MAM
Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters to begin from 2 February
Mumbai: The Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters was started in 2018. After the critically and popularly acclaimed staging of three editions, the pandemic disrupted this signature event in the cultural calendar of India. Now, 2023 will witness a rebirth with renewed vigour and vitality.
The latest version will be held in Thiruvananthapuram from 2 to 5 February. MBIFL’23 will provide a platform where discussions on the arts, gender, history, media, politics, religion, science, sports, technology, and other contemporary issues will lend a spicy tang to four days and nights.
“A galaxy of universally renowned writers and speakers will grace this iteration, including last year’s Nobel laureate Abdul Razak Gurna and Booker Prize winner Shehan Karunathilake, from neighbouring Sri Lanka,” revealed festival curator Sabin Iqbal.
“The theme of ‘Ka’, as it is known locally after the first consonant in our mother tongue Malayalam, is ‘Shadows of history. Lights of the future,’” said festival director Mayura Shreyams Kumar.
“We chose this particular trope, conflating it with our voyage through a century of rendering yeomen service to society,” added Mathrubhumi, director of digital business.
MBIFL chairman M. V. Shreyams Kumar explained the rationale behind the festival of letters: “Being at the forefront of all progressive movements in our state, we deemed it incumbent on us to celebrate the role of letters in contributing to the moral arc of a nation, by conceiving the Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters.”
Mathrubhumi’s managing director went on to say: “In our centenary year, it is also a tribute to the vision of my late father, the writer M. P. Veerendra Kumar, who guided our corporate fortunes for more than four decades as the chairman and managing director of Mathrubhumi.”
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI:Â Jubilant FoodWorks Limited has landed in a tax tussle after receiving a GST demand of Rs 47.5 crore from the office of the additional commissioner of CGST and central excise in Thane, Maharashtra.
The order, issued under the provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, relates to an alleged incorrect classification of certain services under the category of restaurant services. According to the tax authorities, this classification resulted in a short payment of goods and services tax for the period between the financial years 2019-20 and 2021-22.
The demand includes Rs 47.5 crore in GST along with an equal amount as penalty, in addition to applicable interest. The order was received by the company on March 13, 2026.
In a regulatory filing to the BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited, the company said it disagrees with the order and believes its arguments were not adequately considered.
The company is preparing to challenge the decision and plans to file an appeal. It added that once the redressal process is complete, the demand is likely to be dropped.
Despite the sizeable figure attached to the notice, the company said it does not expect any material impact on its financials, operations or other activities.
The disclosure was signed by Suman Hegde, EVP and chief financial officer, who confirmed that the company received the order at 19:06 IST on March 13 and has already initiated steps to contest it.
The development places the quick service restaurant major in the middle of a tax debate that could hinge on how certain restaurant-linked services are classified under GST rules. For now, the company appears ready to take the matter from the tax office to the appeals desk.
