The smile is back on builders’ faces
The Hindu
After the impact of the second wave of COVID-19, recovery in the real estate segment has been encouraging
Activity in the real estate segment is an indicator of economic growth. After being battered by the second wave of COVID-19 that had brought the segment to a standstill, the recovery has been encouraging. Project launches, enquiries and sales have brought the smile back on builders’ faces. The RBI has been holding the rates, refraining from making any changes. The repo rate continues to be comfortable at 4%. It is the rate at which banks borrow for the short term from RBI and also is the benchmark for deposit and subsequent lending rates. The home loan rates are ruling at a decade low of 6.60% to 7.00% across key lenders. On a loan of ₹25 lakh for a period of 20 years at 6.70% interest rate, the EMI would be ₹19,000.
In October this year, India announced its intention to build Maitri II, the country’s newest research station in Antarctica and India’s fourth, about 40 forty-odd years after the first permanent research station in Antarctica, Dakshin Gangotri, was established. The Hindu talks to Dr Harsh K Gupta, who led the team that established it

How do you create a Christmas tree with crochet? Take notes from crochet artist Sheena Pereira, who co-founded Goa-based Crochet Collective with crocheter Sharmila Majumdar in 2025. Their artwork takes centre stage at the Where We Gather exhibit, which is part of Festivals of Goa, an ongoing exhibition hosted by the Museum of Goa. The collective’s multi-hued, 18-foot crochet Christmas tree has been put together by 25 women from across the State. “I’ve always thought of doing an installation with crochet. So, we thought of doing something throughout the year that would culminate at the year end; something that would resonate with Christmas message — peace, hope, joy, love,” explains Sheena.

Max Born made many contributions to quantum theory. This said, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for physics in 1954 for establishing the statistical interpretation of the ____________. Fill in the blank with the name of an object central to quantum theory but whose exact nature is still not fully understood.










