Time running out to curb terror, Pak. told - SPLessons

CMYK

A ND-NDE

Delhi

City Edition

54 pages O ₹��15.00

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june 23, 2019

MAGAZINE A 32 PAGES (TABLOID)

CLASSIFIEDS A PAGE 4 & 6

Neither CPI(M) nor I

will protect my son, says

Kodiyeri Balakrishnan

page 10

CBI conducts searches

on premises of defence

dealer Sanjay Bhandari

page 12

Lewis Hamilton takes

pole position for

French Grand Prix

page 20

Reminding Pakistan that ithas less than three monthsto show progress on curbingterror fi��nancing, India said itexpected its government tofully comply with the actionplan set out by the global body Financial Action TaskForce (FATF) by taking“credible, verifi��able, irreversible and sustainable measures” against terroristgroups on its soil.

On Friday, the FATF plenary session in Orlando, U.S.,issued a stern statement atthe end of its outcome document, telling Pakistan that itcould face blacklisting (thenext step) at its next sessionin October, if it did not follow a 27point checklist onbringing in stricter laws tocurb the access of funds toterror groups inside thecountry, including the Islamic State, alQaeda, the LashkareTaiba and the JaisheMohammad. The FATF putoff�� the blacklist, reportedlydue to support for Pakistanfrom China, Turkey and Malaysia, but the entire 38member body stressed thatPakistan had missed two action plan deadlines.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson RaveeshKumar said India expected

Pakistan “to take all necessary steps to eff��ectively implement the FATF ActionPlan fully within the remaining time frame, that is, bySeptember 2019, in accordance with its political commitment to the FATF andtake credible, verifi��able, irreversible and sustainablemeasures to address globalconcerns related to terrorism and terroristfi��nancing.”

Risk ignoredThe task force said Pakistanhad failed to understand the“transnational” or crossborder terror fi��nancing risk it

posed. It also listed 10 of themost important tasks, including the eff��ective implementation of UN sanctionsagainst designated entitiesand more robust prosecution of terror fi��nanciers. India was not a sponsor of theoriginal move to put Pakistan on a compliance ‘greylist’ last June, but has supported the U.S., the U.K.,Germany and France in efforts to make Pakistan accountable. Pakistan was puton the grey list in 2018, thesecond time it has been on itsince 20122015.

Time running out tocurb terror, Pak. toldNew Delhi cites FATF move to blacklist Islamabad

Suhasini Haidar

New Delhi

CONTINUED ON A PAGE 12

Hat-trick man: India clinched a thriller against Afghanistan in the World Cup matchin Southampton on Saturday. Defending 15 runs in the fi��nal over, Mohammed Shami performed a hattrick to seal the victory for the Men in Blue by 11 runs. * REUTERS (PAGE 19)

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Thriller win

Union Minister for Minority Aff��airs Mukhtar AbbasNaqvi said Prime MinisterNarendra Modi had, by direct contact with all sections, smashed what wastill now a “hypocrisy”around engagement withminority communities of“room main topi, sadakpar tilak” (a skull cap indoors, a tilak out on thestreets).

In an exclusive interviewwith The Hindu, Mr. Naqvisaid, “All talk that minorities are under siege in Indiais part of the haar ka horror show (the horror showof the defeated).”

He added that violent incidents where minoritieswere being targeted were“isolated.”

Minorities notunder siege,says Naqvi

Nistula Hebbar

NEW DELHI

INTERVIEW ON A PAGE 13

In a strong statement on Saturday that could spiral intoa diplomatic spat, the rulingBJP accused the U.S. StateDepartment of a “clear bias”against the government ofPrime Minister NarendraModi and the party in an annual report on internationalreligious freedom releasedon Friday.

The ‘2018 Report on International Religious Freedom’ had criticised BJP offi��cebearers for hate speechand the government for reportedly protecting cow vigilante groups.

‘Local disputes’“The basic presumption inthis report that there issome grand design behindantiminority violence is

simply false,” BJP NationalMedia head Anil Baluni saidin the statement.

“On the contrary, in mostof such cases, these instances are carried out as a resultof local disputes and by criminal mindsets. Wheneverneeded, Mr. Modi and otherBJP leaders have stronglydeplored violence againstminorities and weaker sections of society,” he added.

The report, which documents the situation in everycountry (except the UnitedStates), was released by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who will arrive in Delhion June 25 for talks with External Aff��airs Minister S.Jaishankar.

BJP slams U.S. for‘bias’ against PM Annual report had criticised the party

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI

REPORT EXPRESSES CONCERN ON

COMMUNAL VIOLENCE A PAGE 14


The civil aviation regulator on Saturday decidedto ban Indian carriersfrom fl��ying over the Iranian airspace, fearing anincrease in hostilities between the U.S. and Iranand to ensure the safety ofpassengers, crew and aircraft fl��ying the route.

The decision, whichwill impact Air India andIndiGo, comes a day afterthe Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)banned U.S. carriers fromfl��ying over the Iranian airspace, days after Iran shotdown an unmanned U.S.spy drone. As a result, United Airlines has suspended its direct fl��ight fromNewark to Mumbai.

In a statement issuedthrough its Twitter handle, the DirectorateGeneral of Civil Aviation(DGCA) said, “Indian operators, in consultationwith the DGCA, have decided to avoid the aff��ectedpart of Iranian airspace toensure safe travel for passengers. They will reroutefl��ights suitably.” It did notsay whether fl��ying was allowed over the rest of theIranian airspace.

Indian airlinestold to skipIran’s airspace

Lalatendu Mishra

MUMBAI


TENSION SPIKES A PAGE 14

NAVY MAY ESCORT OIL SHIPS

THROUGH THE GULF A PAGE 13

A 42yearold private tutorallegedly killed his wife andthree minor children beforetrying to take his own life insouth Delhi’s Mehrauli areain the early hours of Saturday. The accused has beenarrested, police said.

The accused, Upendra Kumar Shukla, belonging to Bihar’s Champaran region anda resident of Mehrauli’s wardnumber 2, allegedly killedhis wife Archana, daughterRanya (8) and sons Raunak(6) and a monthold boywhom they used to fondlycall Rani. They were foundwith their throats slit at thefourthfl��oor residence. Theaccused allegedly tried to slithis left wrist later.

The police have also recovered two notes, in Englishand Hindi, in which Upendraadmitted to killing his familyand said no one else is res

ponsible for the murders.

Heard criesDeepak Agarwal, who runs agrocery shop on the groundfl��oor of the building, saidaround 6.30 a.m., a thirdfl��oor resident told him thathe heard someone cryingupstairs. The neighbours gottogether and broke open thedoor. Seeing the bodies, theycalled the police.

A senior police offi��cer saidthey reached the spot by 7a.m. and saw the bodies of

nephew have been stayingfor the past year for theireducation, and his motherinlaw arrived about twothree months ago.

“Upendra and his familyused to sleep in one roomand his motherinlaw, nieceand nephew in the other.When Upendra and his wifedidn’t come out on Saturdaymorning, Ms. Lalita went tothe room and saw bloodcoming out from inside. Shestarted knocking but Upendra didn’t open the door, after which she started shouting,” the police offi��cer said.

Upendra, a chemistryteacher who used to giveprivate tuitions in VasantKunj, had graduated from Jawaharlal Nehru University ina language course years ago.The couple, married for nineyears, had been living in Delhi for over seven years.

Upendra wife’s on the fl��oorand the three children onthe bed. “Upendra was sitting on the bed with a stonecutter close to him. Hismotherinlaw Lalita Deviwas crying,” he said, addingthat Upendra’s clothes werebloodstained. The noteswere marked as being written at 2.18 a.m.; investigatorssuspect the crime was committed around 2 a.m.

The Shukla family lives ina twobedroom house.Upendra’s minor niece and

Tutor kills wife, three children in MehrauliAccused admitted crime in two notes before attempting to take his own life

Hemani Bhandari

NEW DELHI

Onlookers outside the house where the murders took place, inMehrauli on Saturday. * SANDEEP SAXENA

SEE ALSO A PAGE 6

The Rajasthan governmenthas given an offi��cial goaheadto implement the Central government’s fl��agship health insurance scheme, AyushmanBharat – Pradhan Mantri JanArogya Yojana. It will be integrated with the State’s existing Bhamashah Swasthya Bima Yojana.

“We are very happy withthe outcome and have assured all possible support to

Rajasthan,” said Indu Bhushan, CEO, ABPMJAY.

Rajasthan is currently providing benefi��ts to 97 lakh families under the BSBYscheme, and many of the eligible families under ABPMJAYare already covered underBSBY. All eligible families willbe made eligible to availhealth benefi��ts up to ₹��5 lakhper year under the scheme.

The Central scheme is alsoundergoing a price review ofthe over 1,000 medical pack

ages being off��ered to patients. The Indian Medical Asso

ciation has long been demanding a “reasonable andfair package rate” under Ayushman Bharat while consultants such as PricewaterhouseCoopers had said the rateswere not sustainable for quality health care.

“The government has setup committees to review thecost of nearly 1,300 medicalpackages,” said a seniorHealth Ministry offi��cial.

Rajasthan to implement Ayushman BharatIt will be integrated with existing State health scheme

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

NEW DELHI

Human skeletal remainswere found strewn near agarbage dump close to thepostmortem section of theSri Krishna Medical CollegeHospital (SKMCH) here onSaturday, offi��cials said.

The SKMCH is in newsfor the death of more than100 brain feveraffl�ictedchildren since June 1.

Skeletons nearBihar hospital

Press Trust of India

Muzaffarpur

NATION A PAGE 11

Smriti Irani, Goa CM visit Amethi AMETHI (U.P.)

Union Minister Smriti Irani

and Goa Chief Minister

Pramod Sawant visited

Amethi’s Barolia village on

Saturday to meet the family

members of BJP worker

Surendra Singh, who was

killed recently.

NORTH & EAST A PAGE 7DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

NEARBY

BJP delegation visitsBhatpara in W.B.KOLKATA

A threemember BJP

delegation visited the

troubletorn Bhatpara area in

West Bengal on Saturday,

and alleged that police fi��ring

had led to the death of two

persons during the clashes

earlier in the week.

NEWS A PAGE 12DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Elderly couple stabbed in their Dwarka homeNEW DELHI

A couple in their 50s were

stabbed to death at their

residence in Dwarka’s Uttam

Nagar on Saturday. The police

suspect the involvement of a

man who used to live with

the couple. The victims lived

in Mohan Garden with their

son and daughter. The police

are looking at all angles,

including robbery and

monetary dispute.

CITY A PAGE 3DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

CMYK

A ND-NDE

DELHI THE HINDU

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CITY

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday directed government offi��cials to carryout development works inover 750 unauthorised colonies on a “war footing” andcomplete all the projectswithin fi��ve months.

The directions were issued by Mr. Kejriwal duringa highlevel meeting with Irrigation and Flood ControlMinister Satyendar Jain andsenior offi��cials.

“The Chief Minister directed the department tosubmit a weekly report onthe progress of ongoing developmental works now,which he will personallymonitor,” the government

said in a statement.At the meeting, the Mr.

Kejriwal was informed thatthe model code of conductduring the Lok Sabha election had halted the ongoingwork in such colonies, pushing the deadlines in manycases.

The Delhi governmenthas made a provision of₹��1,500 crore in the budgetfor the development of thesecolonies.

“The Chief Minister directed the offi��cers to ensurethat fi��nancial resources donot become a constraint inthe development of unauthorised colonies. He said thegovernment has made morethan adequate provision offi��nancial resources for these

works,” the statement said.Mr. Kejriwal also alleged thatthe Delhi DevelopmentAuthority (DDA) has “failed”to ensure proper development of Delhi.

Criticises DDA

Had the DDA, Mr. Kejriwalwas quoted as having said atthe meeting, ensured properplanned development of thenational capital since its inception, the residents wouldnot have suff��ered due to uneven development.

He alleged that the DDAcould not keep pace with theexpanding city and failed toprovide adequate housing inaccordance with the demands of the residents of theCapital.

‘Finish work in illegal colonies’Kejriwal gives offi��cials time till Nov., asks for weekly report

Staff Reporter

New Delhi

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday directed theDelhi Jal Board to resolve allwaterrelated problems inMalviya Nagar and make theprocess of getting new waterconnections easier.

Mr. Kejriwal, who is alsothe DJB chairman, furtherdirected offi��cials during a review meeting to restart 100tubewells that are currently

nonfunctional in the area.“We should augment supplyof water and take all steps required. No colony shouldface problem of water,” theCM said.

“Providing water to thepeople is our duty. Weshould not have any complex rules for getting newwater connections. We mustmake it as simple as possible... please work it out,” theCM told DJB offi��cials.

Staff Reporter

New Delhi

CM directs DJB to resolvewater issues in Malviya Nagar

Exhibition: Between Art Deco andModernism - Polish Posters from1918 - 1939, an exhibition ofarchival posters from the collectionof the Poster Museum at Wilanów,Main Art Gallery, Kamaladevi Com-plex, India International Centre (IIC),11 a.m. onward.

Exhibition: Bahaar-e-dilli, a soloexhibition by Bahaar Jain and calli-graphy in Urdu by Dr. Touseef Sheikhat Delhi ‘o’ Delhi Foyer, India HabitatCentre (IHC), 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

Exhibition: A solo painting exhibi-tion by Kumar Umesh at ConventionCentre Foyer, IHC, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

(Mail your listings for this column [email protected])

DELHI TODAY

A minor fi��re broke out at Dr.Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in the small hours of Saturday. Over 200 patientswere shifted to traumacentre and other places as aprecautionary measure.

No casualty was report

ed, the Union Health Ministry said. A fi��re departmentoffi��cial said a call was received at 4.19 a.m. regardingthe fi��re in an electricity panel near the Emergencygate. “Four fi��re tenderswere rushed to the hospital.The fi��re was doused within15 minutes,” he said.

Minor fi��re at RML HospitalStaff Reporter

New Delhi

CMYK

A ND-NDE

THE HINDU DELHI

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CITY

Several women activistshave welcomed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s proposed policy of free transport for women in DTCbuses and metro trains, butmaintain that this is onlythe fi��rst step towards ensuring women safety and empowerment, as many otherfactors such as secure working environment and generation of more jobs areequally important.

Calling the move a progressive step, activist Shabnam Hashmi said it will especially benefi��t the lowermiddle classes. “A lot of women are unable to ventureout for work as they cannotaff��ord it. Increased mobilityalso ensures freedom over aperiod of time. A large section of women earn anything between ₹��10,000 and₹��15,000, and free transportwould mean that they willbe able to save at least₹��2,000 per month. This canmake a lot of diff��erence tothem,” she said.

Free metro rides wouldalso mean safer commutefor women, said Kavita Sri

vastava of People’s Unionfor Civil Liberties. “Severalwomen hesitate to boardprivate buses, especially after the Nirbhaya incident.However, if travel on themetro is made free, it willdefi��nitely become easier forwomen to commute. Thefact that the Delhi Metro isexpanding at such a fastpace is an addedadvantage.”

On questions beingraised on the rationale behind the policy, Ms. Srivastava said: “It is important tonote that when minimumwages are suppressed andproper ration is not provided, it is okay for the government to at least providesome kind of subsidy interms of public transport.”

Some activists, however,stressed that free transportmay not necessarily meansafer travel. Annie Raja ofthe National Federation ofIndian Women said, “Whilewe are not opposed to theidea, it has nothing to dowith the safety and securityof women. It is a welcomestep, but eventually itshould be extended to thosewho cannot aff��ord publictransport. An intervention

needs to be made for allthose who are reeling undereconomic distress.”

‘Need more jobs’She pointed out that women’s participation in theworkforce in India has reduced to 27%, hence generation of employment andimplementation of existinglegislations are equallyessential.

“About 93% of the Indianworkforce is in the unorganised sector and constitutesmostly homebased workers. Free transport is onefactor but it will only helpthe workforce if the workplace environment is improved. If it is a shorttermpublicity stunt it will not

work,” Ms. Raja explained.‘Pinjra Tod’, an autono

mous collective of womenstudents in Delhi, hailed thegovernment’s move and also criticised certain groupswhich claimed “providingfree rides only to womenwas not equality”. Thegroup in a statement said,“Equality is not the denialof particular needs or turning a blind eye to power differences, where entireclasses of people, based ontheir gender, caste, class,race identity are systematically and historically put ina position of disadvantageand marginalisation. Equality is the end of socially differentiated power which requires organised

intervention on the side ofthose oppressed/excluded/exploited.”

‘More freedom’Renuka Viswanathan, former Principal Adviser of theerstwhile Planning Commission, said the Delhi government’s decision wouldencourage women to go outand work. She even wroteto Prime Minister NarendraModi on June 18 seeking hissupport to the policy.

“Women, irrespective ofwhat strata they belong to,should be in charge of theirincome and mobility. If theDelhi government has surplus budget and politicallegitimacy, then surely thisscheme will be sustainablein the long run. The government can easily work out asystem where it pays theDMRC upfront to ensure itdoes not run into losses,”said Ms. Viswanathan.

‘Poll gimmick’Some, meanwhile, saw themove as a “poll gimmick”which was bound to fail.Poonam Parashar Jha, president of the BJP Mahila Morcha, said, “These freebiesbeing promised by the go

werment, welcomed themove and said that the government should not see itas a subsidy. “More than asubsidy, see it as an investment to increase women’sparticipation in public spaces and workforce,” she said.

Ms. Dhar suggested thegovernment should redesign the transport systemfor women’s safety. “Thereshould be lastmile connectivity, buses should stopnear women’s workplacesand houses among othermeasures. Just free rideswon’t help, but it’s a welcome step,” she added.

Jyotsna George, campaign manager (gender andsexuality) at Jhatkaa.org, agroup campaigning for citizen power, said they havebeen running an onlinecampaign on the issue. “Research shows that womenfeel safer in public spaceswhen there are more women around,” Ms. Georgesaid.

“The government has totake this momentum forward and initiate manymore steps such as lastmileconnectivity and fi��xingstreet lights. Don’t stop atgiving free tickets,” she said.

vernment, especially beforethe upcoming elections,will not work. E. Sreedharan [former Delhi Metrochief ] has also pointed outwhat will happen to the metro if this policy is rolledout. If the government actually wants to empowerwomen, it should focus ongenerating jobs for them.”

Vaani Subramanian of Saheli Women’s ResourceCentre said that the “grandgesture with zero impact”will not help women. “Theannouncement is more ofan economic measure andnot based on safety issues.Even though lastmile connectivity has improved, itstill is a hassle in manyareas. The policy shouldhave been better thoughtout.”

“Mobility is only onestep. It has to be complemented by other factors, including proper wages andbetter facilities at the workplace. Using women’s issuesin a populist framework isnot a good idea,” she added.

‘Investment for future’Suneeta Dhar, an adviser atJagori, a Delhibased NGOworking for women empo

Free rides for women only the starting point, say activists Majority of them welcome the Delhi government’s proposed policy but want more initiatives to ensure women safety and empowerment

Shinjini Ghosh

Nikhil M Babu

New Delhi

Women seen travelling in a metro in New Delhi. * FILE PHOTO

The BJP Opposition on Saturday accused Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of dragging ‘Metro Man’ E.Sreedharan and the DelhiMetro into “his dirtypolitics”.

It also attacked DeputyChief Minister Manish Sisodia of “lying” about havingwritten to Mr. Sreedharanon the issue on June 14. Mr.Kejriwal and Mr. Sisodia had“no right to waste” publicmoney for their “electoralgimmick” even as it condemned AAP allegationsagainst Mr. Sreedharan, theBJP said.

“Mr. Kejriwal is so irresponsible that he did notsend the letter dated 14 June2019 to Mr. Sreedharan butpubblicised it in the media.Obviously, their intentionsare bad,” said LoP in theDelhi Assembly VijenderGupta.

“Mr. Sreedharan in hisresponse to Mr. Sisodia hasinformed of not having received this letter yet... Suchan attitude can only be ofthose who have no love forthe people of Delhi or theDelhi Metro,” Mr. Gupta added.

AAP draggedSreedharaninto dirtypolitics: BJP

Staff Reporter

New Delhi

The police on Saturday saidthey have not found anyleads in the alleged attackon a Madrasa teacher whowas hit by a car after he refused to say “Jai Shri Ram”on Thursday in Rohini Sector 20.

A senior offi��cer saidMohd. Momin has not beenable to give information onthe make of the car. Also,CCTV footage obtainedfrom near the spot has notbeen of much help. “The accounts given by some eyewitnesses of the incident donot substantiate the claimsmade by the victim but theinvestigation is under way,”the offi��cer said. The accused have not been identifi��ed yet, the police added.

No headway inmadrasa teacherattack probeStaff Reporter

New Delhi

Weather WatchRainfall, temperature & air quality in select metros yesterday

Temperature Data: IMD, Pollution Data: CPCB, Map: INSAT/IMD (Taken at 18.00 Hrs)

Forecast for Sunday: Heavy/very heavy rainfall likely at a few/isolated places over coastal Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Pu-ducherry, south Interior Karnataka, Telangana, Chhattisgarh,Vidarbha, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Sikkim,Konkan & Goa, central Maharashtra, Marathawada and Bihar

city rain max min city rain max min

Agartala.............27.2.... 34.6.... 26.7 Kozhikode ................4.... 29.4.... 24.0

Ahmedabad............ —.... 39.8.... 28.2 Kurnool ....................9.... 35.7.... 27.3

Aizawl ....................3.... 27.8.... 19.2 Lucknow................0.3.... 37.6.... 27.0

Allahabad ..........12.7.... 33.7.... 26.6 Madurai................... —.... 37.3.... 28.0

Bengaluru .............. —.... 29.4.... 21.6 Mangaluru.............9.8.... 29.4.... 23.4

Bhopal................... —.... 39.8.... 27.4 Mumbai................... —.... 33.3.... 27.4

Bhubaneswar .......1.4.... 31.4.... 23.9 Mysuru.................... —.... 31.6.... 20.2

Chandigarh ............ —.... 41.2.... 25.0 New Delhi ............... —.... 40.3.... 27.2

Chennai ................. —.... 40.2.... 30.5 Patna ....................3.6.... 32.4.... 28.8

Coimbatore..........7.2.... 31.4.... 22.2 Port Blair ............50.6.... 31.7.... 23.9

Dehradun............... —.... 37.5.... 23.6 Puducherry.............. —.... 40.2.... 29.8

Gangtok...............0.4.... 24.1.... 19.1 Pune ....................... —.... 34.2.... 23.9

Goa ....................... —.... 30.8.... 23.2 Raipur ..................... —.... 29.0.... 21.8

Guwahati .............9.3.... 36.4.... 35.6 Ranchi.................22.2.... 36.8.... 23.2

Hubballi................. —.... 28.0.... 22.0 Shillong.................3.1.... 26.4.... 18.4

Hyderabad ...........7.9.... 31.9.... 23.2 Shimla..................... —.... 28.2.... 17.2

Imphal.................1.6.... 30.5.... 22.3 Srinagar .................. —.... 28.7.... 11.7

Jaipur .................... —.... 40.1.... 29.8 Trivandrum ...........3.8.... 30.5.... 26.3

Kochi.................12.2.... 28.0.... 23.8 Tiruchi .................... —.... 37.8.... 27.4

Kohima................8.6.... 32.7.... 18.0 Vijayawada .............. —.... 35.1.... 28.2

Kolkata................8.6.... 33.6.... 27.0 Visakhapatnam ......... —.... 30.0.... 27.6

(Rainfall data in mm; temperature in Celsius)

Pollutants in the air you are breathing Yesterday

CITIES SO2 NO2 CO PM2.5 PM10 CODE

In observation made at 4.00p.m., Ballabgarh, Haryanarecorded an overall airquality index (AQI) score of254 indicating an unhealthylevel of pollution. Incontrast, Haldia, WestBengal recorded a healthyAQI score of 21

Ahmedabad..... ..— ..— 35 ..... — .....— ....—

Bengaluru ....... ..4 .30 20 ....94 ...72 ....*

Chennai .......... 13 .32 57 ....92 .....— ....*

Delhi .............. 36 .48 39 ..160 .256 ....*

Hyderabad ...... ..9 .34 11 ....61 ...53 ....*

Kolkata........... ..3 .18 14 ....34 ...48 ....*

Lucknow ......... ..2 .43 48 ..280 .....— ....*

Mumbai .......... 30 ..— 10 ....41 .150 ....*

Pune............... 63 ...8 29 ....81 ...75 ....*

Visakhapatnam 11 .76 52 ....99 .105 ....*

Air Quality Code: * Poor * Moderate * Good (Readings indicate average AQI)

SO2: Sulphur Dioxide. Short-term exposure can harm the respiratory system,

making breathing difficult. It can affect visibility by reacting with other air

particles to form haze and stain culturally important objects such as statues

and monuments.

NO2: Nitrogen Dioxide. Aggravates respiratory illness, causes haze to form by

reacting with other air particles, causes acid rain, pollutes coastal waters.

CO: Carbon monoxide. High concentration in air reduces oxygen supply to

critical organs like the heart and brain. At very high levels, it can cause

dizziness, confusion, unconsciousness and even death.

PM2.5 & PM10: Particulate matter pollution can cause irritation of the eyes,

nose and throat, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath, reduced

lung function, irregular heartbeat, asthma attacks, heart attacks and

premature death in people with heart or lung disease

A couple was stabbed todeath at their residence inDwarka’s Uttam Nagar on Saturday evening, the policesaid. They suspect the involvement of a man, who usedto live with the victims.

An offi��cer said Hari Ballabh and his wife ShantiSingh, both from Bihar, usedto live with their son anddaughter. Hari was blind andused to teach at a government school while Shantiwas a homemaker. There was

no sign of forced entry in thehouse, the police said.

“The couple’s daughterhad made a PCR call at 7 p.m.The victims had beenstabbed in their stomach andneck. They were rushed to ahospital where they were declared brought dead,” the offi��cer said.

A 30yearold man, whowas in the business of taxiservice and property dealing, had been living with thefamily for a year. A case hasbeen registered and probe isunder way, the police added.

Couple found stabbed todeath at Dwarka residenceStaff Reporter

New Delhi

Hoax call at BJPheadquartersNEW DELHI

A call was allegedly received

at BJP headquarters control

room on Saturday in which

the caller threatened to blow

it up. The police were

informed and during the

probe, it was found to be a

hoax. The caller has been

traced to Mysore, they said.

CMYK

A ND-NDE

DELHI THE HINDU


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✔ HINDU INTERCASTE Fbc/Msc, 30MSC journalist Uthiram Nonveg Chen-nai seeks suitable Groom withclean habits.ct 9940504016

SC AD BE 29 Wheatish ChevvaiThosam Working in Foreign Bank.Prefer In & Around Chennai SendBHP Ct : 9841966234

YADAVA GOOD Looking, 28/155, Ay-ilyam, Kadagam Rasi, B.Com, MBA,seeks Yadava groom. Ct: 9844261097

HINDU SOZHIYA Vellalar 35 / 160 cmMBBS, Govt. Dr, Divorcee ( No Child ).Seeks MBBS, BDS, PG. Suitablegroom, ( No Child ) good family. Con-tact : 9500766577

VISWAKARMA, ROHINI, July77, 155cmBSC, MBA Sr. Manager Standard Char-tered Bank Ch, 85K pm seeks GroomCt: 9840616326 / [email protected]

BAKYA & BANU Msc,B.Ed M.Phil,Teacher Yadava(CasteNoBar), 16.12.82,8.35am, Dhanusu,Moolam,3rdPadam,Chennai 9080988170,[email protected]

MUDALIAR, 36Yrs, Very Pretty, FairWorking for MNC, desires a partner tomatch her stature. CNB. Contact -9949985811 / 9989827274

HINDU NADAR /24 /B.E/ PVT /3.5Lak/ P.ASG Durainadar Chromepet Ch−44044−48573284, 6381576005 10am− 6pm

MUDALIAR GIRL 27/152 Uthradam FairGood Looking B.Tech MBA Working inSoftware Co., Upper Middle ClassSeeks Alliance from Groom withEqual Match with Raghu Dosham.9043020942

CHRISTIAN NADAR 33/176, US Edu-cated Corporate employed Chennaifrom Business Rich Affluent Educatedfamily seeks Professionally QualifiedBride from same Community. Ct:9443256614, 9884353795.

Wanted smart educated well settledmatch for good looking mudaliar girl,widow, 37 years/5’.7”, employed ,frommudaliar family settled at Hyderabadcast no bar ph:8008608222.

YADAVA/NAIDU MBBS, MS 29Seeks MD/MS/MDS/Doctor/CA/IAS/Grade 1 Grooms only CT :7305352183

PILLAI/ MUDALIYAR: B.E. 35 SW Erwidow 2 boy kids own house seeksqualified tamil groom 35−40 india/abroad. ct 9994423130

ALLIANCE FOR young businesswomenM.S, [UK] based in Chennai, 26,5.4 ht, fair, Beautiful, cleanhabits. Inter−caste Parents of Vel-lalar Community, Net worth about200 Crores. Business in Garment Ex-ports, Agri, Construction, Trav-els, Minings. Suitable allianceage below 30 from an equal networth family with clean habits pre-ferred. Caste no bar.Email:[email protected]

Hindu Adidravida 29/161 IPS OfficerFair seeks IAS,IRS,IPS Officer GroomCaste & Religion No Bar. 8838348204

I.R.S OFFICER 30/163 Hindu MudaliarAsst. Commr (Customs & CE) Chennai1Lpm seeks similar Employed GroomCNB.9840136141/[email protected]

KORAMASHETTY (SC) 33/162, M.Sc,B.Ed, B'lore, unmarried seeks welleducated groom. CNB, Ct:9591815684

MUSLIM 28/172 MBBS,PG Fin LibratedParent seeks MBBS Bride Modrn / Pi-ous & Small famly. [email protected]

Nair Thiruketta 24/160 sudhajatagamBE SWE Chennai seeks below29 Edu-cated Employed Groom. 9884167385

Kannur, Nambiar Girl, 40/165, Chith-ra, MDS Doctor working Abroad. Loo-king for Suitable alliance. [email protected]

CHENNAI SETTLED 23/165 MakayiramSW Engineer F−Thiyya M−Nair Par-ents Govt. employed. Brother em-ployed Canada. BHP to: [email protected]

NAIR, GIRL, Pooyam, Two Dosham, 31−5−1979, MCA.,HSBC, Hyderabad. Suit-able for Bridegroom Ct : 9003213224

TAMIL HINDU Vellalar Divorcee 46MS,SWE,US Employee, Son17yr seekUS Employee Groom.Ct: 9940623480

CSI CHRISTIAN NADAR Girl 22/163B.E, Well to do family. LookingFor Groom from Same Caste Communi-ty Well Educated Doing Business ,God Fearing, Clean Habits And Wellto do family. Respond with fullBio−Data, Photo & Contact Number.E− mail to [email protected]

CSI M−NADAR F−Mudaliar 26/162 BE(CS) Wheatish working IT seeks BE/ME/MCA employed in good job prefer-ably in Chennai/ Bangalore/ Abroadage below 30yrs. from any BC Chris-tian family. Ct: 9445953647/9444330960

SC,AD,MCA 32/150CM Meenam Purathad-hi Working in Private.Seeking Suit-ableGroom.Ct:09840069565/09710783411

CSI CHRISTIAN Nadar Girl Fair,Good Looking, 03−04−1986 born /152cm / M.Sc M.Phil , working asAssistant Professor in a ReputedWomen’s College, Mount Road, Chen-nai. Both Parents Doctors (Private), Suitable Alliance, Employed /Settled in Chennai / With CleanHabits from Same Community. Con-tact: 9841182514

33/158, Good looking girl employedBangalore. Seeks employed Christrealised spirit filled Christian boy fromBangalore only. Contact: 8220712872/6364044206.

ELITE CHRISTIAN Business Family inChennai, looking for Bridegroomsage around 33 Settled / Working inUS for a fair looking God fearinggirl working in America. Ct:[email protected]

MUSLIM ROWTHER 29/155 M.ComM.Phil Seeks Suitable Groom. Conver-ted Muslims acceptable. 9043435212

ADIDRAVIDA PROTESTANT 28/165, MBA,Working in Foreign Bank in Chen-nai. Seeks God Fearing Groom. Ph:9791183867 / 9791183523 / 044 −26850417

CHRISTIAN GROOM engaged in busi-ness for RC Nadar girl Educated atLondon. Fair,Slim, 162cm 27yrs,family oriented Ct: 9444389092/94445 81118

RC NADAR 35/155 MA MPhil employed−ICF Chennai. seeks suitable groomCt:9445512183/ [email protected]

✔ TAMIL MUSLIM fair slim 33 yrsB.E educated girl looking for nev-er married well educated Boy fromChennai. Whatsapp Bioda-ta:7358624675

RC BANGALOREAN Doctor Parentsare looking for a suitable PG Doctorgroom, Language no bar, studying/working in India/ UK, for their fair be-autiful daughter, MBBS, DTMH (UK)26/160, studying further in UK. Ct:9945530186.

CSI− AD 34/ 164 Divorcee ME, PhDAsst Prof Seeks qualified groomCaste− NB Ph 9655679974

ROMAN CATHOLIC Nadar, 33/159cm, Dentist Divorcee with one child,good looking pious seeks individualearning Groom less than 39 yrs fromIndia or Abroad. Cell: 8220541095.

TAMIL MUSLIM Chennai Settled, DEN-TIST, 32Yrs Good−looking, Fair, Di-vorcee No issues,Well placed Edu-cated Parents, Seeks Dr / Er / PG/ Prof. Qualified Groom. Ct:8939214627.

SEEKING PRACTISING Muslim livingin USA for 24yrs/163cm PG girlwith F1 US visa to do phd.9940014700

FAIR LOOKING, Dy. Manager, SBIChennai, Mylapore. Tamil, BE/27yrs, Roman Catholic seeks Govt/Bank/ IT Groom Ct: 94439 52465/87789 97608

RC NADAR (Caste No Bar) 28/155cm, B.Tech (Hons), Working in TCS,Canada. 7538802230

RC Nadar (Caste No Bar) 27,153,B.Com, Working in CTS, 55K/Month.7538802230

CSI SC DOB 12.8.1982 DOCTOR−BHMSC.NO 9626637750, 9843162625

MUSLIM DOCTOR 26/154.MD final yearseeks tamil muslim doctor groomstudying or completed PG.9884623120

CHRISTIAN NADAR Smart Fair Em-ployed 34/165 B.E. MS (US) seeksprofessionally Qualified Groompreferably US 35−37yrs. Ct9884612958

RC NADAR, 30/153, Very Fair, BEMBA SWE Chennai Divorcee (ShortLived) Seeks Wellsettled EducatedGroom. 9884924350.

HINDU SC PR Kongu 1984 MBBS DCHGovt Doctor, working in Govt Hospi-tal seeks suitable groom. 9443680973.

VANNIAR AVITTAM 24/160 MS,Working in USA, Seeks Equally Quali-fied Vanniar/Gounder/Naicker groombelow 29 yrs. Cont: 9442344779

SC-AD Thiruvadirai Midunam 34/163Msc,MBA SBI Mngr chen seek EductdEmployd groom below38. 9444005310

RC DKV,31, BE,MBA Govt.Bank Offi-cer 40K, Good Looking,Well Set-tled. Seeks Alliancs, CasteNoBar9176260510

PILLAI,24/160 SADHAYAM (No Dosham)MBBS,Currently doing MD,Upper mid-dle class family seeks suitablegroom with good family backgroundbelow 29 yrs,Seeks Doctors/PG En-grs,Caste no bar.Ph:+91−9841048236

MUDALIAR 24 BE Chennai seeks wellsettled qualified Pofn/ BusinessGroom in Chennai Ct:Geetham9884858014

REDDY 30 Attorney at Law Califor-nia seeks suitable profile in Cali-fornia CNB Ct: Geetham 9884858014

Smart girl 30/160 father Kallar motherIsai vellalar working in French bank,Chennai seeks groom from similar par-ents Ct. : 9443661551

SEEKING ALLIANCE for SC/AD bride,35 yrs/ 153 cm, B.Tech, Bharani/Mesham, working Sr. Consultant ina reputed IT firm.Caste No Bar. Ct8056404941/ 04449595634

IRS(DEPUTY COMMISSIONER),HINDU,31,Caste no bar. Looking for suitablegroom.mob− 8754971212

32 /158CM Divorcee Veg Hindu Ra-jput Hastam MBA Self Emp No IssuesSeeks Well Emp Groom CNBCt:8939449193

SENGUNTHA MUDALIAR Uthiram28/163, MBA, French National, Em-ployed France,Seeks Equally QualifiedFrance/USA groom. Cont:9894386532

F−DKVSC, M−REDDY, Age:37 BA SlimFair expects any diploma/degree,private/govt Business,Caste nobar, ct:9003225310 mail:[email protected]

HINDU SAIVAPILLAI Age 26 BE 157cmFair Employed Chennai MNC Seekinggroom from decent Pure VegEmployedChennai Resident. Age within [email protected] 9283422833

VANIYA CHETTIAR M.Sc 39/157,Karthigai Jr.Sct Officer Chennai, seeksequal Qfln employed Boy.9488722804

SC-AD 31/157 Bharani, Mesham BESr.SWE, TCS Rs.72000pm seek samecaste groom.9952147216/8838034943

HINDU NADAR Anusham 26/172 Fairdoing PhD in Germany seek EducatedGroom preferably Europe SameCaste.9444075051 / [email protected]

HINDU NADAR 24 Fair Slim BE Civilseeks Well Educated Groom SameCaste.Cont:9445095832/ 9791419099

SC-AD Revathi 29/174 ML JudicialOfficer Chennai seeks Well EducatedSettled Groom upto35yrs. 9710129955

AGAMUDAIYAR 43 MSc IT in Chennaiseeks Groom (1st Marriage) fromOBC Mob− 9445612997

DIVYA NIVEDA 27/BE, SC−AD, Pvt Job25000/− Middle Class Settled inChennai. Seeks same Caste.9840126883

DIVORCEE CHENNAI bound St GvtSchool teacher MA B.Ed 31/152 Is-sueless Valluvan(Father)/VeerakodiVellalar(Mother) seeks Tamil Bride-groom(Divorcee/Widower−no child)in Chennai Caste No Bar 9443208536

SOZHIA VELLALA 39/167 UthiratadiBE MBA empld− Chennai, Divorcee noencumbrance seeks educated groom.Subsect no bar. 9283433069/9840329160

HINDU 32 / 152 B.E, M.S, UpperMiddle Class, Divorcee, Seeks suita-ble groom India / Abroad. Caste NoBar. Contact : 9489695984

VANNIAR, 35, Chithirai, M.Tech,Fair, working in MNC seeks suit-able groom from good familyCt:9444028038

2ND MARRIGE 40/160 BE Issueless SC,Seeks Groom 40−45Yr Hindu CasteNo-BAR. 9840368809, [email protected]

ARUNTHATHIYAR BEAUTIFUL graduategirl, 24,155 cm, sevvai thoshamprivate firm seeks employed groom,contact 9443890224.

Vanniyakula Kshatriya, 22/ 150/MSC/ Visakam/ Working - seeks Pro-fessionally Qualified Groom. Email:[email protected], Contact :9444288762.

ARUNTHATHIYAR BEAUTIFUL graduategirl, 24,155 cm, sevvai thoshamprivate firm seeks employed groom,contact 9443890224.

ME , 5.2" , 20.07.1992 , Pisces ,Puratathi,Native: Erode. Peferringeducated gavara naidu groom Ph no.9965157980.

SEEKING GROOM For Mudaliar Bride28yr 165cm BE MBA Uthiradam/Maga-ram MNC in Chennai 9444038889/9444012991

MUDALIAR GIRL 27/152 Uthradam FairGood Looking B.Tech MBA Working inSoftware Co., Upper Middle ClassSeeks Alliance from Groom withEqual Match with Raghu Dosham.9043020942

HINDU SC/ PARAIYAR, 1981, M.Com,Ph.D, Asst.Prof, Hindustan Universityseeks suitable Hindu / ChristianGroom-Nellai Dist. Ct: 9487650079

MUDALIAR EDUCATED parents seekgroom for their daughter Uthiratad-hi 29/155 BE & journalism job@Chennai. CT: [email protected]

Hindu, Muthuraja, M.E, 29/165, AsstProf. Simmam / Pooram, seeks suita-ble Groom with B.E, M.E, MBA, M.S,working India or abroad. 9443756523.

LOOKING FOR bridegroom for ourdaughter, aged (25) years, resid-ing in (Muscat), height (5’2"),(ACCA (UK) B.Sc.,(Hons), (Hindu),(Vadakalai Iyengar).(Maudgalya,Thiruvaadirai) The Groom shouldhail from a decent, educated fami-ly. (Same caste). Should be around(28) years. Professionally quali-fied/Post graduate. Contact with(Astrological) details0096899833031(whatsapp) or Emailto [email protected]

44 TN GOVT HEALTH OFFICERMBBS DPH Cuddalore dt divorcee ( 20days only) no issue. INTER CASTESfather hindu SC mother hindu vanniya-kulakahatriya BC from FC pure andmostly vegetarian wants bride groome36 to 48 willing to settle with bridesworking places seeks MBBS ME castereligion country citizen citizenship nobar cell 7708159295 9443073953

PILLAI, 27/160, B.E, MBA, SWE,HCL, 6Lac.PA, Busi.fmly, 25Cr, Skssuitable groom, 9500085718,9003077746

MUDALIAR, BEAUTIFUL, 25/165, MBA,BK MANAGER, 15Lac.PA, 15Cr, Skssuitable groom, 9566002501,9500147440

ADIDRAVIDAR, 25/165, IAS OFFICER,Affluent Elite family, Seeks suit-able groom, 8056091059, 7358378866

VANNIAR, 27/152, Slim, MBBS, MD,DOING, Affluent Elite family, Skssuitable groom,8056174102,8754415378

TAMIL BRAHMIN 36/163, Dental Sur-geon, settled in B‘lore seeks alliancefrom well educated and settled groompreferably from B'lore. Ct: 9108106439

IYER HARITHAM Revathi2 Oct 72 Blrgirl seeks well settled never marriedBrahmin boys 46-49. Send [email protected]

Thengalai iyyengar non bharathwaja,India based well educated and em-ployed bridegroom not more than thirtyyears for a swayamachariyar family girl167cm tall fair slim good-looking 25years B.tech and employed as seniorsoftware engineer MNC at Bangalore .Contact 94861 05748

VEGETARIAN, MS (USA), 32/165, Iy-er, never married, atheist woman,antinatalist, not willing to havechildren, WANT TO ADOPT seeks well−educated vegetarian groom, 32−38yrs with similar mindset. Widow-er with young child ok. No di-vorcee. [email protected]

SEEKS SUITABLE Alliance for a IyerSrivatsa Uthiratathi Vathima girl,aged 21 BE, Employed. Boy shouldnot be more than 25 yrs, Tamil Iy-er boys only need to apply. Subsects no bar. Send Horoscope withBiodata, Photo and contact detailsto [email protected]

IYER SRIVATSAM Vadama Rohini 30Slim BS(MIT USA), MBA (Standford)Citizen Working USA seeks Well quali-fied Groom.Parents Cont: 9841275504

NISHA, BRAHMIN, 32, B.Com, Work-ing, No Expectation, Seeks anyBrahmin Groom. Contact: 9790754669

DIVORCEE 37 Yrs Bhramin Girl With12Yrs Son Seeking For A/L 37−40 Di-vorcee /Widow Caste NoBar:7397449793

Vadakalai Bharathwajam HastamDec1987, 178cm Lawyer 9884375894,[email protected]

Saiva Pillai, karthigai, 26/5’, B.Tech,MNC/ 5 lac PA, fair, seeks suitablegroom. Contact 9818772193.NAIDU 47 yrs, widow, st. Govt. officerseeks well settled Groom ct.9994005705DKV SC, 32/165, Pooradam, DhanusuRasi M.D., Doctor Divorcee (without is-sue) seeks professionally qualifiedGroom. Ct: 9943469215/ 9943730849HINDU KONGU Vellalar 24 MBBS do-ing MPH Melbourne ready to work Ab-road, seeks professionally qlfd groomMedicine or Engg. Ct: 9952446416COIMBATORE based Sozhiya Vella-lar Pillai girl 24/160 B.Tech, MIB (Sing-apore), seeks well educated boy age25-29, Abroad/ IT, family business,rich family back ground, Pillai/ Muda-liyar subsects no bar. Ph:9442153678,Em: [email protected] SETTLED professionally quali-fied match for beautiful Tamil Brahmingirl divorcee 33 5'4” employed delhigovt. Contact 7303206600TAMIL VISWAKARMA (goldsmith) girl27 ME MNC Seeking alliance from wellemployed professionals from the samecommunity. Ph : 9080144782

Vanniyar Uthradam Dhanusu 27/168BE,MBA Work-Pvt seek Educated,Em-ployd groom.6374776824/9884239606

HINDU SC AD B.Tech 26/165 cm,seeks Raghu Kethu Dosam Groom.Ct: 9443681102, Coimbatore.

HINDU Adidravidar (Kongu) 28, B.E,M.Tech., (Ph.D), Seeks goodlookingGroom. CT: 7598988370.

INTERCASTE HINDU Brahmin 25/162cms M.Pharm from affluent Indus-trialist family in Cbe, Seeks suitableGroom preferably working abroad.Caste no bar. Ct: 98429 53500.

KSHATRIYA RAJU, 32/158, Kumbam,Poorattathi, Fair, Ph.D., Food Techseeks Groom (Abroad preferred) fromTelugu Communities. Ct: 8778160819

✔ UNMARRIED, 42/153/WHEATISH,B.E, Chennai, BalijaNaidu Seeks Un-married groom, 43−46, Working Pro-fessional or Businessman, CNB.Send BHP to [email protected]

BALIJA NAIDU Jan 1976, Mirugasiri-dam, Mithunam, MCA, SWE, CTS Chen-nai. First Marriage seeks Groom.9444823815. Email: [email protected]

NAIDU 29/165, Uthiram MDS FairSeeks any PG Professionals/ wellsettled Grooms in Chennai SNB/6382122136

NAIDU 3.12.85/164 BE, MBA SWE MNCCH Ayilyam 2 Padam well settledseeks prof qual groom from decentfamily. Subsect No Bar Ct:9952922971

JYESHTA REDDY, Chennai bred, 29/158/70, pretty, wheatish, MBBS, em-bryologist, 1 lac pm, jovial,friendly, outgoing, seeks Telugu,Hindu, extrovert, dynamic, familytype from metros or abroad. What-sApp 9418009585

BALIJA NAIDU Swathi very fair goodlooking 27 B.Tech/ M.Tech SastraUniv, doing Ph.D Guindy Engg, Chen-nai seeks PG professional well set-tled grooms. Ct: 9865098336, What-sapp: 7904411819/ rpramanujam@gmailcom

Balija Naidu Hastam 31/155 BE SWE11Lpa seeks Goodlooking Groom earnRs.1Lpm & below 35yrs. 9444634347

KAMMA NAIDU, Beautiful, 27/175,B.E, MBA, Busi.fmly, 100Cr, Skssuitable groom, 9500085718,9003077746

NAIDU, BEAUTIFUL, 26/169, B.E,MBA, Business family, 100Cr, Skssuitable groom, 8056174102,8754415378

REDDY 35/165 ME, Veg, Divorce, NoChild, empld in Chennai, seeks be-low 40yrs without child. 9884635286

TELUGU KAAPU, 39, MS, USA, SWESeeks Groom Employeed Professionin U.S.9490743746.

SMU 24/160 B.Tech. Chennai FairBeautiful Working in IT. Seekswell Qualified & Settled Groom,Preferred Abroad. Whatsapp:9176343757, 9962259650,[email protected]

SMU 25/162CM Graduate From DecentWell Settled Family. Contact:9092186127, 9841736622.

SMU PARENTS Seeking allaince Daugh-ter 28/168 M.D final year. Prefer-ably Post Graduate Doctors.9791106339

41/ 5”3’, Ph D CSE, Wheatish, Sunni.Contact : 9182973484

SMU Syed 38 unmarried Govt. em-ployee, Gazetted, seeks suitable quali-fied religious groom having good fami-ly background. Ph: 9495519229,[email protected]

CHENNAI URUDU Parents seeks al-liance from Qualified, clean habitgroom for educated, religious,fair & Homely daughter (Khula):7397428335

BALIJANAIDU 1972/50K PM/ Fair/165cm/BA/Poosam/CNB Seeks SettledGroom. Ct:. 7395916003, 044−26200465

ALLIANCE SOUGHT for a soft spokenteetotaller Ezhava boy, Date Of Birth:22.06.1994, 162 cms, fair, good-loo-king, well read scientist engineer withISRO, Thiruvananthapuram, a rankholder from IIT. The girl should eitherbe a Postgraduate or be doing Post-graduate or Ph.D in any of the IIT's orAIIMS across the country. Any religionbarring Muslims and Christians, shouldbe good-looking. The boy has no otherrelatives except for his widowed mo-ther, a retired teacher. We offer fullsupport in furthering the personal andcareer alike. Preference to girls withone or two male siblings. Interestedplease do contact, Phone:9567170748

SMARTHA DESISTA Marathi /31/173/BE. MS/MNC Bangalore seeks wellqualified, employed Brahmin girl.Contact: 9480616626 / 9845830683.

WE ARE looking for an alliance forour son Rounak, Age 31, Height5’11’, Residing in Pune, B.E (Civ-il), M.Tech (Construction and Mgt), Business − Construction, Real Es-tate, Hospitality, Owns Bungalowin Baner, Pune, Affluent, Progres-sive, Spiritual. Hindu, KashyapGothram, Vegetarian. Looking forwell educated, compassionategirl.Caste no bar. Email Id:[email protected]. Ph:9850903665

Intercaste Parents, 32, 5’10, only sonfrom affluent family, Doctor, Physician,US Citizen now residing in Hyderabad.Looking for a suitable match. Caste nobar. Contact: 91-7093533076, Email:[email protected],

RICH SENIOR Citizen Life PartnerAge : 35−50. Divorcee And WidowWelcome. 9445435377/ [email protected]

AFFLUENT VELLALAH Orthopaedic sur-geon, 31 years divorcee from Nager-coil, no encumbrances looking forbride from same or related caste.Doctor or non doctor from well offfamily. Bride Divorced withoutchildren or not married. Call9443131342

BRIDE WANTED for a educated boy 29/167 B.com, MBA Working in MNC Seek-ing English Speaking RomanCatholic working girls settled inChennai Ct: 91760 60027 / 8939153313

MUDALIAR − we are looking for abride for our only son aged 26years , height − 5’9" completedMBA from IIM , and B.E −Mechanicalfrom a reputed institute . workingin chennai in a MNC with income of18 lakhs / annum . Family is finan-cially well settled . Interestedcan contact us on + 91 9551131093 .

Professor, 39/ 170, PhD, Hindu, Van-niya Kula Kshatriyar, Ayilyam-Kata-gam/ Vellore/ Seeks Qualified Girl (age27- 34)/ CNB/ Call me @ 9791177668.

CHRISTIAN ERUDITE 28, Tall, US Em-ployed. US Based Parents any Denom-ination Kindly Contact: 9791683272

Palghat Nair Anusham 28/170 B.TecMBA,IT,MNC chen seek fair Prof.quafdNair Bride.044-26564753/ 9940208911

HINDU NAIR Groom, 34/165cms, Re-vathi, Good Iooking, B.Tech.(I.T) Soft-Ware Engineer-Technopark,IBS Soft-ware Services,Trivandram. Well sett-led. Ct: 9941424563/ 9841478564/9042553215/ 9400274854

HINDU MALAYALI Viswakarma boy, 29,B’lore based, 180 cm, BE MBA(S’pore), employed outside Karnata-ka presently, well settled, inter-caste parentage. Seeks Malayalibride. Ph:9600190880 mail to:[email protected]

MARATHI BRAHMIN, 32, MBA, GautamaGotra, 175 CM, seeks educated andemployed bride Ph: 9962581127

NRI RESIDING in USA for 12yrs, 37yrs handsome groom, B.E SeniorProduct Manager Amazon,ChristianVellalar. Seeking well educatedgood looking girl,Any Religion/Caste contact:8939151823,[email protected]

CRISTIYAN BRIDE Wanted:26yrs/6’1,Born again, upper middle class,Software engg.in Europe(work per-mit)seeking for his son a fair &good looking girl , in a decentfamily, min.H 5’3, Backward commu-nity,ph: 9444894641

NADAR CSI 1984/ 158 B.Com DivorcedChennai MNC Project Lead 65K Seeks-Bride in Chennai. Ct:93809 20784

CHRISTIAN MUDHALIYAR 26, 6 ft,30CrNetworth,Business,Well Settled inChennai Seeks Suitable Bride (anyDegree, any BC Community) −9360894447

CSI NADAR 13.04.1975 162cm B.E,M.S, D.G.M, M.N.C, Chennai 2L/M,Slim Handsome Young needs M.E,M.Sc,M.Phil, Ph.D, MBBS Bride.Ct:9442758847

DOCTOR age56 Widower Earning2Lpm Seeks Widow, divorcee. AgeCaste No Bar. 9840568449.

