We briefed nations on CAA, says govt. - SPLessons

CMYK

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THE HINDU DELHI

FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2020 13EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

NEWS

The Union government pursued a rigorous “twopronged” strategy on conveying its explanation on theCitizenship Amendment Act(CAA) controversy in India,the External Aff��airs Ministrysaid on Thursday, stressingthat the Act merely speedsup citizenship applicationsfor communities mentionedin it and is not seeking tochange the Constitution.

Responding to reportsthat foreign diplomats in India were unhappy with thelack of communication fromthe government on the issues that have set off�� protestsin various parts of the country, the Ministry said the reports were “factually incorrect”.

“We did reach out tocountries across regions,and wrote to all our missionsand posts asking them toshare our perspectives withhost governments [on CAAand NRC],” Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar toldjournalists, adding that thiswas done in addition tomeeting diplomats in Delhi.

The government’s brief

mentioned that the CAA wasan internal process, whichdid not seek to strip anycommunity members of citizenship. Nor did the CAA alter the basic structure of theConstitution, Mr. Kumarsaid.

“We asked [the embassies] to convey that the Actprovides expedited consideration for Indian citizenship

to persecuted minorities already in India, from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. It doesn’t aff��ect theexisting avenues alreadyavailable to other communities,” he said.

Call with HasinaMr. Kumar declined to comment on whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi haddiscussed the issue with hisBangladesh counterpartSheikh Hasina when hegreeted her on New Year’sday.

A release said the twoleaders discussed how tofurther strengthen bilateralties. Bangladesh Deputy Foreign Minister ShahriarAlam, who cancelled his visitto Delhi in December ostensibly over the passage of the

CAA at the time, is expectedto attend the Ministry’s annual Raisina Dialogue fromJanuary 14 to 16. Ten ForeignMinisters are attending theDialogue, which will be addressed by Australian PrimeMinister Scott Morrison.

The Ministry spokesperson said India had expressedstrong concern to the Malaysian chargé d’aff��aires aboutwhat he called MalaysianPrime Minister Mahathir Muhammad’s “illadvised andavoidable” comments on theCAA, and the governmenthas spoken to other members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).Dismissing reports that theOIC plans a special meet onKashmir and the CAA in Pakistan, he said they were“speculative” at present.

We briefed nations on CAA, says govt. MEA spokesperson denies that foreign diplomats in India are unhappy with lack of communication

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI

Videos posted on social media have shown security personnel roughing up thoseprotesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act(CAA) and showing blackfl��ags to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in Nalbaridistrict of Assam onWednesday.

Members of the All AssamStudents’ Union (AASU) andthe Asom Jatiyatabadi YubaChhatra Parishad waved thefl��ags and shouted slogans asMr. Sonowal was going tothe ashram of Vaishnativecult leader Krishnaguru.

Chased away A video showed the securitypersonnel chasing away theprotesters from the highway, another showed a protester being caught and taken away in a police van.Another protester, identifi��ed as Chandan Bezbaruah,was caned.

The police downplayedthe incident, saying the security personnel used mild

force on a protester who resisted detention. “An agitator who was detained wascaned once or twice forpushing after he was detained. The security personnel did not resort to any batoncharge,” NalbariSuperintendent of PoliceAmanjeet Kaur said.

Police offi��cers said Section 144, restricting largegatherings, was in force,and the protesters had nottaken permission from thepolice.

AASU leader Himan Bar

man on Thursday said themember who was canedwas undergoing treatmentat a hospital in Nalbari.

BJP’s charge The Bharatiya Janata Party,meanwhile, said AASU activists had damaged the property of party workers afteran antiCAA rally in Morigaon district a couple ofdays ago. The AASU deniedthe allegation, insisting thatits workers had not deviatedfrom their peaceful, democratic protests.

Police say mild force was used on man who resisted detention

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

GUWAHATI

To the fore: Women staging a protest against the newcitizenship law at Chabua in Dibrugarh on Thursday. * PTI

Videos show protestersbeing roughed up in Assam

The BJP boasts of its opposition to the Emergency imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, but whilein power the party wants tocrush dissent and label citizens protesting peacefully as“antinational,” said EktaShekhar, an environment activist from Varanasi.

Ms. Shekhar was releasedon bail on Thursday afterspending 14 days in jail foropposing the Citizenship(Amendment) Act (CAA).

