News Broadcasting
Radio City to rock Saturday nights with Disco
MUMBAI: Get in your best retro gear! At Radio City, it’s the time to disco every Saturday night between 9:00 pm and midnight.
In a bid to provide some programming and content innovation, Star’s FM arm – Radio City 91 FM is launching Disco Nights, a weekly three-hour show on Saturday nights.
The show, which premiered on 3 April, is the channel’s take on the city’s glam quotient. Besides playing the hippest and coolest tracks, the show will also report on people and places that make the city groove. Premiering across the Radio City stations in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore, the show will have the best of high energy Hindi music playing Bollywood songs, remixes, and Indipop, says a company release.
Announcing the launch of Disco Nights, Radio City COO Sumantra Dutta said, “With the listening masses embracing entertainment wholeheartedly, the Indian music scenario is also witnessing a huge revival of high energy Hindi Disco music. Radio being the true medium of the masses and the sole source of entertainment for millions, allows Radio City the unique opportunity to service that gap in the radio market. Today one finds an affluent car owner enjoying a song in his car equally as much whilst the same song plays out on a Rs 60 portable radio for someone traveling in a Bombay local train. Once the weekend is upon us, come Saturday and everyone likes to enjoy and let their hair down after a long and grueling work week.”
Apart from playing the best tunes, Disco Nights is also a partygoers guide to what’s hot and happening each week in each city.
According to the release, the programme will be divided into four sub sections:
1. Radio City Party Zone: The station will profile two hip and happening nightspots of the city every week. This section promises to be a one stop shop providing all the information with respect to the timings, cover charges, ambience, fashion tips, and just everything that one would want to know about the club.
2. Disco Nights Item Number: Radio City, through this section, gives one the opportunity to know about Bollywood heroines whose songs have become foot tapping item numbers of the nation.
3. Disco Nights Reverse gear: A blast from the past – a song that took the country by storm sometime in the past
4. Radio City Disco Deewane: A sneak peek into the lives of the party animals of the city. Find out all about the who’s who of Mumbai who will speak to the listeners live from a happening party – and know trivia like why do they party, what do they wear, where do they party.
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.
