SEPTEMBER26,2021 Country roads, take me home - Sosin ...

NEWDELHI,LATECITY

SEPTEMBER26,202120PAGES,`6.00

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The pandemic has promptedmany to leave cities and findpeace in smaller places, or toreturn to their family homes

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eyeCountry roads,take me home

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“Avoid Wasteful use of Electricity”Executive Engineer (M&G)

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''IMPORTANT''Whilst care is taken prior toacceptance of advertisingcopy, it isnotpossible toverifyits contents. The IndianExpress (P) Limited cannot beheld responsible for suchcontents, nor for any loss ordamage incurredasaresultoftransactions with companies,associations or individualsadvertising in its newspapersor Publications. We thereforerecommend that readersmake necessary inquiriesbefore sending any monies orentering into any agreementswith advertisers or otherwiseacting on an advertisement inany manner whatsoever.

II,,iinntteenndd to change thenameofmywifemistakenlywrittenasSujata inmyservicedocumentswhile as thecorrect nameofmywife isSigirisetty Sujathaand samewill remain forever. If anybodyhavingobjectionany report inmyoffice is 15Corps EnggSigRegt.C/O-56APOstation, OldAir Field Budgam.

0020427408-1

II,,YYAATTIINN S/OHARBANSGULATIR/O152/15,ASHOKNAGAR,ROHTAK-124001.HAVECHANGEDMYNAMETOYATINGULATI,FORALLPURPOSES.

0040585947-4

II,,VViisshhwwaaBandhu,S/o-ShyamSunder Sachdeva, R/o-90/51,SF,MalviyaNagar,NewDelhi-110017, have changedmynamefromVishwaBandhu toVishwaBandhuSachdeva for all futurepurposes. 0040585957-1

II,,SShhyyaamm Sunder,S/oDRSachdeva,R/o-90/51,SF,MalviyaNagarNewDelhi-110017,have changedmynamefromShyamSunder to ShyamSunder Sachdeva for all futurepurposes. 0040585957-2

II,,SShhaarrvvaannKumar,R/o-6080,Gali.No.2, BlockNo. 2,DevNagar,Karol Bagh, NewDelhi,inform that inmySon’s(DipanshuSablania)Schoolrecords,myname&hismothernamehaswronglymentionedasSharwanSablania,DipanshuSablania&Geeta Sablaniainsteadof SharvanKumar,Dipanshu&GeetaRani.Affidavit. No.-IN-L27276361578292T IssueDate-22-September 2021.

0040585957-4

II,,SSuusshhiillaaDevi is legallyweddedspouseof TJ -6136A ,SubGulabSingh, presently residingatKharKhari Sohan, Tehsil-Tosham,District-Bhiwani(Haryana)-1270040. Inmyhusband’s servicedocumentsmynamehasbeenwronglymentionedas Sushil Deviinsteadof SushilaDevi.It needscorrection.Objectionsbe filedto concernedauthoritieswithin sevendays.

0020427406-1

II,,SSaannjjeeeevvKashyap,S/oDharmveerR/o-25/122A, GaliNo.10,VishwasNagar,ShahdaraDelhi-110032,have changedmyname toSanjeevKumarKashyap,for all purposes

0040585947-9

II,,RRooooppaakkBhardwaj,S/oMahinder SinghBhardwaj,R/o29-D,Plot. No.108, IP.Extension,NearMaxHospital, SancharLokApartment, PatparGanj,East-Delhi, Delhi-110092, havechangedmyminor daughter’sname,fromSuhani aged-15years to Suhani Bhardwaj,forall futurepurposes.

0040585952-7

II,,RRaammaaKumari,W/OMahinderPratapWigR/o.H.no.124H.Bcolony-Sector-23 FaridabadHaryana-121005,HaveChangedmyName toRamaWig,forAllpurposes.

0040585952-2

II,,RRAAMMAANNKUMAR,S/ONanakChand,Residingat,C-2/425gali.no-13,Harsh vihar,Delhi-110093,have changed thenameofmyminor son Onandage-14-years andhe shall hereafter beknownasAYANSHRAMAN,forall the,futurepurposes.

0040585952-9

II,,RRAAJJRATANS/OSAKETBIHARI,R/O347,JAINNAGAR,KARALA,DELHI-110081.HAVECHANGEDMYNAMETORAJRATNA.

0040585947-5

II,,PPaarrvveeeennaaNegi,W/OLachamanSinghNegi R/O.H.No-218,Phase-1A,OmVihar,UttamNagar, New-Delhi-110059,HaveChangedmyName toPraveenaNegi. 0040585952-5

II,,MMoonnttuullRajak,S/O-ShriBindeshwari Rajak,R/O-JhuggiNo-1917,Block-E, JJ Colony,ShahbadDairy, SahibabadDaulat Pur, Delhi-110042,havechangedmyname toMantunRajak. 0040585957-3

II,,MMoohhaannllaallGuptaS/oRaviShankarGuptaR/oH.No.230/25, Gali.No.9, RailwayColony,MandawaliFazalpur,Delhi,have changedmyname toMohanGupta.

0040585952-1

II,,MMoohhaammmmaaddAslamSheikh,S/OSattarMohammadSheikh,R/OA-2/S-7,KartikVilla-3,Shalimar-Garden,Extn-2Sahibabad, Ghaziabad-201005,have changedmynametoSheikhMohammadAslam.

0040585947-6

II,,MMeegghhaa Jogeshwar,W/oTarunBehrani R/o Flat.No.84,Bhagirathi Apartment,Sector-9, Rohini,Delhi-110085,have changedmynametoMeghaBehrani.

0040585952-6

II,,LLookkeesshh Jolly,S/OLate.HarishChanderR/O.T-47,Baba Farid-Puri,West Patel-Nagar, NewDelhi-110008,have changedmyMinor SonName JEEVANSHSHARMATo JEEVANSHJOLLY,for all purposes.

0040585947-7

II,,KKaammllaaW/o-Sh.pawankumarsharmaR/O-H.No-F 608,RanjitVihar-I,Dwarka, Sector-22,RajNagar-II,SouthWest, Delhi-110077,have changedmynametoKamlaSharma for all,futurepurpose.

0040585957-6

II,,KKaammllaaDeviW/oMukeshKumarR/o-C-1216, Sangam-Vihar,NewDelhi-110062,thatKamlaDevi&Kamlesh is theoneandSamePerson

0040585927-1

II,,CChhaannddeerr KantaTrikhaD/o-Sh.Ravi Shankar TrikhaR/o-D-68,Hastsal Vihar,UttamNagar,NewDelhi-110059,inform thatChanderKantaTrikha&ChanderKanta,bothnameare sameperson.

0040585957-8

II,,AArrddrraaGlory,D/OGloryKunjumonR/O-PuthenPuraHouseCherumooduVellimonP.OKundaraKollamKerala.have changedmyNameAnnaGlory,for all,futurepurposes.

0040585947-8

II,,WassimAkhtar S/oMdYasinR/oB-388AmanViharKirariSulemanNagar Delhi havechangedmyminor daughtername fromMosinaToMohsinapermanently. 0040585934-1

II,, VirendraSinghVerma S/ORamBharosey Verma,R/oB-62, DeendayalNagar, Jhansikhas, Spiri Bazar, UttarPradesh- 284003. I havechanged thenameofmy minordaughter Subhi Aryaagedabout 15 years andShe shallhereafter be knownas ShubhiVerma. 0070755216-1

II,, Tanu,W/o Sh.ManavMaini,R/o-M-30, First-Floor, KirtiNagar, NewDelhi-110015,havechangedmynameTanuKalyanMaini. 0040585957-9

II,, ReshmaAhmedW/oRaisAhmedR/oH.No-175/18ZakirNagar,OkhlaDelhi-110025,HaveChangeMyNameToReshmaBegum. 0040585952-8

II,, RameshKumarGopichandSaini S/oSaini GopichandBhagwanaramR/o 213/B,Bahubali Apts, CHS, Sai BabaNagar, SudarshanCross Lane,Navghar Rd, Bhayander East,Dist Thane-401105havechangedmynameasRameshGopichandSaini permanently.

0040585813-1

II,, PradeepKumarRaghav, S/oRajveer SinghRaghav, R/o 707S4, SK-3, Indirapuram,Ghaziabad, have changedmyname toPradeepRaghav.

0070755137-1

II,, Pinnapathruni Swathi W/OPinnapathruni Revathi NareshKumar, R/o 9-7-13/13 Sri DurgaTowers, Six Taps Junction,Shivajipalem, Visakhapatnam,Andhra Pradesh- 530013. I havechanged thenameofmy minorSonPinnapathruni Shreyasagedabout 13 Years andHeshall hereafter be knownasPinnapathruni Agasthyanand.

0070755222-1

II,, Nikshith aliasNikshith ManojKumarPariyani S/OManojKumar, R/o PadinjareKollaikkal House, PampadyEast, Thiruvilwamala, Thrissur,Kerala, 680588, have changedmynameand shall hereafterbeKnown asNikshithNair.

0070755227-1

II,, Nij Khemani S/OLakhu DevKhemani, R/o 60, PratikshaEnclave, Dayal Bagh, Agra,Uttar Pradesh- 282005, havechangedmy nameandshallhereafter beKnownasYashKhemani. 0070755230-1

II,, NarenderKaurAliasNarinderKaurPruthi, D/oManjeet Singhand W/oAmarjeet Singh, R/o-A-9, First Floor F-2, SuryaNagar, ChanderNagar,Ghaziabad, U.P-201011, havechangedmyname toNarinderKaur. 0070755140-1

II,,MohammadAnasS/oShahAlamR/oh.No. 1063/A st.no.34Jafrabad, Delhi, 110053.havechangedmyname toMohdAnas. 0040585947-1

II,, KothaNarender S/O KothaUppalaiah, R/o 2-19,Dumpillagudem,Govindaraopet, Jayashankar,Telangana- 506344, havechanged mynameandshallhereafter beKnownas KothaNarenderReddy. 0070755219-1

II,, Gurvinder SinghMatharu,S/oGurdial Singh residing-H.No.677/7, Govindpuri,KalkajiDelhi.have changedmynametoGurvinder Singh,for allpurposes. 0040585957-5

II,, GeetanjaliW/OPuneetGoomar, R/O1/10, AshokNagar, Delhi-110018, havechangedmynameand shallhereafter be known asGeetanjali Goomar.

0070755169-1

II,, FaheemAnis,S/OAnis urRehman,R/O2171AddanStreet,Pahari Bhojla, TurkmanGateDelhi-110006,havechangedmyname to FaheemAnees. 0040585947-3

II,, Aji. P.G, S/oGopalan, R/oH.No-104, PoliceColony,HauzKhasS.O., SouthWest, Delhi-110016,have changedmynameandshall hereafter be knownasAjith P.G. 0070755136-1

II,, Dantuluri Sushmitha W/OPinnamaraju PrasanthVarma,R/o 13-1372, VikalangulaColony, NearDurgaDeviTemple, Balaji Nagar Arilova,Visakhapatnam, GovtDairyFarm,Andhra Pradesh- 530040.I have changed thenameofmyminor daughter PinnamarajuLakshmi NarasimhaHemaniPrashmithaVarmaaged about1Year andShe shall hereafterbe known asPinnamarajuHemani.

0070755224-1

II,, ChhayaDeviW/o-Shri.KuldeepSinghR/o-House.No.E-1-18,Gali.No.-1,Jaitpur Extn., Part-I,Badarpur, NewDelhi-110044,inform thatChhayaDevi andSapnabothnameareSame lady.

0040585957-7

II,, Boboi SangteaS/O Mani RajLama, R/o LoktakProject, KomKeirapVillage, Charoi Khullen,Churachandpur, Manipur-795124. Declare thatNameofMyFather hasbeenwronglywrittenasMangRem Lama inmyPanCardNo- EUNPS3827J.Theactual nameofMyFatheris Mani Raj Lama,which maybeamended accordingly.

0070755217-1

II,, Amanjit Singh, S/oSuchaSingh, R/oH.No-51, Sector 7A,Faridabad - 121006, havechangedmyname toAmanjeetSingh for all futurepurposes.

0070755131-1

II,, AbhishekhKumarChaudhari,S/oGangaPrasadChaudhari,R/o 4F, l Pocket, SheikhSara,Phase-2,MalviyaNagar, SouthDelhi-110017. I have changedthenameofmyminor SonAamirChoudhari, agedabout15 years andhe shall hereafterbe knownasAtharvChoudhary. 0070755139-1

II,, AMokshyagnaKalyan RamChandS/OUma MaheshwarChand, R/o 502, A, GangavaramPort Road, Novus FlorenceVillageKanithi Village,Pedagantyada,Visakhapatnam,AndhraPradesh- 530044, havechangedmynameand shallhereafter beKnown asABBURU MOKSHYAGNAKALYAN. 0070755226-1

II hitherto knownas PramodMudgal alias PramodKumarMudgal alias PramodKumarS/o RamChander Sharma R/o692, Type 3, Block 4, NewTiharComplex, JanakPuri, D-110096,have changedmyname andshall hereafter be knownasPRAMOD KUMAR.

0070755228-1

II VIRENDERSINGH,S/OPRITAMSINGHR/O2220,OUTRAMLINES, GTB-NAGAR,HAVECHANGEDMYNAMETOVIRENDERSINGHTAKKAR.

0040585952-4

II SulochanaDeviW/oNo.2670760KExSepMahipalSinghS/oSh.BhagwanSinghR/oVPO-Bijwasan,NewDelhihave changedmyname toSalochnaDevi for all purposes.

0040585882-5

II SubhamShorewala S/oManishShorewalaR/o HouseNumber-14B, 16 Alipur Road,NearCivil LineMetro Station,Civil Lines, Delhi-110054, havechangedmyname to ShubhamShorewala. 0070755218-1

II ShwetaDahiyaalias ShwetaD/oSh.MukeshDahiyaW/oSh.MohitMalik R/oH.No.A-87,GaliNo.3, ShivMandir Road, SaroopNagar, LibasPur, NorthWestDelhi, Delhi-110042 havechangedmyname toShwetafor all purposes. 0040585882-6

II SASI K&LIJI AKWill beExpendedTheirNameasSASIKOCHHPILLAI&LIJI ALISSERILKAUTHUKAMANI, ThisNecessitated for RegistrationofName forCBSE 10th STDoftheir DaughterMs. ARDRA, 10thClass, APS ShankarVihar. forall Purposes. 0040585922-1

II Vishal Thakur S/oSh.RajeshKumarR/oBlockP3/263,SultanPuri, Delhi-110086 havechangedmyname toVishal forall purposes. 0040585882-4

II SAMSONS/OFAQUIRMASIHR/OA-242, 4TH-FLOOR,GALI-3HARITVIHARBURARIDELHI-110084,HAVECHANGEDMYNAMETOSAMSONMASIH.

0040585952-3

II Nagma,W/oMausamali,R/o2533badachamanwara tilakbazar delhi-110006.havechangedmyname toNagmaAli. 0040585947-2

IIMOHAMMADEKBALAHMADS/0ANISHAHMAD,C-51CHOTPURCOLONY, SECTOR63A,NOIDA,GAUTAMBUDDHANAGAR-201301HAVECHANGEDMYNAMETOEKBALAHMAD.

0070755163-1

I,MOHDMUSHARRAT,ADD-E-78,3RDFLOOR,ABUL-FAZALENCLAVEPART-1 JAMIANAGAROKHLA , SOUTHEASTDELHI-110025, changedmyminordaughter nameAQSAMUSHARRAT toAQSAMUSARRAT, permanently.

0040585521-6

LLooookkiinngg for Punjabi SikhComputer Engineer Boy5’10”/18.8.91/18LPA, Canadareturn,Kennel& LivestockMedical Business& live inChattarpur FarmsDelhi,SeekingB’ful,Doctor(Veterinery,Medicalfield), girl#989101313, Email:[email protected]

0040583757-3

LLooookkiinngg forKayasthaGirl,working inBiharGovernmentBoy, 30Years, 5’ 8”, B.Tech,Mechanical Engineer, residinginPatna. Contact#8544413292.

0040584958-2

SSuuiittaabblleematch for handsome,turbaned Jat Sikhboy, 1983born, 5’ 9 1/2”, B.Tech,MBA(UK). CanadaPR.Workingin reputedMNC. FatherDoctor.Email: [email protected]

0040585387-1

IISSKKCCOONNNAIRVEGETARIANBEAUTIFULGIRL 22/[email protected]

0050184402-1

MMaattcchh for Rajput (Rana)Manglik 3-7-1990, 10AM,Height5’3” Chandigarh, JOB -Govt. jobon (OUTSOURCING) asClerk.Seeking culturedboy for nicefamily,SendbiodataAfterMatchingKundli. 7888587804

0020427197-1

SSuuiittaabblleeMatch for Nair boyDelhi/abroad for delhiteNairgirl 31/5’2/Avitam,MBAHR,EmployedMother central GovtGztdofficer Email :[email protected]

0040585624-1

AAVVAAIILLAABBLLEE 2BHKFlat ForRent/Sale Panchsheel ViharMalviyaNagarNewDelhi-110017Contact-9871878170.

0040585952-10

II,, SomaRaniD/oShuaganChandR/o 19-C, NeelkanthApartments, I.P.Extension, 46,Patparganj, Delhi-110092. I hadlostmyshare certificate ofabovementionedproperty.Finder contact 9880096422

0040585906-1

MMyySports PersonVilla, Unit No.SV-25, JaypeeGreens, GreaterNoida.Originalmutation letteris lost somewhere. VandanaRakeshSinghw/oMr. RakeshSinghB-3/58, SFBlock-B-3,Safdarjung, Delhi 0040585938-1

WWEEKAMAL JITGUJRALandKIRANWALIAAIYERBOTHDAUGHTERSOFLATEMAJORDEVINDERSINGH (RETD.) havelost theORIGINALPERPETUALLEASEDEEDDATED2ND JULY,1980QUAPROPERTYBEARINGNO.A-186, DEFENCECOLONY,NEWDELHI in case found,please contact at aboveaddress. 0040585882-7

General public is hereby informed thatmy client SH. SURESH KUMAR S/o LT.MOTI RAM SHARMA and SMTARVINTA SHARMA H.No-49-A, CBICOLONY VASANT VIHAR DELHI -110057 have severed all relations fromtheir son namely ANSHUL SHARMAdue to his disobeying and harassingbehavior towards my above namedclients and they have disowned anddebarred him from all their movable andimmovable assets/properties, anyonedealing with him in future in any mannershall do so at his/her own risk andconsequences, my client will not beresponsible for any of his acts anddeeds done by him in future withimmediate effect. ROBIN KUMARAMBAWATA Ch. No-735A WesternWing Tis Hazari Court Delhi-1 10054

PUBLIC NOTICE

It is declared to the public at large thatMy Client Sh.Nisar Ahmed S/O Sh. Anzar-UL- Huq R/O B-1/9 , Ground floor,SaraiKhalil ,Sadar Bazar, Near Singhara Chowk, Delhi-110006, has debarred, Disownedand disinherited his daughter & Son-in-Law ( Hida Nasreen & Rayan @ Jeetu) from his all movable and immovableproperties ( Situated at Delhi or Out SideDelhi) due to their misconduct, disobedientand disrespectful behaviour. They areliving separate and have no concern withmy client. Whosoever deals with themmaydo on his own risk. My client shall not beresponsible for any activity/transactionmade with above said persons.

AVDHESH NUNIWALA ,ADVOCATECHAMBER NO 09,CIVIL SUPPLYBUILDING TIS HAZARI COURTS

DELHI -54

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICEBe it known to public at large that myclient Sh. Manish Choudhary S/o Sh.Ranjeet Singh R/o Plot No. 13, 1stFloor, Vigyan Lok, Delhi-110092, haslost his Agreement to Sell andprevious chain of his mentionedproperty, area measuring 748Sq.Yds. bearing property no. C-10, outof Rect. No. 21 & Killa No. 3/1,Situated at Patel Vihar, Harijan Basti,Village Karawal Nagar, Delhi-110094, in this regard NCR has beenL o d g e d b e a r i n g L R N o .748906/2021. If anyone found thesame kindly contact me on the abovementioned address.

ASHISH KUMAR UPADHYAYOffice:- E-223, Shop No. 1, E-Block,Main Road Khajoori Khas, Delhi-94

“It is to inform to the public at large thatMrs. Usha Rani acquired ResidentialVacant Plot bearing No. 154, areameasuring 100 Sq. Yards i.e. 83.61Sq. Meters, out of Khasra No. 240/19,Situated at Pushpanjli Colony at VillageDharoti Khurd, Pargana & Tehsil Loni,District Ghaziabad vide Sale Deed dated03.09.2021 executed by Mr. Sant Ram inrespect of said property, duly registeredas Doc. No. 9818, Now Mrs. Usha Raniis the undisputed owners of above saidproperties. Any person / firm / institution/ company having any claim or right inrespect of the said Property by way ofinheritance, share, sale, agreement,lease, license, gift, possession, legalhe i rs , par tners or encumbrancehowsoever or otherwise is herebyrequired to intimate in writing to theundersigned within 07 days from the dateof publication of this notice of his/her/theirshare or claim, if any, with all supportingdocuments at below mentioned address.After expiration of notice period, theclaims, if any, of such person shall betreated null and void and also treated aswaived and not binding on our client.

Ajay Kumar Giri, Advocate“H.No. 26/161, Basement, Vikram Vihar,

Lajpat Nagar 4, New Delhi 110024”

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICEIT IS HEREBY INFORMED THAT MYCLIENT SMT. SEEMA ARORA W/O LATESH. P.P. ARORA R/O H-19/82, SECTOR-7,ROHINI, DELHI-110085, IS THE OWNEROF PROPERTY NO. 82, IN BLOCK-H,POCKET-19, SITUATED AT SECTOR-7,ROHINI, DELHI-110085 AND SHE HASMISPLACED/ LOST THE ORIGINALALLOTMENT CUM DEMAND LETTER ANDORIGINAL DDA POSSESSION SLIP INRESPECT OF ABOVE SAID PROPERTY &HAVE LODGED A FIR/NCR VIDE LR NO.748436/2021 DATED 25.09.2021, WITHPOLICE STATION, CRIME BRANCH,DELHI, IF ANY BODY FIND THE SAIDDOCUMENT, PLEASE INFORM HER ATTHE ABOVE SAID ADDRESS OR PH. NO.:-9871112658.IF ANY OTHER CLAIMENT HAS ANYRIGHT IN THE AFORESAID PROPERTY,HE/SHE SHOULD FILE AN FIR & GIVEINTIMATION TO DY/ASST. DIRECTOR,LAB(RO), DDA VIKAS SADAN, INA, NEWDELHI WITH IN 30 DAYS FROM THE DATEOF ISSUE OF THIS NOTICE.

Sd/-SACHIN KUMAR (Advocate)

Enrl. No. D/2092/2008

PUBLIC NOTICEIT IS HEREBY INFORMED THAT MY CLIENT MS.REKHA SHARMA D/O SH. K. L. SHARMA R/O A-291, GROUND FLOOR, NEW FRIENDSCOLONY, NEW DELHI, IS THE OWNER OFSOCIETY BUILT - UP FLAT BEARING NO. 133,ON THIRD FLOOR, SITUATED IN THE LAYOUTPLAN OF UNION REHABILITATION MINISTRYEMPLOYEES CO-OPERATIVE GROUPHOUSING SOCIETY LTD., PLOT NO. 7-C,SECTOR - 23, DWARKA, NEW DELHI AND SHEHAS MISPLACED/LOST THE ORIGINAL SHARECERTIFICATE, ORIGINAL ALLOTMENT LETTERAND ORIGINAL POSSESSION LETTER INRESPECT OF ABOVE SAID FLAT, WHICH WASISSUED BY THE SAID SOCIETY TO MS. REKHASHARMA & HAVE LODGED A FIR/NCR VIDE LRNO. 732379/2021 DATED 23.09.2021, WITHPOLICE STATION, CRIME BRANCH, DELHI, IFANY BODY FIND THE SAID DOCUMENT,PLEASE INFORM HER AT THE ABOVE SAIDADDRESS OR PH. NO.:-9810820848.IF ANY OTHER CLAIMENT HAS ANY RIGHT INTHE AFORESAID PROPERTY, HE/SHE SHOULDFILE AN FIR & GIVE INTIMATION TO DY/ASST.DIRECTOR, GH, DDA VIKAS SADAN, INA, NEWDELHI WITHIN 30 DAYS FROM THE DATE OFISSUE OF THIS NOTICE

ASHISH SAPRA (Advocate)Enrl.D/2468/2008

PUBLIC NOTICEKnow all men by these presents that myclient namely Shri Vinod Kumar Singh S/oLate Shri Brij Mohan Sharma, R/o E-32A,Gali 26G, Molarband, Extn. Badarpur, NewDelhi-44, who is an absolute owner andexclusive in physical possession of theproperty: Khewat/ Khata No. 201/197,Khasra No. 256, Plot No. 65 & 90,admeasuring 301 Sq. Yds. (66'x41') Mouja:Tilpat, Tehsil & Distt. Faridabad, HR, byvirtue of a Will Dated 05.08.2021 executedby Late Shri Chatur Dev Sharma S/o LateShri Brij Mohan Sharma in favour of myclient, if any one deals or enter into anyagreement, sale documents, etc. with Smt.Renu Sinha W/o Late Kumar Chander ManiD/o Late Shri Chatur Dev Sharma, orthrough her attorney etc. in respect of theabove said property, the said documentswill be null-n-void, it will be his/her/their ownresponsibility, risks, & costs, they may beprosecuted by my client as per law.

Sd/- Yogendra Kumar (Advocate)Mobile No. 9810198484

PUBLIC NOTICEIt is to all that my client Shri Moti Lal,S/o Late Shri Basant Lal, residents ofB-468, Gali No. 6, Prem Vihar- ShivVihar, Krawal Nagar, Delhi-110094,do hereby disinherit/ disowned hisson Shri Gaurav and his wife Smt.Pooja and their daughter babyPriyanshi, from all his movable andimmovable properties including thepresent one and has severed allconnections with them due to theirbad behavior and out of control.Anybody dealing with him, my clientand other family members shall notbe liable or responsible for their actand conduct and to whosoever willdeal with them will deal at his ownrisk and cost.

Sd/- MOHD SARFARAJ(ADVOCATE)

Ch. No. 330, Block-I, Delhi HighCourt, New Delhi-110003

New Delhi

NEWDELHI,LATECITY

SEPTEMBER26,202120PAGES,`6.00

(`8 BIHAR&RAIPUR, ` 12 SRINAGAR)

WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMD A I L Y F R O M : A H M E D A B A D , C H A N D I G A R H , D E L H I , J A I P U R , K O L K A T A , L U C K N O W , M U M B A I , N A G P U R , P U N E , V A D O D A R A

EXPRESSNETWORK

KAMLABHASIN,ACTIVIST, POET ANDAUTHOR, DIES AT 75MONEYTAKENTOINSTIGATE PEOPLE:SARMAONASSAMEVICTIONPROTESTSREFORMLAWSTOMATCHPRACTICALREALITIES: CJI P 7, 8

SHUBHAJITROYNEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER25

INAclearsignaltoBeijinganditsgrowing belligerence in theIndo-Pacific region, leaders oftheQuadgroupingsaidSaturdaythatthey“recommittopromot-ing the free, open, rules-basedorder,rootedininternationallawand undaunted by coercion, tobolster security and prosperityintheIndo-Pacificandbeyond”.Thereferenceto“undaunted

CONTINUEDONPAGE4

HARIKISHANSHARMANEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER25

UNVEILINGTHEroadmapofthenewMinistry of Cooperation,UnionMinisterforHomeAffairsand Cooperation Amit Shah onSaturday announced that thegovernmentwillbringanewco-operativepolicyduring2021-22.To allay apprehensions, he

said theministry has been cre-ated “not to fight with anyonebut tocooperatewithall States”and “we will take everyonealong” to “take themovementforward”.

CONTINUEDONPAGE4

NIHALKOSHIENEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER25

ONFRIDAY,adaybeforehis75thbirthday,at the launchofabookon him (The Sardar of Spin), sitsIndian cricket legend BishanSingh Bedi, in a wheelchair,ringedbydotingfansandformerteam-mates.Watching him,mindful that

he doesn’t let his mask slip, iswife Anju, as she recalls thatgrimdaythisFebruarywhenshehad to take themost important

decision of her life — and per-hapshis, too.Three days after his heart

surgery, Bedi had a stroke be-causeof abrainclot.Ariskysur-gery was needed and she wasasked forherconsent.“Bishan was lying in the

Operation Theatre. Somethingwhichhealwayssayssortofen-velopedme. Hewould tell theboys, ‘Thegameisneveroverun-til the last ball is bowled’. That’swhen I instantlymadethedeci-sion and I said, ‘Go aheadwith

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PMNarendraModiwithJapanesePMYoshihideSuga,USPresidentJoeBiden,AustralianPMScottMorrisonbeforetheQuadmeetattheWhiteHouseonFriday.PTIMOREREPORTS,P7

The pandemic has promptedmany to leave cities and findpeace in smaller places, or toreturn to their family homes

PAGES 16, 17, 18

THE SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE

eyeCountry roads,take me home

QUESTIONSBEINGRAISEDABOUTUN:MODI TOGENERALASSEMBLY

TargetsPakoverKabul; ‘science-based’vs ‘regressive’ thinking

THEQUADinitiativesare tocounterChina’s assertion,especially in the Indo-Pacific region.Toprovideanalternative toBeijing’sBelt andRoad Initiative,theQuadhasdecidedonan infrastructurecoordina-tiongroup.

OptionsforregionE●EX

PLAINED

SUNDAYSTORYPAGE 13

Echoes in awalled city

AmitShahat theconferenceonSaturday. PremNathPandey

New policy oncooperativessoon… no fightwith states: Shah

SHUBHAJITROYNEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER25

ARTICULATINGAbroadvisionofIndia’sroleontheworldstageandraisingquestionsontheeffective-nessandreliabilityof theUnitedNations,PrimeMinisterNarendraModionSaturdaydescribedIndiaas the “mother of democracy”,andsaid“democracycandeliver”and“hasdelivered”.In his 21-minute speech at

the United Nations GeneralAssembly— thiswas his fourthspeech from the podium since2014— thePrimeMinister tookon China’s expansionism in the

CONTINUEDONPAGE4

PM:Democracy todiversity, terror fight tovaccine—when Indiagrows,sodoesworldMANOJCG

NEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER25

INDEPENDENT GUJARATMLAJignesh Mevani announcedSaturday that he will join theCongressonSeptember28alongwith former JNUstudent leaderKanhaiya Kumar—amove thathasbeeninthemaking,andwasconfirmed by party leaders inDelhi.Theywill join in the Capital,

inthepresenceofRahulGandhiand Gujarat Congress workingpresidentHardikPatel.Thedatehas a symbolic value as it isBhagatSingh’sbirthanniversary.ADalitleader,Mevani,41,first

emerged alongwithHardik andAlpeshThakoreastheyouthfacechallengingtheBJPdominanceinGujarat during the 2017Assemblyelections.Kanhaiya,34,is the firebrand former JNU stu-dentunionpresidentwhocaught

nationalattentionwithspeechesagainst theModi government,and thenwent on to unsuccess-fullytryhishandatelectoralpol-iticsasaCPIcandidate.However, since then, much

water has flowed under thebridgeforbothleaders—evenastheCongressisinrockierwatersthanbefore.So,whatdothetwobring to the party table? Theopinioninthegrandoldparty,asusual, is divided. Some leadersdismayinglyseeinittheGandhi

CONTINUEDONPAGE4

After exit of key youngleaders, Congress looksat Mevani, Kanhaiya

BishanSinghBediwithhisfamily inNewDelhionFriday.Anil Sharma

JigneshMevani,KanhaiyaKumarto joinCongSept28

Bishan Singh Bedi’s 75th birthday is giftfor family, friends: ‘We got him back’

ASADREHMANLUCKNOW,SEPTEMBER25

SIXTY OF the 80 children atDaudapurGovernmentPrimarySchool in Mainpuri district ofUttar Pradesh belong toScheduledCastes.Butitwasonlywhenacomplaintwasmadere-

cently that officials discoveredthat theutensils that these chil-dren used for their mid-daymeals were kept apart on thepremises, and washed by thechildren themselves.After officials visited the

school in Bewar block,HeadmistressGarimRajputwassuspended on Friday. The twocookswere relievedof theirdu-ties after they said they “couldnot touch” utensils used by theSCstudents.Mainpuri Basic Shiksha

Adhikari(BSA)KamalSinghsaid

thecomplaintof castediscrimi-nationattheschool,madebythehusband of the newly electedsarpanchManjuDevi, hadbeenfoundtobe true.“Wereceivedacomplaintre-

garding thisonWednesdayanda teamwassent to theschool tocarryoutaninspection,”hesaid.“The utensils used by theScheduled Caste children andother childrenwere kept sepa-rately. The Block DevelopmentOfficerandotherofficialsvisitedthe school. During the visit, the

CONTINUEDONPAGE4

Quad message to China:‘Undaunted by coercion’

Headmistresshasbeensuspended;cooksremoved

In Mainpuri school, first lesson forSC students: Keep your plates apart

New Delhi

THESECONDPAGE4 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHE SUNDAY EXPRESS,SEPTEMBER26,2021

Quad messageby coercion” is themost directarticulationagainstChina fromtheleadersof four“like-mindeddemocracies” whomet for thefirst-ever in-personQuadsum-mit at theWhiteHouse.Prime Minister Narendra

Modi, US President Joe Biden,Australian PM Scott Morrisonand Japan’s outgoing PMYoshihide Suga met for abouttwo hours and pledged to en-sure a “free and open” Indo-Pacific which is also “inclusiveand resilient” at a time whenChina’sassertivenessisgrowingin the region.And for the first time, the

Quad leaders discussedAfghanistan and agreed todeepen their cooperation inSouth Asia — an important de-velopment since Beijing hasbeen expanding its strategicfootprint in India’s neighbour-hood.Their joint statement said:

“In South Asia, we will closelycoordinateourdiplomatic,eco-nomic, andhuman-rights poli-cies towards Afghanistan andwilldeepenourcounter-terror-ism and humanitarian cooper-ationinthemonthsaheadinac-cordancewithUNSCR2593.”“We denounce the use of

terrorist proxies and empha-sised the importance of deny-ing any logistical, financial ormilitary support to terroristgroupswhich could be used tolaunchorplanterrorattacks, in-cluding cross-border attacks,”they said, in a thinly-veiled ref-erence toPakistan.“We stand together in sup-

port of Afghan nationals, andcall on the Taliban to providesafe passage to any personwishing to leave Afghanistan,and to ensure that the humanrights of all Afghans, includingwomen, children, andminori-ties are respected,” the jointstatement said.The Quad leaders also

signed on a new statementcalled the “Quad Principles onTechnology Design,Development,Governance,andUse” — one of the importantprinciples stated: “Technologyshould not be misused orabused for malicious activitiessuch as authoritarian surveil-lanceandoppression,forterror-ist purposes, or to disseminatedisinformation.”This is aimed at countries

like China, but assumes signifi-cance given the debate in Indiaover the alleged use of thePegasus spyware for surveil-lance.Buildingonthevirtualsum-

mit inMarchthisyear, theQuadleadersagreedtocooperate inarangeof fields—vaccines, infra-structure, semiconductor sup-ply chain, cyber security, satel-litedata, anddevelopexpertisein STEM. And, in each of thesefields, Beijing has been per-ceived tobe aggressivelypush-ing its agenda, and the Quad,withitssoftpower, isseekingtoprovide alternatives to theworld.■ The Quad InfrastructureCoordination Group: “A seniorQuad infrastructure coordina-tion groupwill meet regularlytoshareassessmentsof regionalinfrastructure needs and coor-dinaterespectiveapproachestodeliver transparent, high-stan-dards infrastructure.Thegroupwill also coordinate technicalassistance and capacity-build-

ing efforts, including with re-gionalpartners,toensureeffortsare mutually reinforcing andcomplementaryinmeetingthesignificant infrastructure de-mand in the Indo-Pacific.This isadirectalternative to

China’sBeltandRoadInitiative.■Vaccines: AsQuad countries,“we have pledged to donatemore than 1.2 billion vaccinedosesglobally, inadditiontothedoseswehavefinancedthroughCovax. To date we have collec-tively delivered nearly 79mil-lion safe and effective vaccinedosestotheIndo-Pacificregion.Our Vaccine Partnership re-mainson track toexpandman-ufacturing at Biological E Ltdthisfall, sothat itcanproduceatleast1billiondosesofCovid-19vaccinesby theendof 2022.”Oneof thekey takeawaysof

the first Quad leaders’ summitinMarchwas the formation ofthe Quad Vaccine Initiative, avaccine supply chain tomanu-facture Covid-19 vaccines forIndia, the US, Japan andAustralia. The Biological ELimitedwaschosenforproduc-ing a billion doses of Covid-19vaccines.■SemiconductorSupplyChainInitiative: “Quad partners willlaunch a joint initiative tomapcapacity, identify vulnerabili-ties, and bolster supply-chainsecurityforsemiconductorsandtheirvitalcomponents.This ini-tiative will help ensure Quadpartners support a diverse andcompetitive market that pro-duces the secure critical tech-nologies essential for digitaleconomiesglobally.”■ Quad Senior Cyber Group:“Leader-levelexpertswillmeetregularly to advance work be-tween government and indus-try on driving continuous im-provements in areas includingadoption and implementationof shared cyber standards; de-velopment of secure software;buildingworkforce and talent;and promoting the scalabilityandcybersecurityof secureandtrustworthy digital infrastruc-ture.”■ Satellite data sharing: “Ourfourcountrieswill startdiscus-sions to exchange Earth obser-vationsatellitedataandanalysisonclimate-changerisksandthesustainable use of oceans andmarine resources. Sharing thisdatawillhelpQuadcountriestobetter adapt to climate changeand to build capacity in otherIndo-Pacific states that are atgrave climate risk, in coordina-tion with the Quad ClimateWorkinggroup.”■ The Quad Fellowship: “TheFellowshipwillsponsor100stu-dents per year -- 25 from eachQuadcountry--topursuemas-ters and doctoral degrees atleading STEMgraduateuniver-sities intheUnitedStates. Itwillserveasoneof theworld’s lead-ing graduate fellowships; butuniquely, the Quad Fellowshipwill focusonSTEMandbringto-gether the top minds ofAustralia, India, Japan, and theUnitedStates.”Theleadersagreedthatthey

andtheirForeignMinisterswillmeet annually and senior offi-cialswillmeet regularly.Addressing the summit,

Biden said this is a grouping of“democratic partners whoshare a worldview and have acommon vision for the future”and“comingtogethertotakeonkey challenges of our age, fromCovid to climate to emergingtechnologies”.Hesaid: “Ourvaccine initia-

tiveisontracktoproduceanad-ditional 1 billion doses of vac-cine in India to boost globalsupply.”ModisaidQuadhasdecided

to“move forwardwithpositivethinking and a positive ap-proach”, and “play the role of aforce for global good”.

Bedi’s birthdaythesurgery’.Everybodythought

it was the end of the road but Isaid to myself, ‘Surely yourgame is not over’,” says Anjuwith a smile whose warmthtoucheseveryonepresent.Sevenmonthsafterthatsur-

gery, Bedi, slightly frail, cuts acake shaped like a cricket ball,his son Angad and daughterNehastandoneitherside;Anju,behindhim, leansover toplanta kiss on his cheek. Each one isaware that this picture-perfectframe is a very special gift theyhavegot.For, nothingwas surewhen

hewas discharged fromhospi-tal.Bedi, at times, couldn't

recognisethosearoundhim,hehad to virtually learn to walkagain. To complicate things, hetested positive for Covid-19.Given this, for many on Friday,watching Bedi laugh at old an-ecdotes or even acknowledgethe presence of friends – jour-nalist Gulu Ezekiel read a trib-ute -- was nothing short of amiracle.Anjuunderlinesthat.“Being

bed-ridden for almost threemonths and not being able tospeak or say a word and nowcoming back to life has been amiracle not only forme but foreverybody at Ganga RamHospital, includingthedoctors.Bishan fought very bravely, thedoctors stoodbyhim.”SaysBedi’sdaughterNeha,a

lifestylecolumnistandvlogger:“He has been through a lot thisentireyear…Weareveryfortu-nate…Basically, we got himback.”Son Angad, an actor, talks

about how the family’s nowcloser."Theseweretoughtimesand tough people survive andhe is that man.We as a familysupported each other. Now heis in a good space. Prayers havebeen answered. He has a lotmore to offer to Indian cricket,he isnotdoneyet,”Angadsays.The support of Bedi's crick-

eting family, spreadaroundtheworld,wasstrong,too.AnjusaysthatamongregularvisitorswasKapil Devwhomade his debutunder Bedi's captaincy. Players

of Kapil's generation lookedupto their skipper who stood forthemandwho spokehismind.Kapil would be in tears watch-inghiscaptainstruggletocoor-dinatehismovements.“When Kapil visited, he

cried like a baby and I felt verybad. Madan Lal, Kirti Azad,ManinderSingh,andGursharanSingh visited andweremy pil-lars of strength. Also, peoplelove him across the border.From Pakistan players likeIntikhab Alam, MushtaqMohammad, Zaheer Abbas,Majid Khan and SarfarazKhan…all have been on thephone,”Anju says.Azad, the former all-

rounder,whovisitshisboyhoodhero almost every week, saysBedi's health is on the mend."He has improved fromwhat Iinitially saw. I amsure ina cou-pleofmonthshewillbetheoldBishanSinghBedi.Hetaughtushow to be patient and get to a100onceyouscorea50.Hewilldo the same,” Azad said. “Nowhe recognisesme and remem-bers things, so that is a goodsign.”A fortnight ago, when Azad

met Bedi, they played cricket.Bedi sat in a chair on the lawnand bowledwhile Azad batteda fewmetres away.“Itwasachild-likegame.He

would sit and bowl and therewere stumps and I would bat,”Azad says.

