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London: Universities and student groups on Tuesday urgently lobbied British Prime Minister <keyword id="19906889" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rishi-Sunak" source="keywords">Rishi Sunak</keyword> to safeguard the country's <keyword id="21659184" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="post-study-visa" source="keywords">post-study visa</keyword> offer, which has been dominated by Indians to gain work experience for around two years at the end of their university degree. Amid reports that Sunak is considering either restricting or ending the <keyword id="20616105" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Graduate-Route" source="keywords">Graduate Route</keyword> to curtail soaring migration statistics ahead of a general election, a group of nearly 30 university vice-chancellors and the <keyword id="21760521" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="national-indian-students-and-alumni-association" source="keywords">National Indian Students and Alumni Association</keyword> (NISAU) UK have issued detailed letters of appeal to 10 Downing Street. They list a series of factors in favour of keeping the Graduate visa scheme unchanged, including the benefits that international students bring to the UK economy in a competitive global higher education marketplace. "Modelling by consultancy London Economics shows that a single cohort has a net economic benefit of GBP 37 billion to the UK economy; as well as through the soft power that Britain's international graduates generate for the country over time, including through furthering ties of trade and diplomacy," reads the NISAU UK letter addressed to Sunak. "Indeed, 70 per cent of <keyword id="19971660" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-students" source="keywords">Indian students</keyword> have told us that the ability to gain meaningful work experience is a critical element in their decision to choose between competing international destinations, of which the UK is one... the Graduate Route allows the opportunity to gain this work experience for a temporary period. It is non-extendable and does not count towards permanent settlement. This means that neither students nor Graduate visa holders should be considered 'immigrants' in the context of the long-term picture of migration," it notes. Their appeal comes a week after the influential <keyword id="20609895" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Migration-Advisory-Committee" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Migration Advisory Committee" meta.hostid="83" meta.entityid="Migration Advisory Committee">Migration Advisory Committee</keyword> (MAC) advised the government to let the scheme continue as it found no abuse of this post-study work offer. It also confirmed that Indians topped its tally, accounting for 89,200 visas between 2021 and 2023, or 42 per cent of the overall grants, and were likely to be "most affected by any restriction on the Graduate Route". In their letter to Sunak, universities in the north of England — from Sunderland to Sheffield, Leeds to Lancaster, Liverpool to Teesside, Bradford to Huddersfield, and York to Newcastle — said they will all be harmed by the removal or reduction of this visa as it is an "intrinsic part of the educational offer that has made the UK so attractive to brilliant students from all around the world". "The Graduate Visa Route is regarded by students in key markets like India as an integral part of their educational experience. The MAC review made clear that the removal of this route would make the UK less attractive and thus would cause considerable financial detriment to universities around the country," reads their joint letter. "International student tuition fee income has long cross-subsidised underfunded research and has increasingly become critical to cross-subsidise the teaching of UK undergraduate students because of the frozen tuition fee. Universities cannot continue to absorb the costs of teaching UK undergraduates without some form of alternative funding source," they caution. On top of their visa fees, international students who find work and start businesses contribute billions of pounds in income tax, national insurance and VAT annually. The university chiefs point out that they are also usually net contributors to the National Health Service (NHS) through the NHS surcharge. The Russell Group of the UK's leading universities issued its appeal over the weekend, with CEO Tim Bradshaw warning that there has already been a 10 per cent decline in international applications for post-graduate courses starting this September in the wake of the clampdown on students being able to bring dependant family members. "A further restriction on international students would not only be unnecessary — as numbers are already falling — but also damaging, resulting in less spending in local communities, fewer opportunities for domestic students and less UK research," he noted in a letter to Sunak. Members of his own Cabinet are believed to be opposed to any changes to the Graduate scheme, but the British Prime Minister is having to balance pressures from the right of the governing Conservatives who are single-minded in their demands to curb all forms of legal as well as illegal migration levels ahead of an election later this year.

Universities, student groups lobby PM Sunak to keep UK's post-study visa scheme unchanged

