OPINION, P10 WELL BEING FE LINES Betting big on audio wearables A CHEMICAL COCKTAIL ON YOUR FINGERTIPS Beware of the golfer returning from a lesson Voice commands to replace fingers, as Google’s new glasses show Page 7 From brittle nails to fungal infections, doctors warn of the potential risks that nail art can pose to your health Page 6 FAIRWAY FILES, RAHIL GANGJEE WORDS WORTH Follow us on Twitter & Facebook. App available on App Store & Play Store WWW.FINANCIALEXPRESS.COM VOL. XXII, NO. 39 INDIRAJAISING INTERVIEW FINANCIAL EXPRESS ON SUNDAY KOLKATA SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2026 20 Pages, `12 (NE States `13 & Andaman `20) P U B L I S H E D F R O M : A H M E D A B A D , B E N G A L U R U , C H A N D I G A R H , ● Kitchen meets bar new concept in bartending ■ Corazón de salsa, clarified and aerated, poured over a generous shot of tequila,towhichisaddedafloat of spirulina-infused hot honey, adding colour and heat. The result: A slow-burning finish ■ SPOTLIGHT, P5 Cinema’s new AI act How the Indian film industry is trying to balance new opportunities with ethical dilemmas and questions of authorship at a time when artificial intelligence is reshaping how stories are created and consumed ■ LEISURE, P9 The ‘new-age’ influencers sectors—automobiles, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals — while the broader industrial base remains under-invested. —Compiled by Saikat Neogi R&D spending 27 21 13 China 5.1 0.7 Japan South Korea India Data for 2024; Source: World Bank, OECD, Care Edge THE DELHI GYMKHANA Club, where the city's powerful and eliterubbedshouldersfornearly acentury,staredatpossibleclosure on Saturday with the Centreaskingittoreturnitsexpansive 27.3 acres by June 5 on grounds of "securing defence infrastructure". The sprawling premises,situated at 2, Safdarjung Road, in theheartofleafyLutyens'Delhi, were leased to the Imperial Delhi Gymkhana Club (now known as Delhi Gymkhana Club) for maintaining a social and sporting club. It stands adjacenttotheprimeminister's residence on Lok Kalyan Marg that keeps one thinking long afterone has had it. This was the winning entry at a bartender contest earlier IKI & GAI’s cocktail; uses tequila, amchoor masala, jalapeno and agave ■ Genda Phool: A creation by Delhi’s Silq; uses gin, marigold, orange blossom, coconut water this year. Karan Dhanelia’s Corazón de Fuego (The Heart of Fire),defieseveryexpectationof what a cocktail should look, tequila-based cocktail with parmesan, mushrooms Hyderabad bar Oxymorons’ creation with vodka, Wai Wai noodles, chicken broth ■ Rajputana Armour: Brandy, smoked tamarind, honey, amchoor, saffron, pepper smell,ortastelike.Ifyouaresurprised, you did not try Loud Whisper at Oxymorons,a cocktail bar in Hyderabad, which N E W D E L H I , P U N E ● 280 weekly departures to be withdrawn AKBAR MERCHANT Mumbai, May 23 CLUB TAKEOVER ■ Govt says site needed for defence, security infra ■ Plot lies in Delhi’s high-security admn zone on one of the city's most valuable and strategically important land parcels, within the high-security administrative zone that also houses several key central government and defence establishments. An order,issued bythe Land and Development Office under AIR INDIA WILL cut around PM Narendra Modi with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New Delhi on Saturday and global issues, including the situation in West Asia,” as per a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office. US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said,“The Secretary and Prime Minister discussed the current situation in the Middle East. The Secretary emphasised that the US will not let Iran hold the global energy market hostage and affirmed that US energy products have the potential to diversify India’s energy supply.” MUKESH JAGOTA New Delhi, May 23 SCHEME SUMMARY THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT industrial parks to be developed over six years will support the establishment of 50 industrial parks across states in the first phase of the `33,660-crore BHAVYA (Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojna) scheme, guidelines