Co-op policyAddressing the National

Cooperative Conference, Shahsaid: “We have decided thatwithin a short time, a new co-operative policy will be re-leased. First, Atalji had broughtit in2002,nowModijiwillbringit in 2021-22. This is the 75thyear of India’s independence.Therefore, as part of the AmrutMahotsav, wewill begin draft-ingthenewcooperativepolicy.”TheexistingNational Policy

onCooperativeswasbroughtinMarch 2002 by the then NDAgovernment.The National Cooperative

Conference, the largest event

since the formation of theMinistry of Cooperation in Julythisyear,hasbeenorganisedbycooperative organisations in-cluding IFFCO, NationalCooperativeFederationof India,Amul, Sahakar Bharati, NAFEDandKRIBHCO.Sharing plans of the min-

istry, Shah announced that theCentre will soon amend theMulti-State Co-operativeSocieties Act, 2002, to facilitatethe functioning of multi-statecooperative societies.Observing that 65,000

Primary AgriculturalCooperativeSocieties(PACS)arenot sufficient to cater to theneedsof6lakhvillages,hesaid:“WewillsetatargettoestablishaPACSineverysecondvillageinthe coming five years. To in-creasethenumberofPACSfrom65,000to3lakh,theMinistryofCooperation will prepare aproper legal framework thatwill be advisory in nature. Wewill send it to the state govern-ments.Statescanmakechangesin their laws.”“Thebiggestproblemisthat

if a PACS becomes bankrupt,you cannot form a new PACSuntil you complete the wind-ing-up process of the old. A le-gal framework is required forthis, so that the winding-upprocess and formation of thenew PACS can go side by side,”he said.The Centre, he said,will en-

surethatcomputerisationofallPACS is completed in a shorttime.Hesaidasoftwareisbeingdeveloped to integrate PACS,DCBs (District CooperativeBanks) andNABARD.Underlining the need for

skill development in the coop-erative sector, Shah said theministry is preparing an actionplan for it.He said there is a need to

strengthenandexpandtheroleof PACS so that even the mostmarginalisedpersongetscredit.Citinganexample,he said if

a person needs Rs 1,000 forDiwali,heorsheshouldgetthatloanamount.“Weneed these typesof so-

cieties on the ground. A bankcannotdothis.Bankkagazman-genge.Arebhai, iskepaaskagazhota toh hazaar rupiya lene kokahe ko aata. Kagaz nahin hai(Bankwill want documents. Ifthepersonhasdocuments,thenwhywill he come for a loan ofRs1000.Hedoesn’thavedocu-ments),” Shahsaid.He said his ministry will

work with other ministries toensure that cooperatives alsoplayan important role inprior-itysector lendingacrossall sec-tors. The ministry, he said, isworking on a legal frameworkunder which self-help groups(SHGs) canalso formtheirownsocieties likeAmul.Sahakaarita Common

Service Centres are beingplanned and the ministry ismovingforwardinthedirectionof creatinganationaldatabase.“Wehave received requests

fromfourplacestoestablishtheNational CooperativeUniversity… There is a need toestablishaNationalCooperativeUniversity,” he said.He also sought to dispel ap-

prehensions regarding theMinistryof Cooperation.“Many people say this is a

Statesubject. Idon’twanttogetinto theCentre-State fight, a le-gal answercanbegiveneasily.”“But I only want to say that

the Ministry of Cooperation,formedunderthe leadershipofModiji, isnottheretofightwithanyonebuttocooperatewithallStates. Therefore, there is noneed to think whether it is aState subject or a Central sub-ject.Wecanhelpeveryone;wewillalsohelptheStates;wewilltake everyone along, and willtake the movement forward,”he said.Asking cooperative organi-

sations to ensure training, skilldevelopmentandtransparencyin recruitment and elections,Shah said they cannotprogresswithout this He also asked co-operativeorganisationstointro-spect on the internal changesrequired.“Iamawareof theproblems

of urban cooperative banks,

problems of taxation and dis-criminatory behaviour of gov-ernmentofficials. Iamawareofall thesethings. Iwanttoassureyou that no onewill be able todoinjusticewiththissector,”hesaid.

Mevani, Kanhaiyasiblings' proclivity to lurch to-wards the Left.In a brief statement,

Mevani,whohadwonfromthereserved Vadgam Assemblyseat in north Gujarat in 2017,with the backing of theCongress, said: "OnSeptember28, I will be joining the IndianNational Congress along withKanhaiya Kumar. I have noth-ingmore to say till then.”Welcoming“all revolution-

ary leaderswilling towork forthecountryandstrengthentheCongress” Saturday, Hardiksaid they should do so “with-out worrying about their per-sonal ambitions and chal-lenges”.CallingMevani “anoldfriend” while speaking to PTI,he said Mevani’s entry wouldstrengthentheCongress in thestate and at the national level.Hardik’s reference to “per-

sonal ambitions” is interestinggiven his own frustrationwithin the Congress,which hejoined in 2019 after leading asuccessful Patidar agitationagainst theBJP. Inan interviewto The Indian Express, he hadsaid the state leadership didnotgivehimanyworkandwastrying to "pullmedown".During the debate for the

JNU student union president’spost in2015,Kanhaiya, thecan-didate of the CPI studentwingAISF, had shown his oratoricalskills with paraphrasing of acouplet to famouslyattackboththeBJPandCongress: “BarbaadHindustan karne ko ek hiCongress kafi tha… Har rajyamain BJP baitha hai, barbaad egulistan kya hoga.”Apart from the fact that

both Kumar and Mevani arefiery speakers, the Congressalso has state-specific calcula-tions.While Mevani was in talks

withtheCongressmuchbeforetheBJPchanged itsentiremin-istry inGujarat, therevamphasmadehischoiceevenmoresig-nificant for theparty given thenew caste dynamics. The BJP’snew chief minister is a Patel,while AAP too is focusing onthecommunity in its foray intothestate thatgoes topollsnextyear. The Congress strategyseems to be to woo the OBCsand Dalits. Mevani hademergedas the faceof theDalitprotests inGujarat in thewakeof theUna flogging incident.Hardik, who has been try-

ing for the Congress to makehim the state chief, is said tohaveworkedbehindthescenesforMevani’s induction.Many Congress leaders in

Gujarat see themoveas timely,giventhe longstasis inthestateunit. The party has not beenable to appoint an AICC in-charge for Gujarat since RajivSatav’s death in May. Partyleadershavebeenpushingforaclear signal to the OBC andDalit community.Mevani’s induction, along

with the elevation ofScheduled Caste leaderCharanjitSinghChanniasChiefMinisterof Punjab(alsoseenasapickof theyoungerGandhis),is expected to give theCongress talking points in itsquest to reach out to the com-munity.In Bihar too, the Congress

hasbeenstuck ina limbo,withAICC in-charge Bhakta CharanDas giving multiple proposalsto thehigh command for reor-ganisation of the Bihar unitwithout a decision. Sourcessaid the party had delayed theappointment of a new statepresident inviewofKanhaiya’sinduction.The Congress has been in

politicalwilderness inBihar forthe last three decades, evenseenasdraggingdownallyRJDin the Assembly elections lastyear. It hadwon only 19 of the70 seats it contested.Mevani and Kanhaiya fit in

with the former Left leaderswho are part of Rahul andPriyanka Gandhi Vadra’s tightcircle now. For instance, a keymember in Priyanka’s team isSandeep Singh, a former AISAleader from JNU. AISA is thestudent’s wing of the CPI(ML)Liberation. Mohit Pandey, an-other former JNUSU presidentfromAISA,usedtoheadtheso-cial media department of theUttarPradeshCongress,whichPriyankaoverseesasAICCgen-eral secretary.Apart from this, the

Congress hopes the entry ofKanhaiya and Mevani will begood optics given the fact thatseveral young leaders --Jyotiraditya Scindia, SushmitaDev, Jitin Prasada, PriyankaChaturvedi and LaliteshpatiTripathi–have left theparty inthe last twoyears.The firstbat-tlegroundwherethepartymayuse the two isUttar Pradesh.

WITHENS,AHMEDABAD

Mainpuri schoolcooks Somvati and Laxmi Devirefused to touch the utensils ofthe Scheduled Caste students,and said they can’t work at theschool if theywere forced todoso. They also used caste slurs,”Singh said, adding that actionagainst the cooks had beentaken by the SchoolManagementCommittee.SarpanchManjuDevi’shus-

band Sahab Singh said someparents had toldhimabout thediscriminatory practice onSeptember 15. “On September18, I went to the school for ameeting. I saw the kitchenwasdirtyandthatonly10-15plateswere kept there. I asked thecooks where the other thaaliswere, and they said the ones inthe kitchen belonged toBackwardandGeneralCategorystudents, while 50-60 thaaliswerekeptseparately. Iwasalsotold that students belonging toScheduledCasteswereforcedtowashtheirowndishesandkeepthem, as no one belonging toother castes was willing totouch them,” Sahab Singh said,adding that after he com-plained, local journalistsandof-ficials tookup thematter.Sahab Singh said while

around35%of thepopulationofthe village is Dalit, the Thakursmakeupasimilarnumber,withthe rest belonging toBackwardClasses.Mainpuri isSamajwadiParty

founderMulayamSinghYadav’sbastion. Shubham Singh, whowon aMainpuri zila panchayatseat backed by the SP, said hehadvisited thevillage. “TheBJPmakesbigclaimsofDalituplift-ment. They give token posts tosomeleadersfromthecommu-nity, but this is the reality ofUP… decades after Dr B RAmbedkar faced such issues inhis schooldays.”Since the action was taken

byofficials, severalvideoshavebeendoingtheroundsof socialmedia,of childrenofDaudapurschool using a handpump towash their thaalis, of childrentalking of keeping their uten-silsapart fromthoseof theoth-ers in their classrooms, and ofa Dalit parent saying he hadraised the issue. In the video,the parent says, “Yahaanbachche aate hain, yahaan bar-tandhulwaye jaatehain.Masterlogdhulwaatehain.Mainekhuddekha hai. Master se kaha, un-honeansunikardi. Bachchonnebhi bataya, ghar pe bhi bataya(Children come here, they aremade to wash utensils. Theteachers make them do it. Ihave seen it myself. I told theteacher,buthe ignoredme.Thechildren talk about it, at hometoo).”

WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

Into thebizarreworldofNFTs, andwhat itmeans forsports fansWhatareNFTs?Whatdoes itmeantoownone?Andarethereanydownsides to it? Inthisepisode,hostsGauravBhattandMihirVasada,andproducerShashankBhargavatalkabout thebizarreworldofNFTs,andwhat itmeans forsports fansandartists

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PM: Democracy to inclusivity, terror fight tovaccine — when India grows, so does worldIndo-Pacific and its capacity toundermine international insti-tutions.Hecitedtheexampleofthe manipulation of WorldBank’s ease of doing businessrankings.Underlining that theworld

isfacingan“increasedthreatofregressivethinkingandextrem-ism”,Moditoldtheglobalcom-munity that it needs to ensurethatnocountrytakesadvantageof “the delicate situation” inAfghanistan.Following his discussions

withleadersoftheQuadandUSPresidentJoeBiden,hedrewat-tentionto Islamabad’s “regres-sivethinking”anditsuseof“ter-rorismasapolitical tool”.Modicalledupontheinter-

nationalfraternityattheUNnottoabandonAfghanistan.Fresh from theQuad sum-

mitwhich dealtwith the con-cept of a free and open Indo-Pacific, hesaid: “Wemustonlyuse ocean resources and notabusethem.Further,ouroceansare also the lifeline of interna-tional trade.Wemust protectthem from the race for expan-sionandexclusion.Theinterna-tional communitymust speakin one voice to strengthen arule-based world order. ThebroadconsensusreachedintheSecurityCouncil during India'spresidencyshowsthewayfor-wardformaritimesecurity.”HeusedBeijing’sbullyingin

global governance to argue infavour of reform of interna-tionalinstitutions.“IftheUnited

Nationswants to remain rele-vant, itwillneedto improveitseffectiveness, and enhance itsreliability. Today, all kinds ofquestions are being raisedabouttheUN,relatedtothecli-mate crisis, during Covid. Theproxy war going on inmanyparts of theworld, the recentAfghancrisishavefurtherhigh-lightedtheseriousnessofthesequestions.With regard to theoriginofCovid,orregardingtheeaseofdoingbusinessrankings,institutions of global gover-nancehavedamagedthecred-ibilitytheyhadbuilt,”hesaidinasharply-wordedbutcarefully-crafted critique of theUN sys-tem.In contrast to China, the

PrimeMinisterinvokedIndia’s“greattraditionofdemocracy”,and said, “Our diversity is theidentity of our strong democ-racy. It is a country that hasdozensof languages,hundredsof dialects, different lifestylesand cuisines. This is the bestexample of a vibrant democ-racy. The strength of ourdemocracyisdemonstratedbythefact thata littleboywhoatonetimeusedtohelphisfatherat his tea stall at the railwaystationistodayaddressingtheUNGeneral Assembly for thefourth time.”His statement came a day

after President Biden, duringtheir meeting at the WhiteHouse, said the Indo-US part-nership is about a “shared re-sponsibility to uphold demo-

cratic values” and their “jointcommitmenttodiversity”.Recalling that hewill soon

havespent20yearsservingthecountry— first, as the longestserving Chief Minister ofGujaratandthen,asPMforthelast seven years, he said, “Yes,democracy can deliver. Yes,democracyhasdelivered.”Invoking Deen Dayal

Upadhyay–itwashisbirthan-niversarySaturday--Modispeltout his governance visionwherenooneis leftbehind.“Our priority is that devel-

opmentshouldbeall inclusive,allpervasive,universal,andonethatnurturesall,”hesaidashecountedthebeneficiariesinthegovernment’sflagshipschemesof JanDhan,AyushmanBharat.And he linked India’s

progresstotheglobaldevelop-menttrajectorywhenhesaid:“Every sixth person in theworld is Indian.WhenIndiansmakeprogress, it alsogivesanimpetustothedevelopmentoftheworld.When India grows,theworld grows.When Indiareforms, the world trans-forms.”Speaking on the develop-

ment of theworld’s first DNAvaccine, anmRNAvaccine andworkunderwayonanasalvac-cine, he also reaffirmed India’sdecisiontoexportvaccinesonceagain after a hiatus. He calledvaccinemanufacturerstomakevaccinesinIndia.Healso stressedon the im-

portance of technology in the

lives of people today, “withdemocraticvalues”.AshespokeofIndia’srecord

on climate action, he also cri-tiquedthedevelopedcountries,“I amsure that youall also feelproud of the effortsmade byIndia, with regard to climatechange compared to those ofbig,anddevelopednations.”Ontheoccasionof the75th

year of its Independence, hesaid India isgoing to launch75satellitesmade by Indian stu-dents inschoolsandcolleges.Onthethreatofextremism

and the issue of Afghanistan,he said: “Today, the world isfacing an increased threat ofregressive thinking and ex-tremism. In such a situation,the entire world must makescience-based rational andprogressive thinking thebasisfordevelopment.”HeoutlinedIndia’s approach in its schoolcurriculum through ‘AtalTinkering labs’.On the other hand, he said,

“countries with regressivethinkingusingterrorismasapo-litical tool... thesemust under-stand that terrorism is anequallybigthreatforthemalso”.Heconcludedhisaddressby

quoting Nobel laureateRabindranath Tagore whocalledfor“boldlyproceedingonyour path of good deeds.Mayyou overcome allweaknessesanddoubts”. Thismessage, hesaid, is as relevant to every re-sponsible nation, as it is to theUnitedNations.

CORRECTION

ON25.09.21,PAGE9

In ‘The Punjab CM’s seat: Sikhhistory, current politics’, MataGujri should have been de-scribed as the mother of GuruGobind Singh, and not as pub-lished.Theerror is regretted.

New Delhi

JIGNASASINHANEWDELHI,SEPTEMBER25

INAfirst,sixof the15districtsinDelhi will have women asDeputy Commissioners ofPolice. While the capital hadthreewomenDCPsso far, anor-der released by the Home de-partmentintheHomeMinistry,withtheL-G’sapprovalhascon-firmedthreemorepostings.“I’m glad everyone is being

given an equal opportunity.Officers of all genders are testedbythesameexamsandtraining.There was no disparity then...thereshouldbenonenow.IhopeI liveup toexpectations,” officerBenitaMaryJaiker,whowillsoonruntheSouthdistrictastheDCP,toldThe IndianExpress.Jaiker, a 2010 IPS batch offi-

cer,hasbeenservingintheDelhiPolice for more than 10 yearsnow. Shewas posted as DCP atthe7thBattalionbefore this.EshaPandeywill takecharge

as DCP Southeast district, andShweta Chauhanwill lead theCentraldistrict. IPSofficersUshaRangnani, Urvija Goel andPriyanka Kashyap are posted asDCPs in Northwest, West andEastdistricts respectively.“WhenIjoinedDelhiPoliceas

aprobationer10years ago, IwaspostedintheSouthdistrict. Iwasworking during the December2012,gangrape-murdercase.IfeelIamfamiliarwiththedistrictandwork. There will be new chal-lenges for aDCP, but I amready,”

saidJaiker.Chauhan, an IPS officer from

the2010batch,was in theDelhiPoliceHQand also looked at re-cruitments. She has been trans-ferred to the Central district. “Itdoesnotlooklike‘itisaman’sjob’anymore.WhenIsawtheorder,Ifeltthetopleadersdidn’tdiscrim-inateagainstwomenofficersandgavepostingsbasedonmeritandexperience. Itwill bewonderfultoseewomenleadingsiximpor-tant districts. Thepublicwill ap-preciatethedecision,”shesaid.

Officer Esha Pandey waspostedatPoliceControlRoomastheDCP.Urvija Goel, who is already

postedasDCPintheWestdistrict,said the decisionwill encouragemanywomenofficers in the fu-ture: “It feels good that morewomenofficers are being givenimportant districts. Earlier, fourwomen officerswere given im-portantdistrictsatonetime.Thistime,Iknowmyseniorswillper-formwell and pave theway foryoungwomenofficers.”

WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

5THE SUNDAY EXPRESS,SEPTEMBER26,2021

THECITYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

0-50 Good

ANANDVIHARSatisfactory

0 500

91AQIPM10

SIRIFORTSatisfactory

0 500

SHADIPURModerate

0 500 500

51-100 Satisfactory 101-200 Moderate 201-300 Poor 301-400 VeryPoor 401-500 Severe

IHBASSatisfactory

0

85AQIPM10

123AQIPM10

70AQIPM10

FORECAST: Sep26GenerallycloudyskyLightrain/thundershowers

S K Y WA T C H

MAX: 322°Cbelownormal

MIN:251.1°C abovenormal

(Fromleft) BenitaMary Jaikar, EshaPandey, ShwetaChauhan, PriyankaKashyap,UrvijaGoel,UshaRangnani

In a first, sixwomen IPSofficers are district DCPs

New Delhi: Twenty studentsfrom Jamia Millia Islamia’sResidential Coaching Academy(RCA) cleared the civil servicesexaminations, the results ofwhichwereannouncedFriday.TheJamiaPRoffice inastate-

ment said 15 students from theRCA run by the Centre forCoaching and Career Planning,JamiaMillia Islamia, have beenselectedforthecivilservices.Fivestudents of the RCAwhowereprovidedcoachingforPersonalityTesthavealsobeenselected.ENS

‘NOTJUSTAMAN’SJOBANYMORE’

20 students fromJamia coachingcentre clear UPSC

New Delhi

Total VacantHOSPITAL BEDS 16,354 16,099ICU BEDS 3,558 3,494

Cases Recoveries Deaths TestsSept24 24 66 0 69,465Sept25 27 39 0 68,498Total 379* 14,13,221 25,085 2,73,46,476

CORONAVIRUSIN THECAPITAL *T

otalactivecases

TOTAL CASES

14,38,685VACCINATIONS INLAST24HOURS1,62,344

OfficialstovisithomesofCovidvictimstohelpwithreliefschemeNewDelhi:Revenuemin-ister KailashGahlot hasdirected districtmagis-trates to utilise a pool of100 officials to visit thefamilies of those whodied of Covid since lastMarch to inform theirfamilymembers of thescheme which makesthemeligibletogetaone-timecompensationofRs50,000, or an amount ofRs 2,500 per month (iftheyareeligible),andas-sist them in filling outapplications. In Delhi,25,085peoplehavediedofCovidofficiallysofar.

Denguecampaign:GovtreachesouttoRWAsNewDelhi:TheDelhigov-ernmenthasreachedouttoRWAstoparticipateinthisweek’s ‘10Hafte, 10Baje, 10 Minute, HarSundayDengueParVaar’campaign being run bythe Delhi governmentagainst dengue. CMArvind Kejriwal hasaskedallRWAstopartic-ipate in the campaignandraiseawareness.ENS

BRIEFLY

6THE SUNDAY EXPRESS,SEPTEMBER26,2021

THECITYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

SHOOTOUTATROHINICOURT

MAHENDERSINGHMANRALNEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER25

ADAYaftertwoarmedmenpos-ing as lawyers killed gangsterJitenderMaan alias Gogi insideRohini district court before be-inggunneddownbypoliceper-sonnel, the Special Cell has ar-restedtwomenandrecoveredacarusedtodroptheassailantstocourt.Oneofthearrestedmenisa close associate of SunilaliasTilluTajpuriya,Gogi’s long-timerival.Investigation has also re-

vealedthatthemurderplotwasallegedly hatched by Tillu frominsideMandoli jail.Police said the arrestedmen

have been identified as Umang(22)andVinayMota (19). “Theywere nabbed by a team of theNewDelhiRangeofSpecialCell.During investigation, we foundthat one Naresh Kumar aliasSonu,asharpshooterfromTillu’sgang,ropedinhis friendUmangtowork for them,” a senior po-liceofficer said.During questioning, Umang

told police that the courtroomattackers — Rahul Tyagi andJagdeep Jagga — reached hishome in Northwest Delhi’sHaiderpuronSeptember20.“Vinay took them to a

nearby market where theybought white shirts, blacktrousers, shoes and black coatsto impersonate lawyers. They

stayed in his house and had aparty on September 22. Theyalso gave Tyagi and Jagga twopistols—.38boreand .30bore,”the officer said.“At10,20amFriday,Umang,

Vinay and another associatereachedRohinicourtalongwiththe attackers in a Hyundai i10.Theydroppedtheduoandwentto park their car. They thenwent inside to show Tyagi andJagga courtroom number 207,

where Gogi was supposed toappearforthehearing,andleft,”anofficer said.Incidentally, justhalfanhour

earlier, Tillu’s lieutenant SunilMaanhadbeenproducedinthesame courtroom in connectionwith an attempt to murdercase in which Gogi too was anaccused.“Around 1.15 pm, Gogi was

producedinthecourtroom.Thetwo assailants, posing aslawyers, were sitting close tosome police personnel.Withinseconds,theyopenedfireatGogifrom close range. He receivedfive-sixbulletinjuries;theyfiredeight-ten rounds,” said a policeofficer whowas present in thecourtroom at the time. The at-tackers were shot dead by theCounter Intelligence team ac-companyingGogi.“During investigation, we

found that Tyagiwas carrying aphonewithoutaSIMcard,whichwasdamagedafteritwashitbyabullet.WealsofoundRs210inhispocket,” theofficersaid.Accordingtopolice,Gogiand

TilluhadbeenrunningextortionracketsinAlipurandSonipatforyears,andtheconstantstrifebe-tween the two gangs oftenended inbloodshed.Last December, police said,

Tyagi and four of his associateshad killed one Bharat Solankialias Yuvin, a close associate ofGogi, inRohini’sSector24.Jagga,too, was involved in a murdercase inSonipat.

55 CCTVs, fourpersonnel to keeptrack of conmanSukesh at Tihar

‘He promisedhe would behome soon’

SecurityrampedupatRohinicourtonSaturday,adayafter theshooting.PraveenKhanna

ABHINAYAHARIGOVINDNEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER25

A NEWLY developed DecisionSupport System (DSS) thatwillattempttodeterminethesourceofairpollutantsinDelhi-NCRwillbeapartof theexistingairqual-ity forecastingsystemthisyear.An air quality earlywarning

system,developedby the IndianInstituteofTropicalMeteorology(IITM), Pune, has been opera-tional in Delhi-NCR since 2018.Based on forecasts, the systemprovideswarnings on severe airqualityevents.TheDSS,which is

likelytobeintroducedforthefirsttime this year, is an extension ofthe existing system, saidGauravGovardhan,scientist, IITM.“Inadditiontoforecastingse-

vere air quality events, the DSScan tell uswhich regions couldbe responsible for the pollution—howmuch of the pollution iscoming from Delhi and howmuchfromnearbydistricts,”saidGovardhan, who is part of theteamthatdevelopedthesystem.IITMbegantodevelopDSSin

February-March this year, withthe Commission for Air QualityManagement (CAQM) havingstated a requirement for it,

Govardhansaid.Apart from Delhi, data on

pollutantswillbecollectedfrom19 nearby districts includingJhajjar, Sonipat, Gurgaon,Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Panipat,Rohtak, Gorakhpur, Rewari,Meerut,BulandshahrandAlwar.The data on PM2.5 levels is

collected from43stationsof theCentral Pollution Control BoardandassimilatedintotheDSSandthe air qualitywarning system.Theforecastprovidedforthenextfivedayswillbebasedonnumer-icalmodeling, in addition to ob-servationaldatafromthestations.The DSS also provides ‘real-

time source apportionment’ in-formation—itwillprovideemis-sion contributions of differentsectors within Delhi. Eight sec-torshavebeen factored into thesystem to check their contribu-tionstoemissions—energy,res-idential, transport, waste burn-ing, construction, road dust,industries (inDelhi andperiph-eralones), and ‘others’.“Thedata fromDSScanthen

helpmakepolicy-levelinterven-tions.Differentscenarioscanbeattempted.That is, if youreducetransportsectoremissions,whatsort of improvements can bemade to reduce pollution. The

objective is to help policymak-ersdecidewhatchoicetomake,”Govardhansaid.Thisisthefirsttimethatsource

apportionmentwill be factoredinto the system to pinpoint thesourcesresponsibleforpollutants.“The codes in themodeling

systemhelpsegregatethepollu-tants as per contributions fromvarioussectorsanddifferentdis-tricts.A ‘tracer’ approach,whichisusedinnumericalmodelingofatmospheric pollutants, is usedinthiscase.Atotalof470‘tracers’are incorporated in themodel,enabling source apportionmentof PM2.5,”Govardhansaid.

Thewebsite, once officiallylaunched, will be accessible tothe public. “In addition to thesourcecontributionsandcontrolstrategies, it will be possible tocreate scenarios on thewebsite— reducing pollution from cer-tainsectorsbyacertainpercent-agetoseewhateffectitwillhaveonairquality,”Govardhansaid.The IITM team, headed by

scientistSachinGhude,will runthe model and publish resultson thewebsite. “Final approvalis awaited from CAQM and theMinistry of Earth Sciences be-fore we can go public with thewebsite,”Govardhanadded.

ThesystemwillalsoprovideemissioncontributionsofdifferentsectorswithinDelhi.Archive

DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM HAS BEEN DEVELOPED BY IITM

This year, new system to pinpoint sources of air pollutants in Delhi-NCR

MAHENDERSINGHMANRALNEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER25

FROM INSTALLING 55 CCTVcameras around his ward inTihar Jail to deploying two per-sonnelof theTamilNaduSpecialPolice (TNSP) and two jail war-dens outside round the clock—these are some of the specialarrangements made by theprison administration to keeptabs on conman SukeshChandrashekhar,whohas beenaccusedofextortingRs200crorefrom former Fortis HealthcarepromoterShivinderSingh’swifeAditi Singhwhile sitting in jail.Aditihadfiledacomplaintal-

legingthatshewascheatedbyaman posing as a law secretary,who promised to helpwith herhusband’s legalcases.Sukesh, his lawyer BMohan

Raj,actressLeenaPaul,herman-ager Joel Jose Matthews,Kamlesh Kothari, who helpedSukesh buy a bungalow inChennai, andArunMuthu,whohelpedhimbuyluxurycars,havesince been slapped with thestringentMaharashtraControlofOrganisedCrimeAct (MCOCA).“A fewdaysago, Sukeshwas

sent to judicial custody at Tihar.Thistime,theadministrationhasmade proper arrangements tokeeptabsonhim.Hiscell isnextto Congress leader Sajjan

Kumar’s.Around50CCTVshavebeen installed in his ward andfive high-end CCTV cameras inhiscell,”aseniorjailofficialsaid.Posters have been put up

outsidehiscellstatingthatentryis prohibited without permis-sionofaseniorofficial.“Wehavemade a double security layeroutside his cell and deployedtwopersonnel of TNSPandalsoaheadwarderalongwithawar-den,” theofficial said.TheTiharJailadministration,

duringaninternalprobeintoanextortion racket being run fromRohinijail,hasfoundthatSukeshwas using mobile phones andwashelpedbyprisonofficials.“Hewas being given certain

favours... While in jail, he usedhisbedsheets as curtains forhisbarracks to avoid being caughtonCCTV,” saidasource.Officials said two blankets

have been provided by the jailadministration,and“regularwa-ter” is being given to him now.“Hehadrequestedthejailsuper-intendenttoprovidehimwithaspecialdiet—Bclassfood(madeforjailofficialsandonspecialre-quest), but his request has beenturneddown,”anofficial said.Anofficialsaidthatin2018,a

headwarderwassuspendedaf-terthejailadministrationfoundthat Sukesh’s girlfriend Leenahad come to meet him on hisbirthday and they organised aparty inhis chamber.

4 die after inhalingpoisonous gas whilecleaning borewellEXPRESSNEWSSERVICEGURGAON,SEPTEMBER25

FOURMEN suffocated to deathafterallegedlyinhalingapoison-ous gas while attempting toclean a borewell in Nuh’sNeemka village on Saturday.Policesaidtheyhaveinitiatedin-quest proceedings under CrPCSection174,addingthatnocom-plainthadbeenreceivedso far.The victimshavebeen iden-

tified as Jamshed (45), Shahid(21), Zakir (17), Yahya (17) fromNeemka.Ajay Veer Singh Bhadana,

SHO,Bicchodpolicestation,said,“Fourpeoplehadclimbeddowna10-feetborewelltoopenavalveand to clean it. The borewell isbuilt on land belonging to thefamily of one of the deceased[Shahid]. It hadabout4 feetwa-ter. It issuspectedtheyinhaledapoisonous gas, which had builtup inside. One person enteredtheborewellandthenothersfol-lowedonebyonetorescuethem.The exact cause of deathwill beknown once the post-mortemreport is out. No complaint hasbeenreceivedsofar.”Police said Jamshed, who

workedasa labourer,washiredbyShahid’sfather,Hanif,tocleanaborewellontheirlandtomakewater available for the upcom-ingsowing (Rabi) season.According to police and vil-

lagers, the incident took placearound 11.30 am. Jamshedwasreportedly the first to enter the13-feet deep borewell, whichhadabout4-5 feetwater.

Arshad,brother-in-lawofthevillage sarpanch, said Jamshedwas fixing a valve and cleaningtheborewellwhenhefeltalittlebreathless and requested forhelp.Shahidthenclimbeddownand they tried to fix a pipe. In afewminutes, both complainedof dizziness and shouted forhelp. Hanif, who was nearby,rushedtocallvillagers.“Wesus-pect that some gas had built upinsidetheborewell,duetowhichboth fellunconscious,”hesaid.Police said Yahya and Zakir,

who were cousins and livednearby, rushed to the borewelland climbed in to rescue thembutalso fellunconscious.Shahid’s cousin Sakir said,

“One person wrapped a clotharoundhis faceand tried to res-cue them,buthe returnedashewas scared of the gas. After halfan hour, their bodies were re-trievedusingaropeandanagri-cultural tool. All four wererushed to PHC Punhana, wheredoctors declared themdead onarrival.Anothervillagerwhohadfelt breathless while helpingthem out was provided treat-mentand is stable.”“Itisanunfortunateincident.

Wehavenotfiledanycomplaintagainstanyone,”headded.Police said the bodies were

taken to Mandikhera govern-menthospital forpost-mortem.Arshad said that since the

groundwater level was low inthe village, borewells were dugto pump water and these areusuallycleanedbefore thesow-ingseason. “It hasbeencoverednow,”headded.

WORK IN PROGRESSConstructionunderwayonthenewParliamentbuilding,Saturday. PraveenKhanna

Sixth serosurvey: 28ksamples willbe analysed,says JainEXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER25

THE SIXTH sero-survey forCovid-19, which started Friday,will see 28,000 samples beinganalysed to determine thespread of disease in the capital,DelhiHealthMinisterSatyendarJain saidSaturday.This is the first survey to be

done after Delhi was hit by afourth Covidwave in April andMay, and the sixth to be con-ducted in thecity.Asperthe lastsuchsurvey, it

was determined that 56.13 percent of the 28,000 people sur-veyedhaddevelopedantibodiesagainstCovid.“The survey will be carried

outin280wardsofDelhi,includ-ingNewDelhiMunicipalCounciland Cantonment Boardwards.100samplesfromeachwardwillbe collected. The governmentaims to collect 28,000 samplesrandomly from people from all280wardsof thecity in the sur-vey. It is oneof thebiggest sero-logical surveys andwearehop-ing for a more accurate andpositive report after the surveyisover,” Jain said.The government said in an

official statement that expertsexpect a high sero-positivityduring this round, as it comesafter thewaveinAprilandMay,when the peak cases touchedalmost 28,000 in aday.

Board fee deadline nears, educationdirector writes to CBSE for waiverEXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER25

THE DIRECTOR of Education inDelhihaswrittentotheCBSEre-questingittowaivetheexamfeeforthecurrentacademicyearforstudents of government-runschoolsasaone-timemeasure.The process of collecting

examfeesandfinalisingthelistsof candidates for the upcomingclass X and XII board examina-tions is currently underway inCBSE-affiliated schools acrossthe country. To be included inthelist, studentshavetopaythefees. The process began on

September 17 and has to becompletedbeforeSeptember30.Following a steephike in the

feein2019,itisRs1,200forSC/STstudents of Delhi governmentschools and Rs 1,500 for others.That is the base fee for five sub-jects.Withtheadditionalamountfor each subject’s practical andadditionaloroptionalsubject,thefeecomestoaroundRs2,500formanyclassXIIstudents.As reported by The Indian

Express, with the Delhi govern-ment not covering the cost andmany parents unable to pay,someteachersarereaching intotheir pockets or resorting tocrowdfunding tohelpstudents.

“As you know the economicimpacts of Covid-19 have beensevere.Thepandemichascreatedan economic crisis, shutteringbusinesses and cutting jobsaroundtheworld...Ononehand,many families have lost theircloseonesandontheother,manyof them have become unem-ployed due to the ongoing pan-demic,”DirectorUditPrakashRaiwrote inhis lettertotheboard.Citing requests fromparents

for a waiver, he requested thatthe fees of students of schoolsrun by the Delhi government,government-aided, PatracharVidyalaya,NewDelhiMunicipalCouncil, Delhi Cantonment

Board,andDepartmentofSocialWelfare be waived. Except inDelhi, most schools affiliatedwiththeCBSEareprivateschools.“...Anumberofrequestshave

been received fromparents, ex-pressingtheirinabilitytopaythefee due to loss of income in theongoingpandemic,”hewrote.The board has already an-

nouncedafeeexemptionforstu-dents who lost both their par-ents or their lone survivingparent toCovid.Board officials did not re-

spondtoqueriesfromTheIndianExpress on whether they areconsidering the Delhi govern-ment’s request.

AMILBHATNAGARNEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER25

UNDER A blue tent, people sathuddledinslaingangsterJitenderMaanaliasGogi’shouseinAlipur.The silencewas occasionally in-terruptedbynewsbulletinsplay-ingonphones,describingFriday’sshootout at Rohini courtwherethegangsterwaskilled.Inthemaincompound,Gogi’s

motherParmeshwarisatwaitingforhisremainstoarrive.Shesaidthe last timeshemethimwas injail, during the first week ofSeptember. He asked about herhealthandpromisedhewouldre-turnhomesoon.Sheallegedthathersonhadbeenkilledaspartofa “conspiracy”. She also claimedthatacloseaideofhersonhadtoldher last month that “Dilli walemaarengeJitenderko(PeoplefromDelhiwillkill Jitender)”.Local police and CRPFwere

deployed in heavy numbers atthe village as the post-mortembegan on Saturdaymorning inDrAmbedkarHospital.Withthebodyyettoreachby

evening,thefamilybecamerest-less.“Howeverhewas,whateverhedid,we justwant thebody. Itisour right,” saidhismother.

DELHI’S PRISONSONHIGHALERT

NewDelhi:Adayafter jailedgangster JitenderMaanaliasGogiwasshotdeadinsideRohinidistrictcourt,DirectorGeneral (DelhiPrisons)SandeepGoelissuedanorderSaturdaytomaintainmaximumalert inall jails toprevent incidentsof fightsorassaultsamonggangs.SpeakingtoThe Indian

ExpressGoelsaid, “Wearestayingalert inall jailsand

willkeepagreatervigilonallgangmembers.”Theorder lists11points thatneedtobefollowedin jails,including identifyingmembersof rivalgangsandtakingproperprecautionswhile takingthemtocourts,hospitals.Ifmembersof rival

gangsare lodgedinthesamejail, theircellswillnotbeopenedat thesametime,addedtheorder.ENS

Gogi killers partied before courtroomshootout, 2 held for helping assailants

New Delhi

7THESUNDAYEXPRESS,SEPTEMBER26,2021

GOVT&POLITICSWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

AVISHEKGDASTIDARNEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER25

THEWORLD Bank has outlinedtheroleitcanplayasIndialooksto fund its ambitious NationalRail Planover thenext30years,which envisages almost 8,000kmof high-speedcorridors andanother 8,000 kmof dedicatedfreight corridors (DFCs), involv-ing funds to the tune of Rs 40lakhcrore.The World Bank top brass

shareditsvisionfortheRailwaysandwhat it proposes at a pres-entation to Railway MinisterAshwiniVaishnawandothertopbrass lastweek.The National Rail Plan and

the National InfrastructurePipeline recommend a total of13bullet-traincorridorsacrossIndia, including theunder-con-structionMumbai-Ahmedabadone. They are on routes likeMumbai-Nagpur, Hyderabad-Bengaluru, Varanasi-Patna,Patna-Kolkata, Delhi-Udaipur,

Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar,Nagpur-Varanasi, Amritsar-Pathankot-Jammu, Chennai-Mysuru via Bengaluru,Mumbai-Hyderabad, andVaranasi-Delhi via Ayodhya.However, there is no clarity onhow to fund them, or the newDFCs.TheBankhasoffered its ex-

pertise starting from hand-holding execution of partner-ship with private players, todevelopment of intermodalstations and upgrading of ex-

isting lines. “Aimtobuild8000km of DFC and 8,000 km ofHigh Speed Railway in 30years. How to pay for it?” thepresentation poses, offering“WorldBank interventions” asa solution.

The presentation, seen byThe Sunday Express, foresees“openaccess”infutureDFCs,andwithin three years, commercialfinancingofthecountry’sfreightinfrastructure,through“assetre-cycling”, “bond issuance”etc.In passenger services, the

Bank proposes PPP partnershipin developing new high-speedroutes aswell as the commuterrailnetwork.A World Bank India

spokespersondidnotrespondtoqueries regarding themeeting.

Once developed, the com-muter networks will attracthigher-income passengers, theBank notes, while there wouldbe a rise by 20% in traffic beingcarried on freight corridors.According to the presentation,togetherthemeasureswouldre-duceIndianRailwaysshareof in-frastructureownershipcostsby$6.5billion, andultimatelyhelpthe Dedicated Freight CorridorCorporation Limited to financetheexpansionof itsnetwork.Currently, the508-kmhigh-

speedrailwaylinefromMumbaitoAhmedabadisbeinglaidwithloan from Japan InternationalCooperation Agency (JICA),while around 3,000 km of twoDFCsarebeingconstructedwithaid from theWorld Bank in theeastern part of India and fromJICA in thewest.As part of national commit-

ment to carbon reduction, theshareofRailwaysinfreightmustincreasefromthecurrent27%to45%by2030.Officials noted that invest-

ment fromprivatesectorandfi-nancial institutions is key to thesuccess of the plan, and theWorld Bank’s pitch is beingviewed in that context.Sources also pointed out

that things would ultimatelyboil down to specific numbersregardinghowmuchtheWorldBank iswilling to fund. “Globalfinancial institutions have alimit regarding the exposurethey can have in one sector, ina country or even a region,” anofficial said.

TORAAGARWALAGUWAHATI,SEPTEMBER25

ASSAMChiefMinisterHimantaBiswaSarmaonSaturdayaccused“certainpeople”oftakingmoneyandmobilising protests againstthe eviction drive in the state,claiming inputs on six peoplespecifically, including “anAssamcollegelecturer”.Healsoclaimedthejudicialprobewouldreveal“alotmoreexplosiveinformation”.Twodaysafteranevictiondrive

inDholpurareaofDarrangdistrict’sSipajhar turnedviolent, leavingtwodead, theCMsaid: “CertainpeoplehavecollectedRs28 lakhfrompoor, landlesspeople in thelastthreemonths,andweretellingthemthattherewillbenoevictionandthat theyhaveconvincedthegovernment…Theymobilisedthosepeopleandcreatedhavoconthat particular day.” The SP ofDarrangdistrict, SushantaBiswaSarma,istheCM’sbrother.SarmaalsonamedthePopular

FrontofIndia(PFI),aMuslimout-fit that hasbeenunder the scan-nerofgovernmentorganisations.“Priortothedayoftheincident,inthenameoffoodforevictedfam-ilies, the PFI visited the site,” theCMsaid.AssamministerandBJPleader

Ashok Singhal told The IndianExpressthatwhilehedidn’twantto takenames, a “third forcewasinvolved… organisations andpeoplewhowant to destabiliseandmalignthepeopleofAssam”.Sarmasaidhehadhadseveral

meetings with the All AssamMinority Students’ Union(AAMSU) and that they hadagreedtotheeviction.“Ihadsaidthat if people are landless, theywill get two acres. Only thing is,they can’t have land elsewhere.Butmostpeoplehaveland…theyare not landless, as portrayed inthenationalmedia… TheyhavetheirlandinancestralvillageslikeBaghbor(Barpeta),”hesaid.Barpeta in lower Assam is

dominatedbyBengali-speakingMuslims.Theevictiondriveshavebeenconcentratedinareasinhab-itedbythem.Hesaidheexplainedthesame

thingtoCongresslegislatorswhenthey came to meet him. “Theyagreedthatforthefirsttimethegov-ernmenthastakenastandtosettlelandlesspeople…Thereaftertheycreatedmayhem,”theCMsaid.TheCongresshascondemned

the “barbaric act of police firingandinhumaneactonprotesters”.