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Keir Starmer is the UK's new prime minister after his Labour Party won Thursday's election.</li><li>He's had help opening up about his personal story from an unlikely source: Barack Obama.</li></ul>Britons have voted and the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uk-labour-party-back-in-power-rishi-sunak-concede-defeat-2024-7">UK is posed up for a radical change in leadership</a>.The left-wing Labour Party has won more than 400 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, which means its leader, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/keir-starmer-wins-new-labour-party-leader-replaces-jeremy-corbyn-2020-4">Keir Starmer</a>, is to be prime minister and 14 years of Conservative Party rule is over.Starmer declared, "Change begins now," at a rally early Friday morning as results poured in, but his victory came despite the fact he's often described as lacking <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jan/06/keir-starmer-tony-blair-reform-new-labour-90s">charisma</a>.Jill Rutter, a research fellow at the London research group UK in a Changing Europe, had told <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/02/world/europe/keir-starmer-uk-election.html">The New York Times</a> he "does look relatively prime-ministerial," but added, "He's not going to set hearts racing."Starmer entered politics relatively late, first being elected to the UK's House of Commons at age 52 in 2015. Before that, he was a lawyer who rose to become the chief prosecutor for England and Wales; he had a big public profile but no need to ask the public for votes.As a candidate for high office, Starmer has had no choice but to tell his back story. After becoming Labour leader in 2020, he stressed his humble roots, often describing how his father worked as a toolmaker and his mother a nurse while they raised their children in a "pebble-dash semi," a small home adjoining another property.But Starmer has seemed, at times, ill at ease with the public display of emotion needed to tell his story, despite it being a political asset that offers a stark contrast with the outgoing prime minister <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rishi-sunak-uk-prime-minister-goldman-sachs-banker-hedge-fund-2022-10">Rishi Sunak</a>.Sunak, a former Goldman Sachs banker, is married to Akshata Murty, the daughter of the Indian billionaire and Infosys founder N. R. Narayana Murthy. The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.thetimes.com/sunday-times-rich-list/profile/article/rishi-sunak-and-akshata-murty-net-worth-sunday-times-rich-list-blp6mk660">Sunday Times</a> reported in May that the couple's net worth was £651 million, which is about $830 million.In recent months, Starmer has made a concerted effort to appear more relatable to voters and emphasize that contrast.He's been helped by an unlikely mentor: former US President <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-top-20-presidents-in-us-history-according-to-historians-2017-2">Barack Obama</a>.<h2 id="cbd8fb6f-43af-4c81-8889-3da7e252cf0d">Obama encouraged Starmer to be vulnerable</h2>In a series of Zoom calls, Obama, who served as US president from 2009 until 2017, encouraged Starmer to become more vulnerable and open with the public and has spoken with the Labour leader about the difficult decisions he made in the Oval Office.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.politico.eu/article/former-us-president-barack-obama-labour-party-leader-keir-starmer-open-up-be-yourself/">Politico</a> reported that the pair were first introduced by David Lammy, one of Starmer's key lieutenants, who will become his foreign secretary if Labour wins.Speaking on Politico's "Power Play" podcast in March, Lammy said he and Obama had known each other for 20 years since meeting at an event for Black alumni of Harvard University.When <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-68597108">Obama dropped in to meet Sunak in March</a>, he also met Lammy for dinner, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/03/18/barack-obama-rishi-sunak-informal-talks-downing-street/">The Telegraph</a> reported.Lammy said Obama's influence on Starmer was apparent when the Labour leader recently opened up about his family's backstory "much more comfortably than perhaps we saw a few years ago.""And I know that Obama has strong views that Keir should do that," he added.<div type="image" title="David Lammy and Keir Starmer talking." height="683" width="1024" msid="111492696" hostid="261"></div>Lammy was speaking after Starmer gave an extended interview to <a target="_blank" href="https://news.sky.com/story/sir-keir-starmer-wishes-he-addressed-distant-relationship-with-late-father-13092654">Sky News</a>, in which he described how his mother had Still's disease, a rare type of inflammatory arthritis.He said his father spent most of his time looking after her, and this had "squeezed" his "emotional space" and made him more emotionally distant from his children."I probably should have addressed that before he passed, and I wish I had, but I didn't," Starmer added.<a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/kitty_donaldson?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Kitty Donaldson</a>, a political journalist in the UK, told Business Insider this interview marked a turning point in Starmer's public display of emotion."Up until that point, Starmer had been very stiff, very practical, very straitlaced," Donaldson said, adding that Obama "unlocked" and "gave permission" for Starmer to open up."In terms of his leadership style, it's had an impact," she said. "Obama is quite laid back. This campaign has been more laid back than we have seen, and he seemed to enjoy going up and down the country speaking to people."<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/political-science/research/centre-us-politics-cusp/find-expert/dr-tom-packer">Tom Packer</a>, an honorary research fellow at University College London who specializes in US politics and elections, told BI that Starmer's backstory had become a "theme of the campaign."He said it helped challenge the idea that all UK politicians come from a "posh background" without struggle.<h2 id="1aed6752-c6d7-4a73-9ed2-718373438522">Obama could advise Starmer on how to deal with Trump</h2>Obama's and Starmer's relationship is likely to continue if Starmer wins the election on Thursday.Obama had helped Starmer since at least 2021, when <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/dec/12/barack-obama-gives-tips-to-keir-starmer-and-david-lammy-on-how-labour-can-regain-winning-ways">The Guardian</a> reported that they were involved in two hours' worth of private talks with Lammy about how center-left parties could return to power.Speaking on the "<a target="_blank" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/keir-starmer-international-uk-labour-leader-puts-the/id1202281739?i=1000628653155">Power Play</a>" podcast in September, Starmer said Obama was the US president he spoke to "most frequently.""I've spoken to him a number of times, and his analysis on the world is always interesting, his challenges, and just going through with him what he faced, how he rose to the challenges," Starmer said."It is always useful to test my ideas on people who won elections, people who've taken difficult decisions in power because that helps me think about how we might approach some of the decisions we might have to take if we do win that election," he added.Packer said Obama and Starmer's relationship made sense, given the decadeslong ties between the UK's Labour Party and the US Democratic Party.Donaldson meanwhile suggested Starmer might seek advice from Obama on dealing with Donald Trump if the former president is reelected in November.<div type="image" title="Donald Trump and Joe Biden standing behind podiums in a CNN studio." height="683" width="1024" msid="111492698" hostid="261"></div>Trump is leading the polls, and Biden's shaky performance during the first presidential debate on June 27 has led Democrats to panic and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jill-biden-support-joe-could-be-damaging-expert-step-down-2024-7">urge him to step aside for another candidate</a>.Speaking to Politico last September, Starmer said his team had been in talks with Biden, adding, "It's clear what my desired outcome would be."Packer told BI that Starmer and his team wouldn't want to put "their eggs in one basket" and would be eager to secure "some kind of relationship with Trump that works," regardless of their political differences.Trump "finds it hard to be nasty about people that are nice to him," Packer said.He added that if Starmer were "nice," a Labour government could end up with a good relationship with Trump "even if they disagree with him on policy."He noted that Starmer had been careful to avoid making anti-Trump comments during his election campaign.In an interview with BBC Radio 5 last week, Starmer was asked whether he agreed with Lammy's 2018 description of Trump as a "woman-hating neo-Nazi-sympathizing sociopath" and a "profound threat to the international order.""Those aren't words that I've ever used," Starmer responded."I know the job of the person who leads our country is to deal with the leaders of other countries, who are elected by their people. You don't always get to choose the leaders of other countries," he continued.Lammy has also softened his stance. He told a summit in May that Trump's position on European defense was "misunderstood" and he merely "wants Europeans to do more to ensure a better defended Europe," according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-misunderstood-uk-labour-party/">Politico</a>.After <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-hush-money-trial-verdict-2024-5">Trump was convicted of paying Stormy Daniels hush money</a>, Starmer called it "unprecedented."But he said, "We will work with whoever is elected," adding, "We have a special relationship with the US that transcends whoever the president is."Correction: July 4, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misspelled N. R. Narayana Murthy's surname as Murty. It also misstated the date of Trump and Biden's first presidential debate. It was on June 27, not June 28.

