scheming and plotting to make their kid’s weddings an even bigger extravaganza – the hypocritical relative.
In between all these innovations and systemic change that is happening in society, one industry has been accelerating these changes by ushering in new concepts, ideas and ways to make every wedding unique. There are clear front runners who charge an exorbitant amount to make the 3-4 day event the most memorable part of a couple’s married life. This is the recently popular and formalised institution known as “Wedding Planners”.
Read the full article at - https://thedailyvanilla.com/2021/09/23/wedding-photographer-barely-escapes-lion-attack-during-pre-wedding-photoshoot/

Cryptocurrency is a topic that is still not clearly understood even today by a vast majority of the world population. In India, the financial knowledge of what cryptocurrency is, how is it traded or even how it came into existence is still a mystery for many. Today, many of us have heard the words bitcoin, dogecoin, ethereum, ripple etc from various TikTok videos from the USA and other parts of the world.
The volatility of the cryptocurrency market makes it an easy win when things go well but a huge financial risk when it crashes. Millionaires have been made overnight while many have been rendered penniless in a fraction of a second.
The website Investopedia describes cryptocurrency as  “a digital or virtual currency that is secured by cryptography, which makes it nearly impossible to counterfeit or double-spend. Many cryptocurrencies are decentralized networks based on blockchain technology—a distributed ledger enforced by a disparate network of computers. A defining feature of cryptocurrencies is that they are generally not issued by any central authority, rendering them theoretically immune to government interference or manipulation.”
The whole craze for cryptocurrency started with the launch of Bitcoin. Interested people had to go through a process known as crypto mining to generate the coins which were then sold on an “exchange” which is similar to the stock market. Many hardcore fans of the stock market have stayed away from the crypto exchanges because of the volatility of the market along with the lack of maturity of the exchanges making transactions very expensive. Being a new exchange the processes will also take a while to get formalised.
In between all this uncertainty, India too has been producing crypto millionaires of late. One of the newest members in this exclusive group is 30 year old, Jitindrann Nair from Kochi.
Read the full article at - https://thedailyvanilla.com/2021/09/22/indian-cryptocurrency-millionaire-reveals-secret-behind-his-investing-system/

Pakistan has been castigated and greylisted in multiple international forums for its alleged role in harbouring terrorists responsible for terror attacks around the world. Although Pakistan has maintained its innocence and even tried to make amends for its actions, the international community is not convinced.
This was evident when the New Zealand cricket team pulled out of its tour to Pakistan hours before the first match was about to start citing intelligence reports of probable violence and terrorist attacks during the match. The same report prompted England to pull their men’s and women’s teams from their tour next month as well.
The whole international consensus is that Pakistan will also now use the help of the Taliban who have taken over the rule of Afghanistan to increase the terror activity in the region. Barring China, which directly benefits from the nefarious activities of a once prosperous state, and Turkey, Pakistan finds itself isolated in the international community. It is only the influence that China holds over countries that are struggling with Chinese debt and its veto power as a permanent member of the UNSC that has prevented sanctions and strict punishment from being handed down to Pakistan.
On the outside, Pakistan is making real efforts to shed the tag of being a terrorist state and has made great progress in checking off the conditions of the FATF Grey List. They have also managed to keep themselves away from the dreaded blacklist which will ultimately end up in severe sanctions which will have to be borne by the common Pakistani. Unfortunately, the freedom at which the UN-designated terrorists in Pakistan move about and make statements on live TV will always be a concern to the rest of the world.
To allay these concerns, our sources have informed us that Pakistan is planning to make a major announcement today on the occasion of the International Day of Peace.
The International Day of Peace or World Peace Day is celebrated on 21st September every year and is one of the United Nations declared holidays. First celebrated in 1981, the day is dedicated to world peace and the absence of war and violence. Some countries observe the day by declaring a temporary ceasefire or suspension of hostilities.
On a formal front, the UN observes debates, contests and discussions on a predetermined topic. The topic for this year is Recovering Better for an Equitable and Sustainable World. The day is inaugurated after the ringing of the United Nations Peace Bell at the UN Headquarters in New York. The bell is made from coins contributed by children from around the world and inscribed with the words “Long live absolute world peace”.
Our sources tell us that Pakistan is determined to make amends and convince the international community that its commitment to peace and stability in the region is second to none. The Imran Khan-led government is set to make an important announcement today to mark the celebrations of the International Day of Peace in the country.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://thedailyvanilla.com/2021/09/21/pakistan-to-celebrate-international-day-of-peace-with-unique-announcement/

