Here is the article “Army kids tap into memories of mess food” by Tanu Ganguly, as published on page 6 of the sources:
Army kids tap into memories of mess food
From Sunday roasts to kebabs and custard and jelly, army messes were places where families gathered and friendships were forged
For many an army kid, few dishes can conjure as much nostalgia as tipsy pudding. Served at formal dinners in the officers’ messes of army units, it is a classic example of making the most of what you have. The rich trifle-like dessert continues to enjoy a loyal fan following, with generations of fauji families recreating it in their own kitchens as a lesson in creativity and resourcefulness.
My father served in the Indian Army, so moving cities every few years was part of growing up. Amidst the changes, eating at the Officers’ Mess remained constant. It was where friendships were forged, and every posting began and ended around a table in the mess.
THE TABLE IS SET
“Shreeman, bhojan prashant,” a well-clad mess havildar would march up to the room and announce that dinner was served. Whether it was in Ahmednagar, Gaya, Nagpur or Roorkee, through the 1980s, this remains one of my earliest memories of dining at an Army Officers’ Mess.
Dining in the mess had a protocol of its own. A bowl of mulligatawny or cream of chicken soup arrived before the main course, but only after important guests. The snacks made several rounds of the room, bringing with them a sense of friendship in plain white plates with the unit’s emblem. I waited for the fish fingers and vegetable cutlets. Once everyone had their fill of the thick soup, chicken curry and pulao, it was time for the fruit custard and bread-butter pudding. Across stations, chicken tikka, spring rolls, hara bhara kebabs, paneer tikki and dahi vadas were common.
“The influence of continental food was well [felt],” remembers Chef Rahul Kaushik of Food Link Catering in Mumbai, who grew up in naval bases across the country around 1990-2000. “The Sunday roast is something I miss. We’d sit next to our fathers in whites, with our hair combed and shoes polished. More than anything else, it was the aroma of the roast, rosemary and garlic, fresh out of the oven in the mess that made it memorable,” he says.
For Delhi-based Sidecar co-founder Minakshi Singh, 41, whose father was a Squadron Leader, childhood memories of the Officers’ Mess from Chennai, Bhubaneswar and Sirsa, are associated with visiting clubs and the evening or a game of tennis. She remembers the classic club fare, which usually included sandwiches, French fries and cheese-cherry-pineapple skewers. But it’s the desserts that instantly take her back. “The custard and jelly, and the bread-and-butter pudding were my favourites,” she says.
“Ration aster” was a regular placeholder on the mess menus, referring to the fresh seasonal vegetables supplied to each mess as part of its weekly rations. The dish would change depending on what was available that week. “Defence messes run on the same operating system across stations. That’s why mess food felt the same everywhere, even when the state changed,” adds Kaushik.
Region-specific dishes also found their way on to the menus. “My father’s unit was 1 Mech (formerly Madras), where Sunday breakfast always meant dosa,” shares actor Gul Panag, 47. “And then, of course, there was my absolute favourite—tipsy pudding.”
Many also talk about messes being at par with restaurants of today, where service matters as much as the food. Delhi-based restauranteur Zorawar Kalra points out the quality produce, and the finesse and precision with which meals were executed during his grandfather’s postings in the 1950s.
ALL ABOUT PUDDING
The original English “tipsy cake” was a sponge cake soaked in sherry or brandy and layered with cold custard, much like a trifle. As the recipe travelled with the British military messes to India, the boozy dessert acquired a character of its own. Layers of plain or vanilla sponge cake doused in brandy or rum, topped with custard, whipped cream and cocktail fruits like apples, pineapple and grapes, became part of the version generations of fauji families relished at army messes.
The recipe enjoys several iterations and makes use of either local, seasonal fruits or tinned pineapple slices or orange juice often mixed with whatever alcohol was at hand. “It made sense as purchase was quarterly, rations came in bulk, and wastage was tracked like ammunition,” says Kaushik.
The pudding is also something Colonel Ankush Sharma, 49, looked forward to during his days as a cadet at the National Defence Academy. “It would typically be served once a week, after an overnight run, or a long day out in the sun, and as cadets we used to just gulp it down,” he says. His association with the army mess from his father’s time and as a serving officer remains the same. “My first meal as a commissioned officer was chicken curry and rice. It tasted exactly like the food I had grown up eating in the mess.”
THE SCENE TODAY
Although times have changed and tastes have evolved, the menus remain untouched. Indian food is still enjoyed as much as shepherd’s pie and chilli chicken. “Tikkas, fish fingers and spring rolls remain fixtures. The biggest differences are although dictated by geography. High-altitude postings, for example, serve more hot drinks and calorie-dense non-vegetarian meals,” shares Col. Sharma.