On December 19, Ms.Shekhar had been detainedalong with her activist husband Ravi Shekhar andmore than 60 others, including Banaras Hindu University students and Gandhianand Ambedkarite activists,

while marching to protestagainst the CAA and the proposed National Register ofCitizens (NRC). The couple’sincarceration led to muchoutrage as they had a 14monthold breastfed toddlerat home, waiting for theirreturn.

‘Protesting a policy’“They [the BJP and the RSS]say they ran a movementagainst the Emergency,” Ms.Shekhar told The Hindu.“Now, when it is their turn,we are being labelled ‘antinational’ for merely protesting. It is not being mentioned that we are opposinga specifi��c policy or law of aparticular political party,but we are being projectedas antinational,” she added.On Wednesday, a local court

granted bail to the couple,an associate Saniya Anwarand more than 50 others.

Ms. Shekhar said the BJPled Central and Uttar Pradesh governments were “intolerant” of any form of protest. “It wants to implementthe CAA and is fi��rm on it.They want to suppress people’s voices,” she added.

Ms. Shekhar, who focusses on climate change inPrime Minister NarendraModi’s constituency, contended that the State government was taking “disproportionate” action againstprotesters to deter othersfrom joining them or speaking out.

“If they don’t arrest people or give it such a form,then other people won’t stayat home in fear,” she said.

‘BJP talks of Emergency, butlabels protesters anti-national’Activist Ekta Shekhar, husband released on bail after 14 days

Omar Rashid

LUCKNOW

Back home: Activist Ekta Shekhar reunited with her 14-month-old baby in Varanasi onThursday, after a court granted bail to her and her husband Ravi Shekhar. * PTI

Members of the Asom Gana Parishad, an ally of theruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Assam, on Thursdayquestioned their leadersfor supporting the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

Party workers laid siegeto the AGP headquartershere and pointed out thatthe leaders’ decision to beon the same page with theBJP had made them “loseface”. They were critical ofMinisters Atul Bora, Keshab Mahanta and PhaniBhushan Choudhury forbacking the CAA. Mr. Borais the AGP president.

The Ministers also cameunder attack for criticisingformer Chief Minister andAGP founderpresidentPrafulla Kumar Mahanta,who has opposed the CAA.

BJP State president Ranjeet K. Dass blamed the violent start to the antiCAAagitation on Maoists andthe Popular Front of India(PFI). “The torching of thehouse of BJP MLA BinodHazarika at Chabua [in Tinsukia district] and government buildings was doneby Maoists through theKrishak Mukti SangramSamiti,” he said, adding theauthorities were trackingPFI members trying tostart communal riots.

AGP workersquestionleaders on CAA


GUWAHATI

Congress general secretaryPriyanka Gandhi Vadra onThursday attacked PrimeMinister Narendra Modi,saying he has the “gall to tellpeople they have nothing tofear” when Section 144 wasimposed in his Lok Sabhaconstituency of Varanasi on“359 out of 365 days”.

Under the Code of Criminal Procedure, Section 144prohibits an assembly ofmore than four persons inan area.

“On 359 out of 365 days inthe year 2019, Section 144was imposed in Varanasitown... and he has the gall tosay that people have noth

ing to fear,” Ms. Vadra tweeted, and tagged a The Hindu

report from Varanasi published on Thursday.

The report mentionedhow the political and cultural discourse around landmark spots such as the Pappu tea stall near the AssiGhat Chowk haddisappeared.

‘Section 144 in force 359 days a year’


NEW DELHI

Priyanka slams‘gag’ in Varanasi

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra

To calm the tempers stokedby the protests against theCitizenship (Amendment)Act, the Assam governmenton Thursday decided to distribute land deeds to over40,000 indigenous people.

The deeds will be handedover on January 28, and thenumber of benefi��ciaries willbe increased to one lakh, offi��cials said after Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowalhad a meeting with the Re

venue and Disaster Management Department.

The meeting also decidedto give ₹��2 lakh each a year to160 ‘satras’ (Vaishnav monasteries) and ‘devalayas’(temples), besides the annuity.

“The Arundhati GoldScheme will be launched inthe fi��rst week of March. Under it, the poor will be givenmoney for buying 10 g ofgold ornaments for registering marriage,” a government spokesperson said.