The Punjab Congress conflict has finally turned the corner. While many were surprised at the end result, keen political observers and experts had expected this to happen. With his resignation as the Chief Minister on Saturday, he has now paved way for not only a new CM in the form of Charanjit Singh Channi, but also provided Navjot Singh Sidhu to take over the reins of the Punjab Congress.
The rumblings between the two have been going on for a while with Sidhu labelling the former Chief Minister as nonchalant while Amarinder Singh has repeatedly referred to Sidhu as incompetent.  The battle was thrown out in the open after Sidhu, a former BJP MLA, was asked to take over the leadership of the Punjab Congress a few months ago.
While having bad blood with another politician from another party or even within the same party is not uncommon, what surprised everyone was that the former Indian cricketer did not even wait to get acclimatised with his new environment before going on the offensive against his own Chief Minister. Amarinder Singh had always warned everyone that Sidhu was not to be trusted and that he had ulterior motives.
Our sources who had privy of the information flow within each camp told us that at the root of it, the issues were quite silly. The one person they both believed would play the role of a neutral mediator, Rahul Gandhi, had already picked sides and was busy consolidating his position within the Indian National Congress.
“The issue is so childish,” said our source. “If you remember, Sidhu always had issues playing under captains during his career as a cricketer. He had even walked out of a series midway after an argument with the then captain Mohammed Azharuddin. Amarinder Singh used to be a captain in the Indian Army. He preferred to be called Captain as well. This did not sit well with Sidhu who had built an aversion to that word and the person holding the position… Rest is history.”
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://thedailyvanilla.com/2021/09/20/sources-reveal-real-reason-behind-sidhu-amarinder-singh-conflict/

Virat Kohli announced his resignation as captain of the Indian T20 cricket team yesterday. This decision did not come as a surprise as rumours of Virat Kohli being replaced by Rohit Sharma in white-ball cricket had been doing the rounds for a couple of days now. While Kohli will continue to lead the Indian cricket team in One Day Internationals, he will relegate himself to the role of a batsman in the T20s. Rohit Sharma, who is one of the most successful captains in the IPL is said to take charge after the end of the T20 World Cup this year.
In his message on social media, Virat Kohli mentioned the workload that he had to manage as the main reason for this decision but our sources tell us that he was most concerned about captaincy affecting his batting. This decision will allow him to dedicate a bit of time away from the pressure of captaincy to work on his batting in the shortest format.
Our sources tell us that this brave decision by Virat has deeply affected Bollywood star kid Arjun Kapoor. Son of producer Boney Kapoor and nephew of actors Anil Kapoor & Sanjay Kapoor, half brother of actress Jhanvi Kapoor and cousin of actress and socialite Sonam Kapoor, Arjun made his debut in Bollywood in 2012.
According to our sources, he has reportedly decided to quit acting once he wraps up his current commitments as he believes that it is draining a lot of his time that he should probably be investing in his real dream – to be a celebrity.
To plunge fully into the dream and to be the best at it, he is receiving tips from the best in the business – cousin Sonam Kapoor. As part of the training, he has been asked to binge-watch all seasons of Keeping Up with the Kardashians as his first lesson.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://thedailyvanilla.com/2021/09/17/virat-kohli-inspires-arjun-kapoor-to-quit-acting/