for which were made public on Saturday. To get central support for the proposed industrial parks, the states and Union territories will have to compete among themselves by presenting high quality viable proposals which would then be judged based on an objective crite- ■ Club officials say internal discussions on legal and administrative options ■ Uncertainty over future of nearly 600 club staff the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry on Friday, statedthatthepremisesarecriticallyrequired forthe strengthening and securing of defence infrastructure and other vital public securitypurposes. Continued on Page 2 ■ Under new scheme, 100 ■ Size of park to be between 10 acres and 1,000 acres ■ State to contribute land, Centre to provide funds for infra development ria. In the first round of applications, 20 parks will be approved and the time period available for submitting applications will be two months. Continued on Page 2 PTI NARENDRA MODI, PM India and the United States will continue to work closely for the global good Continued on Page 2 Four-monthwindowforstates to applyfor50 industrial parks ‘Govtworking togetmore investments’ New Delhi: In an effort to attract investments, the government will make public data on principal Indian imports and a list of potential export items, as it draws up sectorspecific plans for boosting manufacturing capacity, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal said on Saturday. Continued on Page 2 Continued on Page 2 AirIndia to trim domestic flights from Mumbai US energy can diversify India’s supply, says Rubio after a challenging year in bilateral relations, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi Saturday, during which they discussed “defence, strategic technologies, trade and investment, energy security, connectivity, education and people-to-people ties”. Rubio, who landed in Kolkata in the morning before travelling to New Delhi, also “shared US perspective on various regional takesWaiWaiinstantnoodlesto a new level. Smooth vodka meets the nostalgic punch of WaiWaimasalaandthesavoury depth of chicken broth in the popularcocktail. “It is a nod to my hostel days. The masala from those noodle packets has this instant familiarity,and I wanted to see if that nostalgia could translate into a cocktail. Pairing it with chicken broth felt like a natural extension because both are very savoury and umami.Vodka gives it this clean backbone to hold everything together,” said Rehan Guha,founderof Oxymorons. LEAN TRAVEL, HIGH ATF COSTS EXTENDS TRUMP INVITE TO MODI DURING MEETING Centre asks Delhi Gymkhana Club to hand overpremises byJune 5 PRESS TRUST OF INDIA New Delhi, May 23 M U M B A I , ■ Cin Cin!: AtelierV’s ■ Loud Whisper: SIGNALLING SOME PROGRESS in repairing ties Manufacturing landscape 3.6 L U C K N O W , SHUBHAJIT ROY New Delhi, May 23 India’s low R&D spend hampers manufacturing 2.6 K O L K A T A , ● Talks held on trade, defence and critical tech Not just celebs or stars alone, India’s creator ecosystem is now also being shaped by children, seniors and audiences who no longer see age as a filter for relevance 25 K O C H I , ■ Dadi Issues: Delhi-based Fuego: Awardwinning bar contest entry that uses tequila, roasted tomato, onion salsa, hot honey ROASTED TOMATO AND onion Share of manufacturing H Y D E R A B A D , INNOVATION MEETS INGREDIENTS KUNAL DOLEY New Delhi, May 23 ( % of GDP) READ TO LEAD Cocktailsgetquirkywithnimbuachaar,dadi’smutton WHAT’S INSIDE INDIACONTINUESTO lag itsAsian peers in manufacturing-driven industrial expansion because of low spending on research and development.As a result, the economy remains focused on low-to-mid tech production, making it harder to compete with innovation-driven exporters such as China, South Korea and Japan. Moreover, R&D spending among listed Indian companies is concentrated in a few C H E N N A I , The senior advocate talks about judicial corruption, women’s rights & more Page 4 Third fuel price hike in 10 days; petrol rises nearly `5/litre SAURAVANAND New Delhi, May 23 PETROL AND DIESEL prices were raised by up to 91 paise per litre on