News Broadcasting
Zee English to air three new shows in December
MUMBAI: Zee English’s year end bonanza includes three new shows. With rival English entertainment channel Star World seriously bolstering its programming line up, Zee’s English entertainment arm’s announcement of new shows comes at a good time.
Starting 8 December every Monday, is Larry David’s satire Curb your Enthusiasm. Next in line is new comedy series Half and Half, which is scheduled to air every Thursday at 10:30 pm starting 11 December.
While the fifth season of HBO’s Sopranos will hit the US small screens on March 2004, Zee English will premiere season three of mobster soap Sopranos on 14 December, which will are every Sunday at 9 pm.
A brand new comedy series that premiered last year in USA, Half & Half, stars Essence Atkins and Rachel True as half-sisters Mona and Dee Dee who have only one thing in common: their father. Created by Jeffrey Klarik and produced by Yvette Lee Bowser, the show has been nominated for several awards including the golden globe and Emmy awards.
Mona is a budding music executive raised by her single mother, Phyllis, to be an independent woman who does things in her own free-spirited and sometimes sardonic style. In usual sitcom style, younger sister Dee Dee is a privileged honour-roll college student who grew up in a two-parent home, but searches for her own identity out of the shadow of her overbearing mother, Big Dee Dee.
Growing up separately, these two virtual strangers suddenly become neighbours in the same San Francisco apartment building and experience the challenges of sisterhood for the first time. They often clash on everything from morals to money to men. Meanwhile, Spencer, Mona’s best friend, becomes the conscience of the group and helps build a bridge between the women.
The candid, unsparing and self-deprecating Curb Your Enthusiasm brings the off-kilter comic vision of Larry David- the co-creator and co-producer of yet another Zee English alumnus Seinfeld. Winner of Golden Globe for best TV series, this HBO show ranked seven in the entertainment weekly’s list of top ten TV shows.
The series blurs the lines between reality and fiction, as David (playing himself) and a cast of real and fictional characters are followed around Los Angeles by a ubiquitous camera that chronicles the private, often banal world of a relatively public man.
It features footage of writer Larry David at home, at work and around town, as he gets into predicaments with fictional and real-life personalities. The show shot without a script, also stars Jeff Garlin as manager Jeff Greene and Cheryl Hines as wife Cheryl. The cast is given scene outlines and often improvise lines as they go.
Stylish, shocking and dark humorous series, Sopranos takes a fresh new look at organised crime from the psychiatrist’s couch. Starring James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco and Michael Imperioli, the series is about a New Jersey gangster and family man Tony Soprano and his gang who reluctantly seek the professional services of a smart and sophisticated therapist.
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.
