Sustainablly grown French apple varieties showcased at a Kombucha workshop ahead of all India retail roll out.

Sustainablly grown French apple varieties showcased at a Kombucha workshop ahead of all India retail roll outThe Interprofessional Association for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (INTERFEL) introduced the new season of French apples in India with a tasting and workshop at Food Square, Mumbai, marking the start of a wider retail and consumer campaign across the country.At the event, guests sampled French apple varieties such as Royal Gala, Granny Smith and Pixie in different formats – from fresh tastings to tapas and desserts – while learning about how the fruit is grown and supplied to India. A short introduction to INTERFEL highlighted its role in representing growers and promoting high-quality fresh produce from France.

Guests try varieties of French apples – Granny Smith, Pixie & Royal Gala

French apples are known for their consistent taste and firm texture, supported by strict quality systems and advanced orchard practices. In 2025, French apple production is estimated at about 1.485 million tonnes, a 4% increase over 2024 and 3% higher than the three-year average, underlining the stability of the sector even in the face of climate challenges.

Kombucha workshop by Vikram Mittal of Mavi’s Pantry

Classic international varieties such as Gala, Golden, Granny, Fuji and Rouge remain stable, while club varieties like Pink Lady, Jazz, Joya and Juliet are expected to grow by around 2%. Traditional French favourites, including Chantecler, Canada and Boskoop, are also set to increase, and emerging new varieties together are projected to reach about 145,000 tonnes this season, reflecting strong innovation in the orchards.

Guests enjoying the kombucha workshop

Behind these numbers is more than 25 years of work on sustainable farming. French apple growers use precision irrigation, advanced soil management and eco-friendly pest control, with the aim of keeping orchards in balance with nature while protecting water and soil for future generations.Chef Sushil Multani, who curated the evening menu, said: “Cooking with French apples was fun and absolutely delicious. The interplay of their bright tartness and natural sweetness came through beautifully in every dish. This versatile trio paired remarkably well across the menu, working seamlessly with seafood, cheese and even lamb.”

Kombucha made using French apple varieties bought

Kombucha specialist Vikram Mittal of Mavi’s Pantry added: “Whether it is the eye or in our pies, we love our apples in India. The French Pixie gave an extra sweet punch to our kombucha and the Granny Smith was perfect for the sauerkraut. Honestly, I couldn’t stop snacking on the Royal Gala either.”Following the Mumbai launch, the campaign will move into retail, with French apples made available at major supermarkets across India, supported by in-store tastings, interactive promotions and roadshows that invite families to discover the flavour and versatility of French apples first-hand.Disclaimer: Content Produced by Salveo International Development India Pvt Ltd

NEW DELHI: On the occasion of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s 101st birth anniversary, an exhibition titled ‘Atal Prashasti’ is seeking to bring to life various aspects of the former PM’s life including the many hats he wore, from that of a statesman to that of a poet and orator par excellence.The exhibition, which will be on till Jan 23 at the Prime Ministers Museum and Library (Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya) at the Teen Murti campus, tells the Vajpayee story over three themes: ‘the statesman in action’, roots of conviction’, and ‘words of wisdom’ and follows a descending curatorial narrative.It opens with Vajpayee’s public and political life as remembered by the nation, then delves into the struggles, ideals, and experiences that shaped his convictions, and finally reveals his most intimate dimension as a poet and thinker.Born on December 25, 1924 in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, Vajpayee held office as Prime Minister for three terms. Beginning his career in journalism, he later emerged as a towering political leader and reformer who laid the foundation for important milestones in India’s development.The exhibition highlights Vajpayee multifaceted personality – as a poet, journalist, orator, social worker, and literature, admired across political lines for his intellect, eloquence, and humanism.Besides photographs marking his political journey and time as PM, the exhibition also carries impressions from his days at school and college. The exhibition has been installed at the foyer between Block 1 and Block 2, near Vajpayee’s iconic Ambassador car exhibit. Famous lines of some of his poems that have been inscribed on cloth scrolls welcomes visitors while recordings of his poems in Vajpayee’s distinct voice, with their deliberate pauses, play in the background.As one crosses a scroll highlighting the words from his poem “Bharat ka Mastak Nahin Jhukega”, the wall on the other side captures in pictures Vajpayee and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin signing the Moscow declaration between India and Russia on international terrorism in Moscow in 2001.A photo of Vajpayee visiting Bhuj after the earthquake and one of him addressing the Army during a visit to Kargil and Srinagar in 1998 also find pride of place. There is also a photo of Vajpayee addressing the nation from Red Fort on the first Independence day of the new century on August 15, 2000.The exhibition also has photos that reflect Vajpayee’s softer side like one where he is seen distributing sweets to children and interacting with them during a visit to Warsaw in June 1979 when he was India’s external affairs minister. Another iconic memory is a striking photo that captures Vajpayee and actor Dev Anand in a Janta Party rally in Delhi in December 1979.Also on display are Vajpayee’s books – his speeches and poems and photos reflecting the many awards and honours he received ranging from the Padma Vibhushan to the Bharat Ratna.At the end of the pavilion is an image that is the highlight of the exhibition – a candid shot that captures Vajpayee stepping out of his ambassador and it is aptly captioned as the “silent companion” and just outside one sees on display his “faithful Ambassador” car.