40,000 indigenouspeople to get land deeds SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

GUWAHATI

Nearly 1,000 Bangladesh nationals were detained inBangladesh in 2019 for livingin India “illegally”, and theBangladesh government hasinitiated legal proceedingsagainst them, Major GeneralShafeenul Islam, DirectorGeneral of Border GuardsBangladesh (BGB), said inDhaka on Thursday.

This is the fi��rst time in recent decades that Bangladesh has made public thenumber of its citizens whohad lived “illegally” in India.

The announcement camefollowing the talks betweenthe DirectorsGeneral of theBorder Security Force (BSF)and Border Guards Bangla

desh in New Delhi from December 25 to 30, 2019.

Nine hundred and ninetynine Bangladesh nationals —135 children, 258 womenand 606 men — were detained, Major General Islamsaid at a press conference.And 312 of them were arrested in November and 133 inDecember.

Legal proceedings Offi��cials said they were arrested on the border, whilegoing to India or returninghome. Their identities wereascertained and legal proceedings initiated “as perlaw for illegally entering andstaying” in another country.

Those arrested were either kept in custody or freed

on bail. A couple of weeks ago,

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s foreign policy adviserGowher Rizvi said in Kolkatathat Bangladesh would takeits citizens back if they wereillegally staying in India.“But it has to be proved thatthe person is a Bangladeshcitizen,” he had said.

Bangladesh also submitted a list of 96 Indians “illegally” staying in Bangladesh. Of them, 62 werehanded over to the BorderSecurity Force (BSF) and therest were detained. Legalproceedings were openedagainst them. At least 35Bangladesh nationals havebeen killed in border fi��ring,Major General Islam said.

999 Bangladeshis were in Indiaillegally, says border force head They were arrested while going to India or returning home

Suvojit Bagchi

Kolkata

CMYK

A ND-NDE


DELHI THE HINDU

FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 202014EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

WORLD

SUDOKU

Solution to puzzle 12822 Solution to yesterday’s Sudoku

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Nammazhvar speaks of Lord Narayana as the One who imparted knowledge. The Lord was the Acharya to all the Azhvars, and it is the Acharya who gives us knowledge. So, itwas only logical that Nammazhvar should refer to the Supreme One as the giver of knowledge, said Kidambi Narayanan in a discourse. And the knowledge that the Lord gave tothe Azhvars was complete. Incomplete knowledge is whatmost of us have. We mistake a rope for a snake, and this kindof knowledge is vipareeta jnana. The Lord, who has infi��niteauspicious qualities does not resort to half measures. He ensures that those who have the benefi��t of being conferredknowledge by Him have it in full measure.

Jnana is that which helps us understand what we do notknow. We can all claim to have some knowledge about a lotof things. But how relevant is this to us at all times? For instance, if we see a light burning in a neighbour’s house, wecan easily tell that a light is indeed burning there. But ofwhat use is such knowledge? How is a light in a neighbour’shouse going to help us? True jnana is that which benefi��ts us.We may argue that worldly knowledge benefi��ts us, in whichcase why would that not be enough? Certainly, worldlyknowledge is of use in life. But is the same knowledge usefulat all times? Jnana about something which is in tune with ourswarupa is what is important to us, because it is not limitedby time or space.

Sage Parasara, in Vishnu Purana, says that jnana shouldshow us something superior, something without fl��aws. Andwho else but the Lord is superior to everyone and is alsowithout blemish? Nammazhvar lauds his lofty qualities, andsays that He is the only One who can give us knowledge thatwe need, knowledge that enlightens us about Him.

FAITH

True jnana 4 The woman has a measure of

radiance (5)

6 Unnao missed including name

(5)

7 Vehicle collapsed in shifting

dune remains to be found (8)

8 Big contract renter's endless

generosity (8)

11 Went ahead with good, easy

rules at fi��rst for the business

book (6)

14 Poem that that man heard (4)

16 Effect of mischievous child’s

move (6)

17 “Concession withdrawn” —

tribals’ head gets mail (4)

18 Question anchor back in

drinking chamber (4,4)

19 Go, Sir! Our turn is harsh (8)

22 Simple text for Victorian

queen (6)

23 One walking has no time for

university lecturer (6)

25 Father’s beginning to try a

foreign course (5)

