'When the Chief Fell in Love', to release tomorrow
Mumbai: An unusual fictional romantic novel, "When the Chief Fell in Love: Kashmiriyat, Jamhooryiat, Insaniyat. Hindustaniyat," has sparked a guessing game on its underlying political message, its author Tuhin A. Sinha said here on Tuesday.
Scheduled to be released on February 14, Sinha unveiled the name and covered through social media network and kicked off a raging debate on the content and possibly, a political message, since he is the Bharatiya Janata Party's Mumbai spokesperson.
"The slogan - aKashmiriyat, Jamhooriyat, Insaniyat' was first coined by then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in 2003 and it struck an instant chord with the people of Jammu & Kashmir. By adding 'Hindustaniyat' to the original slogan, I hope a new perspective is given to the burning issue (of J&K) in the present context," Sinha told IANS.
Giving a sneak peek into the storyline, Sinha said it revolved around the life and travails of Vihaan Shastri, India's young and dynamic defense minister who comes under attack after 20 soldiers are killed during a terror strike in Jammu & Kashmir.
While the country bays for bloody revenge, Shastri battles a strange distraction: Zaira Bhat, the woman he once loved, who suddenly returns to his life after 12 years, amidst a web of extraordinary situations and twisted quirks of fate.
The unfolding scenario is indeed extraordinary and sensitive -- for, he is the country's defense minister, and his long-lost love Zaira is the daughter of none other than the reviled Bilal Mohammad Bhat, Jammu & Kashmir's leading and most wanted, Pro-Pakistani separatist leader.
"The plot revolved around whether Shastri is capable of pulling off this a double coup -- can he win the love of his life and also save Jammu & Kashmir which is on edge," Sinha said.
Sinha's ninth book in his writing career which started in 2006, "When the Chief Fell in Love" (246 pages) is published by Fingerprint Publishing.
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Rupee plunges 28 paise to settle at 93.44 against US dollar
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee declined 28 paise to close at 93.44 against the US dollar on Tuesday, weighed down by a steady American currency and volatile crude oil prices amid uncertainties over the progress of West Asia peace negotiations.
Positive domestic equity markets failed to boost local currency, which also had some impact of the Reserve Bank's latest move to ease curbs on speculative bets in non-deliverable forward markets, forex analysts said.
The Reserve Bank on Monday partially withdrew directives taken on April 1 to curb excessive speculation in the rupee. The banking regulator had capped the net open positions in non-deliverable forward markets at USD 100 million, mandating banks to comply by April 10.
Under revised directives, authorised dealers or banks can resume offering non-deliverable derivative contracts involving INR to resident or non-resident users, but must comply with certain restrictions on related-party transactions. Also, the USD 100-million cap in net open position is still effective.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 93.25 and fell to an intra-day low of 93.63 before ending the session 28 paise lower at 93.44 against the greenback.
On Monday, the rupee settled with a loss of 25 paise at 93.16 against the US dollar. The currency had gained 47 paise in the preceding two sessions.
Anuj Choudhary, Research Analyst at Mirae Asset ShareKhan, said the rupee fell on uncertainty over US-Iran talks and a surge in crude oil prices. A strong dollar also pressured the rupee; however, positive global markets cushioned the downside.
"Traders may take cues from retail sales and ADP employment change data from the US. USD-INR spot price is expected to trade in a range of Rs 93.30 to Rs 93.90," Choudhary said.
Jateen Trivedi, VP Research Analyst - Commodity and Currency, LKP Securities, said the rupee traded weaker as recent RBI adjustments and partial rollback of earlier currency-support measures added pressure on the local unit.
"At the same time, the dollar remains steady while crude and gold are relatively stable, with markets closely watching the outcome of US-Iran ceasefire developments expected tomorrow. The rupee is likely to remain highly event-driven, with direction dependent on geopolitical clarity and RBI stance," Trivedi said.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, rose 0.19 per cent to 98.09.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 0.70 per cent down at USD 94.81 per barrel in futures trade.
Analysts attributed the volatility in crude prices to persistent worries over disruptions of supplies of oil from the Strait of Hormuz. Also, the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran is scheduled to expire on Wednesday.
In a latest development, Iran's chief negotiator on Tuesday said Tehran would not negotiate in the face of threats, while US President Donald Trump hinted that he was in no rush to end the conflict with Iran.
In the domestic equity markets the 30-share Sensex rose 753.03 points, or 0.96 per cent, to settle at 79,273.33, while the Nifty rose 211.75 points, or 0.87 per cent, to 24,576.60.
Foreign Institutional Investors offloaded equities worth about Rs 1,918.99 crore on Tuesday, according to the exchange data.