TAMIL MUSLIM 37, PG, Tall, 30L PA,affluent seeks educated, pretty,Tamil /Malayalam bride.PH:9344087122

MUSLIM 28/176 MD paediatrics SeeksProf qualified bride Ct:8220042091 [email protected]

RC NADAR 35/166, m.tech,m.b.a,35k/pm smart looking,clean habit,di-vorce seeks bride.ph:9345691983

AG CHRISTIAN 38 / 178 Fair, slim,BE MS Owns Software Firm, Ownhouse in Chennai, Only Son, Par-ents − Retd.Govt Officers, seekssuitable bride. Subsects no bar.Ph: 9445481313

VANNIYAKULA KSHATRIYA 26/174kumbam,puratathi-1,RahukethuDosamME,Engr,TVS Chennai, Well SettledParents seeks Govt/Private ExecutiveCt: 9445487378/ [email protected]

BALIJA NAIDU Hastham 38/170 Em-ployed, Puducherry, Middle Class,Seeks Suitable Naidu or EquivalentCaste bride. Ct:9442787805

33, DKV, BAMS Doctor, Own Clinic &Medical Shop, Own house in Chennai.9448725470/ 8197795301

KULALAR THIRUVONAM 33yrs Ht 181cmsME citizen of Canada seeks Girl ofage 27−29 qualified from Metrocitywilling to settle abroad 9444432635

VISWAKARMA (CASTE no bar) Male Age28,Height:5.7ft,Handsome Boy,Run-ning Business in Coimbatore,Look-ing Traditional Girl.Ph: 8056456694

WANTED FAIR Beautiful girl Casteno bar Affluent Hindu Tamil BoyB.E. MBA. IIM Age 28 Ht 5’11"9840970170

TAMILCOSMOPOLITAN

EDUCATIONAL

MALAYALAM

DOCTOR

ENGINEER

IAS / ALLIED SERVICES

KANNADA

NRI

TAMIL

TAMIL

TAMIL

TAMIL

TAMIL TAMIL TAMIL TELUGU

TELUGU

BUSINESS

URDU

COSMOPOLITAN

DOCTOR

ENGLISH

MALAYALAM

MALAYALAM

MARATHI

TAMIL

CMYK

A ND-NDE

THE HINDU DELHI


HINDU NADAR BE /MBA /30 /175cm / 2,00,000 PM Working in BangaloreSeeks Bride /K.A.Raman Nadar9380791999

ThuluvaVellala Mudaliar 32 BE(ECE)emp MNC,Chennai seek eductd Muda-liar bride.9840334131/ 9840898891(w)

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER (Group 1Officer) Commercial Taxes, 39/175,CNB, seeks suitable Girl with MBBS orAny Degree. CT: 98655-88329.

MUDALIAR/38/SECTIONOFFICER,GOVT.,HIGH Court,Ch.CasteNo bar. 9486021062

Balija Naidu Krithigai 29/160 BE MBAWorking Banglore seeks EducatedEmployed Bride. Contact: 9840983387

SEER KARUNEEGAR, V.ViswanathanB.E, Age 27 Yrs, Vegetarian, Work-ing as Software Engineer in WIPRO−Chennai.Seeks Bride With Good Fami-ly Background &Education.(Vegetarian Only) Con-tact : 9445863207 / 9551756618

HINDU ST Poosam 38/162 BE, MBAManagerCentralgovt Divorcee NoIssueseeksEducatedBrideCNB.9677247227

HINDU GAVARA 39/160 BE MNC CHN 8.5LPA, seeks middle class girl cont:7871433297.

IYER MOUDGALYAM Gowthram 33 yearsBE, MBA, working in Pvt company,24000/pm near Kanchipuram seeksgraduate bride. No expectations.Both parents not alive. Contact:9994657081

HINDU NADAR, unmarried, 41/180BBM, Pooradam, fair self-employed,clean habits, well std in Blr, seeks gra-duated, good family BG bride upto 36.LCNB, 9980914365,[email protected]

HINDU SC Ayilyam 43/178 Doctor MSHandsome Teetotaler Unmarried seekDoctor Bride below 40yrs. Caste NoBar.Ct: 8668090209 / 8248223023 (W)

ALLIANCE FOR our son (Arunagiri),Widowed, 34 years (30/07/1984),5’11", B.Tech , (Hindu), (Sengun-thar). Contact 9986286801 or [email protected]

CASTE NOBAR Handsome Hindu SC/AD38/168CM BE, HCL,Chennai 16Ls/Annum.Ct: 9840368809, [email protected]

SAIVA MUDALIYAR 34/180, BA, BL,M.Sc., Legal Company & Bank 15LP.A Seeks Fair Good Looking Educat-ed Family Veg Only 9080374843 /9841298539

VISHWAKARMA GOLDSMITH Chen-nai, Never Married Groom 42/176, PvtCompy. +2, CNB Only Hindu -8754589314

INTERCASTE PARENTS (F−chettiar M−saiva Mudaliyar) Seeks SuitableWorking Girl (Vegetarian) fortheir son Age 28 (B.E)/ Uthiram/178 cms/ Fair/ SWE,Contact9710080772, 9442506706

HINDU Adidravidar (Kongu) 27, B.E,M.Tech., (Ph.D), seeks goodlookingbride. Ct:8760883559, 8637663072

MUDALIAR GROOM B’lore 5’11 B.ABed.Bride required below 34 castno bar ph. 9449719453/ 9945752903

Iyer, Well to do family, Uthram (4), 36/178 cms, MBA, Manager,Hyderabad,seeks girl willing to settle in Hyd, casteno bar, No Demands.Ph:8106885021

CHETTIAR 37/168 own business set-tled Coimbatore seeks any BC Commu-nity smart bride. 9443750184/9865072972

GOVT MBBS MD Pediatrics Doctor/ 30years from Mudaliar Communityseeks MBBS Bride. Ct: 9442411172.Email: [email protected]

MUDALIAR, 38, B.Com,MBA,70000/p.m,Gud look,well settled seeks suit-ablebride,CNB,Ct.7200866346/8778514465

HINDU NADAR BE/ 27/173cm 1,30,000/pm Seeks Bride. Raman Nadar Whatsup−[email protected]

35YRS VANNIYAR BTech( IT) 178 cms,wheatish Kadagam Star Poosam TechManager/HCL/Chennai/1lakh pm/OwnHouse seeks Educated Brides( Vanni-yar Only ) born in Revathi,Kettai,Visagam, Avittam,Uthiradam,Miru-gasharesamStars ct K.Palani,CheranSt, Maraimalainagar−603209, Ct9176759899

RAJESH 35,BSC, General Mgr (PVT),1.40 Lac PM.Seeks Girl withDegree.(Caste No Bar). whatsapp−8610014920

VANNIYAR BOY Fair 28/168 M.S (USA)Rishabam Karthigai SWE Working inCHE 12L/P/A Seeks Fair and Educat-ed Bride Ct: 9444169764/ 044−24795764

SEEKING WORKING, good lookingbride for my son, 29/174, BE, Van-niyar, working in Microsoft, Hyd.Native: Neyveli. C/R: No bar.7842374014

Alliance invited for Sozihya VellalaBridegroom, 28yrs, B.Tech, M.B.A,Employed, Own House, Land, WealthyFamily from Suitable bride. Mudaliarsalso can apply. Ct:0413-2213834 /9944064540

HINDU/ KARUNEEGAR (Pillai) VivekaVinayagam B, BE graduated, 36 yrs,ht 5’4" Chennai, Looking for suit-able bride ct: 9789878162

SAIVAPILLAI THIRUVADIRAI 23/178,B.E., SWE, Chennai, Seeks beautifulbride. Contact: 9443443914 / e-mail:[email protected]

HINDU NADAR 39, B.E, 170 Cm, Rs.75000/−Pm, Divorced,All BC ok. Pre-ferred age below 32.Ct: 9789071515

33 Tamil MD doctor working in jipmersmart good looking devandra kula Vel-lalar caste no bar seeking bride. Ph9787278408.

CASTE NO BAR.Permanent Resident inUK 37/178 / Uthiram. BE, MBA work-ing in BT − London, Seeks GoodLooking Graduate Girl . 8971526262

HINDU BC 25 Simmham Pooram doingM.B.B.S Motherless, invisiblePhy.handi Boy Only Father GovtRetd Car, Own House. Need GraduateDecent Compassionate Family anyBC.8300370750

IYENGAR BHARATHWAJ Gothram /Visakam MBA 33/173 Wheatish ColourClean Habits seeks Graduate BrideCaste No Bar Ct:7871137806

SAIVA PILLAI CNB MSc,MBA 4Lakh/Month CompanyOwner 10Crore Propertied onlyson Unmarried Nov.1973 wheatish 173cm Visagam. 9841553677(W)

HINDU BC fair, Rohini, Rishabam, 34/180 cm, B.E USA, L1B Visa, seeks fairBride, any degree and ht above 160cm. Caste No Bar. Ct: [email protected]

SC AD Hindu Kongu−PR CoimbatoreOCT89 5.11Ft Tall Fair B.Tech(NIT)MS(Germany) work at Bangalore OnlySon 9443709427(W.App) or 04224347427

HINDU NADAR /28 /B.E /5.4Lakhs/P.A SG Durainadar Chromepet Ch−44044−48573284, 6381576005 10am−6pm

ARCOT AGAMUDAYA MDR 41 yrsMCA, LDC Pondicherry Govt. SeeksPG/UG Empd / Unempd. Girl can alsofind a job in pondicherry. No DemandsCt. 9940970769

AD 31/ 170, Kadagam, Poosam BEMech. Site Engr. Working SaudiSeeks Bride Hindu/ Christian.Ct:7708133834

PIRAMALAI KALLAR/MADURAI/LEGALLYdivorced/Remarriage/Age 44/Rs. 40,000 pm Brides wanted 8838584381

GOKUL. IYER. Age: 29. B.E. Bharad-hwajam. Mirugarsheesham. Height: 6ft. Salary: 40000. Own House. Chen-nai. Ph: 9884420014

ADIDRAVIDAR, 29/163, M.Tech,PETROLIUM ENGR, 10Lac.PA, 250Cr,Sks suitable Bride, 8056272922,9003281596

CHETTIAR, 27/185, B.E, MBA, MS,SWE, MNC, USA, 100000$PA, 4Cr, Skssuitable Bride, 9789850231,9677086774

MUDALIAR, 26/175, CA, OWN AUDITFIRM, 200000PM, 200Cr, Seeks suit-able Bride, 8056091059, 7358378866

PILLAI, H.SOME, 30/180, B.E. (E&C), Business family, 250Cr, Seekssuitable Bride, 9566002501,9500147440

SC/AD/25/168,BE,ASWINI(RAGU/KETHU)WORK Canara Bank seeks workingbride preferably Bank/LIC.ct:9994195565

RC NADAR, 29, 178 cms, MS fromUSA, Software Professional, Workingin US, Parents Educated and well off.Looking for a like-minded and educa-ted match. Contact: 9444380548

CHENNAI BASED THEVER well to dofamily, own business ,Properties,construction & Finance, MBA Age.30,height 5.6’’ , Fair, Exercisebody,clean habits,looking a bride −a degree holder from a well set-tled family from same community.Ph− 9444075777

REDDIYAR BOY 39, Poorattathy,clean habits, M.E, 14 Lakhs PA,Top MNC own Flat & House seekssuitable bride. Please Ct:9985792975.

CHENNAI HIGH Status kind Govt Job35 yrs Fair PG Innocent Divorceand Hindu Seeks Educ Girl.9884171419

Alliance for Highly Qualified AffluentProfessional Iyer 54years HealthyYoung-look bachelor seeks UnmarriedBride.Can relocate India/US/UK. CasteNo Bar.Reply: [email protected]

IYER HARITHAM Ashwini April 76 BlrM.Sc, MS(CS), well settled boy seeksany never married Brahmin girls. SendBHP [email protected]

NIYOGI TELUGU Brahmin 37/180MBA own business 10 LPA seeks anyvegetarian bride contact:9884443330

IYER VADAMA, Kausigam 1983, MSin US and employed in US, drawinga salary of US $90000/- PA, cleanhabits, seeks any graduate Brahmingirl with good family background.Ct: 9686417417 or 080-26724422

TAMIL IYER BOY well educated (BE,MS) settled in US, Green Card, 43/180 Srivatsa Uthiradam divorcee noissues, seeks well educated Iyer/Iyengar bride. Respond with BHP [email protected]

Iyer Kasyaba Chitirai Kanni 44/172Unmarried MSc,TCS Chen seeks Edu-catd Bride.SubsectNoBar.9840149495

BRAHMIN HANDSOME 29 yrs/181cmsB.Tech, USA citizen, earning$80000 p.a. seeks any Brahmin. Ph:7358535950

IYER BHARADHWAJAM Uthiram, 37yrs/180cms, BE, MNC Chennai 15 Lakhsper annum, Own House at Chennaiseeks any Brahmin Girl. Ct:09445222214

VADAKALAI SADAYAM Srivatsam46/170 unmarried BAemplyd seek AnyBraminBride.9444740544/9444958511

TAMIL VADAKALAI Iyengar son33Yrs MBA own Business bharani sri-vatsa gothram, seeks Brahmin bridefrm educated decent family subsect nobar send details to [email protected]

IYER VADAMA, Srivatsa Moolam 37,B.Com EMP Saudi 6L PA Seeks Gradu-ate with Teaching Preferred.9941798207

DIVORCEE 35 Uthiram Brahmin MNCseek alliance from educated girlfor early simple marriage CNB9626985553

BRAHMIN, 1975, Unmarried, Pvt Comp2L /month. Expecting bride fromany Marital status. Prefer vegetar-ian. Cont :7824033219

IYER KOUNDINYA Gothram Avittam 26/ 175 B.Tech MBA MNC Bangalore 14Lpa, seeks Professionally qualifiedGood looking girl with good familybackground & values. SS matri id:169962. Ph: 9840078972, 9841178325

KAMBAR / ISAI Vellalar / Moolam,Dhanush, 32/5L PA, Lecturer / Advo-cate M.L., Ph.D with SET Tiruchendur,8072781487.

Iyer Brahcharanam / Koundinyam /Avitam 1988 MNC / Bangalore, seekseducated working bride. 94431 32445.

VANIYA CHETTIAR Uthram M.Sc 42/175 Jr Sct Officer. Seeks Girl anyDegree, Sub caste also. 9488722804

Naidu BE 36 / 182 working at Singa-pore seeking Doctor, SWE, Nurse bri-de age 28 - 33 for a well settled family.Subsect No Bar. Contact :09791698985.

HINDU CHETTIAR, 33/183, M.B.B.S,Govt.Doctor seeks Doctor/ Engr. Bride.BC/ MBC. Ct: 97897 95670

BALIJA NAIDU Uthiram Age 31/176cmB.E.,MS Employed in Singapore,Seeks B.E Bride 9840104373/9952064373

Balija Naidu 27/180 MS(Eng) workingin Netherland seek Software Bride.Subsect NoBar. 9841279755/ 9444319109

TELUGU DEVANGA Chetty 12−Nov−1984B.Arch 7.2Lakhs P.A ThiruvathiraiRaghu in at Lagnam, Kethu in at7th, No Own House, seeks QualifiedEmployee Bride, CNB. Contact :9176766335 , 9884468691

CHETTIAR 36/181CMS B.Tech MBA 12LAKHS/PA Manager. Seeks TELUGU/TAMIL chennai girl. Preferably veg-etarian. Ct 9444559768/044−42859960

GAVARA NAIDU, 33, Kettai, B.E.,SWE- Hyderabad seeks Fair, B.E/ PGBride. Caste No Bar. Ct: 9362412226.

BALIJA NAIDU Chennai Based 34/165 Swathi, Physiotherapist, 1.5lacPM Working At Abhudhabi seeks asuitable Girl Call: 91593 73249

KAMMA 29/177CM Shatabhisha BE10LPA seeks girl from same communitywith Good Family9367641813/9080152824

WANTED BRIDE 35 to 39 years forfair groom aged 48 yrs, 6 feettall, chennai based. computer engggraduate with mba degree, workingin mnc, any caste is ok, groom be-long to kamma naidu, divorced, noissues interested contact9787302360 email [email protected] please send biodataalong with photos

5’10−38YR,IVY LEAGUE, PG (Gallup),High status Naidu family,seeks,slim,V.beautiful,well−educated girl,NaiduPref, Mail,BHP: [email protected] mob:8792298197

BALIJA NAIDU UTHIRAM Age 27 / 175cms B.E. Dual MBA working as Finan-cial Analyst in MNC with decentsalary at Chennai seeks same caste& matching Horoscope Chennai basedProfessional / Employed Bride. Plcontact 95662 80891

Balija Naidu Thiruvadhirai 33/170 FairBE,MBA,SWE 19Lpa seekgoodlookingEducatedEmployed Bride.9444634347

KAMMA NAIDU, 28/178, B.E., MBA,MBBS, Busi.family, 200Cr, Seekssuitable Bride, 9500085718,9003077746

TELUGU VANNAR, 34, MBA, Kanni,Astham, Mktg Mgr, Jpn. Car Mfg.Co,14LPA, Any Telugu OK. Ct: 9894264600

A WELL settled 32 year old post-graduate doctor, divorcee, lookingfor a Brahmin bride from a tradi-tional family with progressiveviews. Contact 9849367000

TELUGU BRAHMIN 36yrs , Vaadhula,B.E., M.B.A, Manager MNC, Uncon-summated Divorcee seeks suitableBrahmin (Tamil, Telugu, Iyer, Iyengar)Bride between 28-33 yrs. No Expecta-tions. Ct: 9894839852

BRAHMIN IYENGAR Never married 48/5’7" BE, ME working Software MNCBangalore seeking Brahmin [email protected]

Intercaste Parents Avittam 34 BComGovt Chen 32k NoOwnhouse/propertyseeks bride.Caste NoBar. 6382186957

BALIJA NAIDU 35/165 BE AyilyamKadagam settled abroad seeks Tamil/Telugu girl, decent family.8189971716

KAVARA Kettai 28/178 B.Tech, Hotel(Director) and Own Industry. Seeksbeautiful bride. Cont: 9790002554

SMU/AGE 36/BBA/UNMARRIED/ Workingas Manager in Shipping ChennaiSeeks Urdu Speaking Bride.Ct:9094535986

GULF EMPLOYED Sunni Muslim par-ents from Chennai seeks alliance fromeducated employed girl for their son 30Techie in Chennai. Early marriage.Preferred in July-Aug. kindly email usthe bride details [email protected]

REDDY, 27/177, B.E, MS, SWE,GOOGLE, USA, 200000$PA, 25Cr,Seeks suitable Bride, 8056272922,9003281596

Naidu Brides,Bridegrooms available.Naidu Maha Sangam- 9445688215

HURRY 100TH year offer all indianaidu sangam register & take anynos alliances freely for 1yr7845089089

ALL TYPES of Muslim’s Alliances−Married/ UnMarried. Ct: 9150582314

SALES / SERVICE ENGINEER, Fresh/Ex-perienced in Industrial Segmentwith good communication skill, flu-ency in English & local language,E−mail : [email protected]

2015/16 TN Regd Audi R8 V8 3400Kms 2nd owner Orange. Call:9790771818

2016 MASERATI GhibliV6 Diesel 3LtrWhite 13000Km Pondy Regd 9790771818

FINANCE AGAINST Properties,Cheques & abroad projects. Ph−09840024113

COACHING ENGINEERING students −Inviting retired Professors−Inter-ested in on−line coaching of Engi-neering students. Attractive com-pensation.Send details of sub-jects/ experience to [email protected]

SECURED /UNSECURED loan valueagainst property /Business orient-ed/SME and Corporate/ AgricultureMin. 10cr Max. 500cr @4% to 8% p.aNo beforehand charges. Ph:+91−8754728508 Email:[email protected]

Get Loan on Property Project TakeOver Agent req 9899278512

LOOKING FOR C&F Agncy/ Franchisefor Coimbatore TN. 94861 59196

LOOKING FOR investors − Highlyprofitable Horticulture venture @Pollachi, Growing Fruits using Is-raeli technology. / 94864 04255

TAMILTAMIL

TAMIL

TELUGU

TELUGU

MARRIAGE BUREAU

URDU

GENERAL

TECHNICAL

EDUCATIONAL

EDUCATIONAL

COACHING CLASSES

SELLING

AUDI

FOREIGN CARS

GENERAL

BUSINESS OFFER

BUSINESS

FINANCE

GENERAL

BUSINESS OFFER

BUSINESS

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DELHI THE HINDU


CMYK

A ND-NDE

CITY

Published by N. Ravi at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860, Anna Salai, Chennai-600002 and Printed by S. Ramanujam at HT Media Ltd. Plot No. 8, Udyog Vihar, Greater Noida Distt. Gautam Budh Nagar, U.P. 201306, on behalf of THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD., Chennai-600002. Editor: Suresh Nambath (Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act).

Regd. DL(ND)-11/6110/2006-07-08 ● RNI No. UPENG/1986/49939 ● ISSN 0971 - 751X ● Vol. 9 ● No. 25

DELHI Timings

Sunday, June 23

RISE 05:25 SET 19:23

RISE 23:46 SET 10:31

Monday, June 24

RISE 05:25 SET 19:23

RISE 00:00 SET 11:23

Tuesday, June 25

RISE 05:25 SET 19:23

RISE 00:18 SET 12:15

OMR PERUNGUDI 4420Sf 5BHK VillaServant Room Gated community Swim-ming Pool Gym 2CCP Imm sale9382822074

CHENNAI ECR RD kannathur seaside4G Bung 5000sft S.pool. 7667999196

CHENNAI PALLIKARANAI Nr Velachery 1Gd VGP Shanti Ngr. 9381044196

REDHILLS 3.75Grd Nr Lakshmi Pur-am next to Kings School. 9840273032

SELLING

RESIDENTIAL HOUSE

RESIDENTIAL LAND

0DISCLAIMER: Readers are requested toverify and make appropriate enquiries tosatisfy themselves about the veracity ofan advertisement before responding toany published in this newspaper. THGPUBLISHING PVT LTD., the Publisher &Owner of this newspaper, does not vouchfor the authenticity of any advertisementor advertiser or for any of the advertiser’sproducts and/or services. In no event canthe Owner, Publisher, Printer, Editor, Dir-ector/s, Employees of this newspaper/company be held responsible/liable inany manner whatsoever for any claimsand/or damages for advertisements inthis newspaper.

Investigators probing theMehrauli murders on Saturday said the accused allegedly killed his family membersbecause of poor health of hiswife and himself.

Upendra Kumar Shuklawas arrested for allegedlykilled his wife Archana,daughter Ranya, son Raunak, and a monthold babyboy in the early hours of Saturday at their residence insouth Delhi’s Mehrauli.

A senior offi��cer said he allegedly told the investigatorsthat his wife was diabeticand fell ill more frequentlyafter childbirth. “He said Archana could not do household chores and take propercare of children because ofher poor health. He hadblood pressure problems forthe past three months.

Upendra was worried thatboth of them were ill andthere was no one to takecare of his children andhence decided to kill his family members and himself,”the offi��cer said.

Tension between coupleAnother investigator saidthere was tension betweenthe couple “because the wifeused to remain irritated andoften lost her calm afterchildbirth”.

The police said Upendrabought the knife, used in thecommission of crime, sedatives and milk on Fridaynight. “He mixed the sedatives in the milk and fed it tothe victims,” the offi��cer said.

Upendra’s motherinlawLalita Devi, who has been residing in their house for thepast three months, said thecouple’s infant son was with

her on Friday night. However, Upendra came and tookthe child with him to feedhim milk, she said.

In the CCTV footage obtained from the camera installed outside the building,Upendra can be seen leavingat 8.30 p.m. on Friday andreturning half an hour later.He was carrying a bag, thepolice said.

When questioned aboutUpendra’s behaviour, neighbours said he appeared to beeducated and mostly communicated in English.

“He never lost his cool. Hehad come to buy a few thingsfrom me around 5 p.m. onFriday and seemed fi��ne. Thecouple never fought in public and looked like a happyfamily,” said Deepak Agarwal, who runs a groceryshop on the ground fl��oor ofthe building.

Mehrauli murders: accused wasupset over family’s poor health Wife was diabetic, he had BP issues for past three months

Hemani Bhandari

New Delhi

OBITUARY &

REMEMBRANCE

REMEMBRANCE

Trio apprehended forsodomising, killing teenGURUGRAM

Three minors were

apprehended on Saturday for

allegedly sodomising and

murdering a mentally

disabled teenager in Sector 5

here, the police said. The

crime was committed on June

14, they said. The victim

succumbed to injuries on

Saturday following which his

father reported the matter to

the police.

IN BRIEF

CMYK

A ND-NDE

THE HINDU DELHI


NORTH & EAST

The Barmer oil refi��nery,caught in a political quagmire after its foundationstone was laid by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in2013, has come back to thepriority list of the Congressgovernment here, withChief Minister Ashok Gehlotsetting the target for theproject’s completion withinfour years.

Stalled, renegotiatedThe previous BJP regimehad stalled the project andrenegotiated the terms withHindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited for settingup the refi��nery. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated “commencementof work” at project sitePachpadra last year and accused the Congress of announcing the project with

out any clearances orbudget allocation.

Mr. Gehlot, who had criticised Mr. Modi for “relaying” the refi��nery’s foundation stone, said here overthe weekend that this wouldbe a signifi��cant industrialproject resulting in the establishment of a model oil refi��nery with an investment of₹��43,129 crore.

He asked the HPCL offi��cials and the State govern

ment departments to makethe refi��nery operational asper the target.

Job opportunitiesThe Chief Minister at a review meeting said that theyouth had high hopes on therefi��nery for jobs and business opportunities. He saidthe State government wouldset up skill developmentcentres as well as an industrial training institute for im

parting training and guidance onpetrochemicalrelatedsubjects.

An industrial corridor tobe developed in Barmer district will also ensure consumption of petrochemicalproducts and create employment opportunities.

Mr. Gehlot said the existing JodhpurBarmer roadwould be converted into asixlane highway to cater tothe increase in traffi��c, whilethe wayside facilities wouldhelp the travellers anddrivers.

HPCL Managing DirectorM.K. Surana said the refi��nery project would create40,000 jobs directly and60,000 jobs indirectly. Hesaid ₹��1,348 crore had so farbeen spent and tenders hadbeen fl��oated for construction works worth ₹��10,000crore.

Barmer oil refi��nery back on track Gehlot government pushes for project completion within four years

Mohammed Iqbal

JAIPUR

<> Barmer oil refi��nery

would be a

signifi��cant

industrial project

resulting in the

establishment of a

model oil refi��nery

with an investment

of ₹��43,129 crore.

Ashok Gehlot

Rajasthan Chief Minister

Members of the J&K Wheelchair Basketball Association participating for the fi��rst time in the Sixth Wheelchair BasketballChampionship at Mohali in Punjab on Saturday. * NISSAR AHMAD

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC


Shooting stars

Two men on trial formurder and arms traffi��cking escaped from aprison in south Tripuraon Saturday. The escape,which took place inbroad daylight, rattledthe entire prison department in the State.

One of the two escaped prisoners, SwarnaTripura (26), had been involved in a similar breakout from Bishalgarhcentral jail on October 21,2016. He had fl��ed withtwo other inmates whohad been serving lifeterm in connection withseparate murder cases.

Swarna and his accomplice Jewel Tripura wererecently arrested fortheir involvement in illegal trade of small arms.At the time of the escape,they were in judicial custody at Sabroom Sub Jailin south Tripura, 130 kmfrom here.

BSF alertedThe police and paramilitary forces launched asearch to track down theescaped criminals. TheBorder Security Forcewas also alerted as Sabroom is situated nearthe Bangladesh border.

Senior prison offi��cers,policemen and administrative offi��cials rushed toSabroom to probe the incident.

The State’s home department has sought a report from the prisons department following theescape.

2 undertrials

fl��ee Tripura jail

Syed Sajjad Ali

Agartala

For the second year, the Mamata Banerjeeled government in West Bengal has decided to observe the deathanniversary of Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder and BJPideologue Syama PrasadMookerjee on Sunday.

State Minister for Powerand Nonconventional Energy Sovandeb Chattopadhyaywould off��er tribute to Mookerjee’s bust at the Keoratala

crematorium in the southernpart of the city, sources inthe Trinamool Congresssaid.

Last year too, the TMC government had rememberedMookerjee, considered agreat visionary and a patriot,on his 65th deathanniversary.

Mookerjee’s bust at thecrematorium was vandalisedby a group of Left radicals in2018. The State governmenthad replaced the damagedbust with a bronze one andarrested four persons in thisconnection. Those arrestedhad admitted that the bustwas vandalised in protestagainst the desecration oftwo statues of Russian communist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin in Tripura.

Bengal to observe deathanniv. of S.P. MookerjeeLast year too,TMC govt.remembered theBJP ideologue onhis 65th deathanniversary


Kolkata

In a bid to improve attendance in schools, the Odishagovernment on Saturday decided to give transportationcost to students who staymore than a kilometre awayfrom their schools.

This comes with a riderbecause only those studentswith an attendance of morethan 30% will get the allowance, offi��cials said.

The decision was taken ata review meeting chaired bySchool and Mass EducationMinister Samir Ranjan Dash.

The government has alsodecided to close down 966schools across the Statesince there are less than 10students in each of theseschools. These students willbe relocated to otherschools.

“If the distance exceedsone km, travel expense will

be given to parents of thechildren,” Mr. Dash said.

He added the cash incentive will be given to the parents for 10 months in ayear.

Students having morethan 75% attendance will get₹��600 per month as travel expense, while students with50% to 75% attendance willget ₹��400 per month, offi��cials said.

Similarly, ₹��300 will be given to students with attendance between 50% to 70%,the Minister said, adding, notransportation cost will beprovided to students withless than 30% attendance.

Odisha bid to improveattendance in schools Students to get transport cost


Bhubaneswar <> The government

has also decided to

close down 966

schools since there

are less than 10

students in each of

these schools

As Bihar struggles to containthe outbreak of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome, which hasclaimed the lives of 127 children so far, Odisha seems tohave learnt its lesson following AES deaths in Malkangiriin 2016.

Timely precautionarymeasures by the State government have ensured nochild has died due JapaneseEncephalitis and AES in Malkangiri since 2017.

In 2016, at least 103 children had died due to JE andAES outbreak in the district,prompting the administration, health offi��cials and locals to be more preparedagainst the two diseases. A

majority of them had developed AES after consumingCassia occidentalis beans, locally known as ‘bada chakunda’. Anthraquinone, a toxinfound in the plant, was responsible for causing encephalopathy among the children in the district.

Dr. Shobha Malini, associate professor of communitymedicine at Saheed LaxmanNayak Medical College , Koraput, said strict watch waskept on AESprone regions inMalkangiri ahead of the monsoon season. Cases of AES areusually reported in the beginning of monsoon and continue till October.

“A major preventive measure against AES is regularclearing of bushes of Cassia

occidentalis plants and motivating tribals not to let theirchildren eat beans of theplant,” said Dr. Ajit KumarMohanty, chief district medical offi��cer, Malkangiri.

With the aid of village committees and health workers,tribals living in remote areasbecame aware of the dangersof consuming Cassia occidentalis and started taking precautions, the CDMO said.

Vaccination driveVaccination is a major weapon against AES. In December 2016, a 15daylong massvaccination programmeagainst JE and AES was initiated in Malkangiri with theinoculation of over 2,18,000children up to the age of fi��ve.

“Vaccination against JEand AES has been included inthe immunisation programme for childrenthroughout Odisha and children are being vaccinatedagainst the same at ninemonths and 18 months. InMalkangiri, all children under the age of fi��ve are gettingbooster doses of the vaccine,” said Dr. Malini.

The district headquarterhospital in Malkangiri was renovated to have a sixbedICU, a paediatric ward to accommodate 50 patients andfour ventilators.

ASHA volunteers and Anganwadi workers were provided special kits to administer medication in case ofemergency.

AES prevention: Odisha shows the way No deaths due to the disease have been reported in Malkangiri since 2017

Sib Kumar Das

Berhampur

Union Minister Smriti Iraniand Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant visitedAmethi’s Barolia village onSaturday to meet the family members of BJP workerSurendra Singh, who waskilled recently.

Former Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar hadadopted Barolia in 2015 asa Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh.

Parrikar adopted village “We are saddened at thedeath of Singh. He was a devoted party worker and theparty stands with his family,” Mr. Sawant said aftermeeting the family.

“Manohar Parrikar hadadopted this village. If theU.P. government wants, wewill work on education,health, roads, water and oth

er problems here in his (Parrikar’s) memory,” Mr. Sawant said.

Former village head Surendra Singh was killed onMay 25.

Mr. Sawant added that hehad worked as a party worker in Amethi in the runup tothe 2014 Lok Sabha elections

and had come in contactwith party worker SurendraSingh, who was shot deadsoon after the 2019 generalelections.

This is Ms. Irani’s fi��rstplanned visit to her constituency after defeating Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

Smriti Irani visits Amethi Goa CM accompanies, promises development works


Amethi (U.P.)

Criticising Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s visit toBarolia village in Amethi inUttar Pradesh, the Congressin Goa accused him of running away from pressing issues in the State like unemployment, contamination offi��sh with formalin and themining ban, while at thesame time promising to un

dertake developmentalworks instead in Amethiconstituency.

“There is unrest everywhere in Goa. Chief Minister cannot fi��nd time for Goaand he has the time to go toAmethi to solve their problems. Our Chief Ministershould fi��rst focus on solvingissues which Goa is facing,”Goa Congress president Girish Chodankar said.

‘Sawant avoiding work’Indo-Asian News Service

Panaji

The Odisha government hasmoved for property attachment of six iron ore lessees,which had extracted ironand manganese ore beyondthe limit approved under environment clearance, fortheir inability to pay penaltyon time.

Six lesseesThe lessees are Shive DuttSharma, BPME Limited, Naryani Sons, Basudev Agarwal, B.K. Mohanaty andOrissa Minerals Development Company Limited.

The six lessees, who wereoperating mines in Keonjhardistrict, had not paid penalty amounting to ₹��1,977.27crore. Proceedings againstthem were initiated under

the Orissa Public DemandsRecovery Rules, 1963.

In 2017, the SupremeCourt had ordered that mining companies which had extracted iron and manganeseore beyond the limit approved under environment

clearance would have to pay₹��17,576.17 crore compensation. So far, mining companies have paid penaltiesamounting to ₹��14,800 crore.

Issued notices“Lessees were issued noticeto pay penalty. Some havepaid and some have not. After due process and caseconfi��rmation, I have issuedorders for attachment ofproperty of six defaulters.There are other cases whichwould be take up after completion of court procedure,”said Ashish Thakare, Keonjhar District Magistrate, overthe phone on Saturday.

An estimated 215.5 milliontonnes of iron and manganese ore were extracted illegally in Odisha between200001 and 201011.

Odisha govt. to attach propertyof six mining companies They had extracted beyond approved limit, did not pay penalty

Staff Reporter

BHUBANESWAR

Odisha Chief MinisterNaveen Patnaik * FILE PHOTO

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

The Odisha governmenthas announced the fourthSaturday of every month asgeneral holiday for all government employees.

“In order to improve theeffi��ciency in the administration and to make it more citizencentric, the government has been takingvarious innovative steps...government hereby declares fourth Saturday of every month as general holiday for all State governmentemployees,” states offi��ce order of General Administration and Public Grievancedepartment. The workinghours in the government offi��ces will be from 10 a.m. to5.30 p.m. with halfanhourlunch break from 1.30 p.m.to 2 p.m.

Odisha govt.staff�� to getholiday on 4th Saturday

Staff Reporter

BHUBANESWAR

CMYK

A ND-NDE

DELHI THE HINDU


CMYK

A ND-NDE

THE HINDU DELHI


CMYK

A ND-NDE

SOUTHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

DELHI THE HINDU


Subba Reddy sworn in as TTD chairmanTIRUPATI

Y.V. Subba Reddy was sworn

in as the 50th chairman of

the TTD’s Board of Trustees

at a function in Tirumala on

Saturday. Mr. Reddy thanked

Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan

Mohan Reddy for appointing

him to the coveted post. “Our

priority is to provide hassle-

free darshan to the devotees

and initiate measures on a

permanent basis to protect

Tirumala from water scarcity,”

he said after assuming office.

IN BRIEF

Junior doctors call offstrike in Telangana HYDERABAD

Junior doctors in Telangana

on Saturday called off their

four-day stir over their

demand for recruitment of

assistant professors,

following an assurance from

the government that the

matter would be looked into.

The Telangana Junior Doctors

Association announced its

decision after talks with State

Health Minister E. Rajender

who assured that recruitment

would be taken up through

medical recruitment board. PTI

A man and his woman frienddied after they accidentallyfell out of the window of apub on Church Street herewhile coming down thestairs on Friday night. Theincident occurred even asCity Police CommissionerAlok Kumar, along with senior offi��cials, was inspectingthe pub as part of the nightrounds.

The deceased are PavanAttavar, 36, marketing manager at a media house, andVeda R. Yadav, 28, a softwareengineer with an IT company. The police personnelheard a thud and found theduo lying in a pool of bloodand rushed them to hospital,where the doctors declaredthem as brought dead.

The police have chargedthe pub owner and the manager with causing death dueto negligence and are investigating. The Cubbon Parkpolice have obtained the

CCTV footage for furtherinvestigation.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the twohad gone to the pub alongwith their friends. They leftearly, and their friends werestill in the pub when the incident happened. Accordingto the police, the two were

coming down from the thirdfl��oor of Beir Pub on ChurchStreet. “In one of the CCTVimages, it was found that Pavan was helping Veda to getdown as she was fi��nding itdiffi��cult to walk. There wasno grill and the window wascovered with a fi��bre blind,” apolice offi��cer said.

Two die after falling fromwindow of Bengaluru pubThey werecoming down the stairs


Bengaluru

Fatal fall: The pub on Church Street where Pawan Attavar(inset) and Veda R. Yadav fell and died. * V. SREENIVASA MURTHY

As part of its campaignagainst Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy’s ‘grama vaastavya’ (village stay) programme, theBJP will release a book onthe ‘ground reality’ in the48 villages he visited during his fi��rst stint as ChiefMinister.

“The CM must stop thiscircus and instead tour theState and take up eff��ectivedrought relief measures,”BJP State president B.S.Yeddyurappa said on Saturday. “Grama vaastavyais a gimmick, and even thathas now been wound upfor a silly reason like rain,”he said. The BJP leader wasspeaking at the party offi��cehere. “The Chief Ministerhad promised ₹��1 crore foreach of these village. Butthat promise never materialised ,” he said.

BJP to releasebook on CM’s‘village stay’

Staff Reporter

Bengaluru

Safely landed: A four-year-old female leopard was rescued by Forest Department at Bedarahalli Kaval near Hassan, Karnataka,on Saturday. The animal was spotted in an abandoned house. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT



Cat in the net

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has instructed the expertcommittee formed to reviewthe grounding and execution of projects in all engineering departments, toidentify areas where the government could reversetenders.

He ordered that immediate attention should bepaid to the prospect of saving money in the Polavaramproject by detecting lapsesin it.

Focus should then be laidon the irregularities in housing, the implementation ofthe GaleruNagari, HandriNeeva and Vamsadhara projects in the Water ResourcesDepartment and other major works in due course, Mr.Reddy said.

In a meeting of the expertcommittee on Saturday, Mr.Reddy said he sought the

constitution of a judicialcommission to bring transparency in tenders and wascommitted to cleansing thesystem.

‘Norms violated’He alleged that the TDP government has fl��outed normsand had undertaken theconstruction of the coff��erdam without completing thespillway. As a consequence,the government will not beable to take up work on theproject for four months, ifthe river Godavari fl��oodsheavily during the rainyseason.

Some offi��cials in the TDPgovernment were responsible for the largescale corruption, which brought disrepute to the State, he said.

In the Polavaram headworks component alone,work costing ₹��3,490 crorewas awarded on a nomination basis, said the ChiefMinister.

Staff Reporter

Vijayawada

Review all projects,identify lapses: Jagan

Amid talks of midterm elections to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, former Union Minister and seniorCongress leader M. Veerappa Moily on Saturday saidthe party had suff��ered a humiliating defeat in the LokSabha election because ofits seatsharing arrangement with the Janata Dal(Secular).

Speaking to presspersonsat Chickballapur, Mr. Moilyclaimed that the Congresshad the prospect of winning15 Lok Sabha constituencies, including Chickballapur, had it contested alone.While the leaders of the twoparties came together toform the alliance, the chemistry among workers andsupporters was not positive,and this resulted in a shakyalliance on the ground andlimited vote transfer to theCongress, Mr. Moily said.

Mr. Moily’s remarks cameafter former Chief MinisterSiddaramaiah met partypresident Rahul Gandhi thisweek and reportedly toldhim that the alliance was damaging the party in theState.

In the 2019 general election, the alliance won justone seat each in the State. In2014, the two parties contested separately and theCongress won nine, and theJD(S), two seats.

Tieup with JD(S) causedCongress’s defeat: MoilySpecial Correspondent

Bengaluru

M. Veerappa Moily

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is planning to add an extra dimension to the pilgrimageexperience by introducing a3D laser show on mythological themes in Tirupati.

The laser show is initiallybeing planned in Sri Govindaraja Swamy Pushkarini,which is abuzz with pilgrims,and also at Sri RamachandraPushkarini, where locals also gather in large numbers.The TTD has apparently chosen water bodies, as a wall ofwater sprayed by a series ofjets would form the backdrop of the laser show.

TTD Joint Executive Offi��cer B. Lakshmikantham, whoset the ball rolling on the laser show proposal, is in touchwith Sri Venkateswara Bhak

ti Channel (SVBC) and othertechnical agencies to takethe ambitious project forward. The project uses Augmented Reality (AR) on various mythological themeslike Dasavatharam and Sri-nivasa Kalyanam.

“It is in the conceptualstage and we need to work

out technicalities and otherresources before launchingthe project,” he told The Hin-du. When water is poured onthe deity of Sri Venkateswara while airing the Abhishekam ritual, members of theaudience will also get a “divine feel” when water issprinkled on them using mi

cro dispensers. Buoyed bythe impressive responsefrom devotees to the ARbased Srinivasa Kalyanamintroduced at the Friday Gardens in front of TiruchanurSri Padmavathi AmmavariTemple, the TTD has put itsbest foot forward to makethe laser show a hit.

TTD plans 3D laser show for devoteesIt is initially being proposed at Sri Govindaraja Swamy Pushkarini

Divine touch: A sample shot of the TTD’s proposed 3D laser show.


TIRUPATI

After four of its Rajya Sabhamembers crossed over to theBJP, the Opposition TDP isstaring at another setback,this time in the form of massmigration of sitting MLAs,MPs, former MLAs, and keyadvisers to the saff��ron party.

In less than a month of receiving a severe drubbing inthe elections, four of its sixMPs – Y.S. Chowdary, C.M.Ramesh, T.G. Venkatesh andGarikapati Rammohan Rao –joined the BJP recently.

Timing of defectionsThe timing of their exit —when party national president N. Chandrababu Naiduis on a holiday along with hisfamily in Europe — and thefastchanging developmentsthereafter are a pointer to

the weakening of the partyfurther.

“The leaders are of theview that there is no point instaying put in a sinking ship.Joining a strong national party serves their interests best.Not just the MLAs and MPs,

some of the advisers too arejoining the BJP shortly. It’sjust a matter of time,” confi��des a leader in the TDP oncondition of anonymity.

Interestingly, one of theMPs is evaluating the optionof joining the ruling YSRCP,he says.

BJP game planGoing by the sources in bothTDP and BJP, the nationalparty intends to weaken theTDP and emerge as a strongplayer by the 2024 elections.

With Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy making itclear that MLAs keen on joining the YSRCP will have to doso only after resigning theirpost, the BJP is the only option left for those eager onswitching their loyalties.

On the other hand, theBJP is openly stating that sev

eral TDP sitting and formerMLAs are in touch with itand are ready to cross overunconditionally. The TDP is,however, dubbing it as an“unethical backdoor manoeuvre.”

Stoic silenceThis apart, the stoic silenceof the TDP leaders who attended Mr. Naidu’s teleconference on Saturday on thefuture plan of action raisesdoubts on the outcome ofthe meeting.

The leaders are reportedly not happy about the party’s failure to groom secondrung leaders and ensuretransparency in the way fi��nances are managed.

However, the party’s wellwishers think the TDP has apermanent cadre that willrevive the party’s lost glory.

The going is getting tough for TDP ‘Mass migration of sitting MLAs, MPs and key advisers on the cards’

N. Chandrababu Naidu

Appaji Reddem

Vijayawada

Karnataka Chief MinisterH.D. Kumaraswamy saidthat he was sad that his scheduled visit to Herur (B) hadto be cancelled due to heavydownpour, but happy thatthe area received good rainfall and farmers can take upfarming activities.

Speaking to reporters, hesaid, “My visit to Kalaburagidistrict would be rescheduled, probably in July fi��rstor second week, after seeingthe dates of the State Legislature Session.”

Herur (B) village, on thebank of Bhima, was fl��oodedin the midnight downpourleaving no option for authorities but to cancel ‘gramavaastavya’ programme. Thelowlying areas in the village

and its vicinity, including thespot designated for Chief Minister’s interaction with people, was completely waterlogged. The rain has alsodamaged the road being repaired for the Chief Minister’s travel to reach thevillage.

Later in the day, Social

Welfare Minister PriyankKharge, along with AfzalpurMLA M.Y. Patil, Karnatakagovernment’s representativein New Delhi Dr. Ajay Singhvisited Herur (B) village tospeak to the disappointedvillagers. They assured thatall demands of the residentswould be met.

Visit to Kalaburagi will be rescheduled, says Karnataka CM


Herur

Change of plans: The site where H.D. Kumaraswamy wassupposed to hold ‘grama vaastavya’. * ARUN KULKARNI

Kumaraswamy cancels‘grama vaastavya’ due to rain

Communist Party of India(Marxist) Kerala secretaryKodiyeri Balakrishnan hasclarifi��ed that neither he northe party will protect or helphis son Binoy Kodiyeri whois facing rape charges.

Mr. Balakrishnan told reporters here on Saturdaythat his son was an adult,having his own family, andhe alone was responsible forthe personal allegations thathad come up against him.The party and he would notintervene, he added.

CPI(M) general secretarySitaram Yechury had clarifi��ed earlier that the partywould not intervene in personal issues. It was for the

accused to prove his innocence. The case was pendingbefore court and the lawwould take its own course,he had said. Asked whetherhe felt that his son was guilty

of the off��ences raised againsthim, Mr. Balakrishnan saidthat was why a case hadbeen registered against himand it needed to be proved.

Mr. Balakrishnan, who

was undergoing Ayurvedatreatment, said he left thehospital to attend State secretariat and State committeemeetings. His son had methim at the hospital. He saidhe did not want reporters togo in search of him andhence had decided to holdthe press meet.

Asked whether he wasaware of the allegations, Mr.Balakrishnan said he came toknow of them only when thecase was registered. He wasunaware of the victim fi��lingany complaint with the CPI(M) central leadership on theissue. He parried queries onhis son’s present whereabouts saying the issue waspending in court and it wasfor the police to trace him.

The case is the personal issue of an adult individual, says Kodiyeri Balakrishnan


THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Speaking up: CPI(M) Kerala secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnanaddressing a press meet in Thiruvananthapuram.

‘CPI(M) will not protect Binoy’

Anthoor municipal chairperson P.K. Shyamala has offered to step down amidprotests over the suicide ofNRI businessman Sajan Parayil.

Addressing a meetinghere on Saturday to explain‘the facts’ relating to the controversy over the suicide,CPI(M) district secretary M.V.Jayarajan said Ms. Shyamalahad off��ered to resign. “Thepolice and departmental in

quiry is under way into thedenial of occupancy certifi��cates for the convention

centre built by Sajan and theHigh Court has registered asuo motu case,” Mr. Jayarajan said, adding the partywould also conduct an inquiry.

There were serious lapseson the part of the municipaloffi��cials, he added.

Giving a clean chit to Ms.Shyamala, senior party leader M.V. Govindan’s wife, Mr.Jayarajan said she had evenasked the municipal secretary to provide completionand occupancy certifi��cates

for the building on the basisof a report by the municipalengineer.

Ms. Shyamala has beenunder pressure from localCPI(M) leaders as the familyof the deceased businessman alleged that he hadcommitted suicide on June18 following the denial ofpermits for the conventioncentre he had built at Bakkalam here. The family said itwas Ms. Shyamala’s adamantstand that led to the denial ofpermits for the building.

NRI suicide: Kerala civic chief off��ers to resignCPI(M) leadership gives clean chit to P.K. Shyamala, blames municipal offi��cials


KANNUR

P.K. Shyamala


THE HINDU DELHI


CMYK

A ND-NDE

NATION

Oblivious to the unconsciouspatient lying alone on a bed,staff�� of a Staterun community healthcare centre in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaff��arnagardistrict allegedly shut itsgates and left as their dutyhours were over.

Sonia, 30, was taken tothe centre in the district’sFaloda village in Purkaziblock on Friday for treatment. While she was still lying unconscious on a bed inthe patients’ room, the staff��

members, including a doctor, left in the afternoon astheir duty hours were over.

A few hours later whenshe regained consciousness,she found herself locked inside the centre, followingwhich she shouted for help.Hearing her cries, locals informed offi��cials, who rushedto the spot and brought herout.

As the incident stirred upa row, a Group D staff�� wassuspended and four otheroffi��cials, including medicaloffi��cer Dr. Mohit Kumar and

chief pharmacist PraveenKumar, were shifted out,said chief medical offi��cer Dr.P.S. Mishra.

A probe has also been ordered, which will be led bydeputy chief medical offi��cerDr. B.K. Ojha. The probe panel has been asked to submitits report within three days,he said, adding that strict action will be taken againstthose found guilty.

Meanwhile, locals demanded strong actionagainst offi��cials for negligence.


Muzaffarnagar

Oblivious doctor, staff�� forget patient

All Indian houses to haveTV sets soon: Javadekar SRINAGAR

Union Minister Prakash

Javadekar said India will soon

become the largest country

in the world where every

household has a television

set. He was addressing a

function to launch the

distribution of free Dish TV

set top boxes in Kashmir. PTI

IN BRIEF

U.S. man arrested for‘molesting’ magistrate SHILLONG

A U.S. aid worker was

arrested for allegedly

molesting a judicial

magistrate at her home, the

police said on Saturday. “We

have arrested the American

national, Theodore M.

Moallem,” the police said.

Moallem and his organisation,

Blind Lead Trust, have also

filed a counter complaint

against the magistrate for

assaulting him. PTI

3 feared dead as car fallsinto canal in PunjabRUPNAGAR

Three men are feared to have

drowned after their car fell

into the Bhakra canal near

Anandpur Sahib, the police

said on Saturday. The incident

took place on Friday night

near the Ganguwal power

house when four men were

crossing a bridge on the

canal. While three of them

fell into the canal with the

car, one managed to get out

and alert the police. PTI

The proposal to name actorSanjay Dutt as the face of thegovernment's antidrug campaign to mark InternationalDay Against Drug Abuse andIllicit Traffi��cking on June 26has been dropped, Union Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry offi��cials said.

The actor has been vocal

about his experiences withdrugs and had been proposed as the ambassador ofthe campaign.

Sources said the plan wasdropped because there wasdisagreement over his selection for the role, with Minister Thaawarchand Gehloteventually deciding againstit.

A Ministry offi��cial added

that a media publicity campaign planned earlier hasbeen shelved for now, butcould be rolled out in the fu

ture with a diff��erent face. Mr. Gehlot told The Hindu

that the Ministry would observe International DayAgainst Drug Abuse and Illicit Traffi��cking like it has inthe past.

Sixminute fi��lm insteadAccording to offi��cials, a sixminute fi��lm to offi��ciallylaunch the National ActionPlan for Drug Demand Reduction would be releasedon June 26.

The action plan, stretch

ing from 2018 till 2025, aimsto create awareness aboutthe harmful impact of drugabuse, facilitate research andprovide communitybasedidentifi��cation, counselling,deaddiction and aftercareservices.

The action plan also provides for fi��nancial assistanceto organisations, States andUnion Territories for conducting programmes. Thesetting up of outreach anddropin centres for those affected and community

based peerled interventionprogrammes to prevent druguse among adolescents areamong the tools mentionedin the plan.

In order to rehabilitateformer addicts, the plan provides for vocational trainingand livelihood programmesto be conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of SkillDevelopment and Entrepreneurship and State governments.

Plan to use Sanjay Dutt as face of anti-drug drive droppedCentre’s decision after disagreementover selection of the actor for the role

Sanjay Dutt

Damini Nath

New Delhi

Human skeletal remainswere found strewn near agarbage dump close to thepostmortem section of theSri Krishna Medical CollegeHospital (SKMCH) here onSaturday, offi��cials said.

The SKMCH is in news forthe death of more than 100brain feveraffl��icted childrensince June 1.

“Unclaimed bodies afterpostmortem are crematedin due course. These skeletalremains are found at thespot where cremations aresaid to take place. But I agreethis should be done in amore humane fashion,” Dr.Sunil Kumar Shahi, superintendent of the SKMCH hospital, said.

The embarrassed hospitalsuperintendent was replyingto queries from a swarm ofjournalists who have beencamping in the town to cover

the epidemiclike situationthat has arisen in the wake ofthe outbreak of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES),which has claimed close to140 lives across the State,with this north Bihar districtalone accounting for 127deaths.

Bearing the brunt, theSKMCH, which is one of thelargest government hospitalsin the State, has witnessedthe death of 107 AESaffl��icted

children since June 1.“The postmortem sec

tion comes under the administrative control of the principal of the medical collegeattached to the hospital. Ihave asked him to set up acommittee to look into thematter and take remedialmeasures,” Dr. Shahi added.

Locals said that improperdisposal of bodies has been alongstanding problem in thearea.

Skeletons found close to Biharhospital plagued by AES deaths‘Improperlydumped followingpostmortem’


Muzaffarpur

Mortal traces: Police offi��cials investigating the human skeletalremains found in Muzaff��arpur on Saturday. * PTI

A former IPS offi��cer on Saturday donated two ambulances, a hearse and othermaterials to the Sri KrishnaMedical College and Hospital here, where 127 children have died due to suspected case of AcuteEncephalitis Syndrome(AES).

Acharya Kishore Kunal,also exchairman of the Bihar State Board of Religious Trusts, donated40,000 packets of ORS,biscuits and glucose eachto the hospital.