How Obama mentored the new UK prime minister to help him tell his story

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 27 (ANI): Power couple <keyword id="5357" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Twinkle-kHanna" source="Orion">Twinkle Khanna</keyword> and <keyword id="2823" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Akshay-Kumar" source="Orion">Akshay Kumar</keyword> met UK Prime Minister <keyword id="221875" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rishi-Sunak" source="Orion">Rishi Sunak</keyword> during their <keyword id="6354968" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="London" source="Orion">London</keyword> visit. Twinkle took to Instagram on Wednesday to post a video of their visit to London. She captioned the post, "As much as I dislike wearing heels and dressing up, this evening was worth all the damaged toes. @sudha_murthy_official remains my hero, but it was pretty cool meeting her son-in-law, the prime minister :) @rishisunakmp Also put the sound on and hear @andreabocelliofficial Congratulations @anusuya12 and @theowo.london." https://www.instagram.com/p/Cxr6CM0M6cC/ The video starts with a performance of Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli at an event. At the end of the video Twinkle and Akshay can be seen posing with UK <keyword id="15345068" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="PM-Rishi-Sunak" source="Orion">PM Rishi Sunak</keyword>. Akshay and UK PM Sunak chose a formal suit while, Twinkle wore a white dress with a leopard design jacket. Earlier this month, Rishi Sunak along with his wife Akshata Murty arrived in New Delhi to attend the G20 Summit hosted by India under its Presidency. He along with his wife also offered prayers at Akshardham Temple in New Delhi during the visit. Meanwhile, on the work front, Akshay will be seen in the drama film 'Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue'. Apart from this, Akshay will also be seen in the Hindi remake of the Tamil drama 'Soorarai Pottru' which is all set to hit the theatres on February 16, 2024. He also has an action thriller film 'Bade Miyan Chote Miyan' alongside Tiger Shroff and a comedy film 'Housefull 5' in his kitty.

Twinkle, Akshay pose with UK PM Rishi Sunak in London

Tesla CEO <keyword id="6355315" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="elon-musk" source="Orion">Elon Musk</keyword> on Thursday held a discussion with UK Prime Minister <keyword id="221875" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="rishi-sunak" source="Orion">Rishi Sunak</keyword> at the inaugural AI Safety Summit, and declared artificial intelligence as "one of the most disruptive forces in history", CNN reported. "AI will be a force for good most likely," <keyword id="364027" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="musk" source="Orion">Musk</keyword> said. "But the probability of it going bad is not zero per cent." Sunak and Musk spoke in an interview-style chat from a stage at Lancaster House, a government venue in central London often used for diplomatic purposes, before the conversation was opened up to questions from journalists. The conversation was then posted for streaming on Musk's personal account on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter that he owns. Musk was present throughout the two-day event, along with US Vice President <keyword id="180909" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="kamala-harris" source="Orion">Kamala Harris</keyword>, OpenAI CEO <keyword id="257641" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sam-altman" source="Orion">Sam Altman</keyword>, and other notable politicians and global tech leaders. Chinese officials were also present at the event. "I'm glad to see at this point that people are taking AI seriously," Musk said to Sunak on Thursday. "Thanks for this summit. I think it will go down in history as quite important," CNN quoted him as saying. Musk also unpacked several predictions for AI, including a future where no jobs would be necessary and AI companionship would be one of the highest forms of friendship. Meanwhile, in the first day of his AI event, more than 25 countries and the European Union signed the Bletchley Declaration, agreeing to work together to create a united approach to oversight in efforts to deploy AI technology in a "human-centric, trustworthy and responsible" way, underscoring the "potential for serious, even catastrophic, harm" that many tech leaders have expressed concern over, CNN reported. Sunak and Musk discussed how digital super-intelligence could affect the public and require regulation in the same way industries such as aviation and cars require regulation. "I agree with the vast majority of regulations," Musk said. "A referee is a good thing". Musk also noted that if the AI powerhouses such as the US and the UK "are aligned on AI safety, that is a good thing." He also suggested other global powers such as China should also remain involved in discussions, according to CNN. Musk further reiterated his "fairly utopian" belief that AI could create an "age of abundance" with "no shortage of goods and services." He said that AI could lead to a future where "no job is needed" and people enjoy a universal high income. He mentioned a world of AI tutors and companionship for people like his son who has learning disabilities and difficulty making friends, CNN reported. The next AI safety summits are set to be hosted by Korea and France and are scheduled for 2024. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/cello-world-ipo-how-to-check-allotment-status-and-gmp-value/articleshow/104916153.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/cello-world-ipo-how-to-check-allotment-status-and-gmp-value/articleshow/104916153.cms" target="_blank">Cello World IPO allotment – how to check allotment, GMP, listing date and more</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/indias-electric-two-wheelers-up-and-running-after-reduced-fame-subsidy-bump/articleshow/104912419.cms">India’s electric two-wheelers up and running after reduced FAME subsidy bump</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/india-q3-smartphone-shipments-apple-gains-34-pc-market-share-in-india/articleshow/104907807.cms">Smartphone shipments: Apple gains 34% market share in India as Samsung, Xiaomi decline</a>