26 Extreme in foul traces (5)

28 First part of motel closure?

Correct! (4)

13 In restaurant dish is not fi��ne

(10)

15 Classifying some secretarial

work (6)

17 Apply force on part of media

(5)

20 Not beginning to clash with

head of opposition in meeting

(5)

21 Rex gets into aspect of kind of

book useful to traveller (6)

24 View American booklet (10)

27 Exhort son to avoid sudden

swell (4)

29 Wind player is wearing modern

boot (6)

30 Master put out core of veda

and moved steadily (8)

31 Girl gets a learner's prayer

book (6)

32 Wife with double hesitation is

an unsettling type (8)

■ DOWN

1 For example, fancy limited exit

(6)

2 Being noncommittal, Henry

leaves, inching forward (6)

3 Pursue, without a bit of hope,

the suit (4)

(set by Gridman)

■ ACROSS

1 Training in notebook? (8)

5 Periodical, socially acceptable,

fi��gures in history (6)

9 Official record on substance

used by engineer (8)

10 Judge heading for animal in

pad (6)

12 A negligible amount for a book

of interest to a vocalist (4)

THE HINDU CROSSWORD 12823Log on to crossword.thehindu.com for more puzzles

Castro drops out of 2020presidential raceWASHINGTON

Julian Castro, the grandson

of a Mexican immigrant who

became San Antonio Mayor

and a U.S. Housing Secretary,

suspended his 2020

Democratic presidential run

on Thursday after a

candidacy overshadowed by

more famous liberals. His

departure from the

campaign, a month or so

ahead of early nominating

contests in Iowa and New

Hampshire, leaves 14

Democratic candidates in a

still crowded field seeking

the party’s nomination to

take on Republican President

Donald Trump in November

election. REUTERS

ELSEWHERE

Taiwan’s top military offi��cialwas among eight peoplekilled on Thursday, after ahelicopter carrying them tovisit soldiers crashed in amountainous area near thecapital Taipei, the DefenceMinistry said.

The main portion of thehelicopter lay in a northernforest wreathed in mist, itsblades shattered, as dozensof rescuers combed thewreck for survivors, picturesreleased by emergency authorities showed.

Five surviveThe reasons for the crash, inthe wake of a forced landing,were unknown, the militarysaid in a statement, addingthat the chief of general staff��,Air Force General Shen Yiming, had died, while fi��ve ofthe 13 aboard survived.

Gen. Shen, who took uphis post in July, was Taiwan’shighestranking general todie in the line of duty, President Tsai Ingwen said, adding that she had asked the

Defence Minister to launchan investigation.

“We must fi��nd out the reason for the incident,” shetold reporters in the northeastern county of Yilan,where the helicopter hadbeen heading after settingout from Taipei.

“Most importantly, (we)must ensure the stability of

our military and nationaldefence.”

The Defence Ministry saidit had dispatched a rescueteam following the BlackHawk helicopter’s crash inNew Taipei City, after aviation authorities lost contactwith the craft at 8:07 a.m.

“Eight of our colleagueswere killed,” a military spo

kesman told a news conference broadcast live ontelevision.

Elections on Jan. 11The incident, which comes aweek before democratic Taiwan holds presidential andparliamentary elections onJanuary 11, disrupted campaign events.

Ms. Tsai, who is seekingreelection, cancelled allcampaign activities until Saturday, while opposition presidential candidate Han Kuoyu of the Kuomintang partycalled off�� campaigns untilFriday. “Kuomintang urgesrelated authorities to probethe incident as soon as possible and make a thoroughcheck on the same type ofaircraft to prevent the tragedy from happening again,”the party said in a statement.

The helicopter involved inThursday’s incident was oneof 60 UH60M Black Hawkhelicopters the United Statessold to Taiwan in 2010, theoffi��cial Central News Agencysaid.

Although the Unites Stateshas no formal diplomatic tieswith Taiwan, it is the island’sstrongest international backer and main arms supplier.

The de facto U.S. Embassyin Taiwan expressed its condolences, saying it stood ready to assist in the aftermathof the tragedy, but withoutdetailing what such helpmight entail.

