It has survived two world wars, the fight against colonialism, global financial slumps and on Thursday, Mumbai Samachar, Asia’s oldest newspaper still in print, entered its 200th year confident of beating the pandemic-driven decline that has hit many rivals.
The coal-fired tandoor oven sends a mouth-watering scent wafting through the Mumbai kitchen as celebrity chef Saransh Goila, maker of the world’s “best butter chicken” according to MasterChef Australia, takes a break from Covid-19 relief efforts and resumes work.
After dealing with two coronavirus funerals in two weeks, Raj Sharma was too grief-stricken to negotiate a third with profiteering hearse drivers and crematoriums, so he turned to one of the many new businesses that have sprung up around India helping struggling people while also turning a tidy profit.
India released $6.7 billion in cheap financing for vaccine makers, hospitals and other health firms on Wednesday, to counter the devastating coronavirus surge gripping the country.