UK: Elon Musk discusses AI risks with Rishi Sunak, calls its "one of most disruptive forces in history"

Congress leader P. <keyword id="6362104" type="General" weightage="90" keywordseo="chidambaram" source="Orion">Chidambaram</keyword> on Wednesday took a swipe at the government citing a debate in UK <keyword id="6354721" type="General" weightage="40" keywordseo="parliament" source="Orion">Parliament</keyword> between Prime Minister <keyword id="221875" type="General" weightage="70" keywordseo="rishi-sunak" source="Orion">Rishi Sunak</keyword> and opposition members after his return from India following G20 Summit, and said he wished such a debate took place in India's Parliament. Chidambaram in his post on X said, "Please read the reports of the debate in the House of Commons when MPs questioned Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on his talks with Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi. Hard questions by the Opposition, prompt answers by the Prime Minister." "It is not important who prevailed in the debate. What is important is that a debate took place in Parliament within hours of the Prime Minister's return to Britain. How I wish such a debate took place in India's Parliament. Such questions and answers were normal in Parliament when Jawaharlal Nehru was prime minister," the former Union minister said. His remarks came after Sunak returned to the UK after attending the G20 Summit in India and answered the questions of opposition leaders. The Congress has been critical of the Modi government over not allowing debates in Parliament over important issues. The Congress has on previous occasions accused the government of not allowing the opposition members to speak in Parliament on several pressing issues.

Wish such debates took place in India: Chidambaram after Sunak answers in UK Parliament

Rishi Sunak will become the UK's new prime minister after a historic victory

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Rishi Sunak, the new UK prime minister, once worked as a junior analyst at Goldman Sachs in London.</li><li>He spent around three years at the bank, covering US stocks including railways and media, the FT reported.</li></ul>Rishi Sunak, the UK's new prime minister, was once an analyst at Goldman Sachs.Sunak, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rishi-sunak-penny-mordaunt-next-uk-prime-minister-2022-10">who was voted in as leader of the Conservative Party on Monday</a> — meaning he will become prime minister this week — spent around three years at the US bank, after which he worked at one hedge fund, cofounded another, and then moved into politics.Sunak graduated from Oxford University with a bachelors degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics — a degree known for producing British politicians. While at university, he was <a style="font-style: normal;" href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/mar/08/chancellor-rishi-sunak-the-bit-part-hedge-fund-partner-now-managing-the-whole-economy">president of the university's investment society</a>.After graduating, Sunak began working at Goldman in London as a junior analyst, where he covered US stocks including railways and media, former colleagues told <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/da662f74-5a25-11ea-a528-dd0f971febbc">the Financial Times</a>. The sources spoke highly of him and told the FT that Sunak's immediate superiors were disappointed when he left the bank in 2004.Sunak left Goldman Sachs <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/mar/08/chancellor-rishi-sunak-the-bit-part-hedge-fund-partner-now-managing-the-whole-economy">to get an MBA at Stanford University</a>. After finishing his studies, Sunak worked at the hedge fund TCI, <a href="https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/rishi-sunak-hedge-funds-financial-career-outside-politics-1766725">before setting his own up</a> – Theleme Partners – with a colleague.<a href="https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/YbMPuo5InhJmnFMsFQWWKtikm10/appointments">Sunak also served as a director at Catamaran Ventures</a>, an investment firm <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/10/24/rishi-sunak-net-worth/">owned by his wife Akshata Murty</a>, though he resigned before becoming an MP in 2015. The company's <a href="https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/08561424">registered address</a> is close to <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/property/1512053/where-does-Rishi-Sunak-live-London-Yorkshire-property-portfolio-evg">Sunak and Murty's home in Kensington</a>.As well as in London, Sunak has worked in California and India, <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/insider/rishi-sunak-prime-minister-wealth-wife-brexit-personal-life-policies-wealth-b1012314.html">The Evening Standard</a> reported.Sunak has served as MP for Richmond in North Yorkshire since 2015. He became chancellor of the exchequer under Boris Johnson in February 2020, shortly before the UK entered its first COVID-19 lockdown, but resigned in July 2022 amid the Partygate scandal.Sunak ran in the Conservative Party leadership contest in the summer after Johnson resigned but lost to Liz Truss, who ultimately resigned herself just six weeks after assuming the role.The party held its second leadership race in the space of just a few months, and Sunak became the UK's presumptive prime minister on Monday after his only remaining rival, Penny Mordaunt, withdrew.