Meanwhile, former JNUStudents’ Union presidentKanhaiya Kumar, whocame to Muzaff��arpur to visit the SKMCH, was not allowed to enter its paediatric Intensive Care Unit(ICU) and general ward following an order from thehospital authorities.

ExIAS offi��ceroff��ers help


Muzaffarpur

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh

Jailed Dera Sacha Saudachief Gurmeet Ram RahimSingh has sought parole formore than a month forfarming at his fi��elds in Haryana’s Sirsa, offi��cials saidon Saturday.

The Dera chief is lodgedat the Sunaria jail in Rohtakafter being convicted intwo rape cases and themurder of a journalist.

Following his application for the parole for 42days, the jail superintendent wrote to the Sirsa district administration askingwhether it was feasible ornot.

In the communique, theoffi��cial mentioned thatGurmeet’s conduct in thejail had been good and hehad not violated any rule.

On receiving the letter,the Sirsa police had approached the Revenue Department to ascertain howmuch land the Dera chiefowned.

“We have asked the Revenue Department to provide record of how muchland is in his name. The details are awaited,” SirsaDSP Rajesh Kumar said.

In August 2017, the Derachief was sentenced to 20years in jail for raping twowomen. A special CBIcourt also found him guiltyof murdering a journalistmore than 16 years ago.

Dera chiefwants to farm,seeks parole

PRESS TRUST OFINDIA

Rohtak

The police have arrested theprime accused in the case ofallegedly assaulting a groupof Muslim men in westernAssam’s Barpeta and forcingthem to say ‘Jai Shri Ram’,‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ and ‘Pakistan Murdabad’ on June18.

The accused has beenidentifi��ed as Debojit Deka,30, a member of the rightwing Sri Ram Sena headedby the Karnatakabased Pramod Muthalik.

“A joint team of Barpetaand Guwahati police caughthim from a southern suburbof Guwahati close to midnight yesterday [ June 21],” asenior police offi��cer said.

Video viralThe incident had come tolight after a video of the forcible chanting of sloganswent viral on social media.The police began searchingfor four people seen assaulting the Muslim men after

two organisations — the AllAssam Minority Students’Union and the NorthEastMinorities Students’ Union— fi��led separate First Information Reports (FIR) in Barpeta on Thursday.

“We hope to catch theothers involved in the incident soon,” the offi��cer said,adding that the police’s cybercell has been monitoringsocial media sites for communal or incendiary comments.

Man arrested for attackon Muslim men in AssamAccused is a rightwing group member

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

GUWAHATI

The victims were forced tosay ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘BharatMata ki jai’.

Odisha has come out with aunique fl��ood hazard atlas onthe basis of historic fl��ood inundation captured throughsatellite imagery from 2001to 2018, which is expected tohelp the State manage fl��oodsmore effi��ciently.

The National RemoteSensing Centre (NRSC) of theIndian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Hyderabad, conducted the study onfl��ood hazard zonation forOdisha. The atlas was released by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the Statelevel Natural Calamity Meetinghere on Saturday.

Vast areas of the State areinundated every year due tothe fl��ooding of major rivers —Mahanadi, Brahmani, Baita

rani, Subarnarekha andRushikulya. Other rivers, likethe Vamsadhara and theBudhabalanga, also causefl��ash fl��oods due to instantrunoff�� from their hilly catchments.

Common deltaAccording to BishnupadaSethi, managing director,Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA), damages due to fl��oodsare caused mainly by the Mahanadi, the Brahmani andthe Baitarani, which have acommon delta where fl��oodwaters intermingle, and,when in spate simultaneously, wreak considerable havoc.

The entire coastal belt isprone to storm surges, whichis usually accompanied by

heavy rainfall, thus makingthe estuary region vulnerable to both storm surges andriver fl��ooding. A few districtsin the western and southernparts of Odisha are prone to

analysed and fl��ood layerswere extracted. All the fl��oodlayers corresponding to ayear are combined as one inundation layer, so that thislayer represents the maximum fl��ooded area in oneyear.”

‘Useful resource’“All such combined fl��oodlayers were integrated intofl��ood hazard layer representing the observed fl��oodinundated areas with diff��erentfrequencies. This layer wasintegrated with the digitaldatabase layers of Odisha,”said Dr. Diwakar.

The atlas would serve as auseful resource of information for policy makers, planners and civil society groups,said Chief Secretary A. P.Padhi.

aff��ected area (13.96 lakh hectares), about 2.81 lakh hectares of land falls under high(inundated sevennine times)to very high (inundated 1014times) fl��ood hazardcategories.

Eight out of 30 districts —Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghapur, Balasore, Puri,Jajpur, Khordha and Cuttack— are more fl��oodaff��ectedthan others. As high as 77%of Bhadrak and 70% of Kendrapara have been categorised as fl��ood hazard.

According to P. G. Diwakar, director of Earth Observation, Application and Disaster Management SupportProgramme Offi��ce of ISRO,“A large number of satelliteimages acquired over 18years (20012018) were used.All satellite data sets were

fl��ash fl��oods, he pointed out.The NRSC analysis says

about 8.96% (13.96 lakh hectares) of land in Odisha wasaff��ected by fl��oods during20012018. Out of total fl��ood

Odisha uses satellite imagery to create unique fl��ood hazard atlas Aimed at tackling fl��oods eff��ectively, the system takes into account fl��ood inundation data from 2001 to 2018

Staff Reporter

BHUBANESWAR

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has declined totransport four elephantsfrom eastern Assam’s Tinsukia to Ahmedabad for the July 4 Jagannath Rath Yatra until the Gauhati High Courtresolves the matter and theState Forest Departmentclarifi��es an order of the Supreme Court regarding

transfer of elephants.Assambased animal

rights activists Urmi MalaDas and Nandini Baruah hadon Friday fi��led a public interest litigation at the HighCourt challenging the Assamgovernment’s decision totransport the four juvenileelephants, two of them females, in railway wagons toAhmedabad.

Their PIL followed a peti

tion fi��led via email to thecourt by Canadabased activist Sangeeta Iyer.

‘Clarifi��cation sought’“We will not dispatch the elephants unless we receive aclarifi��cation sought from theForest Division on an orderby the Supreme Court. Besides, there is a PIL to watchout for,” said Masood Alom,the additional divisional rail

way manager of NFR’s Tinsukia Division.

Hearing a case related toKerala, the Suprem Courthad in May 2016 said: “TheState government shall notissue any ownership certifi��cate to any of the persons inpossession of elephants.That apart, the persons whoare in possession of elephants shall not transfer theelephants outside the state

nor shall they part with theelephants by way of transferin any manner...”

Offi��cials of NRF’s zonalheadquarters in Guwahati’sMaligaon confi��rmed the decision not to transport theelephants until the legal issues are resolved.

They also trashed reportsthat the elephants were being dispatched quietly beforethe PIL is heard on Monday.

Railway declines to move Assam jumbos to GujaratSpecial Correspondent

Guwahati

PMK founder Ramadossthreatens journalistsCHENNAI

PMK founder S. Ramadoss on

Saturday made a

controversial statement that

he will “cut down those who

ask questions (about the

PMK’s protest by cutting

trees) and lay them across the

road”. He said he will do this

if journalists continued to ask

him questions about an

agitation in which his

partymen cut down hundreds

of trees and threw them on

the roads across the State.

Former DMK Minister K.N.Nehru on Saturday caused astir in political circles bysuggesting that the partyshould go it alone, instead ofwith the Congress, in the local body elections.

Mr. Nehru was apparently expressing his displeasure over a Congress functionary’s reportedstatement that they wouldseek a good number of seatsin South Chennai as part ofthe DMKled alliance, whichhad achieved a massive victory in the recent Lok Sabhaelection.

Speaking at the party’sprotest demonstration onthe drinking water crisis inTiruchi, the party’s Tiruchisouth district secretary saidhe would tell his party president that “if we are to be ofuse to the people, we shouldcontest the local body election alone. How long can weremain the palanquin bearers? We have been doing sofor long.”

However, Mr. Nehru qualifi��ed his statement as his

personal views and not thatof the party. He affi��rmedthat he would abide by hisleader’s decision.

Without naming anyone,Mr. Nehru said, “When wewere in alliance with theCongress, people like Mayura Jayakumar continuouslycriticised the DMK regime.They spoilt the relations between us and the Congress.Yet, we worked for them asper the alliance dharma inthe recent elections and allhave won.”

The party must go italone at least in Tiruchi, hesaid.

‘Better to go it alone in local body elections’Former DMK Minister causes stir in T.N.

S. Ganesan

TIRUCHI

Former DMK Minister K.N.Nehru taking part in anagitation. * M. MOORTHY

Advani arrives in Shimlaon week-long visitSHIMLA

Veteran BJP leader L.K.

Advani arrived in Shimla on

Saturday. Accompanied by his

family, he is here on a seven

day private visit. Mr. Advani

was received by Irrigation and

Public Health Minister

Mahender Singh, Health

Minister Vipin Singh Parmar,

Transport and Forest Minister

Govind Thakur and State BJP

president Satpal Satti.

CMYK

A ND-NDE


DELHI THE HINDU


NEWS

FROM PAGE ONE

high level political statements and media leaks fromIndia to cast Pakistan in anegative light and plead forPakistan’s downgrading,”Pakistan foreign offi��ce spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said in a statement on Saturday where he referred tothe MEA statement as “preposterous andunwarranted.”

A day after the FATF strictures, Pakistan said it remains committed to taking“all necessary measures toensure completion of theAction Plan in a timelymanner.”

However, it accused Indiaof attempting to “politicise”FATF deliberations.

“Pakistan has consistently shared its concerns [on]

Time running out tocurb terror, Pak. told

ty BJP made infl��ammatoryspeeches against minoritycommunities,” but did notname any leaders.

On June 13, in a testimonybefore the U.S. Congress,State Department offi��cial Alice Wells said the U.S. wanted the Indian leadership to“swiftly condemn acts ofviolence on the basis of religion and hold perpetratorsaccountable.”

In the past, the government has rejected similar reports issued by the U.S. government as well as the U.S.Commission on International Religious Freedom, whichplaced India on its Tier 2 listof countries of concern inApril 2019.

In 2005, the U.S. revokedMr. Modi’s visa (he was thenGujarat Chief Minister) under its religious freedomlaw, the only time the U.S.has invoked it. India hadprotested against the decision at the time.

The visit is expected to prepare the ground for a proposed meeting between President Donald Trump andMr. Modi on the sidelines ofthe G20 summit in Osaka onJune 27 and 28.

When asked, the Ministryof External Aff��airs didn’tcomment on the report, nordid it respond to a questionwhether India would raiseobjections to it during Mr.Pompeo’s visit.

The 2018 report had listed18 attacks against “NonHindu and Dalit” victims, inwhich 8 people were killedin violence linked to cowprotection. In addition, thereport quoted various Christian NGOs that had documented 300500 cases of alleged violence againstChristian priests andchurches nationwide.

“Mob attacks by violentextremist Hindu groupsagainst minority communities, especially Muslims,continued throughout theyear amid rumours that victims had traded or killedcows for beef. According tosome NGOs, authorities often protected perpetratorsfrom prosecution,” the report said, adding that a“crackdown” on one Christian group in Jharkhand waspart of “a ploy to discreditthe organisation as part ofthe State government’s antiChristian agenda.”

The report said, “Senioroffi��cials of the Hindumajori

BJP slams U.S. for ‘bias’against Prime Minister

Secretary of State MikePompeo is scheduled toarrive in Delhi on June 25.

Etihad Airways has suspended operations throughIranian airspace over theStraits of Hormuz and theGulf of Oman, and will usealternative fl��ight paths on anumber of routes to andfrom Abu Dhabi until further notice, the airline said.

“These changes willcause delays on some departures from Abu Dhabi, dueto increased congestion inavailable airspace, and willincrease journey times onsome routes,” it added.

This move will aff��ect fl��ightsto Europe and the U.S. fromIndia and vice versa. Air India’s Europe and U.S.boundfl��ights will be impacted.

IndiGo and Air India Express’s Qatarbound fl��ightswill have to take a diff��erentroute as they fl��y over Iranianairspace.

Several European carriers have also decided notto fl��y over Iran.

Air India chairman andmanaging director AshwaniLohani said, “There will beno substantial eff��ect on AirIndia’s fl��ights. Details are being worked out for rerouting the incoming fl��ights.”

The diversion will put anadditional fi��nancial burdenon Air India which has beenincurring losses since theban on fl��ying over Pakistaniairspace a few months ago.

Indian carriers told toskip Iranian airspace

<> There will be no

substantial eff��ect on

Air India fl��ights.

Details are being

worked out for

rerouting fl��ights

Ashwani Lohani

Air India chairman

Chief Justice of India RanjanGogoi has written to PrimeMinister Narendra Modiseeking to increase thestrength of judges and raisethe retirement age of HighCourt judges to 65.

Justice Gogoi has alsourged the Prime Minister tomake tenure appointmentsof retired Supreme Courtand High Court judges under Articles 128 and 224A,respectively, to clear casespending for years.

The CJI, who wrote threeletters to the PM, said58,669 cases had beenpending in the top court andthe number was increasing.

With the paucity of judges, the required number ofConstitution Benches to decide important cases involving questions of law was notbeing formed, he said.

“You would recall thatway back in 1988, aboutthree decades ago, the judgestrength of the SC was increased from 18 to 26, andthen again after two decades in 2009, it was increased to 31, including theCJI, to expedite disposal ofcases to keep pace with therate of institution,” hewrote.

“I request you to kindlyconsider, on top priority, toaugment the judgestrengthin the SC appropriately sothat it can function more effi��ciently and eff��ectively as itwill go a long way to attainultimate goal of renderingtimely justice to the litigantpublic,” Justice Gogoi wrote.

Many vacanciesHe said though the size ofthe feeder cadre of ChiefJustices and judges of theHigh Courts had increasedin the past, the strength hadnot been increased proportionally in the top court.

In his second letter, heurged Mr. Modi to considerbringing a constitutionalamendment to increase theretirement age of High

Court judges from 62 to 65.“One of the prime rea

sons why we are not able tocontain the evergrowingpendency is shortage of HCjudges. At present, 399posts, or 37% of sanctionedjudgestrength, are vacant.The existing vacancies needto be fi��lled immediately. However, despite best eff��ortsput in by all stakeholders, ithas not been possible to appoint judges to bring theworking judgestrengthanywhere close to the sanctioned judgestrength,” Justice Gogoi wrote.

Retirement ageOn raising the retirementage of the HC judges, hewrote: “This, in turn, wouldhelp in improving the vacancy position and consequently reducing pendencyof cases. This would also bein consonance with the [repeated] recommendationsmade by parliamentarystanding committees.”

Justice Gogoi said, “Ajudge takes time to evolveand by the time he is in a position to put innovativethoughts based on rich experience to practice, hefi��nds himself nearing retirement. This can be avoided ifthe age of retirement israised to an appropriate level so that his vast experience, deeper insight andexpertise can be utilised fora longer period.”

Increase number ofjudges, CJI urges PM‘Courts unable to clear pending cases’

PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

New Delhi

<> It will go a long way

in attaining the

ultimate goal of

rendering timely

justice to the public

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik said hereon Saturday that the off��er oftalks made by Hurriyat leaders was a “positive change”.

“The Hurriyat, whichonce did not let in [Union Minister] Ram Vilas Paswanwho was waiting at theirdoor, is now talking abouttalks. This is a positivechange,” he said.

Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq made theoff��er from the historic JamiaMasjid on Friday, saying hewas ready to support anydialogue process on resolution of the Kashmir issue.

Pat for MirwaizThe Governor expressedhappiness that the Mirwaizspoke against the drug menace too and pledged to fi��ghtit. He said it pained him tosee youth getting killed withbullets.

“If we function sincerely,youth will not be swayed andmisled that if you die you willget jannat [paradise]. A Muslim will get heaven only if he

becomes a good Muslim,” hesaid.

He admitted that therewas displeasure among theyouth which “needs to besolved”.

The Governor said theState was witnessing manychanges. “Recruitment tomilitant ranks is almost zero.There is no stonethrowingafter Friday prayers,” hesaid.

Governor lauds Hurriyat off��erSays the separatists’ readiness for dialogue with Centre is a ‘positive change’

Peerzada Ashiq

Srinagar

Small steps: Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik fl��anked by Union Ministers JitendraSingh and Prakash Javadekar at a function in Srinagar on Saturday. * NISSAR AHMAD

A threemember BJP delegation visited the troubletornBhatpara area in West Bengal on Saturday, and allegedthat it was due to police fi��ring that two persons losttheir lives during clashes earlier in the week.

The delegation was led byformer Union Minister andBardhamanDurgapur MPS.S. Ahluwalia. Newly elected MPs and former police offi��cers Satyapal Singh andB.D. Ram were in the team.Party leaders of the State accompanied them.

“We spoke to the familymembers and local people.We got portions of spent SLR

(selfloading rifl��e) bulletsused by the police on Thursday to shoot the BJP workers,” Mr. Ahluwalia said.

Two people were killedand 11 others injured in thetown in North 24 Parganasdistrict on Thursday after

clashes broke out betweentwo groups believed to be affi��liated to the Trinamool andthe Bharatiya Janata Party.

“The police are sayingthey fi��red in the air. If theyhad done that, how can it hithumans,” he asked. “We willsubmit our detailed report toparty president and UnionHome Minister Amit Shah.He is concerned with the violence in the area,” he said.

The police and the rulingTrinamool called the observation baseless.

Trinamool secretarygeneral Partha Chatterjee saidthe BJP delegation’s visit wasaimed at increasing tensionin the area. “[Ban orders under] Section 144 [of the Cri

minal Procedure Code] is inforce, but the BJP is visitingthere. The police shouldhave taken action againstthem for violating Section144.” A senior offi��cer said theBJP leadership had takenpermission.

Seeks CBI probeEarlier in the day, a joint delegation of the CPI(M) andthe Congress, led by Leaderof the Opposition in the Assembly Abdul Mannan, visited the troubled areas of Baruipara, Jagaddal andBhatpara. They demanded aCBI inquiry into the killing oftwo persons.

The BJP leadership hassought a CBI probe.

BJP delegation visits BhatparaClaims police fi��ring caused deaths; Trinamool sees BJP bid to fan tension

S.S. Ahluwalia


Kolkata

The Central Bureau of Investigation has conductedsearches in nine locations,including the premises of‘absconding’ defence dealerSanjay Bhandari, in connection with the ₹��2,895.63crorePilatus trainer aircraft dealcase.

The case alleging corruption in the deal for supply of75 trainer aircraft was registered on June 19, following apreliminary enquiry initiated in November 2016. Basedon the FIR, the EnforcementDirectorate may soon initiatea money laundering probe.

Several accusedAmong those named as accused are SwitzerlandbasedPilatus Aircraft Ltd., un

known offi��cials of the IndianAir Force and the DefenceMinistry, Mr. Bhandari as director of Off��set India Solutions Private Ltd and anotherdirector Bimal Sareen. Mr.Bhandari is now said to be inthe U.K.

Deepak Aggarwal, Himanshu Verma of Off��set India Solutions and the DubaibasedOff��set India Solutions FZChave also been arraigned.

According to the CBI, thesearches were carried out inDelhi, Ghaziabad and Noidaon Friday. “A local offi��ce ofPilatus Aircraft and the places linked to Mr. Aggarwaland Mr. Verma, besides theoffi��ces of some other companies, were also searched,”said an agency offi��cial.

It is alleged that, as part ofthe conspiracy, Pilatus Air

craft made payments of over₹��21 crore in two tranches toMr. Bhandari’s company inIndia from August to Octoberin 2010 and about ₹��339 croreto his Dubai fi��rm from 2011 to2015.

The Air Force issued a request for proposal for pro

curement of 75 basic traineraircraft on December 16,2009. The CBI alleges that Pilatus Aircraft, one of the bidders, conspired with Mr.Bhandari and others to bagthe deal.

The supplier signed a service provider agreementwith him in June 2010, in“violation” of the defenceprocurement procedure, toget the contract.

Pilatus Aircraft fraudulently signed a precontractintegrity pact with the Defence Ministry on November,12, 2010, deliberately concealing the service provideragreement with Mr. Bhandari, as alleged. “It is suspectedthat the said commissionamount was paid in order toinfl��uence the public servantsassociated with the process

of procurement,” said theagency.

In May 2012, Pilatus Aircraft got the contract. Theagency suspects that thecommission was paid for infl��uencing the public servantswho were associated withthe process of procurement.

Off��set India Solutions andsix other domestic companies of Mr. Bhandari, apartfrom his wife Sonia Bhandari, allegedly received ₹��25.5crore from June 2012 toMarch 2015 in lieu of thecash provided by him fromnine companies of Mr. Aggarwal. Mr. Bhandari tookover fi��ve companies from Mr.Verma with the help of Mr.Aggarwal and ₹��39.36 crorewas deposited in them in lieuof the cash given by the defence dealer.

CBI conducts searches in Pilatus deal caseNine locations, including the premises of ‘absconding’ defence dealer Sanjay Bhandari, raided

Sanjay Bhandari is said to be in the U.K. at present.

Devesh K. Pandey

NEW DELHI

Newly elected Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP AtulRai, who has been accusedof rape, surrendered in acourt here in Uttar Pradeshon Saturday.

The judicial magistrate(fi��rst) remanded Rai in 14day judicial custody. AnFIR was registered againstRai on May 1 on a complaint by a college studentwho had alleged that hetook her home on the pretext of meeting his wife butsexually assaulted her.

Mr. Rai, who has deniedthe rape allegations, hadbeen on the run since thelodging of the FIR. The parliamentarian from Ghosi inU.P. was declared absconder by the local court.

RapeaccusedMP surrendersin U.P. court


Varanasi

Shweta Bhatt, wife of formerIndian Police Service (IPS)offi��cer Sanjiv Bhatt, who hasbeen convicted and sentenced to life imprisonmentin an alleged custodial deathcase dating back to 1990, hascalled her husband’s conviction a “miscarriage of justice”, and alleged that hehad been “implicated in a fabricated case”.

She said she would fi��ghtfor justice for her husbandand their family.

In a detailed post on Facebook, she alleged that the“socalled custodial death”case was baseless and Bhatt,who was posted as AssistantSuperintendent of Police,Jamnagar, at the time hadnothing to do with the case

or the person who died afterhe was detained by the localpolice following communalriots in Jamjodhpur town.

“The deceased, Prabhudas Madhavji Vaishnani, wasarrested hours before SanjivBhatt and his staff�� reached

the Jamjodhpur Police Station,” she said. “At no pointin time were any of the arrested 133 persons, including the deceased and hisbrother, in custody of SanjivBhatt or any of his staff��. Norwere they interrogated bySanjiv Bhatt or his staff��.”

‘No signs of torture’“On 18th November 1990,while undergoing treatmentin Rajkot, Mr. Vaishnanipassed away. The hospitalrecords as well as his postmortem records have notedthat there were no internalor external indication[s] ofany injury/torture or anygrievance,” she added.

Ms. Bhatt alleged that thecomplaint fi��led against herhusband was a “classic caseof political vindictiveness”.

Fabricated case, says Shweta BhattAllegations of custodial death baseless, writes wife of exIPS offi��cer on Facebook


AHMEDABAD

Shweta Bhatt, wife of former IPS offi��cer Sanjiv Bhatt, leavingthe Jamnagar Sessions Court on Thursday. * PTI

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has told the Bombay High Court that it wasready to provide an air ambulance to bring diamantaire Mehul Choksi, a key accused in the multicrorePunjab National Bank (PNB)scam, to India.

Choksi, currently based inthe Caribbean nation of Antigua, recently told the HighCourt that he had left Indiafor medical treatment andnot to avoid prosecution inthe case. He said he wouldreturn to India as soon as hewas medically fi��t to travel.

In a counter affi��davit fi��ledbefore the court on Friday,

the ED said Choksi’s submission appeared to be “façadesbeing erected merely to mislead the court”.

“The ED conducts investigations in a very fair andprofessional manner. It maybe appreciated that taking ahumanitarian approach, we

are ready to provide an expert medical team along withair ambulance to bringChoksi from Antigua to India,” the probe agency said.If required, best medical services would be provided toChoksi on his return, it said.

The agency also broughtto the court’s attention thedischarge summary of thehospital in New York, wherehe had undergone a surgeryin February 2018, which allowed the diamantaire to return to work within three tofi��ve days. “As such it is notclear what is preventing himfrom travelling now, after 1617 months from the date ofundergoing the said procedure,” the ED said.

PNB scam accused had said he left India for treatment


Mumbai

Mehul Choksi

Will provide air ambulance forChoksi’s return, ED tells court

A JaisheMuhammad ( JeM)militant was killed in an operation in Baramulla ofnorth Kashmir on Saturday.

An offi��cial said a contactwas established with hidingmilitants at Bujtalan villageduring a search. “In the en

suing encounter, one militant was killed. From thematerial found at the site, hehas been identifi��ed as fromPakistan and associatedwith the JeM,” the policesaid. The Army’s 6 JAKLI,the police’s special operations group and the CRPFconducted the operation.

Jaish militant killed Special Correspondent

Srinagar

Punjab Chief MinisterAmarinder Singh on Saturday ordered an inquiry into the fatal assault on themain accused in the “Bargari sacrilege” incident atthe New Nabha prison,warning of stringent punishment for the assailants.

An initial probe revealedthat accused MahinderpalBittu, 49, died after he wasattacked by two inmates.He was rushed to a hospitalat Nabha, where he was declared brought dead, saidan offi��cial spokesperson.

ADGP Prisons RohitChaudhary will head thefactfi��nding committee,which has been asked tosubmit its report withinthree days.

Probe orderedinto murder inPunjab prison

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

CHANDIGARH

CMYK

A ND-NDE


THE HINDU DELHI


NEWS

Union Minority Aff��airs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvispeaks on “Sabka Vishwas”, minority politics and the demographic challenge faced by Parsis.

What was behind Prime

Minister Narendra Modi’s

speech during the NDA

parliamentary party meet

when he spoke of a

government with Sabka

Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka

Vishwas (Together,

development for all, with

everyone’s trust)?

■ Prime Minister NarendraModi said that phrase as hehas already demonstratedthat he had support from allsections of society. In thepast fi��ve years, the Modi government has emphasised ondevelopment without discrimination, developmentwith dignity and development without appeasement.Education, employment andempowerment were ourpriorities.

We are satisfi��ed that wemoved forward on that agenda. People have also seenthis, otherwise Modiji wouldnot have been voted back

with a bigger mandate thanthe last time around, a veryrare thing in the political history of the country.

What does this mean on the

ground?

■ Till now, when we usedlook at the issues facing minorities, we used to look atthem via a very narrowprism, issues like personallaw, Babri Masjid or that Islam is in danger or even thatreligious rights were beingencroached on. I rememberpublic meetings where suchthings were emphasised.

Now development programmes are front andcentre and are being implemented without any fear orfavour. For example, underthe Mudra Yojana, 32% of benefi��ciaries are minorities, under Awaas Yojana (puccahouses for poor), 2627% ofbenefi��ciaries are minorities;most importantly, in electric

ity, we have fi��gures that saythat 2829% connectionswere areas that had signifi��cant minority population. Inthe past fi��ve years, we started28 degree colleges and 2,197schools and built 113 hostels,91 ITIs, 50 polytechnics,more than 4,000 anganwadis, 400 sadbhavana mandaps and 92 residentialschools. In fact, Prime Minister Modi increased the totalnumber of minority districtsfrom a pre2014 level of 90districts to 308, saying thateven areas where minoritiesare around 25% of populationshould not be neglected, asall sections will gain formspecial attention. Our focuswill be on education and selfemployment through skill development programmes, etc.specially for girls.

What about representation

in government jobs and

administration, where

minorities have been long

underrepresented?

■ We don’t have fi��gures forgovernment jobs across thecountry at various levels butif you look at the UPSC ex

ams, we have reversed thedeclining trend of before2014; 102 in 2016, out ofwhich 51 were Muslims, in2017 that number went up to113, with 43 or 44 Muslim candidates. It is the result of anatmosphere of developmentwithout discrimination. If welook at the participation ofthe six notifi��ed minoritycommunities in governmentjobs, it was barely 4% before2014, now it is close to 10%.

There is, however, a

narrative of minorities

under siege under the Modi

government.

■ First of all, what we are seeing is haar ka horror show (ahorror show of the defeated).Those opposing Modiji havenot been able to fi��gure outwhat has happened to get

him support from all sectionsof society. We used to heartalk of religion, caste, or region when asking for votes.We believe we are seeing anew democratic revolutionwhere people are rejectingcommunal and caste politics.

In 2014, when Modiji fi��rstcame to power, some peoplethought that they could accuse him of bias, that he is intolerant or run an AwaasWapsi programme and people will be convinced. But allthese eff��orts were in vain,and Modiji’s popularity andacceptability both rose. Under the fi��rst Modi government, people had started saying that India’s relationshipwith all Islamic countries willsee a decline and that Muslims will be discriminatedagainst.

People saw the exact opposite of that, with the Islamic countries reposing deepfaith in Modiji, awarding himtheir highest honours. Evencountries who don’t getalong, have Modiji as a common point.

There have been reports of

violence against minorities

coming in since the results

and even in the earlier term,

how would you react to

that?

■ No destructive agenda willbe able to circumvent the development agenda. These incidents, mostly isolated,should be acted upon, anddemonstrable action shouldbe taken by State governments. These have beendone in the past too. Some ofthese incidents are fromthose who want to poison apositive atmosphere withnegativity.

Will there be any specifi��c

outreach to minority

communities?

■ The government has beenreaching out via its development programmes, and hasbroken what was a hypocrisyaround the secularism of“room main topi, sadak petilak” (skull cap indoors, tilakon the streets). The entiresymbolism of going aroundwith a few Imams and declaring that Muslims are with certain parties has been brokenby Modiji. He has established

direct contact with the people, and even I, through a series of progress panchayats,circumvented any middlemen and went directly to thepeople.

What is the status on the

Kartarpur corridor?

■ This is a historic decision,despite the circumstances.

Your Ministry also launched

an ambitious programme

called “Jiyo Parsi” over the

declining numbers of that

community. What is the

status of that?

■ The decline of populationof Parsis, due to a multiplicityof reasons, is a matter of concern. We wanted to providehelp, in terms of fi��nance andspreading awareness. In thepast fi��ve years, 200 childrenwere born in that communityafter the launch of thescheme. We will continuewith this. The Parsi community has had a big contributionto nationbuilding, and it’snot good for the country ifthe community is seeing a demographic decline.

INTERVIEW | MUKHTAR ABBAS NAQVI

‘A democratic revolution is on with people rejecting communal politics’Minister says issues facing minorities are not looked at through a narrow prism and there is development with dignity and without discrimination or appeasement

Nistula Hebbar

New Delhi

<> The entire

symbolism of going

around with a few

Imams and declaring

that Muslims are

with certain parties

has been broken by

Modiji

HC moved on appointingLeader of Opposition NEW DELHI

A plea seeking direction to

the Lok Sabha Speaker to

appoint a Leader of the

Opposition in the 17th Lok

Sabha has been filed in the

Delhi High Court. The public

interest litigation (PIL)

petition, filed by advocates

Manmohan Singh and

Shishmita Kumari, may be

heard by a vacation Bench on

June 26. They have sought a

direction to the Speaker to

frame a policy for the

appointment. “In the new Lok

Sabha, with 52 members, the

Congress is the largest party

in the Opposition and is,

therefore, the rightful

claimant to the post under

the law,” the PIL stated. IANS

Visa must for Nepaleseentering India via Pak.KATHMANDU

Nepalese nationals must hold

a Indian visa if they are

entering India from Pakistan,

China, Hong Kong and Macau,

according to a notice issued

by the Nepalese Embassy in

New Delhi. Similarly,

Nepalese nationals travelling

to Gulf countries, including

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait,

Oman, Bahrain and Lebanon,

are required to acquire a ‘no

objection certificate’ from the

respective Nepalese

Embassies, it said. PTI

PM meets economists,industry expertsNEW DELHI

Prime Minister Narendra

Modi on Saturday interacted

with economists and industry

experts on the current

economic situation and took

note of their suggestions.

About 40 experts

participated in the session

organised by NITI Aayog on

‘Economic Policy The Road

Ahead’. The themes of macro

economy and employment,

agriculture , exports,

education and health were

discussed. Mr. Modi thanked

the participants for their

suggestions. PTI

IN BRIEF

Pakistan is reluctant to builda bridge on its side to connect with the one being builton the Indian side for seamless movement to the Kartarpur shrine, a senior government offi��cial said onSaturday.

The offi��cial said the bridgeon the Pakistani side wouldcut into their defence embankment, and the neighbouring country had refusedthe proposal after initiallyagreeing to it.

The Kartarpur corridor,which will connect Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur toKartarpur in the Narowalprovince of Pakistani Punjab, is being constructed tocommemorate the 550th

birth anniversary of GuruNanak, founder of Sikhism.The Guru spent the fi��nalyears of his life at Kartarpur.

The corridor is to be constructed before November23, 2019.

“A 4.2km allweather

road is being constructed toovercome the threat offl��oods on the Indian side. Abridge was to be built connecting the road with thecorridor on Pakistan’s side,but they are not agreeing toit. We don’t want to block thepath of the Ravi river as anyconstruction will inundateareas on the Indian side,” theoffi��cial said.

On June 12, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, while replying to a congratulatory message by his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan, askedfor early operationalisationof the corridor.

India and Pakistan hadanother round of talks to discuss the technical details ofthe corridor earlier thismonth.

The offi��cial said Pakistanwas adamant on capping thenumber of daily visitors at700, while India’s demand is5,000.

“Pakistan has not responded to our demand of allowing 10,000 pilgrims onspecial days. They are alsoadamant on allowing pilgrims in groups of at least 15persons while we want permission for individuals. It isalso insisting on putting apermit fee and we have demanded visafree, nofeemovement,” the offi��cial said.

The offi��cial said India wasalso concerned about thecorridor being used to pushKhalistani separatist propaganda, and the governmenthad conveyed the threat toPakistan.

Kartarpur bridge work in Pakistan stallsIslamabad cites defence concerns after initially agreeing to the proposal to construct the structure


New Delhi

Against the clock: The deadline for completing work on theKartarpur corridor is November 23. * PTI

Amid escalating tensions inthe Gulf region, which iscrucial for India’s energy security, the Indian Navy isconsidering deploying smallteams on board large crudecarriers passing through theregion.

The proposal is currentlyunder discussion among various stakeholders, offi��cialsources said.

“The proposal was discussed on Friday in a meeting between the Navy, Directorate General of Shippingand the Indian Ship Owners’Association. Discussions arestill ongoing and the exactmodalities will depend onthe outcome,” a defence offi��cial said on Saturday.

The proposal is to havesmall Navy teams comprising an offi��cer and personnelon all energycarrying platforms — ultra large crudecarriers and very largecrude carriers — to adviseon protection measures,another defence sourcesaid.

The teams will be deployed on transiting crudecarriers depending on thenecessity, the source added.

Last week, after a seriesof attacks on ships transitingthrough the Persian Gulf,the Navy deployed twoships in the region, des

troyer INS Chennai and off��shore patrol vessel INS Sunayna, under OperationSankalp to “reassure Indianfl��agged vessels operating/transiting through Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman”.

This is in addition to theaerial surveillance in thearea by Navy aircraft. TheInformation Fusion Centre(Indian Ocean Region),which was opened by theNavy in Gurugram last December, is keeping a closewatch on the movement ofships in the Gulf region, theNavy has stated.

Protection advisoryAlso, DirectorGeneral ofShipping issued advisorieson June 13 and 16 to all Indianfl��agged vessels operating in the Strait of Hormuzand the Persian/ArabianGulf region to undertake“appropriate protectionmeasures”.

Tensions in the regionhave mounted following thespat between Iran and theU.S. and peaked after an advanced U.S. unmanneddrone was shot down byIran.

Tehran alleged it violatedits airspace. Much of India’senergy needs is sourcedfrom the Gulf region andany potential disruptionwould have an adverse impact on the economy.

Tensions in West Asia escalating

Dinakar Peri

New Delhi

Safety is key: Oil tankers passing through the Gulf region willbe given additional protection by the Navy. * FILE PHOTO

Navy teams to escortcrude carriers

Generous allocations: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her deputy, Anurag Thakur, serving halwa to offi��cialsduring the ‘halwa ceremony’ marking the beginning of the printing of the budgetary documents, in New Delhi on Saturday.Offi��cials stay in the Ministry till the presentation of the Budget in the Lok Sabha to maintain secrecy. * PTI



No sweetness defi��cit

After a day of confusion asrivals Biju Janata Dal andBharatiya Janata Party announced the name of Aswini Kumar Vaishnaw as theircandidate for the RajyaSabha byelection in Odisha, the former IAS offi��cerjoined the saff��ron party onSaturday in the presence ofthe party’s Odisha unit president, Basant Panda. .

Mr. Vaishnaw had notjoined either party till Friday evening. But now it isclear that the former Odishacadre offi��cer will bethe BJP candidate. The byelection to three Rajya Sabha seats in the State will beheld on July 5. People weretaken by surprise on Fridaywhen Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announcedMr. Vaishnaw’s name minutes after the BJP tweetedthat the former IAS offi��cerwill be its candidate.

Confusion on

Odisha RS

candidate ends


BHUBANESWAR

An explosive device that isakin to an antitank landmine, but just emits a loudsound, is partly responsiblefor your safe travel by train.

The Railways get detonators, which contain proprietary chemicals, from an ordnance factory specialising inexplosives. These are fl��at,

circular explosives or ‘pressure bombs’ that explodeunder the weight of a locomotive or a wagon wheel.

The Railways use thesedetonators sparingly — mostly to stop a train from chugging into a disaster. Butwhen the explosives approach expiry, they are usedto test the alertness of staff��.

“Each of these detonatorshas a shelf life of fi��ve years.We usually do not let the unused ones go waste and instead spring surprises on therunning as well as stationstaff�� to test their alertness,”M.K. Agarwal, Principal

Chief Safety Offi��cer of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR),told The Hindu. The detonators, with metal clips, come

in a box of 10 that the Ordnance Factory supplies tothe Railways at ₹��163. Eachstation is allotted two boxes

the brakes after the detonators go off�� under the weightof the wheels. “The detonators are powerful enough forlocomotive drivers to hearbeyond the noise of thetrain. But they do not causeany damage to the railwayline,” Mr. Agarwal said.

“Even when there’s nodanger for any train, weplace the detonators at railway stations, on a bridge orin any section (between twostations) to try to catch employees off�� guard. Gettingthrough the ambush is a signthat a train is in good hands,”Mr. Agarwal said.

and each gateman of a levelcrossing gets one.

“We have to place the detonators when track damageor an obstacle is detectedbut the train is too close tostop by other means,” saidBhaskara Rao Baipalli, one ofthe three gatemen of levelcrossing NN274 on the western edge of Guwahati.

A gateman’s duty in suchan emergency is to attach adetonator on a rail at 600 mfrom the level crossing andthree more detonators 10 mapart till a distance of 1,200m.

The driver has to apply

When Railways plant ‘bombs’ to test alertness of its staff��Another use fordetonators usedto stop trains inemergency

Advance warning: The gateman is responsible for placingdetonators to alert drivers to danger. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

RAHUL KARMAKAR

Guwahati

CMYK

A ND-NDE

WORLDEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

DELHI THE HINDU


Trump names newdefence chiefWASHINGTON

Donald Trump has nominated

Mark Esper to be the U.S.

Secretary of Defense, the

White House said late Friday,

as Washington navigates a

spike in tensions with Iran.

Mr. Esper, who must be

confi��rmed by the Senate, is

the third man to lead the

Pentagon in six months. AFP

ELSEWHERE

U.S. blacklists fi��veChinese tech companiesWASHINGTON

The U.S. Commerce

Department blacklisted fi��ve

Chinese technology entities

— including prominent

supercomputer manufacturer

Sugon and its three

subsidiaries — on Friday in a

new move against Beijing’s

supercomputing industry. All

the fi��ve entities will be barred

from obtaining U.S.

technology. AFP

Iran said on Saturday that itwould respond fi��rmly to anyU.S. threat against it, the semioffi��cial Tasnim newsagency reported, amid escalating tension between Tehran and Washington over theshooting down of an unmanned U.S. drone by the Islamic Republic.

On Thursday, an Iranianmissile destroyed a U.S. Global Hawk surveillance drone.Tehran said the drone wasshot down over its territoryand Washington said it hadoccurred in internationalairspace.

U.S. President DonaldTrump said on Friday that heaborted a military strike toretaliate for Iran’s downingof the U.S. drone because itcould have killed 150 people,and signalled he was open totalks with Tehran.

More sanctionsSpeaking in Washington onSaturday before heading tothe U.S. presidential retreatat Camp David, where hesaid he would deliberate onIran, Mr. Trump said the U.S.government was imposingnew sanctions on Tehran.

“We are putting additionalsanctions on Iran,” he said.“In some cases we are goingslowly, but in other cases weare moving rapidly.”

Military action was “always on the table,” he added, but he said he was opento reversing the escalationand could quickly reach adeal with Iran that he saidwould bolster the country’sfl��agging economy. “We willcall it ‘Let’s make Iran greatagain’,” Mr. Trump said.

Iran has vowed to defendits borders. “Regardless ofany decision they (U.S. offi��cials) make... we will not allow any of Iran’s borders to

be violated. Iran will fi��rmlyconfront any aggression orthreat by America,” ForeignMinistry spokesman AbbasMousavi told Tasnim.

Worries about a confrontation between Iran and theU.S. have mounted despiteMr. Trump saying that he hasno appetite to go to war withIran. Tehran has also said itis not seeking a war but haswarned of a “crushing” response if attacked.

“Any mistake by Iran’senemies, in particular America and its regional allies,would be like fi��ring at apowder keg that will burnAmerica, its interests and its

allies to the ground,” said thesenior spokesman of Iran’sArmed Forces, Abolfazl Shekarchi, on Saturday.

The U.S. Federal AviationAdministration on Thursdayissued an emergency orderprohibiting U.S. operatorsfrom fl��ying in an overseaarea of Tehrancontrolledairspace over the Strait ofHormuz and Gulf of Oman.Some other international airlines are taking relatedprecautions.

Airspace safe: TehranBut Iran said on Saturday itsairspace was “safe and secure” for all planes to cross,Tasnim reported.

The U.S. and Saudi Arabiahave blamed Iran for attackson two oil tankers last weekin the Gulf of Oman and onfour tankers off�� the UnitedArab Emirates on May 12,both near the strategic Straitof Hormuz. Iran has deniedany involvement.

Britain’s Foreign Offi��cesaid West Asia Minister Andrew Murrison would raiseconcerns about “Iran’s regional conduct and its threatto cease complying with thenuclear deal” during a visitto Tehran on Sunday.

Iran vows to ‘fi��rmly confront’any aggression by the U.S.Foreign Ministry says Tehran will not allow the country’s borders to be violated

Reuters

Dubai

Call for peace: An antiwar protest outside the White Housein Washington on Thursday. * AP

Myanmar order Internetshutdown in RakhineYANGON

Myanmar authorities ordered

telecom companies to shut

down Internet services in

eight townships in Rakhine

and Chin States, leading

operator Telenor said on

Saturday, amid heightening

tensions in the region, where

government troops are

fi��ghting ethnic rebels. Reuters

7 killed in Cambodiabuilding collapsePHNOM PENH

At least seven people died on

Saturday when an under

construction building owned

by a Chinese company

collapsed at a Cambodian

beach resort, offi��cials said, as

rescuers scoured the giant

rubble heap for survivors.

The building went down

before sunrise in the casino

resort town Sihanoukville in

southwestern Cambodia, a

rapidly developing tourist

hotspot awash with Chinese

investments . AFP

The U.S. Secretary of Statereleased the State Department’s ‘2018 Report on International Freedom’, an annual submission it makes tothe U.S. Congress as mandated by law.

“This mission is not just aTrump administration priority — it’s a deeply personalone. For many years, I was aSunday school teacher and adeacon at my church,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.

“And that might soundunusual to a lot of folks inside the Beltway [ i.e., Washington DC] . But I am one ofmillions of Americans, andbillions of people across theworld, who live in the knowledge of a higher power.”

“I had a chance to meetwith some Uighurs here, butunfortunately, most ChineseUighurs don’t get a chance totell their stories. That’s why,in an eff��ort to document thestaggering scope of religiousfreedom abuses in Xinjiang,we’ve added a special section to this year’s China report,” Mr. Pompeo said.

The report consists ofcountrywise chapters. Thechapter on India detailed

mobrelated violence anddiscusses conversion, the legal status of minorities andgovernment policies.

Renaming of cities‘The report said the Centraland State governments aswells parties took steps to affect Muslim practices and institutions. “The governmentcontinued its challenge inthe Supreme Court to theminority status of Muslimeducational institutions,which aff��ords them independence in hiring and curriculum decisions. Proposals torename Indian cities withMuslim provenance continued, most notably the renaming of Allahabad to

Prayagraj. Activists saidthese proposals were designed to erase Muslim contributions to Indian historyand had led to increasedcommunal tensions,” the report said.

“There were reports of religiously motivated killings,assaults, riots, discrimination, vandalism, and actionsrestricting the right of individuals to practice their religious beliefs and proselytize,” the report said.Authorities often failed toprosecute perpetrators of“cow vigilante” attacks, itsaid.

“There were reports bynongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that the government sometimes failed to acton mob attacks on religiousminorities, marginalizedcommunities, and critics ofthe government. Some senior offi��cials of the Hindumajority Bharatiya JanataParty (BJP) made infl��ammatory speeches against minority communities... According to some NGOs,authorities often protectedperpetrators from prosecution. As of November, therewere 18 such attacks, andeight people killed duringthe year,” said the report.

Offi��cials often failed to prosecute perpetrators: documentSriram Lakshman

Washington

U.S. Secretary of StateMike Pompeo. * AP

U.S. report expresses concernon communal violence in India

An advice columnist for Elle

fashion magazine said onFriday that Donald Trumpsexually assaulted her in thedressing room of a New Yorkdepartment store more thantwo decades ago, an accusation swiftly denied by theU.S. President.

According to E. Jean Carroll, the rape occurred ineither 1995 or 1996, when

Mr. Trump was a prominentreal estate developer andshe was a wellknown magazine writer and host of a television show.

16th personThe account, revealed in anexcerpt of Ms. Carroll’s latestbook and published on Friday by New York magazine,makes her at least the 16thwoman to have accused Mr.Trump of sexual misconduct

before he became President.Mr. Trump reacted with a

statement saying he’d nevermet Ms. Carroll, and that theincident “never happened.”

Ms. Carroll said she neverwent to the police becauseshe was afraid ofrepercussions.

Ms. Carroll wrote that shedid not come forward sooner because she was afraid of“receiving death threats, being driven from my home,

being dismissed, beingdragged through the mud.”

Mr. Trump shot back thatMs. Carroll was an attentionseeker.

New York magazine quoted a senior White House offi��cial saying that the accusation “was created simply tomake the President lookbad,” while Mr. Trump askedif Ms. Carroll had links to hisopponents in the Democratic Party.

Writer accuses U.S. President of sexual assault Agence France-Presse

Washington

A state of emergency was extended by Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena onSaturday, going back onpledges to relax the toughlaws introduced after theEaster Sunday attacks thatkilled 258 people.

Mr. Sirisena said in a decree that he believed therewas a “public emergency” inthe country, and was invok

ing provisions of the publicsecurity act extending thestate of emergency.

Sweeping powersThe tough laws, grantingsweeping powers to policeand security forces to arrestand detain suspects, weredue to expire on Saturday.

Just over 100 people, including 10 women, are incustody in connection withApril’s Easter Sunday suicide

attacks against three churches and three luxury hotels inColombo.

The emergency can be declared for a month at a time,and Parliament must ratify itwithin 10 days. The continuation of the emergencycame as police announcedcriminal investigationsagainst several top offi��cers,including the InspectorGeneral, for negligence and lapses ahead of the bombings.

Agence France-Presse

Colombo

Sri Lanka extends state of emergency

Iran has executed a “Defence Ministry contractor”convicted of spying for theCentral Intelligence Agency,semioffi��cial ISNA agency reported on Saturday.

“The execution sentencewas carried out for Jalal HajiZavar, a contractor for theDefence Ministry’s aerospace organisation whospied for the CIA and theAmerican government,” ISNA reported, quoting theIranian military.

ISNA said he was convicted by Iran’s military courtand that he was executed, atan unspecifi��ed time, at theRajayi Shahr prison in thecity of Karaj, west of Tehran.

The agency did not saywhen Zavar was arrested,noting however that his con

tract with the Defence Ministry had been terminatedduring the Iranian year 1389(March 20102011).

He was identifi��ed as a spyby the Defence Ministry’s intelligence unit, ISNA said.During the investigation thesuspect “explicitly confessed to spying for the CIA”in return for money, ISNAsaid, adding that “documents and espionage devices were found at his house”.

Zavar’s exwife was convicted of “involvement in espionage” and is serving a 15year jail sentence, the agency said.

The report comes days after Iran said it had dismantled a “new” U.S. spy network in the country linkedto the CIA, amid escalatingtensions between Tehranand Washington.

Iran executes ‘contractor’over spying for CIAZavar worked for the Defence Ministry


Tehran

Palestinian offi��cials on Saturday dismissed proposalsunveiled Jared Kushner toform the fi��rst economic portion of the Trump administration’s longawaited WestAsia peace plan.

Senior Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) offi��cial Hanan Ashrawi said Mr.Kushner’s plans were “allabstract promises” and saidonly a political solutionwould solve the confl��ict. Hamas was more blunt, saying:“Palestine isn’t for sale”.

The Trump administration’s $50 billion West Asiaeconomic plan calls forcreation of a global investment fund to lift the Palestinian and neighbouring Arabstate economies, accordingto U.S. offi��cials.

One proposal is for theconstruction of a $5 billiontransportation corridor toconnect the West Bank andGaza. Ms. Ashrafi��, a veteranPalestinian negotiator, saidthe Trump administration’sstance was an “entirelywrong approach”, adding:“They can end the occupation, which is the most basicrequirement for prosperity.There can be no prosperityunder occupation.”

Palestinians reject U.S.’sWest Asia ‘peace plan’Palestine isn’t for sale, says Hamas

Reuters

Gaza City

Palestinian negotiatoroffi��cial Hanan Ashrawi. * AFP

A former Philippines Foreign Minister who was denied entry into Hong Kongsaid on Saturday that hewas barred over his criticisms of China, calling themove “sheer intimidation”by Beijing.

Hong Kong, which hasbeen rocked by massive antiBeijing protests in recentweeks, on Friday turnedaway Albert del Rosario,who has spearheaded legalmoves against the Chinesegovernment’s bullish behaviour in South China Sea.

Mr. Del Rosario tried toenter on a diplomatic passport before being held forsix hours and put on afl��ight back to the Philippines. His lawyer said authorities gave no reason, butMr. Del Rosario said he wastargeted by Beijing.

Philippinesexoffi��cial hitsout at China


Bangkok

British police were called tothe home of Boris Johnson,the favourite to be the nextPrime Minister, after neighbours heard a loud altercation between him and hisgirlfriend.

The police were called inthe early hours of Friday toan address in south Londonwhere Mr. Johnson is livingwith his girlfriend, CarrieSymonds.

“The caller was concerned for the welfare of afemale neighbour,” the police said in a statement issuedon Friday evening. “Policeattended and spoke to all occupants of the address, whowere all safe and well.”

“There were no off��encesor concerns apparent to theoffi��cers and there was no

cause for police action,” thestatement said.

The Guardian newspaper, which fi��rst reported thestory, said an unidentifi��edneighbour had heard a woman screaming followed by“slamming and banging”. Atone point, Ms. Symonds

could be heard telling Mr.Johnson to “get off�� me” and“get out of my fl��at”.

Recording of altercationA neighbour of Mr. Johnsontold The Guardian newspaper that they had recordedthe altercation from insidetheir fl��at out of concern forMs. Symonds.

The Guardian said it hadreviewed the recording andthat Mr. Johnson could beheard refusing to leave thefl��at and using a swear wordto tell Ms. Symonds to get off��his laptop. Crashing soundscan also be heard, the newspaper said. Reuters has notreviewed the audio.

Another neighbour interviewed by the BBC confi��rmed the argument andsaid she had heard a womanshouting.

Police called to Boris Johnson’shome after row with girlfriendNeighbour was concerned for her welfare, says offi��cial

Reuters

London

A poster depicting BorisJohnson near his house in London. * REUTERS

CMYK

A ND-NDE

BUSINESSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

THE HINDU DELHI


Tech bellwether Infosys saidPanaya and Skava are nomore considered assets forsale; instead, they have beenput on a growth path.

The company said it wascurrently in the process of‘growing activities’ underthese acquisitions to see ifthey can complement thegrowth of the company’s retail, manufacturing and consumer care verticals.

In February 2015, Infosysacquired Panaya, an enterprise software managementfi��rm based in Israel, in an allcash deal worth $200 million.

The deal ran into a hugecontroversy that eventuallyled its then CEO Vishal Sikkato quit the fi��rm in August2017, after a public spat with

the cofounders.Responding to sharehol

ders’ queries at the company’s 38th annual generalmeeting held here on Saturday, Infosys CEO Salil Parekhsaid: “Panaya and Skava arenot put on sale and we havestated this in our annual report and fi��nancial results. Weare now looking at how to refocus and repurpose activities within these businesseswith a view to growing theseacquisitions.”

Growing acquisitionsHe said Infosys had assignedtwo senior executives who,in addition to their existingroles, would look at these acquisitions to see how to growthem and combine themwith the company’s otherbusinesses.

“The process has already

begun. We expect better results in the short and medium term,’’ said Mr. Parekh.

Nandan Nilekani, thecompany’s nonexecutivechairman, said, “Panayacontroversy is a closed chapter for Infosys.’’