State chief BhupenKumarBorahhasalsodemandedsuspensionoftheDeputy Commissioner andDarrangSP,whileurgingSarmato“watchhiswordsandorders…tomaintainsanityinthepoliceforceandpeaceinAssam”.In a tweet with the hashtag

‘Assam’, Congress leader RahulGandhi saidwhatwas thepointof the Centre’s ‘Azadi Ka AmritMahotsav’ to mark 75 years ofIndependence “if there is somuchhatredbeingspreadinthecountry”.Sarmaaccusedtheencroach-

ers of using two things like a“mantra”: floods and erosion.“But we cannot be silent anymore. The Assam governmentcannotcowdown.”Many of the evicted people

TheIndianExpressspoketoFridaysaid theyhadmoved toDholpurareas after losing lands to theBrahmaputra. Theyalso claimedtohaveboughtlandinDholpur.Sarma appealed to the “na-

tionalmedia” to “hear” Assam'ssideofthestory.“Youcannottakesides…so-callednationalmedia,left liberalmedia,without goingintothedetails,”hesaid.“We(theAssamese) are getting outnum-beredeveryday.”TheCMsaidtherehavebeenef-

fortstoevictpeoplefromSipajharsince1983.“In1983, they(theen-croachers)killedseven-eightpeo-ple.Thereafter…thelocalAssamesepeoplehavebeenmurderedeverytwo-threeyears,”hesaid.Sarma repeated that what

happened during the Dholpurdrive,withacamerapersonhiredby the district administrationstompingonaprotesterashelaydying–capturedinavideo--wasan“aberration”.“Wehaveordereda CID inquiry. But that doesn’tmeanwewillnotinvestigatewhomobilised10,000peoplethere…Youhave to see the total video…Thatparticularperson,accordingto the video, had attacked thatguy… We do not justify that.But…please give the entire se-quence,”hesaid.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,SEPTEMBER25

WITHTHETalibantakingcontrolof Afghanistan, theworld is real-ising India’s concerns surround-ing radical groups backed byPakistan, Defence MinisterRajnath Singh said Saturday. Hesaidtheturmoil intheregionhasbeencausedbyactivesupport tonon-state actors by “irresponsi-ble”countries.“There is growing realisation

ofwhatIndiahasbeenvoicingforlong,withregardtotheactivesup-portofPakistantoviolentradicaland terror groups. Today theworldiswitnesstothedestabilis-ingeffectsof terrorandtheespe-ciallydangerousprecedenceofvi-olentradicalforcesattemptingtogainlegitimacybycreatinganew

normal,”hesaid.TheDefenceMinistersaidthat

the“turmoilcausedintheregionhas been brought about by ag-gressive designs and active sup-port tonon-stateplayers by irre-sponsible states” and that today,“there iswidespread realisationamongst all responsible nations,towards a commonunderstand-ingandtheneedtocometogetheragainstthiscommonmenace.”Speakingattheconvocationof

theNationalDefenceCollege,hetoldtheofficersthatasstudentsofstrategicaffairs, theyshoulddrawlessons from the events inAfghanistan“thatarefarbeyondtheimmediatereverberationsthatarebeingfeltintheregionandbeyond”.“Be itagainst terrorismorcy-

ber challenges, success canonlycomebyunifyingournationaldi-versities.”

SHAJUPHILIPTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM,SEPTEMBER25

FRESHTROUBLEseemstobebrew-ing in theKeralaunitof Congressaheadofthenewstatecommittee’sreshufflewithparty leaderVMSudheeranquittingthepoliticalaf-fairscommitteeSaturday.Sudheeran, a former state

party chief, said he had handedover his resignation to the cur-rent Kerala Pradesh CongressCommittee president KSudhakaran.Hedidnotmentionthe reason forhisexit.Sourcesclosetohimsaidthe

resignationwas a fallout of thecontinuing unease among sen-iorleadersinKeralaaheadoftheimpendingreshuffle.Sudheeran,whohasbuiltan imageof acru-

sader within the Congress, hasbeen keeping away fromall thedominatinggroups.Expressing his displeasure,

Sudhakaran said: “I don’t knowthe reason. I havealreadystatedthatweareopenfordiscussionson all issues, including reshuf-fle...Sudheeranwas not pickingupmycalls,”hesaid.Opposition leader V D

Satheesan also said hewas un-aware of the reason behindSudheeran’s resignation.

YOSHITASINGHUNITEDNATIONS,SEPTEMBER25

PAKISTAN,WHEREterroristsen-joyfreepass, isan“arsonist”dis-guising itself as a “firefighter”,andtheentireworldhassufferedas itnurturesdreaded terroristslikeOsamabinLadeninitsback-yard, India has said in a blister-ing retort after PrimeMinisterImran Khan raked up the issueof Kashmir in his address to theUNGeneralAssembly.“We exercise our Right of

Reply to onemore attempt bythe leaderof Pakistan to tarnishthe image of this august Forumby bringing inmatters internaltomy country, and going so far

as to spew falsehoods on theworld stage,” First SecretarySneha Dubey said in the UNGeneralAssemblyonFriday.“We keep hearing that

Pakistanisa'victimofterrorism'.

This is the country which is anarsonistdisguisingitselfasafire-fighter.Pakistannurturesterror-istsintheirbackyardinthehopethat they will only harm theirneighbours. Our region, and infact the entire world, has suf-fered because of their policies.On theotherhand, theyare try-ing to cover up sectarian vio-lence in their country as acts ofterror,” theyoungdiplomatsaid.In the Right of Reply, Dubey

strongly reiterated that the en-tire Union Territories of Jammu& Kashmir and Ladakh “were,are andwill always be an inte-gralandinalienablepartof India.This includes the areas that areunder the illegal occupation ofPakistan. PTI

SHUBHAJITROYNEWDELHI,SEPTEMBER25

INHIS firstmeetingwith PrimeMinister Narendra Modi, USPresident Joe Biden discussedPakistan’s role inAfghanistan asone of the key challenges, andtherewas a sense that it needs amore “careful monitoring”,ForeignSecretaryHarshVardhanShringlasaidonSaturday.This is in syncwith US Vice

President Kamala Harris andSecretary of Antony Blinken'scommentsonPakistan.While Harris had conveyed

herperceptioninabilateralmeet-ingwithModi, Blinkenhad con-veyedittotheUSCongress.Biden also reaffirmed to

strengthen thedefence relation-shipandhisunwaveringcommit-ment to Indiaasamajordefencepartner, a process startedduringtheObamaadministrationwhenhewasVice President, and con-solidatedduringthelastfouryearsof theTrumpadministration.Modiraisedseveral issues in-

volvingtheIndiancommunityintheUS,includingaccessforIndianprofessionals there and H-1Bvisas,Shringlasaid.Theyalsolaid“strongemphasis”ondevelopingtradeandeconomicrelationswiththeUS,Shringlasaid.BidenwelcomedModi to the

WhiteHouse on Friday, and themeetingof thetwoleadersintheOvalOffice lasted formore than90minutes, insteadofthesched-uled60minutes.Asked about Biden’s com-

mentsonthe“sharedresponsibil-ity toupholddemocratic values”and their “joint commitment todiversity”,Shringlasaid, “IwouldseethePresident'sremarksinthatcontext thatweare all countriesthat have...the points youmen-tionedintermsofsharedrespon-sibilityisdiversity,familyties,em-phasistofamilyties,emphasisonnon-violence, tolerance, respect—thosethatwefullybelievein.Infact, India is ingrained in exactlythoseareas….SoIwouldseeitasareaffirmationofourdemocracy.A senseof the fact that India andtheUnited States represent two

vibrantdynamicdemocraciesonthemove.”WhileHarrishadalsosaidear-

lierthatitisincumbentonthetwonationstoprotectdemocraciesinthe best interests of people ofthesecountries,Biden’smessageondemocracywas clear that theadministrationwas driving it’spointhome.In syncwithHarris’s discus-

sionswithModi earlier, Shringlasaid thatduring thebilateral dis-cussionsattheWhileHouse,therewasaclearconcernexpressedonPakistan'sroleinAfghanistanandthecontinuingsupportforanap-proach that did not seem to beconducive to the internationalcommunity's expectations ofwhatthewar-torncountryshouldbelike.Duringthemeeting,bothIndia

and theUSagreed that the issueof terrorism is very important.Bothsidesdenouncedanyuseofterroristproxiesandemphasisedtheimportanceofdenyingthelo-gistical, financial ormilitary sup-port to terrorist groups, whichcould beused to plan, or launchterror attacks, the ForeignSecretarysaid.Notingthat therewasquitea

bit of discussiononAfghanistan,Shringlasaidtherewasalotofim-portanceattachedtothefactthatUNresolution2593wasadoptedand India's presidency of theSecurityCouncil.Thisisanimpor-

tant resolutionwhich reflectedthe international community'sgeneral viewon the situation inAfghanistanandobligationsoftherulingdispensationtheretofulfillcertain conditionalities that theinternational community facedareimportant,hesaid.“So,thetwosidesunderscored

the importance of combat andterrorism in Afghanistan. TheycalledontheTalibantoadheretotheseandallof itscommitmentsunder resolution2593,” Shringlasaid.“Thatincludes,obviously,theissueofensuringthatAfghanter-ritory is not used to threaten at-tack against any country, shelteranyterroristgroupsorfinanceter-roristattacksandunderscorestheimportanceof combatingterror-isminAfghanistan.”Pakistan,which is projecting

itself as a facilitator, has been inmanysensesaninstigatorofsomeof the problems that India hasbeen dealingwith in its neigh-bourhood,Shringlasaid."Both in the bilateral discus-

sions aswell as in the forumdis-cussionstherewastheclearsensethat amore careful look, and amore careful examination andmonitoring of Pakistan's role inAfghanistan.Pakistan'sroleontheissueof terrorismhadtobekept,and that certainlywhether it isQuadoritsotherpartnershavetokeeptrackofthatfactor,”Shringlasaid.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEKOLKATA,SEPTEMBER25

CHIEF MINISTER MamataBanerjee on Saturday reactedsharplytothedenialofpermissionbytheMinistryofExternalAffairs(MEA) toher to attend theWorldPeaceConferenceattheVaticaninRome—scheduledinOctober.On the campaign trail for the

BhabanipurAssemblyby-electionon

September30,Banerjeesaid,“Howmanyplaceswillyou(Centre)notletmevisit?Youcan’tstopmeforever.”TheMEAdenied her permis-

siontoattendtheconferencesay-ing the “event is not commensu-rate in status for participation bythechiefministerofastate”.TheWorld Peace Conference

would be held over twodays, onOctober6and7,intheItaliancap-ital. Pope Francis will grace theevent centered aroundMother

Teresa alongwith Italian PrimeMinisterMario Draghi. GermanChancellor AngelaMerkel is alsoamongthedignitaries invited.Banerjeeistheonlyleaderfrom

Indiatohavereceivedaninvitation.TheItaliangovernment,while

extending the invite,mentionedher “significant election victory”and“theimportantworkforsocialjustice, for the development ofyour owncountry, and therefore,forpeace.”

FIRSTBILATERALMEET

India on Imran remarks: Pak is‘arsonist’ disguising as ‘firefighter’

PM, Biden talk Pak role in Afghanistan

PMNarendraModiwithUS President JoeBiden intheOvalOfficeof theWhiteHouse inWashington.APPhoto/EvanVucci

FirstSecretarySnehaDubeyatUNGA.Twitter/IndiaUNNewYork

Ahead of Kerala Congreshuffle, veteran leaderresigns from party panel

Money taken toinstigate people,Assam govt can’tbe cowed: Sarma

World realising India’sconcerns on Pak: Rajnath

DIVYAANEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER25

ASMANY as 157 artefacts andantiquitieswerehandedoverbythe United States during PrimeMinisterNarendraModi’svisittothecountry.The list has a diverse set of

items — a 1.5-metre bas-reliefpanel of Revanta in sandstonemadeinthe10thcentury,an8.5cm tall bronze Nataraj figurefromthe12thcentury, 56 terra-cotta pieces, several bronze fig-urines and copper objects,amongothers.Theitems,whichwerestolen

or smuggled out of India over aperiodof time,mostlybelongtothe period between 11th and14thcenturies.Thereturnedan-tiquitiesincludean18th-centurysword in its sheath,with the in-scription mentioning GuruHargobindSingh inPersian.

Thereareseveralhistorican-tiquitiesaswell, includingacop-per anthropomorphic objectfrom 2000 BC and a terracottavase from the 2nd century, thePrimeMinister’s Office said in astatementonSaturday.While71artefacts are cultural, theotherscomprise figurines relating toHinduism (60), Buddhism (16)

and Jainism(9), it stated.Their make spreads across

metal, stoneandterracotta.In2019,anASI teamhadvis-

ited New York and identifiedclosetoahundredof thesearte-facts, seized in theUS, as “origi-nalIndianantiquitiesof tremen-dousvalue”,knowntobestolenfromtemplesinTamilNaduandMadhya Pradesh and smuggledabroad. ASI ADG ArchaeologyUrmilaSant,whowaspartof theteam, had told the IndianExpress that theyvisited theUSfollowingacallfromtheofficeofConsulateGeneralof Indiaabouttheseizedartefacts.Duringthemeetingbetween

ModiUSPresidentJoeBiden,thetwo leaders also “committed tostrengthen efforts to combattheft, illicit tradeand traffickingof cultural objects”, it an-nounced.

FULLREPORTONwww.indianexpress.com

VMSudheeran

12th century Nataraj to 2nd centuryvase: US hands over 157 antiques

RajnathSinghduringaconvocationceremonyat theNationalDefenceCollege, inNewDelhi. PTI

PMModi looksatartefactsandantiquities. PTI

Finance to upgrade, World Bank offers plan for Railway expansion

MANONTHESTREET:TamilNaduCMMKStalinmeetsresidentsduringacyclingbreak inChennai.

Mamata inBhabanipuronSaturday.CMO

After MEA refuses permission for Rometrip, Mamata says: Can’t stop me forever

RailwayMinisterAshwiniVaishnaw

HimantaBiswaSarmaalsoallegedaPFI role File/Express

Kolkata:InajibeattherulingTMC,theBJPonSaturdaysaidPrashantKishor,whowas thepoll adviseroftheMamataBanerjee-ledpartyin the recentWest Bengal elec-tions,canbecalleda“bohiragato”(outsider) being enrolled as avoter in the Bhabanipur con-stituencywhereby-electionwillbeheldonSeptember30.Banerjee is contesting theby-

poll fromtheBhabanipur seat toretain her CM’s chair, and is upagainstBJP'sPriyankaTibrewal.Long before the by-election

was announced, a personwiththe name Prashant Kishor wasincluded in the list of the elec-torate in Bhabanipur, accordingto theECwebsite. PTI

Chennai: Tamil Nadu ChiefMinisterMKStalinonSaturdaysaidhisgovernmenthaskeptupits poll assurances, delivering202 among the 505 promisesmade in the run up to theAssembly polls to the State be-sides other announcementsmadeinthelegislativeAssembly.TheChiefMinisterassuredto

meet the people once everythree months, with a list ofachievements, to inform themabout his government'sprogress. “Will meet you onceevery3months to let youknowof the progress wemadewiththe list of achievements,” Stalinsaid in a videomessage postedonTwitter. PTI

Prashant Kishorin Bhabanipurvoter list: BJP

Delivered202 of 505 pollpromises: Stalin

New Delhi


EXPRESSNETWORKWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

ARANYASHANKARNEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER25

FEMINISTICON,poet,authorandapioneerof thewomen’s rightsmovementinSouthAsia,KamlaBhasin, died inDelhi late Fridaynight after a short but spiritedbattle against liver cancer. Shewas75.Bhasanremainedcommitted

tothecausesshefoughtforuntiltheveryend,participating inanonlinemeetingfromherICUbedjusthoursbeforeherdeath.“We had a meeting of the

PIPFDP (Pak-India PeoplesForum for Peace andDemocracy) yesterday around4:30 PM and she had appeared

forsometimefromthehospital.Shesaidshewasgladtobethere,and tried to speak somemorebut there were some audio is-sues...Somedoctorsthenwalkedintoher room,andshe toldus, ‘Iwill beback’ beforedisconnect-ing. That was her spirit eventhen,” said Zafar Bakht fromPIPFDP.Bhasinwas diagnosedwith

cancer at the end of June, andbreathedherlastataround2:45AM Friday. Her sister andCongress politician Bina Kaksaid: “Therewas fluid build-upinthelungsanddoctorswantedher to be hospitalised. At night,shestartedlosingherbreathandstarteddeteriorating.”Bhasinhadtwochildrenwith

her late ex-husband—daughterMeeto, who died by suicide in2006, and son Jeet, 41, who hascerebralpalsyand isdependentoncaregivers.Thoseclosetohersayshewasadotingmotherandworriedaboutherson’sfutureinher lastdays.Born in 1946 in Pakistan’s

Shahidanwali village, Bhasincompletedhergraduation fromMaharani College, Jaipur, andpost-graduationfromRajasthanUniversity, before moving toGermany to study sociology.After returning to India, sheworkedwith theUN’s FoodandAgriculture Organization for 25years. During this time, shereached out to women acrossthecountry.

Bhasin was the founder ofSangat, a South Asian feminist

network, and co-founder ofJagori, awomen’s resource cen-tre.ShewasalsotheSouthAsiancoordinator of the One BillionRising campaign, besides beingassociatedwithseveralotheror-ganisations.Sheisknownforimprovising

and popularising in India the‘Azadi’slogan,whichshepickedup from Pakistani feminists, aswellasforherpoemswrittenforchildren,themostnotablebeing‘BecauseI’magirl, Imuststudy’.Shewrotemore than 30 bookson women’s rights and eightchildren’sbooks,alongwithsev-eral songsandpoems.Jagori said in a statement:

“Throughhersongsandposters,she has reached out tomillions

of activists and energisedprotests… Using simple lan-guagetodemystifyconcepts,shewas able to reach out the ideasof feminism and patriarchy tothe laypersonwithout jargon.”Herfriendsandcomradesre-

memberher as a feisty, positiveandwarm personwhowishedtocelebratelife—nomatterwhatit threwather.ActivistKavitaSrivastavawas

among the friendswho visitedBhasin in her Anand Lok resi-dencemultiple times in the lastfewmonthswhenhertreatmentbegan. They would sing andsharestories.“Shewasenjoyingeverymo-

ment,eventowardstheend.Shewouldtellalotofstories.Shewas

concerned about people incar-cerated,evenintheendshewasthinking about others. I toldher—You’regoingtowinovertheemperorofmaladies.Shewroteback saying ‘No Kavita. I don’tthink so, but Iwill not treat it asadefeat.Iwill justtranscendintoanotherworld’.”“Kamla was one of the pio-

neers of the Indian feministmovement since the 70s. Shewas active during theMathurarapecase,theShahBano,aswellas with anti-dowry, anti-rapemovements. She was a SouthAsian feminist icon, not just anIndian icon. She helped buildbridgesbetweenIndia,Pakistan,Bangladesh, Nepal and SriLanka,” shesaid.

Writer and publisher RituMenon, Bhasin’s co-author of‘Borders&Boundaries:WomeninIndia'sPartition’,saidBhasin’slegacywas“enormous”.“TherewasaqualitytoKamla

that was exceptional. To betouchedbyherlovewastoexpe-rience something unique. Thatwarmthshe radiated, it encom-passed almost everything shecameincontactwith.Herlegacyisinthesongsshewrote,theslo-ganssheraised,theconnectionsshe made, the hearts shetouched, the issues and cam-paigns she fought. It’s the gen-erosity, spontaneity, warmthand intelligence of her struggle.That is her legacy for the entiresubcontinent,” shesaid.

KANCHANVASDEVCHANDIGARH,SEPTEMBER25

PUNJAB CHIEF MinisterCharanjit Singh Channiwill gethisCabinetteamSundaywith15ministers set to take oath of of-fice at Punjab Raj Bhawan. TheCongress, however, is yet to re-lease the list of ministers offi-cially. Another video linkmeet-ing between AICC leader RahulGandhi and Channiwas under-wayatthetimeofgoingtopress.The swearing-in ceremony

will be held at 4:30pmSunday.Channi’sCabinetwillhaveall18seats filled. The CM metGovernorBanwarilalPurohitonSaturdaytofinalisetheswearinginceremony.Earlier,thelistof15ministers

was finalised by AICC leaderRahulGandhi in ameetingwithChanniandotherCongresslead-ers, including K C Venugopal,HarishRawat,HarishChaudhary,AjayMaken, thatwent on till 1am on the intervening night ofFridayandSaturday.The party may, however,

tweak the list further as therehavebeenseveralredfacesafter

thelistwasfinalised.Rahul,whois in Shimla is learnt to havescheduled a video conferencewith Channi for midnight. Afour-time MLA from Amloh,Kaka Randeep Singh Nabha isupsetatbeingignored.“Iamup-set.Itisreallyunfaironme.Ihavebeen ignored for the third time,twice by Capt Amarinder andnow by Channi. I will soon de-cidemyfurthercourseofaction,”Nabha toldThe IndianExpress.In the centre of Nabha’s

protest isshortlistingofKhannaMLAGurkiratSinghKotli,whois

junior to Nabha and is a two-time MLA. Also, Kuljit SinghNagra is also a two-timer and isthe PPCC working president.“Why should a leader, handedthe responsibility of organisa-tion,shouldeyeCabinet?”askeda leaderonanonymity.WhileChanniislearnttohave

calledupafewMLAsforameet-ing at his residence Saturdayevening and informed themabouttheir induction,afewoth-erssaidtheyhadnotheardfromthepartyyet.All theMLAshave,however, been invited for the

oathtakingceremony.Sources said the party has

been able to reach a consensuson inducting sevenMLAs anddroppingfivefromformerChiefMinister Amarinder Singh’sCabinet.Sourcessaidinthemeetinga

consensuswasreachedondrop-ping former Health MinisterBalbir Sidhu, RevenueMinisterGurpreet Singh Kangar,Industries Minister SunderSham Arora, Social WelfareMinister Sadhu SinghDharamsot and SportsMinisterRanaGurmitSinghSodhi.It was also decided to re-in-

duct former IrrigationMinisterRanaGurjitSingh.HewasearlieraministerinAmarinder’sCabinetbutwhohadsteppeddownafteran alleged scam in allotment ofsandminestohisex-employees.Others, whose nameswere

finalised include PPCC chiefNavjot Singh Sidhu’s choices inPPCCgeneralsecretaryinchargePargat Singh, PPCC WorkingPresident Kuljit Nagra andGidderbaha MLA AmrinderSinghRajaWarring.

FULLREPORTONwww.indianexpress.com

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICELUCKNOW,SEPTEMBER25

SENIORVISHWAHinduParishadleaderTrilokiNathPandey,con-sidered an architect of the legalvictoryintheRamJanmbhoomititle suit in the Supreme Court,diedat75atRamManoharLohiaHospital in Lucknow on Fridaynightafteraprolonged illness.Pandey was the decree

holder of the Shri RamJanmbhoomiKshetradue tohisstatus of “fast friend” ofBhagwanRamLalla.His deathwas confirmed by

his family members early onFriday. Hewas admitted to thehospital15daysago.Pandeywas a key litigant in

theRamJanmabhoomititlesuitfrom the Hindu side. After theAllahabadHighCourtdecisionin2010, which ordered a three-way division of the then dis-puted land, Pandey hadmovedtheSupremeCourt.AfterDevkiNandanAgarwal

and Thakur Prasad Verma,Pandeywas the third person totakeoverasthe“fastfriend”sta-tus.Whilein1989,DevkiNandan

Agrawal first lodgedthecaseonbehalfofRamLallaVirajmaninaFaizabad court in 2002, Varmatook up the legal battle afterAgarwal died. In 2008 Vermahanded over the mantle toPandey.

Architect ofRam temple casevictory dies at 75

SOURAVROYBARMANNEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER25

ASHORTclipshowinganeduca-tor of ed-tech platformUnacademymaking racist re-marks against indigenous com-munities sparked outrageSaturday. In a statement,Unacademy said it “uncondi-tionally regrets thecomments”.Hengam Riba, a student of

Tata Institute of Social SciencesMumbai, who hails fromArunachal Pradesh,was amongthosewho first flagged the clipon Twitter— itwas taken downfrom the Unacademy YouTubepage followingoutrage.In the clip, the educator

Siddharth Singh, who takesclassesonUPSCGeneralStudies,could be heard saying in Hindi,“Tribal logjohotahaihumare,di-maagtohhotanahiunkepaaskoi,nahi unke paas koi, you know,kanooni koi kagaaz hote hai za-meen zaydad ke (Tribal peopleare stupid. They also lack legaldocuments related to land andproperty).”Hemadetheremarksduring

a session on slash and burnfarming, which is popularlyknown as ‘jhum’ cultivationacrossNortheast India.According to Singh's profile

ontheUnacademyportal,hehas

been associatedwith the plat-formsince June24,2020.When contacted, Riba said,

“The remarks made bySiddharth Singh reflect the sys-tematicsocial,culturalstructuralbigotry in regards to that of thetribal communities in India.”The Unacademy, one of the

country’s biggest ed-tech uni-corns, said inastatement that ithas been brought to its noticethatSinghmade“discriminatoryand hurtful comments againstpeople fromindigenous tribes”.“Unacademy has deleted theoriginalvideoandhaspenalisedtheeducatorincompliancewithour internal Code of Conductguidelines. Unacademy uncon-ditionallyregretsthecommentsmade by the Educator and thehurtthecommenthascaused,”itadded.Accordingtothecompany, it

hasover4,000educatorsacrossIndia,whoundergo“mandatoryand rigorous code of conducttrainingsbeforetheystartteach-ingontheplatform,andatperi-odic intervals thereafter. Thetrainingsspecificallyguideedu-cators against making any dis-criminatory and hurtful com-ments.”Unacademydidnot respond

toaqueryonthespecificnatureof thepenalty thathasbeenim-posedontheeducator.

AISHWARYAMOHANTYBHUBANESWAR,SEPT25

REITERATING HIS call forIndianisationofthejusticedeliv-erysystem,Chief Justiceof IndiaN V Ramana Saturday empha-sisedthat“ourlawsmustmatchwith our practical realities” andaskedthe“legislature”to“revisitthelawsandreformthemtosuittheneedsof timeandpeople”.Addressing a gathering on

theoccasionof theinaugurationof the new building of OdishaState Legal Service Authority(OSLSA) in Cuttack, the CJI saidthere is “general understandingof thepeoplethatit isthecourt’sresponsibility tomake laws”.“This notion has to be dis-

pelled,” he said, pointing to therole of the other two organs —legislatureandexecutive—inthis.CJI Ramana said that the ex-

ecutivehasto“match”theeffortsof the legislatureby simplifyingrules. The two “should functionin unison in realising theConstitutional aspirations”, hesaid.“Itisonlythenthatthejudi-ciarywouldnotbecompelledtostepinasalawmakerandwouldonlybe leftwith thedutyof ap-plying and interpreting thesame,”hesaid.Only a “harmonious func-

tioningofthethreeorgansoftheState can remove proceduralbarriers to justice”,hesaid.Explaining the issues he

wanted to address throughIndianisation, the CJI said that“evenafter74yearsof independ-ence,traditionalandagrarianso-cietieswhich have been follow-ing customaryways of life still

feel hesitant to approach thecourts.Thepractices,procedures,language and everything of ourcourts feels alien to them.Between the complex languageoftheActsandtheprocessofjus-tice delivery, the commonmanseems to lose control over thefateofhisgrievance.Often,inthistrajectory,thejustice-seekerfeelslikeanoutsider tothesystem”.He said it is a harsh reality

that“oftenourlegalsystemfailstotakeintoconsiderationtheso-cial realities and implications.Sadly, our system is designed insuch away that by the time allthe factsand lawarechurned inthe court of law,much gets lostin the process. Peoplemight bebringing their problems to thecourts, butwhat remains at theendofadayisyetanothercase.”Apart from the need for

Indiansiation, CJI Ramana saidtheother challenge facedby thecountry’s judicial system is en-ablingthepeopleto“decodethejusticedeliverysystembyraisingawareness”, and pointed to therole of legal services authoritiesinachievingthis.“Theconceptofaccessto justice in India ismuchbroader than simply providinglawyersforrepresentationbeforethe courts,” he said. “The task tofacilitate access to justice to thepoor and themarginalised hasbeen conferred upon the legalservices institutions.”TheCJIsaidthatitisnecessary

to strengthen the judicial infra-structureandboostoutreachpro-grammes“ifwewanttoretainthefaith of our people”. He also an-nouncedthatacountry-wide,ro-bustlegalawarenessmissionwillbelaunchedinthecomingweek.

ANJUAGNIHOTRICHABAJALANDHAR,SEPTEMBER25

PUNJAB’S DOABA region is fi-nallysettogetitsduewiththreeCabinethopefulsmakingittothelist of Punjab Chief MinisterCharanjit Singh Channi’s newteam.Doabahas23Assemblyseg-

mentsand18CongressMLAs inthePunjabAssembly. But it hadonly one Cabinet minister—Hoshiarpur district’s SunderSham Arora. In AmarinderSingh’s Cabinet, Doaba washighlyunder-represented—outof16ministers,10werefromtheMalwa region, five fromMajharegionandonewasfromDoaba.Even PPCC Chief Navjot Sidhuwas also aminister fromMajhawhohadsteppeddownlater.Doaba which has 1/5th of

AssemblyseatsinPunjabislikelyto get the same representationin Channi's cabinet in the sameproportionas its seat share.

In 2017, when the Congresscame into power twoministerswerechosenfromDoabainclud-ing Arora and three-timeMLAfromKapurthalaAssemblycon-stituencyRanaGurjit Singh.In 2017, therewere 15MLAs

fromDoabaintheAssemblyandthen Congress won twomoreAssembly seats from here in2018 and 2019 the bypolls inShahkot and PhagwaraAssembly segments and thenrebelMLAofAAP fromBholath,Sukhpal Singh Kahira, alsojoinedhisparentCongresspartytakingCongressMLAsitstallyto18inVidhanSabhafromDoaba,which has four districts includ-ing Jalandhar, Kapurthala,HoshiarpurandNawanshahr.TherearesixCongressMLAs

fromJalandharoutofnineseats.InKapurthala, all the fourMLAsof Congress. Nawanshahr hastwoCongressMLAsoutof threeseats, and Hoshairpur has sixCongressMLAs out of its sevensegments.

In Channi’s new team,Doaba hopes to get its due

PUNJABRESHUFFLE

Channi gets newCabinet today but list not official

Unacademy educatorcalls tribals stupid inlecture, firm regrets

Executivehas tomatch legislature’seffortsbysimplifyingrules,hesays

Laws must matchreality, need reformby legislature: CJI

PunjabChiefMinisterCharanjitSinghChannimeetsGovernorBanwarilalPurohit inChandigarhonSaturday.PTI

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICECHANDIGARH,SEPTEMBER25

ANINDIANNationalLokDalpro-grammetomarkthe108thbirthanniversary of the late deputyPMDeviLalsawseveralregionalpolitical outfits such as theShiromani Akali Dal, Janata Dal(United) and the NationalConferenceputtingupashowofstrengthwhere theybacked theongoingagitationagainsttheagrilawsandurged theelectorate to“strengthen” them if theywanttheirvoices tobeheard.The “Samman Diwas

Samaroh” at Jind's Anaj Mandialso saw the surprise participa-tion of BJP leader and formerUnionministerBirenderSingh.While Akali Dal was repre-

sented by former Punjab chiefminister Parkash Singh Badal,formerJammuandKashmirCMFarooqAbdullahandKCTyagiat-tended on behalf of NC, andJD(U) respectively. FormerHaryana CM Om PrakashChautala, organised theevent.Birender Singh said Devi Lal

had taught farmers to strugglefortheirrights.“Today,againthefightisforfarmers'rights.Amo-mentwillcomethatfarmerswillget united and follow the rightman. Then, they shall succeed,”the formerUnionminister said.Badal urged people to

strengthen regional outfits forthe resolutionof their issues.AbdullahsaidtheUniongov-

ernment is inthe“gripof indus-trialists and that is why theywant tosacrifice farmers”.Hestressedonmakingfriends

withtheneighbouringcountrieseven as he lashed out at the BJP

over abrogating Article 370 andaccused the saffronparty of try-ingtoappropriateLordRamwho,hesaid,wasagodnotonlyof theHindusbutof theentireworld.OP Chautala said: “Four

farmeragitationshavebeensuc-cessful in thepast. This onewillalso succeed.”

KAMLA BHASIN

1946-2021

‘A pioneer... she was a South Asian feminist icon, not just an Indian icon’

108THBIRTHANNIVERSARYOFDEVI LAL

BJP’sBirenderSingh,SAD’sParkashSinghBadal, INLD’sOPChautala,NC’sFarooqAbdullahandJD(U)’sKCTyagiat the INLDprogrammetocommemorateDeviLal.ManojDhaka

CJIRamanaat thenewly-inauguratedbuildingof theOdishaStateLegalServiceAuthority inCuttackonSaturday.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,SEPTEMBER25

LJP’SSAMASTIPURMPPrinceRajwas Saturday granted anticipa-tory bail in a rape case with aDelhi court observing a “possi-bilityof false implication”.SpecialJudgeVikasDhullob-

servedtherewasa“possibilityoffalseimplicationbeingprimafa-cie established and there beingnochanceoftamperingwiththeevidence or applicant/accusedfleeing fromjustice”.

“...it was in fact prosecutrix,whowas trying to threaten theapplicant/accused to defamehim by circulating hispicture/videowhichwereinherpossessionandshealso corrob-orated the allegationsmade inthe FIR lodged by applicant/ac-cused that they had consensual

physicalrelationship,”courtsaid.BothRaj and thewomanhad

registeredFIRsagainsteachother.Raj had alleged that thewomanhadtriedtoextortRs1crorefromhimand implicate him in a falserapecasebyleakingobscenepho-tos on socialmedia. After threemonths,thewomanapproachedthepoliceaccusingtheMPofrape.The court noted that there is “anunreasonabledelayinlodgingtheFIRbyprosecutrix”. It saidnoth-ing expressed in theorder “shalltantamount to expressing anyopiniononthemeritsofthiscase”.

LJPMPPrinceRaj

‘Possibility of false implication’: LJPMP gets anticipatory bail in rape case

Nuh: Haryana Deputy ChiefMinister Dushyant ChautalaSaturday declared that hisJannayak Janta Party MLAswould quit “in a minute” iftherewas any threat to farm-ers’ concerns related tomini-mum support price (MSP),mandisor land.“Three things have been

claimed—MSP will bescrapped, mandis closed andfarmers’landsusurped.If thereisanythreat toanyof these,all10 [MLAs] from our partywillresign inaminute,”hesaid.Chautala was speaking in

Hilalpur village inNuh,wherea 42-foot statue of formerdeputyPMChaudharyDeviLalwas unveiled on the latter’s108th birth anniversarySaturday.JJPnationalpresidentDr Ajay Singh Chautala and

seniorpartyleaderswerepres-enton theoccasion.“People said mandis will

close down. Our governmenthas recently bought land for a56-acremandiinSirsa.ThereisaproposalforfournewmandisinHaryana.Wheat isnowpro-curedatmorethan400centres,ascomparedto190centresear-lier. If mandis were closing,would the procurement hap-pen at somany centres? Thistalk of farmers’ lands beingusurped [by industrialists] isdelusion.Inthelasttenmonths,hastherebeenasinglesuchcasereported?”heasked.His party had ensured the

passageofalawfor75percentreservation for unemployedyouth,hesaid,addingitwillbeimplementedon15October.-PAVNEETSINGHCHADHA

Will quit if any risk toMSP: Haryana Dy CM

Regional outfits put up showof strength at INLD event

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER25

PARTITIONtookplace“onafalsepremise that Hindus andMuslimsneedseparatenations,although they had been livingtogether despite their differentpractices” for long, RSS leaderRamMadhav said Saturday. Itwasnot just a separationof ter-ritories but also a division ofminds, he said at awebinar or-ganisedby JNU.Madhav claimed that

Mohammad Ali Jinnahwas al-lowed to “grow into amonster”duringthefreedomstruggle,andwas“hell-bentonpartition”.He said: “Partition of India,

unlike many other partitionsseen in other countries in that

period,wasnot justasimplere-drawing of boundaries.... ThePartitionwas not just partitionof territories but also of minds,whichneedstobeseenwithut-most seriousness and care.WeneedtobuildaunitedIndianso-ciety. It can happen only if theleadershipandelementsthatbe-lieveinseparatismandcommu-nalseparationarediscouraged.”“A sense of one nationhood

needstobeencouraged,”hesaid.BJP leader Vinay

Sahasrabuddhe said there are“elements who do not want tosee a unified and integratedIndia”. JNU vice-chancellor MJagadeshKumarsaidtheground-workforPartitionwas“donedur-ingtheWorldWar-IIitself”,whentheBritishestablisheda“connec-tionwith Jinnah”.

Partition done on falsepremise: Madhav at JNU

Express

New Delhi

VISHWASWAGHMODEMUMBAI, SEPTEMBER25

IN A further relaxation of lock-down restrictions, theMaharashtra government onFriday announced that cinemahalls,multiplexesandauditori-ums will be allowed to reopenfromOctober 22while observ-ingCovid-19 safetyprotocols.While the standard operat-

ingprocedure(SOP)will issuednextweek,ShivSenaMPSanjayRaut said cinema halls, multi-plexes and auditoriumswill beallowed to operate at 50 percent seating capacity.Chief Minister Uddhav

Thackeraymadetheannounce-mentaftermeetingadelegationof film producers on Saturday.The meeting was attended byRaut, Chief Secretary SitaramKunte, health officials andCovid-19 task forcemembers.On Friday, the government

had announced that offlineclasses in schools will resumefor students from classes V toXII in rural areas and from

classesVIII toXII inurbanareasfromOctober 4. Also, all placesofworshipwillbeallowedtore-open fromOctober 7 – the firstdayof Navratri.“Seating capacity of halls,

staggeringof showtimingsandserving food and beverages topeople were discussed in themeeting. The detailed SOPwillbe issued either onMonday orTuesday,” saidKunte.Speaking to The Indian

Express, Raut said, “The film in-dustry was born inMaharashtra. It has been shutfor one-and-a-half years. It hasbeendecidedthat cinemahallsand theatreswill be allowed tooperatewith50percentcapac-ity.”Sources said show timings

would be staggered to ensurethereisnocrowdingatonetimeinmultiplexes. “Similarly, itwillalso not lead to crowding forfood and beverage during theinterval in a film,” said an offi-cialpresent inthemeeting.Theofficial added that no decisionwastakenonwhetheronlyfullyvaccinatedpeoplewouldbeal-

lowed in cinema halls and au-ditoriums.Theofficial further said that

those performing in auditori-umsmayneedtobefullyvacci-nated. “The audience canwearmasks and watch movies andtheatre.”Sources in the government

said that the decision of relax-ing curbs has been taken con-sidering that Covid-19 cases inthe state are under control andover7.5crorepeoplehavebeenvaccinated.“Wehavealsotakenprecau-

tions by issuing directions toliquid medical oxygen manu-facturersandrefillers toensurethatstorage ismaintainedat95per cent of the capacity tillSeptember30.The12,000met-ric tonne (MT) of oxygen fromprivate sector and over 3,000MT from smaller units in dis-tricts can be stored,” saidan official.“Today, during a review,we

foundthat11,500MTand2,000MTof oxygenhavebeen storedfor use during possible thirdwave,” the official added.

9WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHE SUNDAY EXPRESS,SEPTEMBER26,2021 EXPRESSNETWORK

Notice is hereby given under the Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of (Security) Interest Act. 2002 (54 of2002), and in exercise of the power conferred under sub-section (12) of section 13 read with [rule 3] of the Security Interest (Enforcement) Rule2002.The Authorized Officer issued a Demand Notice on the dates noted against account as mentioned herein after, calling them to repay theamount within 60 days from the date of receipt of the said Notice. The borrower/guarantor having failed to repay the amount, notice is hereby givento the under noted borrower/guarantor and the public in general that the undersigned has taken possession of the property described herein belowin exercise of powers conferred on him under Sec. 13(4) of Section 13 of Act read with Rule 8 of the said Rules on the date mentioned againstaccount. The borrower/guarantor in particular and the public in general is hereby cautioned not to deal with the property and any dealing with theproperty will be subject to the charge of Central Bank of India for the amount and interest thereon mentioned against account herein below.The borrower's attention is invited to provisions of sub-section (8) of section (13) of the Act, in respect of time available to redeem thesecured assets.Sl.No.

Name of theBranch

Name of theAccounts/Borrowers

Name of the owner & Description ofthe property mortgaged

Date ofDemandNotice

Date ofPossessionNoticeAffixed

Amount out-standing as ondate of Demand

Notice1. Dhaka Borrower: Mr. Md.

Nasim Alam S/oLate Md. MansoorAlam R/o WardNo.13, MahabbatpurDhaka, PO-Dhaka,PS-Dhaka, EastChamparan-845418

Description of the Immovable property (Land & Building)Name of the Mortgagor: Mr. Md. Nasim Alam S/o LateMd. Mansoor Alam. Address of the Mortgagors: WardNo.13, Mahabbatpur Dhaka, PO-Dhaka, PS-Dhaka,East Champaran-845418. Full particulars of Property:Gift Deed No.8676 dated 26.10.2007, Area 2 Kathasand 6 Dhur, Thana No.-106, Tauzi No.-299, Khata No.-366, Khesra No.-1840. Location of the property:Mauza-Dhaka Ramchandra, Thana-Dhaka, Dist.-EastChamparan. Boundary: North-Mehul Haque, South-Bandh, East-Mehul Haque, West-Abdul Khair.

28.04.2021 21.09.2021Rs.3,26,548/-(Rupees ThreeLakh Twenty SixThousand FiveHundred FourtyEight Only) withfuture Interestand incidentalcharges w.e.f.28.04.2021

2. Palanwakhas,Raxaul

Borrower: ShriAbdul WadoodAnsari S/o LateIshhaqueJoint Applicant:Sabra KhatoonW/o Abdul WadoodAnsariGuarantor:Bilkish Begam D/oAbdul WadoodAnsari, Vill.-BadaPareua, WardNo.17, MadarsaGali, P.O+PS-Raxaul, Dist.-EastChamparan, Bihar,Pin-845305

Description of the Immovable property.Name of the Mortgagor: Bibi Sabra Khatoon W/o AbdulWadood Ansari. Address of the Mortgagors: Vill.-BadaPareua, Ward No.17, Madarsa Gali, P.O+PS-Raxaul, Dist.-East Champaran, Bihar, Pin-845305. Full particularsof Property: Deed No.-15154 of 1993, area-2.75 dhur,Thana No.10, Khata No.-8, Tauzi-951, Khesra No.-726.Boundary: On the North by-Mehdi Miyan, On the Southby-Nij Mokir, On the East by-Road 3 feet, On the Westby-Manjur Miyan

17.10.2020 24.09.2021Rs.21,38,390/-(Rupees Twentyone lakh thirtyeight thousandthree hundredninty only) withfuture Interestand incidentalcharges w.e.f.17.10.2020


Borrower: ShriJayram Kumar SahS/o Binda SahGuarantor: BindaSah S/o JankiSah, Nahar SeSouth, WardNo.10, PO+PS-Raxaul, Dist-EastChamparan, Bihar,Pin-845305

Description of the Immovable property.Name of the Mortgagor: Shri Jayram Kumar Sah S/oBinda Sah. Address of the Mortgagors: Nahar Se South,Ward No.10, PO+PS-Raxaul, Dist-East Champaran, Bihar,Pin-845305. Full particulars of Property: Deed No.-1235of 2005, Area-4 Dhur, Thana No.10, Khata No.76, KhesraNo.-473, Tauzi No.-951, Location of property: At-Mauza,Dhangadhwa, Tola-Pareua, PS+PO-Raxaul, Dist-EastChamparan. Boundary: On the North by-Lorik Baitha, Onthe South by-Road, On the East by-Neeli Singh, On theWest by-Ganesh Raut & Chandrakishore Prasad.