Rishi Sunak, the new UK prime minister, is yet another Goldman Sachs alumnus

<ul><li><ul><li>Cultural diplomat and author <keyword id="182794" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amish-Tripathi" source="Orion">Amish Tripathi</keyword>’s new book <keyword id="14079627" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="War-of-Lanka" source="Orion">War of Lanka</keyword> sold six and a half million copies within two weeks of launch. </li><li>War of Lanka also saw India’s first Metaverse launch for a book, where an augmented reality filter was uploaded on Instagram for users. </li><li>India has become wealthier post 1991 and the emergence of ‘real’ India is inspiring films based on myths, says Tripathi. </li></ul> </li></ul>From the time he left his banking job to become a full-time writer in 2011, Amish Tripathi has attempted to give Indian deities human-like attributes through his take on myths. In his books, deities get angry, make human mistakes and even poke fun at each other. Director Shekhar Kapur, who is making a web series on Tripathi’s <keyword id="810431" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shiva-Trilogy" source="Orion">Shiva trilogy</keyword>, called him ‘India’s literary popstar’. Tripathi’s first trilogy on deity Shiva became the fastest-selling book series in Indian publishing history. His most recent book ‘War of Lanka’ has already sold six and a half million copies and is currently under reprint. What makes his books popular is not just the content but also his marketing hooks. He roped in marketing agency Think WhyNot to launch an augmented reality filter on Instagram for the ‘War of Lanka’. Custom merchandise or making the first music album in Indian publishing history for ‘The Oath of the Vayuputras’ – the third book in his Shiva Trilogy – are some other marketing examples. The author of seven books encapsulating the stories of Ram, Raavan, Sita and Shiva, Tripathi talks to Business Insider India about topics ranging from the importance of myths to the impact of the pandemic on the publishing industry. Currently serving as a cultural diplomat as head of the Nehru Center in London, Tripathi also shares his take on the real India. <keyword id="14491960" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="UK-Prime-Minister-Rishi-Sunak" source="Orion">UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak</keyword> invited you to 10 Downing Street, how was the experience? Oh, it was very nice. It was a small get-together in 10 Downing Street, a celebration of Diwali. He had got people from the local Swami Chinmaya Mission to read a prayer. We did a proper lighting of the lamp with traditional rituals. It was also very nice to see so many native White British and other communities in attendance, celebrating a Hindu/Jain/Sikh festival with warmth and happiness. It's been almost a month since War of Lanka has been released. How has the response been? I will be honest. Prior to the launch of the book, I was a little nervous, quite nervous, actually, for various reasons. One, it was a completely new publisher and a new relationship. Secondly, Harper just had a few months post the contract signing to get the book out in the market. To bring the book out in just three-four months is difficult… I thought they did a very good job. Third was the pandemic, which had hit the publishing industry badly, and many bookstores and publishing houses had shut down. Since the distribution itself was shrinking, sales would be difficult. Lastly, since I also have a diplomatic job in the UK, I did not have that much time for the book tour. Normally, my book tour would spread out over three-four months, but now I only had three-four weeks; and I had to cover 14 cities across India in that time. But despite these constraints, War of Lanka is breaking records. It is selling even faster than Raavan: Enemy of Aryavarta. And all my previous book sales have also shot up. I can’t thank my readers enough for their consistent love and support. I am curious to know why you haven't written about Hanuman, a Shiva incarnation, especially after having dedicated separate books to Ram, Ravan and Sita? I might take that up actually. Lord Hanuman is a very fascinating character and represents loyalty, having a code and staying true to it, no matter what. That's what makes him worth respecting and worshiping. There is a separate spin-off story in mind that I have for Lord Hanuman. And one I hope to take up after some time. There will also be a story on Guru Vashishta and Guru Vishwamitra and how their relationship turned from friendship to enmity. People say youngsters don’t read as different forms of medium are competing for attention. Why do you think your book has struck a chord with the readers? Is it because of your standout marketing techniques as with a metaverse launch of the book? The metaverse campaign was very innovative, yes. And I am very grateful to Sangram Surve and his Think WhyNot agency for putting this together in association with Meta. Also, I think this assumption that the youth don't read is, frankly, a judgmental approach. The idea that today’s youth have low IQ, low attention spans, and only want to entertain themselves with flaky things is just plain silly. One person can have different tastes. I like thought-provoking movies like Schindler’s List or Inception, but I also like the suspension-of-brains movies of Salman Khan. The youth are like that as well. By the way, a vast majority of my readers are young. Second when it comes to marketing, social media has made word of mouth very powerful. The opinion of critics matters little now as compared to a decade ago. There are movies that are very well marketed that have been super flops. And a movie that had almost minimal marketing spends, like Kantara, was a massive hit. At the heart of it all, it has to be a good product, be it a movie or a book. If it's not a good product, no matter how much marketing you do, it's not going to work. If there is no depth in the movie or the book, if there's nothing to talk about, then word-of-mouth will be poor. A cult book has to be thought-provoking and initiate conversations. I myself tried the AR filters on Instagram and I came out to be on Raavan’s army. It would interest you to know that while many modern Indians think Raavan is Tamilian or Lankan, this may not necessarily match up to ancient texts. When you study ancient texts or folk traditions, it is revealed Raavan was born close to Delhi, a little ahead of Noida. One of the oldest temples of Raavan is situated there. He was not the original ruler of Lanka. The original ruler was Kubaer. Raavan deposed Kubaer and took over Lanka. Will you be venturing into writing about any other epic like Mahabharat? I do have various