Taiwan’s top military offi��cial killed in crashAir Force’s Gen. Shen Yiming was among 8 killed as chopper forcelanded in a hilly area near Taipei

Reuters

TAIPEI

Major loss: A rescue team searching for missing military offi��cers after the helicopter crashednear Taipei on January 2. Air Force General Shen Yiming, inset, died in the crash. * REUTERS

With Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under indictment, Israel’s SupremeCourt on Thursday refusedto weigh in on whether aprime ministerial candidatecharged with serious crimescan be asked to form a newgovernment.

The decision gave Mr. Netanyahu a temporary reprieve ahead of a generalelection on March 2 andstaved off�� a potential showdown between the government and the judiciary.

On Wednesday, he tookthe contentious step of asking Parliament to grant himimmunity from prosecution.Mr. Netanyahu is Israel’s fi��rstsitting Prime Minister to becharged with crimes and thefi��rst to run for reelectionwhile under such a seriouslegal cloud.

Dozens of people from Israel’s hightech industry andacademia had petitioned the

court to resolve the questionof Mr. Netanyahu’s eligibility, after he was indicted inNovember on charges ofbribery, fraud and breach oftrust in three corruption cases. He has denied anywrongdoing.

During the hearing, thejudges made clear they felt itwas premature to rule on thepetition before the election— the third in a year — andthey appeared far from eager to intervene at such a delicate time.

In their ruling on Thursday, the three senior justices

described the election period as a “kingdom of uncertainty,” adding a rulingwould signifi��cantly dependon the results and whichcandidate comes out on top.

Under Israeli law, a PrimeMinister charged withcrimes can remain in offi��ceuntil a fi��nal verdict, in partto ensure legal authoritiescannot topple a Prime Minister. The resignation of an Israeli leader automaticallybrings down the government. There is nothing inthe law to stop Mr. Netanyahu, Israel’s longestservingPrime Minister, from running for a fourth consecutiveterm in offi��ce, and there isno limit to how many termshe can serve.

Mr. Netanyahu is accusedof trading offi��cial favoursworth hundreds of millionsof dollars to Israeli mediamoguls in exchange for positive news coverage, as wellas cigars, Champagne andjewellery. NY TIMES

PM asks Parliament to grant him immunity from prosecution

Isabel Kershner

JERUSALEM

Benjamin Netanyahu

Relief for Netanyahu as SCrefuses to rule on his eligibility

Turkey’s Parliament passeda Bill on Thursday approvinga military deployment to Libya, aimed at shoring up theUNbacked government inTripoli.

The beleaguered Tripoligovernment has been undersustained attack since Aprilby military strongman General Khalifa Haftar, who isbacked by Turkey’s regionalrivals — Saudi Arabia, Egypt

and the United Arab Emirates.

President Recep TayyipErdogan’s offi��ce confi��rmedlast Friday that a request formilitary support had beenreceived from the Tripolibased Government of National Accord (GNA).

No details have been givenon the scale of the potentialdeployment, and VicePresident Fuat Oktay told statenews agency Anadolu onWednesday that no date had

yet been set. “We are ready. Our armed

forces and our Defence Ministry are ready,” he said, ad

ding that parliamentary approval would be valid for ayear.

He described the Parlia

ment motion as a “politicalsignal” aimed at deterringHaftar’s Army.

“After it passes, if the other side changes its attitudeand says, ‘OK, we are withdrawing, we are abandoningour off��ensive,’ then whatshould we go there for?”

The Bill passed easilythrough Turkey’s Parliament, by 325 votes to 184.

A UN report in Novembersaid several countries wereviolating the arms embargoon Libya in place since theoverthrow of its longtimedictator Moamer Kadhafi�� in2011.

Turkey approves Libya military deployment Ankara had received a request forsupport from the Tripolibased govt.

Military push: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaking at asymposium in Ankara on Thursday. * REUTERS

Agence France-Presse

Ankara

Lebanon received an Interpol arrest warrant on Thursday for fugitive former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn,while Turkey launched aninvestigation into his daringescape from Japan.

Ghosn has become an international fugitive after herevealed on Tuesday that hehad fl��ed to Lebanon to escape what he called a“rigged” justice system inJapan.

The Interpol red noticewas received by Lebanon’sinternal security forces andhas yet to be referred to thejudiciary, a Lebanese judicial source told Reuters.

Ghosn has deep ties to

Lebanon, the country of hischildhood, where his investments include a stake in abank, real estate and avineyard.