24.12.2019 24.09.2021Rs.5,38,488/-(Rupees Fivelakhs thirty eightthousand fourhundred eightyeight only) withfuture Interestand incidentalcharges w.e.f.24.12.2019


Borrower: ShriShiv ShankarPrasad S/oDharamdeo PrasadGuarantor:Kishori Mahto S/oGagandeo Mahto,At+PO-Bakhtaura,PS-Darpa, Dist-East Champran,Bihar-845301

Description of the Immovable property.Name of the Mortgagor: Shri Shiv Shankar PrasadS/o Dharamdeo Prasad. Address of the Mortgagors:At+PO-Bakhtaura, PS-Darpa, Dist-East Champran,Bihar-845301. Full particulars of Property: Deed No.-329 of 2012, Area-2 Kattha 2 Dhur, Thana No.-63, KhataNo.-29, Khesra No.-925, Tauzi No.-951. Location ofproperty: At-Siswania, PO+PS-Ramgarhwa, Dist.-EastChamparan, Boundary: On the North by-Mr. BindeshwariTiwari, On the South by-Mr. Manjur Alam, On the East by-Pitch Road, On the West by-Mr. Asharfi Sah.

23.12.2019 24.09.2021Rs.12,90,707/-(Rupees Twelvelakhs ninty

thousand sevenhundred sevenonly) with futureInterest and

incidental chargesw.e.f. 23.12.2019

Regional Office, Balluatal, Motihari, East Champaran-845401POSSESSION NOTICE

[UNDER RULE 8 (1) OF SECURITY INTEREST (ENFORCEMENT) RULES, 2002]

Authorised officerCENTRALBANKOF INDIA

Date : 25.09.2021Place : Motihari

Indira Gandhi Delhi TechnicalUniversity for Women

(Established by Govt. of Delhi vide Act 09 of 2012)Kashmere Gate, Delhi-110006

University website: www.igdtuw.ac.in

IGDTUW is a university exclusively for women established by Govt. of NCTDelhi and is currently having more than 3500 students at Kashmere Gatecampus.Applications are invited for the Special Spot Round for admissions to theMBA Programme for the academic year 2021-22. Female Candidates whohave passed any Bachelor’s degree programme with minimum 60% marksare eligible to apply. Candidates appearing in final year examination in 2021may also apply subject to fulfillment of minimum eligibility criteria.Start date of online applications: 27-09-2021Closing date of online applications: 06-10-2021Special Spot Round of Counselling: 08-10-2021 (Friday)For further details and regular updates, candidates may visithttps://igdtuw.ac.in.

RegistrarDIP/Shabdarth/0330/21-22

MBA ADMISSIONS 2021-22SPECIAL SPOT ROUND

GOVERNMENT OF NATIONAL CAPITAL TERRITORY OF DELHIDEPARTMENT OF TRAINING & TECHNICAL EDUCATION

MUNI MAYA RAM MARG, PITAM PURA, DELHI-110088NOTICE

Online applications are invited from qualified candidates of CommonEntrance Test conducted by DSEU for Admissions to the first yearFull Time Diploma Courses and from XII Pass/ITI Passed out orappeared candidates for admission in analogous trades secondYear (Through Lateral Entry online Common Entrance Test to beconducted) in Government Aided and Private Institutes affiliated toBoard of Technical Education, Delhi, that are approved by AICTE

Non-Refundable fee of Rs 500/- plus Bank Charges as applicable areto be deposited by the candidate through Net Banking/ Debit Card/Credit Card to participate in the admission process of BTE affiliatedInstitutes.

Before submitting the Online Application form and fee, candidatemust refer to the Information Bulleting available on websitewww.tte.delhigovt.nic.in, and http://dtteonline.in and checkeligibility criteria and schedule for counseling/test for lateral entry.

Registration process will start w.e.f. 28.09.2021.Sd/-

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Maharashtra: Cinemahalls, auditoriums toreopen fromOctober 22

22-yr-old cadetfrom Maldivescollapses, diesduring trainingactivity at NDA

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEPUNE,SEPTEMBER25

A 22-YEAR-OLD cadet fromMaldives undergoing trainingat the National DefenceAcademy (NDA) in Pune col-lapsedanddiedduringa train-ing activity on Saturday after-noon. The academy said that aCourt of Inquiry has been or-deredto investigate into the in-cident.Policeofficials said the inci-

dent tookplacearound1pmonSaturday when a group ofcadetswasundergoingoutdoorphysical training activity.The NDA said in a state-

ment, “Cadet MohammadSulthan Ahmed of Maldivescollapsed during an organizedtrainingactivityat theNationalDefence Academy onSeptember 25.Despite best ef-forts the cadet could not be re-vived. A post mortem will beconducted to ascertain thecause of death. The cadet hadreported to NDA on March 12as part of the 145 course andwas inthesecondterm.ACourtof Inquiry has been ordered toinvestigate the incident.”The statement added, “All

arrangements are being madeto provide a befitting send-offto thedeceasedwithappropri-ateMilitaryHonours, inconsul-tation with the MaldivesEmbassy.”

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICELUCKNOW,SEPTEMBER25

AN FIR was registered againstsenior Congress leader PramodTiwari and his daughter andMLAAradhnaMishra, hours af-ter party supporters clashedwith BJP workers at a GareebKalyan Mela organised atSangipur development block ofPratapgarhdistrictonSaturday.Accordingtolocalreports,the

clashbroke out after supportersof local BJPMPSangamlalGuptaand Tiwari ran into each other.While itwas alleged thatGuptawasattackedbythesupportersofTiwariandhisMLAdaughter,sen-iorpoliceofficersconfirmedthat

abuseswerehurled,stonespeltedanda fewvehicles parked in theareaweredamaged.Apurportedvideo clip of the entire incidenthasgoneviralonsocialmedia.Putting out a statement on

videolater, theBJPMPcalleditaplanned attack, claiming thatCongresssupporterswerewait-ing for themwith stones andbricks. The FIR registered wasregisteredonGupta’scomplaint.Apart from the Congress

leaderandhisMLAdaughter,theFIR named 25 Congress leadersand supporters, alongwith an-other50unidentifiedpersons.Tiwari, however, blamed the

incidentontheBJPleaderandhissupporters. He also accused thepoliceofthrashinghissupporters.

Five-day-old baby stolen from Andhra hospitalMachilipatnam: A five-day-oldbaby was stolen from theKrishna district governmenthospitalhereinAndhraPradeshonSaturdayevening,policesaid.

ThebabybelongedtoSindujaand Yesoba of Pedamaddla vil-lage,hospitalsuperintendentMJayakumar and Circle InspectorRAnkababusaid.

It is suspectedthatawomanin her mid-40s stole the baby,born on September 21, after at-tendingtotheSindujafollowingthedelivery,police said. PTI

573DAYSSINCEPANDEMICBEGAN

TRACKING THE SECOND SURGE

NEWCASES: 31,571ACTIVE CASES:3,07,503TOTAL VACCINATION:84,89,29,160

DAILY DEATHS261

TOTALDEATHS4,46,919

WEEKLY CFR0.84%

OVERALL CFR1.34%

TESTS TODAY: 17,89,293 | TOTAL TESTS: 56,34,50,676

WEEKLY POSITIVITY: 1.87%| OVERALL POSITIVITY: 5.97%

STATESREPORTINGMOSTCASES

STATE NEW ACTIVE WEEKLY TOTALCASES CASES POSITIVITY VACCINATION

■Kerala 20,671 1,69,648 16.66% 3,48,70,128

■Maharashtra 3,276 37,984 2.02% 7,74,65,734

■TamilNadu 1,724 17,263 1.09% 4,39,23,503

■Mizoram 1,322 15,081 16.19% 11,03,556

■AndhraPradesh 1,167 13,208 2.16% 3,89,30,753

STATESREPORTINGMOSTDEATHS

STATE TODAY’S TOTAL WEEKLY OVERALLDEATHS DEATHS CFR CFR

■Kerala 120 24,517 0.57% 0.56%

■Maharashtra 60 1,42,400 3.11% 2.19%

■TamilNadu 22 35,476 1.49% 1.35%

■Karnataka 11 37,717 1.89% 1.27%

■WestBengal 11 18,727 1.79% 1.20%

Note:DataasonSept25;vaccinationnumbersasofSept24.Deathsincludethosefrompreviousdays.

FIR against Cong leader,MLA daughter afterclash with BJP workers

New Delhi

Koppal: Close on the heels of afamily from the Dalit commu-nity being penalised Rs 25,000over their two-year-old son en-tering a temple in Karnataka’sKustagi, a man from the Dalitcommunity was forced toarrange a feast, spending Rs11,000,forenteringaLakshmiDevi temple in a village atKaratagi about 11 days ago, apoliceofficer said.“Yes, it is true that theman

spentRs11,000toarrangefeastforenteringthetemple.Ourof-ficersareinvestigatingthemat-ter,” superintendentof PoliceTSreedhara said. He said a fewmonths ago, a theft had takenplaceinthevillageanditwasde-cided thatnooneshouldenterthetempleexceptthepriest.PTI

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEPANAJI, SEPTEMBER25

THENARCOTICS Control Bureau (NCB),Mumbai and its Sub ZoneGoa arrestedSouth African national AgisilaosDemetriades, 31, in North Goa after hewas allegedly found in possession of “asmall quantity of hashish/charas”.Demetriadeswas arrested from a resi-dentialcomplexinPernem,Goa’snorth-ernmost taluka, for “illicit possessionofthe recovered drug” on Saturday, theNCBsaid inastatement.Last year, the NCB had arrested

DemetriadesintwoothercasesundertheNarcotic Drugs and PsychotropicSubstances Act (NDPS). Hewas first ar-rested in a drugs case lodged followingactorSushantSinghRajput’sdeathinJune2020.Whilehewasgrantedbailbyaspe-cialcourtinNovember2020,theNCBhadarrestedhimagaininconnectionwithan-other drug case, in which DharmaProductions executive producer KshitijPrasadwas also arrested. Demetriadeswasreleasedonbail inDecember2020.After his arrest on Saturday,

Demetriades was produced before acourtandremandedtojudicialcustody,theNCBsaid.

Demetriades is the brotherof South African modelGabriella Demetriades, who isactorArjunRampal’spartner. InastatementissuedonSaturday,Rampal, who is currently film-ing in London, said: “As far asmy family and I are concerned,my direct family and I are law-abidingcitizens.Andwhile theincident involvesapersonwhoisarelativeofmypartner, Ihaveno other connection or rela-tionship other than that withthis person... I have faith in ourlegalsystemand whoever isonthe wrong side of the lawshouldbe treatedas the judici-ary deems fit...”

Held in drugs case after Sushantdeath, SA national arrested again

EXPRESSNETWORK10 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHE SUNDAY EXPRESS,SEPTEMBER26,2021

OFFICE OF THE PRINCIPAL, RNT MEDICAL COLLEGE & CONTROLLERASSOCIATED GROUP OF HOSPITALS, UDAIPUR (Raj.)

No. RNT/Pur-I/F.16/(e-Tendering Proc)/2021-22/905 Dated:- 22.09.2021Notice Inviting Bid No. 15/2021-22 (e-Tender)

Bids for Medical Equipments are invited from interested bidders upto Date:- 12.10.2021Time:- 10.30 AM. Other particulars of the bid may be visited on the procurement portal(http://eproc.rajasthan.gov.in, http://spp.raj.nic.in) of the state.UBN- MCU2122GLOB00082, MCU2122GLOB00084, MCU2122GLOB00083,MCU2122GLOB00085, MCU2122GSOB00086.

Sd/-(Dr. Lakhan Poswal)

DIPR/C/9737 PRINCIPAL & CONTROLLER

Girish Kumar Awasthi, Registrar

Website. www.usvv.ac.inShort-term E-Tender Notice No. E-02/USVV/RUSA/2021-22

Uttarakhand Sanskrit University, Haridwar

Procurement of GYM Equipment

Uttarakhand Sanskrit University, Haridwar

invites Short-term E-tender for Procurement of

GYM Equipment. Interested firms may apply

through Uttarakhand Govt. e-portal for submission

of tender in www.uktender.gov.in. Detail available

on Govt eportal www.uktender.gov.in

Wef- 27.09.2021

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AIR FORCE SCHOOL,PRAHLADPUR 27 ED;

LIMITED TENDERENQUIRY

On behalf of Air Force SchoolPrahladpur, bids in sealed cover areinvited for Renovation of Children’sWashrooms at AF School Prahladpur.The firms dealing with Civil works mayquote for technical bid as well asCommercial bid sealed separately insingle envelope. The firms interestedare to visit the school for assessmentand obtaining RFP before submittingbids. The last date for submission of bid(Technical bid as well as Commercialbid) is 11 Oct 21. The bids are to bedropped in the tender box kept at themain gate of Air Force StationPrahladpur, 27ED. Date of opening ofTechnical bid is 13 Oct 21 andCommercial bid is 20 Oct 21. The bidsare to be addressed to Chairman, AirForce Prahladpur 27ED. For any querykindly contact on: 8826889490.Address: 27 Equipment Depot AirForce Palam, Delhi Cantt New Delhi110010.

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UPID-167783 Date 25/09/2021www.upgov.nic.in

ESHAROYNEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER25

THE NATIONAL Commission for theProtection of Child Rights Saturdayasked the Rajasthan state governmentto reconsider the provisions of theRajasthan Compulsory Registration ofMarriages (Amendment) Bill 2021, re-cently passed by the Assembly. It saidthe Bill gives legitimacy to child mar-riagesandis incontraventionof severalchild protection laws.NCPCR Chairperson Priyank

Kanoongo Saturdaywrote to RajasthanChief Minister Ashok Gehlot, pointingout that the provisions of the Bill mayhave a serious impact on the “physical,psychological, social and education ofminors in thestate”.“The Rajasthan government is de-

molishing the work that MahatmaGandhi had done against child mar-riages.Wewillnotallowthistohappen.Itisindirectcontraventiontochildrightsin the country and the NCPCRwill ap-proach the Supreme Court against thisBill if need be,’’ Kanoongo told TheSundayExpress.“The Commission would like to

state that the Prohibition of ChildMarriage act, 2006 is the central Actwhichprohibits solemnisationof childmarriages and constitutes child mar-riages by amale adultwith a girl childas an offence under Section 9. Section10 of the Act further provides thatwhoever performs, conducts, directsor abets any child marriage shall bepunishable with rigorous imprison-ment which may extend to two yearsand shall be liable to fine which may

exceedRs 1 lakhunless he proves thathe has reason to believe that themar-riage was not a child marriage,’’Kanoongohas said in his letter.Section11of theProhibitionofChild

MarriagesActalsoprovidespunishmentfor promoting or solemnising of childmarriagesandSection12holdsthatanymarriagesolemnisedbydeceit, forceorenticement of aminor, is held void. Alloffences under the Act are cognizableandnon-bailable.UndertheJuvenileJusticeActSection

2(14,xii),agirlchildwhoisinimminentrisk of marriage before the age of 18years isa “child inneedof careandpro-tection”. The JJ Act further says that ef-fortsmust bemade to ensure the care,protection,appropriaterehabilitationorrestorationofagirlchildwhoisatimmi-nent risk of marriage and therefore achild inneedof protection.“ThismovebytheRajasthangovern-

mentisinclearcontraventionofalltheseexistinglaws.ItisclearthatthisBill isen-tirelypoliticallymotivatedtosatisfyvotebanks,”Kanoongosaid.While Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot

couldnotbe reached forcomments,hisOfficer on Special Duty (OSD), LokeshSharma, had said that “registration ofmarriage in itself is not a proof that themarriage isvalid.”Sharma had cited a 2006 Supreme

Court judgement in Seema vs AshwaniKumar case to say that registration ofeverymarriage is “compulsory”.During the debate on the Bill in the

Assembly,ParliamentaryAffairsMinisterShanti Dhariwal said that the Bill“nowheresaysthatunderagemarriageswill be legal”.

—WITHENSINPUTSFROMJAIPUR

Marriages Bill giveslegitimacy to childmarriages, NCPCRtells Rajasthan

TMC ‘serious’ about Goaelections, ‘in talks’ withleaders from other partiesMAYURAJANWALKARPANAJI, SEPTEMBER25

HAVING STEPPED into the election arenain Goa, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) ispreparingtocontestall40seatsinthestateAssembly elections, expected early nextyear,andhasnoplansforanalliancesofar,it is learnt.Whilespeculationwasrifeoverasen-

ior Goa Congress leader joining TMCmonthsbeforetheelections,TMCsourcessaid the party has been in talkswith po-litical leaders fromnotonly theCongressbut also theBJPandmembersof the civilsociety.Senior TMC leaders, including some

partyMPs andMLAs, are expected to bestationed inGoa for about fivemonths inthe run-up to the Assembly polls. Thepartyisexpectedtoannounceitselectoralplans inOctober.Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Derek

O’Brien,whoarrivedinGoaonFriday,said,“WhateverwedoinGoawillbefor,of,andby thepeopleof Goa.”The party has said that it will not fol-

lowa “high command culture” like in theCongress or BJP but let the people fromGoa coming on board decide the coursetheywant to take in the state.A team from political strategist

Prashant Kishor’s Indian Political ActionCommittee(I-PAC)hasbeenassessingthepolitical situation in Goa for about threemonths. The political advocacy group,which advised TMC before the Assemblypolls inWestBengal,willcontinuetoworkwith the party in Goa. The party has alsolaunched itsGoapagesonsocialmedia.Sources said TMC is “very serious”

aboutcontestingelectionsinthestatewithaneyeonexpandingitsnational footprint.Thepartyisaimingtomakegainsinstatessuch as Goa and Tripura to strengthenBanerjee’s position as a national leader,andPrimeMinisterNarendraModi’smostformidable opponent before the 2024General Election.The BJP, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party,

Nationalist Congress Party, Shiv Sena andnowTMCwill be in thepoll fray inGoa, inaddition to regional parties such as GoaForward Party and MaharashtrawadiGomantakParty.

Nadda: Govt’s programmes guidedby Deendayal Upadhyay’s principlesNew Delhi: BJP president J PNaddaonSaturdaysaidtheModigovernment’s policies and pro-grammesareguidedbytheprin-ciples espoused by the party’sideologueDeendayalUpadhyay,as he paid tribute to himon his105thbirthanniversary.Be it economy or social sec-

tor, Upadhyay’smantras of “in-tegral humanism” and “antyo-

daya” have been the drivingforce of the government’s pro-grammes,Naddasaid inastate-ment, adding that Modi’s em-phasis on “sabka saath, sabkavikas” isguidedby this.On the occasion, Nadda also

felicitatedveteranworkersoftheBharatiya Jana Sangh, the pre-cursor to the BJP, at the partyheadquartershere. PTI

GOA

Dalit man madeto spend Rs 11Kon feast forentering temple

KARNATAKA

New Delhi

EXPRESSNETWORK11 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHE SUNDAY EXPRESS,SEPTEMBER26,2021

BIHAR

SC/STstudentsinjuredinlathichargePatna:Abouthalf adozenSC/ ST studentswere in-jured inpolice lathichargeinPatnaonSaturdayafter-noon.Over 200 students,under the AmbedkarKalyanChhatravasSangh,had been protestingagainst the Patna districtadministration’s decisiontovacateAmbedkarhostel— meant for SC/ ST stu-dents—forsanitisationandrepairs. The police actioncameasstudents,mostlypursuing undergradua-tion courses, announcedtomarchtowardsVidhanSabha,whereprohibitoryordersare inplace. ENS

Studentswereprotestingdecisiontovacateahostel. PTI

BRIEFLY

KERALA

Moralscienceteacherjailedforminor’srapeThiruvananthapuram: AmoralscienceteacherataCBSE-affiliated school inKerala’s Thrissur districtwassentencedto29yearsand6monthsinjailundervarioussectionsofPOSCOAct,IPCandJuvenileJusticeActinconnectionwiththesexualabuseofasix-year-old girl. The incident tookplaceonboardabusdur-ingaone-dayschooltripinNovember2011.Amedicalexamination ascertainedtheabuseandtheaccused,fatheroffourchildren,wasnabbed. ENS

UTTARPRADESH

2arrestedfor‘abusivevideo’onPM,YogiBallia: Two people werearrested on Saturday forallegedly posting a videoon socialmedia contain-ing abusive languageagainst Prime MinisterNarendraModiandUttarPradesh Chief MinisterYogi Adityanath, policesaid. The video wasposted on Twitter,Facebook, andWhatsApp, police said,adding Prakash Vermaand Ramesh Yadav ofSher (Badki Seria) villagewere booked over thecomplaintofMantuRam,the in-charge of BansdihRoadpolice station. PTI

WESTBENGAL

GovtplansbigvaccinedriveforstudentsKolkata:TheWestBengalgovernment, which isconsidering reopeningcolleges,universitiesandother centres of higherlearninginNovember,af-ter the conclusion of fes-tivitiesaroundDurgaPujaand Diwali, has decidedtoconductamassivevac-cination drive for stu-dents in thecomingdaysandweeks. The aim, saidofficials, is to ensure saferesumption of offline ac-ademicactivity.

ENS

AISHWARYAMOHANTYKORAPUT,SEPTEMBER25

ASIGNBOARDatanarrowdevia-tion from the Koraput-Kotpadroadleadstoavillageof500peo-plearoundtwokilometersaway.Itsresidentswereallrehabili-

tatedherein1988aftertheUpperKolabDam inOdisha’s Koraputdistrict, constructed in1976overtheKolab river, submerged theirancestralhomes.Its namechangesdepending

onwhoyouask.ItisColony6inof-ficialrecords,Baikunthapurifyougobyitsresidents,andCamp6in

localparlance.Thesignboardbearsoutthisconfusion,carryingthelasttwonamesinEnglishandOdia."Whenwemoved here ini-

tiallywewere told thatwewerebeing moved to camps. Theneventuallywhenwe got officialdocumentslikeourAadharcards,itsaidwelivedincolonies.Butweare still identified as residents ofcamps,” says resident GangaiBurudi.Thisisagrievanceonehearsin

multiple dam rehabilitationcampsinthedistrict—theynevergotanofficialnamefordecades.In 2018, the residents of

Colonies5,6and7—threeof the

five villageswithout an officialname—decided toact. BetweenAprilandMay,theyputupboardsdeclaring ‘Santoshpur,’‘Baikunthapur’ and‘Purshottampur’ at the entrancetothesevillages.Thesearealsothenames thatnowappear in someof their postal addresses.BaikunthapurandSantoshpurfallunderBatasunagrampanchayatwhilePurushottampurfallsunderSBNuagaanGP.Thenames, however, are yet

tobeofficially added in landandrevenuerecords.Back in 1988, each affected

familywasgiven3acresoflandfor

constructingahouseandfarming,andRs14,000as compensation.After 2000, these camps started

getting basic facilities such asdrinkingwater,electricity,schoolsandanganwadicentres.

Butthelackofanofficialnamestillrankles.“This keeps reminding us of

beingdisplacedfromourownan-cestralvillagewherewegrewup.It does not help us feel settled,"saysBurudi.Over 3,000 families from57

villageswere displaced by theKolabDamproject.About52percent of the affected people areParaja tribes and17per cent areDalits,accordingtoastudybytheSouthOrissaVoluntaryAction,anNGOinKoraput.TehsildarJanardhanDalaisaid:

"Someofthevillageshavechangedtheirnamesvoluntarilybutthatis

notlegallyacceptable.TheyarestillregisteredasColony6,7etc,asperrevenuerecords.Butthesehamletscanapproachusforchangingtheirnames.Nosuchchangeisinprocessatthemomentfromourend,".InCamp4A,withapopulation

of 603, KumaMuduli says resi-dents have held consultationswithblock-levelofficersbuttonoavail. "We initiate the dialoguewithoneofficial andby the timethepapers are to beprocessed anewofficial comes inandweareback to zero. Villagers also keepgetting anxious that theywouldhave togo throughsomanypro-ceduresalloveragain.Butweare

still at it andwewouldwant tochange the nameof our village,notjustourselvesbutofficiallyaswell,”Mudulisays.Harihar Nayak (60) from

Colony7says,"Whenyouareup-rootedandmovedtoanother lo-cation, therearea lotof things inmind tobeginwith, a lot of basicfacilities. But eventually one re-alisesthatwehavebeenreducedto camps and colonies. Apersonanywhereintheworldderiveshisorheridentityfromtheplacetheycome from. We come from acamp.OurAadhaarsaysweliveincolonynumber 7. It feels likewedonotbelonghere."

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEAHMEDABAD,SEPTEMBER25

AMUSLIMman fromKhambhatinAnandhasmoved theGujaratHigh Court seeking lodging of apolice complaint under theamended Gujarat Freedom ofReligionAct,afterhisdaughteral-legedlyelopedwithaHinduman.Accordingtothepetitioner,his

daughterwentmissingonJune16,2021,andhelaterlearntthatamanhad“allured”herintomarriageand“forciblyconvertedherreligion”.The man then filed a com-

plaintwiththeKhambhatcitypo-lice station, on “abductionof hisdaughter...andsubsequentforce-fulconversionandmarriage”,thepetition states. However, no FIRhas been registered, the com-plainantstated.The petitioner subsequently

filed a complaint before thedis-trict superintendent of police ofAnand on June 24 under provi-sions of the Criminal ProcedureCode(CrPC)forgettinganFIRfiled.OnFriday, thecourtof Justice

IleshVoradirectedthestatecoun-selto“takenecessaryinstructionswith respect to the complaint

dated24.06.2021... on, or before,the next date of hearing” onOctober27.The amended Gujarat

FreedomofReligionActcameintoforce fromJune15and inAugust,theGujaratHighCourtstayedsev-eralprovisionsoftheamendedAct.According to the petitioner,

themanwhomarriedhisdaugh-ter committed offences undersections 3 and 5 of the Act thathave been stayed by the HighCourt. Section3dealswith “pro-hibition of forcible conversion”and Section 5 stipulates districtmagistrate’spermissionincaseofreligiousconversion.TheGujaratHC is also seized

of a consent quashing petitionwhereprovisionsof theActwereinvokedinvolvingamarriedcou-plefromVadodara.Whiletheac-cusedandcomplainantinthecasesought quashing of the FIR, thestatehadobjectedtoit.Contestingthecomplainantwoman’sasser-tion that the FIR registered con-tains “untrue” details thatwerenotpartofhercomplaint,thestatesaidthatthewoman“neverraisedanygrievanceatanypointoftimethat the FIRwas an exaggeratedversion”.

ABHISHEKANGADRANCHI, SEPTEMBER25

THREEYEARS after Jharkhand’sBuilding ConstructionDepartment had told the HighCourtandtheAssemblythatitwilltake action against “culprits” for“irregularities” inconstructionofthenewHighCourtbuilding, thedepartment on Friday actedagainst 14 current and formergovernmentengineers.Secretary, Building

ConstructionDepartment, SunilKumar told The Sunday Expressthat they have terminated thecontract of 'Ram Kripal SinghConstruction Private Limited'fromtheconstructionprojectandfloatedafreshtendertocompletetheworkremaining.Kumar said: “We have sus-

pendedeight government engi-neers, initiated department in-quiryagainstthreeengineersandissued a show-cause (notice) tothreeretiredengineers.Theirreg-ularitiespertains tonotadheringtothedetailedprojectreportsub-mitted for construction of theHighCourtbuildingandconstruc-tionof certainparts of thebuild-ing,whichwasnotrequired.”The latter, he explained, re-

sulted in “expenditure in un-plannedconstruction”.Attempts to contact Ram

KripalSinghConstructionsdidnotelicit response. Two cellphonenumbers listed on the companywebsitewas found switchedoff.Anon-sitesupervisorofthecom-pany inBegusarai, Bihar, said hedidnotknowabouttheconstruc-tionprojectinRanchi.The same companyhas also

constructed the JharkhandStadiumand thenewAssemblybuilding.Theprojectwas initiatedun-

der the Raghubar Das govern-mentand theconstructioncom-panyhadwonthebid.Thegovernmenthad initially

said that an administrative ap-proval of Rs 365 crorewas given

for construction of the newHCbuilding. Later, the tenderwasawarded to Ram Kripal SinghConstructionsforRs265crore,re-ducing the bid by Rs 100 crore.Later, in revised estimates, thecontractor increased its amounttoRs697crore.However, Sunil Kumar said,

“wehadonlygivenadministrativeapproval foranadditionalRs100crore(not432croretomakeitRs697crore).We(have)alsotermi-nated thecontract of RamKripalSinghConstructions.We floatedanothertender forcompletionoftheremainingwork; thebiddingprocess for that ended onSeptember24."Last year, theHemant Soren

governmentlaunchedaprobebythe Anti-Corruption Bureau tolookintoallegedfinancial irregu-laritiesinconstructionofboththeAssemblybuildingandtheongo-ingworkof JharkhandHC's newbuilding.In2018,underthethenBJP-led

government,ArupChatterjee,theMLAfromNirsa,hadaskedintheHousewhethertherevisedtech-nical approval amount for theconstructionof newHCbuildingwasRs697crore.AsperAssemblyrecords,theBuildingConstructionDepartmentrepliedinaffirmative.

DEEPTIMANTIWARYNEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER25

UTTARPRADESHChiefMinisterYogi Adityanath Saturdayclaimed that the 1921MoplahrebellionofKeralawasaplannedgenocideofHindusby“jihadiel-ements”. He said as India cele-brates the 75th year of inde-pendence,itwasatimetoreflecton “liberating humanity fromJihadi thought” and ensuringthat the “Malabar genocide” isnot repeated.Adityanathwasaddressinga

discussionorganisedbytheRSS-affiliatedmagazine PanchjanyaontheMoplahrebellion.“This is an occasion of deep

reflection and discussion. Wehave to thinkhowwecan liber-ate humanity from Jihadithought. Howwe create an en-vironment so that Malabargenocideisnotrepeated.ForthisallIndianshavetocometogetherwith determination,”Adityanath,whoisseekingasec-ond termasUPCMin the forth-comingelections, said.He said India was remem-

bering the sacrifices of its free-domfighters in the75thyear ofindependence. “It is importantat this time also to understandour history in right perspective.A nation that does not know itshistory, cannotprotect its geog-raphy,”hesaid.Detailing the 1921 incident,

Adityanathsaid,“A100yearsago,in Kerala’s Moplah, the state’sJihadi elements hadmassacredthousandsofHindus.Thisgeno-cidecontinuedforseveraldaysinaplannedmanner.According tooneestimate,more than10,000Hindus were killed brutally.Thousands of mothers and sis-terswereassaulted.Severaltem-plesweredestroyed.”

The UP CM said unfortu-nately, to hide this “massivegenocide”, several nameswerecoinedandaskedif itwascarriedout because Hindus refused toconvert.“Somepeoplecalled itanger

in theMuslim community dueto failure of the Khilafatmove-ment. Somepeople called it theMoplah rebellion. ThesepeoplesaythatthelandlordstherewereexploitingMuslims.If itwasonlyaboutlandlordsthenwhydidsomany common Hindus getkilled?Justbecausetheyrefusedto convert? The truth is thosewho havewritten history fromtheprismof leftismandpseudo-secularismheldupthepolicyofappeasement. This effort wassupported by parties who en-gage in votebank politics,”Adityanathsaid.The Moplah rebellion has

beendescribedbyhistoriansandscholars as a peasant uprisingagainsttheBritishandtheHindulandlordspatronisedbythem.In1971,theGovernmentofKerala]officially recognised the activeparticipants in the events as"freedomfighters".However, the Sangh parivar

has contested this articulationand is currently running a cam-paigntoretellthestoryfromtheperspectiveof targetedkillingofHindus. Pranjya Pravah, an RSSthink tank, has demanded for a“genocide memorial” to com-memoratetheMoplahrebellion.It has also organised an exhibi-tion on “100 years of 1921Malabar Hindu Genocide” atRajivChowk.According to reports, a com-

mittee formed by the IndianCouncil of Historical Research(ICHR) is considering removing387 names associatedwith therebellionfromthelistof freedomfighters.

Cyclone Gulab to hit south Odishaand north Andhra Pradesh todayEXPRESSNEWSSERVICEPUNE,SEPTEMBER25

CYCLONEGULABhas formed inthe Bay of Bengal, the IndianMeteorological Department(IMD)saidonSaturdayevening.ItisexpectedtohitsouthernOdishaand north Andhra Pradesh onSundayevening.Aspersatelliteobservationsat

5.30pm,thecyclonewaslocatedover northwestBay of Bengal andwas 370 kmeast-southeast of Gopalpur,Odisha and 440 km east ofKalingapatnam,AndhraPradesh.This is the third cyclone of

2021 after Tauktae andYaas,which had formed inMaythisyear.Cyclone data between 1990

and 2021 show that only 14 cy-clones have developed duringSeptember (see box), withonly three stormsbetween2011and 2021 (excluding Cyclone

Gulab).Likemost recent storms that

have crossed Indian coasts, thissystemisalsorapidlyintensifying.Inlessthan48hours,itintensifiedfrom a low-pressure system(wind speed less than34kms/hour) to a deepdepres-sion (wind speed 51 to61kms/hour).In thewakeof the approach-

ing storm, the IMDhas forecast

light tomoderate intensity rain(2.4mmto644mmin24hours)overWest Bengal, Odisha andcoastalAndhraPradesh.TheMetofficehaswarnedof

veryheavytoextremelyheavyrain(115.6mmtoover204.4mmin24hours)oversouthOdishaandnorthcoastalAndhraPradeshonSunday.Heavy rain is also likely over

Telangana,north-interiorOdishaandChhattisgarh.

Due to rough sea condi-tions and intensewinds, fish-ermen have been advisedagainst venturing into sea tillMonday.

TheprojectedtrackofCycloneGulab. Photocourtesy: IMD

YEAR NO.OFCYCLONES

1991 11995 21997 12004 22005 22007 12008 12009 12011 12018 2Source : IMD

CYCLONES FORMEDIN THEBAYOFBENGAL IN SEPTEMBER

For dam-rehabilitated villagers in Odisha, a three-decade fight for a name

UP CM says Moplahrebellion ‘plannedgenocide’ of Hindus

Bengaluru: Rejecting a plea bytheEnforcementDirectorateforsplittingoftrialinamoneylaun-dering case linked to the 2005Devas Multimedia-AntrixCorporationfraudcase,aspecialcourtinBengaluruhaspulleduptheagency for seeking a “short-cut” without serious efforts toservesummonsontheaccused.TheEDhasfailedtoservesum-

monsonaUS-basedCEOofDevasMultimedia, RamachandranVishwanathan, and a US sub-sidiary, Devas MultimediaAmericaIncorporated.Despite a gap of three years

sincethefilingofchargesheet,theED has reported that it has notbeen able to serve summons ontwo accusedwho are in theUS,resultinginthestallingofthetrial.“If every case is split up

merely because it is difficult toserve the accused itwould leadtomultiplicity of proceedings,”thecourtsaidwhilerejectingthepleaonThursday. ENS

Devas-Antrixcase: ED plearejected, courtsays no shortcut

Baikunthapur isyet tobeaddedin land, revenuerecords.

CONSTRUCTIONOFJHARKHANDHCNEWBUILDINGAMENDEDGUJARATFREEDOMOFRELIGIONACT

Daughter lured intomarriage, forciblyconverted: plea in HC

UttarPradeshChiefMinisterYogiAdityanathata ‘JanataDarshan’ inGorakhpuronSaturday. Express

2 illegal constructionsreported, includingthatofNirmalSingh’sbungalow,says J&Kofficial

Former J&KDyCM’s Nagrota housebuilt illegally: UT admin in RTI replyARUNSHARMAJAMMU,SEPTEMBER25

THE PALATIAL bungalow of DrNirmalSingh,formerdeputychiefminister of theerstwhile state ofJammu and Kashmir, at villageBanwasconstructedillegally,ac-cordingtotheUnionTerritoryad-ministration.Quoting the APIO/Tehsildar,

Zone C/D JDA, Dr KusumChib,JammuDevelopmentAuthority(JDA)Collector, LandAcquisition,and Public InformationOfficer,saidthisinreplytoanRTIapplica-tionfiledbyMuzaffarAliShan,anadvocate, seeking informationaboutillegalconstructionsraisedatBanandPanjgrain villagesbe-tween January 2016 andDecember2020.MessagessenttoSingh,asen-

iorBJP leader, foracommentdidnotelicitaresponse.In her reply to the RTI query,

Chib stated, “Twocases of illegal

constructionswere reported—one by Sh. Nirmal Singh, ex-DyCM, and second by Sh. VijayKumarShrma.”TheJammumas-terplan for 2032 was notifiedthrough SRO90, datedMarch3,2017,shestated.About the present status of

theseconstructions,shesaidthatthe matter regarding NirmalSinghis“underGovtofLaw”,and“work is stopped till date” in theothercase.In both cases, no action has

been initiated by JDAunder the

BuildingOperationAct,1988,Chibsaid, quoting information pro-vided by the APIO/Tehsildar.Despite requests from her, theAPIO/Tehsildar also did not pro-vide information about officialswho were posted in Ban andPanjgrianvillages to report casesof illegal constructions to theau-thoritiesconcerned,shestatedinherreply.She stated that as per

APIO/TehsildarZoneC/DJDA,var-iouscivicofficialshavemadesur-prise visits to the area between

2016 andDecember2020.Singh and

his family hadmoved into the

new bungalow,near the Army’sammunition sub-depot (ASD), on

July23 lastyear,eventhoughtheHighCourt had inMay2018di-rected the authorities to ensure“strictimplementation”ofa2015notificationbarringgeneralpub-licfromconstructionwithin1,000yardsofdefenceworks.TheMay7,2018HCorderwas

inresponsetoawritpetitionfiledby the Centre, challenging con-struction of a bungalowon thesite. Thepetition stated that theunder-construction housewasonly580yardsfromtheperimeterboundary wall of the ASD inNagrota.Thepetitionwasfiledaf-tercivilandpoliceofficialsdidnotstop construction activity being

carriedoutbyMamtaSingh,wifeof Nirmal Singh, thenSpeaker ofJ&KAssembly,despitewrittenre-quests fromtopArmyofficials atNagrota-based 16 CorpsHeadquarters.TheCentremovedHCtwice—

onMay15, 2018, andDecember20, 2018— seeking initiation ofcontemptproceedingsagainstof-ficials of the then state govern-mentforwilfullynotimplement-ingthecourt’sMay7order.Thecourtissuednoticetothen

JammuDivisionalCommissionerHemantSharma;JammuDeputyCommissioner Kumar RajeevRanjan; and then Jammu SSPVivekGupta and asked them tofileacompliancereport.Evenas thewrit petition and

the contempt petitions werepending disposal inHighCourt,MamtaSinghpostedapictureofhers alongwithher grandsonatthenewly constructedhouseonJuly25lastyearonFacebook.Shelaterdeletedthepost.

SinghhadmovedintothenewbungalowinJuly,2020. Express

Sorengovt launchedACBprobe lastyear to look into‘financial irregularities’.

Irregularities: Action on 14 govtengineers, firm’s contract ended

DrNirmalSingh

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIARAIPUR,SEPTEMBER25

AMID UNCERTAINTY overwhetherChhattisgarhwouldseea leadership change, ChiefMinister Bhupesh Baghel onSaturdaysaid"Kaka"isstillalive.Health minister TS Singh

Deo, his rival in state Congress,waspresentonthestage.Baghel sometimes refers to

himself as 'kaka' — a local termforuncle—oftheyouthandchil-dren in thestate.Addressingafunctionorgan-

ised by the state unit of IndianPharmacists Association onWorld Pharmacists Day, he saidChhattisgarhisrichinmedicinalplants, andhis governmentwillsupportthosewhowanttoman-ufacturemedicinesusing them.Whensomepeoplefromthe

gathering shouted “Bhupeshkakazindabad,”asmilingBaghelresponded, “Kaka abhi zinda hai(uncle is still alive)," eliciting

laughter fromthecrowd.A video clip of Baghel's one-

line remarkwaswidely sharedby his supporters on socialme-dia. The CMhimself posted thecliponhisTwitterandFacebookaccountswiththecaption"Kakaabhizindahai".Addressing the programme,

Singh Deo praised Baghel fordealingwithdemandsof all de-partments, including Health,with sensitivity. ChhattisgarhhasemergedasamodelstateonmanyfrontsunderBaghel'slead-ership,hesaid.Later, asked by reporters

abouttheso-calledpower-shar-ingformulaunderwhichheandBaghelweresupposedtobeCMfor two and a half years each,SinghDeo said the issuewill beresolvedsoon.“This question comes up

everywhere. I believe it will beresolvedsoon....Thereissomuchcuriosity thatonlyonequestionis asked at every press confer-ence,"hesaid.

‘Kaka’ is still alive, CMBaghel tells supportersin Singh Deo’s presence

New Delhi

historyHEADLINE

12 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHE SUNDAY EXPRESS,SEPTEMBER26,2021OPINION

FifthCOLUMNTAVLEENSINGHTwitter@tavleen_singh

I READ a page from history. TheCrusadeswerereligiouswarsthatbegantoward theendof the11th century. Thewars are believed to have been foughtbetween1095and1291.Historyrecordsthat theywere organised by EuropeanChristians,with thesupportof theLatinChurch,tocheckthespreadof Islam,rollbackMuslim expansion (in Palestine,Syria,Egypt)andtakebacktheHolyLandin theeasternMediterranean.The wars were waged a thousand

yearsafterJesusChristand450yearsaf-terProphetMuhammad.Bothpreachedmonotheism. Both were inspired byAbraham andMoses. AmongMuslims,they are Ibrahim andMusa. AlongwithJudaism, the three faiths are calledAbrahamic religions. Therefore, the jus-tification for the wars is inexplicable.Despitethewars,ChristianityandIslamhave survived to this daywithmillionsof followers; most are tolerant andpeaceful, some arewarriors. Europe islargelyChristian; Palestine, Syria, Egyptand some other territories over whichthewarswerefoughtarepredominantlyMuslimnations.Themoral of the story is that no reli-

gionor religious group canvanquish an-other.