ideas. Let's see where life takes me. There is a fifth book that will join the Shiva Trilogy and the Ramachandra series called the <keyword id="15501176" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rise-of-Meluha" source="Orion">Rise of Meluha</keyword>. But that will be released many years later. Is there a reason why Sita was portrayed as aggressive and militant in your book Sita-Warrior of Mithila? Was this because it has been written from a male perspective? There is a difference between being militant and being strong. Goddess Durga is not militant but she is strong. The image of Goddess Sita in the minds of modern urban Indians is largely inspired from a 1980s television series. In the original Valmiki Ramayana, Sita is portrayed in a much stronger form. And in the Adbhut Ramayan, also credited to Valmiki ji, Sita Maa is the one who kills the elder, more powerful Raavan. In ancient times, Indian women were seen as powerful with their own agency. We had women who ruled large empires like Rani Prabhavatigupta and Rani Rudramadevi. We had women Rishis (roughly the equivalent of Abrahamic prophets and messiahs). We even had women who founded universities. Frankly, our ancestors would be disappointed at how badly we, in modern India, treat women. We have been hearing about the Shiva trilogy for quite some time now. Is it expected soon? These are early days as we just started work on it. So let's see how it comes out. But we'll make announcements in the future. Coming to Indian cinema, there has been a shift in the portrayal of stories. Films are being inspired by myths like in Adipurush, Thank God, Ram Sethu, Ponniyan Selvan. Why do you think there is such a shift? Post 1991 India has become wealthier and the emergence of the real India is inspiring the demand for such stories. There is a real India that was always there, just that they didn't have money to form a big market. That is the India outside of the elite areas of our big cities. This is an India that is very deeply rooted in our ancient traditions and culture. And now, there are many citizens from the real India who have now risen because of economic growth over the last 30 years. A recent IMF report had said over 450 million Indians have been pulled out of poverty just in the last 10 years. And economic growth is creating a new consumer class. Smaller budget movies are making more money than big Hindi film movies because I think in many ways, Telugu, Kannada and Tamil movies are more rooted in the real India. This is something perhaps the Hindi film industry will pick up overtime. A Hindi film producer told me an interesting analysis. He felt that perhaps the Hindi film industry had become too elitist – he used the term ‘focused on Pali Hill, and South Mumbai and also perhaps, London &amp; New York’. He said that we should forget that there is a real India outside of Pali Hill and South Mumbai. And that is the main market for Indian movies. What does real India mean to you? Perhaps those who are more comfortable in Mangalore or Varanasi than in London, I think that's the real India. So, someone like you or me… My family’s roots are in Kashi and I was born in Mumbai; so I know English, Hindi, and some Marathi. But I can go to a Lord Shiva temple in Thrissur, Kerala. And I’ve been there actually, four-five years ago. I don’t understand Malayalam, but my books, by God's grace, do well in Malayalam. There were many out there who recognized me because many of them had read my books. But we couldn’t communicate well with each other because most of them there didn’t know English or Hindi, and I didn’t know Malayalam. And yet, when we started chanting and praying to Lord Shiva, we felt connected. I felt at home. That to me is the real India. Where we feel at home. Now, we may also get along with Western people, but essentially, where is home for us? For me, the real India is home. You began your journey as a writer in 2010. How has the scene of Indian publishing and marketing changed since then? This is the best and worst of times. Earlier the definition of bestseller was selling 5,000 to 10,000 books. Today a bestseller should sell at least 40,000 to 50,000 copies. There are some authors whose books sell in the hundreds of thousands. And few, such as Chetan and me, who are lucky enough for our books to sell in the millions. But on the negative side, GST has really hit the industry. I have myself appealed often to the government if they could give some relief on this, because we are a very tiny industry. Books have a positive impact culturally but in terms of revenue, we are very small. Second, piracy is hurting us a great deal. Many bookstores are suffering hard times as well because rental costs have shot up and piracy has hit them. Books in terms of price to space ratio are not as high as compared to jewelry or mobile phones, so high rental costs often make bookstore unviable. How do you think mythology is relevant in today's society? Indians often confuse myth with mithya or untruth. The Indian word for it would be Itihas or Kavya or Purana. The English word myth comes from the Greek word mythos, which means a story hiding a philosophical truth. I try to explore philosophies that I think are worth learning. Rather than making it a pedantic nonfiction philosophy textbook, if you try and bring it across through a story, you might have a greater chance of having an impact. There are various philosophies from our ancients that are worth learning. There is a line which I love, Ati Sarvatra Varjayet i.e. extremism of any kind should be avoided. But if you see the western approach, it is almost like extremism should be followed, always. For example, in the West, fighting for women’s rights gets translated into hatred for men. How's that good for society? I try to explore many of these philosophies through my books. What are the choices that we make? You will find that cultures which celebrate myths tend to be much more wise and liberal, intuitively liberal. You have celebrated devotees of both Vishnu and Shiva in your books. How do you strike a balance between the two? This so-called competition between Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu is relatively modern. The Indian way is we are comfortable with multiple truths and we realise that the source is unity. One of the thousand names of Lord Vishnu listed in Vishnu Shahasranaam, which is chanted by many Vaishnavas (devotees of Lord Vishnu) regularly, is Shiva. On the other hand, many Shaivites (devotees of Lord Shiva) know the 1008 names of Lord Shiva that are listed in many of the found in the Shaivite puranas. And one of the names listed for Lord Shiva is Vishnu. So they are One and the Same. This competition is more between unwise devotees and should be avoided.