Meanwhile, Turkish police has detained seven people as part of an investigation into Ghosn’s passagethrough the country.

Lebanon receives Interpolarrest warrant for GhosnFormer Nissan boss fl��ed from Japan

Reuters

BEIRUT/TOKYO

Carlos Ghosn

Abu Dhabi Crown PrinceSheikh Mohammad binZayed Al Nahyan on Thursday arrived here on a daylong visit, amidst criticismof the UAE for siding withSaudi Arabia to put pressureon Pakistan to skip a keyconference of Muslim nations in Malaysia.

Prime Minister ImranKhan received the CrownPrince at the Nur Khan Airbase and personally drovehim from the airport. It wasfor the second time that Mr.Khan drove his vehicle as hedid during the Prince’s lastvisit in January 2019.

The visit comes in thewake of the controversy

created over Pakistan skipping the Kuala Lumpur summit to apparently appeaseSaudi Arabia and the UAE.

Prime Minister Khan hadconfi��rmed Pakistan’s participation in the summit hosted by Malaysia, but skippedthe event at the eleventhhour due to pressure exerted by Saudi Arabia and theUnited Arab Emirates — keyfi��nancial backers of thecashstripped country.

The Summit from December 1921 was seen by Saudisas an attempt to create anew bloc in the Muslimworld that could become analternative to the dysfunctional Organisation of Islamic Cooperation led by theGulf Kingdom.

Abu Dhabi Prince visitsIslamabad to boost ties It comes after Pak. skipped Malaysia event

Press Trust of India

Islamabad

Austria’s conservatives andtheir Green partners wereset to present the government programme of theirunprecedented coalition, aplan with rightwing leaderSebastian Kurz’s clear imprimatur that could set a European precedent.

The two parties announced late on Wednesdaythat they had agreed to govern together after key election gains in September following a corruption scandalthat broke apart 33yearoldMr. Kurz’s ruling coalitionwith the far right.

Mr. Kurz — who has styled

himself as a tough antiimmigration fi��ghter — said his People’s Party (OeVP) and theGreens had “succeeded inuniting the best of bothworlds” in protracted negotiations aimed at “protectingthe climate and borders”.

‘Daring experiment’ “Historic accord fi��xed” ranthe Kurier daily’s main headline on Thursday, while acolumn in the leftleaningStandard described the coalition as a “daring experiment” and a “politicaladventure”.

Papers said the pact borethe conservatives’ stamp,with tabloid Oesterreich bill

ing the OeVP as “powerful asnever before”.

It is the Greens’ fi��rst entryinto the Austrian government at a national level —and that in the unlikely marriage of conservatives andecologists.

Observers say Germanyand others may follow suit asparties seek to cater to voters’ increasingly populistsentiments as well as worries about climate changeamid student protests following calls by activist GretaThunberg .

In Austria’s Septemberpolls, the Greens got 13.9%while the OeVP got 37.5% ofvotes.

Austria’s unlikely coalition tounveil government programmeThe Greens and the conservatives form coalition govt.


Vienna

The U.S. Federal AviationAdministration (FAA) onThursday warned Americanairlines and their pilots thatthere is risk involved in operating fl��ights in Pakistan airspace due to “extremist ormilitant activity”, accordingto an offi��cial document.

“Exercise caution duringfl��ight operations. There is arisk to U.S. civil aviation operating in the territory and

airspace of Pakistan due toextremist/militant activity,”said the FAA, in a notice toairmen (NOTAM) dated December 30, 2019.

The NOTAM is applicableto all U.S.based airlines andU.S.based pilots.

The U.S. regulator said inits NOTAM that there continues to be a risk to U.S. civilaviation sector from attacksagainst airports and aircraftin Pakistan, particularly foraircraft on the ground and

aircraft operating at low altitudes, including during thearrival and departure phases of fl��ights.

“The ongoing presence ofextremist/militant elementsoperating in Pakistan posesa continued risk to U.S. civilaviation from smallarmsfi��re, complex attacks againstairports, indirect weaponsfi��re, and antiaircraft fi��re,any of which could occurwith little or no warning,” itsaid.