WHAT IS JIHAD?Yet, the word jihad is in currency.

Jihad, inIslam,accordingtoBritannica, isameritorious struggle or effort, prima-rilythehumanstruggletopromotewhat

is rightandtopreventwhat iswrong. Inmodern times, however, it has becomeasynonymforviolent campaigns.Love jihadwasamonsterinventedby

theHinduradicalrighttoterroriseyoungmen andwomen. Narcotic jihad is thenewmonster, and it painsme andmil-lionsof Indiansthatanordainedbishop,Bishop Joseph Kallarangatt of Pala,should be its author. While ‘love’ and‘narcotics’ arereal, toattachtheword ji-had to love (a natural human emotion)andtonarcotics(ananalgesiaandanad-dictivedrug) revealswarpedthinking.The intention isclear. It is toprovoke

distrustandcommunalconflictbetweenfollowers of a religion (Hinduism orChristianity)on theonehandand Islamon the other. Islam is the ‘other’ andMuslimsare the ‘other’ people to fanat-ics.Asecularnationmuststampoutsuchfanaticismwhether it is expressed inwordsordeedsorthroughsubtlemeansof discrimination.

NO EVIDENCEThereisnoevidencethatIslamis‘ex-

pansionist’ in India. The PEW survey,publishedinJune2021,hasblownawaymanymyths and falsehoods. The reli-giouscompositionof Indiahasbeenrea-sonably stable between 1951 and 2011.There is a slight increase in the propor-tion of Muslims because of migrationand because the fertility rate amongMuslims, though it has fallen sharplyfrom4.4 (1992) to 2.6 (2015), is slightly

more than the fertility rate amongHindus and other religious groups. Yet,evenby2050,Hinduswill constituteanoverwhelming 77 per cent (1,300mil-lion) of the population. Among the re-spondents in the PEW survey, 81.6 percent said theywereraisedasHinduand81.7percentcurrentlyidentifyasHindu;2.3 per cent said they were raised asChristianand2.6percentcurrentlyiden-tify as Christian. Mass conversion toIslamisa lie.ThereisnosurpriseintheHindurad-

ical rightspringing to thesupportof theBishop of Pala. Both target the ‘other’,meaningtheMuslims.Wemustremem-berthattherehavebeenoccasionswhenthe Hindu radical right has treated theChristiansas‘other’.The‘othering’ofanysectionof thepeople isunacceptable.

MY SCHOOLEXPERIENCE

I studied inaschool runbyChristianmissionaries.Theoverwhelmingmajor-ity of pupils were Hindus from all sec-tionsof society.Therewasasmallnum-ber of Christians and a sprinkling ofMuslims. Each class was divided intomany sections, but there was a ClassLeader, chosen by the Headmaster, thelegendary Kuruvilla Jacob. In the fiveyearsthatIstudiedfromClassVItoClassX, the Class Leader was A KMoosa, ajovial, friendly but average student. InClass XI, the final year, the Class Leader

automatically became the School PupilLeader. The Headmaster wanted a stu-dent whowas tall and impressive andwho could speak English fluently atschool functionsandat theAnnualDay.Who did he choose? Lo and behold, henominated Mr Haroon Mohammed!None of the students, and certainly notthe Hindu or Christian pupils, thoughtthatsomethingunusualhadbeendone.Theword‘appeasement’wastotallyun-familiar tous.I amglad that the ChiefMinister,Mr

PinarayiVijayan,hasreadtheriotacttotheBishop.IamgladderthattheLeaderoftheOpposition,MrVDSatheesan, has sup-portedtheChiefMinister’sstatementthatthegovernmentwillbe"unsparingagainstthosewhopropagatesuchfalsetheories".Thosewhotalkmischievouslyabout

narcotic jihad should ponder over theunprecedented haul of 3,000 kg ofheroin (that is three tonnes!) seized bythe authorities when it was attemptedto be ‘imported’ through a port inGujarat. I cansaywithauthoritythatnoonewould have dared to ‘import’ suchahumongousquantityunlesshe/she(acouple—notMuslims—havebeenap-prehended) enjoyed official patronageat a fairlyhigh level.The PrimeMinister and the Home

Minister should deprecate talk of jihad,love or narcotic. They should also com-mentontheseizureof3,000kgofheroin.These are issues that have serious con-sequences for the internal security andsocialharmonyof thecountry.

Mischievous and Fake Crusades

The Prime Minister and theHome Minister should

deprecate talk of jihad, love ornarcotic. They should alsocomment on the seizure of

3,000 kg of heroin. These areissues that have serious

consequences for the internalsecurity and social harmony

of the country

AcrossTHEAISLE

PCHIDAMBARAMWebsite:pchidambaram.inTwitter@Pchidambaram_IN

KEEPING HIM WAITINGNarendraModirecentlyshoweredpraiseson Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister YogiAdityanath at a function in Aligarh.However, the CMhas been unable to goaheadwithhisplanstoinductnewminis-tersinhisCabinetsuchasJitinPrasadaandSanjayNishad,before theAssemblyelec-tions next year. By the year-end, anyCabinetchangeswillbeproblematicsinceit will be too close to the February polls.Interestingly,thoughAmitShahnormallygoes into overdrivewhen an importantAssembly election is due, as in WestBengal,ShahisgearingupfortheUPcam-paignata leisurelypace.

OFF WITH THEIR HEADSIt came as a shock to other BJP-ruledstates that Gujarat Chief Minister VijayRupani,alongwithhisentireCabinet,wasreplacedafortnightagowithafirst-timeMLA,BhupendraPatel. But it cameasnosurprise to the people of Gujarat whohaveseensuchoff-with-all-headspurgesin the past under NarendraModi. Suchcomplete overhauls are seen as away ofsofteningananti-incumbencymoodjustbeforeanelection. Ithashappenedearlierin several local self-government bodiesin Surat and Saurashtra. The BJP leader-ship was conscious of the unpopularityof the Rupani government. The reasonwhy the complete change of guard inGujaratwentoffwithbarelyawhimper,despitediscontentamongsomecommu-nities like the Koli Patels, is because of CR Paatil, the BJP state chief. The formerpolice constable and close aide ofNarendraModi, whoworkedwith AmitShahinthe2019poll,hasatightgripoverthestate,eventhoughheisnotaGujaratibut aMaharashtrian.

COMMON FOEAmarinderSinghandthelateArunJaitleymay have fought a bitter parliamentaryelectionagainsteachother inAmritsar in2014, but they remained friends. Theywereunited in their dislike of a commonenemy,NavjotSinghSidhu.Jaitleybelievedthat Sidhuandhispolitician-wife,NavjotKaur, sabotaged his Amritsar campaign.He ensured that the Sidhuswere thrownout of the BJP. When Sidhu joined theCongress, Singh turned to Jaitley for ad-

vice. The latterwarned that Sidhuwouldundermine him. The Captainwas so en-raged by Sidhu’s entry into the Congressthat he even contemplated floating hisownpoliticalparty if hecouldtieupwiththeBJP.TheplanneverfructifiedsincetheBJPstuckwiththeAkalis.

OFFER OR BANTERIt isadebatablewhetherRajyaSabhaMPAmbika Soni was seriously offered thePunjab chief ministership or if the sug-gestionwasmade as light-heartedban-ter by Rahul Gandhi at a meeting ofPunjab legislators.Gandhiwasrespond-ingtoSoni’s stoutrejectionof aproposaltomake Sunil Jakhar the chief minister,on the grounds that he is not a Sikh. At78, Soni may be five months youngerthan Captain Amarinder Singh, butwasin no position to take over as chiefmin-ister. Infact, inAugust2019,shehadwrit-ten to Sonia Gandhi, saying she wouldliketostepdownfromactivepolitics,butreceived no reply. Although she is nolonger general secretary, Soni is utilisedby the party high command to counterher contemporaries and old colleaguessuch as Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kapil SibalandManish Tewari, who are part of theG-23dissidents.

INTERPRETING WORDSNitin Gadkari is known for his refresh-ing candour and humour. This month,he delivered a speech to Rajasthan leg-islators on ‘Parliamentary System andPeople’s Expectations’, which created abuzz.Politics,Gadkarinoted, shouldnotbe about individuals andpowerbut ad-hering to a particular party and its phi-losophy. When he was BJP president,Gadkari remarked,he foundmostpoliti-cianswereunhappy.MLAswantedtobeministers,whileministersaspired tobechief minister and chief ministers livedinconstant fear that theywouldbeaxed.RecitingapoembySharadJoshi,Gadkariobserved that people not performingwell in the state were transferred toDelhi, when they failed in Delhi, theyweremadegovernors, andwhen foundinadequate as governors, theywere ap-pointed ambassadors. Therewasmuchlaughter from the audience. The nextday, themedia interpretedthespeech invariousways. Somesawitasareferenceto Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, whosepositionpostAmarinderSingh’sdepar-ture, is shaky, others suggested he waspointing a finger at his own party.Gadkari, however, clarifies that he wasspeaking in general terms about powerpolitics and feels themediawas uneth-ical togive theirown individual spins tohiswords.

insideTRACKCOOMIKAPOOR

ABOUT10daysago,mymotherwentoutof our home for the first time since theTaliban took over our province. She did-n’twantto,butshehadnochoice.Thegro-cerieswereoverandmyfatherwasnotintown to go out. Sincewomen are not al-lowedwithoutamaleescort,shetookmyyoungerbrotherwithher.Shekeptpray-ing no one would hit her for being outwithoutherhusband. Thatnight,when Ispoketoher, I feltsosorryforherbecausehereIam,inIndia,witheveryimaginablefreedom, and formymother, evenavisitto themarket is fraughtwith fear.I belong to LalwaSarjangal district of

Ghorprovince,which ismainlypopulated

by theHazara community.We are fourbrothersandtwosisters,Iamtheyoungest.Myeldest brother is studyingabroadonascholarshipandsoamI,inPune.Myyoungersister,aschoolteacher,wassupposedtogetout thisyear, butwedon’tknowwhatwillhappen,nowthatflightsaretruncated.Imusthavebeenayearoldwhen the

TalibanweredrivenoutofAfghanistan,soI have never seen them in action. I haveheard stories, frommymother, teachersandotherwomen—ofthehardshipstheyhad to face. They said it was as if theTalibanhate theexistenceofwomen.Growing up, life was hard since we

didn’t have the kind of facilities you allhavehere.Theterrainistough,wehadjustonegovernmentschoolanditwasatem-porarystructurewithmatsontheground.EducationuptoClass5wasinPersianand

whileEnglishwasoneofthesubjectslateron, I didn’t study it becausewe couldn’tfindanEnglish teacher.Our society has always been a tradi-

tional oneandwewere required towearthe hijab; I haveworn it since Iwas nine.Wewerenotallowedtotalktoboysandifwe were caught talking to them, therewouldbe ‘severeconsequences’.Butat least therewassomefreedom.I

couldgotoschool,evenif itwasjustagirl’sschool. I could studywhat I wanted to. I

couldgotothemarketonweekendswithmymotherandsister,withoutamalees-cort.Most importantly, therewasnofear.Aftermy Class 12, I went to Kabul to

study.ItwastherethatIheardaboutandap-pliedfortheICCR(IndianCouncilofCulturalRelations)scholarships.Andthen,IcametoIndia. After my Bachelor’s in BusinessAdministration, I joinedtheMBAcourseinPuneUniversity.I learntEnglishhere. Indiafeels somuch freer thanAfghanistan.This time, theTaliban say theyaredif-

ferent,thattheywillallowwomentoworkandstudy,butthetruthis,nowomanisgo-ingouttoworkorstudy. IntheinitialdaysoftheTalibantakeover,theirsoldierswenthouse to house, searching for women.That’swhenmyfamilysentmysistertomyuncle’shousebecausehisvillageisremote.Only a fewofmy friends in Kabul are

going to college. Thosewhodosayclass-roomsarenowsegregatedspaces.Worse,women have to wear the Taliban-pre-scribedniqab.Wewouldcoverupearliertoo, but have you ever experienced theniqab? You cannot see your ownwaist,you trip and fall. It is so suffocating... youcannotbreathe.Asofnow, lifehascometoastandstill

inmyhomecountry. Iwashoping to re-turn to Afghanistan after graduating butwhat future do I have there now? I don’tknowif,andwhen,Icaneverreturntomyhome country and touchmymother’sface.NowIonly seeheronvideocalls.

Aziza isa22-year-old first-year studentofMBAat theUniversityofPune

(As told toAlifiyaKhan)

‘What future do I have in Afghanistan now?’

HISTORY PULSATEDwith life again dur-ingtherecentpolitical turmoil inPunjab,as leaders of the ruling Congress foughtfor power. A party spokesperson an-nounced that a Sikh should be the ChiefMinister,forcingtheCongresstobacktrackonplanstoname.Byevening,aScheduledCastehadbeenappointedastheCM.Theentirehistoryof Punjabwasreversed.This issuewasat thecentreofpolitics

duringthePunjabiSubamovementinthemid-Sixties and the basis of the politicalcombatbetweentheCongressleadershipclaiming to speak for “secular national-ism”andtheAkalileadershipseekingSikhpredominanceina“reorganisedPunjab”.Thequestionarises:whatisthelong-termsignificanceof thesediscriminatorypub-lic pronouncements on peace, harmony,andparliamentarydemocracyinPunjab?Punjab has seen a number of up-

heavals. Both thePartition that led to thedivisionofPunjabin1947andthePunjabiSubamovementwhichledtoitsreorgan-isation have lessons for contemporarypolitics. However, despite the Partitionkilling thousands and leaving about 13milliondisplaced,thepolitical leadershipdidnotmakeanyefforts tobringabout aclosure. Instead, they continued to giveexpressiontothepre-Partitionpoliticsofidentity, intermeshedwith religion.In December 1953, the Government

of India appointed the StatesReorganisationCommission. In an inter-actionwiththethenChiefMinisterBhimSen Sachar on January 21, 1955, askedwhether he wanted a land where theSikhswoulddominate,MasterTaraSingh,theprominentAkalileader,stated,“ThisisexactlywhatIhaveinmind.”Itmighthavecalled for a separateprovinceon linguis-tic and cultural basis, but at the popularlevel, the Shiromani Akali Dal tended tomixreligionwith language.The sameyear asMaster Tara Singh’s

statement, theAkalis launchedanon-vi-olent agitation for a Punjabi Suba. TheStates Reorganisation Commission —giventherecentpastofPartitionalongre-ligious lines —maintained that Punjabiwas not sufficiently distinct fromHindiand the demand for a Punjabi-speakingstatewas a disguise for a religion-basedSikhstate. This standwascondemnedasdiscriminationagainsttheSikhs,asalltheother 14 official languages (at the time)hadastateof theirown.In response, a parallel agitation for

Hindi was launched, which advocated a‘MahaPunjab’ irrespectiveof language.The increasing strength of the Akali

DalalarmedtheCongressleadership,andin 1956, the two parties reached an un-derstanding. A regional plan was con-ceived,andwasacceptedbytheAkalisata meeting on September 30, 1956. Thenewstatewastobedividedinto“Punjabi-speaking”and“Hindi-speaking” regions,and as such, two regional committeeswithMLAsbelongingtotherespectivere-gionswere tobeconstituted.However, this formula could not be

implementedasPartapSinghKairon,thethenCMofPunjab,whilespeakinginthePunjab Assembly, laid emphasis on azonal scheme,wherebyPunjab,HimachalPradesh, JammuandKashmir, Delhi andRajasthanweretobemadeintoonezone,with the regional committees not carry-ingmuchweight.TheAkaliswalkedoutofthearrangement anddidnot contest thesecondgeneralelectionof1957.Soon,thePunjabiSubaagitationwasbackontrack.TheCongressfoughtthe1962general

election as a referendumon the PunjabiSuba issue, a challenge which was ac-ceptedbytheAkaliDal.However,notonlydid the Akalis lose, theywon only 19 of154 seats, losing even in Punjabi-speak-ing areas. Already discredited due to thefailure of the earlier agreement, MasterTara Singhwas held responsible for thisdefeat.Asplit in theAkaliDal followed.Finally, thestatewasreorganisedona

linguistic basis in September 1966. Thiscoincided with the start of the Green

Revolution,marking another turn in thestate’shistory.TheGreenRevolutionem-poweredtheSikhJatpeasantry,butmadeits gapwith the trading classeswider —even seeing a shift in political discoursefromthepoliticaldeprivationof ‘minori-ties’ to economic discrimination.Therefore, while the demand for a sepa-rate Sikh state couldnot findexpression,greater state autonomybecamean issuedue toemergingagrarian interests.Inthe1980s,thedemandtooktheshape

of call for amonolith SikhState.What fol-lowedwastheagitation forKhalistan,andthedarkestphaseofPunjab’shistory.In theyears since, evenpartieswhich

historicallyarticulatedthelanguageques-tion along communal lines have shiftedstance. For instance, the Akali Dal-BJP intheir CommonMinimum Programme(1997) asserted, “Punjabi being ourmother tongue is the State language ofPunjab.EveryPunjabiisproudoftherich-ness of Punjabi language and culture.” Itwas asserted that thenon-acceptance ofdemandsofPunjabwouldbeanti-Punjabirather thananti-Sikhalone.Now, in the churning within the

Congress, politics seems to be again go-ingback to theharkingofmonolithcate-gories like Sikhs, Hindus and theScheduled Castes. However, it may notsucceed.Punjab’shistoryshowsithasnospace formobilisationof exclusivities.

Thewriter isDirector, Institute forDevelopmentandCommunication,

Chandigarh

Cong cracks and the oldfissures of Punjabi Suba

THEWORLDhaschangedsincethePrimeMinister of India lastmade an importantforeignvisit.Thepandemicgroundedhim.In that timepolitical leaders changedandthemanwhomNarendraModiendorsedwhenhelastvisitedtheUnitedStatesisnolongerPresident.WithDonaldTrumptherewasa friendshipsospecial thatModi saidat ‘Howdy!Modi’ inHouston, ‘Ab ki baar,Trump sarkaar’. Then, holding hands, thetwomen tookwhat looked like a victorylap.Sixmonthslater,evenasCovidhadbe-guntospread,therewasanothervastgath-ering, for Trump inGujarat, atwhich theAmerican President and his familyweretreatedlikeroyalty.ThenTrumplost.Themanwhowon instead has indi-

catedmore than once that he sees theworld as divided into autocracies anddemocracies. In his speech to the UNGeneral Assembly last week, PresidentBidensaidthathedidnotwantanewColdWar to start but that he fully intended tostandonthesideofdemocracy.Ifthishap-pens, theworld could become a place inwhich democratic rights are as valued aseconomicandmilitarystrength.When our PrimeMinister met Vice

President Kamala Harris, she also talkedoftheimportanceofdemocracy,althoughthis part of her speechwas played downby Indian government spokesmen. It issilly for them to have done this becausethe other things thatModi would havetalked to with the new leaders of theUnitedStateswereobvious. Jihadi terror-ism, Afghanistan, climate change andCovid would naturally have been dis-cussed. But should the Indian PrimeMinisterworry about this newemphasisondemocracy?Heshould.Thisisbecausethe ‘newIndia’ thathespeaksofwith theprideofitscreator,isbeingseenasan‘illib-eraldemocracy’thatpunishesdissidence.Sometimesbrutally.WhenthePrimeMinisterreturnshome

hewould dowell to spend an afternoonwithhismediateamandfindoutwhyitisonly ‘friendly’ journalists that get tomeethim. And, why newspapers likeDainikBhaskar and news portals likeNewslaundryandNewsClickhavebeenre-centlysubjectedtotaxraids.HeshouldalsoasktheHomeMinisterwhysomanydissi-dentshavespentmonthsinjailsimplybe-causetheywerearrestedunderpreventivedetentionlawsthatdonotrequirespecificcharges before an arrest ismade. Bail hasbeenrepeatedlyopposedbyhisofficialsongrounds that the courts have begun toquestion.Nocountrythattreatsdissidentsandpoliticalopponentsthiswaycountsasaliberaldemocracy.Theword ‘liberal’ is used as a termof

abusesooftenthesedaysbyModi’sdevo-teesonsocialmediathatitistimeforuslib-eralstostandupandspeakout.Modi’sfol-lowers appear to have limited politicalunderstanding. So, they usually use‘liberandusandlefties’inthesamevituper-ativesentence.Theyappearnottohaveno-ticed that there are liberals, like yourcolumnist,whoarepoliticallyconservativeand economicallyway,way on the right.Mypoint is that if India is to avoidendingup in theautocracies corner, liberalsneedtomaketheirvoiceheardlouderthantheyhave in the past seven years.Weneed tospeakoutagainstthebrutalsuppressionofdissent in the ‘newIndia’. In thatold Indiainwhich Indians ofmy age grewup, taxraidswere usually reserved for business-men,moviestarsandpoliticalopponents.But a high degree of dissidencewas per-mittedaslongasyoudidnotpickupaguntomakeyourpoint.Democratic freedoms includenot just

the freedom to speak anddissent but thefreedomtoworship.Inthe‘newIndia’thisis becoming difficult because gangs ofthugs have startedwandering about ourcitiesseekingouthelplessMuslimsandor-deringthemtosay‘JaiShriRam’orriskbe-ing beatenwithin an inch of their lives.Sometimestheyarebeatenupevenastheysay ‘JaiShriRam’ invoices tremblingwithfear.Thepolicelooktheotherwayinstatesgovernedby theBJP, butwhenarrests aremade,thethugsarenearlyalwaysfoundtobe linked to the PrimeMinister’s almamater. The RSS does not ever admit thatthey encourage young Hindus to fightagainstMuslimsbuttherehasneverbeenanyattempttodenythattheBajrangDalisoneof theSanghParivar’suglierspawns.Indian reporterswho travelled to the

UnitedStatestocoverModi’svisitappeartothinkthatoneofthegreatestachievementshas been India’s inclusion in the Quad.Someforeignpolicy‘experts’haveactuallyboastedaboutthisasamajortriumphsincePakistan has not been included in thisgroup.WhattheyforgetisthattheQuadisagroupingofdemocraticcountriesthathasbeen formed specifically to challenge au-tocraticChina’smaligninfluencethatsadlycontinuestogrowandspread.India’scredentialsforbeingintheQuad

may bemany, but possibly themost im-portant among these is thatwe remain ademocracy. It is time for liberals to standupandspeakouttoensurethatweremainnotjustademocracybuttheliberaldemoc-racythatwehavealwaysbeen.EveryrightguaranteedtousbyourConstitutionneedstobedefendedpublicly against ‘national-ists’whomake it very clear that they seeliberaldemocracyasanuisance.

“Here I am, in India, withevery imaginable freedom,and for my mother, even avisit to the market is fraughtwith fear of the Taliban”

SheSAIDAZIZASARWARI

Time tospeak forliberalism

AmarinderSingh,Akali leaderParkashBadalatTaraSinghMemorialCollege,Ludhiana, in1983.TaraSinghwasamongstalwartsofSikhstatedemand.Archives

[email protected]

New Delhi


SUNDAYSTORYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

INAMRITSAR,theonusisonthemask-wearerto explainherself. Inside theGoldenTemplecomplex,wherecoveringyourheadismanda-tory,andenforcedstrictly,youscarcelyspotapersonwith amask. At theTemple, it is easyfor anxieties— includingCovid fears amid astill ragingpandemic— tobe soothedby theunchangedrhythmsofpiety.As always, the blue of the holy sarovar

opensup to the skies above, theHarmandirSahibstillstandsbathedincalmingwhiteandgold.Thedevoteesandtouristsremainunhur-ried and patient as they complete theparikramaandwaitinlongqueuesfordarshan,andeverythingandeveryoneistouchedbythegraceofthegurbani.Itwas,itis,aplacetohopeforthebetterandsuspenddisbelief.Butoutside,liesacitythatischanging,one

that soundsmore disconnected to its pastmoorings,moreanxiousanddespairing—andmoreaccusing.In Amritsar, the taxi driver,who is also a

farmer, looks out of thewindowwith a fur-rowedbrowatthepossibilityofcloudsandin-formsyouthatrainatthistimewillnotbegoodnewsforthepaddycrop.HehasgonetoSinghuborder “two-three times”, and his brothermakesthetriptothesiteofthefarmers’agita-tionmoreregularly.“HowmanyGujaratisjointhe IndianArmy?”, catching your eye in therearviewmirror,heaskschallengingly.ThatPunjab’scontributiontokeepingIndia

safeandfedisnotacknowledgedbytherestofthe country, especially under theNarendraModi-ledCentre—istheoft-echoedgrouseinacityintimatelytiedtothevillage.DarkspeculationaboutPunjab’stwomain

politicalrivalsbeinghandinglovebehindthepeople’s back festers alongside grimrumourabout the Centre wanting to imposePresident’s Rule. The latter rumbling is nowencouraged by the roiling of the numbers’game inChandigarhwith thechangeof chiefministeraheadofnextyear’sAssemblypolls.

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The heavily Bollywood-inspired drum-beatsandwarcriesofthedailybeatingretreatceremonyattheAttari-Wagahborderhavere-sumedafteraCovid-inducedbreak.Theynowfindakindredechoat a sombrememorial inthecentreof thewalledcity.AtthenewlyrenovatedJallianwallaBagh

complex, the starkness has been broken bythe throb of nationalist numbers that playon loudspeakers.Sound, colour,mural, landscaping have

been added to the enclosed groundwhereGeneralDyer’stroopsfiredatIndiansprotest-ingagainsttheRowlattActin1919,killinghun-dreds.Anexithasbeenadded,too,atadistancefromthenarrowlane thatwas, at the timeofthemassacre, theonlypointofentryandexit— it breaks the oppressive sense of beingclosed-inthattheempathicvisitorcouldpar-takeof,evenif fleetingly.“Bureaucracy views everything that is

memorialisedassomethingtobecelebrated.Sensitivitytoplace,memoryintherightcon-text, ismissing,” saysProf Sarbjot SinghBehl,headof theArchitectureDepartmentatGuru

NanakDevUniversity (GNDU).Theglass thathasbeenused,ostensiblytogiveabetterviewof theMartyrs’Well, interfereswith a directconnection, he says. “As a child, I rememberpeeringintothatwell...Amuseumcouldhavebeenaddedtoitssurroundings,withoutinter-feringwiththemainspace.Spaceissacrosanct,spaceismemory.”Amritsarhassufferedthe lossofmemory

before.ThecircumferencearoundtheGoldenTemplewasdemolishedinthelate’80s,fortheGaliaraproject,citingsecurityconsiderations,afalloutofOperationBlueStar. Itwastheold-estlayerof thecity.Now the slow slipping away of an older

Amritsar,morescarredbutalsomoregracious,may go unlamented. “I organised a lecture,therewere150studentsofarchitectureinthathall,noneof themhadgonetotherenovatedJallianwallaBagh,”saysProfessorBehl.“Idon’twanttogotherenow,”saysSatpal

Danish, painter and photographer, whosegrandfatherdidsomeofthefrescoworkonthemaindomeofDarbarSahib,andwhoseunclewasmartyred at Jallianwalla Bagh, a youngmanof17.“Hehadgonetherewithhisfather,his bodywas found the next day...Ussmittimein shaheedi kimehaknahin hai (that soil isnolongerredolentofmartyrdom),”hesays.Thegenerationthatnarratedthestoriesof

Partition, and about Lahore, Amritsar’s twincity, is fading. “Our elderswere connected toPakistan.Wehaveheardfromourfathersandmothers, our fathers andmothers in-law,about the journeys theymade. I got goose-bumpswhen I took somestudentsonanex-changeprogrammetoPakistanabout15yearsago... Thenextgenerationwillnothavethosestorytellersorstories,”saysAmandeepBal,pro-fessorofhistoryatGNDU.

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Outside thePartitionMuseum in thehis-toricTownHallbuilding,fullofpoignant,care-fully documented framesof people buffetedbynations,BaldeepKaur,aUPSCaspirant,whois visiting from Jalandhar, says: “Howwillchangecomeifpeoplelikemegoabroad?Myfamilywantsme to go, but I have this keeda(stubbornstreak), Iwanttostay.”Anyone with an ear to the ground in

AmritsarwilltellyouthatBaldeep’svoicerisksbeingdrownedoutbythethumpingchorusoftheleavers.TheyoungcontinuetolineupattheIELTS

coachingcentres—passing the InternationalEnglishLanguageTestingSystemisnecessaryforstudentswhowanttogoabroadforstudy,workormigration.ThesprawloftheIELTSin-dustrypointstoanolderPunjabiwanderlust,awill tomakeabetter life, andhigheraspira-tionsinthestateof theGreenRevolution.But italsopointstosomethinglessrobust

—avoteofno-confidenceinastatewherethesuccessesoftheGreenRevolutionalsolaidtheground for complacency and lackof politicalvision; andwhere, togetherwith thedecadelost to terrorism, they contribute topresent-day absences in a state laggingbehind in in-dustrialisationandthedotcomrevolution.Matrimonial ads mirror a desperation

to leave, and also a reversal of the dowrytrend. As hard-workingdaughters overtake spoiltsons in academic achieve-ment, the greater demandis for the bride who clearsthe IELTSandsponsors thegroom—all expensespaidbyhis family.The bride’s family dic-

tatestheterms:“JatSikhladkijisda Canada da visa aayahoiya layee…ghatto-ghat10kille waale ladke di lorh…saara kharchamundeyaanwallon (For a Jat Sikh girl,Canada-bound, needed aboywithat least 10acresofland,all expenditure tobebornebytheboy’sside).”“Vyaahpakka(marriageassured)”someads alsopromise— toassuagegrowing fearsaboutcontractweddings.Anothertrend,manysay,maybecatching

onintownandvillage.Earlier,sonsanddaugh-terswhowentabroadsentmoneybacktore-build homes into grand residences withcolumns and chandeliers. Less and less so.Now,familiesspeakofsellingland,andwind-ingupbusinesses,tojointheirchildrenonfor-eignshores.OutsideKPCAcademy, an IELTS coaching

centre in the upscalemarket complex onAmritsar’s Ranjit Avenue, Talwinder, 24, andSimranjitKaur,23,arewaitingfortheirmorn-ingclasstobegin.Simranjit has done B.Com andwants a

businessofherown.“Thereisnofreedom,noopportunityhere. Iwant togo toBrampton, Iwant my own restaurants and stores.”Talwinder,amechanicalengineer,wantstoset

upa repairworkshop inToronto. “My fatherhasaworkshophere.Butyougoout,hesays.”Meet the parents in different settings in

Amritsar, and it’s the same story, over andover again. In a groupof businesswomenataneventorganisedbyFICCIFloinaplushho-tel,manyhavestoriesofbreakingaglassceil-ing,butnoonewantstheirchildrentostayinPunjab. Because “there is no industry, nojobs”. Because “expectations are high, andalso the frustration”.Because“I ammarriedto a broad-mindedman, butmy daughtermaynotbeso lucky”.Thecontinuingexodusoftheyounghasac-

centuated the crisis of the classroom—“wewouldgetatleast100applicationsforthe30-odd seats in theMaster’s programme inhis-

tory, but nowanyonewhoapplies gets in”, saysProfessorBal.VeryfewofhercolleaguesinGNDUhavenotsent their own childrenabroad,shesays.Agroupofbusinessmen

sitting at the city’s well-knownGiani tea stall aftertheirmorningwalk, countout the reasons for pes-simism: “Price rise, unem-ployment, drugs, electricityprices,noindustry,socialin-security”. Once a bustlingtradingcentre,Amritsarhasbeen steadily losing its in-

dustry,includingthetextilesitwasfamousfor,to other states. There are no signs of IT hubscomingthiswayeither,theysay.Youcanalmost touch the fear: If the chil-

drendon’tgoabroad, theywill fall intodrugs,become“vela”orwastrels.

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Inconversationsacrossthecity,peoplecasttheonusofbringingthefarmers’agitationtoanend firmly on theCentre. TheCentre, or PMNarendraModi, iswidely seen as, if not out-rightlyanti-Punjab,insensitiveandobstinate.Itisalsoclearthatwhatstartedoutasapop-

ularoppositiontotheCentre’sthreefarmlaws,pushed through amid a pandemic,withoutconsultationwithstakeholdersorparliamen-tarydebate, isbecomingmoreamorphous.Themovement has rallied farmerswho

have hardly any security or safety nets, andwho fear being abandoned to the greed of

large corporates. It has united students,traders,professionals,homemakersandoth-ers, who are emphatic in their support forthe farmers’ cause.Butitisalsogatheringuntoitselfanxieties

andinsecuritiesborneofPunjab’sothercrises—be it lack of industrial development, lowqualityeducation,rampantcorruptionormiss-ing jobs. It is invokingpast traditions of Sikhvalour and resistance against Mughals,AfghansandtheBritish.It is being ledby farmunion leaderswho

speakinmanyvoicesontheendgame.Atthedistrictofficeof theJamhooriKisan

Sabha, part of the 32 outfits thatmake theSamyuktaKisanMorcha(SKM),andaffiliatedto the Communist PartyMarxist (Punjab),RatanSinghAjnala, vicepresident, acknowl-edgesthechallengesofamovementthatgoesonforsolong:“Spontaneousmobilisationhasreduced,people’sattentionwillbedivertedbythe election campaign. Nowwehave to domoremeetings and announcements in vil-lages...We also have to steer our sangathanawayfromthefanatics.”Theprimegoal is re-peal of the “black laws”. And then, “todefeattheBJP”. “Even if theBJPrepeals the laws, thecountryisnotsafeinitshands,”hesays.About25kmfromAmritsar,SatnamSingh

Pannu, who leads the Kisan MazdoorSangharshCommittee,whichisactiveandhasafollowing intheMajhaarea, says:“Wehavea separate stage, butwe coordinatewith theSKM.” Pannu’s outfitwas accused by otherunions of breaking ranks andmoving to theRedFortonJanuary26,thedaythemovementlapsedintoviolence.“Forus,allpartiesarethesame.Ourfight

is against the system, and thebig corporate.Even if the lawsare repealed,kheti ka sankat(agriculture crisis) will remain, and a khetineeti(farmpolicy)willneedtobefoughtfor,”hesays.Lives have been lost in the course of this

movement;theinvestmentofsentiment,en-ergy,timeandresourcesonlygrows;andany-onewhonegotiatesacompromiserisksbeingcalled “gaddar (traitor)”. “The agitation hasgonebeyondthethreelaws,anewleadershipof peasantshas come to the fore. I see anewbeginning,”saysProfJSSekhon,formerprofofpoliticalscience,GNDU.In village Jahangir, onAmritsar’s edge, a

groupof elderly farmerswhohavegatheredinthepinddisath(villagecommons)talkofthetrips that continue, one tractor goes every15

days as one comes back, from the village toTikriandSinghu.“IstayedatTikriforamonth,”saysMukhtar

Singh. “Mydaughter-in-law and grandson,whoareabroad,callmeandsay: ‘Gobapu,gotoTikri’,” TirlokSinghsays. “If yousleepnow,yourlandwillgo.Whatelseisthere,whatwillremain,theysay.”

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AnelectioniscomingtoPunjab,alongwiththewinter. It isearlydaysyet,buttakeastrawpoll inAmritsar, and the incident of be-adabi(sacrilege)atBargari isaprominentissue.An act of sacrilegewas reported in 2015

fromBurj Jawahar SinghWala village nearBargari town indistrict Faridkot, followedbypolice firing onprotesters inKotkapura andBehbal Kalan, inwhich twoprotesterswerekilled.Arrestsweremade,amainaccusedwaskilledinprison,manygotbail. Inpopularper-ception, justicehasnotbeendone—becauseof allegedcollusionbetweentheBadals,whowereinpowerwhenthedesecrationandpo-lice firing tookplace, andCaptainAmarinderSingh,whoformedthenextgovernment.Now that Captain is no longer CM, it re-

mainstobeseenif theBargari issuewillhaveassalientaplaceintheelectionthatwillcome.ThiswillalsobethefirstAssemblyelectionaf-ter the farmers’movementbegan, inabi-po-lar politymade three-corneredby theAAP’sperformancein2017.This time, theCongress’s appointment of

aScheduledCasteCM,CharanjitSinghChanni,a first inthestate,couldalsocreateanewpo-liticalfactontheground.Ornot.

■ ■ ■

“Dharampyaarayadharaapyaara/dharamnaalon dharaa pyaara”. Is factionmore dearthan faith/ faction ismore dear than faith—thatPunjabi folk sayingmaypoint toa largerrealityofpoliticsinPunjab.The “dharaa” or faction is seen tomatter

moreinapoliticalcultureinwhichtheedgeistakenoffcasteandcommunitydifferencesbythegurus’egalitarianmessageandphilosophy.If you belong to a “dharaa”, you are pro-

tectedfrom“dhakka”orbeingpushedaroundby the powerful, and get your problems at-tended to — not if you stay non-aligned.Dharaasareentrenched ineveryvillage, theyhavealonglifeof theirown.Peoplemay sympathisewith the farm-

ers,buttheywillvoteaccordingtothedharaatheyhavealignedthemselves to in theirvil-lage,thatgivesthemprotectionandpatron-age— that is the hope of the Punjab politi-cian,conspicuouslysidelinedbythefarmers’mobilisationinthestate.“Onfarmers,peoplemaybeunited, but otherwise, itwill be po-liticaldivisionasusual,”aseniorAkalipoliti-cian inChandigarhsays.

■ ■ ■

After theexit of AmarinderSinghas chiefminister, Amritsar’s Navjot Singh Sidhuhastakencentrestage.Fornow,Sidhuisseenasthepower behind the newCMCharanjit SinghChanni.EvenCongresspoliticianswhoearlierprofessedallegiancetoCaptain,nowspeakofSidhu’svote-catchingpotential,allegedlycap-turedinaPrashantKishorsurvey.WhySidhu?Aseniorministerintheoutgo-

ingAmarinderSinghcabinetdescribesalargerpredicament:“Apartyneedstoinvestinpeo-ple,not surveys.Punjabseriously lacks talentinthepoliticalclass.”The problem also lies in the nature of

party decision-making, he says. “AnMLAneedsatleasttwoyears’worktowinanelec-tion—getting things done for constituents,making an appearance on occasions thatmatter to them. But tickets are distributedwithonlydaystogobeforetheelection.Thisthen leads the party, gasping for breath, tolook for thewonderweapon.”IsSidhuthesolutiontotheproblem,or its

symptom?Therearenoanswersyet,onlythisquestioninAmritsar.

ALETTER FROMAMRITSAR

PUNJAB

Attheoncestark JallianwallaBaghcomplex,nationalistnumbersnowblareover loudspeakers.PhotographsbyRanaSimranjit Singh

SriHarmandirSahib

JallianwalaBagh

GobindgarhFortWarMemorial

GrandTrunkRoad

AMRITSAR

Echoes in a walled city

WithCaptainnolongerCM, it remains tobeseenif Bargari sacrilegewillbeanelection issue; inAmritsar, theyoungcontinueto lineupat IELTScoachingcentres

The farm protest isgathering unto itselfanxieties andinsecurities borne ofPunjab’s other crises— lack of industrialdevelopment, lowquality education,rampant corruptionormissing jobs

Amidtherecentpoliticalupheaval inPunjab,VANDITAMISHRAtravels toAmritsar, thestate’spolitical, religiousandculturalhub,andsees—inthequeuesoutside IELTScoachingcentres,in the farmerprotests, insuspicionsabout thepolitical class, in therenovated JallianwallaBagh—theslowslippingawayof anoldercity.What it isbeingreplacedwith,noone is reallysure

New Delhi


ECONOMYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

Crude WatchOIL AT HIGHEST IN ALMOST 3 YEARSNew York: Oil prices rose for a third week in a row to a near three-year high on Friday. Brent futures rose 84 cents, or 1.1 per cent, tosettle at $78.09 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate cruderose 68 cents, or 0.9 per cent, to settle at $73.98. REUTERS

PROCESSSLOWINSOMESTATES

SUNNYVERMANEWDELHI,SEPTEMBER25

THEGOVERNMENThas soughtfrombanks the status regardingdigitisation of land records andonlinecreationofequitablemort-gagethatwouldhelpinfasterdis-bursementofagricultureloans.TheFinanceMinistryhasbeen

nudging states to digitise landrecordsandnotifyalldistricts forthe purpose of creating onlinemortgage charge.While severalstateshavealreadyimplementedthesemeasures, theCentral gov-ernmentispushingfortheonlinefacilitytodirectcreditflowindis-trictsthatareyettoroll itout.“States includingKarnataka,

Rajasthan, Kerala, UP, Gujarat,MadhyaPradesh,AndhraPradeshandTelanganahavefullydigitisedtheir landrecord,enablingbanks

to create online bank charge onland records. This helps inbettercreditdelivery.Butseveralstates,anddistricts in somestates suchasMaharashtra,areyettofullyim-plement this.We are in discus-sionswithbankstoeffectivelyim-plementthisforensuringsmoothflowof credit to the farmers,” agovernmentofficialsaid.

In a circular to banks inJanuary,theFinanceMinistryhadaskedlenderstofinalised“modal-ities for entry of loan/chargesagainstparcelof landto facilitatelinkinglandrecorddatabaseswithbanksandfinancial institutions.”Aseniorbankerwithapublic

sectorbanksaidthat thegovern-ment held discussionswith the

lenders in Augustwhere itwasemphasised that the remainingdistrictsshouldalsobenotifiedforthepurpose of online charge onlandparcelsforsanctionof loans.Indistrictswhichhavenotyet

beennotifiedforcreationofmort-gagechargebythebanks,farmershave to approach lenders in dis-trictswhere this facility is avail-able,leadingtodelaysinsanctionsanddisbursementsofcredit.“Apart fromhelping in credit

growthinagricultureandMSMEsectors, land record digitisationandonlinecreationofbankchargealsohelpsinreducinginstancesoffrauds,”thebankersaid.IntheUnionBudget2021-22,

the government has raised thetarget foragriculturalcredit toRs16.5 lakh crore, fromRs 15 lakhcrorein2020-21,withgreaterfo-cus on lending to animal hus-bandry,dairyandfisheries.Inthe

year 2019-20, against the totalagriculture credit disbursementtarget of Rs 13.50 lakh crore, ac-tual disbursementwasRs 13.93lakhcrore,accordingtodatafromtheFinanceMinistry.As per Reserve Bankof India

guidelinesonprioritysectorlend-ing, bankshave to extend40percentof ANBC (adjustednetnankcredit)fortotalprioritysectorad-vances. The priority sector ad-vances comprise 18 per cent ofANBCforagriculturesectorand8per cent iskept for the small andmarginalfarmers.To boost credit flow to the

farmsector,thegovernmentpro-vides interest subvention reduc-ing the rate for short term croploansuptoRs3lakhto7percent.Forfarmerswhorepayontime,anadditional incentiveof3percentisgiven, reducingtheir rateof in-terestto4percent.