Responding to another investor query on why thecompany was unwilling tomake the Panaya investigation report public, Mr. Nilekani said: “The investigationreport on Panaya is a confi��dential document. People

who were part of the investigation were given assuranceof confi��dentiality beforetheir statements were recorded. The board is comfortable with the decision tokeep this confi��dentiality as itis.”

Digital disruptionIn his address to shareholders Mr. Nilekani said, “Weclearly see that our clientsoperate in an increasinglycomplex world disrupted bymany digital technologies,and they are looking at us topartner with them in thisnew era.

“Our work across industries, value chains and geographies give us keen insightsinto the pattern of changestransforming the fundamental wiring across a diverse setof businesses.”

Commenting on its M&Afocus, the company said ithad set up an internal committee that would look at potential acquisitions and alsoaddress integration issuesaround its existingacquisitions.

“There is increasing interest from clients for platformbased businesses. The thinking behind the acquisition ofABN AMRO Bank subsidiaryStater was one such. Stater isa mortgage platform. OurBPO and BFSI teams are ofthe view that such a platformcan help us scale up,’’ addedMr. Parekh.

Infosys says Panaya, Skava arms are not for sale The company is currently in the process of ‘growing activities’ under these acquisitions, says CEO Parekh


Bengaluru

Our BPO and BFSI teams say that mortgage platform Statercan help Infosys scale up, says Salil Parekh. * SOMASHEKAR G R N

<> The Panaya

controversy is a

closed chapter for

Infosys

Nandan Nilekani

non-executive chairman, Infosys

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratorieshas launched Phytonadione injectable emulsionUSP, 10 mg/ml single doseampules, a therapeuticequivalent generic versionof Vitamin K1 (Phytonadione) in the U.S.

The product, indicatedin certain coagulation disorders, has been launchedwith the approval of theU.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The Vitamin K1 (Phytonadione) for injectableemulsion USP, 10 mg/mlbrand and generic hadcombined U.S. sales of approximately $46.6 millionMAT for the 12 months ended April 2019, the companysaid on Saturday, citing IQVIA Health.

Dr. Reddy’sunveils VitaminK1 injection


HYDERABAD

European gelato and icecream machine manufacturer Valmar has entered intoan exclusive marketing tieup with citybased Swedinox Impex to sell the former’s equipment in India, saida top offi��cial.

“To start with, we haveimported about 10 machines each costing about₹��10 lakh each,” said AbdulRahim, chairman, Swedinox. “As we are the offi��cialimporter of this equipment,we have already receivedabout 80 enquiries,” hesaid.

Claiming that the Indianice cream and frozen dessert market was about ₹��140billion and growing, he said

initially, it would target hotels, restaurants and cafes inChennai.

“The market is expectedto touch ₹��238 billion by2023,” he said.

“We have also discussedthe possibility of setting upan ice cream machine manufacturing unit in Chennai,and the partners are readyto give their technology, butwe are waiting for the salesvolume to pick up,” he said.

Besides, Swedinox is alsoplanning to enter the residential sector by joininghands with another icecream machine maker.While Valmar machines canmake 3.5 kg of ice cream ineach attempt, those for residential use can prepare 750grams of ice cream, he said.

Gelato machine makerValmar enters India Ties up with Swedinox for marketing


CHENNAI

Greaves Cotton Ltd., a diversifi��ed engineering company,is evaluating the process ofmore than doubling the output of Ampere electricbikes, besides setting apart₹��75 crore towards capital expenditure, said a top offi��cial.

“Ever since the strategicacquisition of the Coimbatorebased Ampere Vehiclesin August 2018, the marketshare has grown to doubledigits and the exclusive salesoutlets from nearly 70 to120,” said Nagesh Basavanhalli, managing director andchief executive offi��cer,Greaves Cotton Ltd.

“Currently, we are producing 1,800 bikes andplans are on to ramp it up to5,000 units per month during this fi��scal. We have alrea

dy planned for it and as themarket demand increases,we will be ready to supportit,” he said.

For the time being, Ampere bikes would be manufactured at the Coimbatorefacility and the productionline had been structured tomake 5,000 bikes permonth. When the demandpicks up, the company

would evaluate other production facilities, he said.

Increase of three timesAsserting that the sales ofEVs had seen ta hree timesincrease over the last year,he said the fi��rm’s phase IIstrategy called for makingAmpere ‘India’s most preferred EV bike brand’ revolving around greater design effi��ciencies and building alocal network of suppliers.

Talking about 325 GreavesRetail outlets, which off��er acombination of sales, service and spare parts for twowheelers, Ampere electricbikes and erickshaws, multibrand servicing and spareparts, he said that the groupwas adding 15 to 20 outletsevery month.

The outlets would be setup by franchisees.

Greaves to boost EV output Earmarks ₹��75 crore towards capital expenditure

N. Anand

Chennai

Nagesh Basavanhalli

Commerce and IndustryMinister Piyush Goyal onFriday said the Ministry isin talks with banks to seeways to extend foreign currency loans to exporters.

Addressing members ofthe CII here, he said therewere ways to resolve theproblem of inadequate andexpensive credit withoutputting a signifi��cant stresson the exchequer.

He said providing subsidies was not a solution totraderelated issues. “Instead, we will work on foreign currency loans and Ialready have dialogueswith bankers to see how wecan expand foreign currency loans,” he said.

Banks mayextend foreigncurrency loansfor exporters


New Delhi

Shriram Properties Ltd., thereal estate arm of the Shri-ram Group, is planning totap the capital market toraise resources as well as toprovide exit to private equityinvestors who have investedin the company. In an inter-view, M. Murali, CMD, Shri-ram Properties, elaborateson the company’s plans andon the real estate sector.Excerpts:

How is Shriram Properties

diff��erent from other players?

■ What I follow is the direction and vision of our founder Mr. Thyagarajan. He always says that passionshould be on while youremotions should be off�� in business. So, we keep awayemotion and continue tohold on to our passion towards growing the business.

If there is a defective product you can rectify it, but ifthere is a defective title youcannot rectify it. Therefore,right from day one we werevery clear that we will notgive any defective title to ourclients.

Cash fl��ows from all theprojects are closely monitored and we have never deviated from that. In the otherareas also we have maintained our stance very clearly; for instance, we will focuson middlelevel and aff��ordable housing segment and wewill not deviate from that.

The entire organisation isbuilt with this philosophy.So everything is based onthis and helps us to stay fi��rm.

What is the total debt?

■ Gross borrowings, as onMarch 31, 2019, were₹��8,380.89 million

What are your future plans?

■ We have completed 25projects as on November 30, 2018. We have31 projects in our pipeline with a saleablearea of 54.87 mil

lion square feet (msf ) as ofDRHP (draft red herringprospectus) date. We havecompleted one commercialproject (2.03 msf ), have nilongoing commercial projects, and have three upcoming commercial developments (4.35 msf ).

What is the outlook for the

industry?

■ Overall, the industry is going through a phase of consolidation. What happenedto NBFCs in early 2000 is exactly what is happening inthe real estate sector now.

In the last two years, wehave seen price erosion, a lotof people have moved out ofthe business, which is forcing the industry into a bigconsolidation today. In myopinion, there will be nomore than 100 players left inthe industry.

In the next 10 years, midand aff��ordable housing willplay a major role not only forthe real estate sector but alsofor the economy.

You have been growing at

30%; what is the average

industry growth?

■ The industry had grown ataround 810%. Not only that,all the big players who arestabilised today have the potential to grow at 30% CAGR.

How much exposure do you

have to the commercial

space?

■ We have a small bit of commercial [space]. We have delivered 2.5 msf of offi��cespace. At present 2 msf is thecommercial real estate is under construction.

For growing at 30%, one

needs a lot of capital...

■ Capital is not a cause forconcern today. People aresitting with tonnes of moneyfor India and Indian real estate. This is because globalinvestors think of India as adestination where they canpark their funds. Capitalavailability is plenty, but thismoney can be taken over byonly 20 players.

With the Budget coming up,

what is your

recommendation to the

government?

■ ‘Housing for all’ is a greatmission and it needs to bedone. There are statisticsthat say housing started inthe 1970’s in a big way. A little later, public housingstarted. However, comparedwith the growth achieved bypublic housing, we have notdone 10% of that so far.

But the money spent as anation is 1020 times in thelast 4045 years. However, ifwe think that ‘Housing forall’ can be delivered only bygovernment departmentswe are making a mistake. Toachieve that goal, the government might have to setup a diff��erent Ministry altogether like the Singaporemodel.

Where are real estate prices

headed?

■ I expect land pricesto remain stable. Onthe fi��nished products, the prices willgo up, because thedemandsupply gap is

widening.

INTERVIEW | M. MURALI

‘Realty in consolidation mode’Big role for aff��ordable housing: Shriram Properties’ CMD

Lalatendu Mishra

<> ‘Housing for all’ is a

great mission and it

needs to be done

Dairy farmers in India incuran average annual loss of₹��21,000 to ₹��25,000 a yearper head of cattle aff��ected bythe highly contagious footand mouth disease (FMD).

FMD brings the milk production in cattle, buff��aloesand sheep down by 80% andthe animal’s life deteriorates,making it a burden on thefarmer.

With India having the largest cattle population in theworld, it requires over a1,000 million doses of FMDvaccine but only half of it iscurrently made available.

Malur (Karnataka)basedveterinary vaccine researchand development fi��rm Biovetcurrently supplies over 200million doses while its targetis to raise the vaccine production by another 300 million doses.

The production facility

would also churn out 100million doses of Brucella vaccine per year.

Buoyed by the Centre’semphasis on animal health,giving greater push to control and eradicate FMD andBrucellosis in cattle, Biovethas decided to invest ₹��200crore to expand its FMD andBrucellosis vaccine manufac

turing facilities in Karnataka.As per Dr. Ella, founder

promoter of Biovet, dairyfarmers in the country incuran annual economic loss tothe tune of ₹��25,000 crore because of FMD and relatedrestriction on the export ofmilk, dairy and other animalproducts.

The estimated losses per

infected animal because ofFMD is ₹��2,023 for sheep,₹��3,046 for the goat and₹��2,830 for the pig.

The country currently hasa huge vaccine shortage andtherefore all its cattle are notin good health. Cattle healthhas a direct impact on human health as well as Indiansconsume a lot of dairy andmeat products.

“The animal health situation in the country is expected to improve with the government recently decidingto have an exclusive ministryfor animal husbandry. A sumof ₹��13,343 crore has beenearmarked for control anderadication of diseases witha special focus on FMD andBrucellosis,’’ added Dr. Ella.

Biovet to invest ₹��200 cr. in animal vaccinesVeterinary vaccine maker eyes enhancing output by 300 million doses

The country has a huge vaccine shortage and hence its cattleare not in good health, says Dr. Ella. * PRAKASH HASSAN

Mini Tejaswi

Bengaluru<> Foot and mouth

disease reduces milk

production in cattle,

buff��aloes and sheep

by 80%The real estate sectorwants the Budget to spurgrowth and provide a solution to the NBFC liquiditycrisis. Developers and experts said the governmentmust accord high importance to infrastructuregrowth, which will provideimpetus to real estate.

“India needs a stablepolitical and investmentclimate supported bygrowthoriented UnionBudget 2019. Realty sectorneeds strong demandthrough economic activities, including continuedinfrastructure development, and easy availabilityof capital,” said SanjayDutt, MD and CEO, TataRealty and InfrastructureLtd. and Tata Housing Development Company.

The Centre should implement specifi��c initiativesto complement and accelerate growth through policy changes. “Overall, weare confi��dent that this Budget would provide the righttraction to the industryand prepare it to lead at theglobal front,” he said.

Farshid Cooper, MD,Spenta Corporation, said:“We look forward to a swiftsolution to the NBFC liquidity crisis and intervention from the RBI to stabilise the banking sector.Further, we expect progressive and sustainabletax laws, which will makecompliance easy.” He saidadditionally, there shouldbe a stringent focus on affordable housing and unwavering support of all stakeholders to ensure themission ‘Housing for All’regains momentum.

Shishir Baijal, CMD,Knight Frank India, said,“Last few Budgets have taken steps to stimulate aff��ordable housing demand.But conversion of latent demand to actual sales haveremained slow.”

Budget: realtysector wantsgovt. to tackleNBFC crisis


MUMBAI

The logistics sector is looking for rationalisation of taxes in the forthcoming Budget besides fi��scal incentivesfor indepth adoption of digitisation and skill building inthe sector.

“The input credit normsfor warehouse constructionand operations needs to berelooked at. Currently, thereis an accumulation of inputtax that leads to high incidence of tax on warehousingservices,” said Rajesh Jaggi,managing partner, real estate at Everstone Group.

He said since warehousing and logistics are gearingup for an indepth adoptionof digital technologies, thegovernment should incentivise the adoption of varioustechnologies in the sector,which would help in eff��ective packaging and materialhandling, besides improving

effi��ciency.Mr. Jaggi said any announ

cement on the rollout of theNational Logistics Policy thatentails an Integrated National Logistics Action Plan,would serve as an optimisedmaster plan to defi��ne logistics’ priorities across variousMinistries, including RoadTransport Highways andShipping. This would be apositive for the sector, hesaid.

‘Top of agenda’Experts said the logistics industry, with its potential forempowering economicgrowth, should be on the top

of the agenda for the newgovernment.

“Effi��cient logistics will notonly provide better andcheaper mobility but alsodeliver quick and substantialemployment opportunitiesto semiskilled and skilledjob seekers. The sector canalso provide critical mass tomake India a superpower inartifi��cial intelligence,” saidRohit Chaturvedi, CEO,TransportHub.

“In my view, a tax creditfor technology spends cango a long way in encouragingthe industry for faster adoption of technology. In addition, there should be a specifi��c training budget throughSkill India to train the workforce for future jobs in theindustry,” he said.

As per a JLL India reportin 2019, the logistics and warehousing sector would absorb about 38 million squarefeet of space.

Calls for fi��scal incentives for digitisation, skill buildingLalatendu Mishra

MUMBAI

Logistics sector seeks tax sops

<> The government

should incentivise

the adoption of

technologies in the

sector

Rajesh Jaggi

managing partner, real estate,Everstone Group

Tea Association of India(TAI) wants State governments to restrict new landsbeing brought under tea cultivation for at least fi��veyears, in order to bring a balance in tea demand andsupply.

Pointing out that the economic sustainability of theorganised tea plantation sector was in jeopardy due toshrunken margins on account of a mismatch between production costs andtea prices, TAI said that thelivelihood of over fi��ve million people, directly and indirectly employed in thissector, was threatened.

The TAI release noted thatbetween 2008 and 2018, teaprices increased by about4.8% CAGR whereas wagecosts, which comprise about65% of total production cost,increased by over 10%CAGR. Other input expenseshave risen by over 7% CAGR.

According to TAI, priceshave not risen due to the rapid increase in tea supply,especially from the small teagrowers (STG) segment. In2018, this segment accounted for a 48 % share in India’soutput of 1,338 million kgagainst 20% in 2003.

This rapid growth of thesmall grower sector has ledto the emergence of a dualbusiness model, with completely diff��erent costs of production, and one in whichmost of the organised plantations are faced with sellingteas below their cost of production. This is mainly because the STG segment isnot governed by the samelaws as the large estates are.

Tea Association seeks curbs onextension of teagrowing areasAims to bring about demandsupply balance


KOLKATA

Amazon.com Inc. is exploring using drones not just todeliver packages but also toprovide surveillance as aservice to its customers, according to a patent grantedby the United States Patentand Trademark Offi��ce.

The delivery drones canbe used to record video ofconsented user’s propertyto gather data that can beanalysed to look out for,say for example, a brokenwindow, or a fi��re or if a garage door was left open during the day, the patent described. The surveillancefunction of the drone canbe limited through geofencing, a technology usedto draw a virtual boundaryaround the property undersurveillance. Any imagethat the drone capturesoutside the geofencewould be removed.

Amazon tooff��er drones forsurveillance

Reuters


DELHI THE HINDU


CMYK

A ND-NDE

FAQ

The story so far: On June 18, Facebook announced thatit is going to launch a global digital currency by the fi��rsthalf of 2020. The currency has been named Libra. It willbe run by the Libra Association, a Genevabased entitythat has over two dozen founding partners, includingFacebook, Mastercard, Visa, Uber and the Vodafonegroup. Almost immediately, concerns were raised bysome lawmakers, commentators and even the cofounder of Facebook, Chris Hughes, who is now one ofthe foremost critics of the social media network hehelped create.

Why does the world need Libra?A white paper released by the Libra Association says itsmission “is to enable a simple global currency andfi��nancial infrastructure that empowers billions ofpeople”. The point it makes is this: in a world with cheapdata and smartphones, about 1.7 billion adults are stilloutside the organised fi��nancial system in the world. This,despite a billion of them having mobile phones andnearly half a billion having Internet access.

The reasons for this are high fees, lack of access, andabsence of documentation. Libra is being pitched as asolution to this. The promise is of fi��nancial inclusion on aglobal scale.

The white paper says: “Moving money around globallyshould be as easy and costeff��ective as — and even moresafe and secure than — sending a text message or sharinga photo, no matter where you live, what you do, or howmuch you earn.”

It is apparently being built on the block chaintechnology. How similar is it to Bitcoin?It is true that Bitcoin and Libra are both based on blockchain technology, which refers to a form of distributedledger — not centralised — of transactions. These arecreated by complicated math functions that make themalmost incorruptible. But beyond this, there is very littlein common between Bitcoin and Libra.

Libra is an initiative of 28 infl��uential corporateentities. Bitcoin, which the world fi��rst came to know of in2008, is seen as a product of libertarian values. Its

founder, whose identityremains a mystery to thisday, is referred to asSatoshi Nakamoto.

In Bitcoin: The Future ofMoney?, Dominic Frisbyimagines what wouldhappen if Bitcoin becomessomehow globallypreferred: “In a fl��ash, theability for a government tofund itself through themanipulation of moneydisappears. You can’tobfuscate bitcoin supply —infl��ation is transparent.You can’t ‘quantitatively

ease’ bitcoins... Central banks and private banks can’tcreate bitcoins when it suits them, and government can’tprint bitcoins. It all means you don’t have to pay theprice for the mistakes of governments and banks.”

Libra is going to be nothing like Bitcoin. Theassociation white paper says, “We believe thatcollaborating and innovating with the fi��nancial sector,including regulators and experts across a variety ofindustries, is the only way to ensure that a sustainable,secure and trusted framework underpins this newsystem.”

Those are just some of the diff��erences.

Though Bitcoin has come a long way, it hasremained a niche currency. Why should Libra’sfate be any diff��erent?Bitcoin, though built on a sound technological base, hashad to encounter challenges relating to regulation acrossthe world. Governments of the world, including India,have been wary of it functioning outside the ambit oforganised fi��nance. With huge swings in value, it remainsone of the most volatile currencies.

Libra immediately has a few things working in itsfavour. A currency, to be a success, needs to haveacceptability amongst many people. Facebook, with itsover 2 billion users, and its partners could tick this box.Also, the Libra Association is promising to play by theregulatory rule book.

Plus, to make it a relative stable currency, not prone towild fl��uctuations, the creators of Libra are backing thisup with a reserve of real assets. Still, going by theopposition to the idea, it isn’t going to be a smooth sailfor Libra.

Why is Libra being opposed?Bloomberg has reported that the French FinanceMinister, Bruno Le Maire, has called on the Group ofSeven central bank governors to “prepare a report onFacebook’s project for their July meeting. His concernsinclude privacy, money laundering and terrorismfi��nance”.

Markus Ferber, a German member of the EuropeanParliament, has also been reported as saying thatFacebook could become a “shadow bank” and thatregulators should be on high alert.

Facebook’s cofounder Hughes, terming the digitalcurrency “frightening”, has said it is a shift of powerfrom central banks towards multinational corporations.

Libra unveiled What is Facebook’s plan to empowerbillions? What is Libra’s technology?Is this cause for worry?

Facebook, with itsover 2 billion users,and its partners hasacceptability. Also, unlike Bitcoin,the Libra Association is promising to play by the regulatory rule book

Sriram Srinivasan

Two sides: “Libra may have a few things working in itsfavour. But going by the opposition to the idea, it is notgoing to be smooth sailing.” Representations of virtualcurrency in front of the Libra logo * REUTERS/DADO RUVIC/

ILLUSTRATION

The story so far: Jet Airways, the troubled privateairline that has failed to meet its huge debt obligations,was admitted to the National Company Law Tribunal(NCLT) on Thursday. This happened after a consortium oflenders led by State Bank of India (SBI) that had lentmoney to the airline over the years approached the NCLTto begin insolvency proceedings. Shares of the airlinesoared more than 120% on Thursday after news brokethat the airline has been admitted by the NCLT forbankruptcy proceedings.

In accordance with the procedures laid out under theInsolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016, the court orderedan interim resolution professional to take control of JetAirways. The professional appointed by the court willnow look at ways to salvage the most value out of theairline so that the money can be used to pay back lenders.

Why did Jet Airways fail?It was founded by Naresh Goyal in 1992, and began fl��yinga year later. It was one of the earliest private entrants intoIndia’s airline industry after the government slowly beganto liberalise the economy. The opening up of the airlineindustry to more private companies in the ensuing yearscaused a boom in air travel in the country. At the sametime, greater competition put increasing pressure onairlines to either deliver better services to justify theirhigh prices, or cut costs to operate more effi��ciently asbudget airlines. Jet, which was unable to adapt tochanging market conditions, suff��ered losses for manyconsecutive years. The unpredictability of the price of oilin the global market also played a role in messing up itscost calculations. In the fi��rst quarter of fi��nancial year2018, Jet posted a loss of ₹��1,323 crore.

Since that huge loss, its management has tried to pumpadditional money into the airline to meet its operatingcosts and has also announced various aggressivemeasures to cut down costs. But all this may have come alittle too late. Lenders, seeing the writing on the wall,have refused to keep throwing good money after bad justto keep the airline afl��oat. Kingfi��sher and Sahara are twoother private airlines which failed under the pressures ofcompetition. Air India, which is again burdened by a hugeamount of debt like Jet, was another prominent loser in

the battle for market share. But unlike Air India, Jet doesnot have the government to bail it out of its fi��nancialtrouble.

What made lenders approach the bankruptcycourt?It is estimated that Jet may owe about ₹��20,000 crore inthe form of short and longterm debt obligations to anarray of lenders. A consortium of lenders that loanedmoney to Jet has already been in talks with somepotential buyers such as Etihad (UAE) and Tata Sons whocould invest capital in Jet in order to make the airline fullyoperational once again. However, these talks have failedto materialise into an actual deal given the high level ofdebt on Jet’s balance sheet. It is worth noting that buyersof troubled companies are generally reluctant to takeresponsibility for the debt of the troubled entity as it willaff��ect their own return from the investment. The lenderconsortium led by the SBI, on the other hand, maybelieve that it can salvage more value from the failedairline through the insolvency proceedings carried outunder the purview of the court.

Further, the lenders may also be able to gain greatercontrol over Jet’s management by approaching court. Mr.Goyal’s resignation from the airline’s board in March mayhave been in expectation of unilateral action by thelender consortium to take it to the doorstep of thebankruptcy court. Mr. Goyal’s exit may give Jet’s lenders

the confi��dence to infuse more money in case they decideto make the airline fully operational. The removal of theold management may also make Jet more endearing tobuyers who prefer to wrest full control over it. It is worthnoting that Jet shares soared on Thursday after thecompany was admitted to the NCLT. This suggests thatinvestors expect value to be extracted out of Jet throughthe bankruptcy proceedings.

What lies ahead for the airline and its lenders?Jet Airways is the fi��rst airline company in India to beadmitted to undergo bankruptcy proceedings under theInsolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016. In contrast toother companies that have previously undergonebankruptcy proceedings under the bankruptcy code, Jethas very few assets, especially when compared to the sizeof its debt obligations. Many of the airline’s aircraft havealready been seized by lenders after Jet stopped makingpayments. This leaves banks such as the SBI with very

little to salvage from theairline, so it is verydoubtful whether Jet’slenders will be able to makeany signifi��cant recovery oftheir debts just by sellingoff�� its assets.

The resolutionprofessional in charge of Jetmay thus want to keep theairline running as a goingconcern so that it mightfetch the best value forlenders in the long run.Potential buyers may beinterested in capitalising on

the airline’s brand value and trying to relaunch thecarrier by infusing fresh capital. Buyer interest, however,will depend largely on the amount of debt that lendersare willing to write off��. The sale of Air India earlier thisyear failed to attract any bids due to the airline’s heavydebt burden that the lenders were unwilling to write off��before the sale. If no buyer shows interest in purchasingJet as a going concern, the only option left may be to selleach of Jet’s assets individually. Jet will then cease to existas a company.

How will Jet’s insolvency process play out? Will potential buyers be interested in capitalising on the airline’s brand value and try to relaunch the carrier? Prashanth Perumal J.

The airline has veryfew assets comparedto its debtobligations. Many ofits aircraft havealready been seizedafter it stoppedmaking payments.This leaves banks withlittle to salvage

PTI

The story so far: Acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) inBihar’s Muzaff��arpur, Vaishali, Sheohar and EastChamparan districts has so far claimed the lives of over100 children. More than 400 children with AES havebeen admitted to various hospitals. Most of the deathshave been attributed to low blood sugar level(hypoglycaemia).

What is acute encephalitis syndrome?AES in short, it is a basket term used for referring tohospital, children with clinical neurologicalmanifestations which include mental confusion,disorientation, convulsion, delirium or coma.

Meningitis caused by virus or bacteria, encephalitis(mostly Japanese encephalitis) caused by virus,encephalopathy, cerebral malaria, and scrub typhuscaused by bacteria are collectively called acuteencephalitis syndrome.

While microbes cause all the other conditions,encephalopathy is biochemical in origin, and hence verydiff��erent from the rest. There are diff��erent types ofencephalopathy. In the present case, the encephalopathyis associated with hypoglycaemia and hence calledhypoglycaemic encephalopathy.

Is encephalitis diff��erent from hypoglycaemicencephalopathy?Yes. The two conditions show very diff��erent symptomsand clinical manifestations.

Fever on the fi��rst day is one of the symptoms ofencephalitis before the brain dysfunction begins. Whilefever is seen in children in the case of hypoglycaemicencephalopathy, fever is always after the onset of braindysfunction (actually due to the brain dysfunction). Andnot all children exhibit fever. Some children have nofever, while others may have mild or very high fever.

The blood sugar level is usually normal in childrenwith encephalitis but is low in children withhypoglycaemic encephalopathy.

In the case of encephalitis, fever (due to virusinfection) for a day or two is followed by the onset ofsymptoms caused by the brain getting aff��ected. However,in hypoglycaemic encephalopathy, children go to bedwithout any illness but manifest symptoms such asvomiting, convulsion and semiconsciousness early nextmorning (between 4 a.m. to 7 a.m.). At that time, theblood sugar level is low, hence the name hypoglycaemicencephalopathy. The most important diff��erence betweenthe two is the presence of white blood cells in thecerebrospinal fl��uid. In encephalitis, there are more whiteblood cells per unit volume of cerebrospinal fl��uid, whichis a refl��ection of infl��ammation in the brain. In contrast,no increase in white blood cells is seen in hypoglycaemicencephalopathy as there is no infl��ammation in the brain.

What killed so many children in Bihar?In a majority of cases, children died due tohypoglycaemic encephalopathy. According to a PressInformation Bureau (PIB) release ( June 18) ,hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar level) was reported in a“high percentage” of children who died in Muzaff��arpur.Unlike hypoglycaemic encephalopathy, encephalitis doesnot cause low blood sugar level so death in a highpercentage of children couldn’t have been due toencephalitis.

Why has it aff��ected only young children?It is an observed fact that malnourished childrenbetween two to 10 years fall ill and die due tohypoglycaemic encephalopathy. It is not known whyolder children or adults do not suff��er the same way. Thisclear discrimination by age is also a reason why theunderlying cause of the illness cannot be a virus. A virusdoes not discriminate by age, and children younger thantwo years too are aff��ected by Japanese encephalitis.

It has also been documented that most of the children

falling ill are from familiescamping in orchards toharvest the fruits. Thesechildren tend to collect andeat the fruits that havefallen on the ground.

Hypoglycaemicencephalopathy outbreaksare restricted to AprilJuly,with a peak seen in June.This is because litchi isharvested during thisperiod.

Is litchi fruitresponsible for causing

hypoglycaemic encephalopathy?In 20122013, a twomember team headed by virologistDr. T. Jacob John suspected, and confi��rmed the next year,a toxin found in litchi fruit that was responsible forcausing hypoglycaemic encephalopathy. In 2017, anIndiaU.S. team confi��rmed the role of the toxin calledmethylene cyclopropyl glycine (MCPG).

Early morning, it is normal for blood sugar to dip afterseveral hours of no food intake. Undernourished childrenwho had gone to sleep without a meal at night develophypoglycaemia. The brain needs normal levels of glucosein the blood. The liver is unable to supply the need. Sothe alternate pathway of glucose synthesis, called fattyacid oxidation, is turned on. That pathway is blocked byMCPG.

Litchi does not cause any harm in wellnourishedchildren, but only in undernourished children who hadeaten litchi fruit the previous day and gone to bed on anempty stomach.

Why is the toxin more dangerous forundernourished children?In wellnourished children, reserve glucose is stored asglycogen (glucose polysaccharide) in the liver. Wheneverthe glucose level goes down, glycogen is broken downinto glucose and circulated in the blood for use. Butundernourished children lack suffi��cient glycogen reservethat can be converted into glucose. Therefore, the naturalmechanism in undernourished children is unable tocorrect the glucose level in blood, leading tohypoglycaemia.

Normally, when glycogen reserve in the liver isexhausted or is not suffi��cient, the body converts the fattyacid (noncarbohydrate energy source) into glucose. Butin the presence of the litchi toxin, the conversion of fattyacid into glucose is stopped midway. As a result, noglucose is generated and the low blood glucose level isnot corrected by the body.

How does the toxin cause coma and even death inchildren?The toxin acts in two ways to harm the brain and evencause death. Because of the toxin, the body’s naturalmechanism to correct low blood glucose level isprevented thus leading to a drop in fuel supply to thebrain. This leads to drowsiness, disorientation and evenunconsciousness. When the toxin stops the fatty acidconversion into glucose midway, amino acids arereleased which are toxic to brain cells. The amino acidscause brain cells to swell resulting in brain oedema. As aresult, children may suff��er from convulsions, deepeningcoma and even death.

Can hypoglycaemic encephalopathy be preventedin undernourished children?Yes, by making sure that undernourished children do noteat plenty of litchi fruit, ensuring that they eat some foodand not go to bed on an empty stomach. Since 2015, theprevention strategy as recommended by Dr. Jacob John’steam has helped in sharply reducing the number ofdeaths from hypoglycaemic encephalopathy inMuzaff��arpur. In 2017, the IndiaU.S. team published apaper corroborating these fi��ndings andrecommendations.

Can hypoglycaemic encephalopathy be treated?Yes, hypoglycaemic encephalopathy can be easilytreated. A full and complete recovery can be achieved ifchildren with hypoglycaemic encephalopathy are infusedwith 10% dextrose within four hours after the onset ofsymptoms.

Infusing 10% dextrose not only restores blood sugar toa safe level but also stops the production of amino acidthat is toxic to brain cells by shutting down the body’sattempt to convert fatty acid into glucose.

Together with dextrose infusion, infusing 3% salinesolution helps in reducing oedema of the brain cells. Theconcentration of ions in the fl��uid outside the brain cellsbecomes more than what is inside the cell; this causes thefl��uid from the cells to come out thus reducing oedemaand damage to brain cells.

Using 5% dextrose, as is the norm in cases of generallow blood sugar level, may help children withhypoglycaemic encephalopathy recover fromhypoglycaemia, but the accumulation of amino acid isnot turned off��. And so, even if children survive, they willhave brain damage.

If dextrose infusion is not started within four hoursafter the onset of symptoms, the brain cells may notrecover but will die. As a result, even if they survive,children suff��er from various aspects of brain damage —speech getting aff��ected, mental retardation, musclestiff��ness/weakness and so forth.

Why is the litchi toxin causing deaths? Why is Methylene CyclopropylGlycine lethal for malnourishedchildren? What can be done?

R. Prasad

Hypoglycaemicencephalopathy canbe easily treated. Afull and completerecovery can beachieved if aff��ectedchildren are infusedwith 10% dextrosewithin four hoursafter the onset of symptoms

CMYK

A ND-NDE

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

THE HINDU DELHI


Dialogues in the brainImagining a scene requires a

dialogue between different

regions of the brain, a new

study finds. While the region

called ventromedial prefrontal

cortex selects the elements

for a scene, the hippocampus

constructs the scene imagery.

The researchers imaged the

brains of participants who

were asked to imagine novel

scenes or single objects.

CAPSULE

Small world of fishNew research finds that global

fish populations behave like a

small world network, with

currents carrying populations

far and wide. The researchers

modelled how currents

distribute the larvae of about

700 species of fish. Using

network analysis, they

assessed the distribution. This

has implications for global

conservation and management

of fish and food supplies.

Medicine munchersResearchers have shown how a

person’s gut microbiome can

interact with the medication

taken. They used levodopa,

the Parkinson's disease drug

and pointed out that

Enterococcus faecalis in the

gut was able to degrade the

drug. This reduced the amount

of drug reaching the brain,

making patients take a higher

dose leading to side-effects.

moderately waterrepelling (125 degrees), 64% ofthe drug was released over 48 hours and the remaining drug was released over 50 days in thecase of both the drugstested,” Arpita Shomefrom IIT Guwahati andfi��rst author of a paper published in the journal ACSSustainable Chemistry &Engineering.

Altering propertiesTo make the supremelywaterabsorbing cotton torepel water the researchers coated the cotton witha naturally occurring protein — bovine serum albumin (BSA). The BSA protein is dissolved in water

Sustained release ofdrugs for as long as 110days has now beenachieved by researchersat the Indian Institute ofTechnology (IIT) Guwahati by immobilising thedrugs on cotton that is extremely water repelling(superhydrophobic). Ateam led by Uttam Mannafrom the Department ofChemistry found that30% of the drug was released within 48 hoursand the remaining drugover a period of 110 days.Two drugs — aspirin andtetracycline — were testedfor sustained drugrelease.

Collaboration“We have extended thisapproach [use of superhydrophobic cotton coated with the drug for sustained release] to makebandages for wound healing,” says Dr. Manna.“Animal studies will beundertaken soon. Thecollaborative work withthe Delhibased International Centre for GeneticEngineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) has already begun.”

The researchers foundthat the duration of drugrelease can be tuned byvarying the degree of water repelling property ofcotton. For instance,when water repellencewas reduced from 155 degree to 125 degrees, theduration of drug releasereduced sharply from 110days to over 50 days.“When the cotton was

and when ethanol is added it forms nanoparticles, which get embeddedon the cotton. The BSAnanoparticles are madeto bind to each other toform a 3D coating on thecotton with the additionof a crosslinker (5ACl).“The residual acrylates of5ACl are further exploitedto react with aminecontaining longchain hydrocarbons. The long hydrocarbon chain of the alkylamine renders hydrophobicity to cotton,” saysShome.

“Two essential criteriaare needed for achievingextreme water repellence— topography which cantrap a layer of air and low

surface energy coatingthat makes the cotton inert so it does not reactwith water,” says Dr. Manna. In this case, the BSAnanoparticles provide therequired topography andthe long hydrocarbonchain of the alkyl aminemakes the cotton inert.

“We can tailor waterrepellency to varying degrees — 125150 degrees —by selecting an appropriate alkyl amine to reactwith the residual acrylates on the BSA nanoparticles,” Dr. Manna says.

The drug to be loadedonto the extremely waterrepelling cotton is dissolved in ethanol and thecotton is soaked in the

drugcontaining ethanol.When the cotton is removed, the ethanol evaporates leaving behind thedrug molecule on the cotton. Superhydrophobicity returns once ethanolevaporates.

How it worksWhen the cotton containing the drug comes incontact with water, theair that is trapped getsdisplaced. Water slowlystarts penetrating the cotton and comes in contactwith the drug moleculeand dissolves it. The dissolved drug diff��uses outof the cotton and thus theslow release of drug overa period of over threemonths is achieved.

When cotton is supremely water repelling,there is sustained releasefor about 110 days afterthe burstrelease in thefi��rst 48 hours. When thecotton is moderately waterrepelling, 64% of drugis released in 48 hoursand the remaining overthe next 50 days.

Both the drugs were released in a similar fashionand the bioactivity of thetetracycline released atone, three and seven dayswas examined. “Thebioactivity was similar tothe native drug at all threetime periods. Tetracycline was able to preventthe proliferation of bothE. coli and Streptococcusaureus,” says Dr. Manna.

The antibacterial studywas done in collaborationwith Prof. Biman Mandal’s group at IIT Guwahati.

IIT Guwahati uses water-repellingcotton for sustained drug releaseDuration of drug release can be tuned by varying the waterrepelling property of cotton

Tuning in: We can tailor water repellency from 125 to 150 degrees so that the drug isreleased in a sustianed manner over several days, say (from right) Uttam Manna,Arpita Shome and Adil Rather.

R. Prasad

How urbanisation of cities inthe last decade can sharply increase the local temperaturehas been well documented bya recent study undertaken byresearchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bhubaneswar.

Blame it on increased urbanisation, the local surfacetemperature in large cities inOdisha — Cuttack and Bhubaneswar — has increased by asmuch as 4050% during theperiod 20012010. While temperature has increased byabout 0.9 degree C due to regional warming, which is a global phenomenon, urbanisation or changes in land useand land cover alone has contributed 4050% of that increase in these cities. In otherwords, there has been a 0.5degree C increase in absolutelocal temperature in large ci

ties in the State during the period 2001 to 2010 solely due tourbanisation.

In the case of smaller citiesand town in the State of Odisha, the change in localwarming caused by urbanisation or changes in land useand land cover has been about25%.

Thirty-year dataThe team used 30 years of surface temperature measurements taken from over 22 sitesover the state of Odisha coupled with Earth Observationdata and model output to explore the eff��ect of land useland cover and its changes.

“When compared with rural areas, the local warming incities in Odisha is double dueto urbanisation,” says Dr. V. Vinoj from the Institute’s Schoolof Earth, Ocean and ClimateSciences and correspondingauthor of a paper published in

the journal Scientifi��c Reports.“The local warming due to urbanisation in Odisha in 20012010 is comparable to any other developed region of theworld.”

The 0.5 degree C increase in

local temperature in Bhubaneswar can be traced back torapid urbanisation of the cityin about 15 years. An earlierstudy by the team led by Dr. D.Swain from IIT Bhubaneswarand a coauthor of the latest

paper had found 83% increasein urbanisation of Bhubaneswar between 2000 and 2014.The rapid increase in urbanisation was at the cost of densevegetation and crop fi��elds.While dense vegetation reduced by 89%, crop fi��eldsshrunk by 83%.

Cropping patternsThe study shows that acrossthe State of Odisha, changes incropping pattern and urbanisation have together had aclear eff��ect on long term temperature changes. For instance, the cropping patternhas seen a clear shift fromKharif crops ( JulyOctober) toRabi crops (OctoberMarch).Compared with 2004, Kharifcrop cultivation area in 2010had reduced by 28,000 sq.km, whereas there has beenan increase of 38,000 sq. kmin Rabi crop cultivation areaduring the same period.

The northeast part of theState has witnessed the greatest change in land use andland cover during the period20012010. During the period19912000, the western part ofthe State saw the most changein land use and land covercausing more warming in thatregion. However, during theperiod 20012010, the trendshifted to northeast as changesin land use and land coverwere more pronounced in thatpart of the State causing morewarming in northeast Odisha.

“Our study provides crucialinformation for policy makersto understand the relative contribution from each land usetype to surface temperature,we believe this informationwould help with future landuse planning in the state of Odisha,” Prof. J. Dash from theUniversity of Southampton,UK and a coauthor of the paper says in a release.

Bhubaneswar becomes 0.5 degree C hotter due to urbanisationCuttack and Bhubaneswar have seen the most incresase in local temperature while warming in rural areas is less

R. Prasad

Hot days: The local surface temperature in large cities in Odisha,such as Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, has increased by 40-50%during the period 2001-2010. * ASHOKE CHAKRABARTY

A fi��eld study by researchersfrom Bengaluru shows that apopularly used index that remotely estimates density ofvegetation does not yield areliable estimate of foodabundance for elephants intropical forests. In fact, researchers show that this index has a negative correlation with graminoids (grassyfood – grasses, sedges andrushes – preferentially consumed by elephants) in tropical forests.

Monitoring vegetationFor both academic and practical purposes, there is thepractice of remotely monitoring vegetation in an areaand representing it in termsof maps and parameters.One such parameter used isthe normalized diff��erencevegetation index (NDVI)

which is measured remotelyfrom satellite data. This hasbeen used to estimate theamount of food abundanceavailable to herbivorous ani

mals, for example, elephants. The NDVI is used, forinstance, in attempts to trackthe presence of elephants using the vegetation they con

sume. However, this workclearly establishes that thiscan be misleading, and fi��eldbased studies are the oneswhich can yield defi��nitive re

sults. The work is publishedin the journal Biotropica.

“There is a need to establish this, because the obvious has not been understood,” says Ajay Desai whois a consultant to World Wildlife Fund, India, and anexpert on Asian elephants.

The researchers were ledby T.N.C Vidya from the Evolutionary and OrganismalBiology Unit of JawaharlalNehru Centre for AdvancedScientifi��c Research( JNCASR), Bengaluru.

They carried out the studyin the Nagarhole NationalPark, in the NilgirisEasternGhats in southern India andsampled fi��ve 20m X 5 m vegetation plots along each of17 transects (lines alongwhich the regions to be sampled can be marked out) inthe wet season in 2011 and 22transects in the dry season.The transects included three

forest types: moist deciduous, dry deciduous and teakforests. “We found that theabundance of food plants isnot correlated with NDVI.This should be a prerequisitebefore using NDVI as a proxyof food abundance,” saysHansraj Gautam, the fi��rstauthor of the paper, who isalso at JNCASR.

The NDVI is a simple indicator which tells how muchof the ground is covered withvegetation. It basically calculates the diff��erence between

the red and near infraredcomponents of light refl��ected by objects, from, say, a satellite. Since healthy vegetation strongly absorbs red andrefl��ects near infrared light,this diff��erence can indicatethe presence of healthy vegetation and map it into a colour code.

Negative correlation“We found that NDVI was negatively correlated to grasses. This means grass abundance tends to be low inlocations where NDVI is highand viceversa,” says Dr Vidya. Though this is counterintuitive, she explains whythis occurs: “While canopycover and shrub abundancecontribute positively toNDVI, they negatively aff��ectgrass abundance. Because ofthe poor correlation, NDVIcannot be reliably used as ameasure of forage abun

dance in a multistoreyed forest with a low proportionalabundance of food species.”Grasses form a large component of food of elephants andalso ungulates (hoofed animals) like deer, sambar andgaur.

“NDVI is extremely useful… and has been used to inform the ecology of variousspecies, from elephants andred deer to mosquitoes andbirds. But it is known to perform badly to help assesschanges in primary productivity of plants under a densecanopy,” says Nathalie Pettorelli, a conservation ecologistfrom Zoological Society ofLondon and an expert on remote sensing and management of natural resources.“The results do not surpriseme… this pattern was shownin other settings [in Poland,in deciduous forests],” sheadds.

Remotely sensed indices unreliable in informing elephant forageGrass abundance, which indicates elephant fodder, tends to be low in locations with dense canopy cover

<> We found that NDVI

was negatively

correlated to grasses.

This means grass

abundance tends to

be low in locations

where NDVI is high

and vice-versa.

T.N.C. Vidya

Evolutionary and Organismal Biology Unit,JNCASR

Shubashree Desikan

Out of reach: Grazing elephants that cannot reach up to the level of the canopies mostly feedon the grassy species. * KABINI ELEPHANT PROJECT

A pile of dung may irk many, butnot these researchers who spenddays analysing yak dung to understand the vegetation and climate of the past and the connections they have to extinct megaherbivores such as the woollyrhino and mammoth.

The wild yak is an endangeredspecies restricted to the higherHimalayas of Asia, the Tibetanplateau and parts of North Russia. It can tolerate temperaturesas low as 40 degrees Celsius andis associated with the Himalayantahr and Whitebellied muskdeer. The most noninvasive wayto study its diet and the local vegetation is by examining itsdung.

During the summer of 2017,researchers from Birbal Sahni institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow set out to the hilly terrainwhich is about 25 km from theDronagiri village in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand and collected the dung samples. This exercise was repeated in the winterseason too.

Diverse dietOnce back in the laboratory, theycarried out the macro and microbotanical analyses to decodeits diet. A good diversity of pollen, spores and phytoliths (silicabodies found in plants) wereseen. This meant that the yakpreferred a variety of food — simple grass to leaves and fruits ofwoody trees. This diversity washigh during summer and the yakcould walk up to 50 km in searchof food.

This also indicated that theyak was able to modify its diet according to the climatic change ofthe past. “The end of the Pleistocene epoch (11,700 years ago)and the start of Holocenebrought about a change in vegetation and also introduced hu

mans,” explains Swati Tripathi,one of the authors of the paperpublished in PLOS ONE. “Giantmammoth and woolly rhinowhich used to live with the yakabout 18,00020,000 years agowere not able to adapt to thesechanges and thus went extinct.This is a classic example of ‘survival of the fi��ttest’. Our humbleyak proved to be the fi��ttest one.”

The yak dung analysis alsohelped to map out the diff��erentplants and trees in that area,thus, generating modern botanical analogue for palaeo environmental studies in higher Himalayas.

Mega herbivores“Across the globe, many researchers are working on coprolite or fossilized dung of extinctanimals. A comparison of thepresent results with the extinctones can help understand moreabout ancestor climatic factorsand other adaptation strategiesof mega herbivores.

“These animals mostly depend on the regional fl��ora andstudies can throw light on thepast vegetation of an area,” addsDr. Sadhan Kumar Basumatary,corresponding author of thepaper.

Why did woolly rhino,mammoth go extinct?Yak dung analysis helped to map out thediff��erent plants and trees in the area

Aswathi Pacha

Endangered : The wild yak isrestricted to higher Himalayas ofAsia, the Tibetan plateau andparts of North Russia..

After years of protestsand legal battles, offi��cialshave announced that amassive telescope whichwill allow scientists topeer into the most distantreaches of our early universe will be built on aHawaiian volcano thatsome consider sacred.

Hawaii Governor DavidIge said it was the fi��nal legal step in a long, oftencontentious, process, andthat construction is expected to begin sometimethis summer.

Scientists say the summit is one of the best places on Earth for astronomy. The telescope wouldbe three times as wide asthe largest existing visiblelight telescope in theworld, with nine timesmore area. Several telescopes and observatoriesare already on the

summit.But opponents say the

telescope will desecratesacred land atop MaunaKea, a place of religiousimportance to NativeHawaiians.

State offi��cials arrived atthe summit to remove Native Hawaiian structuresthat had been built onland where the telescopewill be constructed.

Native Hawaiians haveused the structures foryears, said Kealoha Pisciottaa a Native Hawaiianactivist whoconsiders theremoval of the structuresto be desecration anddiscriminatory.

The new telescope willallow astronomers toreach back 13 billionyears, to the time just after the big bang, andscientists say it will helpanswer fundamentalquestions about the advent of the universe.

Controversial telescope to bebuilt on sacred Hawaiian peak Press Trust of India

Afew years back I used to experience thumping palpitationsin my heart whenever I

climbed steps. This condition cameabout suddenly without any advancewarning. I consulted a noted physician in my town, and after doingblood and other tests he diagnosedmy problem as rheumatic heart disease. He prescribed drugs andwarned me that I had to be on lifelong medication. I was totally depressed. Friends and relatives suggested that l should consult anotherdoctor for a second opinion. The second doctor was a cardiologist. Heordered an echocardiogram test andfound a lump of tissue in my leftatrium. I had left atrial myxoma.After the tumor was surgicallyremoved, my problem was gone.

Not long ago I purchased a pieceof land in a bustling town. The purchase decision was made withoutmuch thought, on the advice of afriend.

Those days real estate priceswere shooting up by the day and lwas in a tearing hurry to get on tothe real estate bandwagon. Afterthe purchase was made, I realisedthat the land had no proper access and that the seller had a previous agreement with anotherbuyer. With great diffi��culty andsome fi��nancial loss I could fi��nally get rid of the land.

Daniel Kahneman, economist and psychologist, a Nobelprize winner, in his book,Thinking Fast and Slow, slotsthe human thinking processinto two categories.System 1 thinkingwherein the braintakes snap and intuitive judgmentsbased on limitedknowledge. System

2 thinking is a deliberate thinkingprocess in which lot of information isgathered and options are considered.If we analyse the two cases mentioned above, the fi��rst case was anoutcome of System 2 thinking. Options were searched and the betteroption was chosen. The second caseis an example of System 1 thinking. Asnap judg

think through things. But modern life aff��ords humans

the luxury of security, time and abundant information to use System 2thinking. Unfortunately for many ofus, System 1 thinking is the defaultthinking mode. We use it constantlyand make many mistakes.

Rolf Dobelli, the Swiss author, inhis book The Art of Thinking Clearly,

puts together ahundred

biases in human thinking which leadto wrong judgments. The list of biases include the contrast eff��ect, the fearof regret, loss aversion, reciprocity,the anchor eff��ect, the sleeper eff��ect,story bias, the halo eff��ect, the availability bias and so on.

The common theme runningthrough all these biases is snap judgments made intuitively on limited information. Most of our purchases ofbranded goods are infl��uenced by thehalo eff��ect. Our minds are mesmerised by the aura built around them.We purchase them without examining quality parameters.

Knowing full well that System 1thinking leads us to make mistakeswe can’t free ourselves from System 1thinking. From morning to evening inour daily life we have to make hundreds of judgments. We can’t sit oneach event and ponder over options.If we do that, we’ll be stuck. Many ofour decisions are snap decisions andmost of the time it is ok with these decisions. When it’s a big event such aschoosing a lifepartner, choosing acareer, leaving a job, buying a home,making a large investment or any instance of substantial stake, we haveto sit up and play System 2 thinking.

There is no guarantee that whenwe use System 2 thinking, we’ll getthe best outcomes. In spite of thetime and eff��ort put into System 2thinking, sometimes the resultmay be contrary to expectations.A big black swan may come up tothwart our expectations. In suchcases, we have to console ourselves by remembering that theworld is its own master and thatwe cannot control it. Life

could throw up surprises. We have totake them in ourstride and move on.

[email protected]

Why we often get it wrong Snap judgments made intuitively on the basis of limited information invariably lead you to trouble

Baddam Aravinda Reddy

CMYK

A ND-NDE

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DELHI THE HINDU


Contributions to this page may be emailed to [email protected] to alength of up to 700 words. Please provide the postal address and a brief descrip-tion of the writer. An email id that is provided could be considered for publication.Certify in writing that it is original material; The Hindu views plagiarism as a seriousissue. Also confirm that the submission is exclusive to this page. Taking into ac-count the volume of material being received, we regret our inability to acknow-ledge receipt, or to entertain telephonic or other queries on the status of a submis-sion. If a submission is not published within eight weeks, consider it to be out of thereckoning — in most cases owing to dearth of space. The publication of an article isnot to be seen as The Hindu endorsing the viewpoint in any way.

The visual carnival

The days of voyeuristic reading are here, with words seemingly overshadowed by picturesP. DALAI

A profession and a passion

The portrait of an acclaimed artist in an unlikely life-settingUMESH PATRA

Perils of excessive screen-time

Why early action by vigilant elders couldhelp youngsters avoid the digital trap RAJESH KRISHNAN

More on the Webthehindu.com/opinion/open-page

It happened during yet another terribleday at work. I was frustrated with myboss, who simply wouldn’t listen to my

suggestions to better the code we werecracking, and would favour my partner’sopinion over mine. Despondent thoughtscrept into my mind — the politics, the favouritism, the bullying, all of which seem tocome to no end. I thought I was about to explode, and I quickly retreated to the washroom. I closed the door behind me andpulled the lid down to sit on the commode. Iwanted to tear up, but the rage wouldn’t letme give in to my vulnerability.

It was at that moment when I observedthe slow ticking of the second hand of mywatch.

It was the right kind of rhythm that mymind needed amid the chaos around mywork life.

I thought about how the deliberate and irreverent movement of time, captured in thistiny device, would have witnessed both thehappiest and the saddest periods of my life.The slow, rhythmic movements of the second hand tell me that this too shall pass. AllI had to do was to hold on.

Regardless of how uplifting or upsettingthat particular moment is in our life, there isno option but to accept the fact that thingscould change for the better or for the worsein the very next second. The moment cannot be controlled, but the mindset can be.

The calming realisation woke me up frommy mindless slumber, and as I walked backto my desk I realised that most peoplearound me are living their lives asleep.

I am glad that I listened to the timeless advice that my watch gave me, instead of reacting to my impulses. The ticking helped cutoff�� the emotional time bomb.

The second hand is all about bringingyour mind from a state of chaos to one of order. The minute hand will, however, sharpen your focus by bringing your attention toa dial that almost looks stationary, but is alsomoving forward, every minute. It has a hypnotic eff��ect.

Have you ever wondered how many timesa day you check the time? A study by a U.S.newspaper showed that Americans on anaverage check their watch once every 12 minutes. What if you could convert those moments into those of mindfulness?

By simply observing how each secondpasses by, we could reach a certain calmstate. Then every moment would not be justabout knowing what time it is, but aboutwhat best we could make of that time giftedto us.

Zen master Osho believed that by simplyobserving and moving our attention to onething, we could raise our state of selfawareness; it morphs to a form of mindfulness.

Remember that mindfulness can neverbe something to be achieved or somethingto be desired for, because every desire has achance of being a disappointment if notmet.