Today, army chefs and stewards continue to be trained at the Army Service Corps Centre in Bengaluru, where they learn everything from cooking fundamentals to specialised Indian, continental and Chinese food. A committee of three to four officers oversees the day-to-day functioning of the mess, with the mess secretary responsible for planning the menus. The head chef, known as the chef special in army parlance, executes them with the help of a masalchi, who handles the mise en place.
This summer, Singh recreated the custard and jelly she grew up eating at the mess, adding fresh mangoes for her son. The recipe may have changed, but the memory has not. Perhaps that’s why generations of fauji kids still recognise these dishes, and not because they were extraordinary, but because they remind them of an entire way of growing up.
Tanu Ganguly is a Gurugram-based journalist and writes about food, dining and culture.
WPI inflation cools to 9.78% in July as fuel prices soften By Harsh Kumar, harsh.kumar@livemint.com NEW DELHI
Wholesale price inflation (WPI) fell to a 27-month low of 9.78% in July, easing from 9.87% in June, as energy inflation moderated, while price pressures in primary articles and manufactured products strengthened. Inflation in primary articles increased to 8.52% year-on-year in July from 8.27% in June, while manufactured product prices accelerated to 10.38% from 10.24% in June. However, the moderation in fuel and power moderated to 20.33% from 27.44% in the previous month.
Within primary articles, inflation in non-food articles rose sharply to 17.99% in July from 14.94% in June. Food inflation in primary articles increased to 13.24% from 9.45% in June.
“WPI inflation cooled further to 9.78% in July compared to 9.87% in June 2026 and slightly under-shot our forecast (10.0%) for the month. The moderation was not broad-based as food and power groups whereas all other groups witnessed a hardening in their inflation prints in July 2026 vis-à-vis June 2026,” said Rahul Agrawal, principal economist at ICRA.
Within fuel and power, inflation in mineral oils moderated to 32.4% in July from 46.18% in June. Inflation in coal and electricity prices remained steady at 2.45% and 8.04% respectively. Food articles inflation eased to 5.44% from 5.49%. Crude petroleum and natural gas also declined to 20.99% compared with 32.78% in June.
Manufacturing price pressures stayed elevated. Inflation in manufacture of food products rose to 8.85% in July from 7.22% in June. Inflation in chemicals and chemical products increased to 13.12% from 12.78%, while basic metals inflation stood at 12.58%, compared with 12.35% in June.
The Wholesale Price Index for all commodities stood at 110.0 in July, compared with 110.1 in June.
Inflation in textiles rose to 12.8% from 11.23% in June, whereas in leather equipment it rose to 12.34% from 12.18%. Paper and paper products increased to 10.38% from 9.94%. Food items, which have a weight of 24.99%, recorded inflation of 6.63% in July, up from 6.14% in June. The index includes both food items from the primary articles group and manufactured food products.
Here is the article “Freedom from feeling compromised” by Rohan Rajput, as published on page 9 of the sources:
Freedom from feeling compromised
ROHAN RAJPUT, 22, Hairstylist, Mumbai
I grew up in the Doors, in a small town near the Bhutan border. Life was simple. I finished my Class XII but decided not to go to college. Given the state of the economy and job market, it seemed like a waste of time and money. Why would people move to another state if there was a future for them back home? That’s why I decided to take up a course in hair styling and moved to Mumbai in 2023. I currently work at a salon. But some days, I want to move out of India because I feel there are better opportunities out there.
Independence, or azaadi, has very little meaning. It feels like our country is still not truly independent. Our politicians and the police are corrupt, our education system is broken. Look at children in government schools who are struggling to build a future.
If freedom means being able to speak your mind or do what is right without hesitation, then we are not really free. You shouldn’t have to be afraid to speak up or stand up for what you believe is right. We are always scared of backlash or of being judged. Children cannot even be free with their own interests.
The idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam—the world is a family—is deeply ingrained in me—but the reality is that we are divided. And politicians? They care about us only when they need our votes. The moment the elections are over, they disappear. They talk about women's safety, but crimes against women continue to happen. If we were truly free, we wouldn’t feel so compromised.
India’s fast-food sector is seeing a turnaround after the lean year
By Suneera Tandon, suneera.t@livemint.com NEW DELHI
(Note: The sources indicate this article text is continued from page 18.)
Commodity inflation along with sluggish growth in wages and annual increments, LPG prices have significantly gone up in the last few months,” Manish Diwan, president and group chief executive officer at Devyani International Ltd (DIL), said.
Singhal said the LPG disruption was ultimately less severe than initially feared. “It was more, let’s say, a fear, less a reality. The disruptions were not as intense as they were made out to be,” he said.
Singhal added that consumers remained cautious. “While the modest price increases by QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) companies, helping support their revenue and profitability as the bills were not necessarily commensurate with the increase in input costs.”