BRIEFLYAirIndiabidsSrinagar:CivilAviationMini-sterJyotiradityaScindiasaidtechnical bids for privatisa-tion-boundAir Indiawerebeinganalysedbeforethefi-nancialbidsareopened.

IndiGopromotersNew Delhi: The LondonCourt of InternationalArbitrationhasgiventhe fi-nal arbitrationaward in thematter related to the spatbetweenIndiGopromoters.

HDFCsharesaleNewDelhi:HDFCsaid ithassoldapartof theshares, in-vokedbyitofAnsalHousing,torecoveritsdues. PTI

ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,SEPTEMBER25

PIAGGIO GROUP’S Indian sub-sidiaryPiaggioVehiclesPvtLtdhassetupitsfirstelectricvehicle(EV)outletinChennai,afirst-of-itskindfacility in Tamil Nadu, the com-panysaidonSaturday.Inaugurated byMinister for

Medical and FamilyWelfare ofTamilNadu,MASubramanium,theexperiencecentre (EVshow-room)willallowcustomerstoac-cessPiaggio’sentirerangeofEVs,theItaly-basedcompanysaid.“We are happy to open our

first EV exclusive showroom inTamilNaduat Chennai. Chennaibeing a bigmetro and amajorbusiness hub, inter-city trans-

portation business is one of themajoreconomicdrivers,”saidSajuNair,EVPandheadofcommercialvehiclebusiness,PiaggioIndia.After Chennai, the company

further looks to expand its EVpresenceinvariousothermarketsinTamilNadu,Nairadded.PiaggiohadrecentlylauncheditsFXrange(fixedbattery)ofEVsinbothcargoandpassenger segments. Theseproductswill be available at theChennaioutlet,thecompanysaid.“With the TN government’s

focus on eco-friendly technolo-gies,EVvehiclesaregoingtobeofextremeimportanceinthefuture.OurEVpolicyisdrawninordertofacilitatemulti-fold increase inproductionandinfrastructurede-velopment of electric vehicles,”saidSubramaniumatthelaunch.


THETAXdepartmenthasnotifiedthe‘safeharbour’ratesforFY21forcalculationof transfer pricingbyforeign companies in India.Generally,safeharbourisdefinedascircumstancesinwhichthetaxauthorityshallacceptthetransferpricedeclaredbythetaxpayer tobeatarm’slength.The Central Board of Direct

Taxes, via a notification, has ex-tended the applicability of SafeHarbourRules(SHR)to2020-21.As per the notification, the

ratesunder SHRapplicable from2016-17to2018-19,andlaterex-tendedto2019-20,will continuetoapplyfor2020-21aswell.Transfer pricing implies the

prices atwhichvarious overseasdivisions of a company transactwitheachother. Following inter-nationalbestpractice,Indiaintro-duced the concept of SHR inFinanceAct2009.Post that, the first round of

SHRprovisionswere introducedin August 2013 for a period ofthreeyears,followedbyarevisionin2017intheSHRwhichwasap-plicabletill2019-20.

CBDT notifies‘safe harbour’rates fortransfer pricing

■AgovernmentofficialsaidKarnataka,Rajasthan,Kerala,UP,Gujarat,MadhyaPradesh,AndhraPradeshandTelanganahavefullydigitisedtheir landrecord,enablingbankstocreateonlinebankchargeonlandrecordsandhelping inbettercreditdelivery

■ Inadditiontohelping increditgrowthinagricultureandMSMEsectors, landrecorddigitisationandonlinecreationofbankchargealsohelps inreducing instancesoffrauds,accordingtoaseniorbankerwithapublicsector lender

TOBETTERAGRICREDITFLOW,REDUCEFRAUDS


IN AN attempt to ease the con-tainer shortage being felt by ex-porters,thegovernmentonSatur-day announced a three-monthextensionforre-exportofcontain-erswithoutattractingimportdutytoprevent export of empty con-tainers.Ordinarily,containerskeptinthecountrybeyondsixmonthsaresubjecttoimportdutytopro-motefasterturnaround.However,therulewasseenasan incentivefor the export of empty contain-ers to avoid the duty even asIndian exporters dealwith highfreightratesanddelaysduetolowavailabilityofemptycontainers."As a temporarymeasure to

improve containers availablepresentlyforexportofcontainer-ised cargo andwith the aim ofpromotingexportofladenmarinecontainers, the CBIC (CentralBoard of Indirect Taxes andCustoms)hasissuedaguidancetofieldoffices toextend thisperiodby3months," a government re-leasesaid.Theexemptionisavail-able in caseswhere theexpiryofthe initial six-monthperiodisonorbeforeMarch31,2022andthe

containers are re-exported in aladencondition.Thereleasenotedthattheex-

istingpolicywascreating "aper-verse incentive among shippinglines to export empty containersto evade duty payment on con-tainerswhicharelyingempty."Exportershadapproachedthe

Centre to restrict outward ship-ment of empty containers fromIndianports,withemptycontain-ers fetching a premium in theglobalmarketasexportersaroundtheworlddealwiththeshortage.

NewDelhi:ThegovernmenthasmadeAadhaarauthenti-cationof taxpayersmanda-toryforclaimingGSTrefund.The CBIChasamendedGSTrulesbringinginvariousanti-evasionmeasures,includingdisbursalofGSTrefundsonlyinthebankaccount,whichislinked with same PAN onwhichGST registrationhasbeenobtained. PTI

Aadhaarauthenticationfor GST refund

Piaggio arm sets up firstEV facility in Chennai

ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER25

THE COUNTRY’S foreign ex-change reserves declined by$1.47 billion to $639.642 billionintheweekendedSeptember17,RBIdatashowedonFriday.Intheprevious week endedSeptember 10, the reserves haddipped by $1.34 billion to$641.113billion.During the reporting week

ended September 17, 2021, thedrop in the forex kitty wasmainlyonaccountofadeclineinthe foreign currency assets

(FCAs), a major component ofthe overall reserves. FCAsslumped by $892 million to$577.986billion,weeklydatabythe Reserve Bank of India (RBI)showed.Goldreservesweredownby

$567millionto$37.103billioninthe reporting week, as per thedata. The special drawing rights(SDRs) with the InternationalMonetary Fund (IMF) declinedby$4million to$19.434billion.The country’s reserve posi-

tionwiththeIMFalsodecreasedby$8million to $5.119billion inthe reporting week, the datashowed.

Forex reserves slipon slump in currencyassets, down $1.4 bn

To curb shortage, govteases re-export timelineof containers by 3 mths

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIANEWDELHI,SEPTEMBER25

THEWORLD’S largest advertis-inggroupWPPplcwillpaymorethan $19million to theUSmar-kets watchdog SEC to settlechargesofvariousviolations, in-cluding that of bribing of Indiangovernmentofficialsbyoneofitssubsidiaries in return for adver-tisingcontracts.Issuinganorderafteraccept-

ingWPP’soffertosettlethemat-ter, the Securities and ExchangeCommission (SEC) said thebribery scheme took place at aWPP’s majority-owned sub-sidiary in India, which throughintermediariespaidasmuchasa

milliondollarsinbribestoIndianofficialstoobtainandretaingov-ernmentbusiness.“As a result of the bribery

schemesatIndiasubsidiary,WPPwas unjustly enriched by$5,669,596,” thewatchdog saidinanorder issuedonFriday.Further, it noted thatWPP

benefited from other illicitschemes at its subsidiaries inChina,BrazilandPeru.

TheSECsaidthatwithoutad-mitting or denying its findings,WPP agreed to cease and desistfrom committing violations ofthe anti-bribery, books andrecords,andinternalaccountingcontrolsprovisionsoftheForeignCorrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Itwillpay$10.1millionindisgorge-ment, $1.1 million in prejudg-ment interest, andan$8millionpenalty.

WPP settles with US SEC chargesof bribery, other FCPA violations

SUNNYVERMANEWDELHI,SEPTEMBER25

WITH GOVERNMENT rev-enues pickingup as the eco-nomicrecoverygainsstrength,theFinanceMinistryonFridayremoved expenditure curbsthatwereimposedonvariousministries for the July-Septemberquarter. As a cashmanagement exercise, theCentrehadearlieraskedvari-ous ministries and depart-ments (in category B) to “re-strict theoverall expenditurewithin20percentofBE2020-21 in Quarter 2 (July toSeptember, 2021)”. This re-strictionhasbeenwithdrawn.

ThechangeThe government did not

impose any spending restric-tions on the ministries ofhealth, rural development,railways, agriculture,MSME(micro,smallandmediumen-terprises)—which are in theCategory A specified by theFinanceMinistry.Expenditurecurbswere imposed on de-mands/appropriationsrelatedtoministriesanddepartmentssuch as civil aviation, home,labour,mines,power,telecomand post, consumer affairs,fisheries, revenue, economicaffairs, financial services andheavyindustries,amongoth-ers, inCategoryB. TheCentrehasnowremovedtherestric-tionon limiting theexpendi-ture to 20per cent of BudgetEstimates (BE) 2020-21 inJuly-Septemberquarter.Mini-stries and departments arenowallowed to spendaspertheir approvedmonthly andquarterlyexpenditureplan.

Reasonforremovingcurbs

The curbs have been re-movedasgovernmenttaxrev-enuespickedup.Grossgoodsandservices tax (GST) collec-tions in August (for sales inJuly) crossed the Rs 1-lakhcroremark.TheAugustcollec-tionsatRs1,12,020crorewere29.6 per cent higher than inAugust 2020. In the last 11months,GSTcollectionshaveconsistentlyremainedoverRs1lakhcrore,exceptinJune(forsales in May). The secondwavewasalsothemostbrutalinApril-May.Thegross directtax collections for FY22wereatRs6,45,679crore,againstRs4,39,242crore(asonSeptem-ber 22) in the correspondingperiodof theprecedingfiscal,a47percentgrowth.Thegrosscollection (as on September22)inFY22hasrisen16.75percent over FY20, when thenumberwasRs5,53,063crore.

LikelyimpactAs economic recovery

picksup,thegovernmenthasabetterhandleonitsfinancesand revenues. Moreover,spendingbythegovernment,especiallycapitalexpenditure,isneededto sustaintherecov-ery. For instance, industrialoutput rose by 11.5 per centthisJuly,againsta10.5percentcontractioninJuly2020.

Fullreportonwww.indianexpress.com

POLICYWATCHGOVTEXPENDITURE

Cash management:Cause, impactof spending curbremoval by FinMin

CHARGINGTECH:APPLE’SPROPRIETARYCONNECTORUNDERSPOT

USB-CCABLESupporteddevices:MostnewAndroidphones,tablets,portablespeakers,someiPadsandsomeMacBooks (Source: Samsung)

LIGHTENINGCABLESupporteddevices:iPhones,most iPads,mostiPods, somewirelessheadphones(Source:Apple)

MICROUSBCABLESupporteddevices:OlderAndroidphones,tablets&powerbanks,speakers,handheldvideogameconsoles (Source:Samsung)

AVAILABLE CHARGERPORTS

USB-C for all: Why EUwants same port acrosselectronic devices

Landrecorddigitisation:Reportstateof implementation,Centretellsbanks

PRANAVMUKULNEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER25

THE EUROPEAN Commissionhas proposed a plan to har-monise charging ports and fastcharging technology for elec-tronicdevices—somethingthatcouldforceOEMstoadoptasin-gle technologyformostof theirdevices. The executive arm ofthe European Union (EU) hasproposed that USB Type-Cwillbe the common port, and thismove is expected to hit iPhonemaker Apple the most giventhat it uses its proprietaryLightening connector foriPhones andmost iPads.

Whatexactly is theproposal?The European Commission

has proposed USB-C to be thecommonchargingport toallowconsumers to charge their de-vices with the same USB-Ccharger, regardlessof thedevicebrand. It is also un-bundling the sale ofcharger from thesaleofelectronicde-vice to limit thenumber of “un-wanted chargers”purchased or leftunused.Once the proposal is

through, original equipmentmanufacturers (OEMs) willhave to provide the commonstandardised port for devicessuch as smartphones, tablets,cameras,headphones,portablespeakers and handheld video-gameconsoles.Theproposal,however,only

covers wired chargers and ex-cludes wireless charging fromitsambit,meaningthatonly if adevice uses a cable to becharged will it need to have aUSB-Cport. Incasethedevice isonly to be charged wirelessly,there is no compulsion to haveaUSB-Cport in thedevice.Moreover, the proposal to

harmonise fast charging tech-nology could address the con-cern with USB-C chargers,where a number of users haveexperiencedtheirdevicesgoingkaput because of mismatch intheinputpowerbeingprovidedand the output power that thedevices canhandle.

Whyhas theEUbrought inthisproposal?The European Commission

has said that on average, con-sumers in the EU own aroundthreemobilephonechargers,ofwhich they use two on a regu-lar basis. Despite this, 38 percent of consumers have re-ported having experiencedproblemsat leastoncethattheycould not charge their mobilephonebecauseavailablecharg-erswere incompatible. Itaddedthat consumers spend approx-imately€2.4billionannuallyonstandalonechargersthatdonotcomewith electronic devices.In addition, disposedof and

unused chargers are estimatedtopileup to11,000 tonnesof e-waste every year.Margrethe Vestager,

Executive Vice-President for aEurope fit for the Digital Age,said: “European consumerswere frustrated long enoughabout incompatible chargerspiling up in their drawers. Wegave industry plenty of time tocome up with their own solu-tions, now time is ripe for leg-

islative action for acommon charger.This isan importantwin for our con-sumers and envi-ronment,andin linewith our green anddigital ambitions.”

Howdoes theUSB-CportstackupagainstApple’sLighteningconnector?The Lightening connector

was introduced in 2012, twoyears before the USB-C stan-dardswere finalised and at thetime, the other primarymeansof device charging was themicroUSB port, whichwas sig-nificantly inferior to theLightening connector in termsofdurability,powerandeaseofuse. Some of these concernswith the microUSB were ad-dressed in the USB-C connec-tors when they were intro-duced in2014.However, the Lightening

connectors continued to havesome durability advantagesover the USB-C cable. For in-stance, the connector tabs onthe Lightening chargers wereplaced on the cable itself, in-steadofbeingplacedonthede-vice. Because of this, in case ofanymalfunctionof theconnec-tor tab, the consumer wouldsimply need to replace the ca-ble. In case of theUSB-C proto-col, the connector tabs arepro-vided in the device ports,

meaning any malfunction ofthese tabs would require re-placement of theport.Also, Lighteningconnectors

are slimmer than USB-C con-nectorsallowingAppletobuildsignificantly slimmerdevices.The USB-C port also carries

some advantages to it, one ofwhich is its ability to handlehigher power. The Lighteningcable isknowntohavehandledupto18Wofpoweroutput,butsince there are only a limitednumber of devices that use theLighteningcabletogetcharged,theoutputhandlingisrestrictedbywhatthedevicescanhandle,asopposedtowhatthecable it-self can. USB-C, on the otherhand, is designed to handle upto100Wofpoweroutput,mak-ing it more ubiquitous for theentire device ecosystem, in-cluding heavier products suchas laptops.

Whatcouldbe the impactoftheproposal?TheEuropeanCommission’s

proposal will now need to beadopted by the EuropeanParliament and the EuropeanCouncil by ordinary legislativeprocedure, and a transitionpe-riodof24monthsfromthedateof adoptionwill give the indus-try timetoadaptbefore theen-try into application.According to Reuters, Apple

said in a statement that it dis-agreed with the proposal. “Weremain concerned that strictregulationmandating just onetype of connector stifles inno-vationrather thanencouragingit,which in turnwillharmcon-sumers in Europe and aroundtheworld,”anApplespokesper-son told thenewsagency.However, if passed, thenew

rulescouldforceAppleto intro-duceUSB-Cportsonitsdevices.Given the value that Apple de-rives fromuniformity in itspro-ductionlinesformarketsacrosstheglobe, thiscouldpotentiallyresult in Apple devices beingchanged for other jurisdictionsaswell.It isnoteworthythoughthat

over the years Apple itself hasbeen moving away from theLightening cable. It has alreadyintroducedMacBooksandiPadsthat useUSB-C chargingports.Also, it is rumoured that

Apple has been working on aport-less iPhone thatwould beexclusively charged using awireless charger.

Growth prospects for mom-and-pop stores: Growth in evolvedmom-and-pop stores (called evolvedGT) will be fuelled by technology adoption, digitisation, and urbanisation Source: Deloitte & FICCI/PTI

HIGHERVALUECREATION:TheFMCG(fastmovingconsumergoods)andretailindustryisexhibiting“resilience”

togrowandevolveinwaysthatcreatemorevalueinthefuturefortheentirechainandbouncedbackfromthesecondCovidwave

FLEXIBLE,SUSTAINABLEINITIATIVES:Companiesareconsciouslyidentifyingblindspotsacrosstheiroperationstoincorporateflexibleandsustainableinitiativesasanintegralpieceoftheirbusinessmodel

GROWTHFORE-COMMERCE:E-Commercewillcontinuetogrowfaster insomecategories,suchascosmetics,babycare,andwellness

NEWMODELS:NewmodelssuchasO20(online-to-offline),socialcommerce,subscriptionservices,EBOs,willhaveasizableshareoftheretailpie

‘FMCG, retail industry showingresilience to grow and evolve’

BOUNCEBACKFROMCOVID

FMCG companies should redefine channels to create adigital ecosystem to reach end-consumers and focusmoreon sustainable initiatives, a Deloitte-FICCI report said

MinistriesanddepartmentsincategoryBhadbeenaskedto“restrictoverallexpenditurewithin20%ofBE2020-21inQuarter2”

TheUSSECsaidthebriberyschemetookplaceataWPP’smajority-ownedsubsidiaryinIndia,whichthroughintermediariespaidasmuchasamilliondollars inbribestoIndianofficialstoobtainandretaingovernmentbusiness

New Delhi


THEWORLDWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

LA PALMA ISLAND

FLIGHTSCANCELLEDDUETOVOLCANICASHFlightstoandfromtheSpanishislandofLaPalmawerecancelledSaturdaybecauseofanashcloudspewingoutofavolcanothathasbeeneruptingforaweek.LaPalmaAirportop-eratorAenasaidonTwitterthatplanetrafficwassuspended“duetotheaccumulationofash”intheair.ThecompanysaidotherairportsintheCanaryIslandswerestilloperational.

USA

AOCapologisesforvoting‘present’onIronDomefundingREPRESENTATIVEALEXANDRIA Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of NewYorkandthehighest-profileprogressive in theHouse,apologisedonFridaytoherconstituents for an abruptdecision to pull back hervote against providing $1billion in new funding forIsrael’s IronDomemissiledefencesystem,suggestingshehaddonesoafterbeingsubjectedto“hatefultarget-ing”foropposingit.Ocasio-Cortez, was one of twomemberswhovoted“pres-ent”asthemeasuretohelpIsrael replacemissile inter-ceptors passed theHouseThursdayonavoteof420to9.ShewasseenweepingontheHouse floor after sheswitchedhervotefrom“no”to“present”. NYT

AlexandriaOcasio-Cortez

TOPOFTHEWORLD

RUSSIA

ChurchofScientologygroupsfacebanRUSSIADECLAREDtwoor-ganisations linked to theChurchofScientology“un-desirable”onFriday,pavingthewayforthegrouptobeformally banned. TheProsecutorGeneral’sOfficesaid theWorld InstituteofScientology EnterprisesInternational and theChurch of SpiritualTechnology, which areboth based in California,were“athreattothesecu-rity of the RussianFederation”. Russia hasbannedmorethanadozenforeigngroupsunder leg-islationagainstundesirableorganisations, adopted in2015. REUTERS

HONGKONG

GroupbehindTiananmenvigildisbandsAHONGKonggroupthatorganises an annual vigilon June 4 to rememberprotesters killed inChina’s 1989 TiananmenSquare crackdown willdisband, it said onSaturday, after facingna-tional security charges.The democracy group isthe latest of dozens ofcivilsocietybodiestofoldover thepastyear, fromakeytradeuniongroupingto the largest teachers'union, after Beijing im-posed a sweeping na-tional security law in thecity.AvoteonSaturdaytodisband was supportedby41ofitsmemberswithfouropposed. REUTERS

SWITZERLAND

Voterstodecideonsame-sexmarriageVOTERS IN Switzerlandwill decide Sundaywhether to allow same-sexmarriagesintheAlpinecountry, oneof the few inWestern Europe wheregayandlesbiancouplesdonotalreadyhave the righttowed. Switzerland hasauthorised same-sex civilpartnerships since 2007.The Swiss government,which has endorsed the“MarriageforAll”referen-dum, says passagewouldput same-sexpartnersonequal legal footingwithheterosexual couples byallowing them to adoptchildren together and tosponsor a spouse for citi-zenship. AP

REUTERSTOKYO,SEPTEMBER25

JAPAN’S PRINCESS Mako is setto foregoaone-offmillion-dol-lar payment for giving up herroyal status to wed a collegeclassmate, media said onSaturday, clearing thewayforamarriage delayed for years bycontroversy over her fiance.The29-year-oldgrand-daugh-

ter of then-EmperorAkihito andherformercollegeclassmate,KeiKomuro, announced their en-gagementin2017.But themarriagewasputoff

after reports of a financial dis-pute between Komuro’s

mother andher former fiance.The government is set to

agree that the princess foregothe payment, worth up to 150million yen ($1.35 million) forroyals giving up their status tomarry commoners, amid pub-lic criticism over her fiance,public broadcaster NHK and

others said.NHK said thewedding date

may be announced inOctober.Officials of the Imperial

HouseholdAgencywerenotim-mediatelyavailabletocomment.A Japanese broadcaster, an-

ticipating an imminent wed-ding, recently tracked downKomuro in New York. He wasshownsportingaponytail,ade-tail that has caused an uproaramong some Japanese users ofTwitter.Media have said the couple

plan to live in theUnited States.Under Japan’smales-only royalsuccessionlaw,femalemembersof the imperial family lose theirstatusonmarryingcommoners.

JAPAN EX-EMPEROR’S GRANDDAUGHTER’S WEDDING HAS BEEN DELAYED FOR YRS

Princess Mako to give up one-off payment for marriage

PrincessMako

ROBGILLIESTORONTO,SEPTEMBER25

CHINA, THE US and Canadacompleted a high-stakes pris-onerswapSaturdaywithjoyoushomecomings for twoCanadiansheldbyChinaandforan executive of Chinese globalcommunications giant HuaweiTechnologies charged withfraud, potentially bringing clo-sure to a three-year feud thatembroiled the threecountries.Canadian Prime Minister

JustinTrudeauhuggeddiplomatMichael Kovrig and entrepre-neurMichael Spavoron the tar-macaftertheylandedinCalgary,AlbertaearlySaturday.Themenwere detained in China in Dec2018, shortly after Canada ar-restedMengWanzhou,HuaweiTechnologies’chief financialoffi-cerandthedaughterofthecom-pany’s founder, onaUSextradi-tion request.Many countries labelled

China’saction“hostagepolitics,”while China accused Ottawa ofarbitrarydetention.“These twomen have been

throughanunbelievablydifficultordeal. For the past 1,000 days,theyhaveshownstrength,perse-veranceandgraceandweareallinspiredbythat,”Trudeausaid.Meng’s return to China later

SaturdaywascarriedliveonstateTV, underscoring the degree towhichBeijinghaslinkedhercasewithChinesenationalism.Wearing a red dressmatch-

ing the color of China’s flag,Meng thanked the ruling

CommunistPartyforsupportingher through more than 1,000days in house arrest inVancouver,wheresheownstwomultimilliondollarmansions.“I have finally returned to the

warm embrace of themother-land,”Mengsaid. “AsanordinaryChinesecitizengoingthroughthisdifficult time, I always felt thewarmthandconcernoftheparty,thenationandthepeople.” AP

NOMAANMERCHANTWASHINGTON,SEPTEMBER25

THETALIBAN’StakeoverofKabulhasdeepenedthemutualdistrustbetweentheUSandPakistan,twoputativeallieswhohave tangledoverAfghanistan. But both sidesstillneedeachother.With the Biden administra-

tionlookingfornewwaystostopterroristthreatsinAfghanistan,itwill likely lookagain toPakistan,which remains critical to US in-telligence and national securitybecause of its proximity toAfghanistan and connections totheTalibanleadersnowincharge.Over two decades of war,

American officials accusedPakistanofplayingadoublegameby promising to fight terrorismandcooperatewithWashingtonwhilecultivatingtheTalibanandother extremist groups that at-tackedUS forces inAfghanistan.Islamabad,meanwhile, pointedtowhat it sawasfailedpromises

of a supportive government inKabul after the US drove theTalibanfrompowerfollowingtheSept.11,2001,attacksasextrem-ist groups took refuge in easternAfghanistanandlauncheddeadlyattacksthroughoutPakistan.ButtheUSwantsPakistanico-

operationincounterterrorismef-forts and could seekpermissionto fly surveillance flights intoAfghanistanorother intelligencecooperation.AndPakistanwantsUSmilitaryaidandgoodrelationswithWashington,evenasitslead-ersopenlycelebratetheTaliban’srisetopower.“Over the last 20 years,

PakistanhasbeenvitalforvariouslogisticspurposesfortheUSmil-itary.What’sreallybeentroublingis that, unfortunately, there has-n’tbeenalotoftrust,”saidUSRep.Raja Krishnamoorthi, an IllinoisDemocratwhositsontheHouseIntelligence Committee. “I thinkthe question iswhetherwe cangetoverthathistorytoarriveatanewunderstanding.” AP

REUTERSSHANGHAI, SEPTEMBER25

CHINA’SBROADCASTINGregu-lator said itwill encourage on-line producers to create“healthy” cartoons and clampdownviolent, vulgarorporno-graphic content, as Beijingsteps up efforts to bring itsthriving entertainment indus-try to heel.The National Radio and

Television Administration said

in an notice posted late onFriday that childrenandyoungpeoplewerethemainaudiencefor cartoons, and qualifiedagencies need to broadcastcontent that “upholds truth,goodness and beauty”.China’s ruling Communist

Partyhassteppedupacampaigntocleanupitsentertainmentin-dustry in recentmonths, takingactionagainst“onlineidols”andpromisingtougherpenalties forcelebritieswhoengageinillegalorunethicalbehaviour.

The campaigns have beenpart of a wider effort to inter-vene in all aspects of the coun-try'scultureandeconomy,withthegovernmentalsopromisingto tackle inequality, soaringpropertypricesandprofit-seek-ingeducation institutions.The Communist Party cele-

brated its centenary in July, andPresidentXi Jinpingmarkedtheoccasion by promising to “en-hance” the party’s powers andstrengthen the unity of theChinesepeople.

AL-SHABAB ATTACK IN SOMALIA KILLS 8Apoliceofficerkeepswatchasmedicalworkersarriveat thesceneof acarbombexplosioninMogadishuonSaturday.Avehicle ladenwithexplosivesrammedintocarsandtrucksatacheckpoint leadingtotheentranceof thePresidentialPalace inSomalia,killingat leasteightpeople,policesaid.Theal-Qaida-linkedal-Shababextremistgrouphasclaimedresponsibility.Thegroupoftencarriesoutsuchattacks inthecapital.Reuters

SEEMAHAKHUKACHRUHOUSTON,SEPTEMBER25

SEVERAL US states, includingTexas, Florida, New Jersey, OhioandMassachusetts, have pro-claimed October as HinduHeritage Month, noting thatHinduism has “contributedgreatly” to America through itsuniquehistoryandheritage.Theproclamationscameafter

HinduorganisationsintheUSan-nouncedanentiremonthoffesti-valsinOctobertobecelebratedastheHinduHeritageMonth.The declarations issued re-

centlyfromtheofficeofthegover-nors of various states, congress-men and Senators noted,“Communities of the faith havelong served as beacons of hope,sharingtheirbeliefsandbetteringtheircommunitiesthroughserv-ice; improving and inspiring thelives of thousands of followersaround theworld.Hinduismhascontributed greatly to our stateandnationthroughitsuniquehis-toryandheritage.”HindugroupsinAmericaare

nowcampaigningforthedecla-ration of a “Hindu HeritageMonth”by theUSgovernment.“Hindu heritage and culture

are thousands of years old; it isourdutytoshareitwiththeworldandpassitontoournextgenera-tions for them so that they takepride in their roots,” said SanjayKaul,vicepresidentof theWorldHinduCouncilofAmerica.According to the organisers,

thecelebrationswillincludecul-tural programmes, fashionshows,webinars,multi-daycon-ferences,walkathonsandmore.These events will follow Covidprotocolandwillbebothin-per-son, aswell virtual. PTI

MICHAELHOLDENLONDON,SEPTEMBER25

BRITAINISexpectedtoannounceplans to issue temporaryworkvisas to truck drivers to ease anacute labour shortage that hasledtofuel rationingathundredsof gas stations and long queuesto fill up—withpumps runningdry insomeplaces.Asretailerswarnedofsignif-

icantdisruptionintherun-uptoChristmas,PrimeMinisterBorisJohnson’sofficesaiditwaslook-ing at temporary measures toaddress the shortage of heavygoodsvehicle (HGV)drivers.Newspapers reported that

thegovernmentwouldallowupto 5,000 foreign drivers into

Britain on short-term visas, ameasurethatlogisticscompaniesandretailershavedemandedformonths butwhich the govern-menthadpreviouslyruledout.The UK’s Road Haulage

Association (RHA) says Britainneeds100,000moredrivers if itis tomeetdemand.

Shortages of truckers havebeencausedpartlybyBrexit andCovid,whichput a stop todrivertrainingforaboutayear.“We’relookingattemporary

measures toavoidany immedi-ateproblems,butanymeasuresweintroducewillbeverystrictlytime limited,” a spokeswomanforJohnson’sDowningStreetof-fice said inastatement.Downing Street declined to

give furtherdetails.Ministers have cautioned

against panic buying, and oilcompaniessaythereisnoshort-ageofsupplies,merelyproblemsdeliveringthefueltogasstations.However, there were long

linesofvehiclesatfillingstationsasmotoristsrushedouttofillup,and some forecourts closed as

their supplies ranout.Theissuecametotheforeaf-

ter BP said it had to close someof its outlets due to the drivershortages, with Shell andExxonMobil’s Esso also report-ingproblemswithsupplies.EG Group, which runs 341

forecourts acrossBritain, saidonFriday it would impose a pur-chaselimitof30pounds($41)percustomerforfuelduetothe“un-precedentedcustomerdemand”.“I regretwhatwe're seeingat

the forecourt,” HuwMerriman,chairmanof parliament’s trans-port committee, toldBBC. “Iwasout onmybike ... and camepastmyBPgarageanditwaschaos.Assoonasthemessagegetsouttheremight be a fuel shortage, peopleunderstandablyreact.”REUTERS

ERIKAKINETZBRUSSELS,SEPTEMBER25

IT’S THE premier martial artsgroup in Europe for right-wingextremists. German authoritieshave twice banned their signa-turetournament.ButKampfderNibelungen, or Battle of theNibelungs, still thrives onFacebook, where organisersmaintainmultiplepages,aswellas on Instagram and YouTube,which they use to spread theirideology, draw in recruits andmake money through ticketsalesandbrandedmerchandise.TheBattleoftheNibelungs—

areferencetoaclassicheroicepicmuchlovedbytheNazis—isoneofdozensoffar-rightgroupsthatcontinuetoleveragemainstreamsocialmedia for profit, despiteFacebook’s and other platforms’repeatedpledgestopurgethem-selvesofextremism.All told, there are at least 54

Facebookprofilesbelongingto39entities that theGermangovern-mentandcivilsocietygroupshaveflaggedasextremist,accordingtoresearch shared with TheAssociatedPress by theCounterExtremismProject, a non-profitpolicyandadvocacygroupformedtocombatextremism.Thegroupshavenearly268,000 subscribersandfriendsonFacebookalone.CEP also found 39 related

Instagramprofiles,16Twitterpro-files and 34 YouTube channels,whichhave gotten over 9.5mil-lionviews.Nearly60%ofthepro-fileswereexplicitlyaimedatmak-

ingmoney,displayingprominentlinks to online shops or photospromotingmerchandise.Click on the big blue “view

shop”buttonon theErik&SonsFacebookpageandyoucanbuyaT-shirtthatsays,“Myfavouritecolour is white,” for 20 euros($23).DeutschesWarenhausof-fers “Refugees not welcome”stickers for just 2.50 euros ($3)and Aryan Brotherhood tubescarveswith skull faces for 5.88euros($7).TheFacebookfeedofOPOS Records promotes newmusicandmerchandise, includ-ing “True Aggression,” “Pride &Dignity,” and “One Family” T-shirts. The brand, which standsfor “One People One Struggle,”alsolinkstoitsonlineshopfromTwitterand Instagramme.Thepeopleandorganisations

inCEP’sdatasetareawho’swhoofGermany’s far-rightmusic andcombat sports scenes. “They aretheoneswhobuildtheinfrastruc-turewhere peoplemeet,makemoney, enjoymusicandrecruit,”saidAlexanderRitzmann,researchleaderof CEP. “It’smost likelynottheguysI’vehighlightedwhowillcommitviolentcrimes.” AP

ENDTO3YRSOFGEOPOLITICALWRANGLING

China releasesCanadiansas itwelcomesHuaweiexecutive’s returnhome

(Above)MengWanzhou,CFOofHuawei,afterreachingShenzhencityonSaturday.(Left)MichaelSpavorandMichaelKovrig,whoweredetainedinChina.Reuters

China urges cartoon producersto resist ‘unhealthy’ content

US, Pak face each other on Afghan threats

PakistaniForeignMinisterShahMahmoodQureshimeetsUSSecretaryof StateAntonyBlinkenonthesidelinesof theUNGeneralAssembly inNewYorkonThursday.AP

MICHELLENICHOLSUNITEDNATIONS,SEPT25

NO REPRESENTATIVE fromMyanmarisscheduledtoaddresstheannualhigh-levelUNGeneralAssembly, aUNspokesman saidonFriday,amidrivalclaimsforthecountry'sUNseatinNewYorkaf-ter a military coup ousted theelectedgovernment.Competing claims have also

beenmadeonAfghanistan’sUNseat after the Taliban seizedpowerlastmonth.Theambassa-dorfortheoustedgovernmentissettogivehisspeechonMonday.“At this point, Myanmar is

not speaking,” UN spokesmanStephaneDujarric said.Myanmar’s current UN

AmbassadorKyawMoeTun—ap-pointed by Aung San Suu Kyi’selected government—had ini-tiallybeenexpectedtoaddresstheGeneralAssemblyonMonday.But diplomats said China,

Russia and theUnitedStateshadreachedanunderstanding,whereMoscowandBeijingwill not ob-ject toKyawMoeTun remaininginMyanmar’sUNseatforthemo-mentaslongashedoesnotspeakduringthehigh-levelmeeting.“Iwithdrewfromthespeaker

list,andwillnotspeakatthisgen-eraldebate,”KyawMoeTunsaid.Dujarricsaidthat“fornow,the

Afghanistan representative in-scribedon the list forMonday isMrGhulamM. Isaczai.” Isaczai isthecurrentUNambassador,whorepresentsAfghanistan’sgovern-mentoustedbytheTaliban.TalibanForeignMinisterAmir

KhanMuttaqi onMondayaskedtoaddressthegatheringofworldleadersattheUnitedNationsandnominated the Islamist group’sDoha-based spokesman SuhailShaheenasAfghanistan’sUNam-bassador. REUTERS

Several US statesto celebrateOct as HinduHeritage Month

Truck driver shortage: UK set to ease visa rules

Lorriesparked inCobham,Britain.Reuters

Under Japan’sroyalsuccessionlaw, femalemembersof theimperial family losetheirstatusonmarryingcommoners

Neo-Nazis are stillon Facebook, andare making money

Ata far-rightprotest inChemnitz,Germany.AP

Unlikelytobesignalofthawinties

THESETTLEMENToftheUScaseagainsttheHuaweiCFO,andthesubsequentreleasebyChinaoftwodetainedCanadianscannotyetbeseenasathawintherelationsbe-tweenWashingtonandBeijing,expertssay.AlthoughBidenandXitalkedonthephoneabouttheneedtoimprovetiesthatareattheirworstpointindecades,itisfeltthatdisagree-

mentsoverissuessuchashumanrights,HongKongandtheSouthChinaSeaareunlikelytoberesolvedwithoutma-

jorpolicyconcessions.Theset-tlementintheHuaweiCFO’scasehasreportedlycomeamiduncertaintyamongUSofficialsaboutwhethertheextraditioncasewouldgointheirfavour,andmaynotevenbeanat-tempttomendties.

TALIBANHANGBODYINAFGHANCITYSQUAREKabul:TheTalibanhangedadead body from a craneparked in a city square inAfghanistanonSaturday inagruesome display that sig-naledthehard-linegroup’sre-turntosomeof itsbrutal tac-ticsofthepast.Talibanofficialsinitiallybroughtfourbodiestothe central square in the cityofHerat,thenmovedthreeofthemtootherpartsofthecityforpublicdisplay, saidWazirAhmadSeddiqi,who runs apharmacy at the square.Talibanofficials said the fourwere caught takingpart in akidnapping earlier Saturdayandwerekilledbypolice. AP

Myanmar will not addressworld leaders at UN, butAfghanistan envoy will

New Delhi

T H E S U N D A Y E X P R E S S M A G A Z I N ESEPTEMBER 26, 2021 | WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM | PAGE 16

Shiny Varghese

MAMA, chhi, chhi,”squealed two-year-oldRudra.Hewas inaparkwith hismother NehaDara, when hewalkedintoapuddleonarainy

day.Dara,atravelwriterwhohasspentmostofherworking life trekkingintheHimalayasand exploring localmarkets in small towns,washorrified.Notbecauseof theslushonhissandals,buthisreaction.Therehadtobeabet-terwayhecouldconnecttothenaturalworld.“We initially moved from Delhi to

Chandigarh in 2017. Butwith the pandemic,evenintheparksandforestsofthecity,wefeltillateaseifpeoplewerenotmaintainingdis-tanceorwearingamask.That’swhenwede-cidedtomovetothehills.WerentedacottageoutsideRajgarh town inHimachal Pradesh’sSirmaurdistrict,lastOctober,”saysDara,busi-nessheadatRoundGlassSustain,awebsiteonwildlifeconservationandbiodiversity.Moving cities is not new to a pandemic.

Mobilitywasananswertotheplagueeveninthe early 16th century. Young Tudor kingHenryVIIIwouldoften leave theneighbour-hood, travelling a fewmiles away, “essentiallytryingtooutrunthespreadof infection”, says EuanRoger, principalmedievalrecords specialist at TheNationalArchives, theUK,inanonlinelecture.“Itwasverymuchforthewealthy.Youhad to have a secondhome or a place tostay in the countryside,”saysRoger.Inearly2020, thepan-

demic came with itsscythe to mow downhealth,jobs,livesandliveli-hoods.InJanuarythisyear,theCentre forMonitoringIndianEconomyreportedthat in theservices sector,employmentfellto128millioninthequarterof June2020.Manychosetomovetosmallertowns, away fromhigh rents and hamstercagesofmetroliving,andthesightofmigrantworkerswalkinghomewillforeverberepre-sentative of the pandemic’s hard economiclessons. For many among the privileged,though, it opened up doors to greener pas-tures and was a sign to embrace morethoughtfulliving.BloombergNews(inareportonApril) called this global phenomenon an“urbanshuffle”. Itwasnotreallyanurbanex-odus.Most of these shifts have beenwithinthe300kmradiusofa largercity.For Rudra, this hasmeant findingmoun-

tain trails, gaining confidence in climbingslopesandbeingallrightwithmudonhissan-dals.“He’slearningthatthereareothersintheworld aroundhimand that it’s important toaccommodate their needs as well. For in-stance, in thewinters, he knowswehave toreturnhomeby5pmbecause after that theleopards come out. He turns three in a fewmonths, and ifwewere in thecity,he’dbe inplayschool learning his ABCs. But here, he’s

learning somuchmore, and that, for us, isinvaluable,”saysDara,38.Whilesuchashiftmayseemtobeanactof

privilege,relocationcanalsomeanrelearninghow to negotiate space evenwithin familystructures. Last year, after four years in theCapital,comedian-anchor-writerKabirSinghBhandari packed his bags for Kolkata, hishometown. “Iwasn’t in a full-time job any-moreandcouldn’taffordrentformy1BHKinLajpat Nagar. Moving in withmy parentsseemedlikethebestoption.Thehousehadabalcony, the air-conditioningworked, mymotherwould enquire daily about what Iwantedforlunchanddinner.Then,slowlythefrictions began. First, it was a light I hadn’tswitchedofforafanthatwasrunningif Iwasin thenext room. It came toapoint that I satdownandtoldthemthatIlovethemtoomuchtobefightingoversuch issues. Itwasn’t suchabigdeal,likeIhadletlooseaserialkillerinthehouse,”saysthe34-year-old.Heisawarethattheargumentsareasmallpricetopayfortheadvantage of coming home to parentswhohave no objection to supporting him. “Ofcourse,unlike inDelhi andMumbai,where Icould bringmygirlfriendhome, here I can’t,but then I remindmyself I’vealreadybrokenup, and it seems likeeveryone, includingmy

exes, are alreadymarried.Onthebrightside,Kolkatastillhasthebestkathirollsin thecountry. But, endoftheday,Igettospendtimewithmy parents and it’smademerealisethatthereare a lot of things in theirlives I was oblivious to,”saysBhandari.For music composer

Azaan Khan, grandson oflegendary sitar playerUstadVilayat Khan,mov-ing to Goa late last yearcamewith its uncertain-ties. “When projects atOddBird Theatre &Foundation (a collabora-tive centre for the arts)wereputonhold inDelhi,

I knew therewas nothing to holdmeback. Iamquitearecluseandthecityneverheldanycharm. But, I had to look forwork to paymybills.Thankfully,Ifoundafewonlineteachingassignments.I’verealisedconversationsherearedifferentaswell. Inthecities,peoplecan’tstop talking about themoney theymake orthecars theydrive. The fearof thepandemicisinherent.InGoa,peoplemoveonwiththeirlives and COVID-19 or vaccines never comeup in discussions. I’m toldmy latest album,too, hasmore organic, tribal sounds. I takemoretimetowritemysongs,aswell,”hesays.Heevenconvincedhis father, sitarplayer

UstadShujaatKhan,andhismotherParveentomoveout of Delhi a fewmonths ago. “Formy parents, it’s meant long walks in theforests,attendingneighbourhoodceremoniesand filling their lungswith fresh air,” saysKhan,32.Asenseofcommunityandacreativeeco-

system seem to be amagnet formanywhoarechoosingGoaasapitstop.ForDelhi-basedarchitectVerendraWakhloo,64, itwasaboutdoingawaywithexcesses.Withthelockdown

inMarch 2020, design projectswere fewerand the need to connectwith the outdoorsgrew. “While it’s too early towrite an obitu-arytothecity,thereistheneedtofindsmallercommunities where people can anchormeaningfully. I carry a certain naivety aboutlife, and in Goa,my need to feel wondrousfinds a response in the bounty of nature. InBenaulim, south Goa, where I’ve taken ahouse, people are doing amazing things,

growingtheirownfood,making thingswiththeirhands, thereseemstobeapossibilityofholistic living,whereyoufeelyoudon’tneedthecity,”saysWakhloo.Ontheotherhand,withmanypeopleopt-

ing for Goa, its realty prices have soared.Abhimanyu Sharma became aware of thiswhenhemoved last year fromAhmedabadto Siolim, north Goa, with hiswife, Shreya.“Propertyprices have skyrocketed and rentsaresteep.Currently,inSiolim,fora1,200-1,400sq. ft two bedroom, youwould pay nearlyRs40,000,butifyougodeeperintoMoira,youcouldgetitforRs25,000-30,000.WhenIlivedinGurgaon, Iwas paying the same rent for abigger house. So, you can compare and thenyoucan’t.Here inGoa, I don’tminddrivingasmaller carorhavingacheaperphone,but itpaysoffwhenIcansleepwellatnight,watchthebambootreesoutsidemywindow,orwalkdownthebeach,”saysthe34-year-old.