[email protected]

Towards

mindfulness

Ashwin Shanker

After a busy week in theoffi��ce, the least that agolfer worth his salt may

look forward to at the weekend is a round of golf. Blissfulfour hours, devoid of the baneof the stressful offi��ce and domestic preoccupations. The bluesky above, just green grass below, a cool breeze...

But try getting a gamesloton a Saturday or Sunday onyour own. This is what willhappen.

You couldn’t book one because the slot booking rulesdemanded that you give atleast three players’ names, butyou are a loner. You go to thecourse around 1.30 and tellthe marshal you would like toplay. He asks you to wait asthere are several fourballgroups. One threeball, the lastgroup, is scheduled to tee off��

at 2.34 p.m., and you may perhaps join them.

You sit on a bench underthe shade watching team afterteam tee off��. The fi��rst few minutes of watching are interesting — two OBs, one water hazard, two hitting the trees andone powerful air shot with intermittent fairway shots. Butas time passes you get restless.The shade is not of much help.It’s a hot day. The penultimategroup on the tee box leaves.And the last group you are tojoin is nowhere to be seen.

The tee box is now deserted. You are sitting there allalone on the bench getting anxious, with only a skinny dogthat is enjoying an afternoonnap under a nearby tree forcompany. The breeze seems tohave stopped. Exasperated,you go up to the marshal, whohates coming out of his cabin,and ask, “Where are they?”

He looks towards the carpark through the window andannounces, “They’ve arrived,sir.” Ah, fi��nally! You get upwith a sigh of relief, fl��ex yourmuscles and, pulling out the

driver, take practice swings.The three senior gentle

men, all well past their seventies, are however in no hurryto reach the tee box. They arein fact always the last to tee off��.With no group behind, theyplay the game at their own lei

surely pace. While walkingthey talk about their grandchildren, the annual babysitting trips to San Jose or Atlantaor New Jersey, PresidentTrump and local politics, stopping in between to say ‘goodshot’ when one of them hits a

100yard drive. “Good shot! Straight and

long. Must be easily 100yards.”

“What do you mean 100yards? It must be a minimumof 280 yards. I can’t even seethe ball.”

“That’s because you havecataract.”

Presently they are strollingtowards the fi��rst tee box. Looking at their tired walk, onewould think they have just fi��nished playing 18 holes.

The marshal walks up tothem and asks, “Sir, that gentleman over there, he is aloneand wants a game. Can he nowjoin you?”

They stop where they are,to take a good look at you, nowdoing your pregame stretching exercise — you in your early40s, neatly tucked Tshirtwith matching shorts, branded golf shoes and black capwith a premier logo. They alsosee your new expensive golfbag leaning majestically on itsstand. As they watch, you takea practice swing with yourarms fully stretched and the

hip turning ninety degrees.The club hits your back as youcomplete the swing. A typicalprolike golf swing.

They exchange glances with‘AreyouthinkingwhatIamthinking?’ kind of expressionon their faces. Decision madebut still they had a question.

“What is his handicap?”one of them asks.

“He says twelve,” repliesthe marshal.

The marshal starts towardsyou. Seeing him come, youclimb up the tee box and placethe tee, not wanting to lose aminute more after the onehour wait. You are all gearedup to hit the tee shot. You seethe threesome approachingyou, and giving them a friendly smile, you extend yourhand. “Good afternoon, gentlemen. I am...”

That’s when the marshalwould interrupt you to say,“Sorry sir, their fourth ball isjoining them after two holes.And at weekends you cannotplay alone.”

[email protected]

A lone golfer waiting for a weekend gameWhat could havebeen a blissful timeon the course...

T.P. Kannan

Anyone who has everbought a plant from anursery, watered it ev

ery day and watched in dismay as it failed to thrive,knows that gardening isn’teasy. Even if you manage togrow a plant successfully,growing food is another ballgame altogether. Vegetablessuch as bitter gourd and tomato grow almost likeweeds, but others are trickier. They have varied waterneeds, soil requirements andtemperature and sunlightpreferences. In the event youget all of this right, you stillneed to protect them frompests. Finally, after weeks ormonths of care and patience,your plants may yield just afew kilograms of vegetables.

Recently, I watched in astonishment as a vine tookroot in my balcony, sprouted

leaves and fi��lled up the entire length of my planter in amatter of days. Flowers blossomed, and before long Ispotted a tiny pumpkin, asbig as an avocado. The children were beside themselveswith excitement.

We watched it grow eachday, and I helped it along bycutting back the vine andsnipping off�� the browningleaves. When we fi��nally cut itoff��, it weighed a good 4 kg.

In our home of seven, thefruit of our labour didn’t lastlong, but the children were

convinced it tasted betterthan any they had ever tasted. Not a crumb was wasted.

If only we looked at allfood in the same manner, forevery fruit or vegetable thatmakes its way to us has beengrown painstakingly by somefarmer somewhere. One badmonsoon can ruin a crop,but we always have food onour tables and fi��nd it diffi��cultto imagine that a day maycome when we may not. Thetruth is, that day may arrivesooner than we think.

There was a book I read to

my daughter, titled Millionsof Cats. It’s an old classic,printed as far back as 1928.Although the book’s subjectmatter deals with aesthetics,a few lines stood out in mymind. A very old man was returning home with millionsof cats. They came to a pond.Each cat took a sip, and thepond was gone. When theywere hungry, each ate amouthful of grass on a hill,and not a blade was left.

Humans have beenaround for an estimated twolakh years by some accounts.Think about it. It took thousands of centuries to reachthe level of a billion people,and today we are at 7.5 billion. Have we ever wonderedjust how many people earthcan take? How many can itfeed before there’s just amouthful left for each of us?

We presume we have anendless supply of food, butthe truth is that the quality ofour soil is deterioratingthanks to the largescale useof pesticides and toxins thatenter the soil and waterthrough garbage disposal.

Dead zones — areas in theocean that can no longer sustain growth — are graduallyincreasing. Species are growing extinct at an alarmingrate. More and more of marine life are being found withplastic in their bodies. Fish isgetting progressively unsafeto eat and pregnant womenare cautioned against eatingmany forms of seafood because of concerns about themercury level in them. If ourwater is growing unfi��t to support marine life, how will itsupport us?

We buy things we don’tneed, often tire of them, andthrow them away, without athought to all the resources ittook to make them. Thenumerous artefacts we gifteach other make no sense,serve no purpose and destroy the environment. Everything, from fast fashion tofast food, is a burden theearth shouldn’t have to bear.

We can do a lot to help —not just the earth but ourselves — by gardening, composting, planting trees,avoiding singleuse plastic

such as straws and plasticwater bottles. Eating locallygrown, organic foods and reducing meat consumptionwill go a long way in addressing environmental concerns.

A few nights ago, when debating the advantages anddisadvantages of a vegetarian diet, a friend declaredthat, much like the beautifullion, we are at the top of thefood chain and can eat whatever we want. The survivalofthefi��ttest argument is oldand tired. We don’t eat meatfor survival, we eat it forpleasure. But that aside,there is a fundamental diff��erence between lions and humans. The lion is a predator.It takes what it needs withoutdestroying the environment.On the other hand, a tapeworm lives in our intestine,sucks nutrition and slowlydestroys us — and itself.

It’s time we realised thatwe should change; we’re notthe magnifi��cent predatorswe imagine ourselves to be.We’re actually the parasites.

[email protected]

Humans are notwhat they imaginethemselves to be

Vidula Chopra Rastogi

Live and let live: some thoughts on a sustainable future

ILLUSTRATION: SATWIK GADE

ILLUSTRATION: J.A. PREMKUMAR

ILLUSTRATION: SREEJITH R. KUMAR

ment was made on the basis of a limited amount of information andthis led to lot of trouble. System 1thinking was best suited when human beings were wandering in theAfrican savanna. He had to make aquick judgment whether the fi��gurelurking behind a bush was a lion or aharmless deer. In his daily life he hadneither the time nor the security to

CMYK

A ND-NDE

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THE HINDU DELHI


Skipper Kane Williamsonrescued New Zealand with acareerbest 148, his secondconsecutive century, steering his side to a competitive291 for eight against West Indies after fi��rstover setbackshere on Saturday.

Williamson, who anchored his side’s chase withan unbeaten 106 againstSouth Africa in their previous match, yet again excelled under pressure asNew Zealand was off�� to a disastrous start.

Negating a sluggish trackand some testing initial fastbowling spells from the Windies, Williamson batted withaplomb and in the processraised his 13th ODI hundredwhich came off�� 154 balls withthe help of 14 fours and a six.

Asked to bat, New Zealandwas in for a shock when leftarm pacer Sheldon Cottrell(four for 56) sent back boththe openers — Martin Guptill(0) and Colin Munro (0) — inthe fi��rst over of the match.

West Indies’ joy did notlast long as Williamson andRoss Taylor (69 off�� 95 balls)dug deep to put up a 160run

partnership, which steadiedthe Kiwi ship.

Playing with extreme caution, Williamson and Taylorbuilt the innings bit by bit.

Mostly playing in the ‘V’region, the fi��rst signs of aggression came when Williamson cut Oshane Thomasfor a four.

The team’s 50 came in the

15th over with Taylor smashing a short one off�� Jason Holder. He later straight droveThomas for a delicateboundary.

Pacing the innings nicely,both the batsmen completedhalfcenturies in the 24th over, bowled by Kemar Roach.

Chris Gayle’s parttime off��spin broke the partnership

which was threatening totake the match away fromthe West Indies.

Williamson rescues New Zealand once againPress Trust of India

Manchester

Thriving under pressure: Kane Williamson’s careerbest 148 steered the Kiwis to a competitivetotal against West Indies. * CLIVE MASON/GETTY IMAGES

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

West Indies in trouble

B West Indies was 168 forseven after 30 overs,chasing a target of 292.Roach (2) and Brathwaite(16) were at the crease.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

NEW ZEALAND

Martin Guptill lbw b Cottrell0 (1b), Colin Munro b Cottrell 0(1b), Kane Williamson c Hope bCottrell 148 (154b, 14x4, 1x6),Ross Taylor c Holder b Gayle 69(95b, 7x4), Tom Latham c&bCottrell 12 (16b), James Neesham c Cottrell b Brathwaite28 (23b, 1x4, 1x6), Colin deGrandhomme run out 16 (6b,1x4, 1x6), Mitchell Santner cCottrell b Brathwaite 10 (5b,1x6), Matt Henry (not out) 0(0b); Extras (lb4, nb1, w3):8; Total (for eight wkts. in 50

overs): 291.

FALL OF WICKETS

10 (Guptill, 0.1 overs), 27(Munro, 0.5), 3167 (Taylor,34.3), 4210 (Latham, 41.5), 5251(Williamson, 46.3), 6270(de Grandhomme, 48.1), 7291(Santner, 49.5), 8291 (Neesham, 49.6).

WEST INDIES BOWLING

Cottrell 101564, Roach102380, Holder 70420,Thomas 60300, Brathwaite60582, Nurse 90550,Gayle 2081.

Toss: West Indies.

SCOREBOARD NEW ZEALAND VS WEST INDIES

After highscoring ventures,the World Cup seems to havetaken a turn towards the relatively modest total and theattendant nervous chasewhen palms turn sweaty andthroats get parched. Thetrend was evident at a sunbathed Hampshire Bowl hereon Saturday.

On a sluggish surface, India scored 224 for eight andbowled out Afghanistan for213 in 49.5 overs. Fringed bythe woods on one side, a golfcourse on the other, the seaof blue at the packed grounderupted in joy when Indiawon by 11 runs.

Afghanistan needed agood start but openers Hazratullah Zazai and GulbadinNaib were in a rush and theformer lost his timber afterdoing an acrossthelinehoick against MohammedShami, who replaced the injured Bhuvneshwar Kumarin the Indian eleven. Meanwhile, Naib, who clatteredHardik Pandya repeatedly tothe midwicket fence, miscued a pull off�� the Indian allrounder and Vijay Shankarwaited for eternity andcaught well.

Twin-blow

Afghanistan was 64 for twoand briefl��y hope fl��oated asRahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi displayed assurance. Just as the Indianfans turned anxious, JaspritBumrah infl��icted a twinblowin an eventful 29th over. Rahmat survived a massive shoutfor lbw but topedged a pulloff�� India’s spearhead. Shahidi too fell immediately, popping a leading edge back tothe bowler. Afghanistan at106 for four and India was inwith a sniff��.

Mohammad Nabi (52, 55b,4x4, 1x6), however, kept thefl��ame alive, launching theodd hit — a mighty six off��Bumrah, getting a successfulreview against an lbw appealfrom Shami to enthuse the

sprinkling of Afghans in theaudience. Virat Kohli, M.S.Dhoni and the bowlers constantly discussed strategyand it boiled down to 16 fromthe last over bowled by Shami. Nabi struck a four, refused a single off�� the next,found the fi��elder on theropes in the third and thenShami dismissed the last twoto register a pulsepoundinghattrick.

Adhesive web

Earlier, Kohli elected to baton winning the toss and itwas left to him (67, 63b, 5x4)and Kedar Jadhav (52, 68b,3x4, 1x6) to hold the inningstogether while the rival spinners spun an adhesive web.Openers Rohit Sharma andK.L. Rahul had to cope withthe slow art as off��spinnerMujeeb Ur Rahman wheeledin the fi��rst over. In a while,Rohit played inside the lineto a carrom ball from Mujeeb, and got castled in thefi��fth over.

Soon a turgid phase ofconsolidation followed as Rahul and Kohli buckled downfor their 57run secondwicket partnership. Rahulpunched a four off�� AftabAlam and the seamer alsofaced the scorching heat ofKohli’s blade. Yet, largely, itwas all about the watchfulgaze until Rahul tried to be

impish and perished.The opener uppishly re

verseswept off��spinner Nabistraight to the fi��elder at shortthirdman. Finally Shankarstepped in at number four, aslot the chairman of selectors M.S.K. Prasad promisedin the runup to the WorldCup. Shankar adroitly playedsecond fi��ddle to his captainas a 58run thirdwicket alliance took shape.

Naib pressed Rashid Khaninto service from the 20th over and Kohli drilled the legspinner’s fi��rst delivery forfour past cover. Shankar toodished out the lofted shot butfound a mixed bag in reviews. An appeal for lbwwhich was upheld got reversed but when anotherstruck Shankar’s pad, there

was no respite.Kohli continued unhin

dered but, against the run ofplay, his uppish cut off�� Nabiproved fatal. It was left toDhoni and Jadhav to reviveIndia from 135 for four andthe two preferred patiencebut were not averse to usingthe longhandle sporadically.

Jadhav slogswept Rashidand Dhoni tucked into Naib.Still, the run rate stayed below fi��ve while the 57runfi��fthwicket partnership

evolved. In the slog, Dhonigot stumped off�� Rashid, Pandya failed but Jadhav, whoonce escaped being run out,hung in till he succumbedduring the last over. India bythen had mustered justabout enough to stay alive ina humdinger.

Shami’s hattrick seals it for India in a sensational fi��nishKohli and Jadhav hold the innings together with halfcenturies; Nabi’s valiant eff��ort goes in vain for Afghanistan

K.C. Vijaya Kumar

Southampton

Captain’s knock: Virat Kohli played the most fl��uent innings of the match on a sluggish pitch. * AP

INDIAK.L. Rahul c Zazai b Nabi 30(53b, 2x4), Rohit Sharma b Mujeeb 1 (10b), Virat Kohli c Rahmat b Nabi 67 (63b, 5x4), VijayShankar lbw b Rahmat 29 (41b,2x4), M.S. Dhoni st Ikram bRashid 28 (52b, 3x4), Kedar Jadhav c sub b Naib 52 (68b, 3x4,1x6), Hardik Pandya c Ikram bAlam 7 (9b), Mohammed Shamib Naib 1 (2b), Kuldeep Yadav(not out) 1 (1b), Jasprit Bumrah(not out) 1 (1b); Extras (w7): 7;Total (for eight wkts. in 50 overs): 224.

FALL OF WICKETS17 (Rohit, 4.2 overs), 264 (Rahul, 14.2), 3122 (Shankar, 26.1),4135 (Kohli, 30.3), 5192 (Dhoni, 44.3), 6217 (Pandya, 48.4),7222 (Shami, 49.3), 8223 (Jadhav, 49.5).

AFGHANISTAN BOWLINGMujeeb 100261, Aftab 71541, Naib 90512, Nabi 90332, Rashid 100381, Rahmat50221.

AFGHANISTANHazratullah Zazai b Shami 10(24b, 1x4), Gulbadin Naib c VijayShankar b Pandya 27 (42b, 2x4),Rahmat Shah c Chahal b Bumrah36 (63b, 3x4), HashmatullahShahidi c & b Bumrah 21 (45b,2x4), Asghar Afghan b Chahl 8(19b), Mohammad Nabi c Pandyab Shami 52 (55b, 4x4, 1x6), Najibullah Zadran c Chahal b Pandya21 (23b, 2x4), Rashid Khan stDhoni b Chahal 14 (16b, 1x4), Ikram Alikhil (not out) 7 (10b), Aftab Alam b Shami 0 (1b), MujeebUr Rahman b Shami 0 (1b); Extras (b4, lb4, w9): 17; Total (in49.5 overs): 213.

FALL OF WICKETS120 (Zazai, 6.3 overs), 264(Naib, 16.5), 3106 (Rahmat,28.4), 4106 (Shahidi, 28.6), 5130 (Afghan, 34.6), 6166 (Zadran, 41.3), 7190 (Rashid, 45.4),8213 (Nabi, 49.3), 9213 (Alam,49.4).

INDIA BOWLINGShami 9.51404, Bumrah 101392, Chahal 100362, Pandya101512, Kuldeep 100390. Toss: India. MoM: Bumrah.

India won by 11 runs.

SCOREBOARD

Kedar Jadhav had to bide histime for a long batting stint.Playing in the lower middleorder in a team that has batting riches atop the pole,means that Jadhav gets just afew overs to settle in and biff��around the park.

But on Saturday in theWorld Cup game against Afghanistan here at the Hamp

shire Bowl, the diminutiveand stocky batsman walkedin during the 31st over afterVirat Kohli got dismissed.Jadhav scored a valuable 52,that hauled India past the200mark on a diffi��cultpitch, and eventually thescore proved diffi��cult for therival to chase.

“The wicket was on theslower side and the ball wasturning, our actual plan was

to look for 250 to 260 but wefell short by 20 to 30 runs.We made up for it in the fi��eldand the bowlers did well.

“Obviously we had beliefin our deathspecialist bowlers, we had ( Jasprit) Bumrah and (Mohammed Shami)and we knew we were justone wicket away,” Jadhavtold the media.

“We had belief in bothour fast bowlers and we

know that one boundarywill always go in the deathover. It could either be agood shot or an edge,” he added.

Conscious

Asked about his battingapproach, Jadhav said: “Ourtoporder is very good andwe usually get very lesstime. But today we wereconscious about getting

more balls and I came at sixand we needed to assess andplan the innings. So it wasimportant to face those extra deliveries upfront andplan the ideal score.

“The pitch played slightlyslower in the fi��rst half. I tryto learn a lot from how Dhonibhai bats, the wicketwasn’t fl��at and we had totake time and they had quality spinners.”

We had belief in our fast bowlers, says Jadhav K.C. Vijaya Kumar

Southampton

Kedar Jadhav. * AFP

Gulbadin Naib lauded Mohammad Nabi, who almostgot Afghanistan to the brinkof a famous victory over India in the World Cup gameat the Hampshire Bowl hereon Saturday. Nabi may havefailed to cross the fi��nish linebut his skipper backed hisstupendous eff��ort. “Nabiplayed really well but ( Jasprit) Bumrah, the numberone bowler, and (Mohammed) Shami bowledwell. Nabi had a problem inhis left leg but he did his jobbut that wasn’t enough. Credit to the Indian team andwe struggled against shortof length balls,” Naib toldthe media.

However, Naib felt thatthe thriller against India andeven the onesided game involving England, wouldbreed some confi��dencewithin his men: “Yes, wewill take some confi��dence.We are getting better day byday. Against England and India, the two favourites, wehad our moments.”

Naib stressed that thepartnership between M.S.Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav wascrucial: “Dhoni is a very ex

perienced player, a legend.He and Jadhav had a goodpartnership and they tookthe game away from us. Atone point we thought theywill score 170 or 180.”

Asked about the emotions surging through him,Naib paused a bit, there wasa wistful look in his eyes andthen he smiled and said: “Atone time we thought wecould win and we got emotional. India is my favouriteteam, (Virat) Kohli is my favourite player and we missed a chance to beat them.”

Naib doff��s his hat to NabiSpecial Correspondent

Southampton

Mohammad Nabi.* ALEX DAVIDSON/GETTY IMAGES

CMYK

A ND-NDE


DELHI THE HINDU


SPORT

SUDOKU

Solution to yesterday’s Sudoku

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

A lot can change over thecourse of a week, and whoknows it better than the Pakistan cricket team. Following an 89run defeat to Indiaat Manchester last Sunday,the team has drawn heavycriticism from fans and former cricketers.

The fl��urry of blessings andgood wishes that the teamreceived prior to the marquee World Cup fi��xture hasnow been replaced by callsfor change in leadership andeven petitions to disband theteam!

It will be under muchpressure that the team playsSouth Africa at Lord’s onSunday.

The is a mustwin fi��xturefor Pakistan. With threepoints from fi��ve games, itneeds to win all its remaininggames to qualify for the semifi��nals. And to do that, fi��rstly,it has to fi��x its battingdepartment.

Batting failureAfter contrasting results inits fi��rst two games, Pakistan’s

performance has dipped,mainly because of batting failure. Against Australia, thetop batsmen fl��attered to deceive, as the team crashed toa 41run defeat.

In Manchester last Sunday, an inconsistent Pakistanfailed in all the three departments against a starstuddedIndia. Now as Lord’s hosts its

fi��rst game of the tournament, there are chances ofthe seasoned Shoaib Malik —who has been off��colour —being replaced with HarrisSohail.

On the other hand, SouthAfrica too has been an underperformer. Following itsnarrow defeat against NewZealand at Edgbaston, the

Proteas’ hopes of making itto the lastfour stage is asgood as over.

Huge letdownThough its bowlers havetroubled the opposition, batting has been a huge letdown.

“When you look acrossthe World Cups in the past,when the teams have won,their experienced playershave performed. Our experienced players haven’tstood up,” South Africacoach, Ottis Gibson, said after the team’s last outingagainst New Zealand.

And the weather is expected to play nice — partly sunny, partly cloudy, but no rain— as the two sides try to restore their pride at Lord’s onSunday.

S. Africa, Pakistan strive to restore pride Both teams in a mustwin situation as Lord’s hosts its fi��rst game of the tournament

WORLD CUP

Shayan Acharya

London

Time to perform: Despite the heavy criticism that the Pakistan team has been subjected to, theplayers seem to be in a happy mood during practice. * AFP

Aiden Markram is the onlySouth African captain towin a World Cup — he ledthe under19 side to victoryin 2014. Markram is rightlyconsidered the future leader for South Africa. But herefuses to pay too much attention to it.

“There’s not been a lotof focus on it. I’m reallyjust trying to keep my spotin the side, scoring loads ofruns and saving as many asI can in the fi��eld,” Markramsaid.

South Africa will look fora smooth transition asquite a few seniors are setto retire after the WorldCup. Markram feels stayingin an environment for longmakes you ready for thetop job.

“I think naturally onceyou’re in an environmentfor a period of time, you dothink with your leadershipreign and how things couldbe better and what we havereally done well and what’sworked and what hasn’t.

“I think that’s just a natural thing.” he said.

Markram notfocusing oncaptaincy

SpORTS REPORTER

London After Pakistan’s defeat to India last week, former cricketers slammed the team andit’s captain Sarfaraz Ahmed.On Saturday, Sarfarazlashed out at them.

“If I say anything aboutthem, it will become an issue, so I say nothing. Theythink we are no players. So,if we reply to them, theytake off��ence. Khuda ban keTV pe baithe hain (They appear on television, thinkingthey are gods),” Sarfarazsaid.

A couple of days ago, a video went viral on social media, where a fan bodyshamed Sarfaraz at a shopping centre. “You can sayanything. Family and people at home see it and (thenask you.) Pakistani fans, weknow are jazbaati (emotional) and their anger is justifi��ed! We feel more sorrythan they do, we are moredisappointed,” the captainsaid.

Sarfaraz also refutedclaims of division in theteam, saying: “There is nogroup panti in the team. Ifyou win, nothing of the sortis said.”

The last one week hasbeen tough for the Pakistanteam and the captain admitsthat now the focus is solelyon the game against SouthAfrica.

“Defi��nitely it is a toughthing for us. But after thematch (against India), wegave two days of rest to theplayers. But for the threedays, we are practisinghard. So morale is very highfor us,” he said.

“The tournament is opennow, so we have a chance.So we are focusing match bymatch. So hopefully we willwin tomorrow’s match,”Sarfaraz said.

Sarfaraz lashes out atformer cricketers SPORTS REPORTER

London

Sarfaraz Ahmed. * AFP

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) hasbeen suspended with immediate eff��ect by theSports and RecreationCommission (SRC), the governing organisation of allregistered sporting associations in the country.

ZC acting managing director Givemore Makonihas also been suspended,according to a press release on Friday.

The SRC move comes aweek after it issued a directive that ZC’s electoral process be suspended following alleged complaintsabout the nomination process and the violation ofconstitution, as well as “various other controversies”.

Zimbabwecricket bodysuspended


Harare

The Indian women’s teamclaimed a historic fi��rsteverinternational rugby 15s victory — a 2119 win over Singapore — to fi��nish third inthe Asia women’s (Division1) championship here onSaturday.

The tournament is oneof the qualifying rounds forthe 2021 women’s rugbyWorld Cup to be held inNew Zealand.

China won the eventwith a 680 victory over thePhilippines.

India fi��nishesthird Press Trust of India

MANILA

Dragfl��icker Gurjit Kaurscored a brace as India secured its place in the fi��nalround of the Tokyo Olympicqualifi��ers by beating Chile42 in the semifi��nals of thewomen’s FIH Series Finalstournament here onSaturday.

The top two teams fromthe tournament have secured berths in the OlympicQualifi��ers to be held laterthis year.

Gurjit (22nd, 37th minutes) struck twice, whileNavneet Kaur (31st) and skipper Rani Rampal (57th) werethe other scorers for India.Carolina Garcia (18th) andManuela Urroz (43rd) scoredthe goals for Chile.

India will take on Japan inthe summit clash on Sunday.

Japan beat Russia 31 in apenalty shootout in the other semifi��nal after the teamswere locked 11 at the end ofregulation time.

World No. 9 India was infor a surprise three minutesinto the second quarterwhen Carolina scored a fi��eldgoal on a counterattack.

Stunned by the goal, theIndians went on the off��ensive and drew parity four minutes later when Gurjit converted a penalty corner. Theteams went into the breaklocked 11.

A minute after change ofends, India took the leadthrough Navneet, whopicked up the ball from just

outside the 25yard circle,ran into the striking circleand slotted home with a powerful shot.

Six minutes later, India extended the lead throughanother penalty corner conversion by Gurjit.

Chile did not give up andearned two penalty cornersin quick succession towardsthe dying stages of the thirdquarter but failed to capitalise on them.

In the 43rd minute,though, a poor clearancesaw Chile regain possessionand Urroz reduced the margin from a Denise Krimerman feed.

The fourth and fi��nal quar

ter witnessed a good fi��ght tillthe 57th minute when Rani

scored with a reverse hit off�� apass from Lilima Minz.

Indian women secure Olympic qualifi��ers berth Gurjit’s brace fetches handsome victory over Chile

WSF


Hiroshima

Delighted! The Indian women’s hockey team celebrates the victory over Chile.* COURTESY HOCKEY INDIA

India women’s hockeyteam captain Rani Rampaldedicated the win overChile on Saturday toteammate Lalremsiami’sfather, who passed awayon Friday.

Rani lauded the youngstriker for showing greatcourage in the face ofadversity by staying with

the team insteadofreturning home afterhearing about her father’sdeath. “One of ourteammates Lalremsiamilost her father yesterday sothis victory is dedicated toher father. Hope he rests inpeace. She did really goodand we are so proud ofher. She was with the teamand didn’t return home,”Rani said.

DedicationpRESS tRUST OF iNDIA

Hiroshima

Germany became the fi��rstteam to secure a place in thelast eight of the Women’sWorld Cup football after LeaSchueller’s late strike completed a hardfought 30 winover Nigeria on Saturday.

VAR comes into playThe twotime world

champion had VAR to thankfor its fi��rst two goals in aphysical encounter, beforestriker Schueller sealed thewin eight minutes fromtime.

Martina VossTecklenburg’s side is yet to concedea goal in its four games sofar. Captain Alexandra Poppgave Germany the lead on20 minutes, nodding LinaMagull’s inswinging cornerinside the far post.

Magull was involvedagain as Germany doubled

the lead minutes later. Themidfi��elder was caught onthe knee as Nigerian leftback Evelyn Nwabouku attempted to clear a loose ballin the area.

After reviewing the incident on the touchline, thereferee awarded Germany apenalty, and striker SaraDaebritz made no mistakefrom 12 yards.

Three yellow cards wereawarded in the second halfas the Nigerians were unable to battle their way backinto the game.

Schueller put paid to Nigeria’s hopes in the 82nd minute, pouncing on a mistakefrom Halimat Ayinde andsmashing the ball into thebottom corner.

Germany will face eitherSweden or Canada, whoplay on Monday, in the quarterfi��nal next weekend.The result: Germany 3 (Popp20, Daebritz 27pen, Schueller82) bt Nigeria 0.

Germany in last eight

After a hardfought win over Nigeria

WOMEN’S WC

Agence France Presse

Grenoble (France)

Into the goal: Sara Daebritz of Germany made no mistake in converting a penalty. * ELSA/GETTY IMAGES

Roger Federer’s Wimbledon preparations continueto run smoothly after hereached the fi��nal of theATP event in Halle for a13th time with a 63, 63win over Andy Murray’snew doubles partnerPierreHugues Herbert onSaturday.

He will face David Goffi��nin the fi��nal, after the Belgian beat rising Italian starMatteo Berrettini earlier onSaturday.The results: Halle: Semifi��nals: Roger Federer bt PierreHugues Herbert 63, 63; David Goffi��n bt Matteo Berrettini 76(4), 63.

Queen’s Club: Semifi��nals:Gilles Simon bt Daniil Medvedev 67(4), 64, 63; FelicianoLopez bt Felix AugerAliassime 67(3), 63, 64.

Quarterfi��nals: Lopez bt MilosRaonic 46, 64, 76(5); Medvedev bt Diego Schwartzman62, 62; Simon bt NicolasMahut 76(5), 57, 76(3).

Mallorca: Semifi��nals: BelindaBencic bt Angelique Kerber26, 76(2), 64; Sofi��a Keninbt Anastasija Sevastova 64,46, 62.

Quarterfi��nals: Kerber bt Caroline Garcia 63, 76(5); Sevastova bt Wang Yafan 62,61.

Birmingham: Semifi��nals:Ashleigh Barty bt BarboraStrycova 64, 64; JuliaGoerges bt Petra Martic 64,63.

Quarterfi��nals: Julia Goergesbt Yulia Putintseva 63, 62;Petra Martic bt Jelena Ostapenko 67(4), 75, 61; Barbora Strycova bt Kristyna Pliskova 62, 64; Ashleigh Barty btVenus Williams 64, 63.

Federer tomeet Goffi��n


Halle

Alexis Sanchez put a miserable club season with Manchester United behind himas he sent Chile into the Copa America quarterfi��nalswith the winning goal in Friday’s 21 win over Ecuador.

Jose Fuenzalida gaveChile an eighthminute leadbut Enner Valencia equalised for Ecuador from thespot.

Sanchez bagged the winner but Chile fi��nished with10 men after Gabriel Achilier’s red card a minute fromtime.

The 30yearold Sanchezstarted only nine PremierLeague matches, scoringjust once, in an injuryinterrupted season for the RedDevils in which he struggledto make an impact when hedid play.

But he scored for the second game running in Salvador as Chile joined Colombia

as the only teams to qualifyfor the knockout stages aftertheir fi��rst two games.

Perfect sixChile tops Group C with aperfect six points ahead ofits clash with Uruguay atRio’s iconic Maracana onMonday.

Ecuador is left staringelimination in the face aftera second straight defeat,

knowing it must beat Japanin Belo Horizonte on Monday to stand any chance ofprogressing. Ecuador wasbossing possession but wastoothless up front, whileSanchez and Eduardo Vargas provided far greater cutand thrust for Chile.

The result: Group C: Ecuador 1(E. Valencia 26pen) lost toChile 2 (Fuenzalida 8, Sanchez51).

Sanchez sends Chile into quarters

Ecuador left staring at an early elimination

COPA AMERICA


Salvador

Decisive: Alexis Sanchez put behind his belowpar clubseason to once again prove crucial for Chile. * AFP

Lewis Hamilton timed hisbest lap to perfection on Saturday when he took poleposition ahead of Mercedesteammate Valtteri Bottaswith a blistering late eff��ort atthe French Grand Prix.

The fi��vetime world champion, who had struggled tomatch the Finn’s pace in theprevious two practice sessions, reeled off�� the fastestlap of one minute 28.319 seconds. Hamilton was 0.286squicker than Bottas.

It was Hamilton’s 86thpole and a recordincreasing63rd frontrow lockout forMercedes.

It was a masterclass fromthe dominant Silver Arrowsteam while its rivals laboured in pursuit, with Monegasque Charles Leclerctaking third for Ferrariahead of Max Verstappen,fourth for Red Bull.

“It’s not an easy track,”

said Hamilton. “It’s verytechnical and Valtteri hasbeen very quick all weekend.”

The starting grid:

First row: Hamilton (Mercedes); Bottas (Mercedes).

Second row: Leclerc (Ferrari);Verstappen (Red Bull).

Third row: Norris (McLaren);Sainz Jr. (McLaren).

Fourth row: Vettel (Ferrari);Ricciardo (Renault).

Fifth row: Gasly (Red Bull);Giovinazzi (Alfa RomeoRacing).

Sixth row: Albon (Toro Rosso);Raikkonen (Alfa RomeoRacing).

Seventh row: Hulkenberg (Renault); Perez (Racing Point).

Eighth row: Magnussen (Haasi); Grosjean (Haas).

Ninth row: Stroll (RacingPoint); Russell (Williams).

10th row: Kubica (Williams);Kvyat (Toro Rosso).

Lewis Hamilton powers to pole

Beats teammate Bottas with a blistering late eff��ort

FORMULA ONE

Agence France Presse

Le Castellet (France)

Dominant: Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes reeled off�� the fastestlap of one minute 28.319 seconds. * AP

CMYK

A ND-NDE


THE HINDU DELHI


SPORT

ICC World Cup: Star Sports1, 2 & SS Select 1 (SD & HD), 3p.m.Formula One: Star SportsSelect 2 (SD & HD); 6.30 p.m.FIFA Women’s World Cup:Sony Ten 2 (SD & HD); 9 p.m.Halle Open: Sony ESPN HD;4.30 p.m.Queen’s Club Championship: Sony ESPN; 6 p.m.

TV PICKS

Juventus on the prowlfor Ajax star de Ligt THE HAGUE

Italian powerhouse Juventus

is on the hunt for star Dutch

defender and Ajax captain

Matthijs de Ligt and is

reportedly prepared to pay

more than €70 million,

according to De Telegraaf

newspaper. The teenage

centre-back has previously

been linked to a possible

transfer to Paris Saint-

Germain, but Juventus “are

seducing the Ajax defender

with a contract almost

impossible to refuse, and star

player Cristiano Ronaldo's

charms”, the paper reported.

Should de Ligt decide to

move to the Italian club he

could rake in between €15 to

20 million annually. AFP

IN BRIEF

Ospina leaves squad tobe with ailing father BOGOTA

Goalkeeper David Ospina will

miss Colombia’s final Copa

America group match against

Paraguay on Sunday for

personal reasons, the

Colombian Football

Federation said on Friday. The

30-year-old was given

permission to return to

Colombia to be with his ailing

father in his home city of

Medellin. Hernan Ospina has

been in hospital for several

weeks and his condition has

worsened in recent days.

Either Camilo Vargas or

Alvaro Montero will stand in

for Ospina. IANS

Giampaolo hoping toturn the clock back MILAN

New AC Milan coach Marco

Giampaolo said on Saturday

he was ready to seize the

opportunity to turn the clock

back for former European

great AC Milan days before

taking over at the San Siro.

The 51-year-old former

Sampdoria boss replaces

Gennaro Gattuso on a two-

year deal reported to be

worth €2million. “I worked

really hard to get this

chance,” Giampaolo, who will

take over on July 1, told Milan

TV. “Milan are the most

successful and one of the

most important clubs in

Europe. This is a great

opportunity for me,” he said.AFP

Dhruv Mohite of VolkswagenMotorsport stamped hisclass winning the openingrace of the premium IndianTouring Cars (ITC) class withease in the MRF MMSCFMSCI Indian National CarRacing Championship at theKari Motor Speedway inChettipalayam here onSaturday.

It was the kind of start thatthe VW team wanted as itcould build the confi��dence ofthe young boys for the rest ofthe season.

Pole sitter Dhruv, theAmeo Cup winner last year,got off�� to a cracking start andso did his teammate KarthikTharani.

The duo was aware thatthe seasoned campaigner Arjun Balu (Race Concepts),who started third on thegrid, could upset their plans.

But Arjun slipped a gear atthe start and was pushed tofourth place. He did not give

up and moved rather quicklyto third.

Braking problems

The top three moved at greatpace even as the skies threatened to open up. But theVW duo smartly maintainedits position all the way to thefl��ag.

For Arjun, his brakes lethim down midway throughbut he managed it all hand

braking to the third position.

“I have never driven anITC car before nor had I beenpart of the testing process.

“For me, it was just alearning curve and whateverresults we are getting is surely because of the eff��orts thatthe team has put in,” saidDhruv.

“We knew we were in acomfortable position to challenge the experienced driv

ers in the fray. Arjun hasbeen racing more than myage.

“It always stays on theback of your mind but luckilyeverything worked the waywe wanted,” he added.

Earlier, Jeet Jhabakhchalked up a fl��uent lightstofl��ag victory after startingfrom pole position, in theVolkswagen Ameo Classrace, while Bangladesh’s Ai

man Sadat topped the juniorclass.

Unfortunately, the day’sschedule came to a screeching halt due to heavy showers. That eventually led tothe cancellation of the Formula LGB 1300cc races soonafter Race Concepts teammade a clean sweep in theSuper Stock race with Rithvik Thomas, Prateek Benyaand R. Rajashekar fi��nishingin that order. The results (provisional, all 15laps unless mentioned): IndianTouring Cars: Race 1: 1. DhruvShivaji Mohite (VW Motorsport)17: 20.105secs; 2. Karthik Tha-rani (VW Motorsport)17:27.062; 3. Arjun Balu (RaceConcepts) 17:44.280.

VW Ameo Class: Race 1: 1. JeetJhabakh 17:48.937; 2. AnmolSingh Sahil 17:52.579; 3. SauravBandyopadhyay 17:55.182. Junior: 1. Aiman Sadat (Bangla-desh) 18:14.077; 2. Viraj JairajJhala 18:15.882; 3. Chetan Suri-neni 18:04.139, 14 laps).

Super Stock: Race 1: 1. RithvikThomas (Race Concepts)22:21.408; 2. Prateek Benya(Race Concepts) 22:23.462; 3. RRajashekar (Race Concepts)22:24.390.

Dhruv makes a strong impressionAlong with teammate Karthik staves off�� Arjun’s challenge

Rayan Rozario

Coimbatore

Super show: Dhruv Mohite’s Volkswagen hugs a curve on way to victory in the Indian TouringCars class on Saturday. * M. PERIASAMY

INRC

Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar came up with a classicdouble in the 50metre rifl��e3position event in the 19thKumar Surendra Singhshooting championship atthe Dr. Karni Singh Range onSaturday.

The 18yearold — coachedby former world record holder and Olympic fi��nalist Suma Shirur for the last twoyears — was not too pleasedwith the qualifi��cation scoreof 1160, but shot both themen’s and junior fi��nal with atouch of assurance to bagboth gold medals.

Tomar shot 453.5 in themen’s fi��nal to beat KailashChand of Army by 0.7 point.Sanjeev Rajput, who topped

qualifi��cation with 1165, fi��nished fourth behind AshishGautam of Air Force.

Akhil Sheoran was fi��fthwhile other leading shooterslike Gagan Narang, DeepakKumar and Ravi Kumarplaced sixth to eighth in thatorder.

In the junior fi��nal, Tomar

won with 454.1 four pointsahead of Harshit Binjwa.

“It was good in prone andstanding positions, but thekneeling score was notgood,” said Tomar. “I did notexpect to win both goldmedals.”

Meanwhile, in the juniormen’s sports pistol, World

junior champion VijayveerSidhu pipped Adarsh Singhafter both shot an identical586.

In women’s air rifl��e qualifi��cation, Mehuli Ghosh shot631.3, 0.2 point ahead ofAayushi Gupta.

Shakti Chandra, ShreyaAgrawal, Ayonika Paul, Shriyanka Sadangi, Aditi Shulaand Meenakshi were the others to make the women’sfi��nal.

The results: 50m rifl��e 3position: Men: 1. Aishwarya PratapSingh Tomar 453.5 (1160); 2.Kailash Chand 452.8 (1157); 3.Ashish Gautam 441.0 (1157).

Junior men: 1. Tomar 454.1(1160); 2. Harshit Binjwa 450.1(1140); 3. Surya Pratap SinghBanshtu 432.2 (1133).

25m sports pistol: Junior men:1. Vijayveer Sidhu 586; 2.Adarsh Singh 586; 3. Udhay-veer Sidhu 584.

Wins the men’s and junior events with a touch of assurance


NEW DELHI

Focused: Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar eyes the targetduring the competition. * KAMESH SRINIVASAN

Tomar shoots down two gold

SHOOTING

BENGALURU: S. Attaollahi's Anjezewho holds an unbeaten record andkept in pink of condition may scorean encore in the Fillies Championship Stakes (1,600m), the first classic event of the season to be heldhere on Sunday ( June 23).There will be no false rails.

1 SPORTS AUTHORITY OF INDIA

CUP (Div. II), (1,200m), maiden 3yo only, (Terms), 200 pm: 1. StarEnvoy (1) A. Imran 56, 2. Strategist(2) Koushik 56, 3. Super Gladiator(7) Rayan 56, 4. Tapatio (9) A.Vikrant 56, 5. Kionia (5) DhanuSingh 54.5, 6. Queen Regnant (4)Bhawani Singh 54.5, 7. Rosina (6)Trevor 54.5, 8. Sasakwa (8) N.S. Parmar 54.5 and 9. Sky Moon (3) Vivek

54.5.

1. ROSINA, 2. KIONIA, 3. TAPATIO.

2 SWEET MEMORIES PLATE (Div.II), (1,100m), rated 15 to 35, 4

yo & over, 235: 1. Grecian Light (5)A. Qureshi 60, 2. Nawabzaadi (7)T.S. Jodha 59.5, 3. Queen Isabella(11) A.S. Peter 59.5, 4. She’s Stylish(10) Arshad 59.5, 5. Bold Runner (8)S. Mubarak 59, 6. Paradiso (9) Mark58.5, 7. Shaktiman (4) Dhanu Singh58.5, 8. Zafrina (3) A. Merchant58.5, 9. Amalfi Coast (1) P.S.Chouhan 58, 10. Firing Line (2)Raghuveer Singh 58 and 11. Capstone (6) M. Prabhakran 55.5.

1. NAWABZAADI,

2. AMALFI COAST, 3. GRECIAN LIGHT

3 SPORTS AUTHORITY OF INDIA

CUP (Div. I), (1,200m), maiden3yo only, (Terms), 310: 1. BuzzLight Year (4) A. Vikrant 56, 2.Linewiler (9) Suraj 56, 3. Silver Eclipse (1) Rayan 56, 4. Unstoppable(5) Kiran Naidu 56, 5. Yours Forever(7) P.S. Chouhan 56, 6. Giethorn (8)B. Harish 54.5, 7. Harbour Sunrise(3) Trevor 54.5, 8. Hokkaido (2) Akshay K 54.5 and 9. Ice Floe (6) DavidAllan 54.5.1. ICE FLOE, 2. HARBOUR SUNRISE,

3. HOKKAIDO.

4 A.M.C. GOWDA MEMORIAL-

TROPHY (2,000m), rated 45 to65, 345: 1. Dr Logan (1) A. Qureshi60, 2. Striking Grey (2) Darshan57.5, 3. Secretive Force (6) Zervan

56, 4. Play Safe (5) Bhawani Singh53.5, 5. Salvador Dali (4) Sandesh53.5 and 6. Royal Crystal (3) Neeraj53.1. SECRETIVE FORCE,

2. SALVADOR DALI.

5 FILLIES CHAMPIONSHIP STAKES

(1,600m), 3yo fillies, (Terms),420: 1. Anjeze (3) Trevor 56, 2.Cape Kidnappers (9) A. Imran 56, 3.Cosmic Bay (6) Sandesh 56, 4. HuntFor Gold (1) David Allan 56, 5. Missing You (7) Suraj 56, 6. Princess Annabel (5) S.A. Amit 56, 7. Roll Call(4) Akshay K 56, 8. Thailand (2) P.S.Chouhan 56 and 9. Well Connected(8) Zervan 56.1. ANJEZE, 2. HUNT FOR GOLD,

3. MISSING YOU.

6 NANOLI STUD PLATE (1,200m),rated 30 to 50, 455: 1. Venus

Bay (1) Sai Vamshi 60, 2. Harmonia(3) P.S. Chouhan 57.5, 3. Mega Ikon(9) Vivek 57.5, 4. Roma Victor (2)Akshay K 57, 5. Reczai (8)Raghuveer Singh 56.5, 6. Supernormal (6) Sandesh 56, 7. Karadeniz (4)A. Imran 55.5, 8. Triggar (7) A.Ramu 55.5, 9. Animal Queen (5)Yash 53.5, 10. Bluejack (12) A. Merchant 53.5, 11. Desert Rose (10) Trevor 53.5 and 12. Tonys Pet (11) Darshan 52.5.1. ROMA VICTOR, 2. MEGA IKON,

3. DESERT ROSE.

7 SWEET MEMORIES PLATE (Div.I), (1,100m), rated 15 to 35, 4yo

& over, 530: 1. Stars In His Eyes (1)

Mark 60, 2. Touch Your Destiny (10)P.S. Chouhan 59, 3. Varcasva (5)Trevor 59, 4. Emidio (2) DhanuSingh 58.5, 5. Fantastic App (8) R.Pradeep 56, 6. Perfect King (7) Irvan 55.5, 7. Winning Force (6) Yash55.5, 8. Fierce Fighter (3) BhawaniSingh 55, 9. Bella Mamma (4) M.Prabhakaran 53.5, 10. Island Pearl(11) A.S. Peter 53.5 and 11. Lucky Isabella (9) A. Merchant 53.5.

1. EMIDIO, 2. VARCASVA,

3. PERFECT KING.

Day’s best: ICE FLOE

Double: SECRETIVE FORCE — ROMA

VICTOR

Jkt: 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7; Tr (i): 2, 3 and 4;(ii): 5, 6 and 7.

Anjeze in pink of condition

BENGALURU: Areca Legend (Surajup), won the Stewards Cup, the feature event of the races held here onSaturday ( June 22). The winner isowned by Mr. Ronak J. Kimmane &Mr. Jairam G. Kimmane and trainedby Prasanna Kumar.

1 CAPE DANCE PLATE (1,100m),maiden 3yo only, (Terms): IDEO-

LOGICAL (Chetan K) 1, LegendaryPrincess (Sandesh) 2, Silent Guardian (Suraj) 3 and Love Music (P.S.Chouhan) 4. Not run: Scorcher. 5,Nk and 61/4. 1m 06.35s. ₹��99 (w), 13,12 and 10 (p), SHP: 17, THP: 97, FP:383, Q: 123, Trinella: 400 and 101,Exacta: 1,779 and 1,425. Favourite:

Silent Guardian. Owner: Mr. GautamMakhija. Trainer: Prasanna Kumar.

2 MALENAHALLI PLATE (1,600m),rated 00 to 20: SMILE OF JOY

(P.S. Chouhan) 1, Scarlet Princess(Raghuveer Singh) 2, Aleef (Arshad)3 and Winx (T.S. Jodha) 4. 123/4,Lnk and 3. 1m 37.77s. ₹��29 (w), 11, 14and 23 (p), SHP: 40, THP: 42, FP:108, Q: 61, Trinella: 488 and 350, Exacta: 1,511 and 759. Favourite: SmileOf Joy. Owners: Mr. G.S. Reddy, Mr.Kevin Cherian & Mrs. PrabhaDominic. Trainer: S. Dominic.

3 PADDIWICK PLATE (1,600m),maiden 3yo only, (Terms):

KNIGHT TEMPLAR (Sandesh) 1, SirSupremo (Suraj) 2, Tenno Sho (Trevor) 3 and Speaking Of Stars (Zervan) 4. Not run: Heavenly Angel. 2,11/2 and 3/4. 1m 37.15s. ₹��21 (w), 12, 12and 13 (p), SHP: 34, THP: 36, FP: 51,Q: 26, Trinella: 75 and 34, Exacta:192 and 124. Favourite: Knight Templar. Owner: Mr. C. AryamaSundaram. Trainer: S.Padmanabhan.

4 V. VENUGOPAL NAIDU ME-

MORIAL TROPHY (1,400m),rated 45 to 65: SNOWDON (Zervan) 1,Into The Groove (Trevor) 2, Agni(Sandesh) 3 and Blazer (Suraj) 4. 1, 3

₹��14 (w), 11, 17 and 12 (p), SHP: 40,THP: 36, FP: 64, Q: 53, Trinella: 98and 35, Exacta: 1,302 and 1,413. Favourite: Areca Legend. Owners: Mr.Ronak J. Kimmane & Mr. Jairam G.Kimmane. Trainer: PrasannaKumar.

6 CAMINETO PLATE (1,800m),rated 30 to 50, 4yo & over:

COSMOS (Zervan) 1, Foi Et Amour(Sandesh) 2, Velocidad (P.S.Chouhan) 3 and Prince Charmo (M.Naveen) 4. Nose, Lnk and 11/4. 1m53.36s. ₹��21 (w), 11 and 23 (p), SHP:34, THP: 39, FP: 82, Q: 57, Trinella:93 and 28, Exacta: 240 and 295. Fa

vourite: Cosmos. Owners: Mr. Rienzie M.K. Edwards & Mrs. P.P.M. Edwards. Trainer: Darius.

7 HONEYDAY PLATE (1,400m),rated 15 to 35: ADVENTURER (Ar

shad) 1, Chantelle (Trevor) 2, Musterion (Sandesh) 3 and Speedster(Zervan) 4. 1, 1 and 7. 1m 25.88s. ₹��32(w), 14, 15 and 12 (p), SHP: 39, THP:55, FP: 206, Q: 139, Trinella: 278 and73, Exacta: 1,868 and 1,868. Favourite: Musterion. Owner: Mr. A. Muniraja. Trainer: G. Nityanand.

Jackpot: ₹��1,578 (371 tkts); Runner up:₹��179 (1,401 tkts); Treble (i): ₹��383 (49tkts); (ii): ₹��. 79 (439 tkts).

1/4 and 11/2. 1m 24.95s. ₹��60 (w), 16,11 and 13 (p), SHP: 34, THP: 40, FP:130, Q: 46, Trinella: 267 and 146, Exacta: 556 and 249. Favourite: IntoThe Groove. Owners: PoonawallaRacing & Breeding Pvt Ltd rep by.Mr. Zavaray S. Poonawalla & Mrs.Behroze Z. Poonawalla, Mr. V.N.Babu & Mr. V. Arjun. Trainer: S.Padmanabhan.

5 STEWARDS CUP (1,200m), rated60 & above: ARECA LEGEND

(Suraj) 1, Haedi’s Folly (Irvan) 2,Spiritous (Antony) 3 and Regal Music (A. Qureshi) 4. Not run: Louisiana. Nk, 13/4 and 21/2. 1m 12.01s.

Areca Legend wins the Stewards Cup

The Odisha government hastaken the tag of being thesports capital of India quiteseriously. While hosting bigticket events is one aspect ofit, the government has alsotied up with several organisations and corporates to promote sports at thegrassroots.

Setting up High Performance Centres across theState is is part of the samewith the new weightliftingHPC, in association with AnilKumblepromoted TENVIC,being one of them. Thecentre, sponsored by KJS Ah

luwalia Group and situatedwithin the KIIT campus inBhubaneswar, currently has12 girls and nine boys training under IranianBritish

coach Kazem Punjavi.

“Odisha has been performing well in weightliftingand we have good potential

mentally and try to ensurethey have other interests torelax.

TENVIC would also be taking care of their educationand most of them would beadmitted to schools and colleges by the end of June,”TENVIC’s scouting in chargeSoumya Mitra explained.

The centre, which was inaugurated in February, is stillin its infancy but Punjavi hashis programme chalked out.Here on a threeyear contract and previously with theBritish national team, Punjavi has prepared an individualtraining and diet chart prepared for every lifter depending on his/her weightcategory, potential andweaknesses.

“The youngest girls hereare 10 (Tiki Mohini) and 12(Thulsi Sahu) so these will beat the next CommonwealthYouth Games. Most of themare 1516 years and are quitestrong at the junior level withplans to compete at the Junior Nationals and we hopesome of them would makethe cut for the national side,”he said.

The only thing he was missing, he rued, were enoughlifters. “While the initialphase of training focussed onbuilding strength and fi��tness, the next would betougher, concentrating ontechniques and conditioning. I want more lifters totrain. I am losing time and Iwant results,” he said.

ing arena. There will bescouting for a second set oftrainees soon across multiplecentres in the state,” Odishasports director Vineel Krishna told The Hindu.