NEW DELHI: A Congress MP-headed parliamentary committee, whose move to call a meeting on VB-G RAM G bill and comparing it with Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme had drawn protest from the panel’s BJP members, has revised the agenda of its Dec 29 sitting and omitted any direct reference to the new law. The original subject of the meeting of the standing committee on the rural development and panchayati raj was a briefing by the rural development department on “Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission-Gramin Bill and its comparison with the MGNREGS (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme)”. However, some BJP members of the panel saw red in the reference to the bill, now a law after assent from the President and gazette notification, as its provisions are yet to be rolled out.That Congress and other opposition parties have stridently criticised the new law which replaces the UPA-era Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) meant that BJP members believed the meeting’s agenda, which is generally a discretion of chairman, was aimed at political point-scoring.In an apparent attempt to defuse any row, the agenda is now revised as “briefing by the representatives of the department of rural development on the subject ‘MGNREGA and other issues relating thereto”, deleting any direct reference to the G RAM G law. However, the change may not preclude political confrontation in the Dec 29 meeting as the committee’s chairman Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, a Congress MP from Odisha, insisted that they will still discuss the new law as it has now received President’s assent, which was not the case when the initial agenda was circulated. “We will discuss it,” he told TOI. Signalling differences with the chairman BJP MP Vivek Thakur, a member of the committee, was dismissive of the changed agenda. “The improvisation of the agenda is meaningless still. Once G RAM G bill is gazetted and the date of implementation is announced through it, it makes sense to discuss the new law. But right now, this smacks of an intent to politicise the agenda of a standing committee.” The ‘VB G RAM G’ bill had drawn strong protest from opposition members, and Ulaka had written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla that it should be referred to his committee for scrutiny, a drmand not accepted by the govt.

File photo: PM Modi (Picture credit: ANI)

LUCKNOW: Mounting yet another scathing attack on Congress, PM Narendra Modi Thursday accused past govts of glorifying one family while neglecting contributions of other national icons, and practising political untouchability. BJP govt freed the country from the “tendency” to attribute every achievement to just one (Nehru-Gandhi) family, he said.Speaking after inaugurating Rashtra Prerna Sthal, a memorial dedicated to Jan Sangh stalwarts, on the 101st birth anniversary of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Lucknow, Modi also said, “BJP is proud that our govt had the opportunity to tear down the wall of Article 370”. He said the legacy of good governance created by BJP-led NDA govt was now being taken to new heights at both central and state levels. “After Independence, a tendency emerged to associate all the good work that took place in India to the same family. Be it books, govt schemes, institutions, streets, roads or squares, it was all connected to the pride of one family… “…Our govt, serving Mother India, is giving respect to her every child, to everyone’s contribution.” he said.Rashtra Prerna Sthal houses 65-ft tall statues of Vajpayee, Syama Prasad Mookherjee and Deen Dayal Upadhyay. Constructed at a cost of Rs 230 crore, the memorial sprawling over 65 acres also houses a lotus-shaped museum depicting the life and journey of the stalwarts.Reiterating BJP’s sharp narrative contrasting dynastic politics with merit based recognition, the PM asserted his govt was honouring national icons who were ignored earlier across party lines.BJP did not let the legacy of B R Ambedkar be undermined, he said, referring to the ‘panchteerth’ associated with the Dalit icon. He accused Congress of attempting to dismantle Ambedkar’s legacy.

Vandals target Christmas decorations at Assam school, mob attacks mall in Raipur

GUWAHATI/RAIPUR: Right-wing vandals smashed Xmas decorations in Assam and Chhattisgarh on Christmas Day, leading to the arrests of four people in Nalbari, Assam, and an FIR in Raipur against 25-30 activists.The arrests in Assam — three activists of VHP and one of Bajrang Dal — took place after Christmas decorations were smashed at St Mary’s School in Nalbari. A group of Hindutva activists stormed the school, tearing down and burning banners and posters. They also targeted nearby shops in Nalbari town selling Christmas items and dismantled a Nativity crib on the school premises.Nalbari SSP Bibekananda Das confirmed the four arrests. “We earlier identified three active members, though the group was larger. All were locals of Nalbari district,” Das said. The case was registered after Fr Baiju Sebastian, the school principal, filed a complaint. He claimed that around 2.30 pm on Wednesday, miscreants entered the school premises, and damaged decorations, lights and plant pots, and set other articles on fire.Those arrested are VHP district secretary Bhaskar Deka, VHP district vice-president Manash Jyoti Patgiri, and VHP assistant secretary Biju Dutta, and Nayan Talukdar, a Bajrang Dal district convener. The activists shouted “Jai Shri Ram” and warned school authorities against celebrating Christmas. They allegedly threatened school officials and asked whether they celebrated Saraswati Puja on campus. “From this year, you have to stop Christmas celebrations,” one activist told a school official, according to a purported video of the event.In Raipur, stick-wielding members of a fringe outfit stormed Magneto Mall during Thursday’s Chhattisgarh shutdown against the violence around Kanker burial and alleged religious conversions. They vandalised property, gilded Christmas decorations, and damaged a Christmas tree and a Santa Claus figure. The mall management said they had suffered losses running into lakhs.The mall management claimed 40-50 people with rods and hockey sticks, allegedly asked staff and others inside, “Are you Hindu or Christian? What is your caste?” They even checked ID cards and badges of staff, officials said.An FIR was lodged based on a complaint by the mall.