The central government had announced the merger of Lok Sabha Tv and Rajya Sabha TV in March 2021. The new channel Sansad TV was officially launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the presence of Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla yesterday.
This new channel is expected to have programming in both English and Hindi on the functioning of Parliament and democratic institutions, governance and implementation of schemes/policies, history and culture of India and issues/interests/concerns of contemporary nature. Parliamentary sessions will also be telecast live from both houses.
Veteran IAS Officer Ravi Capoor was appointed the CEO of Sansad TV in February along with IRS Officer Manoj K Arora who was appointed as interim Editor in Chief. They will head a team of over 200 employees whose job will be to keep the channel and its programming up to standard. There is slated to be shows and programs on various topics which will be covered by a variety of anchors.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor will host interviews with personalities from all spheres of life in his show “To The Point”. Principal Advisor to the Ministry of Finance, Sanjeev Sanyal, also launched his show on economic policies called “Economic Sutra”. Apart from them, it is also said that leaders like Karan Singh (Congress), Bibek Debroy (Economist), Amitabh Kant (NITI Ayog Chairman) and Hemant Batra (Advocate) will also be hosting their own shows on the channel.
The new channel and a more professional way of working were put in place for the central government to incite interest in government functioning. There is also the objective of explaining new bills, laws and policies to the public to counter the menace of fake news and WhatsApp forwards. Our sources told us that there was also the intent to stop the manipulation of policies by the opposition leaders as the public will now have access to experts directly.
The new channel was welcomed by people from all spheres of life until the announcement that the channel will be mainstream and will also be available on OTT was made public. This triggered a series of muted protests from the television fraternity and many actors and production houses expressed reservations on the matter.
Read the full article at: http://thedailyvanilla.com/2021/09/16/tv-actors-protest-launch-of-sansad-tv/

The MET Gala or the Costume Institute Gala was conducted yesterday after a year off due to the COVID19 pandemic. The event was graced by some of the top celebrities from the world of entertainment, fashion, politics and media. The much-awaited event did not disappoint with some stunning outfits from the attendees all night.
The MET Gala is an annual fundraising event for the Metropolitan Art Museum’s Costume Institute and marks the opening of the Institute’s annual art exhibit. Every year there is a theme for the exhibit and the attendees tend to match their outfits with the theme. Established in 1948, the Gala currently requires a rumoured USD 40,000 donation to the Institute to be allowed to attend the event. The event this year is expected to raise more than USD 200 million.
The itinerary for the event includes a cocktail hour and a formal dinner. The guests arrive and grace the red carpet, interact with media and mingle during the cocktail hour. After this, the guest sits down for a formal dinner with the rest of the attendees who have paid to be a part of the event.  Before the start of the dinner, there is entertainment in the form of performances and displays that also tend to follow the theme of the year.
This year’s theme for the event was In America: A Lexicon of Fashion. The chairs for the event included Timothée Chalamet, Billie Eilish, Amanda Gorman and Naomi Osaka. The prestigious honorary chair position was shared between Tom Ford, Adam Mosseri and Anna Wintour. Every year there is the main sponsor for the event who can choose to sponsor individually or as part of an ensemble. This year the sponsor for the event was Instagram. Justin Bieber was the headline performer at the event.
The outfits on display this year were stunning and as provocative as the ones in the previous years. The horse face dress worn by Kim Petras and the Grandma’s Quilt worn by A$AP Rocky were among the highlights. Some of the attendees chose to use this opportunity to express their political opinion while some just used the event as an opportunity to be out in public. Jennifer Lopez proved that she was an ageless icon when she walked down wearing what one can only describe as a power statement while Grimes showcased her better half Elon Musk’s space dreams (and the upcoming movie Dune) with her space/alien inspired outfit.
These costumes triggered a series of tweets and responses in India where the netizens claimed that our very own Ranveer Singh would have truly rocked the MET Gala or even put it to shame.
Read the full article at: http://thedailyvanilla.com/2021/09/15/ranveer-singh-not-fit-for-met-gala-says-top-international-fashion-expert/