While the governmentprovides the infrastructure —there are plans to move outto a bigger centre in the coming months with more equipments, better facilities andincreased lifters — TENVICtakes care of the rest.

“We take care of their accommodation, food, dietand coaching. We also handle procurement of stuff�� likeweights, jerseys etc. At thesame time, we understandthat only lifting weights allday can be stressful and tiring, both physically and

to create medal winning international lifters, so theState government decided togive priority to weightliftingand provide a proper train

After hockey and athletics, Odisha now sets sight on weightlifting accolades GENERAL

UTHRA GANESAN

NEW DELHI

Hard work: A trainee at the weightlifting centre goes through his schedule. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Thanks to its ‘imports’ fromBengal, Haryana starts as favourite to claim the honoursin the reintroduced teamevents for northern states inthe National ranking (NorthZone) table tennis championship commencing onSunday.

The team championshipis making a comeback in thezonal championship afternearly four decades. Sincethe National team titles arevirtually monopolised by Petroleum, the Table TennisFederation of India (TTFI) islooking cheer up the stateteams at the zonal level.

Ghosh backBack from suspension, former National champion Soumyajit Ghosh will return tolead second seed Haryana.

Lefthander Zubin Kumarand Sourav Saha give theteam a look of invincibility,considering the quality ofopposition in the eightteamfi��eld.

Jeet Chandra and Gourang Shakreja complete thelineup.

Since the seedings arebased on the performancesin the last National championship, Delhi is seededone. Delhi comprising Utkarsh Gupta, Payas Jain,Parth Virmani and AadarshOm Chetri seems to lack theresources to match Haryana.

Whether Yashansh Malikor Sameer Sahni completesthe squad should not impactDelhi’s prospects in the twoday competition.

Other teams in the frayare, Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh and Jammu & Kashmir.

In the women’s section,too, Haryana is the favouritedespite being seeded fourth.

Spearheaded by the 2018National champion SuthirtaMukherjee, Haryana is expected to ease past the opposition without much ado.The quartet of Suhana Saini,Anjali Rohilla, Riti Shankarand Oishwarya Deb are setto play the supporting rolesaround Suthirta in the oneday competition.

Again, top seed Delhi islikely to be the second bestteam in the competition. Garima Goyal, Vanshika Bhargava, Ishita Gupta, KritikaMalik and Tamanna Sainiseem good enough only toreach the fi��nal.

The sixteam competitionsees Delhi and second seedRajasthan enjoy fi��rstroundbyes, The winner of ChandigarhPunjab faces Delhi inthe fi��rst semifi��nal.

In the bottomhalf of thedraw, Rajasthan will take onthe winner of HaryanaUttarakhand match in the second semifi��nal.

The individual events willcommence on the secondday of the championship.

Haryana eyes ateam doubleTeam championship is making acomeback after nearly four decades


SONEPAT

TABLE TENNIS

India’s Jehan Daruvala onSaturday stormed to backtoback victories in the FIAFormula 3 Championshipafter starting second on thegrid. It was the fi��rst timethat the Mumbaibased driver won the feature race ofthe championship afterqualifying behind JakeHughes.

Formula 3 is now a support series to Formula 1with the French Grand Prixscheduled for Sunday.

Daruvala, representingPrema Racing, had won thesprint race in Barcelona lastmonth. There was heartbreak for polesitter Hughes,who lost P1 to the Indian,before making contact withMarcus Armstrong anddropping to the back of thegrid.

Daruvala winsfeature F3race in France


Le Castellet (France)

Leander Paes and MarcusDaniell of New Zealand defeated fourth seeds JeevanNedunchezhiyan and PuravRaja 63, 76(4) in the doubles semifi��nals of the€137,560 Challenger tennistournament here.The results: €137,560 Challenger, Ilkley:Doubles (semifi��nals): MarcusDaniell (NZ) & Leander Paes bt

Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan & Pu-rav Raja 6-3, 7-6(4).$25,000 ITF men, Harare:Semifi��nals: Takanyi Garangan-ga (Zim) bt S.D. Prajwal Dev6-4, 6-3.Doubles (fi��nal): Prajwal & RishiReddy bt Martin Beran (Can) &Joshua Paris (GBR) 7-6(5), 6-4. Semifi��nals: Prajwal & Rishi btBenjamin Lock & CourtneyJohn Lock (Zim) 7-5, 7-6(4);Beran & Paris bt Anvit Bendre& Aryan Goveas 6-3, 6-7(5),[11-9].

Paes & Daniell enter fi��nal Sports Bureau

Ilkley (England)

CMYK

A ND-NDE

LIFEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

DELHI THE HINDU


J.J. Abrams to writeSpider-Man miniseriesLOS ANGELES

Filmmaker J.J. Abrams, along

with son Henry, will pen a

new Spider-Man comics

miniseries. They will also

launch a new villain,

Cadaverous, in the series

arriving in September. The

story will follow Miles

Morales as Spider-Man and

how Cadaverous will create

problems for him. PTI

IN BRIEF

Arundhati Roy’s book tohit the stands soon NEW DELHI

Author Arundhati Roy’s new

book will hit the stands soon

across India, said Penguin

publishing house on Saturday.

My Seditious Heart is a

collection of her entire body

of political essays spanning

over two decades. She is best

known for her debut novel

The God of Small Things,

which won the 1997 Man

Booker Prize. PTI

Microsoft, NASA to off��erspace lessons to childrenSAN FRANCISCO

Microsoft’s education arm and

NASA have come together to

create online lessons to get

school students interested

about space. The eight online

lesson include 3D design

challenges, Virtual Reality

(VR) experiences and data

analysis. Most of the courses

would require three or four

50-minute time

commitments. IANS

Singer Mick Jagger swaggered back to the stage onFriday in his fi��rst concert after undergoing a heart surgery in April as the RollingStones kickedoff�� a delayedNorth American tour.

The veteran British bandopened its No Filter tour inChicago at the city's 61,500seat Soldier Field stadium,after delaying the 17day U.S.and Canada tour to allow forthe frontman’s medicaltreatment.

Opening to a soldoutcrowd, the band kickedoff��with its classic hit “StreetFighting Man” as Mr. Jagger,strutted across the stage,singing and pumping his fi��st.

Mr. Jagger, 75, underwenta heart valve replacementsurgery in New York in April,and in May reassured fansthat he was back in shape byposting video on Twitter.

“He ( Jagger) went

through it very easily,” guitarist Keith Richards told theToronto Sun in an interviewahead of the Chicago concert. “He's in great shaperocking. As I say, it seemedto be no problem at allreally.”

The 1960s band, whosecurrent members Jagger, Richards, Ronnie Wood andCharlie Watts are now all in

their 70s, has played morethan 40 tours, making thequartet one of the most enduring and successful rockmusicians of all time.

The Rolling Stoneskickedoff�� the No Filter tourin Europe in September2017, which grossed $116million , according to Poll-

star, making it the 10th biggest worldwide last year.

The band opened its tour in Chicago to a soldout crowd

Reuters

Chicago

Making a comeback: Mick Jagger, 75, underwent a heart valvereplacement surgery in New York in April. * AP

Jumpin’ Jack Flash Jaggerback on stage after surgery

With Southeast Asia awashin rubbish, from plasticchoked whales to trashclogged canals, leaders areplanning to push through adeal to fi��ght maritime debrisat a regional meeting thisweekend.

Just fi��ve Asian countries —China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand— dump more than half ofthe eight million tonnes ofplastic waste that end up inoceans every year, accordingto a 2017 Ocean Conservancyreport.

The region has come under fi��re for not doing enoughto tackle its mounting trashtroubles, with singleuseplastic and subpar wastemanagement adding to theproblem.

Leaders at a weekendmeeting of the Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations(ASEAN) are expected to signa “Bangkok Declaration” onfi��ghting maritime waste — afi��rst of its kind — which promises to “prevent and signif

icantly reduce marine debris,” according to a draft.But activists are worried theagreement doesn’t go farenough.

No penalties“If we are not reducing singleuse plastic at the production process, this ‘BangkokDeclaration’... will not succeed,” said Tara Buakamsriof Greenpeace in Thailand.

The agreement also omitspenalties for the worst offending companies or countries, and fails to specify

measures to tackle theproblem.

ASEAN summit host Thailand billed the forum as environmentally friendly, handing out recycled papernotebooks and tote bags andfood containers made fromreused plastic.

But venue meetings ingiant airconditioned hotelsand rows of plastic waterbottles next to signs promoting “green meetings” hadsome wondering how dedicated the hosts really were.In addition to spewing out

billions of tonnes of trash,these nations are among theworld’s top importers oftrash from developed countries like the U.S. and Canada.

Activists have urged countries to stop accepting rubbish, which can end up inlandfi��lls and waterways ifnot properly processed. Mr.Buakamsri said the marinewaste declaration should bebroadened to include thethorny issue of banning plastic imports. “We don’t expect them to actually incorporate this issue into thesummit because there is nopolitical will,” he said.

Alarming images of polluted canals in the Philippines,plasticladen Vietnamesebeaches, or whales, turtlesand birds choking on plasticdebris have thrust SoutheastAsia's plastic problem intoglobal headlines. Some private fi��rms in Thailand andVietnam have started replacing plastic products like bagsand straws with recyclablematerials, but governmentpolicies are yet to catch up.

ASEAN vows to tackle ocean wasteLeaders are expected to sign a ‘Bangkok Declaration’ on fi��ghting maritime trash


Bangkok

Green move: Climate activists protesting outside the ForeignMinistry in Bangkok on Thursday. * AP

Japan on Saturday gifted Manipur a museum of peacebuilt on the memories of oneof the fi��ercest battles of theSecond World War.

The inauguration of theImphal Peace Museum atRed Hill, about 20 km southwest of Manipur’s capital Imphal, marked the 75th anniversary of the Battle ofImphal.

Some 70,000 Japanesesoldiers, alongside those of

Subhash Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army, died inbattles with the BritishledAllied forces in areas aroundImphal and Kohima fromMarch to June 1944. The lastof these battles was fought atRed Hill, where the JapaneseWar Memorial was built in1944 to mark the 50th anniversary of the battle.

“While Imphal Peace Museum is a living memory ofthe tragic war, I sincerelyhope that it will be a bridgeto connect the past and the

future for a lasting peacefulworld for all times to come,”said Yohei Sasakawa, chairman of the Nippon Foundation that funded the museum. The 80yearold Mr.Sasakawa recalled the suff��ering of war when he survivedthe Tokyo air raid in March1945. He said that worst sufferers of in the Battle of Imphal were the local peoplewho had little or nothing todo with the war.

Diaries donatedHitoshi Tsuchiya, 64, waslucky to see his father Denkichi Tsuchiya who returned toJapan after the war. He paid

his fi��rst visit to Manipur withhis son Jumpei to donate thediaries and other memorabi

Japanese. Few would knowthis better than Nobuo Abe, a77yearold farmer turnedcollector of bones of fallenJapanese soldiers. His fatherSoichi Abe died at Red Hill onApril 16, 1944, at the age of30. “I was twoandahalfyears old when he died, and Ido not remember his facesince he left us for the warwhen I was one year old. Manipur will always be specialto me because this is wheremy father died,” he said.

According to NipponFoundation’s Yosuke Ishikawa, a person’s bones arehighly valued in Japaneseculture.

High Commissioner to India,said, “This museum symbolises the reconciliation between Japan and Britain andJapan and India. It is to reinforce the message that history changes and makes uslearn from the past.”

His Japanese counterpartKenji Hiramatsu agreed.“The Japanese know of thetragic past of the people ofManipur. But we have cometo a point when we need tolook at the future,” he said.

One of the highlights ofthe museum is a framed calligraphy by Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. It reads‘heiwa’ — meaning peace — in

lia of his father to the ImphalPeace Museum.

Dominic Asquith, British

From Japan, a museum of peace built on memories of warMarks 75th anniversary of the Battle of Imphal in which thousands died

Retracing footsteps: Hitoshi Tsuchiya with his son Jumpei atthe Imphal Peace Museum. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Rahul Karmakar

Imphal

HYDERABAD

Sunday, June 23, 2019

60 MINUTESRaghu Rai feels apicture has tostand the test oftime, says hisdaughter, directorAvani Rai p3

FRAMEDHow the famouslygleaming metalmirror fromAranmulaemerges fromsoot and mud p16

CULTUREMeet Tal Betal, a puppet troupethat draws inchildren and adultswith its universalthemes p9

LITERARY REVIEWA weekly round-up of essays,reviews, interviews and more p18-25

Roman

holiday

A visit to the ancient trading centre in Tamil Naduthat was once the place where Romans would buy

fi��ne cotton togas and steel for their swords p6

HYDERABAD THE HINDU MagazineSunday, June 23, 20192

Puppy-dog eyes A studyrevealed that dogs evolved newfacial muscles specifically torouse a nurturing response fromhumans. Researchers made thisdiscovery by comparingdomesticated dogs to wolves,and found the 'puppy-dog eyes'facial muscles present only in theformer.

Out of Africa An aircraftbuilt in three weeks, bySouth African teenagersas young as 15,took offfrom Cape Town and isheaded for to Cairo.Piloted by the 17-year-oldMegan Werner, the planemade its first stop inNamibia.

Prehistoric wolf A well-preserved head of a prehistoricwolf, estimated to be 40,000years old, was discovered ineastern Siberia, along with amassive mammoth's foot. This isthe first adult frozen carcass tobe found, which allows for moreresearch using the wolf’s DNA.

First mass Notre-DameCathedral held its first masssince the devastating April 15 firethat destroyed its roof and iconicspire. The service was led byParis Archbishop Michel Aupetit,who wore a hard hat for safetyas the church is still extremelyfragile.

No to extradition A wave of protests swept throughHong Kong in response to a law proposed by the city'stop official, Carrie Lam, which would allow theextradition of people to mainland China. Lam hassince delayed the bill and issued a public apology, butdemonstrators dismissed it as too little, too late.

Cop convicted Sanjiv Bhatt, the formerGujarat IPS officer who filed an affidavitalleging then Chief Minister NarendraModi’s involvement in the 2002 Gujaratriots, has been sentenced to life by theJamnagar Sessions Court. He was convictedin a 29-year-old custodial death case.

Magician disappears ChanchalLahiri, aka Wizard Mandrake,died while attempting thefamous Houdini trick. Lahiri waschained up and lowered into theGanga, but never surfaced.Rescue workers later discoveredhis body.

Unicorn mantisResearchers exploringBrazil's Atlantic forest cameacross a new species ofpraying mantis: the unicornmantis. This insect has amysterious, hornlikestructure on its head, whichteam leader LeonardoLanna assumes is meant forcamouflage.

Far side of the moonResearchers discovered amassive 'mystery blob'underneath the far side of themoon, with mass akin to a pile ofmetal five times the size of theBig Island of Hawaii. Thestructure could be the remnantsof an ancient impactor's metalcore, said Peter James, co-authorof astudy.

Dry run After four of Chennai’sreservoirs dried up,the city’sofficials began scrambling forother sources of water inquarries and borewells. Chennaihas endured the longest dry spellin a decade this year, with norains for over 190 days since thenortheast monsoon last year.

Chandrayaan-2 in SriharikotaThe mother orbiter spacecraft ofthe moon missionChandrayaan-2 reached thelaunch port of Sriharikota fromBengaluru and will soon bejoined by its lander and rovercompanions. The orbiter is set tobe launched on July 15 to explorethe lunar surface.

Gloria Vanderbilt dies One of the biggest namesin the fashion world, Gloria Vanderbilt, died at 95.The U.S. icon — designer, artist, author — died athome surrounded by loved ones, according to herson, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper.

Massive blackout Several countries inSouth America, including Argentina,Uruguay and Paraguay, were hit by amassive blackout that left over 44 millionpeople without electricity for a day,taking a toll on public transport andhealthcare.

LAST WEEK

THE HINDU Magazine HYDERABAD

Sunday, June 23, 2019 3

Avani Rai’s fi��lm Raghu Rai: AnUnframed Portrait capturesthe experiences of her father,one of the most celebrated of

photographers, who has chronicledIndia over the past fi��ve decades. Fatherand daughter were in Chennai for ascreening at GoetheInstitut/ MaxMueller Bhavan early this year as partof the Chennai Photo Biennale.

A film on one’s father can beparadoxical, since it requires acertain detachment. How did theidea emerge?■ I didn’t really set out to make a fi��lmabout my father. There were a fewcameras at home that I picked up andstarted fi��lming with. I was capturingthese moments for myself, with no ideaof making a fi��lm. While I was fi��lminghim, he would either correct me or sayI was wasting my time. I was at collegein Mumbai, doing a journalism course.Making fi��lms was never on my mind. Itwas a few years later that the ideaemerged. Anurag Kashyap promised tosupport me as long as I did it on myown. It’s when I discovered a Finnishproducer, a Dutch editor, and anAustrian distributor that Raghu Raibegan to take this seriously.

Rai’s photographic oeuvre, morethan five decades long, runsalongside the unfolding of India’shistory, also recalling memoriesof Indira Gandhi, Mother Teresaand the Dalai Lama. ■ He had a very diff��erent relationship

with Indira Gandhi. There existed bothcloseness and a distance. He always feltthat a picture had to stand the test oftime. When I look at that phase fromtoday’s perspective... For me politics isimportant as well, but today I don’tthink I can attempt the same, with thekind of protocols and security in place.

In our times, we seem to beregressing. Journalism needs to berespected, be more objective andresponsible. We are in a zone of hypeand infotainment, fake propagandaand biopics, Bollywoodlike news, etc.That era of the 70s, before I was born,looks so diff��erent. It appears as ifmedia at that time was not so obsessedwith the glitz we see today.

This fi��lm had to be through myeyes. Of course, I was not going totamper with his way of looking at Indiaover the past fi��ve decades, but wedecided it was a personal fi��lm, notsomething distant. So it’s not onlyabout Raghu Rai, but also about how Isee him. It’s a refl��ection of him, arefl��ection of India, as I perceive it. Ithas layers of many incidents — the livesof Indira Gandhi, Mother Teresa andthe Dalai Lama. Kashmir has oftenbeen misrepresented, so I did feel aresponsibility to represent that realitythrough the camera.

Rai has had deep, but verydifferent, relationships withMother Teresa and the DalaiLama.■ If he had not met the Dalai Lama orMother Teresa, I think he wouldprobably look at things very diff��erently.It changes the way we see and

understand life. I do feel connected tothe Dalai Lama as well. I think it’s a lotto do with our own lives and our innerenergies, rather than religion per se.

There is a paradox when aphotographer documents war,civic strife, or disaster. Rai hasoften referred to himself,metaphorically, as thephotographer of the street. At ahuman level, a photographerdesires to reach out and help —but as a photographer he needsto be an objective chronicler ofthe strife he sees.■ He has balanced his roles in thesediffi��cult situations, often helpingpeople and reaching out whenever hecould. At the same time he believes hisresponsibility is to fi��lm the moment oftruth and share it with the world atlarge. So often, when he is in asituation where there are doctorsaround, he cannot interfere and play adoctor’s role. It just doesn’t makesense. But at other times, in Kashmir,when there is nobody around, hereaches out to people in moments ofstrife.

You have to make a choice whilebeing sensitive to the circumstances. Aphotographer has a responsibility to bethe eyes of the rest of the world.

Anurag Kashyap says at 18, youprobably did not really know yourfather. And through the processof the film, you evolved to see Raidifferently.■ My father has reached a certainpinnacle and is now sure of himself. On

the other hand, I was doing this fi��lmwhen I was 18. A lot of things werehappening in my life. When the camerais rolling, you have to look into theviewfi��nder; you have no choice. Sowhen you look at your father through aviewfi��nder, you intuitively observemany diff��erent things that younormally don’t notice.

I think there has been atransformation, both personally andprofessionally. Personally, it happensnaturally as you go from teenager toadult, with all the emotions. Butprofessionally, there was a kind ofrebellion where my father would tellme to do something in a certain wayand I wouldn’t want to do it that way. Iam not Raghu Rai and I’ll do it my way.So I had to fi��nd my way. I could not getaway with hollow arguments, but hadto search for what I really wanted. Ifi��gured out where we were similar,where we were diff��erent, and ourdiff��erent perspectives on life.

What does the future hold? ■ When the fi��lm was released, therewas a feeling of completion withinmyself too. I could start afresh. I hadsaid whatever I had to say to my father.I had seen him closely at work throughthis fi��lm. Maybe others will make moreresearched documentaries about him,but that was not my objective. It was apersonal viewpoint. So for me it’s nowa clean slate in my mind, to beginanew. I am free to think what to donext and how I want to do that. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The writer is an architect andacademician.

ILLUSTRATION: R. RAJESH

‘I am notRaghu Raiand I’ll do itmy way’The photographer and director onmaking a fi��lm about her legendaryfather — a personal and ultimatelycathartic project

■ Studiedjournalism inMumbai, whereshe continues tobe based

■ Has worked as acamerapersonfor a number ofshort films, suchas Uski Baarish(2013)

■ Has contributedas aphotographerto severalleadingpublications

■ Raghu Rai: AnUnframedPortrait hasbeen shown atnumerousdocumentaryfestivals andcompetitionsaround theworld, includingtheInternationalDocumentaryFilm FestivalAmsterdam

DURGANAND BALSAVAR

WITH AVANI RAICCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

60 MINUTES


Imagine watching afamiliar video of yourselfon Twitter in which you

are, say, speaking at a conference. Afew sentences in, you realise that the‘you’ in the video is saying all sort ofcrazy things (that you did not say).Soon, all your devices are beeping andchiming and you’ve got hundreds ofTwitter notifi��cations as the post goesviral. This is the world of ‘deepfakes’— audio and visualmediamanipulation taken to a new levelaltogether, assisted by Artifi��cialIntelligence (AI) and the latestadvances in software.

There is no clear defi��nition of‘deepfake’, but the term is broadlyused to refer to media manipulationrooted in deep neural networks (aform of AI). While the technique canbe used to have some harmless fun, itis rife with possibilities of misuse.From creating fake pornographicvideos to making politicians appear tosay things they did not, the potentialfor damage to individuals,organisations and societies is vast.

With the 2020 presidentialelections looming, lawmakers andother stakeholders in the U.S. aresitting up and taking note. ThePentagon is also involved via itsDefense Advanced Research ProjectsAgency. The Permanent SelectCommittee on Intelligence held ahearing on challenges of AI and deepfakes on June 13. “A statebacked actorcreates a deepfake video of a politicalcandidate accepting a bribe with thegoal of infl��uencing an election. Or anindividual hacker claims to have stolenaudio of a private conversationbetween two world leaders, when infact no such conversation took place,”said Intelligence Committee ChairAdam Schiff��, describing somehypothetical scenarios.

Hardware has become cheaper andmore powerful and software moreaccessible and capable. Theincorporation of AI in software hasmade it “dramatically” easier tomanipulate media, Jack Clark, ofOpenAI, a research and technologyorganisation that focusses on the safeuse of AI, told the House panel. Theability for social media to make thingsviral compounds the problem.

A few weeks ago, a video of Houseof Representatives Speaker NancyPelosi was altered to make her appeardrunk by manipulating the audio sothat her speech sounded slurred.While this was not deepfaketechnology at work, it highlighted thedanger of such videos.

The Pelosi video also highlightedsomething else: the diff��erent

responses across socialmedia platforms, whichenjoy considerablyfreedom from liability.

YouTube removed the

video and Facebook kept it on there,marked it as “false”, and slowed thespeed at which it was distributed.

Relevance for IndiaThe discussion on deepfakes in theU.S. has much relevance for India.Witnesses providing testimony at theHouse hearing cited India in theirexamples to illustrate the dangers ofmisinformation. For instance, thepanel heard how a prominent Indianjournalist was at risk after her face wastransposed onto a deepfakepornographic video that went viral.

But individuals are not the onlyones at risk, Danielle Citron, a lawprofessor whose expertise includes AIissues, told the House panel. Ms.Citron described a hypotheticalscenario of a video that is manipulatedso it appears that a company CEO isadmitting that the company isinsolvent, the night before an IPO.This could derail the company’s IPO.

“There’s no silver bullet. We need acombination of law, markets andreally, societal resilience to getthrough this,” Ms. Citron said.

The Deepfakes Accountability Act,a Bill working its way through theHouse, seeks to ensure that thosecreating deepfake media include withit appropriate disclosures such aswatermarks and descriptions; theright of victims to sue creators; andmeans for victims to protect theirreputations when creators cannot bebrought to court (e.g., foreigngovernments). It additionallyendeavours to update existing lawsaround ID theft as well as promotefederal research to developtechnologies that detect deepfakes.

Time is of the essence though, andMr. Schiff�� summed this up at lastweek’s hearing. “Now is the time forsocial media companies to put inplace policies to protect users fromthis kind of misinformation, not in2021 after viral deepfakes havepolluted the 2020 elections. By then itwill be too late.”

WASHINGTON

The rise of ‘deep-fakes’and threats to truth

c

Deep-fake, a term that refers tomedia manipulation rooted in AI,has the potential of causingimmense damage to individuals,organisations and societies

Sriram Lakshman is The Hindu ’s Washington correspondent.

Ahead of the recentlyconcluded summit of theShanghai Cooperation

Organisation (SCO), Chinese statemedia provided extensive coverage ofBeijing’s recent forays into CentralAsia, including into Kyrgyzstan andTajikistan.

On its website, the staterunXinhua news agency splashed picturesof the Irkeshtam pass, one of China’sgateways to Kyrgyzstan, a few daysbefore planes ferrying leaders of theeight SCO member countries, apartfrom observers, fl��ew into Bishkek,Kyrgyzstan’s capital.

The lofty Irkeshtam pass, perchedat a height of 2,950 m, is a geographicmarvel. It is a deep gorge at thejunction of the southern edge of theTian Shan and the mighty Pamirmountains. From its impressiveelevation, the pass commands severaltrade routes that jostle their waytowards the steppes of Central Asia.

Re-imagining an ancient routeOne of them weaves its way fromKashgar, a major trade node along theancient silk route in China’smountainous Xinjiang UighurAutonomous Region (XUAR). Thisroute heads westwards into the bonedry Tarim basin.

There, the sands of the forbiddingTaklamakan desert, a graveyard in thepast of traders and their fellowtravelers who once dared to caravanalong the ancient silk road,overwhelm the area. On either side,the majestic Kunlun and the Tian Shanmountains wall the route, as it openstowards the Irkeshtam pass.

Under the Belt and Road Initiative(BRI), the ancient route towards theIrkeshtam pass will now provide theChinaPakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) a critical node into CentralAsia. The CPEC runs from the ArabianSea coast at Gwadar towards Kashgar,passing through the extremelychallenging terrain of Pakistan’sBalochistan province.

Across the Irkeshtam border post,which straddles the pass, the roadheads towards the northwest in thedirection of the Kyrgyz city of Osh,250 km away. Osh is located inside thefamed Fergana valley. Its abundanceof fruit and grain is legendary. Thefi��rst Mughal emperor Babur, who wasborn in the nearby Uzbek city ofAndijan, spent time in Osh, where hebuilt a mosque atop the Sulaymanmountain, a world heritage site.

The road from Osh leadswestwards towards the Uzbek border,which is only 5 km away. Osh is alsothe fulcrum of other strategic routes

that the Chinese areopening up in the regionas part of the BRI. A brandnew northsouth

motorway will soon link

Osh to capital Bishkek in the north.Once the 250 kmroad, being built bythe China Road and BridgeCorporation (CRBC), is completed by2021, the spanking new highway willconnect Osh with Kazakhstan’sAlmaty. Eventually, the $698millionproject, bankrolled by China’s EximBank, will interlink Pakistan, Chinaand Kyrgyzstan, with strategic nodesextending to Uzbekistan, Tajikistanand Kazakhstan.

Focussing on Osh, China’s telecomgiant, Huawei Technologies, hasrecently unveiled an ambitious plan.In partnership with China Telecom, itplans to transform Bishkek and Oshinto “smart cities”, powered by fastInternet and cyber monitoringsystems.

Apart from highways and powerprojects, China is concentrating onrailways in its bid to open up CentralAsia and beyond as part of BRI. Forinstance, Osh sits along China’s Westpassage3 railway project. Afterpassing through Kashgar and Osh viathe Irkeshtam pass, the railway spearstowards Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan,Iran, Turkey, and beyond.

Separately, West Passage 1 entersKazakhstan through Alashankou inXinjiang. From there it hooks up withRussia’s TransSiberian Railway andenters Belarus before reaching out tothe European Union.

Similarly, the exit point of WestPassage 2 is Xinjiang’s Alashankou.Kazakhstan, in this case, becomes thegateway to Turkmenistan, setting thestage for a railway linkup with Iran,Turkey and possibly Europe. China isalso working on East Passage 1. Thisroute connects Erenhot in its InnerMongolia province, with the TransSiberian railway on the way to Europe.

All crossborder initiatives oninfrastructure feed into China’s ‘goglobal’ policy. This is a joint initiativeof China’s central planners andprovincial administrations to shiftsections of Chinese capital and supplychains overseas.

BEIJING

The Central Asian nodesin Belt and Road project

c

Beijing’s forays into the regionplan to touch Kyrgyzstan,Uzbekistan, Tajikistan,Kazakhstan, eventuallyconnecting China to Europe

Atul Aneja is The Hindu’s Beijing correspondent.

DESPATCHES



Sabuku Nahar, 8, aRohingya child nowresiding in Cox’s Bazar as

a refugee, dreams of becoming a pilot,with a mission to bring back her unclefrom Malaysia to Myanmar, theirbirthplace. She has drawn threemulticoloured planes to portray herhidden dreams. Her story plays out inan exhibition in Dhaka, about 400 kmaway from the overcrowded refugeecamp where she lives now. Ironically,she cannot visit the exhibition as thereis a government restriction on themovement of Rohingya refugees.

When hundreds of thousands ofterrifi��ed Rohingya refugees — 60% ofwhom were children — began fl��oodingonto the beaches and paddy fi��elds ofsouthern Bangladesh in August 2017,they brought with them accounts ofthe unspeakable violence andbrutality that had forced them to fl��ee.By April 2019, around 9,10,000Rohingya had settled in Cox’s Bazar.They joined the around3,00,000people already in Bangladesh from theprevious waves of displacement,eff��ectively forming the world’s largestrefugee camp.

The exhibition organised byAmnesty International deals with afundamental question: what do thechildren want to become when theygrow up? The fi��veday event,supported by UNICEF and EMKCenter, is the outcome of a twoday artcamp in Cox’s Bazar where theRohingya children, with the help of sixcartoonists, sketched their aspirations.

The path of teachingOne common pathway the childrenwant to explore to get out of theirmiseries is to become a teacher. Forinstance, nineyearold Enamul Hasan,who wishes to teach English andBurmese alphabets, has sketched outa classroom with a teacher in themiddle, surrounded by students.

“We have seen that many Rohingyachildren wish to become teachers anddoctors based on the very practicalneeds that they have experienced inthe camps. Many have shared aboutdisease outbreaks that doctors havehelped prevent in the camps and theywish to help others when they growup,” said Saad Hammadi, South Asiacampaigner at Amnesty International.

The art camp and exhibition arepart of Amnesty International’scampaign to increase local andinternational support for theeducation of Rohingya children.

“Childhood is the most formativeperiod in the life of a person. We allhave a responsibility to aff��ord thesechildren the opportunity to chase

their dreams,” said Mr.Hammadi.

Close to onethird ofthe children do nothave access to

education and the remainder haveaccess only to informal education.UNICEF, together with the country’seducation sector, introduced aframework in January to provide morestructured learning that matchesinternational standards.

However, restrictions inBangladesh mean that Rohingyachildren’s education will continue tobe informal for now. “UNICEF isexploring pathways to an accreditedcurriculum with higherlevelinstitutes... Our goal is to ensure thisgeneration of children have theknowledge and skills they require tolead healthy, productive lives, andcontribute to their communities in thefuture,” said Dara Johnston, UNICEF’sacting deputy representative.

Amnesty International saidensuring a quality education forRohingya children is not at odds withrepatriation. However, delayed andinformal education limit theiropportunities. The safe, voluntary anddignifi��ed return of the Rohingyarefugees to Myanmar is the great hopethat sustains many living in Cox’sBazar. And artworks act as a newconveyor of emotions.

When the Rohingya childrenstarted drawing, they hadconcentrated only on red, grey andblack to turn their dreams, oftennebulous, into works of art. With time,they turned to a rainbow of colours,indicating a big change in their mind,said Japanese Ambassador HiroyasuIzumi, who has visited Rohingyacamps 10 times since his arrival inBangladesh in September 2017.

Today’s world is defi��ned by stateegotism, by the ‘mefi��rst’ mantrapropagated by stronger nations, saidMr. Izumi in his speech at theinauguration of the exhibition on June20. “What about the weaker? Whatcan the weaker people do?,” he asked.These words draw broader attentionto the plight of the Rohingya stuck in acrammed corner of the world.

DHAKA

Stuck in refugee camps,they draw their hopes

c

Rohingya children, who form amajor portion of refugees inCox’s Bazar, have taken tosketching to express theiraspirations for a better future

Arun Devnath is a journalist based in Dhaka.

“When I was a teenager,my uncles tried to teachme to walk like a man,

my classmates would call me chhakka(slur word for gay),” says TashiTsheten, a 26year old lab technicianwho leads one of Bhutan’s mostprominent LGBTIQ groups, RainbowBhutan. The Himalayan Kingdom hasnever punished homosexuality, heexplains, but most in their religiouslyconservative society would rather nottalk about it. As a result, while Bhutanhas had two Sections (213 and 214) inits Penal Code that orderedimprisonment for “unnatural sex” fordecades, no one was ever actuallyprosecuted under the law. Instead, Mr.Tsheten and other activists in the gayrights movement say they facedbullying and heckling fromclassmates, and the odd family eldertrying to make them more “manly”.

This month, with Bhutan’s newgovernment initiating the process torepeal the two Sections, Mr. Tshetensays he hopes even that sort ofharassment will come to an end. OnJune 7, Parliament’s lower house, theNational Assembly, passed a Bill torepeal section 213 (and consequently214). The Bill is expected to be takenup by the upper house, the NationalCouncil, in six months. Once it passes,the Act will be presented to the 39yearold King, Jigme Khesar NamgyelWangchuck, for approval.

“This was an arcane law and hasnever been implemented in Bhutanand so we felt that the time had cometo dispense with it,” says TashiWangyal, a member of the NationalCouncil. “In Bhutan, we may bereligiously conservative, but we aresocially liberal, as can be seen fromour attitudes and open acceptancewhen it comes to divorce or childrenborn out of wedlock, or rehabilitationof prisoners.”

Bhutan also has fairly progressivelaws on gender equality. Women forma large part of the workforce, and in2018 elections, seven of the 10 womencontestants won. At clubs indowntown Thimphu that can stayopen till 5 a.m., the openness ofBhutanese society is plain to see: girlsand boys mix freely, women’s safety isnot a concern, and alcoholism anddrugs, not sexual freedoms, are biggerissues for the youth.

Bhutanese pride themselves onprioritising “Gross NationalHappiness” over GDP wealth, andapprove of the country’s freedomsand tolerant values, which they sayfl��ow from the Buddhism practised bya majority in the country.

But the leap from gender equalityto equality for transgenders

and homosexuals will takelonger, say activists. One ofthe reasons is the cultureof “strong manhood”

which pervades Bhutanese societyand is expressed through theprominence of phallic symbolseverywhere: on doors, public wallsand carpets and rugs inside homes.Traditional attire is also enforced inoffi��ces and schools, which means menmust wear the shorter wraparoundtuniclike koh, while women wear longskirts or kiras.

According to Mr. Tsheten, refusingto fi��t in with those cultural mores ishard in a small society. “Sex is not ataboo, but being less manly defi��nitelyis, and everyone has an opinion aboutyou,” he says. His partner Pema, 27,who has lobbied for the legalamendments, faced more directbullying, being roughed up in toiletsand threatened with violence.

Lack of spaces Another issue was the lack of spacesfor LGBTIQ people to meet. Mr.Tsheten says the community waseventually built because ofgovernment and international fundingin HIV/AIDS prevention activities thatdrew in the more vulnerablehomosexuals for testing. In 2009, theBhutan Network for HIV PositivePeople was started, and a civil societyorganisation called LhakSam wasregistered in 2010.

At the time, Mr. Tshetenremembers, Bhutanese offi��cials wouldstate at international conferences thatthe country had no homosexuals atall. In 2015, an activist Passang Dorji“came out” for the fi��rst time onnational television, which wasconsidered a watershed moment.Soon, groups like Rainbow Bhutanand LGBT Bhutan started up.

Signifi��cantly, Mr. Tsheten says hehimself never actually came out, as hefelt it was unnecessary to go public onwhat he considers a private issue. Helives with his partner at home alongwith his parents, but says they follow astrict “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. It’sa policy that appears to suit all.

THIMPHU

Sunlight on Bhutan’srainbow laws

c

Bhutan’s new government has initiated the process torepeal two Sections in the country’s Penal Code that criminalise homosexuality

Suhasini Haidar works with The Hindu.

DESPATCHES

Feeling slightly lost, I get off�� thetrain at Tiruppur in TamilNadu’s heartland. PankajMishra, the only other travel

writer to set foot here (as far as Iknow), dismissed the town as being“to underwear what Sivakasi was tofi��recrackers” in a couple of hours andas few pages in his 1990 travelogueButter Chicken in Ludhiana, beforescuttling on to a bus bound for Kerala.

It’s one of those places where notourists go, there’s virtually noinformation online, no guidebookrecommends it, my trusty TTK roadatlas only knows it as ‘famous forhosiery products’ and it never occursto my bucketlisting friends, who gofashion hunting in New York City, tostop and shop in India’s worldfamous‘Banian City’.

The streets are lined with exportsurplus showrooms with chic nameslike Homme & Femme or Tee Totaller,interspersed with lowbudget businesslodges, which I guess is Tiruppur in anutshell. At any point of time, garmentimporters from scores of countries arevisiting the thousands ofmanufacturing units here that employhalf a million labourers (practicallythe entire population of Tiruppur).They produce knitwear, innerwearand sportswear for the likes of iconicAmerican brand Ralph Lauren, trendyScandinavian H&M, dowdy Marks &Spencer of the U.K., and youthfulItalian fashion house Diesel, to thevalue of a billion dollars per year,which constitutes about half of India’stotal knitwear exports.

Harish Damodaran states in India’sNew Capitalists (2008), in a chapteranalysing this unheralded wonder,that Tiruppur “has displacedtraditional knitwear export clusterssuch as Mumbai, Ludhiana and Delhito storm into the numero unoposition.” Hold that thought. A curiouscoincidence is that a pristine Romancoin from the reign of Julius Caesar(mid1st century BCE) was once dugup in Tiruppur, and it has furtherbeen concluded that two millenniaago, the village of Kodumanal, 20 kmdownriver, was a prominent exporterof cotton which clothed Rome, maybeeven supplying the fabric for thosetogas they wore when they partied.This area was numero uno alreadythen.

On the radarDespite that, few people in Tiruppurknow of Kodumanal — neither myhotel manager nor the taxi driver hebooks for me have heard of it. Luckily,I’ve been in touch with Prof. K. Rajanat Pondicherry University, theeminent archaeologist who excavatedthe site, and he suggests I seek outRamachandran who owns the actualfarmland where ancient Kodumanalwas situated, about one kilometre

TOGA TOWNCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

Kodumanal:the city that clothed Rome

c

In historical times, the methodsfor producing iron were anindustrial secret and high-gradeIndian steel was sought for itsquality

ZAC O’YEAH

Monolith One of the menhirs; (facing page, top) some finds from the site; and (below) Ramachandran with his excavation album. ZAC O’YEAH

The nondescript village of Kodumanal has a remarkably strategic location, whichexplains why it was such an important centre of commerce in ancient times

Cover photo Two imposing menhirs and three deep cist tombs have been left in situ at Kodumanal for visitors to inspect. ZAC O’YEAH

HYDERABAD THE HINDU MagazineSunday, June 23, 20196 COVER STORY



southeast of the modern village by thesame name. Rajan explains in hisemail: “The entire excavations carriedout in several seasons constitutemerely 1% of the site. In that sense,our understanding about the site isjust 1%. Irrespective of these limitedworks, the site yielded voluminousdata on gemstone technology, textiletechnology, copper technology, ironand steel technology, conch/ shelltechnology and many others.”

Although it’s been on the radarsince the 60s when test digs by theArchaeological Survey of Indiaestablished its antiquity, it was onlydecades later that scholars identifi��ed itwith the Kodumanam mentioned inthe classical Sangam literature ofTamil Nadu. During the excavationsthat have been going on intermittentlysince the 80s, after Rajan fi��rst visitedKodumanal, his team has reportedfi��nds of cotton material, terracottaweaving implements, ornaments ofvarious kinds and, most importantly,evidence of iron manufacturing suchas crucibles and furnaces. In historicaltimes, the methods for producing ironwere an industrial secret and highgrade Indian steel was sought for itsquality, especially to forge swords forthe Roman empire.

Dressed to killSimply put, Kodumanal saw to it thatthe ancients were dressed to kill andarmed to the teeth. Hence, everyIndian historian worth her salt writesabout Kodumanal, from RomilaThapar (“an important inland centre...with excavated evidence of workingsemiprecious stones” in The PenguinHistory of Early India) to UpinderSingh (“Kodumanal gives importantevidence of the transition to the earlyhistorical phase in South India,especially with reference to thebeginnings of literacy and thedevelopment of centres of craftproduction” in A History of Ancientand Early Medieval India). The latteralso discusses Prof. Rajan’s fi��ndings atlength.

Eventually, my driver fi��nds his wayto Kodumanal, thanks to Google Maps.After half an hour’s driving pastginning mills and curious shrines fullof terracotta horses, we’re in thevillage of about 1,100 people and twosmall temples. Ramachandran awaitsus. He cheerfully tells me that I justmissed the excavators who packed upand left two months ago. He hops intothe taxi and we drive out to his fi��elds,where he grows maize.

My fi��rst observation as I get out ofthe car is that despite it beinginhabited since at least 400 BCE andwell known as one of the mostimportant prehistoric industrial sitesever excavated, Kodumanal keeps acuriously low profi��le. There’s no sitemuseum or even signposting at thespot where one set of three deep cisttombs and two imposing menhirshave been left in situ for visitors toinspect. The granite slabs that makeup the underground tombs arecolossal. Says Ramachandran,“They’ve been here for 2,500 years.”

Were there any skeletons, I ask, as Ipeek down into the pit of death.

“Only bone fragments, coal andpearls,” Ramachandran says.

thought, but as Ramachandranexplains, the houses in those dayswere very basic. So there are hardlyany ruins to speak of.

Back to the presentWhen the archaeologists fi��rst came tothe village, there was nothing inKodumanal, says Ramachandran, noteven a tea stall, but now after overthree decades of what may possibly beone of the most important andextensive archaeological excavationprojects in the history of independentIndia, there are multiple daily busservices to the outside world, atelephone exchange and a small shop:one might say that archaeologybrought the village from the past tothe present.

So many visit, declaresRamachandran in his modest manner:government offi��cials, scholars,students from as far away as Japan —and he has met them all, shown themaround, served them tea in his home.“Free service,” he quips.

Back at Ramachandran’s house inthe village, he shows me an albumwith pictures from the excavations —images of necklaces, terracottaspindles for weaving, a toy tiger withinlaid gemstones, a skeleton seated ina meditation posture, pottery shardsfull of Brahmi graffi��ti giving a wealth ofinformation about who lived here(several were North Indians judging bytheir names) and, most remarkably,what he calls the head of a Romansoldier. I later track it down to aprivate museum in Erode, theKalaimagal Kalvi Nilayam’sarchaeological collection.

The staff�� tells me that students

found the head many years ago duringa fi��eld trip to Kodumanal, where theysaw a boy using it as a football. Somescholars identify it as the head ofGreek god Apollo, patron of music andliterature, but as I examine the 17cmtall head, I can’t quite perceive anysimilarities between it and statues I’veadmired in museums in Italy andGreece, where the god is usuallydepicted as a young, beardless man.This dude has a punk hairdo andbeard. However, its presumedantiquity is swiftly debunked by Prof.Rajan, who says in an email, “Theterracotta fi��gurine collected from thesurface at this site is presumed to be aRoman soldier. However, the thermo

Hundreds of similar tombs liehidden under the earth, covering tensof acres, and nearby, on the northbank of the Noyyal river, remains of anequally big town have been excavated.We continue down the road and I stareat an empty fi��eld, doing my best topicture the industrial units it housed —the spinners and weavers whoperhaps ran clothing stores whereRomans picked up togas, jewellers’shops surrounded by gemstonepolishers and artisans who cut banglesout of conch shells that Romans mightpurchase for their wives, and, ofcourse, the multiple furnaces atwhich, braving the blazing heat,ironsmiths forged steel known inTamil as ukku (Anglicised as ‘wootz’),a procedure described in thePurananuru, one of the eight greatanthologies of the Sangam age, as “theanvil which combats the hammerbrought down on it with great force bya blacksmith with his strong handstrying to mould iron!”

Some say that the famouslyincorruptible Iron Pillar in Delhi musthave originated here, although that’smere speculation, but it is known thatswords of South Indian steel werecoveted in the West already in 400BCE, as related by E.H. Warmington inThe Commerce Between the RomanEmpire and India.

It’s curious how one of Asia’sforemost industrial sites can vanishwith so few traces; a humbling

ACONTINUED ON PAGE 8

A

Tiruppur’s textile barons ought to find it in theirinterest to sponsor a heritage centre to highlightTamil Nadu’s early textile industry and othercontributions to the world

luminescence analysis carried out byMichael Vickers of British Museumsuggests that it is only 200 years old.”

When my taxi ferries me aroundthe countryside, I realise that theseemingly nondescript Kodumanalhad a remarkably strategic location,surrounded by exceptional geologicalwealth: one hillside 15 km downriverwas so rich in iron it could virtually beskimmed off�� its surface, anotherneighbouring place called Padiyur wasfull of highquality beryls thatforeigners coveted (the mines wereactive until the 1810s), unusually purequartz deposits were found at a hillonly 5 km away, and a fourth hill,Sivanmalai, which I ascend from thesouthern side of the Noyyal, yieldedmasses of sapphires.

I don’t spot any glimmering gemson the surface of the hillock, but fromthe peak that is crowned by aMurugan temple, I get a splendidoverview of the area, which is largelyfl��at and seems easy to traverse. Bycontrast, I make out the prohibitingshapes of the ghat mountains in thenorthwest. The landscape looksdreary and parched, which isprobably why the locals have alwaysbeen industrious rather than merelyrelying on agriculture.

Easy accessBesides, Kodumanal sits on ariverbank that connected it with SouthIndia’s great Cauvery and the Bay ofBengal, and was easily accessible fromthe west coast too via the PalakkadGap. The low mountain pass, only 100km away, was the route of thehistorical highway maintained by theerstwhile Chera and Chola rulers toconnect Muziris, the recentlyexcavated harbour near Kodungallurin Kerala, to the antique inland capitalKarur (known as Karoura to theclassical Alexandriabased geographer,Ptolemy), and that same highwaypassed through Kodumanal. It’sperhaps no wonder that most of theRoman coin hoards have been foundin places along that road, marking outa virtual trail of commerce.

I may be the only tourist to visitthis area since Mishra and theRomans, but with a museum toshowcase select fi��nds, and the rightinformation for visitors to interpretthe site, Kodumanal could easilybecome an important site. One thinksTiruppur’s textile barons ought to fi��ndit in their interest to sponsor aheritage centre to highlight TamilNadu’s early textile industry and othercontributions to the world. Forexample, it is a remarkable but littleknown fact that their old links left alasting mark on the European foodlexicon: the word for rice (riso inLatin) is from Old Tamil arici, andiñciver became ginger (gingiber),while the word pepper (piper) ofcourse has its roots in pippali.

On my last evening in Tiruppur, Ibrowse the surplus shops. Notunexpectedly do they not sell togas,

but I pick, after dismissing the ₹��5 stuff��,something from the ‘fancy’ selection:a Star Wars branded Tshirt. I presumeit must be a leftover from the Reaganpresidency when America planned to

start wars in outer space. Anyway, it’sonly ₹��140 and I am assured it is purecotton. I wear my new tee to dinner,but quickly realise that it’s made of akinky latexvinyl mixture that doesn’tlet the skin breathe. I’m sweating likea fountain, virtually showering otherdiners with perspiration and, forsocial reasons, have to beat a hastyretreat. Maybe, I think to myself, somethings were better in the olden days.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The travel writer lives to eat strange things and poke his nose in antique potholes.

Kodumanal: the city...

God or fraud? Anancient potexcavated at thesite; and (left) thecontroversialterracotta head(‘Apollo’) found atKodumanal. ZAC O’YEAH

A

The entire excavations carriedout in several seasons constitutemerely 1% of the site. In thatsense, our understanding aboutthe site is just 1%

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7


Ghost FleetSHANNON SERVICE & JEFFREY

WALDRON, 90 MIN

Focusing on Thai abolitionist PatimaTungpuchayakulis, this film follows asmall group of activists who risk theirlives on remote Indonesian islands tohelp the enslaved fishermen whofeed the world's appetite for seafood.

CREDITS

EmanuelBRIAN IVIE, 90 MIN

On June 17, 2015, a white supremacistgunned down nine African Americansat a church in Charleston, SouthCarolina, sparking a national debateon gun violence. The film focuses onthe grief — and forgiveness — of thevictims’ relatives.

Thariode NIRMAL BABY VARGHESE

This Malayalam documentary tellsthe story of gold mining in Thariode,a village in Wayanad. Set to bereleased after more than five years ofinvestigation, the film examines theindustry’s impact on development,local livelihoods and the environment.

“Alive and alive and alive, it’sme!” cries the runawaydoughnut as he escapesfrom being eaten once

again. The puppet’s joy is met withcheers from an audience quite happyto trade in a weekend evening to catchone of Tal Betal’s only Englishperformances. And it is here, saysSubhasis Sen, founder of the Kolkatabased puppet troupe, that the puppettruly comes alive — in the audience’sapplause and laughter. “You send astimulus to the audience and get theirfeedback — it may be silence, a hum,claps. They fi��ll in the gaps and thepuppet comes to life.”

Tal Betal was in Chennai for atwoweek puppetry festival, andshowcased two English performances,A Runaway Doughnut and Bhabam theBarber. The fi��rst, a take on thepopular Gingerbread Man tale,revolves around a doughnut who fl��eesafter learning that everyone wants toeat him, until he is fi��nally rescued by afairy. The second is based on a Bengalifolktale that follows Bhabam thebarber who fi��nds out that the king hashorns while cutting his hair, and isordered to keep it a secret. Bothperformances were preceded byworkshops for children thatunravelled the behindthescenessecrets of puppeteering.

The group’s regular repertoireincludes shadow puppetry andbunraku, but in Chennai, theyshowcased glove puppets, each one ascolourful and captivating as thestories.

On and off rhythmWhen I reached the set some hoursbefore a performance, the group wasstill setting up. Even in the dark, youcould easily identify Sen, 62, sittingshadowed in the back, calling out cuesand directions. Sen started Tal Betal(meaning ‘on and off�� rhythm’) in 1973,with his parents and sister. Today, he’sthe only original member left, butmany new artists have signed up.

Sen had had his epiphany inboarding school, where he fi��rstencountered puppets. His eyes fi��llwith wonder as he recalls thatmoment. “I was taken aback, shocked.It haunted me and fi��lled me withhappiness. No, not happiness butecstasy. Like when you see god, you’redumbfounded.” The magic endured.Many years later, inspired by hisfather, he would leave a stable banking

job to take up puppetry full time. If puppets are his passion, it’s

children who are his inspiration.“When a child cries for me, wishesthat I stay back for him, that is highlyrewarding. Not applause, not money,nothing will stay. The only things thatstay are the child’s laughter,involvement, attachment.”

Sen sees himself as educator morethan entertainer. He prides himself onbeing able to teach children who maybe seen as ‘belowaverage’ students inthe traditional academic sense.Leaning over conspiratorially, he tellsme in a stage whisper, “I wasdismissed as an average student. Butnow I’ve realised that I was not. I wasjust not interested in certain subjects.

The real task of a teacher is to createinterest in the subject.” And for Sen,puppets have proven to be the mosteff��ective means of creating thisinterest. He grins as he recounts howteachers have come up to himastonished, asking how he manages toget all the backbenchers to be soproactive during his sessions.

Deeper thoughtsTal Betal’s performances, however,aren’t necessarily just for children. Aquick glance around the theatrereveals seats fi��lled with as many adultsand adolescents. This, says Sen, isquite common. “In fact,” he chuckles,as he strokes his chin, “Adults actuallylike the performances more. I thinkthey fi��nd depth in the stories.”

Tal Betal achieves such depth bycentring its stories around what Sencalls “eternal issues”. The story andcharacters may change depending onthe setting, but the issues remainconstant. “For instance,” says Sen,“During the elections, we saw ourleaders speaking in such fi��lthy ways.Why? Because as human beings, theyare greedy for power. Power was therein the Stone Age, and will be therewhen the earth is destroyed. Only themanifestation has diff��ered.” Thus,older audiences can connect tales thatseem innocent and innocuous to thelarge and political. A RunawayDoughnut and Bhabam the Barber dealwith issues of autonomy and truth,but in simple and entertaining ways,with props and music softening theserious.

When you have ‘eternal issues’ atthe crux of a performance, itencourages the audience to pay closeattention to the shows. And, says Sen,such attention is what is needed fortheatre to succeed. Light glints off�� hisgoldrimmed glasses as he rearrangeshimself in his chair before stating withan air of fi��nality, “An artist wants hiswork not to be appreciated but to beseen attentively. Let them criticise usthoroughly and say bad words. Iaccept it, so long as you have beenattentive.”