Sharma,whoworksforastart-upasheadof emerging businesses, says that his termsforworkarenon-negotiablenow.Hechoosesto continue in Goa and keeps his phone onsilentonweekends.“Earlier,youmovedtothecity that gave you the best job. I feelpre-COVIDwasfarmorematerialistic,allthatmatteredwashowmuchmoney youmade.Then,whenwesawourlovedonesgo,manyyoungerthanus,weknew,itwaslifefirst. I’mquiteclearnow,Iwanttoputmylifeaheadofmycareer,”saysSharma.A sense of wonder and time slowing

downarewhatpeoplehave found in the re-location. Just as Dara cherishes reading sto-ries to Rudra at bedtime, as the sun setsthrough the pine trees, for Khan, it is aboutswimming in the ocean and eating off theearth. “Goa’s masterplan has so far main-tainedabalancedarrangementofsettlement,orchardandagriculture.So,thereisariveroflandscapethatmeandersbetweenhouses.Ina city, our sights are often stymied by theboxes that surround us. In the countryside,whatyouexperience is thevastnessandbe-forethatgreenexpanse,youareremindedofyourmortality,” saysWakhloo.For Vasudha Sondhi, 56, and Sanjay

Sondhi,58,thepandemicofferedafreshstart.The couple had finished building a place inUttarakhand in2018andhad imagined it asa home. Butwork in Delhi kept thembusy.Theircorebusiness istomanageoutsourcedsales andmarketing for national tourismboardsandinternationalhotelsanddestina-tions. However, with the rise in COVID-19cases lastyear, internationalbusinesswas inthedeep freeze.Theychose tomoveto theirplaceinParvada,avillagebarely10kmawayfrom Mukteshwar. Sanjay, who alwayswanted to farm, took over the plantationacross their three-acre estate, filling itwithapple, apricot, plum, peach, Rhododendronandpear trees.Meanwhile,Vasudhaputherenergies into training the local staff and fur-nishingthehomestaywhichtheycallParvadaBungalows@VSFruitreeEstate.“Thehomes-tayhasgivenustheopportunitytoknowthevillage and its people better. There are boysfromthevillagewhoworkwithusnowandsome want to set up rooms in their ownhomes for tourists.We’ve helped themdothat, andsoonwehope tomeet the tourismofficialstorecogniseParvadaasatourismvil-lage,” saysVasudha.But staying in the hills is notwithout its

challenges. “When you’re young, it feels allright. But for the elderly, especially mymother-in-law, finding a good hospitalwillmeantravellingnearly60km;achemistissixkm away,” says Vasudha. Dara, too, affirmsthe constraints. “The flip sideof living in themountainsisthatsometimeswhenthereisastorm,wehavenoelectricityallnight.Whichalsomeans,wemight not getwater supply,andthe tankrunsdry—not theeasiest timewithasickchild.”What is itabout thecity thenthatmakes

people restive? Architect-academicDurganandBalsavar, dean, SaveethaCollegeofArchitecture,Chennai,55,says ithastodowith the inaccessibilityof public spacesandpublic institutions. “With the lockdown lastyear, therewerenourbanopenspaces,park,beach or university to go to. Our citieswerelongoverdueforchange,evenbeforethepan-demic. There is little agency to appropriateandinhabitanurbanspace.Weneedtokeepour conversations open, and each city andneighbourhoodneedstotaketheinitiativetoknowhowtheywanttoinhabiturbanspace.Aphaseisemerging,wherecivicsocietywithall its diversity, is rethinking the nature ofchange. This needs to be complemented byurban planning authorities, withmore vig-orous institutional explorations in universi-ties,” saysBalsavar.

The COVID-19 pandemic has induced ashift in the idea of urban living, promptingmany to leave cities and find peace insmaller places or to return to the securityand skirmishes of their family homes

● ● ●

A sense ofcommunity and a

creative eco-systemseem to be a magnet

for many who arechoosing Goa as a

pit stop... But, on theflip side, realty prices

have soared● ● ●

TIME OUT(Clockwise from left) Rudra in his hill home in

Himachal Pradesh; Vasudha and SanjaySondhi at their estate; Parvada Bungalows inUttarakhand; Abhimanyu Sharma at home

in Goa; Azaan Khan

COURTESY:AZAANKHAN

COURTESY:ABHIMANYUSHARMA

COURTESY:PARVADABUNGALOWS@VSFRUITREEESTATE

GETTYIMAGES

COURTESY:PARVADABUNGALOWS@VSFRUITREEESTATE

COURTESY:NEHADARA

New Delhi

CHILDRENOF NOD

We make stories andstories make us.

What stories of thepandemic will they

grow up with?

YOU FILL UPMY SENSES

(Clockwise fromabove) Kamod

Ragini from Kota,Rajasthan, 1770-

1775; A PrinceHaving an Audience,

Mughal paintingfrom the school of

Jahangir, 17thcentury; curatorsNicolas Roth andBharti Lalwani

A R T S e t c 17EYE , THE SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE

SEPTEMBER 26, 2021

Aces of the AirHow the dragonfly and damselflyoutgun avian to terrestrial hunters

RanjitLalRanjit Lal isanauthor,environmentalistandbirdwatcher

DOWNINJUNGLELAND

RECENTLY, Iwaxedeloquenton theastonishingprowessof birds thathunted flyingandmov-ingprey—fromglamorousperegrinesandsu-per-fast swifts toacrobatic flycatchers.Alas,

theyallhavebeencompletelyoutgunned—ashaveother terrestrialhunters (Africanwilddogs, lionsandtigers)—by,worse, a creature thatevolutiondesignedperfectly320millionyearsago.Theyweremuch largerthen—thedragonflies (and their slendercousins, thedamselflies)—andweought tobe thankful for that!Peregrineshavea23.1percent successfulkill rate,

hawks22.5percent, owls25percent, lions less than30percentandwilddogs67percent. Topping themall are(the ICSE topper-equivalent)dragonflieswhoscore95percent!Evolutiongot thedesignandengineeringsoperfect thatnochanges (except insize)werenecessary.Flight inmost insects ispoweredby indirect flight

muscleswhichareattachedto the thorax,whichareat-tachedto thewings,making themvibrateand flutter.Dragonflieshaveverypowerfuldirect flightmusclesat-tachedto thebaseof eachwing thatoperateeachwing.Themuscle contractioncauseseachwing to flap—com-pletely independentof oneanother if necessary—as theflight situationdemands. Thisenables thedragonfly tofly forwardandbackward (by“standingup”perpendi-cular inmid-air andreversing thrust), upwardsanddownwards,hoveranddart sidewaysandaccelerateattremendousrates.“Counter-stroking”occurswhenthe forewingsand

hindwingsbeat180degreesoutof phasewitheachother;whichgives themonehell of a lift andenablesthemtohoverand fly slowly.More thrustbut less lift isgeneratedby“phasedstroking”whenthehindwingsbeat90degreesaheadof the forewings—and isusefulforhighspeed.With“synchronousstroking” thehindand forewingsbeat in rhythmenabling lightningaccel-erationanddeftdirectionchanges.Dragonflies clock50kmph,onereportevenclaimed90kmph.Theirbodyactsas shockabsorbers. Theymaychoosenot to flaptheirwingsatall andsimplyglideonair currents likemanybirdsof prey.Thewings,madeof flexible transparent chitin, often

beautifully stained, arenot flat, but linedwith ridges—veins—adding tostructural integrityand functionalef-

ficiency, andprevent thewing fromwarpingandde-forming.But themasterstroke is the little colour striponthe leadingedgeof the forewingof everydragonfly.Called thepterostigma, it isheavier than the restof thewingandacts likeacounterbalancepreventing the lead-ingedge fromfluttering, goingberserkandcausing theinsect to stall.The“wrap-around”bulbouseyesof thedragonfly

(giving it a fieldof visionof almost360degrees) com-priseover30,000 individual facets, eachaminiature tel-escope thatcanseecolour fromorange toUVandareparticularly sensitive tomovement. Theeye’s topsec-tion isespecially sensitive to theblue rangeof thespec-trumandthemidand lowerparts toawider spectrum.Patrolling lowover thewater,dragonfliesarequick tospotan insect flyingabove, contrastedagainst thepierc-ingblueof thesky.Twohuntingstrategiesareused:Trackingand inter-

ception. For the former, the insectkeeps its target in itsfieldof visionandspirals towards it, its advantage inspeedeventuallyenabling it tonab it. In the latter, itmustpredict thespotwhere thevictimwouldbeand flytowards that spot—requiringmorebrainpower,but lessenergyand is theone the insectsprefer. The target iskept in theeye’s sharpest-focusingsectionandthewholeheadcanmovearoundtoenable this.Wehave tolearnhowto intercepta target—indragonflies theabil-ity ishardwired into theirnervoussystem.Fromawingspanof 70cm,dragonfliesover themil-

lenniahaveshrunk toawingspanof just16cm.Onethe-orysuggests that thiswasbecause theoxygen in theairreduced from35percent, 320millionyearsago, to20percent today, causing the insects to reduce insize.Another suggests that150millionyearsagobirdsandother flying reptilesevolvedandout-competed largedragonflies inhunting largerprey, andso,only thedrag-onflies thathuntedsmallerpreysurvived.Whateverbeit,weought tobegrateful, orelsewewouldbeduckingforcover.Needless toadd,biomimicryprojectsaredesperately

trying toemulatedragon flight.Manyprototype“drag-ons”havebeen flown,but the real thingstill blithelypa-trols theskiesandwaterbodies, grabbing insects in thebarbed-wirebasket that comprises its legs, chompingthemupmid-airwith their formidablemandibles. Then,itwill landonastalk, itsheadandgreat jeweleyeswillmovingaroundas it looks for itsnextkill.

POWER RANGERSCounter-stroking gives dragonflies one helluva lift

RANJITLAL

GETTYIMAGES

Benita Fernando

INAminiaturepaintingfrom18thcen-turyRajasthan,nowintheSmithsonianinWashingtonDC,adressed-upRadha,seatedonabedof flowersinaclearingframedby a thick forest,waits for her

loverKrishna. It’s twilight.Will Krishna turnupforthistryst?Orishegoingtostandherup?Thepaintingispartofaragamala(asetthat

illustrates Indian classical-music ragas) andconveys the pain of longing. Radha’s desireseems tobeprojectedon the forest, setwithbloomingshrubsandbirdsinboughs.Insteadof vague floraldecorations, theartistsof Kotawentfordetailandspecificity—creamyfrangi-pani and champaka, pink oleander, thicksheathsofaplantain,velvetycelosia,andspikyflowersofthepandanus,calledkewrainpartsof India.We can see the fragrant forest, butwhatifwecouldsmell it, too?Pune-basedindependentperfumerBharti

Lalwani,40,and,scholarinSouthAsianStudies,NicolasRoth,32,launchedavirtualexhibition,“Bagh-e-Hind” (Baghehind.com), onSeptember10,lettingviewersexplorethelushworlds of Mughal and Rajput miniaturesthroughscentsandsmells.The ideawas sparkedoff someyears ago

after Lalwani sawa17th centurypainting ofemperorShahJahanadmiring jewelsandor-namentswithhissonDaraShikoh.Theornateframearound the scenewas anexplosionoffloraandfauna,aselegantasthesubjectsofthepainting,yetwildanduncontrollable.TheKingoftheWorldcouldhavehisjewelsbutthenat-uralworldwasbeyondhispurview,itseemedto Lalwani,who says, “Thesepaintings com-municatealotofsmell.Contemporaneousau-dienceswouldhaveknownthem—thisideaofasummergarden,pleasuregarden,abundanceinnature—parrots digging intomangoes orbeesdrunkwithhoney.”Thecuratorscategorisetheexhibitioninto

fivesections,notallofthemareflower-based.Rose(ledbyagulabbarigarden),iris,narcissusandkewraarethemeshere,butsoissmoke(afireworksdisplay). It’s a layered ideaofwhattheolfactorycouldmeaninIndianpaintings.Roth,basedoutofCambridge,theUS,hasa

PhDfromHarvardUniversityongardencultureandhorticulturalwritingsof16th-18thcenturyMughalIndia.Hechosepaintingswithpromi-nentolfactoryelementsaswellasthoserepre-sentativeof aparticular genre convention. IntheNarcissussection,forinstance,theleadhastwoaristocraticyoungmensittingacrosseachotheronagardenterrace,sniffingsprigsofnar-cissus,with abowlof, perhaps, jasminesbe-tweenthem.“Theallusiontofragranceisclearlyapivotalaspectof theimage,withthenarcissibeautifully and naturalistically rendered.Narcissi are frequently referenced inPersianandUrdupoetry,wheretheycommonlyrepre-sentbeautifuleyesandthusalludetovisionandinsight,butalsotoflirtatiousglancesandintox-

ication,”Rothsays.Yet, thisexceptionalpaint-ing is anexampleof a large corpusof similarcompositions—pairsofmenorindividuals,ongardenterraces,surroundedbyvariousaccou-trementsofthegoodlife,asimaginedbyearlymodernSouthAsianelites,Rothadds.Smell associations,more than sight, are

known to be instant and instinctive. It’s thewhiffofcakebakingatourneighbour’sthatre-minds us of a grandmother who’s passedaway; or thehint of cologne that remindsusofaformerlover.Theysparkoffemotionsandnostalgia, like (novelist Marcel) Proust’smadeleinemoments, and at the very least,there’s something primal and pheromonalaboutthem.GiventhevividdetailinginIndianminiature paintings, onemay think that theolfactory aspect is therefore anobvious one.Yet,amongthesmallnumberofscholarswhostudyIndianminiatures,there’shardlyanyre-

ASSCHOOLSgraduallyopenandwelcomechil-drenback,there’sasenseoftrepidationamongadults—“Theyhavelosttheskillofsocialising”,“theyhavebecomeaddictedtoscreens”,“thereisnoroutine”.Thechildrenhaveanotherper-spectiveonit,“I’veputonsomuchweight,willI bebody-shamed?”, “Will everybodyact likeeverything is back tonormal andhowmuchwillwehavetocatchuponourstudies?”

Meetthemwheretheyare,notwhereyouwantthemtobeSocietywants all children to fit into and

conform to its iron-cast expectations.Pandemicornopandemic,wewantchildrentoslipintothesemouldsandfast!Toobadthatthe last one-and-half yearswere extremelyhard on them—the fears, losses anduncer-tainty. It’s timeto “pullup thesocks”andgetontheassemblylineofperformance.PostmodernistMichel Foucault, a French

historianwhostudiedschoolsandprisonsys-tems(thatsaysalot!),calledtheeffectof thisautomatic indoctrination as the “gaze”.

Schools are fertile ground for this scrutinousgaze as children areweighed and evaluatedagainsteachother.Nosurprisethatmostchil-drenpreferredtokeeptheircamerasoffdur-ingonlineclasses.Whenchildrenreturntophysical classes,

let’sreflecton—whateffectwillthisexpectationforthemto“getbackontrackanddoitfast”haveontheirmentalhealth?Inourhurryto“returntonormality”,willwepushourchildren intointernalising their struggles as something“wrongwiththem”andnotbeing“worthy”?Isitfaironourchildrenwhohavealreadybeenthroughsomuch?

EachchildiswiredandinspireddifferentlyOnesizedoesnotfitall.That’snotalimita-

tion, that’s whatmakes our homes, class-rooms, schools and thisworldneurodiverse.Childrenrespondedtothepandemicinmyr-iadways, too.Mayawas described as “dis-tracted”asshe,likemanyothers,couldnoten-gagewith online learning. Rhea, whowasconsidered“introverted”,“shy”,reallythrivedduring the lockdown as no social demandswere placed onher. Varun, energised by so-cial interactions,hadsignificantrun-inswithfrustrationashecouldnotmeethis friends.Willwelearntorespectchildren’sdiversityof

wiring and experiences, orwould the comingmonthsbecomeaboutaconstantbattleofcom-parison,criticism,blamingandshaming?

Askwhattheylearnt,notwhattheydon’tknowChildren are not passive recipients of hard-

ships.Theyrespond,theymusterskills,theydowhat they can to survive and sustain them-selves through themost challenging times.Somequestionsthatchildrenhaveaskedme—shouldweactas if everythingisnormal, startfromwherewe left off?Will no onediscusswhatwe’velearntaboutlife,relationshipsandwhat reallymatters? I’dwantmyteachers toknowhowItookcareofmyselfwhenbothmyparentsweredownwithCOVID-19. I lostmygrandfathertoCOVID,butitseemseverybodywantsmetoforgetaboutitand“moveon”?Moreandmoreclassroomsneedtobuild

emotionallysafespaceswhereteachers,chil-drenandparentscoulddiscuss:

■ What steps did they take thathelped them?

■ What did they realise that theyreallyvalued?

■ Which are the communities thatsupported them?

■How can they build this communityinschool?

■What sustained them through thetoughest times?Onlywhenweinviteagencyfromourchil-

drencanreal learninghappen.

ThewaywetalkaboutourchildrenbecomestheirlifestoriesStories don’t just describe our world but

shapeit.Wemakestoriesandstoriesmakeus.

Itmight becomevery convenient topigeon-hole children into single stories— “he’s be-comeaddictedtothescreen”,“pandemichasmadehersolazy”,“he’sreallyfallenbehind”.Thesearethewordsthatwillbecomewovenintothesinglestoriesof their life.Single stories canmake children invisible

(seeauthorChimamandaNgoziAdichie’s2009TEDtalkTheDangerofaSingleStoryonTed.com)Overtheyears,theystartinternalisingthe

single-storyandbelievethere’ssomethingin-trinsicallywrongwith them, that theydon’tbelong, that they are unworthy. “There’ssomethingwrongwithme”, “Idon’tdeservelove”, “I feel invisible inmy classroom, as if Idon’texist”, “I feel likeaghost”.Memoriesshapeourstorylineandoursto-

ryline shapesmemories.What stories of thepandemicwill theygrowupwith?

IseeyouAfter anonymity of the online classes, it

couldbeadauntingtasktoreturntoschoolaf-ter one-and-a-half years with the fear ofscrutiny,ridiculeandrejection.Howcouldwewelcomethembackwithan“Iseeyou”whichisrespectful,inclusiveandinclusiveofalldiver-sity.Ifyou’vebeenluckytohaveateacherwhopractised“I seeyou”whentheymetyou,youknowwhatImean. Ifyou’reonesuchteacher,yourstudentswilltellthisstoryoneday.Imagine!Asschoolsreopen,childrenwalk

into the class and teachers do an “I see you”with theirwhole being— touch, eyes, smileand heart. And imagine each childwalkingthrough the corridors of life, classrooms oflearning, sports fieldsof exploration, assem-blies of appreciation,with an “I see you” ateverystep.“Iacceptandloveyouasyouare.Youareunique,youareyou.I’llneithercomparenordemandwhatmightbedifficult foryou”.To be included, acknowledged, wel-

comed!Aswemakeourwayoutof thispan-demic fog, let’s commit to a better worldwherenochild is left invisible.

SheljaSenisanarrativetherapist,writer,co-founder,ChildrenFirst. Inthiscolumn,shecuratestheknow-howofthechildrenandtheyouthshe

[email protected]

searchtilldateonthisaspect.It’s hard to confirmwhether the original

audiencesof thesepaintingsapproached theworks in themanner inwhichtheexhibitionencouragesusto.Rothsayshe’syettofindev-idenceofpaintersspecifically tryingtoevokeolfactory experiences. But thewealth of de-taileddepictionsof fragrantflowers,perfumebottles, incense burners and similar objects,andfrequentandextensivereferencestoscentsandperfumeryincontemporaryliterarytextsstrongly suggest thiswas somethingvery in-tentionalonthepainters’part,headds.It’s ironic that the exhibitionhas opened

virtuallyduringapandemic,oneinwhichwearedesperatelytryingtoprotectournosesandmouths. In an attempt to overcome the cur-rentfateofhumanity,thecuratorsaimtoteaseour noses and taste buds byusing languageloadedwitholfactory references, snatchesof

their conversations, poetry, historical objectsassociatedwith the paintings, and flowersfromRoth’spersonal garden.Also, soundde-signcreatedbyBerkeley-basedlandscapear-chitectUzairSiddiqui.The highlight — at Rs 27,000 each— is

Lalwani’s “synaesthesia box”, custom-madeforeachsection.Lalwani,who’sbeencreatingperfumes since2018under the label LitrahbPerfumery, put together attars and trade-marked“edibleperfumes”section-wise.Theserespond to the cues in thepaintings,mixingandmatchingthemwithothernotes.TheRosesection’s edible perfume, for instance, trans-latesahotandsweatysummerinIndiausingadark chocolate spread createdwithvetiver,groundnutsandjaggery.Much like SouthAsianart history,where

someof the finestworkswere smuggled orlootedoutof their landsof origin, perfumeryhasaproblematichistorytoo.Lalwaniexplainshowtherawmaterialsusedinperfumeryareoften exploitative in nature, such as naturalcivetmusk,whichisextractedaftergreatpainto the animal. Furthermore, perfumershaveoftencastanOrientalisteyetowardsSouthAsiaandMughal gardens to seek inspiration fortheir products. TakeGuerlain’s Shalimar, cre-ated in 1925, inspired by Shah Jahan andMumtazMahal’s love story. Their advertise-ment fromafewyearsagofeaturesaRussianmodel awaitingher lover, and the TajMahalsproutingoutofalakeinRajasthan.Ifthecom-merce of perfume andpaintings is trouble-some, Lalwani hopes “‘Bagh-e-Hind’, in con-trast,offersalotofbeautyandalotofstillness”.Theexhibitionpresupposesaudiences’fa-

miliaritywithscents.So,ifwe’veneverseenorinhaledanarcissus,muchis left to the imagi-nation. And, it’s equally possible that our fa-miliaritywith somescentsmeans thepaint-ings evoke associations that are far removedfromtheiroriginal intent.Kewra, for instance,isusedascheapbiryani flavouring today,un-likeitshistoricuse,asRothdiscovered,whenitwas a covetedperfume ingredient. So,whilethekewraintoxicatesaRadhawithlongingforhermissingdate,it’sperfectlyacceptableifau-diences are reminded of the best, orworst,biryaniorkormatheyeverhad.

No ChildLeft Invisible

IMAGINEby Shelja Sen

THE SCENT OF A ROYALA new virtualexhibition takesaudiences throughthe fragrant worldsof Indian miniatures,one note at a time

COURTESYFREERANDSACKLERGALLERIES

COURTESY

DENMAN

WALDO

ROSS

COLLEC

TION,M

USE

UMOFFINEAR

TS,BOST

ON

Pandemic memories will shape our children’s storylines;what role do we play in this history in action?

New Delhi

AAI AND IBYMAMTANAINY& SANKET PETHKARPickle Yolk Books32 pages; `350Appropriate for: 5+ years

INAFacebookpost addressed to Indianpar-ents seeking reading recommendations fortheirchildren,authorVenitaCoelhospokeelo-quentlyofcreating“alandscapeofbelonging”bygivingchildrenstoriesset inafamiliarmi-lieu, toallowthemtheopportunity “to learnthatheroesandheroinescomeinmanymoreshades thanwhite” and to discoverwriterswho “reflect their reality back to them”.Mamta Nainy and Sanket Pethkar’s bookservesasaperfectexampleof all thatCoelhopromises fromcontemporary Indianwritersof children’sbooks.AaiandI is thestoryof a littleMaharasht-

riangirl, Aadya,whoawaitshermother’s re-turn from the hospitalwhere she’s gone foranurgentsurgery.It’sthedayofherreturnandthe little girl can’t wait, her anticipationspreading like a warm glow to everyone

aroundher—fromthefamilypetNimkitoherAjji, busypreparingkandepohejust thewayhermother loves it. It’s Ajjiwho always tellsAadyahowcloselysheresembleshermother,a fact that she takes great pride in. But now,whenhermotherreturnsaftersurgery,there’ssomethingthat’snotquitethesameaboutherany longer. Can Aadya figure out a way tomakethingsgobacktobefore?From its use of names of endearment to

food to theway the English language getsmoulded on Indian tongues, Nainy’s story isalive to the nuances of the local and the re-gional.Aadya’ssearchforheridentity,though,is auniversal story.Nainybrings in a tender-nesstoAadya’sengagementwithwhatmakesherwho she is—a repository of larger lega-cies of family and community but also her

own unique empathy and innocence thatlendsherapersonalitythatisentirelyherown.Pethkar’s illustrations, in a palette domi-

natedbyearthymustards,yellows,greensandblues, sparklewith references that can onlybefoundinSouthAsianhomes— jhoolasandpressure cookers; kolams and nauvari-saridrapesandunrulytresseswiththemostgor-geouscurls.

THEWORLDAWAITSBYTOMOSROBERTS&NOMOCOHarperCollins; 32 pages; `499Appropriate for: 5+ years

INAPRIL last year, a video by London-basedWelshspoken-wordpoetTomosRobertshadgoneviralwithover60millionhits.TitledThe

GreatRealisation,itspokeofwhatlifehadbeenbefore the pandemic and how it could betransformedforthebetterafterwards.Theun-precedented success of Roberts’ post-pan-demicbedtimefable,thathe’dcreatedforhisyoungersiblings,ledtothevideobeingturnedinto a picture book. Now, Roberts, orTomfoolery as he is known as in the onlineuniverse,isbackwithanotherpicturebookinverse. The World Awaits picks up on thethemesofkindnessandthoughtfulactionthathadmadeRoberts’previousbooksoupliftingandspeaksofhoweveryactofconsideration,howevertinyorinsignificant,makesadiffer-ence. “In our core is a plus andminus,/ andthey’reeternallyatplay./Theygiveusthepower/to add goodness to theworld,/ or to take somegoodaway,”hewrites.Tokyo-basedNomocoisknownforheril-

lustrations inarangeofmedia, includingsilkscreen,inksandlithography,andmuchofthebook’s charmderives fromthepopof brightcoloursthatlightupRoberts’cheerfulwords.

PAROMITA CHAKRABARTI

TURNINGBACK TIMESet in Bundelkhand(left), Chaturvedi’s(inset) novelBaramasi sparkleswith a wit intrinsic tothe language andculture it is located in

B O O K S18EYE , THE SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE

SEPTEMBER 26, 2021

The UtopianDream

The Lost WorldAn English translation of a contemporary Hindi classic allows a glimpse into a vanished way of life

but its emotional resonance feels a little more laboured

BY THE BOOKACURATEDRECOMMENDATIONLISTFORTHEYOUNG’UNS

Hope and a Little Sugar

History, memoir and biographycome together in this fascinatingretracing of the birth of Auroville

Aditi Sriram

AKASHKAPUR’SBetter toHaveGone:Love,Death,andtheQuest forUtopia inAuroville isanodetotwoloves:hiswifeandhishometown. It isalsoacelebrationofother loves: filial,devotional,

communalandbotanical.Kapurpresentsallof thesethroughthehauntingstoryofhischildhoodhome,an“in-tentionalcommunity” insouthIndiacalledAuroville.This isnotKapur’s first timewritingaboututopia—

whichAuroville issometimesdescribedas—andheishonestabout itsslipperytexture.“Thereisalwaysthedangerthatcontextwilldrownoutstory, thattheneedforelucidationwilloverwhelmnarrative,”heexplains ina2018anthologyaboutAuroville.ButKapurisabletonavi-gateAuroville’selusivenessbyapproachinghissubjectswithpatienceand, thatwordagain, love.Theresult ishismostoriginalworkyet.AbookaboutAurovillerequiresabriefhistorylesson.

Earlyon,Better toHaveGone introducesAurobindoAckroydGhose,aBengali freedomfighterwantedbytheBritish,whoflees in1910toPondicherry,whichisunderFrenchjurisdiction.Hismovementsrestricted,Ghosefindshimselfwithdrawingdeeper intohisthoughts;Knownbythe1920sasSriAurobindo,heproceedstospendtherestofhis life inPondicherrywherehecreatesanashram thatattractsdisciplesfromallovertheworld.His foremostdisciple isaFrenchwomannamedMirraAlfassa.Aprofoundspiritualpartnershipdevelopsbe-tweenthem,andin1926,SriAurobindoappointsheras“theMother”totheAshram.Indeed,hisdevoteestaketoheraschildrentoamother.ShesuccessfullyrunstheAshramanduntilherowndeathin1973.Aroundthemid-1960s, theMothershareshervision

of “aplaceofpeace”, thatwillbe“alivingembodimentofanactualhumanunity.”ShecallsitAuroville: itmeans“cityofdawn”andisanhomagetoherguru.Herfollowersclamourtobuild itwithher,andforher,onadesertedplateauaboutfivemilesnorthofPondicherry.AmongthemareJohnWalkerandDianeMaes.TheMaesareearlyarrivalstoAuroville, inthe1970s.ThebookalsofollowsathirdAurovilian,Satprem-née-Bernard,whosurvivesGestapoandNazitorturebeforefindingpeaceinIndia.Likedozensofothersdrawntothiscornerof theworld, John,DianeandSatpremareinherentlyconflictedindividuals, tryingtomakesenseof their lives.Theinitialyearsaregruelling,

forAurovilleandAuroviliansboth.Progressonthebarren,scorchedearthis jaggedandjarring.Theymust,alongside, learnhowtoex-

pressthemselves,whattobelievein,andultimately,howtosurvive. JohnandDianedotheirbesttoraisetheirdaughterAuralice—whomKapurgoesontomarry—inthisstrange,sacredwilderness.Butwhensheis just14,theybothdie,onedayapart.Theirdeathsdon’tappearac-cidental.HowdoesAurovillecontinueinspiteof suchtrauma,Kapurasks,andanswers,defendinghischarac-ters’choices. “I’vespentalmost10yearschasingthisstory,andIknowthatthereweremanyversionsof reality,manyversionsof thetruth, thatplayedout inmyhometown.I’mnotpreparedtosaywhichonewasright,”hewrites.Rather,Kapuristender, respectful.Thebook’sstruc-

tureparallelsAuroville’soriginstory:discretepartsthatmergeintoawhole.Part I isparcelledasseveralsections,eachledbyadifferentprotagonist.ByPart II, thechaptersunfoldasachorus.Kapurkeepshissentencesandpara-graphsshort,makingiteasiertoabsorbhisamazingrangeof sources: facts,dates, letters,archivalmaterialand“hun-dredsof interviews.”Mostof thebookis inpresenttense,whichamplifiesAuroville’salive-ness.Thefinalchaptersbringout individualvoicesonceagain,aharbingerofthesecharacters’separationfromotherAurovilians:Whentheybegan, John,DianeandSatpremwantedtoliveforAuroville;now,all threewanttodiefor it.Kapuris inaweof JohnandDiane’s journeys, though

Auralice issceptical throughout.Still, shehasmovedbacktoAurovillewithherhusbandandsons,andreclaimeditashome.Auro,Aura,andAkash—thedawn,theatmos-phere,andthesky—seemtobeforever intertwined.Perhaps, thatunity iswhatthequest forutopia isabout.

Sriramisassistantprofessorofacademicwriting,AshokaUniversity

ALIPURABYGYANCHATURVEDI;TRANSLATED BYSALIMYUSUFJIJuggernaut Books344 pages`599

BETTERTOHAVEGONE:LOVE,DEATH,ANDTHEQUESTFORUTOPIA INAUROVILLEBY AKASHKAPURScribner368 pages`699

Pratap Bhanu Mehta

GYAN CHATURVEDI is a Hindiwriterofdazzlingbrilliance.Hisnovelsareoftenriotouslyfunny.Buttheyalsoopenupwindowsto underlying existential

tragedies. His first novel,Narak Yatra,was set in the corrupt world ofIndianmedicalcolleges,wheretheexercise of petty power is the rai-son d’etreof education,more thanthehealingofthebodyorenrichingof themind.ThenovelislikeadarkRaagDarbari (Shrilal Shukla’s 1968novel)ofIndianeducation.ThereisaparticulargenreofHindi litera-turethatishardtodescribe.It is not quite satire be-cause it does notmean tomock. Butit is not quite idlehumoureither.Itisa form that isacutely realist in its descriptions.But it is lacedwithcomiceffect, notbe-cause it ismaking funof reality, orbecause itmakeslightofhumansuffering.Itiscomicbe-causecharactersuselanguagethatembracesakindofabsurdity.Thisistheirwayofholdingontomeaninginaworldthatotherwisedoesnotmakesense.Alipura,a translationofChaturvedi’sclas-

sicBaramasi (1999), is thestoryof an impov-erishedfamilyinBundelkhand.ItbeginswiththedaughterofthefamilyBinnowaitingforanappropriategroomtoaccepther.Butthecan-vas then shifts also to the lives of her fourbrothers:anolderbrotherwhocannotseemtobear theworld, anotherwho iswaiting to

passanexamthatforevereludeshim;athirdone,whoseemstobebothtoo clever by half and headingnowhere and a younger onewhosestudiousnessmightjustallow him to escape into themiddleclass.Butthisisalsotheworldofthesacrificingmother,somecolourfulrelatives,andthetownofAlipuraasawhole.Inallhisnovels,Chaturvediisamaster of deft characterisa-tion.Buthealsoopensupawindowtoawholesocialmilieu. In this case, it isthe town of Alipura, atthemargins of history,where the passage oftimeisvicariouslymarked

byDilip Kumar being replaced byDharmendraandthenDharmendrabeingre-placedbyAmitabhBachchanoncalendars.In the translation, the title has been

changed to Alipura, suggesting the novel isaboutaplace,withallitstextureandthicketofsocial relationships.This isaplacewheretheabilitytowieldalathiisabadgeofhonourand

being a dacoit is an open social role, not acrime.Alipura is precise and evocative in itsphysical descriptions. It conjuresupawholeworldbyplacingtellingdetails inalltherightplaces.Itisworthreadingjustforitsrecreationofavanishedworld.Butitisalsodeftinitspor-trayalofcharacters.Foralltheirvolubility,eachof thesiblingshasastrange inwardness. Likethetownasawhole,theyarestuckinthegapbetween dreams and reality. In someways,thenovelisfarmorethanjustaboutaplace.Itismoreaboutaconditionthanalocation.Thisis,perhaps,somethingthatchangingthetitleofthebooktoAlipuramightnotquitecapture.It is about the passage of time,where timechanges,butlittleelsedoesotherthantheslip-pingawayofdreams.Itis,aboveall,aboutlivesthataremarkedbydisappointment;thesenseofnotbeingabletomeasureuptothenormsof successorfeelingwanted.Alipurapullsofftheinterestingfeatofsus-

pendingthereaderbetweentwocontradic-tory dispositions. On the one hand, the so-cial world the characters inhabit appearutterlymeaningful to them; yet, there is atragic absurdity to their situation that doesnotmake sense. This split in the self is cap-turedandmanagedthroughthemediumoflanguage. It is through language that dripswith contemptuous wit that they canachieveameasureof freedom. Just thefree-dom to say as a character says at one point,“Chhodoraja,kaunsaalaharaminahinhain”,is an act of clarity that compensates for the

senseof helplessness.But this poses a problem for translators.

Somuch of the force of Chaturvedi’s novelsdepends upon the cadence of the language,readingthemaloudinHindiproducesanef-fectthatisalmostimpossibletoreproduceinEnglish.SalimYusufjihasdoneacommend-ablejob.ButImustconfessthatAlipura isthekindofnovelthatrunsupagainstthelimitsoftranslationveryquickly. Take a small exam-ple. Inthebook, thereisahilariousmoment.ChhuttanandBibboare twocharacters. TheHindisentencegoes,“ChhuttantathaBibbokebeechgobaraagayaaursabgudgobarhogaya.”Partoftheeffectcomesfromtheplayon“go-bar”and“gudgobar”.Buthowdoyoutranslatethis?Yusufji translates it as “the twopilesofexcretashouldhave intervenedsoforcefullyand turned Chhuttan’s chances to shit.” It’snot exactlywrong, but it cannot capture thedelicacy,alliterativepowerorexistentialironyof theHindinovel. It isacliché thatall trans-lationsare incompleteor imperfect.But it is,perhaps,eventruerofnovelswherethecen-tral character is language itself inall its ram-bunctious glory. Alipura isworth reading inEnglish for the access it gives to a vanishedworld and the lives of its characters. But,somehow, the emotional resonance of thissad and comic world feels a little morelaboured inEnglishthaninHindi.

PratapBhanuMehta iscontributingeditor,The IndianExpress

Surendranath S

HISTORIAN AND theatre critic Penelope JCorfieldwrites in her article, ‘WhyHistoryMatters’: “All people and peoples are livinghistories. To take a few obvious examples:communitiesspeaklanguagesthatareinher-ited fromthepast. They live insocietieswithcomplexcultures,traditionsandreligionsthathavenotbeencreatedonthespurof themo-ment... So understanding the linkages be-tweenpastandpresentisabsolutelybasicforagoodunderstandingof theconditionofbe-inghuman...That,inanutshell,iswhyHistorymatters. It is not just ‘useful’, it is essential.”Theatre, too,needs tobeconnectedwith thepastif itwantstobreakawayintonewnorms.This is why Shakespeare, Bhasa, (Henrik)Ibsen, (Mohan) Rakesh, (Anton) Chekhov,(Badal) Sircar are still relevant. Unless one is

awareofthepast,nothingnewcanbecreatedin the present. It is precisely what FeisalAlkazi’sbookEnterStageRightdoes—connectthepastwiththepresent. Infineprose,Feisalmeticulously narrates the history of the firstperson of Indianmodern theatre; his fatherEbrahimAlkazi,Alkazisaabtoallofus.Whilenarrating the life of Alkazi saab, he also nar-ratesthehistoryofBombay-Delhi-Indianthe-atre, inthatorder.When I joined the National School of

Drama(NSD)in1977,Alkazisaabhadjustre-signed,leavingthesecond-andthird-yearstu-dents in a lurch. No, he had not left. Hewasthere.InthenextfouryearsthatIspentattheNSD,Icouldseehimallaround—inthelibrary,inthecostumedepartment, inthecarpentryworkshop, in the corridors, in the plays thathehaddirected for the repertory. Iwouldn’tbewrong if I saidmore thanhalf ofmygen-eration of theatreworkers in India is influ-

encedbyAlkazisaab.There is a reasonwhy Feisal begins the

memoirwith a fine introduction of hisma-ternal grandmother, Kulsumbai Padamsee.“My father’s career at the NSD is betterknownandoftenwrittenabout.Histrainingat RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art,London)isalsofrequentlywrittenabout.ButthoseformativeyearsinBombay,withSultan(Feisal’s uncle), and later, in the envelopingPadamseeclan,areabsentandthesedaysarecrucialtounderstandhim.Whatactuallywashis ‘story’beforehecame,at36, tohelmtheNSD?” Hence, Feisal begins the story fromthe beginning — a horseshoe table onKulsum Terrace, where “English theatre inBombaywas born in 1943,” andwhere thefirst seeds of Indian modern theatre wassown and the Theatre Groupwas founded.ItwasherethatAlkazisaabwasinitiatedintotheatrebySultanBobbyPadamsee.Thusbe-

ganthestoryof thefirstfamilyofIndian modern theatre — thePadamseesandtheAlkazis.Afewyearslater,afterreturn-

ingfromRADA,Alkazisaabwasadifferent man. “Alkazi’s wasmoreofathinkingman’stheatrethan entertainment,” writesFeisalinthebook.ForAlkazisaab,theatrewas life and religion. Sodifferenceswere bound to cropup. Alkazi saab walked awaywithahandfulof TheatreGroupmemberstoformhisowntroupe—TheatreUnit (After hemovedto Delhi to head the NSD,Satyadev Dubey saab took overand directedmany iconic pro-ductions). On the one hand,Alkazi saab had broken awayfrom the Padamsees, on theother, he married Roshen, theeldest daughter of Kulsumbai, thusmakingPadamsee-Alkazioneofthebigtheatrefam-ilies in India.In 1962, Alkazi saabmoved toDelhi. For

thenext15years, tillheresigned,herewrotethe narrative of Indianmodern theatre. He

produced “language” plays inDelhi, and gave themanationalpresence,raisingthemtoultimatetheatrical experiences. AfterAlkazi saab resigned fromNSD,Feisalwrites,“hewroteoneofhisrareletterstomeatthetime... ‘Forthefirsttimein15years,Ishallnotbe returning to theNSD... I shallmiss it to some extent but hon-estly, Idonothavemuchregret.’”Further, Alkazi saabwrites, “Thetheatreisadangerousactivity,fullof temptations for the ego, it en-courages one’s narcissism andone’ssenseofvanity.Oneiswork-ingallthetimewithlivinghumanbeings, andmoulding them toone’s ownvision and the dangeris of going into a self-indulgentspace.Itrequiresaninnatehumil-ity to realise how little one

knows.”That is theatre inanutshell!Feisal narrates two lives here: As Alkazi

saabwasshapingIndiantheatre,Feisalwritesabout his part in Indian theatre, from hisformativeyearsasadirectortobecomingoneof itsleadingpractitioners.Eventhoughthis

is amemoir, healsodelineates Indianmod-ern theatre’s development in all its politicalandculturalcontexts,thusmakingthemem-oir a studyof Indianmodern theatre.Onapersonalnote,heacknowledgesthe

influencesoftwowomenthatmadehim:hisgrandmother andhismother. After his par-entsseparated,hewasmoreattachedtohismother.Theseparation“didcreateadistancebetween father and son... from the age ofnineIhadlivedexclusivelywithmymother,asdidmysister.Amal(Feisal’ssisterandoneof India’s leading directors) had the advan-tageofseeingmyfathereveryday,asshewasa student at NSD. But thoughmymothervaliantly strove to keep father and son to-gether, I never had the same rapport withhimas Ididwithher...”But in theatre, Feisalfollowedhis father’s steps. “I amverymuchmyfather’s son.”Alkazi saab “was the last survivor of

thosewho had gathered at the horseshoe-shaped dining table 77 years earlier toestablish theTheatreGroup.”Withhis exit,anageended forever.

