So what’s the big deal about 2013? It’s not without reason that B.A.G Network has decided to launch E Newspaper of India this year.

Christophe Jaffrelot’s scholarly work on the rise of Hindu nationalism deals extensively with the rise of Kushabhau Thakre played in building up the organization from scratch, for the BJP as well as its predecessor, Bhartiya Jana Sangh (BJS), in Madhya Pradesh.

Friday often gives jitters to film-makers. It’s their big test on the Box Office whether they can effectively sell their dreams. Finance Minister P Chidambaram must have faced the same kind of nervous situation when he presented the Union budget for 2013-14 on a Thursday, and not a Friday.

The pre-election budgets used to have a familiar script which finance ministers rarely violated. P Chidambaram was no exception. In his nearly two-hour presentation, he seemed to be juggling with figures to suit political priorities of his bosses – Congress president Sonia Gandhi and prime minister Manmohan Singh.

Budget 2013-14, as many pundits, economists and TV commentators will say, is a pragmatic approach to growth.

The economic survey, presented in parliament on Wednesday, has a curious new feature: a full chapter on ‘Seizing the demographic dividend’, on how the youth are going to dominate the next decade or so, and what it means for the future of job creation in India.