PUPPET MASTERSCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

THE KID GLOVES ARE OFF

Puppet troupe Tal Betalaims to engage bothchildren and adults

by addressing “eternal issues”

NIVED DHARMARAJ

A

A Runaway Doughnut andBhabam the Barber deal withissues of autonomy and truth,but in simple and entertainingways, with props and musicsoftening the serious

Hand in glove(Clockwise frombelow) Therunaway doughnutwith a sly fox; TalBetal’s take on thepied piper tale;shadow puppetryis also part of thetroupe’s repertoire.TAL BETAL


Sunday, June 23, 2019 9FOCUS


one the cowriters on Bhumika, whichwon the National Film Award for itsscreenplay. He also cowrote the scriptsof Kondura and Kalyug (1981).

But Benegal was not the only onewho worked with this repertory ofactors. It was the the peak of theparallel fi��lm movement, and manyyoung fi��lmmakers were churning out arange of fi��lms dealing with social issues.And the same set of actors would workin diff��erent projects with fi��lmmakerslike Saeed Akhtar Mirza (Arvind Desai KiAjeeb Dastan), Muzaff��ar Ali (Gaman),and M.S. Sathyu (Garam Hawa). Someof these actors also graced the screen inSatyajit Ray’s fi��rst Hindi fi��lm, ShatranjKe Khilari (1977).

Much of my initial understanding ofinequality, caste politics, and ruralIndia came from these fi��lms. It was animportant education that I would nothave received from any degree course.

Tughlaq at Purana QilaIn the mid1970s, Karnad’s talent waseven more evident on stage. There’sone performance of his play Tughlaqthat I’ll never forget. Directed byEbrahim Alkazi, it featured the lateManohar Singh playing the leadcharacter amid the ruins of Purana Qila.I saw another performance last year at aDelhi theatre, but the Purana Qilasetting had made the antiauthoritarianplay so much more impactful.

was blown away by Azmi’s acting skillsand her beauty, and shaken up by heroutburst towards the end.

In Nishant I discovered Karnad, tall,elegant and handsome even when hewas mostly scowling and lookingfrustrated. (I did not know much abouthim before I saw Nishant. Years later Iwould see Samksara in New York, hisfi��rst fi��lm as an actor.) In Nishant I alsodiscovered two other actors who wouldchange my life, how I would viewcinema and my perception of whattalented performers were capable ofdoing in front of the camera. I amtalking about Shah and Smita Patil.

A magical timeWhat a magical and special time it was.In the 1970s, Benegal, supported byvery able producers, was on a roll.Every year he would make a new fi��lm,each an event by itself, each anexploration of the class/ caste divides inIndia or on patriarchy and strongwilledwomen fi��ghting for space in a worlddefi��ned by men. Nishant would befollowed by Manthan (1976, with asimmering Karnad, Patil, Shah andNag); Bhumika (1977, Patil, Nag, Shahand Amol Palekar); Kondura (1978, Patiland Nag), and Junoon (1979, Shashi andJennifer Kapoor, Azmi and Shah).

If Karnad wasn’t acting in one ofBenegal’s fi��lms, he would be writingpart of the screenplay. He is credited as

There is a scene towards themiddle of Shyam Benegal’sNishant. A very frustrated andexhausted Girish Karnad, a

schoolteacher, returns to his village. Hehas spent the day appealing to thepolice, government offi��cials, lawyersand journalists to take action againstthe four evil landlords who havekidnapped his wife Sushila (ShabanaAzmi).

All attempts fail and the teacher isnot able to shake up the fear that thelandlord brothers (played withterrifying intensity by Amrish Puri,Anant Nag, Mohan Agashe andNaseeruddin Shah) have spread amongthe villagers and even those with powerin a nearby city.

In a fi��t of anger Karnad lets out aloud cry, and starts slashing at wildbushes with his umbrella as he walksback home. It is a devastating scene.

Nishant was released in 1975, thesame year as Ramesh Sippy’s Sholayand Yash Chopra’s Deewar. But thecollege student in me was far moreinterested in seeing Benegal’s new fi��lmwith its large ensemble of trainedactors. A year earlier while I was inschool I had seen Benegal’s Ankur atDelhi’s Regal Theatre, and experiencedthe power of cinema beyond what myyoung mind had imagined possible. I

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Simmering in a repertoryActing, writing, directing — Girish Karnad shone in the golden age of parallel cinema

ASEEM CHHABRA

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Every year Shyam Benegal wouldmake a new film, each anexploration of class/ caste divides orpatriarchy and strong-willed womenfighting for their space in a worlddefined by men

CULTURE



Karnad was back on screen in 1977in Basu Chatterjee’s Swami, with thehaunting thumri Ka Karoon Sajni.Here he plays a patient husband toAzmi’s rebellious Saudamini, who isresentful of her family forcing her intoan arranged marriage.

The fi��lm ends with a beautiful —albeit predictable — scene. Saudaminihas decided to run away with herformer boyfriend. But then shechanges her mind and falls at herhusband’s feet as he (Karnad) says,‘ghar chalo Mini’ (come home, Mini).

Ancients and modernsThat same year, Karnad would alsoteam up with B.V. Karanth to cowriteand codirect Godhuli (with Shah, OmPuri and Kulbhushan Kharbanda) — aclash of old and new ways in a villageas the headman’s son arrives from theU.S. with his American wife. And in1979, Karnad directed a stunningperiod fi��lm in Kannada depictingancient Indian martial arts, a homageto Akira Kurosawa’s samurai fi��lms —Ondanondu Kaladalli (with ShankarNag).

Many of the players from that erahave left us. Patil died tragically in1986, Shankar Nag in 1990 and FarooqShaikh (Garam Hawa and Gaman) in2013. Some of other key players inShyam Benegal’s repertory group arealso gone — Vijay Tendulkar

(playwright and scriptwriter forNishant and Manthan), Amrish Puri,Om Puri, Shashi and Jennifer Kapoor,Jalal Agha and now even Karnad. Thebigger tragedy was that through the1980s the parallel cinema movementalso slowly died down.

Having lived in the U.S. since 1981, Inever got a chance to meet Karnad.But I tried to interview him for a book Iwrote on Shashi Kapoor in 2016.Karnad had directed Utsav (1984),produced by Kapoor. I had heard fromsomeone that things were fraughtbetween the producer and the directorsince the fi��lm had gone way overbudget. Plus, Kapoor had already lostmoney on his previous productions.

Karnad sent me an email inresponse to an interview request I hadsent through a common friend. Theemail read: “While the fi��lm Utsav wasbeing made or since the day it wasreleased, I have not said a word aboutmy experience of making the fi��lm or ofShashi as a producer and actor,preferring to let him have his say. Ishould like to continue thearrangement.”

I am heartbroken that I will nownever interview Girish Karnad.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The author is an independent writer,film festival programmer and theauthor of Shashi Kapoor: TheHouseholder, The Star .

Ever elegant(Clockwise fromleft) Shabana Azmiand Girish Karnadin Nishant; AmrishPuri, Anant Nagand NaseeruddinShah in Nishant;(facing page) SmitaPatil in Manthan;and Karnad inManthan.

If you, like this writer, are a bigfan of god being used as plotdevice — or even better, acharacter — in fi��lms and TV/

streaming shows, these areinteresting but also confusing timesto live in. God no longer has a halo,he likely wields a harpoon instead.

In the recent Amazon Primerelease, Good Omens (based on thenovel of the same name by NeilGaiman and Terry Pratchett), we seethe forces of both Heaven and Hellrooting for the Antichrist(reincarnated on earth as a mortalboy), so that he can usher in the Endof Days — and Heaven and Hell canhave the decisive, noholdsbarredbattle they always wanted. ’Tis all, asthe Archangel Gabriel ( Jon Hamm)says several times, part of god’s plan.The Netfl��ix show Lucifer has anequally triggerhappy god, who hasno qualms about sending (divine)goons after his own son or banishinghis wife (goddess) to Hell. As god’sbeloved sonAmenadiel says, “He(god) has a bit of anoverreactingproblem.” AmericanGods, anotherGaiman adaptation,is all about the oldgods (Odin, Loki,Kali and so on)fi��ghting the new gods(Technology, Media,‘Mr. World’ akaGlobalisation) in anapocalypticshowdown.

Mighty smitersClearly, we’re havinga cultural momentwhere god needs tobe more John Rambothan loving shepherd. Gone are thedays of the hippie Jesus posters;you’re far more likely to come acrossa authoritarian, musclefl��exing godin fi��lms and on TV/ streaming shows.The world has never been more inthrall to the military industrialcomplex than it is today — this muchis welldocumented by now,especially through (nonfi��ction)books like William Hartung’sProphets of War. And there’s nobodybetter than god when it comes toproviding moral and theologicaljustifi��cation for acts of unilateralaggression — almost everybodyrunning for public offi��ce in America

remembers the words ‘Onenation under god’, right?

In India, however, visualrepresentation of god is a bit of acontentious issue. And you can’t justhire Frances McDormand’sremarkable voice and hope for thebest (as Good Omens did). Peoplewho play god are often trapped inthat image — the actor NitishBharadwaj played Krishna in B.R.Chopra’s 80s TV show Mahabharat.In 1996, he contested the Lok Sabhaelections from Jamshedpur and wonon a BJP ticket. There are still longrunning Delhi plays whereBharadwaj dons the old Krishna gearand waxes eloquent about dharmafor the zillionth time.

Desi GuantanamoThe pairing of god andauthoritarianism isn’t far fromIndian screens, however. Two Netfl��ixIndia shows in recent times haveplaced Hindutvabased dystopias asbackdrop for the stories they want totell. Ghoul, released last year, was a

supernatural thrillerset in a desiGuantanamo Bay ofsorts, where Muslim‘undesirables’ are‘rehabilitated’ untilthey fall in line. Andlast week, DeepaMehta’s Leila wasreleased — this isbased on PrayaagAkbar’s 2017 novel ofthe same name, thedisturbing story of amother searching forher estrangeddaughter in the nottoodistant future.Leila is perfectlytimed, for severalreviewers have notedthe terrifying

similarities between presentdaybigotries and the kind of dystopiansetpieces the show employs. Andmuch like how a lot of Republicanpoliticians cloak religious beliefsunder the tag ‘will of the Americanpeople’, the authoritarians of Leilaapply the tag ‘Aryavarta’ to a lot ofthings that are actually Hindutvaspawn.

In an old episode of That ’70sShow I was rewatching recently, Fez(William Valderrama), the onlyLatino character on the show, tellshis white friends, “I bet my god cankick your god’s ass” — this seems tobe the dominant mode in which weengage with all matters religiousthese days.

The gods must be machoGod doesn’t wear a halo in today’s web series.He’s more likely to be a musclefl��exing Rambo

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Aditya Mani Jha is a writer and journalist who is working on his first book of non-fiction.

No holds barred Poster ofGood Omens.

CULTURE

You want to learn some art?”Annamanada ParameswaraMarar posed the question tohis son when he was in

middle school. The father’s mastery of the timila

was unquestioned, his views on theinstrument deeply rooted inclassicism, but he wasn’t one to bebound by the convention of passingdown the lineage, father to son. Theboy was able to choose freely, and heopted for a diff��erent traditional Keraladrum, the chenda. This meant apotential disruption to thehousehold’s standing in the timilaledpanchavadyam ensemble, whichdoesn’t feature the chenda. Themaestro took it in his stride — and hisson, Kalamandalam Harish, went on

to become a noted percussionist in hisown right.

Marar (1952–2019) always followedhis own path in a life marked by anearly bloom and a quick rise toprofessional glory, says Harish. Aboveall, he was resolute — a trait that wasin evidence until his death aged 67this month, the end of a halfcentury’scareer that had wobbled of late due toill health. Even with acute diabeteshindering the free movement of hisbruised fi��ngers, which refused to heal,the doyen anchored a 90minutepanchavadyam in a south Malabartown just fi��ve weeks before hesuccumbed to multiple diseases.

“I was at that concert, playing theedakka,” recalls Harish, 35, referringto the hourglassshaped drum thatfi��nds its place at one end of the twolong rows where timila and maddalam

artists face each other as the mainpercussionists of the panchavadyam’sfi��veinstrument ensemble.

What turned out to be Marar’sfarewell show, though, was a smallerversion of what his guru had onceenvisaged as a pyramidal symphonicstructure. Such a panchavadyamwould span no less than 150 minutes.

Rhythmic noveltyThis innovative teacher, too, was aParameswara Marar (1908–89) fromthe heritage village of Annamanada,40 km from Thrissur, Kerala’s culturalcapital; and the disciple thus acquiredthe epithet ‘junior’. The senior Mararhad gained fame from the 60sonwards with a rhythmic novelty thatredefi��ned panchavadyam, developinga meditative slowness after theintroductory passages. For a vibrant

ensemble with 60odd performers,this deepening of the base furtherembellished the kind ofpanchavadyam its fi��rstwavereformers had conceived in the 1930s.The younger Marar was among thefi��rst students to really imbibe andincorporate this development.

The senior Marar taught timila atthe prestigious Kerala Kalamandalamwhere the younger Parameswaran — anephew of sorts — enrolled in the fi��rstbatch in 1965, while in his early teens.He completed the fouryear courseand rejoined the institution in 1971 asa teacher. The stint was brief — theyoungster had sensed thatperformance was his forte.

Excelling in his art, Marar went onto hone his skills alongside youngmasters of other schools ofpanchavadyam. In the 1970s, he

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The last drumbeatAnnamanada Parameswara Marar and his timila towered among Kerala’s famous percussionists

A

You need tokeep fellowartists in goodhumour, paythem well. Be generousfirst, to earnwell yourself,Marar would say

SREEVALSAN THIYYADI

In sync Marar (centre) was a regular at the famous Thrissur Pooram, anchoring around 150 panchavadyam concerts each season.AKSHAY SHENOY


Mona Lisa: beyond the glass

In celebration of Leonardo da Vinci’s 500thdeath anniversary, the Louvre is holding its firstever virtual reality show. The VR work will givemuseum goers “the rare chance to be immersedinto the world’s most iconic painting.” Theexhibition will also show other Leonardo works.

SCANNER

CULTURE

Abhinandan Team India

Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik’s latestcreation is a tribute to the Indian men’scricket team that won over Pakistan in theongoing World Cup, as well as a retort to aPakistani ad that featured IAF wing-commander Abhinandan Varthaman.



interacted closely with the illustriousPallavur trio of eastern Palakkad. Histapping and rolling drills, alongsidebrothers Pallavur Maniyan andKunjukuttan under the supervision oftheir eldest sibling Appu Marar, madeParameswaran’s artistry eclectic. AsHarish says, quoting experts, “It was ablend of Maniyan’s musical approachand Kunjukuttan’s mathematicalprecision.”

Great leaderMarar’s heyday as a performerspanned four decades, during whichhe was a regular at the famousThrissur Pooram, anchoring around150 panchavadyam concerts eachseason. “You need leadershipqualities to head a big ensemble,” saysHarish. “You need to keep fellowartists in good humour, pay themwell. Achhan used to say, ‘Begenerous fi��rst, to earn well yourself.’Come festivals like Onam or Vishu, hewould gift colleagues with pudava(clothes) and kaineettam (cash gifts).”

Marar’s troupe would at timesfeature upandcoming artists as well.“Even so, he had the capacity to makethat panchavadyam sound fi��rstrate,”says Harish, who teaches chenda atRLV College in Tripunithura, Kochi.

Marar’s daughter Kala Sunil is aclassical vocalist. “Our grandmother,Parukutty Marasiar, used to sing.Achhan avidly followed Carnaticmusic,” says Harish. “M.D.Ramanathan fascinated him. Fromthere to Sanjay Subrahmanyan toAbhishek Raghuram of the new age,he wouldn’t miss any concerts.”

Marar’s Kalamandalam stintkindled in him a special interest inKathakali. “To him, only two facesbest express all emotions:Kalamandalam Gopi and KottakkalSivaraman.”

Harish’s chendaplaying wifeNandini Varma recounts how Mararused to encourage her percussivepursuits long before she joined thefamily. “On spotting me at templesamid festival crowds, he’d call me outand give me tips on bettering mytayambaka,” she says. This, whenorthodoxy has long slotted chenda asa male domain.

Marar’s swansong at Angadipuramon May 4 turned out to be part of afamily pilgrimage. “Achhan took us allto a string of shrines aroundAngadipuram,” says Harish. Theystayed in the family home atKodakara, 20 km north ofAnnamanada. “In hindsight, it seemssurreal.”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The writer is a keen follower ofKerala’s traditional performing arts.

Once Mamata Banerjee as acando rail ministerorganised a special trainfrom Kolkata to Bengaluru

for students stranded by an Air Indiastrike. The students were headingout there for medical collegeexaminations. At that time, Bengalhad 1,205 medical seats on off��er.Karnataka, despite a smallerpopulation, had 4,500.

I don’t know if the irony oforganising an exodus from SonarBangla struck Banerjee at all. Now, itfeels doubly ironic that Didi wholikes to think of herself as theguardian angel of all things Bengalishould be presiding over the slowmotion shattering of a cherishedBengali dream: a child becoming adoctor.

Ever since I can remember, allmiddleclass Bengalis have dreamedof a doctor in the family. If not a son,at least a soninlaw. In these moremodern times, daughters were alsoallowed into the dream. Doctor,lawyer, engineer were all desirablebut a doctor in the family was at thehead of the list.

Family prideMy parents’ and grandparents’generation knew the names offamous doctors the way we know thenames of rockstars. CardiologistSunil Bose. Surgeon Panchanan

Chatterjee. GynaecologistSarat Mitra whose famous

‘twilight sleep’ injections

would entice even memsahibs tocome from England for delivery.Bidhan Chandra Roy, doctor andChief Minister. My greatgreatgrandmother’s sister was married todoctor and philanthropist Sir NilRatan Sircar. It was a matter of greatpride in the family. Now NRS isbetter known as the hospital wheretruckloads of angry people attackedjunior doctors, leaving an internwith a head injury that could keephim on epileptic medicines all hislife.

I didn’t become a civil engineerlike my father because he couldn’t goto anyone’s house without beingshown a leak in the ceiling. Icertainly didn’t want to become adoctor and have some uncle cornerme at a family wedding, pull up hisdhoti and show me some weird rashon his leg. When you are a doctor,there is never a free dinner but thereis always a free consultation. Itdoesn’t matter if you are aneurosurgeon. You are expected tobe an expert in the digestive woes ofsundry aunts.

A couple of my closest friends didbecome doctors. My onlycontribution to their slog was doing

a few of their histology diagrams forsome project. But when my motherfell sick while I was abroad, mydoctor friend assumed allresponsibility and risk. When myfather had a heart attack, themedical college friends kept vigil athospitals, talked to their “sirs” and“ma’ams”, and deciphered testresults and Xrays.

On our school WhatsApp group,it’s the doctors who have deservedlybecome the Most Valuable Alumni,not longago class toppers. Everyoneneeds a “doctor friend” especially asparents age. I am just lucky that mydoctor friends were always friendsfi��rst and then doctors.

Justified frustrationIt is perhaps a sign of the failure ofour healthcare system that it is soimportant to know a doctor up close.In an ideal world, every patientwalking into a hospital shouldwarrant the same attention, thesame service. But in anoverstretched system, it is a realitythat your doctor friend gets you thatcoveted appointment with the busyspecialist or extra care in thehospital.

That is the source of the justifi��edfrustration of those who don’t have adoctor cousin/ friend on speed dial,those who have to depend on thewhims and vagaries of anoverburdened system. However, thatcan never be an excuse for thrashingjunior doctors or for political silenceon the assault. That doctors shouldhave to march on the street withplacards reading ‘Stop ViolenceAgainst Doctors’ is shameful. That aChief Minister should compare adoctor’s job with a policeman’s ispreposterous. Selfdefence is notpart of the MBBS curriculum yet.

This week, Banerjee fi��nallyplayed kindly Didi, instead ofbullying Big Sister, and ended thestrike. “I know a thing or two abouthospitals because I’ve been beatenenough in my life,” she said,disarmingly. But there is morehealing to be done. As a doctornoted bitterly, the Chief Ministerrushed to the rescue of a statue witha broken head but not to the bedsideof a young man left with a dentedskull. Thankfully, she’s done thatnow. But the Hippocratic oath aboutdoing no harm might need a newcorollary of doing no harm to thedoctors as well.

My doctor, my friendThe Great Bengali Dream takes a beating

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It doesn’t matter if you are aneurosurgeon. You areexpected to be an expert in thedigestive woes of sundry aunts

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Sandip Roy is the author of Don’t Let Him Know , and like many Bengalis likes to let everyone knowabout his opinions whether asked or not.

GETTY IMAGES/ ISTOCK

CULTURE

South Asia in focus

The Grosvenor Gallery in London presents aseminal show of South Asian modern art. In anattempt to start a conversation on theunderrated Indian Modernist movement, theexhibit looks at notable figures such as Souza,Ram Kumar, M.F. Husain and J. Swaminathan.

Apollo’s muse

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of theApollo 11 moon landing, the Met will host anexhibition that traces visual representations ofthe moon from the beginning of photography tothe present. Photos apart, the show will featuredrawings, prints and astronomical instruments.

HYDERABAD THE HINDU MagazineSunday, June 23, 201914 FIELD NOTES

Thirtytwoyearold SumitaChavan* never saw herhusband’s everyday assaults asa form of violence until she

walked into Room No. 101 at the OPDin Mumbai’s K.B. Bhabha Hospital.“My husband loves me very much,” avisibly bruised Chavan told thecounsellor, “but he just can’t controlhis anger.”

A mother of two, Chavan wasreferred here from the hospital’scasualty department where shesought pain relief for multiplecontusions on her body. Chavan wasreticent at fi��rst, but when she fi��nallybegan talking to the counsellor, whatemerged was a long history of verbaland physical abuse over 10 years ofmarriage.

She spoke of doing houseworkfrom morning to midnight; she wasnot allowed to visit her parents oreven step out for a walk; her husbandwould beat her for the slightest reason— if he was not served food on time, ifthe food was not hot enough, if hismother was not served fresh rotis or ifshe happened to talk to her relatives.But he also bought her clothes, gaveher enough money to run the house.“So Sumita did not realise herhusband’s behaviour was abusive,”said counsellor Chitra Joshi.

Room No. 101 was the country’sfi��rst Dilaasa crisis centre for domesticviolence, which was set up in 2000 incollaboration with Cehat (Centre for

Enquiry Into Health and AlliedThemes). Here, counsellors aretrained to help women open up aboutthe violence they may face in theirhomes — abuse they often don’trecognise as abuse. The counsellorswork closely with doctors and hospitalstaff��, who are sensitised to detectpossible traces of domestic abuse —whether in seemingly mundaneailments like a recurring urinary tractinfection or something more seriouslike frequent miscarriages. They aretrained to ask questions, but to neverpress; then, if needed, to discreetlyrefer the women to a Dilaasacounsellor.

Hidden phenomenonAccording to recent National FamilyHealth Survey data, one in threeIndian women is subjected tophysical, sexual or emotional abuse byher husband at some point in life. Andyet, domestic violence remains ahidden phenomenon, and few womenever seek help. Today, nearly a decadeafter the Dilaasa centre at K.B. BhabhaHospital was set up, the model hasbeen replicated in 12 other civicrunhospitals in Mumbai and in 30 centresin Kerala, Meghalaya, Gujarat,Haryana and Goa.

“We have created a place that isnonthreatening. A place where

women can simply sit and vent theirheart out,” said Joshi, who is in chargeof Mumbai’s Dilaasa centres. Joshi,however, notices a disquietingtendency among women to rationalisethe abuse. “They tell us they werebeaten because they did somethingwrong: ‘I did not cook on time, I madetasteless food, I did not clean thehouse well’.” This also explains why amere 10% of women who come toDilaasa centres fi��le complaints ofdomestic violence. “We have toexplain to them that nothing is anexcuse for violence.”

In the one year since Dilaasabecame operational at the bustlingHospicio hospital in Margao, Goa, 182cases have been referred to it. Apartfrom referring female patients withinexplicable injuries, doctors also leanon the centre for medicolegal advicein cases of sexual violence. “Asdoctors, we are afraid of gettingcaught up in legal tangles,” saidLawrence Gomes, a juniorgynaecologist at Hospicio, who helpedset up the centre. “But a course byCehat changed this mindset.” It alsostreamlined the process of examiningsexual violence survivors.

In this small, unremarkable roomwith bare walls, a table, and twochairs, a session lasts around 40minutes, and followups areencouraged, though they happen toorarely. The centre has to maintain afi��ne balance: it seeks to help, but mustalso ensure that its eff��orts do notresult in further violence against thewomen.

“Some women fi��rst deny that theirhusband beat them, but if their

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The interpreters of injuriesAt a Dilaasa centre, survivors of domestic violence get medicalhelp. But also a friend they can turn to

JYOTI SHELAR, RAHUL KARMAKAR &

SHIREEN AZAM

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Counsellors notice a disquietingtendency among women torationalise the abuse Soul talk Counsellors talk to a survivor at a Dilaasa support centre in Shillong. RITU RAJ KONWAR


commission. Scores of others onlyget tired and broke. What if all theenergy that goes into acompetition was used to thinkabout the project in all itscomplexity, along withstakeholders, neighbours, futureusers, and fellow designers?

Instead of banking on thecreative genius of an individualthat stands above all others — wewould be better off�� harvestingreadily available local knowledgeand nurturing collective creativity.There is nothing that stimulatesimagination more than a healthyimmersion into local realities.

When a genuine interest forpeople and their context drivesdesign, there is much more chancethat the public sees the project asmeaningful and legitimate.Projects that land from outer spaceare rarely met with muchenthusiasm locally and are often

must be told by manyvoices — voices that canoften contradict eachother. A talentedarchitect feeds off�� thesecontradiction and fi��nds ways toresolve them creatively.

Still, even with a fantasticprogramme, which expresses thecharacteristics of a specifi��c contextand conveys a multiplicity ofperspectives, design competitionsremain wasteful aff��airs.

Tired and brokeDozens, sometimes hundreds, ofdesigners work from their studiosfor weeks in the hope of winning aprize. A handful of winners getrewards and perhaps a

relevant or not. Countless winningdesign entries are never actualisedbecause they were produced intotal abstraction, divorced fromground realities.

Le Corbusier said that toproduce a good design, one needstalent, but in order to produce agood programme, one needsgenius. The programme is whatcomes before design.

It is virtually impossible toproduce a meaningful designproject without it. It is thestoryboard of the project — whereit is located, what it will do, whowill use it and in what ways, whowill pay for it, how it will bedeveloped. It can include dataabout surface areas, heights,density, cost, but it goes farbeyond the quantitative.

A good programme doesn’temerge from the mind of a singleindividual. It comes fromexplorations, discussions andimmersion. Most importantly, it isa collective process. The story of aplace to be designed and built

Abutterfl��y garden in NewDelhi? A cultural hub inParis? A waterfront inBrooklyn? Lets call for an

international competition andselect the best entry! Sounds like agood idea in theory, but in practiceit is complicated.

First, designers rarely have theinformation they need to create agood design. They may have siteplans, purpose, details of users,budgets. But design competitionbriefs rarely include the kind ofqualitative information essentialfor an architectural or urbandesign project to relate to itscontext meaningfully.

How is the site used? How openare local residents to the project?Is the project just the friendly faceof a predatory real estate venture?Who its main proponents? Dozensof parameters that are diffi��cult toinclude in a design brief will in theend make the design either

opposed by those they aresupposed to serve. Instead ofwasting competition money onprojects that fl��oat above groundrealities, let’s use these resourcesto invite enthusiastic designers tolocations so they can brainstormand ideate with the public, in situ.This will produce projects that arenot only qualitatively better, butalso more relevant and feasible.

If this sounds like a new idea tosome, it isn’t. About a century ago,Patrick Geddes, a visionaryScottish urbanist who spent part ofhis life in India and Israel,organised ‘civic pageants’. Theseevents aimed at engaging thecommon man in urban aff��airs.Even today, this remains a betteridea than competing with peers.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The writers are co-founders ofurbz.net, an urban network inMumbai, Goa and beyond.

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A competitionthat can’t be wonWinning design entries are never actualised asthey are produced in total abstraction,divorced from ground realities

MATIAS ECHANOVE &

RAHUL SRIVASTAVA

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Le Corbusier said that toproduce a good design, oneneeds talent, but in order toproduce a good programme,one needs genius


Sunday, June 23, 2019 15FIELD NOTES

husband does so again, theyremember that we off��ered tolisten, and they come back,” saysa counsellor. “We are like a friendthey can turn to,” said CelineMiranda, a paediatrician and thepoint of contact for bothcounsellors and doctors withDilaasa in Margao. She is nowmaking ‘emotional treatment’ apriority. “Whenever there is anillness or injury, we generally justlook at medical aid, not at thepossible emotional impact.”

Emotional succour is exactlywhat is off��ered to the 25 survivorsof domestic violence and sexualabuse who gather once a

obligation to support her, whocan walk out, or get married tosomeone else,” said Joy GraceSyiem, the programme managerfor the Meghalaya unit of NEN.Between 2011 and 2018, Iohlyntihandled 398 cases of domesticviolence. Four or fi��ve cases ofphysical, verbal, and fi��nancialabuse are reported here everyday.

But the interventions byIohlynti and fi��eldworkers ofassociated governmentdepartments have increasedawareness tremendously.“Domestic violence continues,but unlike in the past, women donot take years to report. Thetolerance to violence has reduced— and that’s been our biggestimpact,” said Syiem.

*Some names changed toprotect identity.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Shireen Azam is a freelance writerbased in Goa.

fortnight in a nondescript centreat a hospital in Shillong, to meetDhanmaya. She isn’t aprofessional counsellor, but thewomen relate to Dhanmaya morethan anyone else, and she tothem: she sees her past in theirstories. Dhanmaya works atIohlynti, a support centre set upby NGO North East Network(NEN) with Dilaasa’s help atShillong’s Ganesh Das Maternaland Child Health Hospital.

No insulationMeghalaya’s three principalcommunities — Khasi, Jaintia andGaro — are matrilineal, but thatdoes not insulate their womenagainst violence. Police recordssay the cases have increased from172 in 2007 to 594 in 2017.“Cohabitation without having toget married has been a majorcause of violence. In rural areas,15yearolds get pregnant and livewith the man who has no

A

The centre has tomaintain a fine balance:it seeks to help, butmust also ensure that itsefforts don’t result infurther violence


16

As a little boy, Rajeev Manikandan vividlyrecalls watching the Aranmula kannadi(mirror) emerge bright and shining fromhis grandfather’s forge every day. Now 38,

Manikandan is one of the few people who knowthe alchemy behind the handmade alloy mirror,which, with its GI tag, has made the small town ofAranmula in Kerala's Pathanamthitta districtfamous.

Manikandan would watch wideeyed as hisgrandfather made moulds from clay, forged analloy and polished it for days until it had the rightshine that gave the surface its distinctive mirrorlike surface. Manikandan learnt the craft bywatching and began working with his father whenhe was 18. Today, his is one of just fi��ve families inAranmula that are keepers of the secret behind themetallic mirror. He owns Manikanda Handicrafts atan entrance to the Aranmula Parthasarathytemple, one of 24 such units owned by the fi��vefamilies.

Manikandan’s day begins early. After prayers atthe temple, he enters his forge by 7 in the morningand works till 4 in the evening. Work is never easy— there is fi��re, soot and grime. As the demand forthe mirror has grown, he has had to ramp upproduction.

Last year, the fl��oods unleashed misery,inundating the units for four days. The alumni ofMaharaja’s College, Ernakulam, helped them beginproduction within a month. Manikandan considershimself lucky to be able to practise the centuriesold craft. He hopes the magic of the goldenhuedmirror, with a unique hologram to distinguish itfrom cheaper imitations, will continue to be forgedby the younger generation.

In the mould A worker at a forge mixes clay from paddy fields to make mouldsfor the famed mirror.

In touch The mould is shaped by hand. Magic metal Tin and copper, in a specific ratio, are heated to create an alloy disc. Red hot The heated mixture is poured onto a terracotta surface.

Square pegs, round holes The alloy is fitted into the clay mould.

Polish off The metal disc is ready for polishing.

Shine on An Aranmula mirror, with its distinctive surface, is ready.

Fired upThe mould with

the alloy is heated again.

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Smoke and

mirrors Out of soot and mudemerges the famousAranmula mirror

FRAMED HYDERABAD THE HINDU MagazineSunday, June 23, 2019 17

Mirror, mirror The Aranmula kannadi in full glory.

IMAGES AND TEXT BY THULASI KAKKAT

18 Literary Review

It is easy to see why A.K.Ramanujan’s presence in Indianletters is canonical. Culturallysophisticated, intellectually

exploratory, never doctrinaire, he isboth pathfi��nder and trailblazer.Always a step ahead of his reader, hisessays, translations and poemscontinue to point to a tantalisingspectrum of traditions, approaches,possibilities. “Look,” his work seemsto say, “There’s more. There’s more.”

But it was when revisiting histranslations of the mystic, Nammalvar,that my admiration turned to awe. Ittakes an accomplished poet to make alongdead poet relevant in translation.It takes an extraordinary poet to makea thousand years seem a mereheartbeat away. Ramanujan (AKR)infuses living sap into Nammalvar.Green, wetly alive, Hymns for theDrowning would probably rank amongmy top fi��ve volumes of mystical poetryin the world.

Although he died prematurely atthe age of 64 in 1993, AKR’s workendures. And the work is plenty.Which made me approach his recentlypublished diaries (Journeys: A Poet’sDiary) with some anxiety. Would thismean wading through reams of leadenprose — or what modernday lingo sosuccinctly terms TMI?

Thankfully not. Jointly edited byAKR’s son, Krishna, and scholar,Guillermo Rodriguez, this compilationof diaries from over fi��ve decades willinterest poets, researchers and AKRafi��cionados. Its greatest contributionis to reveal how Ramanujan’simpressive oeuvre was yoked to anunrelenting quest for selfdiscovery —indeed, for wholeness.

Why does this book tick? Severalreasons. One is the simple consolationof knowing that corrosive selfdoubtcan assail even the most fêted writers.AKR is not merely candid andunsparing; he can be positively selffl��agellating. In 1951, he rues: “I’mneither regular nor daring. I’mmorally feckless too...” Ten years later,he describes himself “as serious, oftenhumourless, intense, inept”. Hewrites: “There are hundreds of youngmen like me in India. We are futile. Wehave no purpose, nopolitics.” Or again: “Why amI not impressive, witty,handsome, skillful...? O tobe ...selfcertain ineverything one does. To liveat the core of oneself...”

Nagging tensionsHe is acutely aware that hiserudition runs the risk ofturning into merebookishness: “Ratna...said... that nothing to me isvalid unless I can fi��nd agreat writer to have said itearlier.” Or again: “GS Rao...tells me that I’ve read toomuch, asks me to think formyself. How to?”

The tension between ambition andidealism is a nagging one. In 1978, heberates himself for “serious selfdoubt,passivity”. And in 1979 he declares:“As a writer or thinker, I’m quite anamateur. At fi��fty this is appalling,because I’m surrounded byprofessionals whom I envy, admire...Things I’ve talked about for yearsdon’t get written — others discover thesame things... and write them uprapidly and well... One of the fi��rstfears of ageing... of being

unexpressed, of having missed theboat...” (Interestingly, this savageselfcritique is written three years afterhe received the Padma Shri!)

The desire for selfimprovement isunfl��agging. In 1951, he writes: “Learntwo languages/ Read Indian history/Build a fi��rm physique, and good/habits/ Cultivate an art.” And 32 yearslater, he is still at it: “1. Keep a journalhandy 2. Work on poems every day 3.Cut down the chatter, reject mostconferences, lectures, papers...” Atage 60, we still fi��nd him ruefullyrefl��ecting on what has yet not beenachieved: “writing a good novel, andbecoming a Jungian therapist.”

Apart from the fastidious, almostnitpicking quest for authenticity,there is a gnawing sense ofinadequacy about translating life into

language. “...I lookat things avidly, feelinsensitive and rageat my insensitivity...The world looks likea woman, beautifuland inviting, butalready someoneelse’s wife.” There isalso a poignant noteof regret aboutbeing celebratedmore as scholartranslator than poet(despite the latterbeing his primaryselfdefi��nition).

The diaries arealso signifi��cant as atestament of an

artist’s evolution. From the man whoquotes others to validate his insights,we see him growing into the poetcapable of dryly asserting: “I mustseek and will fi��nd/ my own particularhell only in my Hindu mind”. Fromthe young academic trying toreconcile a piecemeal inheritance, wesee the confi��dent translator capable ofasserting that he is “an alternatingmultiple monolingual, rather than amultilingual.”

We also see the artist articulating

complex stances: never narrowlyparochial, and yet deeply concernedwith belonging. Speaking of his ilk in1960, he writes, “We dream ofEngland, of meeting Albert Schweitzerand Aldous Huxley (to discuss Hinduthought and to ask whether he writesevery morning before breakfast): wehave hardly seen our own country...[The problem is] we have uprootedourselves without the advantages ofexile...”

No easy labelsAKR described himself pithily as “thehyphen in IndoAmerican studies”.This meant a lifetime of intellectualnegotiation, as he sought to maintain acreative tension between rootednessand cosmopolitanism. He refused tofall into the easy categories ofalienated Indian artist or culturalchauvinist. “It’s RK Narayan... whowrites the best fi��ction in English, notany of the betterread Oxfordaccented, foreignreturned, allusiveyoung men,” he asserts at one point.And yet, he refuses to settle for anysimpleminded notion of Indianness.“This is no reversion to patriotism;patriotism is a primitive evil.”

The diaries also off��er theintermittent pleasure of anecdote.AKR’s ambivalent refl��ections onspiritual writer Eknath Easwaran in1959 are particularly enjoyable. Thereis admiration, but AKR is honestenough to admit to possible envy:“[Easwaran] craves for nothing, isn’tnervy, does everything he wants — hesays it’s because of his mystic prayers,I think it’s because of his fi��nancialsecurity.”

Particularly valuable are the fl��ashesof insight into the creative process.Poem fragments surface in theirnascent avatars. Certain tropes surfacerecurrently too — grace; the hyphen;houses; ladders; stairs. There arepersistent preoccupations as well,particularly the need for selfdiscoverythrough dream journal andintrospection. Is there only “a sharedwaking”? Can there also be “a shared

Like a dreamStairs make arecurringappearance inAKR’s diaries.(Facing page) Thepoet. GETTY IMAGES/ ISTOCK &

T.A. HAFEEZ

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Thebewildermentof ecstasy AKR’s diaries are full of self-doubt andexistential questions. But the biggest takeaway is the insight they give into a poet’s search forthe mainspring of his creativity

ARUNDHATHI SUBRAMANIAM

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He writes:There arehundreds ofyoung menlike me inIndia. We arefutile. Wehave nopurpose, nopolitics

HYDERABAD THE HINDU MagazineSunday, June 23, 2019 19Amitav Ghosh’s new novel

throws itself at climatechange with all the urgencyof a Quixote p22

Siyasi Muslims tries to study how contemporarynotions of Muslim identity areproduced and sustained p24

dreaming”? These are the existentialquestions that churn at the heart of hismeticulouslyrecorded mescalineexperiences in 1971 (undeniably one ofthe book’s high points).

More personally, reading thesediaries meant uncovering unexpectedsymmetries. When I met the poetGieve Patel in May this year, hehappened to mention AKR’s dreamjournals. Reading the diaries thatnight, I discovered that AKR had metPatel in May exactly 21 years ago! Theyhad discussed dream journals thentoo. It felt like an intergenerationalpoets’ conversation was under way.The synchronicity was oddly pleasing.

The recurrent image of stairsintrigued me. Recording a dream in1971, AKR writes “... A great mansion...a narrow spiral staircase on which I gohigher and higher, fearful of theheight... Supposed to be going for apoetry reading of my own poetry...,and never seem to get [there]...” In1979, the image recurs. He recallsreading the Symposium where Platospeaks of “how one goes up a ladderof abstractions... to Beauty, singular,capital, out of this world. I could neverfi��nd that ladder.”

New possibilitiesThe fear of never fi��nding the ladder isenduring. It is banished to somedegree under the experience ofmescaline. But the drug also seems todeepen the existential quest. AKR’sdogged commitment to selfimprovement is now accompanied bya growing curiosity about selftransformation. His poetry recognises(even before his prose) that thisradical shift cannot be achieved inincremental steps, but only in theleap. And so, in ‘Chicago Zen’, there isa glimpse of a new possibility: a stairthat never was, and never needed tobe. “Watch your step,” the poet says,“watch it, I say,... watch/ for the last/

step that’s never there.” Girish Karnad’s blurb draws

attention to AKR’s intellectualversatility, which is in abundantevidence. But the deeper legacy of thediaries is the insight into an artist insearch of the deeper mainsprings ofthe creative enterprise. When AKRspeaks in the Mescaline Notes of the“fi��nal dissolution and ecstasy —/ somuch longedfor,” he seems tochannel the mystic poets whofascinated him, including the godcrazed Manikkavachakar (whom hetranslated so memorably in Speakingof Siva): “unswerving, I lost mycleverness/ in the bewilderment ofecstasy.” It is here that one fi��nds AKR’sdeepest level of quest: how to deepenpassion into “possession”. How tointegrate the contemplative with theecstatic, the Apollonian with theDionysian, without giving way to“irony or melodrama”. How to yokeselfpossession with selfforgetfulness.

Between the horizontal hyphenand the vertical ladder, AKR’s diariesretrace a deeply human journeywhere balance and aspiration are notfrozen ideals but dynamic states thathave to be worked out every singleday. They are testimony to an artistwho knew that without obsession,possession is an impossibility. Whoknew that you have to keep looking forladders until one day, if you are lucky,in a fl��ash of unbidden grace, they fi��ndyou.

And then comes the ‘aha’ — themoment when the traveller realises,however fl��eetingly, that journeysnever end; that “the speed, theslowness, the interval” remain. It isthe moment that makes AKR exclaimin a soaring octave of discovery andhomecoming in one of his startling‘Soma’ poems: “The great ladder nowhas rungs.”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The author is a poet and writer.

c

The fear of never finding theladder is enduring. It isbanished to some degreeunder the experience ofmescaline. But the drug alsoseems to deepen theexistential quest

carries on. Did it come to India fromPersia, as many believe, or did it, assome hold, originate in India? Iremember that an ardent South Indianchef told me many years ago thatreferences to riceandmeat dishes canbe found in Sangam literature.

Perhaps. But the Mughals did theirbit, too. My goto biryani person isPratibha Karan, whose book Biryani(2009) is my bible. She writes: “TheIndian subcontinent owes a deep debtto the Muslim community, for it is theywho introduced the gamut of biryanisand pulaos to us.”

Regional variationsIf you are a biryanipulao enthusiastand like to cook them at home, youshould try out her recipes. She refersto regional diff��erences (the use ofmustard seeds in Bengal, chillies inSouth Maharashtra, the local kaimarice in Kerala, and kala bhaat inHyderabad, for instance) and goes onto cite various kinds of dishes andrecipes.

Lucknow has its ananas biryani —cooked with lamb and pineapple —and rose biryani, prepared with meat,fl��avoured with rose water andgarnished with dried rose petals. Delhihas an orange biryani and Hyderabad,a doodh biryani of mutton and milk.

“Though Tamil Nadu cannot boastof any signifi��cant Muslim dynasty,many of its towns are famous for theirbiryanis,” she writes and mentions theDindigul, Salem and Ambur varieties.“And, yes, each town is fi��ercely proudof its own biryani,” she adds.

There are some nice rice recipes inMadhur Jaff��rey’s A Taste Of India: TheDefi��nitive Guide To Regional Cooking.She writes about “a tiny Moplah lady...(who) leads me into her kitchen whereshe will prepare my lunch.” And thenshe goes on to describe the prawnpulao which, she is told, must beeaten with fried prawns.

Prawn pulao can be delightful, butwhat about vegetable biryanis? Arethey, to come back to the debate, any

good? “Despite the overreachingdominance of Mughal culture overmuch of North India, especiallyLucknow, it is home to somewonderful vegetable biryanis.Beans, peas, caulifl��ower andcarrots are cooked with rice tocreate this delicious dish,” Karan

writes.To each, her own. Eat, and let eat,

I say.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The writer likes reading and writingabout food as much as he doescooking and eating it. Well, almost.

THOUGHT FOR FOODCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

Biryani banterCan such a thing as a vegetable biryani be taken seriously?

RAHUL VERMA


A

There’s aFather’s Day,

and aDoctor’s Day.

Whyshouldn’t a

day bedevoted topulaos and

biryanis?

Social media forwards tend to berepetitive. Some of the jokes, infact, come back so often that myWhatsApp platform seems like a

revolving door. Once in a while,though, I do get a new post that fi��lls mewith joy. One such was a cartoon thatarrived last week from a friendholidaying in Kerala.

It shows a battlefi��eld. Two men inarmour are looking at scores of men,riddled with arrows, lying on the fi��eld.How do we know they are dead andare not pretending, one man asks theother.

The second man announcessolemnly: ‘Vegetable biryani is actuallygood.’

Immediately, the soldiers playingdead begin to laugh.

I laughed too, for the debate overvegetable biryani has been raging onsocial media for quite a while now.Some months ago, I met one of theinitiators of the debate, lawyer SanjayHegde, at a lunch. “What do you thinkof vegetable biryani,” was almost thefi��rst question he asked me.

It turns out some people do believethat a vegetable biryani can be tasty.And some — like the notsodeadsoldiers — laugh derisively at the verythought of it.

Now, I believe some ardent foodieshave decided that June 25 should beknown as International Pulao BiryaniDay. Fair enough. There’s Father’s Dayand Doctor’s Day. Why not a day bedevoted to pulaos and biryanis? TheIndore Bloggers Association celebratedthe day with great gusto (and somegreat rice dishes, too, I am sure) twoyears ago.

On food blogs and social media,however, the great biryani debate

HYDERABAD THE HINDU MagazineSunday, June 23, 201920 Literary Review

Someone had once askedAbdullah Khan, the author ofPatna Blues, which team herooted for during an India

Pakistan cricket match. Thethoughtless query is par for the coursefor most Muslims in the country. “Iwas born in a Muslim family, so I’mMuslim; I was born in India, so I amIndian. The two don’t have to becontradictory: I am both Muslim andIndian,” Khan remembers answering.

This is one of the many instanceswhere the author and banker hadbeen made to realise his status as aminority. I meet Khan at an al frescocafé a few metres away from an AxisBank branch in Mumbai where heworks in the compliance department.We discuss his debut novel, PatnaBlues, published last year, that hadtaken two laborious decades to fi��nish.It’s the tale of Arif Khan, a youngBihari Muslim who dares to desire aHindu woman. Running through thislove story are strands of caste,discrimination and nationalism. Bornin Pandari, a village near Motihari inBihar, the author studied in an Urdumedium school before encounteringEnglish at the age of seven. But he wasso bewitched by the language that hetook it upon himself to write a novel inEnglish. Excerpts from an interview:

When did you first encounterstories?■ I was always hungry for stories. If anaunt would visit, the fi��rst thing I wouldask is if she knew any stories. If theydidn’t have anything ready, they’dmake something up with Sheikh Chilli,a fi��ctional character who was amischiefmaker. When I was seven oreight, my father gifted me a Hindi BalBharti. I thought it was a text for thenext academic year, but then heexplained it was a book of stories.

What sparked the desire tobecome a writer?■ I was helping my brother with anEnglish assignment and I came acrossan excerpt from George Orwell’sAnimal Farm. I started thinking that

since such a great writer was born inmy home town, I must follow in hisfootsteps. I must have been 21 then: Ifelt a great urge to be a writer.

How did Patna Blues happen?■ It was the day Arundhati Roy’s TheGod of Small Things won the BookerPrize in 1997. The same day, Ipurchased a fancy spiralboundnotebook and a fountain pen. The fi��rstchapter was mostly inspired by AmitChaudhuri’s writing style (chuckles). Iwas able to fi��nish fi��ve to six chaptersquickly. I got it typed for ₹��25 per pageand sent it to Mary Mount, an editor atPicador, by registered post, for ₹��90.She wrote back saying, “You have fi��rein your writing, but it’s not ready forpublication and you should workhard.”

Why did Patna Blues take so longto reach the bookshelves?■ I stopped writing after getting a jobin Bank of Baroda. After my weddingin 2002, my wife was dusting thehouse one day and she found my[manuscript] and the newspapercuttings of old articles. And she almostblackmailed me to continue. I used towrite longhand with pen and paperand she would type it out. I thenwrote to literary agent and authorNoah Lukeman, who wrote back andtold me about Joseph Conrad whodidn’t know English till the age of 20.Lukeman said only those people arepublished who work hard andpersevere. It was 2005 and I keptrewriting the fi��rst few chapters — Irewrote it 200 times. I would fi��nishwriting, then I would readsomething by a big writer and feellow. In 2009, I fi��nished the fi��rstdraft of the book. I sent it to[literary agent] Kanishka Gupta.The feedback I got wasdevastating. Finally, I signed acontract with Juggernaut in 2016.The book was published inSeptember 2018.

There’s now news of Patna Bluesbeing adapted into a web series...■ A big Bollywood director called totell me that he loved the book and

IN CONVERSATION CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

Abdullah Khan, the author of Patna Blues, on his Motihari connection and the long struggle to become a writer

DEBORAH CORNELIOUS

‘I rewrote it 200 times’

A

It is the taleof a youngBihari Muslimwho dares todesire aHinduwoman.Runningthrough thislove story arestrands ofcaste,discriminationandnationalism

Storyteller AuthorAbdullah Khan.EMMANUAL YOGINI

Guthli has wings

Tulika’s latest release, Guthli Has Wings byKanak Shashi, tackles gender identity head-on.Just in time for Pride Month, the story followsthe ups and downs Guthli and her family gothrough. The book has vibrant cut-outillustrations and was first published in 2015.

BOOKMARK

The Edible WomanAfter the success of The Handmaid’s Tale ,Entertainment One has picked up MargaretAtwood’s 1969 debut novel, The Edible Woman ,to be adapted into a TV series next. It revolvesaround Marian McAlpin’s strange case of beingunable to eat ever since getting engaged.


Sunday, June 23, 2019 21Literary Review

The fi��rst ever biography ofcalligrapher and typedesigner Hermann Zapf is ahandsome book, designed by

the biographer, Jerry Kelly, himself.His overarching personal collection ofZapf material is virtually an archive,prompting even Zapf to say once,“You know my work better than I do.”Kelly demurred modestly, but hisHermann Zapf and the World HeDesigned shows how spoton Zapfwas. This heavily illustratedbiography explores Zapf’s prodigiouswork intimately, while warmlyevoking his life.

For those not familiar with Zapf,he was the greatest type designer themodern world has ever known, andan equally elegant calligrapher andbook designer. Kelly fi��rst met thistowering lettering artist in July 1979when he signed up for a summercourse in calligraphy that Zapf hadinitiated at the Rochester Institute ofTechnology. Refl��ecting over this inthe biography, Kelly comments that if

you had told him then, as hewaited outside that fi��rst dayof class for an early glimpse

of the Master, that he would go onone day to become Zapf’s friend,colleague and fi��nally his biographer,he “would have thought you trulymad.”

Kelly and his wife, Nancy, wouldbecome lifelong friends with Zapf andhis wife, Gudrun, who is also a fi��necalligrapher, typedesigner andbookbinder. One of my favouriteillustrations in the book is a personalholiday card of the Zapfs: the greetingis printed in Gudrun’s Ariadne initialsand Diotima italic (which Kelly feels is“one of the most beautiful italictypefaces” out there) andtypographically arranged by Zapf. Itwas their own personal favouriteamong the things they designed.

Zapf’s story properly begins in1935 when he was 16 and chanced ona calligraphic exhibition inNuremberg of the German master,Rudolf Koch. Then and there, Zapfdecided to become a calligrapher. Hecame from a poor family, but with themeagre pocket money he had, hebought lettering manuals and taughthimself calligraphy. Soon, he waswriting out calligraphic manuscripts;one of the most striking was writtenin gold and silver ink on a Japanese

paper dyed purple. His stellar careerin type design began when he wasjust in his 20s, for the Stempel typefoundry in Frankfurt. One of themwas Palatino, a widely used andadmired typeface today. Kelly saysZapf loved arranging specimens oftype in inventive ways, and in 1954came his masterpiece, ManualeTypographicum, a gorgeous display ofthe complete alphabet in varioustypographic arrangements. Publishedas an oblong 12”x9” folio, it was anentirely new kind of type specimenbook, says Kelly.

Printer’s artZapf set some rules for himself: eachpage had to show a completealphabet (A to Z) and it would be onlyin two colours, red and black, and thetext used would be evocativequotations related to the felicity andbeauty of letters. It was printed on apaper that had “a sensuous, texturedsurface”. Kelly hails ManualeTypographicum as “a masterpiece ofthe printer’s art. It will forever rankamong the greatest works oftypography and printing.”

Typophiles, and even Zapfscholars, will fi��nd the biography ofimmense value for the intricatedetails Kelly provides for every formof lettering and bookmaking createdby him: several key Zapf typefaces,for instance (whether metal, photoset or digital), get a blowbyblowaccount of how they wereaccomplished, from trial drawings totheir commercial release. Hedesigned more than 200 exceptionaltypefaces, and everyone has herfavourites; mine are Zapf Civilite, anenchanting calligraphic typeface cutin metal, and Zapf Renaissance, adigital face with fl��ourished swashcharacters.

The biography also devoteschapters to the great companionshipand working life Zapf and Gudrunshared in their marriage. Over thedecades, Kelly and Nancy often madetrips to their beautiful booklinedhome in Darmstadt, Germany, rightup to a few months before Zapf’sdeath in 2015. (Gudrun is 101, andreleased her fi��rst digital font lastyear). Rather than a dense,overwrought biography, HermannZapf and the World He Designed is adeft, aff��ectionate, and fi��nely drawnportrait of a magnifi��cent, gentle artistwho devoted his life to makingletterforms as beautiful, useful andlegible as they could possibly be.