Restaurant Brands Asia did not raise prices in the quarter, while Sapphire Food India, the operator of Pizza Hut and KFC, said it was mindful of value.
“We have taken a small amount of price increases in this particular quarter, which has helped improve gross margin and, thereby, it has helped the bottom line as well,” Vijay Jain, chief financial officer at Sapphire Foods, said on an analysts call.
Jubilant FoodWorks said labour costs had gone up in the quarter. The management expects the second quarter to be better than Q1, counting on the onset of the festive season and ICC World Cup. It remains confident of building a business capable of delivering 5-7% medium-term like-for-like (LFL) growth. LFL growth refers to the percentage change in sales from established locations relative to those from new stores, closures and acquisitions.
Singhal expects the recovery to gather pace through the festive season, adding that the December quarter could be a “very, very good period” for consumer product companies as the country was back in the growth mode.
QSRs are increasing their value meal options with prices starting at ₹49 or ₹99 and improving their store metric to enhance profitability. Almost a decade ago, Jubilant had focused on improving value offerings and menu innovation. “Lower store rollouts, better costs and controlling fixed in terms of the margins for the company,” said Ajay Thakur, an analyst at Anand Rathi.
DIL remains visionary on the increasing share of dine-ins in the lead up to the World Cup, noting that “it improves your mix because when you have a dine-in customer you don’t have to pay as much to the aggregator delivery fees, which helps improve margins,” said DIL's Diwan.
Based on the provided sources, the article titled "Dollar deluge early RBI exit from FCNR" appears on page 15 as a continuation from page 18 (which is not included in the sources).
Here is the text as it appears in the source:
Dollar deluge early RBI exit from FCNR
By Bloomberg MUMBAI
(Note: The article text is continued from page 18.)
"...ny," we needed it to stabilize FX, but while stabilizing FX, if excess INR liquidity is created here, it will stoke inflation”.
The decision to end the scheme early comes just a week after RBI governor Sanyam Malhotra said that despite strong inflows witnessed in its FCNR(B) deposit window, the central bank had no immediate plans to pre-close or postpone the scheme.
“The early closure of the scheme clearly demonstrates that the response to the scheme has exceeded expectations,” Gaura Sengupta, chief economist at IDFC First Bank said.
She also said that total inflows under FCNR(B) are still expected to be robust at $10 billion against the earlier expectation of $8-9 billion. “Banks are likely to push for FCNR(B) deposits in the last two weeks of the scheme,” Sengupta said.
FCNR(B) deposits allow non-resident Indians to hold foreign-currency deposits with Indian banks, [protecting] the depositor from exchange-rate fluctuations.
Under the special swap arrangement, banks could access dollar liquidity at a lower [rate from the] RBI against the foreign-currency deposits they raised through the facility.
The following article, titled “India’s April-June balance of payments sees $8.1 bn deficit,” appears as a brief in the "Mint Shorts" section on page 15 of the source:
India’s April-June balance of payments sees $8.1 bn deficit
Bengaluru: India’s balance of payments recorded a deficit of $8.1 billion in the April-June quarter, compared with a surplus of $6.3 billion a year earlier. Despite a strong surplus in June, a central bank data showed on Friday that the current account recorded a surplus of $2.9 billion in June.
The Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) has granted interim relief to Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL), allowing the company to proceed with its proposed ₹3,143 crore fundraise. This ruling is contingent upon ZEEL depositing the penalty amount imposed by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) within one week.
Key details of the ruling include:
- Operational Flexibility: The relief permits the media group to access the capital markets for day-to-day business expenses, which provides needed financial flexibility.
- Usage Restrictions: The funds raised cannot be used for other purposes, such as paying out proposed dividends.
- Warrant Deadline: The tribunal extended the deadline for ZEEL to issue warrants by one week from Friday (August 15, 2026).
- Context of the Appeal: The ruling follows an appeal by ZEEL against a Sebi order from July 31, which had barred the company from the securities market for two months and restrained certain promoters, including Punit Goenka, over allegations of diverting funds to privately held entities.
Additionally, in a related development, Sebi recently gave a clean chit to Deloitte regarding its role as an auditor for Zee, concluding that Deloitte had not missed or failed to report the unauthorized transactions under investigation.
The following brief, titled “Sebi proposes easier digital KYC for Indians living abroad,” is located in the "Mint Shorts" section on page 15 of the sources:
Sebi proposes easier digital KYC for Indians living abroad
Mumbai: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is seeking to make it easier for overseas Indians to open securities accounts in India, proposing to use technology to address the various hurdles that have long complicated the process. The market regulator proposed allowing NRIs, OCIs and FATF-compliant countries to complete securities-market KYC digitally from abroad.
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