Raavan was born in Delhi, a little ahead of Noida: Amish Tripathi

<ul><li> Production at the new gigafactory is due to start in 2026.</li><li><keyword id="6354362" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="jaguar-land-rover" source="Orion">Jaguar Land Rover</keyword> will be the anchor customer of the new gigafactory.</li><li>The new gigafactory with an initial output of 40GWh will be one of the largest in Europe.</li></ul> The UK government on Wednesday announced that the <keyword id="6355725" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="tata-group" source="Orion">Tata Group</keyword> is to invest over 4 billion pounds in setting up a new electric vehicle (EV) battery plant, or gigafactory, in Britain which will create thousands of jobs across the supply chain. British Prime Minister <keyword id="221875" type="General" weightage="70" keywordseo="rishi-sunak" source="Orion">Rishi Sunak</keyword> hailed it as an "incredibly proud" moment for the country's automotive industry and described it as a testament to the strength of the UK car manufacturing industry and its skilled workers. <keyword id="42747" type="General" weightage="60" keywordseo="tata-motors" source="Orion">Tata Motors</keyword> owns UK-based luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), which will be the anchor customer of the new gigafactory with an initial output of 40GWh - making it one of the largest in Europe. Production at the new gigafactory is due to start in 2026 and is pitched as a key driver behind Sunak's priority to grow the UK economy. "Tata Group's multi-billion-pound investment in a new battery factory in the UK is a testament to the strength of our car manufacturing industry and its skilled workers," said Sunak. "With the global transition to zero-emission vehicles well underway, this will help grow our economy by driving forward our lead in battery technology whilst creating as many as 4,000 jobs, and thousands more in the supply chain," he said. "We can be incredibly proud that Britain has been chosen as home to Tata Group's first gigafactory outside India, securing our place as one of the most attractive places to build electric vehicles," the British prime minister said. As one of the largest-ever investments in the UK auto industry, the new factory will create up to 4,000 highly skilled jobs as well as thousands of further jobs in the wider supply chain for battery materials and critical raw minerals. The gigafactory will secure UK-produced batteries for JLR as well as other manufacturers in the UK and Europe. The location of the new gigafactory is expected to be in Somerset, south west England. "Our multi-billion-pound investment will bring state-of-the-art technology to the country, helping to power the automotive sector's transition to electric mobility, anchored by our own business, JLR," said N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of parent company Tata Sons. "With this strategic investment, the Tata Group further strengthens its commitment to the UK, alongside our many companies operating here across technology, consumer, hospitality, steel, chemicals, and automotive," Chandrasekaran said. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) said details of the government's incentives and support provided to the Tata Group as part of the agreement will be published in due course as part of regular transparency data. However, reports in the lead-up to the announcement had indicated subsidies in the form of grants, energy subsidies and other training and research funding would be part of the agreed package. "Today's multibillion-pound investment demonstrates that this government has got the right plan when it comes to the automotive sector," noted UK Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch. "We are backing the UK car industry to help grow our economy as we transition to electric vehicles, and this latest investment will secure thousands of highly-skilled jobs across the country," Badenoch said. The investment of over 4 billion pounds is seen as a historic moment for the UK's growing electric vehicles (EV) industry, with JLR's suite of <keyword id="91410" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="range-rover" source="Orion">Range Rover</keyword>, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar brands as the key customers. The Tata investment is described as crucial to boosting the UK's battery manufacturing capacity needed to support the electric vehicle industry in the long term and the new plant will cover almost half of the battery production that the Faraday Institution estimates the country will need by 2030. "This is a huge vote of confidence in the UK and one that will drive growth in our economy, creating thousands of jobs and powering our transition to electric cars," said UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt. "Tata Group's gigafactory builds on the strength of our manufacturing industry and shows we're on the right track, backing the sectors that will underpin our future prosperity for decades to come," he said. DBT said the government is committed to making the UK one of the best places in the world for automotive investment, as evidenced by the Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF), the British Industry Supercharger supporting industry energy needs, and the strong programme of support for research and development. "This new gigafactory puts us firmly in the fast lane to becoming the capital of Europe's electric car market, and makes crystal clear how they see the UK as the place to be for their future growth," added UK Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps. "With thousands of jobs on-site and in the supply chain, this new factory will be the cornerstone of our automotive industry, backing manufacturers to develop and expand, and customers to make the switch from petrol and diesel," he said.

Rishi Sunak hails Tata Group's multi-billion EV investment in UK

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Sunak and Truss are in the final of the <keyword id="14427242" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="conservative-party-leadership-contest" source="Orion">Conservative Party leadership contest</keyword>. The winner will be the next prime minister.</li><li>Trade minister <keyword id="13363234" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="penny-mordaunt" source="Orion">Penny Mordaunt</keyword> was eliminated in Tuesday's final round of votes by Conservative MPs.</li></ul>Former Chancellor <keyword id="12981896" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="rishi-sunak" source="Orion">Rishi Sunak</keyword> or Foreign Secretary <keyword id="13013008" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="liz-truss" source="Orion">Liz Truss</keyword> will be the UK's next prime minister, as they move into the second stage of the Conservative party leadership contest.Trade minister Penny Mordaunt was knocked out of the contest in the final round of voting by Conservative MPs on Wednesday.Sunak and Truss will now go into a head-to-head contest to secure the backing of Conservative Party members over the summer. The Conservatives claimed to have 200,000 members in March 2021, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tories-party-membership-boris-johnson-b1823310.html">the Independent reported</a>. The result will be announced on September 5, with Boris Johnson expected to formally resign to the Queen on September 6 before handing over the keys to Downing Street to the winner.Sunak was the frontrunner throughout the first stage of elimination rounds by Conservative MPs, while Truss' campaign to make it to the final two saw her lagging behind Mordaunt in the first four rounds.The final ballot saw Sunak get 137 votes, Truss get 113, and Mordaunt eliminated on 105. Two ballot papers were spoilt. One MP who supported Tom Tugendhat, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee who was eliminated in the third round of voting, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tory-mps-select-final-3-candidates-to-succeed-boris-johnson-2022-7?r=US&amp;IR=T">told Insider on Tuesday</a>: "Many of us think it wouldn't be right to give the membership two members of Boris's cabinet [Truss and Sunak] given everything that's happened."The contest's move to focusing on gaining the support of the Conservative Party membership will see in-person and virtual hustings, as well as campaigning across the country by the candidates.Conservative members will then vote in a postal vote, with ballot papers expected to arrive on members' doorsteps between August 1 and August 5.Sunak and Truss can spend up to £300,000 each throughout the leadership contest, up from £150,000 in the 2019 leadership contest, giving them capacity — should they get the funding — to bombard members with reasons why they deserve to be the next leader of the party.<h2>The Tory donors behind Truss and Sunak</h2>Truss has received the backing of the donor Maurizio Bragagni and has been running her campaign from the Westminster townhouse of Lord Greville Howard, another donor.Sunak, the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rishi-sunak-first-uk-politician-to-enter-sunday-times-rich-list-2022-5?r=US&amp;IR=T">first major politician to appear on the Sunday Times Rich List</a>, has been publicly backed by more Tory donors. Lord Michael Farmer, the former party treasurer, told <a href="https://twitter.com/christopherhope/status/1549071717636751361">the Telegraph he supported Sunak</a>; donor Lord Rami Ranger endorsed Sunak; former party treasurer Lord Michael Spencer <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2022/07/15/lord-cruddas-threatens-cut-donations-tory-party/?utm_campaign=Echobox&amp;utm_content=telegraph&amp;utm_medium=Social&amp;utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1657885710">told the Telegraph</a> he was backing Tugendhat in earlier stages, with Sunak or Mordaunt as his next preferred candidates; and donor Alexander Temerko told Insider he too backed Tugendhat with Sunak as his backup option.Conservative Party donor Lord Peter Cruddas, who was made a peer in the House of Lords by Johnson, has <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/how-the-tories-turned-the-heat-on-rishi-sunak-trxtwbt6n">campaigned for Johnson to be put on the ballot paper</a> as an option to be kept as leader of the Conservative Party. He has been critical of Sunak.

Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss to be elected Conservative Party leader and UK prime minister

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The UK will be "perceived as racist" if Rishi Sunak is not elected PM, a Tory donor has claimed.</li><li>Rami Ranger said if Sunak did not succeed Boris Johnson the UK would get "a bad name".</li></ul>If Rishi Sunak doesn't become the UK's next prime minister, the country will get a "bad name" and be "perceived as racist", a prominent Conservative donor said.The comments were made by Rami Ranger, who has given £1.3 million to the party personally and through his firm Sun Mark. He was made a lord in 2019 by Theresa May.It came as Sunak competed with Liz Truss to be chosen by Conservative Party voters to succeed Boris Johnson as the party leader and therefore prime minister.Ranger told the Indian news channel Bharat Tak he was backing Sunak, a former chancellor, because his "calibre is above everyone else". The interview was in a mixture of Hindi and English, which Insider translated.He said that "internal politics" could work against Sunak, who if successful would become the UK's first prime of Indian origin."If people reject him, it will be a bad name for the party and the country because this will be perceived as racist," Ranger said."And so there is pressure on them to prove that here race does not matter. Calibre matters and Rishi's calibre is above everyone."He added: "I am optimistic that people here will be fair and will not reject anyone on the basis of race."The race to succeed Boris Johnson has been <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2022/07/tory-leader-contest-boris-johnson-diversity/670507/">widely praised</a> as the <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tory-leadership-race-is-most-diverse-in-modern-british-history-8zf9p9pgh">most diverse in British history</a>, with candidates including Iraqi-born Nadhim Zahawi, Kemi Badenoch, who was born in London to Nigerian parents, and Sajid Javid, whose parents came from Pakistan.Sunak, who was the frontrunner during the parliamentary stage of the contest, made it to the final two against Truss, who currently has the edge. She would be the UK's third female prime minister. Sunder Katwala, the director of diversity think tank British Future, told Insider: "I think we now have ever-stronger evidence to state with increasing confidence that this leadership election will not be decided by either Rishi Sunak's ethnicity or Liz Truss's gender. "Two-thirds of the Conservative MPs voted for an ethnic minority candidate with their first leadership vote. In the membership polls, there was a late surge for Kemi Badenoch, who was the favourite among members of the last four. That seems to me to strike a decisive blow to the idea that skin colour discrimination is decisive in this race. "It is an ideological party — on Brexit and taxation — that is rather proud of having Black and Asian Conservatives when they share those Tory views," he said. "The claim that skin colour is decisive for most members is simply impossible to align with the evidence on their views." Katwala noted that "underdog" Sunak had "a tough battle" ahead of him to reach Downing Street. "But it is an election about leadership, taxation and the future direction of the party. I don't think Sunak's supporters or the party's political opponents have any credible evidence to suggest that race or gender is more than a marginal factor in this leadership election."Asked to elaborate on his initial comments, Ranger published a Twitter video. Via email, Ranger said that his interview was "given to an Indian TV to emphasise that the British and the Conservative Party are not racist."He stressed that Sunak being in the running for prime minister demonstrated "the British sense of fair play".But he added: "If the majority of the members overwhelmingly reject Rishi Sunak, it will create a negative perception in the minds of ethnic communities. It does not matter what I say; what matters is which way the public will vote.""Rishi has been supported by the majority of the parliamentary Conservative Party, and I believe people should support their elected representative. If they don't, then it is not me. It is them who send such [a] notion."Asked if he thought racism was still a factor in UK politics, Ranger said "not as much as when I started my journey in the Conservative Party some 35 years ago. We had to form the British-Asian Conservative Link to bring positive change to the Party… Due to our work, the Party has become more robust and our democracy richer."Sunak's campaign team declined to comment, saying only that "Rami's views are his own".

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