News Broadcasting
CNN’s Q&A aims to become more hard-hitting, says host Zain Verjee
CNN International’s high profile interactive programme Q&A South Asia is in the middle of a positional shift. The focus is to make it harder hitting, with a stronger news focus and it appears to have found the right fit in Zain Verjee, who took over as anchor after Riz Khan quit the show in May.
Verjee was in Mumbai on Wednesday, and appeared to have still to fully recover from the high octane adrenaline rush that had constituted the four days that Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf was in India for talks with Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee (Friday 13 July to Monday). She flew in from Delhi after wrapping up an extra post-summit Q&A special on Tuesday.
Q&A Summit Specials were originally scheduled to cover the four days of the summit but a further programme was added elicit reactions on the failure of the talks. There were also two online chat sessions scheduled for Saturday and Monday, but Monday’s session had to be abandoned because of a power breakdown at Hotel Nikko in New Delhi where a 22-strong CNN team had located their operations.
Speaking of her role in Q&A, Verjee sees her personality as quite suited to the changes taking place on the show. Verjee says her principal input is to make the programme more controversial, with subject choices that are more politically driven. If a confrontationist attitude has a physical expression, she suits the role. Verjee happens to be an expert kick boxer and fitness freak. Asked to give some examples where she has raised hackles on her shows, Verjee says she particularly rattled Kashmiri leader Farooq Abdullah during Saturday’s Q&A Summit Special.
The Vajpayee-Musharraf summit was a major operational exercise for the CNN team. Hotel Nikko was converted into a studio. It took one-and-a-half days to set up the control room in one of the hotel’s rooms, which includes panels needed for live transmission and over 1.5 tonnes of equipment was flown in, mainly from Hong Kong. Four international lines to the CNN centre in Atlanta, USA, were set up for the purpose.
The summit was the first time that Verjee has done Q&As outside Atlanta as well as her first visit to India. Queried as to whether her having had no hands-on experience of India wasn’t a detriment in terms of her understanding of issues, Verjee said she put a lot of effort into researching the topics she covered, but admitted that the show was a learning curve for her.
Asked to comment on whether CNN’s coverage of the summit was adequate, Verjee said: “We were all happy with our coverage. I hope it reflects CNN’s commitment to South Asia. Our aim was to give a balanced perspective to a global audience.”
As for the format of the programme, Verjee said the show was segmented into three blocks of between 12 to 15 minutes each. The “A” block was the most topical segment downwards to the “C” block which tended towards softer subjects, she said. Verjee clarified that this was very fluid, depending on the news of the day.
Queried whether there would be more episodes produced out of the subcontinent, Verjee said news events would decide that.
Q&A South Asia airs at 10 PM Monday to Wednesdays on CNN’s South Asia Channel which launched in June 2000. It is a half-hour interactive show and interviews leading politicians, celebrities and newsmakers.
News Broadcasting
Induction cooktop demand spikes 30× amid LPG supply concerns
Supply worries linked to West Asia tensions push households and restaurants to turn to electric cooking alternatives
MUMBAI: As geopolitical tensions in West Asia ripple through global energy supply chains, the familiar blue flame in Indian kitchens is facing an unexpected challenger: electricity.
What began as concerns over the availability of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has quickly evolved into a technology-driven shift in cooking habits. Households across India are increasingly turning to induction cooktops and other electric appliances, initially as a backup but now, for many, a necessity.
A sudden surge in demand
Recent data from quick-commerce and grocery platform BigBasket highlights the scale of the shift. According to Seshu Kumar Tirumala, the company’s chief buying and merchandising officer, demand for induction cooktops has risen dramatically.
“Induction cooktops have seen a significant surge in demand, recording a fivefold jump on 10 March and a thirtyfold spike on 11 March,” Tirumala said.
The increase stands out sharply when compared with broader kitchen appliance trends. Most appliance categories are growing within 10 per cent of their typical demand levels, while induction cooktops have witnessed explosive growth as households rush to secure an alternative cooking option.
Major e-commerce platforms including Amazon and Flipkart have reported rising searches and orders for induction stoves. Quick-commerce apps such as Blinkit and Zepto have also witnessed stock shortages in major metropolitan areas including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
What was once considered a convenient appliance for hostels, small kitchens or occasional use has suddenly become an essential addition in many homes.
A crisis thousands of miles away
The trigger for this shift lies far beyond India’s kitchens.
Escalating conflict in the Middle East has disrupted shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy corridors. Nearly 85 to 90 per cent of India’s LPG imports pass through this narrow waterway, making the country particularly vulnerable to supply disruptions.
The ripple effects have been swift.
India currently meets roughly 60 per cent of its LPG demand through imports, and tightening global supply has already begun to affect domestic availability and prices.
Earlier this month, the price of domestic LPG cylinders increased by Rs 60, while commercial cylinders rose by more than Rs 114.
To discourage panic buying and hoarding, the government has also extended the mandatory waiting period between domestic refill bookings from 21 days to 25 days.
Restaurants feel the pressure
The strain is not limited to households. Restaurants, hotels and roadside eateries are also grappling with supply constraints as commercial LPG availability tightens under restrictions imposed through the Essential Commodities Act.
In cities such as Bengaluru and Chennai, restaurant associations report that commercial LPG availability has dropped by as much as 75 per cent, forcing many establishments to rethink their kitchen operations.
Some restaurants have reduced menu offerings, while others are rapidly installing high-efficiency induction systems, creating hybrid kitchens where electricity now shares the workload with gas.
For smaller eateries and roadside dhabas, the shift is less about sustainability and more about survival.
A potential structural shift
The government has maintained that there is no nationwide LPG crisis and has directed refineries to increase production to stabilise supply.
Nevertheless, the developments of March 2026 may already be triggering a longer-term behavioural shift.
For decades, LPG has been the backbone of cooking in Indian households. However, recent disruptions have highlighted the risks of relying on a single fuel source.
Increasingly, households appear to be hedging against uncertainty by adopting electric cooking options to guard against price volatility and delivery delays.
If the current trend continues, the induction cooktop, once viewed as a niche appliance, could emerge as a quiet symbol of India’s evolving kitchen economy.
