Hotstar VIP’s Special Ops, created by Neeraj Pandey, is a homegrown thriller that satisfies the hunger for desi espionage shows. Special Ops’ plot might be a work of fiction, but it intertwines very real events into its narrative, making for exceptional content.

Odisha’s Naveen Patnaik, who has completed 20 years in office, has once again risen to the occasion. As the nation battles the coronavirus pandemic, he has promised to pay doctors, nurses, and other healthcare officials four months’ salary in advance. He has also donated his three months’ income to the CM’s relief fund.

Assam has gone to work setting up a 700-bed quarantine facility in a sports complex in Guwahati. The state government will also rent an apartment complex close to the facility to accommodate at least 200 doctors. By proactively taking these measures, Assam is showing us how to prepare for a global pandemic.

The Nizamuddin Markaz gathering in Delhi, which attracted thousands of devotees some of whom were carriers of COVID-19, has become an excuse for several sections of India to paint Indian Muslims as bioterrorists. The hashtag #CoronaJihad is evidence.

In Delhi’s Vijay Nagar last night, a man spat at a Manipuri woman and called her “corona”. As information around Covid-19 swells in India, it has led to an increase in xenophobic behaviour – particularly toward those from North-East India.

With 127 positive coronavirus cases, Telangana is one of the worst-hit states in the country. Yet its ministers and their families were seen performing Ram Navmi rituals at a temple, social distancing be damned.

With the British Prime Minister, Health Minister, the Queen, and the Prince of Wales all in isolation, two key decision-making ministers in the cabinet right now are Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, and Home Minister Priti Patel. Social media had a field day with the fact that two Indian-origin ministers are now in charge of Britain.

What’s up with the new PM-CARES fund created for those who wish to contribute to India’s fight against Covid-19? And how different is it from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund?

Minal Bhosale, of the Pune-based Mylab Discovery Solutions, led a team of 10 that designed a new coronavirus home testing kit in a record of six weeks. The following day, the real-life Wonder Woman delivered her baby.

Yes, coronavirus makes you sick with flu-like symptoms but it also sucks out all the decency out of you. A pandemic that threatens your life as much as it threatens that of others is all it takes for the facade of humanity to slip.

Rules and Indian citizens don’t exactly go hand in hand, so it will be interesting to see how a nation of over a billion lock themselves in. Everyone keeps saying that we are in this together, but we are also in this as single, solitary individuals who need to channel all our will power and practice self-discipline like never before.

Shikha Malhotra, who was seen in the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Fan, has joined a BMC-run hospital to assist doctors fighting coronavirus. She has a nursing degree from Delhi.

As people beat their bartans with manic fervour, an apparently homeless man joined in by clapping to the beats. Unlike the covidiots who willingly, and foolishly so, stepped out of their homes, this man likely didn’t even have the privilege to make a choice for himself.

Ratan Tata announced that the Tata Trust would donate Rs 500 crore to protect medical personnel, treat patients, and increase testing in the country. The Tata group has also paid all temporary workers and daily wage earners, for March and April.

In the middle of a pandemic, hope is the first thing you lose. But it will pass. And when you come out on the other side, you’ll be a different person. Pubs will be full of people, you’ll enjoy your cramped train commute, you will even like the colleague you botched about for three years. There will be no more surprises.

If locals in Goa are to be believed, the lockdown has cut off the supply of essentials to the state. They have no access to groceries and those stepping out to head to the market are being punished mercilessly by the police and CRPF.

The award-winning filmmaker, Neeraj Ghaywan, quit a cushy corporate life and charted his own course at 30. The result is sensitive films like Masaan, that drew accolades at home and abroad, and the second season of Sacred Games.

German finance minister of state, Thomas Schäfer committed suicide after being “deeply worried” about the coronavirus crisis. Back home, in Kandivali, Mumbai a man killed his brother because he’d stepped out during the lockdown. It is important to focus on your mental health in these time. Fortunately, help is available.

In Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshah, Muslim neighbours cremated a Hindu man and even chanted “Raam Naam Satya Hai” during his funeral procession, as relatives failed to gather amid the coronavirus lockdown.

The world collectively is losing its shit amid the coronavirus outbreak. People everywhere are panic buying – hoarding masks, hand sanitisers, and even toilet paper. And it doesn’t stop at that. They are attacking people from China, asking them to go back and “take their coronavirus with them”.

When I signed on for a new professional opportunity, I knew I could handle the demands of the job. But how would I handle the late-night commute, taking rickshaws through deserted streets at odd hours? I am not alone: 3 in 5 Indian women limit their opportunities to only a kilometre from home.

Adulting is no cakewalk, especially for parent-dependent millennials. That’s why more and more of us find ourselves in the midst of a quarter-life crisis. You realise that the only acronyms you are familiar with are LMAO, NSFW, BAE. You know nothing about ELSS and ITR.

When you hear the word sexist, you probably don’t picture a 24-year-old girl who aced her gender studies assignments. But I recently came to the realisation that I have all the traits of a stereotypical toxic launda, except my truth was veiled within my 5’4” stature and penchant for skater skirts.

While Roger Federer and Hollywood stars like Ryan Reynolds and Rihanna have donated toward coronavirus efforts, Indian stars seem notably absent. Barring Sachin Tendulkar and a few other celebrities, most of Bollywood is unusually quiet.

I tried to be rational when I found out that my father was having an affair. But I was only drawing more lines for him to toe, for his halo to remain untarnished.

The world is clearly not prepared to hear about another virus yet. When China reported a death due to hantavirus, social media lost its shit. Like coronavirus, hantavirus doesn’t have a cure… but it can’t be transmitted from one person to another and is spread mainly by rodents.

The 21-day lockdown is a difficult time for India. But beating up citizens is not the way to fight this pandemic. Our policemen need to be sensitised now more than ever.

Uddhav Thackeray has been lauded on social media since last evening for his evening address, which, while making similar appeals as the PM to stay at home and follow the lockdown, was accompanied by a strong message to not panic. His composure and determination to keep his constituents updated have earned him rare praise.

In Gujarat, Marwari women lead dual lives. They fast with their mothers-in-law and sip mojitos with their friends.

This isn’t the war against the virus – we are waging a war against stupidity, because this time we are as weak as our weakest link. We can wash our hands a zillion times, but if someone who got infected during the virus visarjan happened to sneeze on our lift button, there is no saving anyone. This is a war against people who have socially distanced themselves from their intellect.