Saturday, taking the cumulative increase in retail fuel rates to nearly `5 per litre in less than 10 days, as state-run oil marketing companies intensified pass-through of rising global oil prices. Continued on Page 2 »INSIDE« IRAN, US TALKS PROGRESS, HOPE OF ENDING WAR PAGE 20 280 weekly domestic departures from Mumbai between June 1 and August 1, marking the airline’s first major reduction in domestic capacity, close on the heels of recent cuts in its international network. The revised schedule has not yet been officially announced by the airline. An email sent toAirIndia seeking confirmation and comments on the planned reductions did not receive a response till the time of going to press. Sources said the Tataowned carrier will reduce frequencies across several major metro and trunk routes from Mumbai, with Delhi witnessing the steepest cut of nearly 50 weekly flights, though the route will still retain close to 300 weekly services. Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Kolkata will each see around 21 fewer weekly departures, while Bengaluru, which is one of the country’s busiest business travel routes, will alsowitness a reduction of roughly21weeklyflights,taking total frequencies to below FLIGHT PLAN Weekly flight cuts* Mumbai-Delhi: 50 Mumbai-Ahmedabad: 21 Mumbai-Hyderabad: 21 Mumbai-Kolkata: 21 Mumbai-Bengaluru: 21 Temporary suspensions* Mumbai-Nagpur Mumbai-Varanasi Mumbai-Patna Mumbai-Bhopal (* Applicable from June 1-August 1) 70 per week. In addition to frequency reductions,Air India will temporarilysuspend services from Mumbai to Nagpur, Varanasi, Patna and Bhopal during the two-month period. Sources said the scale of reductions is marginally higherthanwhatwas seen last year, particularly from Mumbai, which remains one of the airline’s key domestic hubs. The move comes amid elevated aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices,mounting operational cost pressures and seasonally weaker travel demand during the monsoon months. Continued on Page 2 VB-G RAM G draft HC allows Phogat rules notified to join Asiad trials THE CENTRE HAS notified draft rules under the VB-G RAM G Act, 2025, laying down the institutional and administrative framework for the new rural employment programme that will replace MGNREGA from July 1. ■ PAGE 3 THE DELHI HIGH Court has allowed Vinesh Phogat to take part in trials for the Asian Games, to be held on May 30-31, saying WFI’s policy is exclusionary for the lack of discretion to consider an iconic player like her. ■ PAGE 20 New finery unlikely to boost sedan sales ● From Honda City to Virtus, 4 updates this year BUMPY RIDE Volkswagen Virtus Hyundai Verna VIKRAM CHAUDHARY New Delhi, May 23 15,585 14,382 Skoda Slavia NEW MODELS USUALLY gener- ate excitement in the market and attract people to the showrooms,butautomotiveanalysts said this is unlikely to happen with sedans, which have lost groundtoSUVsinIndia,evenas automakers are coming out with facelifts and updates to theirexisting lineups. On Friday, Honda launched the new City priced at `11.99 21,432 22,959 15,593 9,925 Honda City Maruti Suzuki Ciaz (In units) FY25 FY26 10,901 7,142 8,402 1,980* (Sales of all midsize sedans, except Virtus, are falling; * Ciaz has been discontinued) lakh onwards, about two monthsafterHyundairolledout the facelifted version of the Verna. Updated versions of the Skoda Slavia and Volkswagen Virtus are expected to follow during the festive season. Gaurav Vangaal, associate Kolkata director,lightvehicle forecasting, S&P Global Mobility, said despitenewfacelifts,itisgoing to be tough for sedans to make a comeback.“Sales marginally rise fora fewmonthswith each new launch/facelift of a midsizesedan—aswesawwiththe all-new Hyundai Verna in 2023,andthefaceliftinMarch —and before that when Skoda introduced the Slavia and Volkswagen launched the Virtus (in 2022), but then they eventually taper. The market has wholly shifted to SUVs, and midsize sedans cater to a few enthusiasts who love driving a sedan, but that’s about it,”he added. Another analyst echoed this sentiment, pointing to structural shifts in consumer behaviour. Continued on Page 2