The VMAs or MTV Video Music Awards were held in New York at a night filled with surprises both in the wardrobe selection of some of the attendees and also in the final results. It had all the usual drama, fashion, glitz, glamour, music and frenzy that has come to be associated with this yearly event.
The event, which was hosted by rapper Doja Cat, had performances and appearances by some of the biggest names in international music. It was no surprise that Lil Nas X walked away with the most number of awards after his sensational video and song Montero (Call be by your Name). Another big winner was Olivia Rodrigo who not only matched Lil Nas X with 3 awards on the night but also took home the Song of the Year award and Best New Artist for her song Driver’s License.
Justin Bieber had the most number of nominations (9) on the night and took home the coveted Artist of the Year Award. Along with Justin Bieber, another legend who firmly established her mark in the history books was “Queen Bee” Beyonce who collected her 29th award in the history of the awards. Korean Pop or K-Pop sensation BTS also collected 3 awards on the night.
Apart from the awards and the music, another major talking point at these events is the wardrobe or elaborate costumes that the celebrities get decked in for the red carpet. They were often used to spread a message like Cindy Crawford’s black Versace creation that she teamed up with a red ribbon to spread the awareness of AIDS/HIV back in 1992. Most of it was for pure shock value like Lil Kim’s one-shoulder dress with matching nipple pasties in 1999 or Rose McGowen’s sheer dress in 1998.
Other artists have used the red carpet to further their on-screen image like Lady Gaga’s dress made of meat in 2010 or Cher who recreated her iconic look from the ’80s in the same year. Miley Cyrus also turned up the shock value in 2016 with a dress that did not even attempt to do what a dress is supposed to. In 2011 Nikki Minaj appeared on the red carpet in what could not be described as a dress by any stretch of the imagination.
Another well-deserved entrant into the list with another transparent creation this year was Megan Fox. The 35-year-old model/actress and mother of 3, is famous for gracing the covers of almost every major magazine in the world and for her role in the Transformers franchise. She walked the red carpet hand in hand with her boyfriend and rapper Machine Gun Kelly.
The sheer transparent dress left nothing to the imagination and Megan Fox quickly became the toast of the town with the confidence and sheer elegance with which she carried herself in front of the photographers and media. The sparkly thong that she wore along with the dress barely managed to keep the pictures from being too racy to be shared on mainstream media.T

Read the full article at: http://thedailyvanilla.com/2021/09/14/megan-foxs-dress-at-vma-2021-was-actually-a-statement-against-the-taliban/

Known for making controversial statements regularly on his YouTube channel, Shoaib has never shied away from making his point or even pointing fingers at Pakistani legends like Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad, Misbah Ul Haq or even at current players like Sarfaraz Ahmed and many others. He has also gone on record multiple times claiming that he is ready to take up any role that the Pakistan Cricket Board had to offer. He was particularly interested the in posts of Head Coach, Bowling Coach, Chief Selector, Head of PCB and even Chief Talent Scout.
While appearing for one of the cricket-based talk shows on Pakistani television, the topic for discussion had shifted to the current situation of the Pakistani team which was left without a head and bowling coach after the resignation of Misbah ul Haq and Waqar Younis. During a break in the shoot, Shoaib was heard saying that he can easily coach the team. All they have to do was subscribe to his YouTube channel and listen to the words of wisdom and analysis that he provides.
Our sources tell us that Shoaib Akhtar has devised a process where he will release a video every day which the team will need to watch. On match days, there will be 2 videos, one before the match about the strategy and team selection and one after the match providing analysis.
He also said that as the newly appointed Head of the PCB, Ramiz Raja is also an avid YouTuber, he will provide tips for him as well on YouTube. He claims that he does not need to be paid and this will be his contribution to the future of Pakistan cricket.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://thedailyvanilla.com/2021/09/13/shoaib-akhtar-offers-to-coach-pakistani-cricket-team-via-his-youtube-channel/