SurendranathSisatheatredirectorbasedoutofKarnataka

The Swish of the CurtainsA walk through the history of modern Indian theatre with its foremost practitioners

ENTERSTAGERIGHT:THEALKAZI/PADAMSEEFAMILYMEMOIRBY FEISAL ALKAZISpeaking Tiger256 pages`699

SUVAJITDEY

WIKIMEDIACOMMONS

New Delhi

SHIVANINAIKMUMBAI, SEPTEMBER25

WHILEMEDALSareconsideredtheultimatemetrics of sporting success inOlympic sea-sons around the world, Germany spent alargepartof2020-21confrontingtheunder-belly of some of its highly successful massand elite training systems, holding amirrorto them.Pitching for an independent centre for

SafeSporttoprotectyoungathletes,vulner-abletosexualandotherformsofabuse—thelead-uptoSunday’sfederalelectionhasseenrare cross-party consensus on the issue ofsafeguardingyoungathletes.Cases of violence and abuse in German

elite sport (gymnastics, swimming,boxing)wererevealedlastOctober,withgymnasticsconfronting entrenched abuse at one of itsNational Training Centres. National politicsgotinvolvedasthefederalgovernmentisre-sponsible for funding elite sport and thesecentres. As the country elects a newChancellor and members of the 20thBundestag on Sunday, electionmanifestoscommittedfundingandsupporttotheissueof tacklingchildabuse insport.WhileleadingpartiesCDU/CSUaffirmed

theircommitmenttosettingupaSafeSportscentre if elected,SDPtoopromisedan inde-pendent point of contact. Alliance 90/TheGreenswentdeeper,withtheirelectionpro-grammesaying,“Weadvocateforanationalstrategyagainstpsychological, physical andsexualviolence insport,ofwhichtheestab-lishment of an independent centre for safesport is an integral part.” They also de-mandedastudyfinancedbythefederalgov-ernmenttoresearchtheextentofsexualisedviolence inmass sports inpast cases (called“Aufarbeitung”).TheFDPhasspokenofcounsellorsatevery

federalstatecentre,whiletheLefttoostressedon“betterprocessingofpastandpresentcasesof sexualised violence.Wewant to seriouslyexamine theproposals for the creationof anindependentcentreforsafesport.”

Call for autonomous oversightMaximilian Klein, Representative for

International Sport Policy at AthletenDeutschland(AD), anathletes’ rightsgroup,ledwithadiscussionpaperthatcalledforanindependent oversight organisation, sepa-ratefromsportsfederations.“Sincethen(thepaper),thedebategainedverygoodmomen-tum, a broad alliance of stakeholders andparties is supporting the idea; and it waswrittendowninsomeelectionprogrammesofourmajorparties,”hesaidofamovementthat ran parallel to the pursuit of Olympicmedals —Germany finished ninthwith 37medalsatTokyo.

The Independent Inquiry into SexualChildAbuseinGermanystartedlookingintocases of abuse since 2019, gathering testi-monies of past cases and looking into rea-sonswhytherewerecover-ups.Thirty-sevenpercentofteamathletessur-

veyedhadexperiencedsexualviolence.“Apartfromsupposedlymildformsofviolence,suchasverbalsexualizedremarks,12percentoftheathletes—7per cent ofmenand16per centofwomen—haveexperienced severe formsofsexualviolenceinthecontextofsports,e.g.,childsexualabuse,rape,unwantedsexualcon-tact,orrepeatedsexualharassment,”AD’sdis-cussionpaperstatedaddingthatithadcrimi-nalramifications.Thecallforestablishingcontactpointsfor

young athletes, independent of their sportclubs and families to report abuse, gaineddecibelafterabout100victimscameforwardwith their stories to theCommission.“After a public hearing by the German

truth and reconciliation commission deal-ingwithchildabuse insport,wewere look-ingforwaysofstructuralreforms,hadalookat the debate abroad (such as in the US orSwitzerland) andwrote a discussion papercalling for an Independent Centre for SafeSport inGermany,”Klein recalls.Whilethecommissionfindingswerefol-

lowedbyabelatedapologyfrommembersof

theOlympiccommittee, resistancetoanin-dependentauthoritytomonitorcasesslowlysawpoliticalpartiesputtingtheirfootdownandtakingastand.

Unequal relationshipsKlein explained the need for an inde-

pendent bodywas acutely felt because, “ofvery asymmetrical power relationships be-tween athletes and coaches, aswell as con-flictsof interestof actingpersons.”Severaltestimonieshadspokenofathletes’

hesitancy to contact their own federationorassigned ombudsman offices, fearing theywouldn’tbeheard,believedorprotectedfromstayinganonymous,having toalonebear theconsequencesforreportingabuse.The United States had set up the US

Center forSafeSportthroughtheProtecting

Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and SafeSportAuthorizationActof2017,andbetweenMarch 2017 and February 2020 reported astaggering5,000casesofviolenceandabuseinsport, according to theADpaper.Kleinsaysthatcasesofabuseingymnas-

tics spilledover likeawave intomanyothercountries after theNassar revelations inUSgymnastics,andathletesfinallydaredtotelltheir own stories, starting aworldwide de-bate including at the German OlympicTrainingCentre.“Here, too, the structural deficits of a

closedeco-systemwithoutanycontrol, andathletesinstrongdependencyrelationships,became apparent - althoughmany knewabout it fora long time,”hesaid.“Thenationalfederation,forexample,still

faceslegaldifficultiesindismissingthecoach.Unfortunately, it took these horrific revela-tions around theworld to bring awarenessto theminds of officials. The pressure be-camefartoogreatthantolooktheotherwayany longer,” Klein said, talking of why gov-ernmentshad tomandatemeasures.“Thecultureofelitesportmustbealigned

insuchawaythatmedalsdonotcomeattheexpenseofthehealth,wellbeing,andhumanrightsofathletes, includingminors.Aspeak-up culture must become the norm,” headded.

Abuse in sport a poll issue inGermany

TheIndependent Inquiry intoSexualChildAbuse inGermanyfoundthat thirty-sevenpercentof teamathletessurveyedsince2019hadexperiencedsexualviolence.AP file

19WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHE SUNDAY EXPRESS,SEPTEMBER26,2021 SPORT

Rarecross-partyconsensusonthe issueof safeguardingyoungathletesaheadof federalelection

Manchester:BRUNOFERNANDESmissedaninjury-time penalty as teammate CristianoRonaldo looked on inManchester United's1-0 home loss to Aston Villa in the PremierLeague on Saturday. Villa defender KortneyHausewas the hero for the visitors after heflicked a header into the net off a corner inthe88thminuteforhisteam's firstwinoverUnitedsince2009.ButHausewasthenwhis-tled for a handball to set up the spot kick asUnitedtriedtorescueapointatOldTrafford.Fernandes,whohad converted apenalty

in three consecutive Premier League gamesagainstVilla,adjustedtheballasRonaldostoodnearbyandthenblastedithighoverthecross-bar.Unitedamassed28shotsbutjustfourwere

ontargetasitfailedtoscoreinahomePremierLeaguegameforthefirsttimein16games.ManchesterCitybroke its runof losses to

ChelseabyhandingitsPremierLeaguetitleri-valafirstdefeatoftheseasonthankstoGabrielJesus'deflectedgoal ina1-0winonSaturday.InthelatestmatchtohighlightCity'sneedforastriker,PepGuardiola'steamrequiredadoseof fortune for thewinner as Jesus took aimfromjustinsidetheareaandtheballsquirmedintothebottomcorneroffChelseamidfielderJorginho'sheelinthe53rdminute.ChelseahadbeatenCityintheirlastthree

meetings—mostrecentlyintheChampionsLeague final inMay— butwas largely out-playedatStamfordBridge. AP

Bruno takespenaltyaheadof Ronaldo,misses in1-0 loss

Koeman gets 2-match ban forcomplaining after Cadiz drawMadrid: The troubles for Barcelona coachRonaldKoemankeeppiling up. Koeman re-ceived a two-match ban on Friday for com-plainingattheendofBarcelona's0-0drawatCadizintheSpanishleaguethedaybefore.Theresult extendedBarcelona'swinless streak tothreematchesand increasedthepressureonKoeman.Koemanwassentoffdeepintostop-pagetimeforcomplaintsdirectedatthefourthofficial. The Spanish federation determinedthatthismeritedatwo-gamesuspensionthantheautomaticone-gamebanforared.Koemanwillmiss Barcelona's homematch againstLevante in the Spanish league onSunday, aswellastheteam'svisittoAtleticoMadridnextweekend. One of the reasons that upset theDutchcoachwasthesendingoffofmidfielderFrenkiedeJongafterasecondyellowcardear-lierinthematch.BarcelonaarguedthatDeJongtouched theball before contactinghis oppo-nentandshouldn'thavebeenbooked. AP

Warriors’Wigginsdeniedreligious exemption for vaccineSanFrancisco:GoldenStatesWarriorsforwardAndrewWiggins'requestforreligiousexemp-

tion from the COVID-19vaccinehas beendeniedandhewillnotbeable toplay in his team's homegameswithoutbeingvac-cinated, theNBA said onFriday. The 26-year-oldCanadian,whoaveraged

18.6pointsand4.9reboundsin71gameswiththeWarriors last season,was seeking anex-emptiongiven thecityof SanFranciscohasavaccine requirement for large indoor events."Wigginswill not be able toplay inWarriorshomegamesuntilhefulfillsthecity'svaccina-tion requirements," theNBA said in a state-ment. TheWarriors have preseason homesgamesscheduled forOct.6,8and15andwillplaytheirregular-seasonhomeopeneronOct.21. AP

ManchesterUnitedmidfielderBrunoFernandeshadconvertedapenalty inallthreeofhispriorPremierLeagueappearancesagainstAstonVilla.AP

Sunday September26Focusonyourdreams. It’saninspiredday,butnotpractical.Payattentiontodetail.You’ddobesttogiveordersand waitforpeopletocarrythemout.

Monday September27Choices, that’s what today is about. It’sworthchattingtopeoplebecauseyouwillpickupideas.Thecomingyearbodeswellfor success.

Tuesday September28Yourstarsareshowingabalancebetweenexpansiveandrestrictivealignments.Withcommonsenseyou’llachieveabalancebetweenpleasureandyoursenseof responsibility.

Wednesday September29Questionyourplans.Byrevisiting long-heldassumptionsyouwillworkoutabetterpath for the future.Bymakingharddecisions,youwillmake lifeeasierover thenextyear.

Thursday September30You’reable tocharmpeoplewithyourwaysor threatenthemwithaproverbialstick.Bothstrategiesarecentral toyoursuccess.Checkoutprofessionaloffers.

Friday October1You need to feel safe and secure. Yourfinances need attention. If you get thissorted first, you’ll create space to trynewideas and time to develop a romanticrelationship.

Saturday October2It's time to dream a little, let yourmindwander. Thecomingyearcouldbea timewhen you'd be advised to pay moreattentiontoyour imagination.

If it’s yourBirthday

SUDOKU4606

DifficultyLevel4sInstructionsTosolveaSudokupuzzle,everydigitfrom1to9mustappear ineachofthenineverticalcolumns, ineachoftheninehorizontalrowsandineachofthenineboxes.

DifficultyLevel1s=Veryeasy;2s=Easy;3s=Medium;4s=Hard;5s=VeryHard;6s=Genius S

OLU

TIONSUDOKU4605

Givenbelowarefour jumbledwords.Solvethejumblestomakeproperwordsandmovethemtotherespectivesquaresbelow.Selecttheletters intheshadedsquaresandjumblethemtogettheanswerforthegivenquip.Lovediesonlywhen_____.-PearlS.Buck(6,5)

SOLUTION:ROOST/ROOTS,TRESS,UPSHOT,AWEIGHAnswer:Lovediesonlywhengrowthstops.-PearlS.Buck

TORSO OSUHPT

RESTS AEHIGWE

JUMBLEDWORDS

ARIES(Mar21-Apr20)Keepgoinguntilallyourdomesticambitionsareaccomplished,and

putinthatextrabitofefforttopersuadefamilymembersthatyourplansarethebest.Aboveall,don'tgiveintoemotionalblackmailfromthosewhowantlifetoremainasitis.

TAURUS(Apr21-May21)Itcanbetiresomewhensomanyfriendsandfamilymemberslooktoyou

forguidance,supportandpracticalassistance.Whatsofewpeopleseemtorealiseisthatyouneedsometimelyadviceyourself. Infact,there'snobettertimethanthepresenttositdownandmulloverbigchangesthathavealteredyourlife.

GEMINI(May22-June21)It’snousefeelingsorryforyourself ifyou’recaughtinacatch22.situationin

relationships,unabletopleasepartnersnomatterwhatyoudo.Lookhardandyou’llseethatinfacteverythingisfineandthattheproblemlieswithyouandyourrefusaltobreakwithpastpatterns.

CANCER(June22-July23)Yourdoggedpursuitofyourdeepestambitionswillundoubtedlybe

responsibleforfuturesuccessesinpersonalaswellasprofessionalfields.Yetyourfearof failurealltooeasilyactsasabrakeonyourmanyachievements,andyouneedtokeepyoureyesonyourfinalgoal.Don’tallowdistractionstooverwhelmyou.

LEO(July24-Aug23)Agreatdealthatisinyourfavourstillappearstobegoingonbehindthescenes,

althoughyoucouldbeforgivenforimaginingthatsomeoneisnotonthelevel.However,sometimesyourfeelingsofuncertaintyandconfusioncangetthebetterofyou.Behonestwithyourselfaboutyourownneedsanddesires.

VIRGOAug24-Sept23)Romanticaffairsdependonyourreactiontochange.Ifyouaredetermined

tohangontoanoldlifestyle,withallthatitentails,you’llgiveyourselfabumpytimeathome.Familymembersmaywellbejustifiedintheirviews.Therearenewdevelopmentsyettocomeandyouremotionallifecouldgrowmoreexpensive.

LIBRA(Sept24-Oct23)You’llbespoiltforchoice,butthisisnotthetimeforindecision.Ifyou

reallywanttomakethemostofcurrentopportunitiesinyourwork,thenpulloutallthestopsandaimforthetop.Evenifyoufallshort,you’llstillachievemorethanseemedpossibleashortwhileago.

SCORPIOOct24-Nov22)You’vebeengoingthroughanextendedmoney-consciousphaselatelyand,

assumingyou’velaidthegroundworkwell,recentrestrictionsshouldlift,pavingthewayforeasierfinancialcircumstances.Familymembersorclosefriendsmaypromptyoutothrowcautiontothewind.

SAGITTARIUS(Nov23-Dec22)Yourcelestialinfluencesarepositivebutyoumayfeeltrappedbetween

agreatopportunityandastrangeinvitation,withnewresponsibilitiesfacingyouwhicheverwayyouturn.It’simportanttorealisethatanygoodfortuneisofyourownmaking,partlytheresultofalong-standingambitiontohelpotherpeople.

CAPRICORN(Dec23-Jan20)Thisisthetimetoopenupandgoouttoseeknewfriendsandinterests.Don’tallow

imaginaryfearsorsuspicionstoholdyouback.Takeafewrisks,layyourselfonthelineandyou’llsoonbesurprisedhowwillinglyfriendsandloversfollowyourideas.

AQUARIUS(Jan21-Feb19)Thestarsareonyourside.Atalltimes,andinallsituations,consideronlywhatis

importantinthelongrun.Thisappliestoyourwork,especiallyifyouhaveideasandskillswhichhavebeenundervalued.However,assumingthatfinancial,domesticandfamilyissueshavebeentakencareof,you’lldobestbyironingoutinconsistencies.

PISCES(Feb20-Mar20)Thisisaperfecttimetoshowwhatyou’remadeof.Secretly,you’remuchmore

ambitiousthanpeoplethink,andoverthepastfewmonthstherehavebeenplentyofdramaticbreaks.Ifyou’vetakenafewrisks,thechancesareyou’vedoneratherwell,sonow’sthetimetositbackandbaskintheglory.

YOURWEEKAHEADBRIDGE

Southopens1NTandgetsaninvitational4NTbidfromNorth. SinceSouthcan not havemore than the seventeenpoints he has, he goes on to6NT.West's lead, the tenofhearts, is asafe lead forWest, givingnothingawaytoSouth.Southcountshistricksandgetstoelevensurewinners. Atwelfthtrickmaycomefroma3-3clubbreakorfromaspadefinesse.Anyideasonhowtoplayfromhere?

NORTH♠ AK102❤KJ♦ 853♣9863SOUTH♠ QJ3❤ A76♦ 853♣9863

NORTH♠ 1072❤ KQ♦ AQJ6♣A953

SOUTH (YOU)♠ AQ❤AJ75♦ K932♣ K82

WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH1NT

Pass 4NT Pass 6NTPass Pass Pass

SUNDAY CROSSWORD 2340QUICKCLUESACROSS1. Protection(6)4. Successfullyobtainaposition(4,4)9. Notperfectlycircular? (6)10. Handgamerock,paper, ____ (8)12. Concerts (4)13. Putoutof joint (10)15. Ridiculous; impossible (12)18. FormerCaptainof theEnglishCricket team(4,8)

21. Pullingor twistingoutof shape;misrepresentationof factsetc.(10)

22. Moveslowly (4)24. Wraiths (8)25. Africanrepublic (6)26. Inhabitor live in (8)27. Disagree inopinion?(6)

DOWN1. Temporaryexpedients (8)2. Finemetal lacework(8)3. N.Englandriver (4)5. Increase inspeed(12)6. Hopelessendeavours(4,6)

7. Secondlargestcityandport inPortugal (6)

8. Endof rugbygame(2-4)11. Ill-usage (12)14. Level (10)16. Deadlockor impasse(8)

17. Beingbroadcast? (2,3,3)19. Totals (4,2)20. In the landofNod(6)23. Against (4)CRYPTICCLUESACROSS1. Puckplaysamajorpart inoneversionof it (6)

4. Henry's initialhesitationbetweendoingdrugsandactingasanescort(8)

9. Unopposed inRome, inshort (3,3)10. Will thisbe it? (8)12. Lettersof credit (4)13. Likeamillpond, it's justabovefreezing-point (5,5)

15. Nothingblue- it'spureentertainment!(4,5,3)

18. Distortedopiniontheroosterhasoflife? (4-4,4)

21. Instrumentnoted forprecision(6,4)

22. Togetyouroldmaninto theHouse,justadda littlewater(4)

24. TopToryaftereuropeanseatofgovernment! (3,5)

25. Fashionablegreeting,butover-affected(6)

26. Askwas itarrangedtomarkHitler'sregime?(8)

27. Sycophantbackingally'sparty-good(6)

DOWN1. Draperiesnotapprovedbymostmodernsocieties (8)

2. Discoveravoucherhasanoteinside(4,4)

3. Land inPalestine toget fashionbacking(4)

5. Northof thebordera fewfeetwherecoppercanbefound(8,4)

6. Arrangednudesaround11-2forautopsyevidence,maybe(4,6)

7. It'sabout fivehundredtoone love,they'renotverybright(6)

8. Raisedsupport inanattemptatbackingahorse(6)

11. Fortunearununcovered(6,2,4)14. Reportagroupof conservationistsoranofficeworker (10)

16. Faced innbrawlwithmoney

behind it (8)17. Giving this for that? (8)19. Tastesdiffer inAmerica(6)

20. Articleamemberbroughtback foragirl (6)

23. Articleswrittenbyawoman(4)

QUICKCLUESAcross: 1Decree,4Hearsays,9Splits,10Trestles,12Oriental,13Usable,15GopalKrishna,18Skeletonkeys,21Tasman,22Apostate,24Warriors,25Bantam,26Deriding,27Ostend.Down:1Dislodge,2Calliope,3Eatinglikeabird,5Earn,6Restsononesoars,7Ad-libs,8Sister,11Laurels,14Isotope,16Repartee,17Esteemed,19Stewed,20Usurer,23Erin.CRYPTICCLUESAcross:1Shrews,4Rolledup,9Regain,10Reindeer,12Palatial,13Swoons,15Intriplicate,18Uglycustomer,21Opined,22Atheling,24Minstrel,25Target,26Convents,27Stasis.Down:1Seraphic,2Regality,3Whistlingkettle,5Owed,6Linkwiththepast,7Drewon,8Purist,11Valleys,14Actuate,16Impinges,17Frigates,19Formic,20Signon,23Feat.

Solutionsto2339

Southplaysin6NT,apushycontractthatdoeshavesomeplay. Westleadsthetenofhearts. Southhopefullytriesthe jackfromdummy. EasthasthequeensoSouthmustwininhishand.This isanunder-stuffedcontract,Southhavingonly31highcardpointstoworkwith. 6NTisgoingtoneedsomeluck. Specifically,Southneedsbothoftheminorsuitfinessestowork.Southgoes to dummywith the ten of spades and takes a club finesse. ItwinsbutWestshowsout. Well, I supposethat isbetter thanWest'shav-ingtheking.What isSouth'splan?TheWestHand:S-974H-109843D-J10942C-TheEastHand:S-865H-Q52D-K7C-K7542Southhas lotsofentriestodummyandheusesthem. He leadsthe jackofspadestotheaceandtakestheprovenclubfinesse. Thenheleadsthequeenofspadesover to theking. Somegood luckcomesagainwhenthespadesdivide3-3. ThatallowsSouthtocashthetwoofspades. There isstillabitofworktodo. Southtakestheprovenclubfinesseandafterthatgoesovertothekingofheartstotakethediamondfinesse. Somehandsarefatedtosucceed,andthisonedoestoowhenthediamondfinesseworks. Attheendthere isadiamondloserbuttwelvetricksareall thatSouthwants."Letme see," saysNorth. "Youhad theAKQJ10of spades and you stillneededa3-3split totakefourspadetricks?"South looked atNorth butNorthwas smiling at his joke, so nothingmorewassaid."Thatwasabit lucky,"notedWest.Lucky,yes,butwelldonetoo.South's clubswere toogood. If Southhad theAQ109of clubs andNorththeJ863, theplaywouldbemucheasier sinceSouth can lead the jack ofclubsandrepeatthefinesse. ThiswouldreduceSouth'sneedforentries.Dealer:South Vulnerable:East/West

WEST NORTH EAST SOUTHPass Pass Pass 2NTPass 3C Pass 3DPass 6NT Pass PassPass

Dealer:West Vulnerable:None

Weadvocate for a nationalstrategy against psychological,physical and sexual violence insport, ofwhich the establishmentof an independent centre for safesport is an integral part.”

ALLIANCE90/THEGREENSGERMANGREENPARTY’S ELECTIONPROGRAMMEON ISSUEOFABUSE INSPORT

New Delhi


VolXXNo.28Regd.No.DL-21046/03-05 R.N.I.No.506/57. PrintedandPublishedbyR.C.Malhotraonbehalf of The IndianExpress (P) LimitedandPrintedatThe IndianExpress (P) LimitedPress,A-8, Sector-7,Noida -201301andDBCorpLtd,DainikBhaskarVillageUnanTola,NearDanapurCantt, ShivylyaRoad,PostKhagaul, Shahpur, Patna (Bihar) andPublishedatThe IndianExpress (P) Limited,MezzanineFloor, ExpressBuilding,9&10,BahadurShahZafarMarg,NewDelhi110002.Editorial office:The IndianExpress (P) Limited,MezzanineFloor,ExpressBuilding,9&10,BahadurShahZafarMarg,NewDelhi-110002.Phone:0120-6651500.Advertisingoffice:The IndianExpress (P) Limited,B1/B, Sector-10,Noida-201301.Phone:01206651291.Chairmanof theBoard:ViveckGoenka,Chief Editor:RajKamal Jha, Editor:UnniRajenShanker, Editor (Delhi):RakeshSinha** **Responsible for selectionofNewsunder thePRBAct.Copyright:The IndianExpress (P) Limited.All rights reserved.Reproduction inanymanner, electronicorotherwise, inwholeor inpart,withoutpriorwrittenpermission ispro-

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SPORTAditi infifthplaceatArkansasC’shipRogers : Aflawlesssix-under65gaveIndian golfer Aditi Ashok a flyingstart in the first round of theWalmart NW ArkansasChampionship. The 23-year-oldIndianhadsixbirdiesandnobogeysas she was two shots behind theleading trioof ALimKim,KatherineKirk and Eun-Hee Ji, who allrecorded8-under63s tosit atop theleaderboard. Aditi has been lookingfor a couple of solid finishes to en-sureamoveupfromhercurrentpo-sition of 87th on the Tour. Shestarted fromthe10thandtwicehadback-to-back birdies on 15th and16th and again on first and second.Her other birdies came on seventhand ninth. Kim's 63 is her career-best score, while Ji tied her lowmark,whichshe last recorded in thefirst round of the Honda LPGAThailand. Kirk's round is her lowestsince a 62 at the 2018 ThornberryCreek LPGA Classic. Kirk has playedin every edition of the tournamentsince its inception. One stroke be-hindthe leaderswasSarahBurnhamafter she recorded a career-low 7-under64, thanks tosevenbirdiesonthe day to sit in solo fourth. PTI

ArcheryWorlds:TwosilvermedalsforIndiaYankton: The Indian women's andmixedpaircompoundarcheryteamssigned off with silver medals afterlop-sided losses to Colombia at theWorldChampionships. Indiawere inpursuitof their first evergoldmedalat theworldevent.Foracountrythatdoesn't have a gold yet, India haveclimbed the most podiums at theevent -- 10 --, appearing in eight fi-nals and leaving with silver eachtime. The Indian mixed pair duo ofAbhishekVermaand Jyothi SurekhaVennam, who stood fourth in theranking round, started off with aone-point lead but Colombia domi-nated thereafter. The Indians wentdown by a four-point margin (150-154). The seventh seeded women'steam of Jyothi, Muskan Kirar andPriya Gurjar, on the other hand, lostby amarginof fivepoints (224-229)against the troika of Sara Lopez,AlejandraUsquianoandNoraValdez.

PTI

SaniareachesfinalinOstravawithZhangOstrava (Czech Republic): VeteranIndian tennis player Sania Mirzareachedher second final of the sea-son with partner Shuai Zhang fol-lowing a straight set win overMakoto Nonomiya and Eri Hozumiat the Ostrava Open, on Saturday.The second seeded Indo-Chineseduo defeated the Japanese pair 6-27-5 in the semifinals in one hour 21minutes.The34-year-oldSanianowhas a chance towin her first title ofthe2021season. Shehadarunners-up finish at theWTA250 Clevelandevent in the USA last month withChirstinaMchale. PTI

BRIEFLY

Sochi: MCLAREN'SLANDONorrisseizedhisfirstFormulaOnepolepositionattheRussianGrand Prix on Saturday after seven- timeworldchampionLewisHamiltonhitthewallinadampanddramaticqualifyingsession.Ferrari'sSpaniardCarlosSainzjoinedthe

youngBritonon the front row inSochiwithWilliams' George Russell, Hamilton'sMercedesteammatefromnextseason,com-pleting a sensational top three against allodds. Hamilton, who had been on provi-sional pole before everyone switched toslicks on a drying track, qualified fourth --making it threeBritons in the top four -- af-terabrushwith thepit lanewall.The team hurriedly swapped the front

wingandgothimbackouton slicks in timeforonemoreflyinglaptothechequeredflagbut the tyres had lost temperature andHamiltonspun,withhisfastesttimeremain-ing that seton the intermediates.Hamilton can still expect to retake the

overall lead from Red Bull rival MaxVerstappenonSundaywiththe23-year-oldDutch driver starting at the back due to en-gine penalties. Mercedes have yet to bebeaten in Sochi since the first grand prixtherein2014.Sainzhadsetthepaceonslicksbut Norris, 21, produced a final effort half asecondfasterinaqualifyingsessionthathadlooked in doubt earlier in the day as rainswept in. The 21-year-old Britonwhoopedindelightatwhathehopedwouldbethefirstofmanypoles.

REUTERS

How chart-topper Harshal uses off-cutters to take wickets

SRIRAMVEERASEPTEMBER25

INA low-quality encounteronapitchwheretheball heldupabit, Delhi Capitals snubbedoutRajasthanRoyalswith their better bowl-ingattack.Rajasthanbattedas if theygaveupthechaseof155inthesecondoveritselfwhenthey lost both openers. Even Sanju Samson,Rajasthan’s captain, absolved thepitch fromanyblame.“Itwasnotthatslow,itwasholdingupabit,butwekeptlosingwickets.”The grass-less pitchwas a bit tacky per-

haps,withtheballcomingonatouchslowly,butbatsmendidn’textendthemselvestotrytoadapttothesituation.Theydidn’tknockitaround for singles, they didn’t try hitting,theydidn’ttrytoforcethebowlerstochangelinesor lengths…theywereonanauto-pi-lot tonowhere.Andtheysucceeded.Fromthatsecondover,untilthe15thover

whenSamsonpickedupthreefours, itwasastrange yawn-fest. Delhi kept plugging on,with amixof spin and seam, andRajasthankept pushing and prodding. Regular pro-gramming returnedafterthat15thoverandthatwas that.A teamcanbeunderstandably abit sur-

prisedbytheslownessof thepitchhadtheybattedfirst-itwasn’tthatdrasticbutenoughsluggishness in there to upset their naturalbat-speeds, but to have seen Delhi bat andthen go into this sleepmode in the chaseshouldcallforsomeintrospection.“Withthequalityof thebatsmeninourteam,Ithoughtit was an easy choice. But we kept losingwickets and didn’t have themomentum togoafterit,”Samsonwouldsummariseitlater.The Delhi bowlers though did most

things spot on — be it R Ashwin and AxarPatel or the seamers Anrich Nortje andKagisoRabada, they all kept it tight enoughto let Rajasthan tie themselves up in knots.Nortje burned up the track with his paceevenonthis slowtrackwhileRabada threwinhismixofsloweronesandsurprisebounc-ers.

A low-quality encounterOnewonders at what stage in their in-

nings, Delhi decided that 150 would be agoodscore.ShikharDhawanfellearlyafteradefensive pat proved so soft that the ballrolled back on to the stumps and PrithviShaw prodded around before he fell toChetanSakariya,miscuingaswipeacrosstheline to a ball angling across him. From thenon, Delhi slowly turned cautious as theystartedtofindmoreaboutthepitch.ShreyasIyer and Rishabh Pant were the ones whodealtwiththemiddleoversbutslowlyfoundoutthatthistrackwasn’ttooidealforbighits.And so they adjusted and started to rotatethestrike.It was left to ShimronHetmeyer and an

averagesecondspellfromKartikTyagitogetthem past 150. In the 16th over, Hetmeyerslammed three fours as Tyagi leaked16.Herepeatedlymade room to the leg side andcarved the full, length, and short deliveriesbehindsquareontheoffside.Inhisnextover,heslippedout twowidesandendedupgiv-ing 11more. Those 27 runs from two oversof TyagihelpedDelhimovepast150,whichprovedmore thanenough.

BRIEF SCORES: Delhi Capitals 154 for 6(Iyer43,Hetmyer28,Pant24;Rahman2/22)beat Rajasthan Royals 121 for 6 (Samson70*;Nortje2/18)by33runs

Spirit-lessRajasthansurrender tamely toadisciplinedDelhiCapitalsbowlingattack ina low-qualityencounter

TUSHARBHADURISEPTEMBER25

The best player in thematch – by a countrymile–finishedonthelosingside.JasonHolderwas thehighest scorerwith the bat andhadthebestbowling figures. But such is the cur-rent state of the SunrisersHyderabad outfitthatnobodyelseseemedreadytoprovideanysupport to theirmainman. A target of 126–even if thepitch isnota featherbed–shouldbeasmoothchaseonmostoccasions.Buttheyseemedtohavegivenupon thecurrent sea-sonalready.PunjabKingslosttheirlastmatchwhichtheyshouldhavewon,butthefive-runwin at Sharjah on Saturday just about kepttheminthereckoning.

Holder the lone rangerHoldercameinto theSunrisers set-upas

aninjuryreplacementforMitchellMarsh,butthe tallBarbadianhadn’talwaysgot into theplayingXI.When Jonny Bairstowwas avail-able and the teammanagement was con-cernedaboutthebatting,theyendedupplay-ingtheEnglishmanalongwithDavidWarnerandKaneWilliamson in the line-up. RashidKhan is a bona fidematch-winnerwith theball, and it didn’t leave room for any otheroverseas player. The decision-makers tooktheirowntimetorealisewhatseemedbleed-

inglyobvious.Holderbringsdepthtoateamwithbothbatandball.Hemadehispresencefelt– firstwiththeball -withaspell thatputthe skids under the PunjabKings. Figures of3/19fromfouroverswillmakeatangibledif-ferencetothefortunesofanyteam,especiallyonedowninthedumpslikeSunrisers.Holderpitchedtheballrelativelyuptothe

bat,buthisextraheight(hestandsat6-foot-7)meant the ballmade contact a bit higherup thewillow thanwas expected. And theslowernatureof thewicketresultedinshotsgoing in theair.KLRahul’s flick foundshort-midwicket, opening partner MayankAgarwal’s drive landed inmid-off’s handswhile DeepakHooda’s attempt to raise thetempo towards the end finished in an acro-baticcatchatshortcover.Holder couldhavewon itwith thebatas

well, even after Sunriserswere reduced to60/5with seven overs left. His unbeaten 47off 29 balls –with five sixes - suggested he

was playing on an altogether different sur-face.Butnobodyelseintheteammanagedastrikeratemorethan100.Needing 17 off the final over bowled by

Nathan Ellis, Holder hit a six on the secondballtobringtheequationdownto10off four.ButacombinationofgooddeathbowlingandfatiguecameintoplayeventhoughtheWestIndianwould feel he could have donemorewiththefinalball–afulltoss–whensixwereneededtoforceaSuperOver.

Shami gets the big fishAftertheduckoff threedeliveriesagainst

Delhi Capitals the other evening, DavidWarnerfacedasmanyballsonSaturdayend-ingupgettingtwo. ItwastwomorethantheAussie lookedgoodenoughtoget.MohammedShami’s first delivery to the

left-handerwasonthestumps, andwasde-fendedbacktothebowler.Thenextonewasaround off-stump.Warner tried to force it

throughtheoff-sideandwasluckyaninsideedge eluded the stumps andwent towardsfine-leg foracouple.The third ballwas a short andwide one,

whichWarner inhisprimewouldhavesav-agedthroughthecovers.Buthisfeetseemedstuck in concrete as a desperate waft onlyfoundthetoeendofthebatonthewaytothewicketkeeper.Incontrast,Williamsonalwaysseems composed and in control against thebest of bowlers. But the Kiwimaestrowasfoundwanting against Shami on the night.The Indian seamer cramped the Sunrisersskipperandwhenhebowledadecentlengthjustoutsideoff-stump,Williamsonfeltanop-portunitytobreak loose.Butahintofmove-mentresultedinaninsideedgethatcrashedinto the leg-stump. Shami’s spell wouldn’thave been out of place on the firstmorningof a Testmatch. Figures of 2/5 fromhis firstthreeoversgavePunjabKingsachancetode-fendtheirsub-par total.

Bishnoi casts awebIndian batsmen are considered good

against this skill, butonewouldcastadoubton that statement judgingbyhowSunrisersbatsmenplayedBishnoi.ManishPandeyplayedallaroundadeliv-

ery,predictingitwillspinaway.KedarJadhavchoppedoneon, trying to late-cut a ball toocloseforthatshot,whileAbdulSamad’sheavereachedas farasshort third-man.

BRIEF SCORES: Punjab Kings 125 for 7(Markram27, Holder 3-19) beat SunrisersHyderabad120for7(Holder46*,Bishnoi3-24,Shami2-14)byfiveruns

No holding on for SRH despite paltry target vs Kings

Slow track, sluggish Royals

Norris takes firstpole as Hamiltonhits the wallSANDIPG

SEPTEMBER25

IT CANNOTbe sheer fluke or happenstancethatHarshalPatelcontinueshismerrywicket-takingways–hesnaredtwoatthebackendinthegameagainstCSK,brieflyignitingacome-back.Morethanhalf theseasonintothisedi-tion,heleadsthecharts19wickets,fourmorethan second-placed Avesh Khan, and eightmore than Jasprit Bumrah andMohammedShamiinthesamenumberofgames(11).Noonehaspickedmorewicketsthanhiminthelastfiveoverseither(12)inthisedition.Thisisnot to say that he’s better than India’s first-choicepace-pairacrossformats,butjustthatthis season, there’s something that’s clickinginhismethods.

Whyhas his prolific seasonsurprisedmany?Tried, tested and flopped—if not for this

season, his IPL career could have beensummedup thus. In thepreviouseight sea-sons,whereinhisappearancesweresporadicthan sustained but for the 2015 edition inwhich he sparred in 15 games, he had justfeaturedin48games,inwhichhehadwhee-dledoutonly48wickets,concedingcloseto10runsanover.Therewasnothingstandout,forgeteye-catchingabouthim.Hehadnoneof theT20staple,neither thepace,he rarelynudged the speed-gunbeyond135kph, northevariations forsomeonewithoutexpresspace.Hedidswingtheball,hasasumptuousout-swinger,butswingisseldomafast-mov-ingcurrencyinthisformat.Heisreputedforhislustyblowsdowntheorderinthedomes-

tic,butatthislevelhasn’treplicatedit.At30,heisnotquiteeitherforfranchisestofurnishhimanextendedrun.Butanuncapped,localbowler is handyas aback-upor emergencyoption,andallhisoutingsinthelastfiveedi-tionshavearrived thus.Hadhenotpickedafive-forinhisfirstgamethisseason—against

themightyMumbaiIndians—hewouldhavecontinued tobeone.

Whathavebeenhiskeyweapons?Apart from enhanced precision, he has

sharpenedhisyorkersandaddedahighlyef-fectiveoff-cutter.Heuses themcleverly.His

yorkersseldomstraybeyondtheoff-stump,inwhichcaseitcouldbefodderforrampandthepick-up shot. He lands themmostly be-tween the tramline and fifth stump. At hispace,ratherlackofpace,hiswideyorkersareincrediblydifficult tohit.Thebatsmanhastogenerateall

the impetus for his strokes whilehavingtoreachfortheballandim-part power into the strokes. It’s areason a lot of wickets are frommistimedshots,batsmencaughtinthe inner ring.Butabiggerweaponhasbeenhisoff-cut-

ter,bowledwithoutanydecipherablechangeintheaction,wristpositionorreleasepoint.It grips the surface, bounces, and stops atbatsmen. The reduction of pace is not dra-matic(fromanaverageof132kphto115kph),buttheover-spin-inducedextrabouncesur-prises the batsman. Asmany as nine of his19wicketswerebargained through theoff-cutter,andaccordingtoCricViz,hepicksonewicket off every six off-cutters. It’s hismosteconomicalballtoo,batsmanmanagingonly6.71 runs, as compared to his overall econ-omy rate of 8.89.He also, occasionally, slipsin the low, slowwide full toss, which againisdifficult tohitout thepark.

Butwhy then is he on theexpensive side?Two reasons. Primarily, he bowls at the

death over,when the batsman is looking tohit every ball out of the park. As he is not abowler who looks to contain the batsman,hehastotradeafewboundariesforhiswick-ets. Even if he strays slightly off-length, hebecomeseasymeatanddrinks for thebats-

men. Secondly, hemostly toggles betweengoodandfullerlengths,andishencepronetoblows down the ground and the leg-side.Most of the runs, he concedes are in the arcbetween long-off andmid-wicket. It’s the

priceheusuallypaysforhislength.Then, even Bumrah concedesaround8.40runsanover in the fi-nal four.In fact,RoyalChallengershasa

bettereconomyrateinthelastfive(10.09) than Mumbai Indians(10.28)andDelhiCapitals (10.63),

two teamswith themost destructive fast-bowling ammo. So, Patel might leak somerunsbutwouldproducegame-alteringwick-ets, and thus, has been RCB’smost influen-tialbowler.

Whohas been amongst hiswickets?It’s not like he has been getting cheap

wickets, but rather the prized scalps ofrenowned big-hitters. His wickets include,amongothers,HardikPandya,KieronPollard,EoinMorgan,AndreRussell,ChrisMorris,Fafdu Plessis, Suresh Raina, Prithvi Shaw, andMarcus Stoinis. All those that are capableofunleashing fury at the death. There havebeengameshehasgot thestick, likeagainstPunjab Kings (0/53) or 37 runs RavindraJadejalootedinanover,buthehasbeenRCB’schief wicket-taker at the death, picking uptwoormorewickets on six instances in theleague. Hewill have his off-days, or ratheroff-overs, but he compensates those withwickets.Andthosethathaveunderestimatedhim have returned to the pavilion with aburnedego.

HarshalPateliscurrentlytheleadingwicket-takerthisseasonwith19,fourmorethansecond-placedAveshKhan,andeightmorethanBumrahandShami. iplt20.com

POINTS TABLEM W L NRR Pts

DC 10 8 2 +0.711 16CSK 9 7 2 +1.185 14RCB 9 5 4 -0.720 10KKR 9 4 5 +0.363 8PBKS 10 4 6 -0.271 8MI 9 4 5 -0.310 8RR 9 4 5 -0.319 8SRH 9 1 8 -0.637 2

RajasthancaptainSanjuSamson’sunbeaten70wentinvainagainstaDelhiattackstarringthelikesofpacerKagisoRabada. iplt20.com

Thegistofbasicallywhat(TigerWoods)saidwasI’mcheeringyouguyson, I’mrighttherewithyouandgofightandmakeusproud.Wewereabletodothatand ifTW’swatching, thanksfor that text,brother, I think ithelpsusa lot.”

TONYFINAU, AMERICANGOLFERSAYSATEXTFROMTIGERWOODSINSPIREDTHETEAM TOABIG LEADONFIRSTDAYOFTHERYDERCUP

PBKS’RaviBishnoipickedupthreecrucialwicketsgivingaway24runs.

SYNOPSIS: Lone ranger Holder fallsshort as Shami & Bishnoi help PunjabKingsdefendpaltry total

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SEPTEMBER26,2021 Country roads, take me home - Sosin ...

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