A TYPOPHILE’S NOTESCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

The man behindZapf Dingbats

Letter man The title page of the new book on Hermann Zapf. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Pradeep Sebastian is a bibliophile, columnist and critic.

PRADEEP SEBASTIAN

He devoted his life to making letterforms as beautiful and useful as they could be

Publishing conclave

The third edition of the OUP South AsiaConclave will be held in New Delhi on July 11. Theone-day event will discuss issues pertaining toSouth Asia. The panels, as in the past couple ofyears, will be structured around significant titlespublished by Oxford University Press.

Online auction of first editions

StoryLTD’s auction dedicated to first editions,signed and limited edition books returns for itssecond iteration with a 24-hour online auction onJune 25 (visit storyltd.com). Items include firsteditions of Gandhi’s My Experiments with Truthand a collection of 26 signed works by Rushdie.

wanted to make a web series for aninternational streaming platform. It’s inthe works. The contract is such that Ican’t talk about the details of theproject — it’s under consideration.

You’ve also written for televisionand the big screen. How did thathappen? ■ I’ve always been interested in fi��lmsand I’ve also tried to get into acting —tried to become a hero when I was incollege. In 201516, a wellknownauthor posted on Facebook about aChannel V project, which was planningto adapt classics for Indian television —Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, JaneAusten, etc. Mine was called Rehaanmeets Jamila based on Romeo andJuliet. They liked three stories, one ofwhich was mine. I started staying intouch with producers and directors. Ina stroke of bad luck, the channel headleft and the project was scrapped. Now,people get in touch with me. Earlier, Iused to chase them.

What have you worked on so far? ■ I wrote a project for ShashankaGhosh (director of Veere Di Wedding);I’ve worked on a spy thriller for EktaKapoor, but nothing worked out in theend. I wrote the story for the movieViraam (2017), which my brother,Ziaullah Khan, directed. It was releasedin 400 to 500 theatres, but didn’t dovery well.

What are you currently workingon?■ Right now, I’mworking on a webseries about anAmerican excommando who’shalfScottish andhalfIndian. He fallsin love with a Biharijournalist when shelands up in Goa.There are twothreeother projects thatare underconsideration. AndI’m working on mynext book, Aslam,Orwell and a PornStar. It’s about a manwho was born in thesame room as George Orwell inMotihari. But people are alreadyobjecting to the title.

Why?■ I’m not really sure. There have beenso many fi��lms made on courtesans,they’re human beings. I’m writingabout their human side. I’m not writingpornography (laughs). It’s the truth oflife, and they exist.


The Gnanpith this yearreaffi��rms Amitav Ghosh’sstatus as one of the leadingstorytellers of our age. He has

produced a solid body of excellentworks, each one establishing hislinguistic mastery, the depth of hishistorical research and the vast spanof his novelistic reach.

The books have explored not justcharacters and their stories but anage, a phenomenon, a singularity.Books like The Glass Palace (2000)teem with so much detail they couldwell be history and not fi��ction at all.And Ghosh has revelled in thisblurring of lines, using it to deliver acrystalclear fi��ctional vision.

Then, with the publication of TheGreat Derangement in 2016, a nonfi��ction work about the imminence ofenvironmental catastrophe and ourblindness to it, Ghosh seemed to reachwhat we can now mark as a turningpoint in his creative journey. Whilenature, fl��oods and tempests have beenrecurrent motifs in his works, possiblyguided by his subconsciouspreoccupations, in this new novel,Ghosh picks up the gauntlet he threwdown in The Great Derangement when

he asked why art and fi��ction haveignored climate change.

Seeking to rectify this, Gun Islandtravels, with characteristicfl��amboyance, from the Sundarbans toVenice, arches over the past and thepresent, tangles myth with fact tobring home to readers that the worldas we know it is in the grip ofunprecedented change and in ourwilful ignoring of it possibly lies ourend.

Unsettling visionsThe narrator, Deen, a rarebooks dealer based inBrooklyn, visits Kolkata and iscompelled by the intriguingtale of a shrine dedicated toBonduki Sadagar, the GunMerchant, to visit theSunderbans. There, in anancient brick sanctuarywhose panels still recount thelegend of the Gun Merchant’sfeud with the Snake Goddess,Manasa Devi, a string ofoccurrences unspools whenthe young Tipu is bitten by aking cobra. Tipu lives, but isvisited by unsettlingpremonitions, which link theancient world with the

modern, east with west, and humanwith nonhuman, until fi��nally it allends in an awkwardly engineeredfi��nale.

The environmental devastationthat the world is in the middle of todayis possibly irreversible, and Ghosh isclearly conscious of it. In the face ofsuch inevitability, Ghosh seems tohave decided to throw himself at thewindmills with all the urgency of acommitted Quixote. Gun Island hasbits of everything — magic, myth,

history, science, zoology,etymology. It’s aboutclimate change, butsuddenly it’s also aboutmigration and traffi��cking,and with the feeblestlinkages. The result is notso much a Persian carpet asa patchwork quilt.

Fiction is a jealousmistress, demanding awriter’s fi��delity. As soon asshe smells a rival, in thiscase the ‘cause’, she upsand leaves. By committinghimself so strongly towriting an ‘environmental’novel, Ghosh has fallen foulof her. At every turn, histheme dominates,

MAGIC REALISMCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

The Bengalimerchant in VeniceAmitav Ghosh’s new novel throws itself at climate change with all theurgency of a Quixote, and with possibly as much eff��ect

VAISHNA ROY

Gun IslandAmitav GhoshPenguin HamishHamilton₹��699


Colours of Loneliness andOther StoriesParamita Satpathy, trsSnehaprava DasOxford University Press₹��750• In this collection of stories, wehave characters like Maya,whose life seems to upend themoment spots appear on herbody. There is Babula, theorphan, who has to bearconstant abuse. Some try tobreak out of societal shackles;others need that gentle pushfrom loved ones.

BROWSE FICTION

Bhaunri: A NovelAnukrti UpadhyayFourth Estate₹��299• Bhaunri is married, as is thecustom in her tribe of nomadicblacksmiths, when she is still achild. When she is fi��nally sentto her husband’s home as ayoung woman, she fi��nds herselfdrawn towards the gruff andhandsome Bheema. When hestrays, Bhaunri’s love for himbegins to fester and grow intosomething dark.

Mahanayak Subas ChandraBose: A NovelVishwas Patil, trs KeertiRamachandraEka₹��799 • In this translation of the 1998novel, Marathi writer VishwasPatil unfolds the life of a manwho was once president of theCongress, and quit in disgust toform the Indian National Army.Mahanayak traces Netaji’ssteps to paint a portrait of aman of strengths and failings.

Friends from CollegeDevapriya RoyTranquebar₹��299• This is a love letter to theCalcutta of the 90s when Gen Xgrew up, made friends, becamelovers, drifted apart, andsometimes left the city forgood. The protagonist,Charulata Ghosh, lives inLondon and returns to Calcuttafor a family wedding. When shemeets her ex there, sparks fl��yand heartbreak follows.

The Broken AmorettiSudipto Das & Aparajita DuttaNiyogi Books₹��450•The story revolves around a‘cryptic poem’. It is about ajourney of discovery for Parushand Saoli, who embark on aquest to decode the past anddiscover their real identities,while battling a brokenmarriage, a topsyturvy careerand an unrequited love affair.The cryptic poem is the answerto all their questions.

Halfway into Sujata Massey’ssecond Perveen Mistrymystery, I couldn’t helpthinking that the situation

has great potential for the kind ofsaas-bahu confl��ict beloved of ourtelevision serials. Take a look: themaharaja of Satapur dies of choleraand his teenage son and heir soonfollows in a hunting accident. The newking is a 10yearold and the state isbeing governed by his uncle inconsultation with the British agent,Colin Sandringham. The king’s motherand grandmother are fi��ghting abouthow he should be educated. Theformer wants to send him to a school inEngland; the latter wants him to betaught in the palace itself.

As if this weren’t enough, you havethe grand setting of a palace in theSahyadri mountains surrounded byjungles, murky pasts, purdah, poisonsand murder.... Mistry, who wasintroduced in A Murder on MalabarHill, is taken out of her comfort zone inthe city and dropped into a feudalsetup where what looks like astraightforward case of confl��ictresolution soon turns into powerstruggles and paternity issues.

Massey does a marvellous job ofsetting the stage in the fi��rst section.With a few deft touches, she paints aportrait of India in the 1920s, when thenationalist movement is still nascent,and gives us an idea of Mistry’sbackground, the constraints she’sworking under, and her support forGandhi’s activism versus the realisationthat her father’s law fi��rm needs thesupport of the British. Once the action

moves to Satapur, there are vividdescriptions of the rugged mountainsand thick jungles, animals and people,as Mistry talks to the two women andthe various other players to brokerpeace in the palace.

Fleshed outAs Mistry unravels the truth of whowas at the bottom of the deaths, a fullpageant of well fl��eshedout characters— Mistry and Sandringham; Vandanacaught in her son’s nefarious plans;Mirabai and her children, Jiva Rao andPadmabai; Putlabai, the dowagerqueen; the arrogant Prince Swaroop;Aditya, the court buff��oon; and Rama,Sandringham’s employee — holdcentre stage and the reader isinvested in them and thereasons behind their behaviour.At the palace, Mistry comes upagainst the caste system and thejostling for power not justamong the royalty but also itstrickledown eff��ect among thecourtiers and servants.

Apart from the externalmess, Mistry has to deal withinner ones as well: her desirefor an independent India hasher lashing out occasionally atSandringham as therepresentative of colonialpower. She’s also attracted tohim but she is separated froman abusive husband and, underParsi law of the times, cannot get adivorce because “his abuse was notsevere enough”. And then there’s socialdisapproval to contend with. At theend, Massey leaves one wondering ifthe two do in fact have a futuretogether.

When writing about food, Masseyevokes images with a few simplewords. Take this example from the fi��rstchapter where Mistry is havingbreakfast with Sir David HobsonJonesat the Royal Western India Turf Club.As he presses her to try a kipper,Massey writes that it is “A tiny bonylocal fi��sh that she considered bait, notgood eating.” You can almost see thewrinkled nose. Later there aredescriptions of a “smothered chicken”that Rama makes, kande pohe atVandana’s place, and a formal meal atthe palace. There are also somesumptuous descriptions of clothes.Mistry’s saris seem positively drool

worthy and there’s a nice bitabout diff��ering views whenthe dowager maharanidismisses Mistry’s sari as“gaudy” because she’s aParsi. “Gaudy? The colourfulShanghaiembroidered birdsand vines on the lustroussari were considered tastefulin Perveen’s community.”

Despite the quick paceand taut and crisp writing,the denouement comes as asurprise. I spent quite sometime suspecting the wrongperson. There are a coupleof loose ends that seem tohave been forgotten — thelost camera and themysterious Roderick Ames

are left hanging. And for someone whoseems to be constantly worrying aboutwhat people will say and think abouther, Mistry manages to move aroundquite freely and do stuff�� that mostwomen in those times would not beallowed to.

MYSTERYCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

The case of the missing royals Perveen Mistry is taken out of her comfort zone in the city and dropped in the middle of a saasbahu confl��ict

R. KRITHIKA

The SatapurChronicles:Perveen MistryInvestigatesSujata MasseyPenguin RandomHouse₹��399



overriding the storytelling. You are notinvested in the characters becausethey never become anything morethan purveyors of information. Thenarrator Deen is vapid, once saying,with complete accuracy, that hedoesn’t know what Cinta, his Italianfriend, sees in him. Piya returns to thisbook from The Hungry Tide (2004),but brings nothing of that book’svitality, fulfi��lling a fl��at ‘marinebiologist’ trope instead. Cinta remainsa construct, the Jungian ‘sage’archetype, unleavened even by a backstory that tries hard to be poignant.

Like set piecesLives and events don’t evolve withinevitability, but are forced forward,obliged to make a point. An eveningwalk ends with Cinta and Deenswamped by shipworms, a creaturethat is proliferating because ofwarming sea waters and is now eatingup Venice’s wooden pilings. A beachvisit sees the abnormal appearance ofa deadly yellowbellied sea snake. Onemight argue that these occurrencesare essential in a novel about climatechange, but they are arranged like setpieces, stilted and obvious, exposingthe novel’s compulsion to bringtogether as many uncommon naturalphenomena as possible.

In The Great Derangement, Ghoshhad mused that staging a tornado in anovel might look contrived, and hadasked if realism would have to bereplaced by premodern narratives,like The Arabian Nights, using theimprobable and the magical, to talk ofsomething as unparalleled as climatechange. But he had asked too ifdrawing something as frighteninglyreal as global warming with the brushof magic realism might rob it of itsurgency.

Gun Island sees Ghosh wrestlingwith this dilemma. Magic fi��ghts withthe mundane, and the latter wins.Ghosh tries to draw upon the surrealbut with characters who are too tepidto pull it off��. His bet on the unknownis halfhearted, always hedged by dataand factoids.

Yet, he had his story right there —in the mysterious Sundarbans, in thesucking mud, the green waters. WhenTipu is in the throes of his fi��rst vision,you are gripped by foreboding. Tipuand Rafi��’s connect is uncanny andmoving. The tracing of an ancientlegend to its mysterious modernmanifestations is as mesmerising asany account of the Illuminati. Ghoshshould have simply let Manasa Devilead him on.

We’re confronting portents todayof something beyond ourunderstanding — tsunamis andtornadoes, beached whales, meltingice, dying birds. And art indeed needsto fi��nd a way to respond to this theway it has to war or terror. Ghosh hastaken a tentative fi��rst step on thisjourney, but he really needs to brushup his magic spells.

c

Fiction is a jealous mistress,demanding a writer’s fi��delity. As soon as she smells a rival, in this case the ‘cause’, she ups and leaves


Siyasi Muslims by Hilal Ahmed isan attempt to study hownotions of Muslim identity incontemporary India are

produced and sustained. Ahmedjustifi��es the adjective ‘siyasi’ (political)on the basis of the perception thatMuslims today are collectivelyportrayed as a politically reactivecommunity even as some groups andindividuals within it are labelled siyasior deceitful (in another sense) forselfi��shly exploiting politics.

He reckons that both thesemeanings characterise the community“as an informed and conscious groupof people who are untrustworthy anddisloyal to the nation.” Ahmed,however, dispels such a belief saying itdoes not determine the aspirations ofMuslims because, they, like any othersocioreligious community, prioritisethe issues of poverty, employmentand education.

Political consciousnessInterestingly, Ahmed’s own analysisnegates his presumptions andconclusion.

To begin with, he does not give anyevidence to show that politicalconsciousness is the reason forMuslim loyalty being suspected. Onthe contrary, his chapter on Hindutvaexplains why this rightist ideologyneeds Muslims for its survival andproves that it is “the historicallyconstituted, antiMuslim rhetoric”which is really the cause of negativeMuslim portrayals and violenceagainst the community.

Ahmed ignores the fact that afterPartition Muslims have hardly shownany sign of political consciousnesswhich is an important indicator of acommunity’s social evolution anddemocratic participation. Nor havethey done anything concrete for theirsocioeconomic development. Thanksto the divine fear that decades ofreligious indoctrination instilled intheir minds, Muslims have seldomlooked beyond attaining empyreanrewards for their ritualistic acts.

This is evident from the amount oftime and money even lower middleclass Muslims spend in seeking divineproximity through the performance ofnonobligatory rituals especiallyumrah, the minor pilgrimage toMecca.

The Saudi Gazette reported thatbetween October 2018 and March

2019 more than 4.72 lakh Muslimsfrom India performed the umrah. Thiswould have cost them more than₹��3,500 crore at an average of ₹��75,000per umrah. If extrapolated to 12months, the amount would exceed₹��7,000 crore.

What’s more, the year 2017 saw4,48,268 Muslims applying for Hajjwhich proves that lakhs of middleclass Muslims have the capacity tospend more than ₹��11,000 crore (at₹��2.5 lakh per person) on a ritualisticpilgrimage meant only for the rich.

Simply put, a whopping ₹��18,000crore (not including zakatfunds) is available withMuslims every year in theform of hard cash even asmall portion of whichMuslims are not consciousenough — politically orotherwise — to earmark fortheir socioeconomicdevelopment.

Problematic argumentSiyasi Muslims suff��ers fromwhat sociologists Woolgarand Pawluch call ‘ontologicalgerrymandering’ by whichtheoretical statements andempirical studies of social problemsmanipulate a boundary, makingcertain phenomena problematic whileleaving others unproblematic. In hiseagerness to make sense of “the storyof Muslims as numbers” inpostcolonial India, and fl��ag intraMuslim heterogeneity (such as theexistence of caste among Muslims),Ahmed ignores Louis Wirth’sinsightful defi��nition of a minority.

In his 1945 paper The Problem ofMinority Groups Wirth describesminorities as “A group of people who,

because of their physical or culturalcharacteristics, are singled out fromthe others in the society in which theylive for diff��erential and unequaltreatment, and who therefore regardthemselves as objects of collectivediscrimination.”

This is more or less the case withthe Muslim ‘minority’ in India today.In other words, majoritarianperceptions or attacks on Muslimshave very little to do with theirinternal caste systems or classstructure as argued by Ahmed. Theseissues are part of a separate topic of

discussion altogether.Ahmed also contradicts

himself at several places. Forinstance, after having rightlydecried attempts to projecttriple talaq as the “ultimateissue that plagues Muslimwomen,” he goes on tointroduce an 18page chapteron the subject wherein hetries to justify and endorse“the nuanced arguments” ofsome Muslim women’sgroups instead of callingthem out for prioritising anonissue and continuing tobe obsessed with it to the

extent of supporting itscriminalisation without any legalbasis.

The book does little, in sum, toadd to our understanding of thesubject it holds forth on. A betterthesis to explore would have been theidea of Mazhabi Muslims (ReligiousMuslims). If anything it is the pietisticreligiosity of Muslims which preventsthem from becoming conscious oftheir political rights andresponsibilities, or their allroundbackwardness.

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Fractured identity Politics or religion?What is the cause ofnegative Muslimportrayals andviolence against thecommunity?

A. FAIZUR RAHMAN

Siyasi MuslimsHilal AhmedPenguin/Viking₹��599

Prayer call The Saudi Gazette reported that between October 2018 and March 2019 more than 4.72 lakh Muslims from India went on a pilgrimage to Mecca. AP

Mapping the Elite: Power,Privilege, and InequalityEdited by Surinder S. Jodhka &Jules NaudetOxford University Press₹��1,495• This volume seeks tounderstand the processes offormations and transformationsof the Indian elite. Thecontributors explore theemergent elite spaces, whichare the new idioms of powerand inequality. They do so byusing the sociological frames ofcaste, class, gender, community.

BROWSE NON-FICTION

Saving India from Indira:Memoirs of J.P. GoyalEdited by Rama GoyalRupa₹��500• J.P. Goyal, a key lawyer for RajNarain in the election caseagainst Indira Gandhi, and hiscolleagues waged a battle inthe Allahabad High Court andthe Supreme Court to defendthe constitutional rights ofcitizens. His memoir is a sharplook at the Emergency era.

Kuknalim: Naga ArmedResistanceNandita Haksar, Sebastian M.HongraySpeaking Tiger₹��599• Leaders and members of 10Naga tribes spread across Indiaand Myanmar speak about theirchildhood experiences, reasonsfor joining the armed struggle,giving us a glimpse of the worldof Naga insurgency. In 1997, theNSCN (IM) entered into aceasefi��re agreement and beganpeace talks.

Miracle Men: The GreatestUnderdog Story in CricketNikhil NazHachette India₹��399• Winning the 1983 PrudentialCup was a turning point, withan underdog team beating themighty West Indies. Naz bringsalive the journey to that historicwin with the help of fi��rsthandaccounts by Kapil Dev’s players,complete with dressingroomdisagreements and onfi��eldstrategies.

If History Has Taught UsAnythingFarhat NasreenRupa₹��295• The writer sifts throughhistory to bring us stories thatcan help us learn from it. Ashistorian Irfan Habib writes inthe foreword, “...pursuit ofhistory is justifi��ed only if it canaffect our practice.” Nasreenreintroduces us to famousfi��gures with tales of bravery,ambition and wisdom.



Seventeen women writers fromthe gamut of the Tamil literaryworld have narrated theirexperiences of how they create

a bodyspace in this volume edited bytwo sensitive, creative writers andcritical thinkers based in Chennai. Thetitle takes its cue from the idea oftinai, which in classical Sangampoetics linked the geospace andmental state of being. Of course, theyhave questioned the binary nature oftinai classifi��cation. Therefore, thelandscape, the interior and exteriorlocation and the mindscapes of thesewriters are shared with us in anunassuming fashion.

Select works of the writers areincluded in English translation alongwith their interviews as samples.Apart from established voicesincluding the likes of Bama, KuttiRevathi, Malathi Maithri, Salma,Sukirtharani, senior poets like R.Meenakshi and Vatsala, novelist andsocial activist P. Sivakami andacademics like Thamizhachi andPerundevi, the collection also fi��ndsspace for works by poets from diversebackgrounds such as Ilampirai, Kavin

Malar, Brindha, Manushi Bharathi,Thi. Parameswari, SakthiArulanandam and Sakthi Jothi. Barringa few, all the poets emerged duringthe 1990s, when a wave of womenpoets in Tamil Nadu reclaimed theirbody politic through their work.

No single definitionIlampirai talks of how there is nosingle defi��nition of ‘woman’ we canascribe to. Kavin Malar in her poem

titled ‘Mugavari Arraval’ explicateshow a woman has to be “addressless”even when she is in solidarity with theLeft and progressive groups that arepredominantly malecentred andpatriarchal. Manushi expresses herdispleasure against the formation ofcliques among literary people.Perundevi insists on “listening to thesilences and the interstitial gapsbetween silence and speech.”

The most inspiring is the narrative

of Sakthi Arulanandam on ‘FixingMachines and Writing Poetry’. Herworkingclass context, respect for thedignity of labour combined with herpassion for painting, poetry and theworld of ideas is enthralling. Vatsala,in her interview, is movingly honest intalking about how she found solace inwriting when life events threw her off��balance. This collection is a richresource for anyone exploringwomen’s writing as both feminineecriture and feminist consciousness.

Since the methodology followed inthe interviews allowed certainfl��exibility and fl��ow, the discourse isquite varied. These are documents oftheir writing selves as women andwriters. In the Tamil literary context,we still have either benevolentghettoisation of women writers as acategory or strident attacks on them,accusing them of being lesser than theworst of the male authors for somereason best known to those pointingfi��ngers.

It would have further strengthenedthis collection if the editors had takeninto account the sources available inTamil on women’s writing as well.Anglophone criticism cannot remainour benchmark.

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Giving voice to silences A host of women Tamil writers on life and work, and how they make themselves heard

A. MANGAI

Lifescapes:Interviews withContemporaryWomen Writersfrom Tamil NaduEdited by K.Srilata,SwarnalathaRangarajanWomen Unlimited₹��375

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In writing 10 Women Who ChangedScience and the World, CatherineWhitlock and Rhodri Evansembark on a journey of describing

the lives of women scientists whosework has made a diff��erence to sciencefrom the 19th century to the 21stcentury.

It cannot have been an easy task toshortlist 10 among the many worthycandidates. Vera Rubin, for one, isconspicuous by her absence. Butwhile the choice of 10 can always becontested, the authors more than dojustice to their chosen subjects,balancing missions by the variety ofspecialisations ranging overastronomy, medicine, physics andchemistry, environment etc.

Even the opening pages reveal howlittle is known about women achieversin science.

The book is about famous scientistssuch as Rachel Carson, Marie Curieand Lise Meitner, but also aboutothers much less so. Each chaptercontains a story that is as inspiring as

it is touching. Even when the narrativeis a bit slow — as in the chapter onVirginia Apgar — it carries the spark ofa life pervaded by the spirit of science.In many cases, there is an interestingstory of discovery — of radium andpolonium in the story of Marie Curie

or the love of writing in the case ofRachel Carson, for example — thatlivens it up.

Working amid prejudicePerhaps the most famous name in thelist is Marie Curie. The authors of the

book observe, “If you were to ask thepublic to name a female scientist fromhistory, they would probably nameMarie Curie.”

Despite the truth in this statement,a large section of the people whoknow her name and that she receivedthe Nobel Prize twice, would not knowthe sequence of events that led to thediscovery of radium and poloniumand, eventually, the prizes.

‘Madame’ Curie, as she is referredto even when successful (instead ofProfessor Curie), had to work on anaverage salary and contend withprejudices for being a woman in amaledominated fi��eld.

One could argue that this was inthe last century and before, butwomen in science will recognisevestiges of that bias from their daytoday experiences. In that sense, thereare lessons to be learnt from stories ofhow ten women managed to breakthrough such shackles and scale theheights.

The book is a must read for all menand women in science and also forthose interested in the subject.

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Sparks from lives in scienceOn Marie Curie, and other less famous women achievers who made a diff��erence

SHUBASHREE DESIKAN

10 Women WhoChanged Scienceand the WorldCatherineWhitlock, RhodriEvansHachette India₹��599

PassionateMarie Curie at work in her laboratory. WIKI COMMONS

The sheer variety andconvenience of food shoppingtoday is mindboggling. AsNeelam says, “If you have a

phone and money in your pocket,meals aren’t a problem.” True. Onecan order in or eat out. Homedelivery, which started with pizza,expanded to Chinese cuisine, Thai,sushi. Even a single cup of tea.

That’s for the fi��nished product. Butfor actually cooking in my ownkitchen, provisioning has changed,gradually and radically, from thebasics upwards. I’ve been going backto early memories. Fifty years ago, inmy parents’ home, atta wasn’t boughtas atta; ‘good quality’ wheat wasbought, washed, dried in the shade,and collected in a vast galvanised irondrum kept on a sturdy stone shelf.There was a small window near itsbase with a cover that could bevertically slid off�� or back on. Themonth’s requirement was allowed topour out, taken to the chakki, andground coarsely.

Today, when we need atta, I phonethe chap and order it. But fi��rst I haveto negotiate the choices: MP wheat,

with bran or without, and mixed withsoya bean, chana ka atta, bajra or not.A branded mixed atta, neatly packedin a 10 kg carry bag, is delivered.Buying rice is similar. I have to choosebetween not just the basmati and selaof the past, but between brown,jasmine, sticky, Joha, Gobindbhog andseveral other varieties. The only rice Icannot get is real basmati — themarket is full of pretty, longgrainedwhite rice that costs as much asprecious metals, but lacks fl��avour. Iremember when Ashok used to bringus the basmati he grew, the momenthe entered our house I could smell it,packed and as yet uncooked.

Milk in plastic pouchesMilk was in limited supply, probablylinked to ration cards. At the crack ofdawn someone had to queue up for alimited number of bottles, and thediff��erent colours of the shiny foil capssignifi��ed the fat content. Khoya wastaken off�� the market in summer. Ofcourse if you had a gwala, a buff��aloowner who delivered milk to yourdoorstep, there was no limit — hecould add as much water as necessary.Now with Mother Dairy, themechanical cow, and the White

Revolution, we get unlimited plasticpouches of any kind of milk.

We only ate seasonal fruit, andjuice was a luxury. Now I see tetrapacks of every fl��avour, with andwithout sugar, in combinations wenever made, like pear and nectarine,kiwi and grape. I know fruit comesfrom other countries and States, so wehave oranges, guavas, watermelonsand apples around the year. The coldchain has improved to such an extentthat the apples are crisp, bursting withjuice and fl��avour, even in summer.There was a time when only GoldenDelicious and dark red apples fromKinnaur had these qualities; littleplastic stickers appeared later, thebadge of ‘imported’, implying qualityand justifying the price.

Almost all varieties of vegetables,as I have long bemoaned, are availablearound the year, so from a familymenu you can’t tell whether it’ssummer or winter. Here, in the North,there used to be a clear demarcationof seasons. We started eatingcaulifl��ower only after Dussehra, andlauki and bhindi only in high summer.But the pleasant change is that we’regetting ‘exotic’ vegetables like lettuce,baby corn, coloured bell peppers and

zucchini in the local shops. Iremember the time when evenmushrooms were so unusual that theywere reserved for special meals.

Pasta in different shapesWe were talking about tonight’s menu— we’re doing spaghetti alla Gricia,with streaky bacon and Pecorinocheese — and the family asked me howoften my mother cooked pasta. Apartfrom macaroni and cheese, never.Now I can not only buy dried pasta indiff��erent shapes and thickness, I canchoose a readymade sauce to go withit. The store shelves are packed withtomato, ragu and pesto.

It’s a diff��erent matter that I like tomake my own — but I don’t really haveto. Sandwich ‘spreads’ abound. I haveno idea what they’re made of, but Iimagine it must be fl��avoured, colouredvegetarian mayonnaise, whippeduphydrogenated fat. Salad dressings usedto be a squeeze of lime or a basicFrench vinaigrette. Now there’s‘Ranch style’, chipotle, Caesar, bluecheese.... From hummus, plain orspiked, to pâté, duck or goose liver, tobread, walnutraisin or sourdough,almost every food any Westernsupermarket sells is available at a

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DIAL D FORDINNER

The family asked me how often mymother cooked pasta. Apart from macand cheese, never. Now we not only getpasta in every shape, but every saucefrom ragu to pesto

VASUNDHARA CHAUHAN

A

Saladdressingsused to be asqueeze oflime or abasic Frenchvinaigrette.Now there’s‘Ranch style’,chipotle,Caesar, bluecheese

HYDERABAD THE HINDU MagazineSunday, June 23, 201926 BOOKEND



price. Amul cheese was what we grew upwith. Now my local grocery store stocks sixbrands of feta. Olive oil was just aboutheard of, but we thought bread had to beeaten with butter. Not this pretentiousdribble of balsamic vinegar in extra virginoil.

Ham and salamiThere used to be, in the middle circle ofConnaught Place, an outlet of thegovernment owned Central Dairy Farms. Itwas then said to be the only place wherepork was safe. So, once in a blue moon,

we’d buy ham and salami. Entire Christmashams were bought by fancier cooks,marinated, boiled overnight and glazed,and fi��nally coated with mustard andpineapple rings, if that was what youdesired. Now a visit or phone call to theneighbourhood shop with a refrigerator,and the bacon is brought home to you. Orchicken ham, the strangely popularreconstituted creation that I avoid. For anentire roast ham a little planning is needed,but it can be ordered from the betterdelicatessens.

The neighbourhood shops are

particularly well stocked with vegetable andchicken patties. Obviously, homemadehamburgers are the fl��avour of the decade.

Shopping made easyFrom the days when my mother droveweekly to INA market, hired a young lad tofollow her from vegetable shop to eggs andpoultry, carrying a basket on his head, totoday, shopping is defi��nitely much easier.

Most everything is available eitheraround the corner or on the phone. I triedonline grocery shopping once but theydidn’t have the tea I wanted nor even the

atta, so I gave up. And it’s not just theconvenience that is amazing, it’s the variety.It’s as easy to produce a meal of smokedsalmon, baked Camembert, a salad ofmixed leaves with a dessert of cheesecakewith frozen blueberry topping as of matarpaneer, dal bukhara and Kerala parotta: theingredients of both meals are as easy toprocure as for basic dalsabzichawal.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

From the once-forbidden joy of eating eggsto the ingratitude of guests, the writerreflects on every association with [email protected]

CHILLED COTTAGECHEESE PIE CAKE

Serves 8

INGREDIENTSBiscuit crust:1 cup Marie (or Digestive biscuitor Graham-Cracker) crumbs2 tbsp powdered sugar1/4 cup butter, meltedFilling:1/2 cup sugar1 envelope (half tbsp)unflavoured gelatine1/4 tsp salt1 cup milk

2 eggs1 tbsp grated lemon zest2 cups creamed cottagecheese or soft home-madepaneer made of whole fatmilk

METHOD1. Make biscuit crust bycombining, in a small bowl,crumbs, sugar and butter.Stir well with a fork to mixwell. 2. Reserve 1/4 cup of crumbmixture for sprinkling lateron top. Spread the rest ofthe crumb mixture on the

bottom and side of a 9-inchpie plate. Use the back of ametal spoon to presscrumbs till the edgesand on the sides.Refrigerate plate.3. To make filling,combine milk, eggs,sugar, salt and gelatinein a small saucepan.Cook on medium heat,stirring continuouslywith a metal spoon. In about five minutes thecustard will thicken enoughto coat the back of thespoon.

4. Remove from heat andstir in lemon peel.

Transfer to a large bowland refrigerate forabout 40-50 minutes.It should become justsolid enough tomound slightly whendropped from aspoon.5. Add cheese. With

electric hand mixer (orin large bowl of electric

mixer) beat at high speedfor three minutes, untillight and fluffy. (If themixture looks runny,

refrigerate for 10 minutes.)6. Pour onto biscuit crust inpie plate. Sprinkle reservedcrumb mixture on top,around edge of pie.Refrigerate overnight orfor at least 3 hours. Servechilled.

(This recipe was devised bymy mother back in the daywhen we had no access toDigestive biscuits, Graham-Crackers, cottage cheese,or gelatine in envelopes.But it worked as wellwithout.)

SUNDAY RECIPE


The documentary Placebo(2014) was made in search ofanswers to an act of impulsiveviolence that its executor

could not explain. Sahil Kumar, anMBBS student at All India Institute ofMedical Sciences punched his righthand through a window pane,damaging his nerves so badly that heneeded two surgeries and eventuallyhad to learn how to write with his lefthand. What brought on this moment?Sahil’s brother Abhay Kumar enteredhis hostel, initially for a period ofthree months, to understand whatdrove his highachieving brother tothis act of savage selfharm. Threemonths became a couple of years,during which no one at AIIMS realisedthey had an outsider among them.The fi��lm explores this numbness, thisunseeing that the hallowed corridorsof a prestigious medical schoolproduces.

“In Julius Caesar, Brutus’ wifePortia commits suicide and Brutussays that everybody dies some day or

the other. She died today. As I’vegotten into this career, I have becomemore and more stoic. I feel less afraidof death... I feel a kind ofindiff��erence,” says Sethi, a studentKumar follows in the fi��lm. At onepoint, Sahil says that he felt “all thesadness of the world had crept up and

fi��lled into him” when he smashed hisfi��st.

Does medical education deadenstudents? Does the near impossibilityof getting into medical school producedisdain for those who are not medicalstudents? Does this mix of detachmentand triumphalism thicken into that

waxy mask many doctors in Indiawear?

The companion piece to Placebo isthe 2003 fi��lm Munna Bhai M.B.B.S..Here too, the title character is atrespasser in a medical school, whohas cheated his way in. In the fi��rstclassroom scene, the dean tells thestudents that a patient should meannothing more than a sick body tothem. In response, Munna asks:“When a patient is dying in thecasualty ward, is it necessary to fi��ll aform?”

If cinema is a lens to society, thesetwo fi��lms tell you a couple of things —why doctors evoke such dislike, andwhy they appear dehumanised andalienated, out of love with the workthey have spent so many years trainingfor. The terrifi��c success of Munna Bhaisuggested that it acknowledged alongheld public sentiment. AfterMunna Bhai, the doctor has largelybeen a negative character in the Hindifi��lm: In Andhadhun, the doctor is amildmannered organ traffi��cker; insmaller fi��lms like Rahasya, Waiting andAnkur Arora Murder Case, doctors aremurderers, racketeers, adulterers andmegalomaniacs.

But even earlier, the Hindi fi��lmdoctor was alienated anddisillusioned, sometimes corrupt andunfeeling. Perhaps Bollywood’s mostfamous doctor is Amitabh Bachchan’sDr. Bhaskar Banerjee in Anand. Hespends his evenings drinking andwriting. He is bored of his rich,hypochondriac patients. Bachchanplayed another leading role as doctorin Bemisal. His friend, played by VinodMehta, is a moneyminded

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Good doc, bad docA medical reporter on how Hindi cinema taught her to seedoctors without their halos

SOHINI CHATTOPADHYAY

Public sentiment A poster of Placebo, and (below) a still from Munna Bhai M.B.B.S .

A

Even beforeMunna Bhai ,the Hindi filmdoctor wasalienated anddisillusioned,sometimescorrupt, andunfeeling

BOOKEND



gynaecologist who performs abortionswithout permission and adequate care.When a patient dies and a criminalcase looms, Bachchan’s character (apaediatrician) takes the blame and goesto jail because he owes his friend’sfamily a childhood debt. Already, oneimage of the doctor is a corrupt,criminal professional.

In Ek Doctor Ki Maut, based on thelife of Dr. Subhash Mukhopadhyay,who pioneered IVF treatment in Indiain the 1970s, we see what happens tothe good, researchobsessed doctorcaught in a petty establishment. In themovie, a doctor (played by PankajKapur) invents a vaccine for leprosy,working without institutional support,storing a test tube in his homerefrigerator. But the government andhis medical colleagues discredit hiswork, and later, American doctors arecredited with the discovery of a leprosyvaccine. The reallife Dr.Mukhopadhyay killed himself when hisresearch was labelled fraudulent.

We see the uncomplicated doctor ashero between the 40s and 60s, in Dr.Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani where V.Shantaram plays a reallife doctor whoserved Indian soldiers injured in Chinaduring WWII; and Dil Ek Mandir,where a surgeon played by RajendraKumar saves his former girlfriend’shusband. In both, the doctor dies, butthese are heroic deaths.

In a sense, Amitabh Bachchan’scareer draws the arc of the Hindi fi��lmdoctor — from the disillusioned Dr.Banerjee in Anand to the guiltriddenDr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde in Bemisal to theBhaskor Banerjee in Piku who onlytrusts a homeopath to understand theproblems of the body. It is interestingthat Hindi cinema has read therelationship between doctors andsociety so astutely.

I remember being undercover at amaternity ward in a governmenthospital, and seeing medical studentsbark at birthing mothers even thoughthere were only two deliveries takingplace. They snapped at the families ofpatients. “All of you are called Najmabibi. Which Najma bibi?”

Reporting on HIV, I have seenactivists worry about how best toapproach doctors about drug shortagesso that they don’t lose their temper.Interviewing doctors about drugshortages, I’ve heard them complainthat HIV patients write too manyemails.

We are probably too awed bydoctors as a society, too dependent onthem in our individual crises, toperceive them as they are — products ofa fl��awed, monstrous system. Strangely,it was Hindi cinema that gave me theperspective to report what I saw beforeme.

Like every one of us, I knowoutstanding doctors too.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Kolkata-based independentjournalist writes on public health,politics and film.

A

Does this mix of detachmentand triumphalism thicken intothat waxy mask many doctorsin India wear?

Should I become anentrepreneur? Not thepakodamaking type. I mean aproper, fullblown

entrepreneur with complete SeriesA, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N,O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, and lastbut not the least, Z funding. Don’task why a topclass journalist like meis having such thoughts. You knowhow bad things are for mediapeople. Journalists are losing jobsfaster than Opposition is losingMLAs. Everyone and his uncle isfi��ring journalists. Even people whodon’t own a media platform arefi��ring journalists. They simply useguns. Either journalists are gettingkilled or their jobs are. If not killed,they’re getting arrested for thingslike tweeting, cracking jokes, ortaking their job seriously enough toactually do it. In my opinion, onlythe last constitutes an off��enceserious enough to merit instanttermination.

But so many journalists have losttheir jobs in the last few weeks, it’sclear something else is going on.They would have lost their jobs evenif they had stayed true to their timehonoured professional legacy ofmanufacturing consent by meansfair or foul. Perhaps the reasons areeconomic.

No demandMost people are smart enough not towant to pay for what wants to reachthem anyway. Who do you think ismore desperate: a pair of eyeballs in

search of distraction or a400word distraction insearch of eyeballs? If onemajor problem is that

there is no demand for expensive,paidfor journalism, it’s complicatedby the fact that it’s never been easierto do journalism. Anyone can do it,even you. All you need is a websitename. Press releases andpropaganda will rain down on youlike a shower of cow urine.

Content is not king, it is dust. Likethe dust in Delhi, it’s everywhere,enveloping everyone in its dry,choking embrace from which thereis no escape. What do we needjournalists for anyway? To curateand organise dust particles intovalueadded mud? And then sell it asa special kind of compost that willgerminate the organic crop ofwisdom in the mind of the idiotconsumer so he can make thesagacious choice of voting for GauMata in the general election?

Saving the massesIn India, there has always been, andwill only ever be, just one personwho can save the masses: the GreatLeader. It’s no diff��erent forjournalists. Because of their hubris,some of them take their time readingthe headline on the wall. But theymust acknowledge that their future isnothing but a microscopic drop ofthe divine grace emanating from theinfi��nite compassion of the GreatLeader.

As my father said to me recently,“Dei, your bylines are numbered!”He is convinced journalism has nofuture. So he forced me to attend aworkshop organised by the son of arelative of a relative, a selfproclaimed “life coach”. Theworkshop promised to unleash theentrepreneur hiding inside me,

much like the PM hiding inside everychaiwala.

It was a daylong aff��air at a sadfourstar hotel. Some 200 peoplehad signed up. I couldn’t tell howmany were unemployed. But theywere all there only because, as thetrainer informed us, the era of jobswas over and you don’t have to be an‘Apple’ to realise that, haha. Therewere only two kinds of people in thisworld: those who get a salary, andthose who pay salaries. Which onedid we want to be? The payer or thepayee? Master or slave? Leader orfollower? Hunter or hunted?Chowkidar or Pappu? The rousinganswer from the participants wasunanimous: “Chowkidar!”

“In that case,” the trainer said,“All of you apply for jobs as securityguards.” I was joking. He didn’t saythat. Instead he said, “Absolutely.Each one of you is the Chowkidarwho has the key that can unlock aglorious future of limitless success,limitless wealth, and asafoetida.”And what’s this key? “Leadership!Just as there is an entrepreneur ineach one of you, there is a leader ineach one of you.” Nobody asked: ifeveryone is a leader, that wouldmean no one is a follower, and if noone is a follower, how can anyone bea leader? Anyway, just rememberthat leadership is the master key thatcan unlock the treasury ofentrepreneurship and drown you inlimitless success, limitless wealthand asafoetida, or something likethat. I again couldn’t catch the lastword, however hard I tried.

But I’m OK with limitlessasafoetida so long as I get the othertwo as part of the deal.

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Journalists are losing jobs so fast it’s timethey went into entrepreneur mode


G. Sampath is Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu.

Your days are numbered

BOOKEND

HYDERABAD THE HINDU MagazineSunday, June 23, 201930 BOOKEND

BROWN PAPERBAG BY SAILESH GOPALAN FOXTROT BY BILL AMEND

F MINUS BY TONY CARRILLO

THE ROMANTICS BY VASINI VARADAN



The auction had been routine, but whendummy’s king of clubs proved to beworthless, the contract had littlechance of success. The opening club

lead was covered by the king and ace. East,fearing a possible club ruff�� in dummy, shiftedto a low trump.

This was ducked to West’s jack. Westcashed the jack of clubs and East’s count cardtold him that there was no club ruff�� coming, soit wasn’t necessary to lead another trump, butthat was his only safe exit.

West made the attacking shift to the queenof hearts. This would have been a winner if hispartner held the 10 of hearts, but it was not awinner on this deal. South won with his ace,drew trumps in two more rounds, and then ledthe 10 of hearts. East ducked this, of course,but he couldn’t escape his fate.

South cashed all three of his remainingtrumps, forcing East to come down to thedoubleton king of spades and singleton king ofhearts. Declarer exited with a heart to East’sking. In this twocard ending, East had to leada spade away from his king and declarer hadhis contract. Well played, even if there was alittle bump in the defense.

GOREN BRIDGE

Fate

North-South vulnerable,

South deals

BOB JONES

BAKER STREET

Across1 Nation excited with charmer like Justin

Trudeau (5,8)10 Umpteenth US evangelical stifles praise

(7)11 Local’s stripped down to nothing in Spain,

giving patriotic song (1,6)12 Illicitly loots workman’s implements (5)13 Time lag I suffered to overcome this? (3,5)15 Nervously hint at lawsuit, then (2,4,4)16 Former prime minister – no leader – in re-

treat (4)18 Teas consumed? (4)20 Deign to advance one letter, with organ

enclosed in posting (10)22 Mountain folk live among giants (8)24 American poet finds path around lake (5)26 Composer with some dross in Italian (7)27 To make up story about king, head of

Númenor: this author did! (7)28 Rising sun soon heated coastal resort

(8-2-3)Down2 Declines surgery: pets only half sedated

(4,3)3 72 hours or so ago, child born then has far

to go (8)4 Does away with lines on a graph (4)5 Old, anguished, wretched: there’s nothing

to add (6,4)6 Criminal lawyer hides after considering

everything (2,3)7 In AA, I mean to raise condition (7)8 Direction borders on conservative in

Romeo and Juliet adaptation (4,4,5)9 Pursuit in which diet is foiled? (6-3,4)14 Measure that monitors monitors? (6,4)17 Zane’s gutted, with chafed nipple in air-

ship (8)19 A billion tacos cooked with this condi-

ment? (7)21 Suppose I’m a gin enthusiast primarily (7)23 Playing whist, void of hearts, trump’s

opening: another card, please (5)25 Suitor that’s utterly desirable at first? (4)

THE SUNDAY CROSSWORD NO. 3053

Solution No. 3052

BOOKEND


Respected Madam/ Sir,

When a respectedperson is retiring fromBank of India afterdecades and decades

of meritorious service what is theexpectation? Rolls Royce car? No.Five star hotel? No. Foreign trip?Never. Any luxurious lifestyle? Nono thousand times no.

Real expectation is fi��rst of allgood night sleep. Wake up between7 a.m. and 9 a.m. Nice bath. Thensimple breakfast. After that sit inthe living room under ceiling fanand read some newspaper, novel,see some TV programme. Thenlunch time. Simple lunch, no needfor complication, whether I amSultan of Brunei? Then go for walk,meet some friends, tea or coff��ee.Then evening come back home.Mingling with family members.Dinner. Switch on TV. News anchorwill shout at me. I will shout atnews anchor. Then Mrs.Mathrubootham will shout at me,then we will together shout at TV,then neighbour shout throughbalcony, then we will give back withinterest, like that after 30 minutes,mind and body is relaxed and wego to sleep.

This is the expectation. When Iwas working and working nonstopin the bank I used to dream of thisretired lifestyle only. Sometimescustomers will come and ask veryintelligent and relevant questionlike, excuse me, Mr.Mathrubootham, whether housingloan is only for home or I can alsouse for buying car or fridge or TataSky connection. I said, no no,please don’t do such things. We areproviding diff��erent service it iscalled auto loan.

Then customer will think likeC.V. Raman and say, oh no, whatnonsense you are talking, I wantcar for the family, Mr.Mathrubootham, what I will dowith auto? Then I will say pleasegive me three minutes I will checksome details about loan and come.Then I will go to strong room whereone poster is there with message:“Customer is King.” I will removesandals and slap this poster 1015times and then go back to customerto give service.

Why I did this selftorture?Madam/ Sir, because I thought, oneday I can retire and live relaxedlifestyle with pension.

Instead what happenedyesterday? First of all, no water forbath. Second of all, fan is notworking because of some shortcircuit. Third of all, Kamalamsuddenly said, oh no, forgot aboutLadies Association meeting, pleasemanage your breakfast. Alsodownstairs Nalini’s son is comingfor some tuition in economics. Willyou please give company for half an

hour? I will come very quickly oldman.

So I made one cup of tea andtook some biscuits and banana andsat in living room. After some timeNalini’s son came. One 15year oldruffi��an type fellow. I said, “Hello doyou want tea or some snacks.” Hesaid, “No thanks, uncle, I am fi��ne.” Isaid, “Do you want to watch WorldCup highlights on TV?” He said,“Why not, it will be good timepass.”

Suddenly while highlights aregoing on ruffi��an picked up theremote and put TV on silent. I said,“What happened you don’t likecommentary?” He said, “Uncle whowill listen to this nonsense exceptsomeone who is trying to get earcancer?” Ball is gone to theboundary it seems. I thoughthippopotamus has gone tosupermarket. Fools I can see no?

Then immediately he took outone iPad and started looking. I said,“What are you doing Twitter orFacebook? Please give full details.”

Madam/ Sir, what and allchildren will do online these days,who knows? I thought if he is usingmy internet for some illegalactivities then imagine humiliationwhen my photo is in your esteemednewspaper tomorrow undercybercrime section.

He said, “Uncle, Twitter andFacebook and all what nonsense. Iwent to Malaysia. I am eating icecream on mountain. Whetheranybody cares? Nonsense. I amwatching TV programme calledChernobyl. Have you seen? It isamazing.” I said, “Young man, I amvery openminded these days, but isit some adultsonly programme foryouths?”

He said, “Ha ha uncle, some Iwill show you.”

Madam/ Sir, together we sat andwatched one episode. Thrills arestill going through my body. Afterthat I said, “Shall we quickly watchnews highlights?” He said, “Uncle ifyou want to watch, you watch, Idon’t watch news.” I said, “Youngman if you don’t watch news howwill you know what is happening inthe world. Without generalknowledge what you will achieve inlife? Whether any advancement willhappen?”

He said, “Uncle, you arewatching news everyday? Have youever seen anybody with generalknowledge on the TV? Even singleperson?”

Madam/ Sir, people are alwayssaying what will happen to India,future is black and all. I am sayingdon’t worry. Young people arethere. Give one chance.

Still how can you watch cricketwithout commentary? It is konjamover no?

Yours in positive expectations,J. Mathrubootham

LETTER FROM A CONCERNED READER

No cricket commentary!?

BACK PAGE

1Founded on June 23, 930 AD, TheAlþingi (Althing in English) in Iceland

is the oldest of its kind. It has beenfunctioning for the last 1089 years andcurrently has 63 seats with SteingrímurJ. Sigfússon presiding. When it wasstarted it was a general assembly whereparties involved in legal disputes,traders, craftsmen, storytellers andtravellers too part. One ‘Lawspeaker’sat on a rock and recited the laws ineff��ect at that time. What is the Althingone of the oldest of?

2A group of raiders from Norwaysettled in Iceland sometime in the

800s. This fact makes Iceland a fairlyyoung country. These raiders gave bothIceland and another country theyfounded their names. Theypurposefully misnamed them both sothat their enemies would hopefully goto the icecovered country instead offollowing them to the fertile landwhere they actually settled, which wasIceland. Who were these raiders andwhat is the name of the other country?

3Þingvellir National Park is a UnescoWorld Heritage Site which is one of

only two places in the world where youcan see two certain geological featuresabove the earth’s surface. The other isin Africa and in the gap between thesetwo features (which has been movingapart over history at the rate of 2 cmper year) there is a lake where you cango diving. The features are known as‘North American’ and ‘Eurasian’, andin other places when they usually movethey cause natural disasters. What arethese features that are responsible forthe world looking how it is today?

4This place, the name of whichmeans ‘Island Mountain Glacier’ is

tough to pronounce for those whodon’t know Icelandic. It has been doingits thing since the beginning of thecentury but the most recent event wasin 2010 when because of its activity itcaused major traffi��c issues in Europe.One of the unfortunate issues it posedwas the inability of news anchors inpronouncing the name right. What is‘Island Mountain Glacier’? ( Just saywhat it is, but extra points if you givethe actual name.)

5Iceland is one of the most ecofriendly on the planet as they use

very little fossil fuels. They even havesome hydrogenrun buses in theircapital. Their main source of energythough is, thanks to the country’sunique landscape. What is the mainsource of energy in Iceland (which isironic considering the name)?

6Since 1918, a particular thing hasbeen in use in Iceland offi��cially. The

entity has three colours whichrepresent what make up the island. X is

the fi��re produced by the island’svolcanoes, Y recalls the ice and snowthat covers Iceland and Z is for themountains of the island. What is thisentity and what are the three colours?

7Since 1991, Icelanders who had to doa process (which is usually once in a

lifetime) had to get permission from acentral government committee. Thiscommittee has been criticised harshlyand often sparked controversy with itsverdicts. Its objective is to protect

Icelandic tradition by conforming topronunciation and grammatic rules butmany people fi��nd it too strict andsometimes unfair. What does aIcelander couple need to do whichmight seem unusual to us?

8Until 1983 a certain restriction wasin place in July by the Icelandic

government which was put in place toensure that citizens would go out andsocialise more during summer. Whatcouldn’t you do there in July whichfamilies in India do till late at night?

9The entire population of thecountry of Iceland is around

300,000 (which is less than T.Nagar inChennai on a weekend) butinterestingly one in 10 people will dosomething that is quite rare in India.The phenomenon is described inIcelandic as ‘ad ganga med bok Imaganum’ which means everyone “hasa ___ in their stomach.” What doIcelanders do more of than prettymuch everywhere else in the world,which ensures their thoughts arecaptured for generations to come?

10Iceland is one of the fewinhabited places on Earth where

a certain universally hated species ofanimal is not found thanks to the rapidclimate changes. If a child orresearcher wanted to see one of these,they would have to go to the IcelandicInstitute of Natural History and see onesingle specimen which a scientistcaught inside a plane and preserved ina jar of alcohol. What animal is this thatis the bane of all Indians?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A molecular biologist from Madurai, ourquizmaster enjoys trivia and music, andis working on a rock ballad called‘Coffee is a Drink, Kaapi is an Emotion’.@bertyashley

QUIZ

Easy like Sunday morning ‘Icelanders spend their time improvingknowledge of others’ deeds...’

BERTY ASHLEY

Answers1. Parliament2. Vikings,Greenland3. Tectonic Plates4. The Volcano —Eyjafjallajökull5. Geothermal6. Flag of Iceland— Red, Whiteand Blue7. Get permissionto name theirchildren8. Watch TV.There were nobroadcasts onthe National TVin July9. Publish books10. Mosquitoes

Very less fossilfuel One of themost eco-friendlyplaces on earth.GETTY IMAGES/ ISTOCK

Time running out to curb terror, Pak. told - SPLessons

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