U.S. airlines face risk of extremistactivity in Pakistan airspace: FAAExercise caution during fl��ight operations, the regulator warns


New Delhi

CMYK

BUSINESSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

THE HINDU DELHI


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Eicher Motors. . . . . . . . .. 21600.85. . . -474.95

GAIL (India). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123.55. . . . . . . . . 2.35

Grasim Ind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 766.35. . . . . . . 23.85

HCL Tech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 573.55. . . . . . . . . 1.60

HDFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2466.40. . . . . . . 32.45

HDFC Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1286.75. . . . . . . . . 8.15

Hero MotoCorp . . . . . .. . . . 2429.45. . . . . . . . -3.10

Hindalco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220.15. . . . . . . . . 5.85

Hind Unilever . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1938.05. . . . . . . . . 1.50

ICICI Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 540.60. . . . . . . . . 3.85

IndusInd Bank . . . . . . . .. . . . 1529.00. . . . . . . 44.70

Bharti Infratel . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 253.65. . . . . . . . -0.80

Infosys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 734.70. . . . . . . . -2.15

Indian OilCorp . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 127.00. . . . . . . . . 1.05

ITC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239.85. . . . . . . . . 1.75

JSW Steel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276.45. . . . . . . . . 8.35

Kotak Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1671.55. . . . . . . . -2.50

L&T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1345.30. . . . . . . 35.35

M&M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 539.85. . . . . . . . . 3.25

Maruti Suzuki . . . . . . . . .. . . . 7329.85. . . . . . . 18.15

Nestle India Ltd. . . . .. 14729.35. . . . . . -49.70

NTPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121.40. . . . . . . . -0.15

ONGC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128.05. . . . . . . . . 0.60

PowerGrid Corp . . . . .. . . . . . 195.10. . . . . . . . -0.40

Reliance Ind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1535.30. . . . . . . 25.70

State Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339.30. . . . . . . . . 4.85

Sun Pharma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434.95. . . . . . . . . 0.65

Tata Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193.75. . . . . . . . . 9.30

Tata Steel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484.85. . . . . . . 17.10

TCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2157.65. . . . . . . . -9.95

Tech Mahindra . . . . . . .. . . . . . 766.05. . . . . . . . . 3.95

Titan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1155.60. . . . . . . . . 0.85

UltraTech Cement. .. . . . 4244.80. . . . . 179.80

UPL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 595.45. . . . . . . . . 7.20

Vedanta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159.45. . . . . . . . . 4.85

Wipro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248.30. . . . . . . . . 0.60

YES Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47.35. . . . . . . . . 0.70

Zee Entertainment . . . . . . 289.60. . . . . . . . . 0.95

EXCHANGE RATES

Indicative direct rates in rupees a unitexcept yen at 4 p.m. on January 02

CURRENCY TT BUY TT SELL

US Dollar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 71.17. . . . . . . 71.49

Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 79.61. . . . . . . 79.97

British Pound. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 93.92. . . . . . . 94.38

Japanese Yen (100) . .. . 65.43. . . . . . . 65.72

Chinese Yuan . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 10.22. . . . . . . 10.27

Swiss Franc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 73.29. . . . . . . 73.63

Singapore Dollar . . . . . . .. . 52.80. . . . . . . 53.04

Canadian Dollar. . . . . . . . .. . 54.72. . . . . . . 54.97

Malaysian Ringitt . . . . . .. . 17.40. . . . . . . 17.49

Source:Indian Bank

BULLION RATES CHENNAI

January 02 rates in rupees with pre-vious rates in parentheses

Retail Silver (1g) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50.4. . . . . . . (50.9)

22 ct gold (1 g) . .. . . . . . . . . . . . 3736. . . . . . (3742)

market watch

02-01-2020 % CHANGE

Sensex dddddddddddddddddddddd 41,627 ddddddddddddd-0.78

US Dollardddddddddddddddddddd 71.38 ddddddddddddd-0.22

Gold ddddddddddddddddddddddddddd 39,892 ddddddddddddddd0.10

Brent oil ddddddddddddddddddddd 66.21 ddddddddddddddd0.23

The country’s sugar production has fallen sharply by30.22% to 7.79 million tonne(MT) in the fi��rst threemonths of current marketingyear ending September, butexmill prices have remainedstable so far, helping millsclear cane payment to farmers on time, ISMA said.

However, sugar exportsare happening at a goodpace, Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA), quotingmarket data, said, addingmills have so far contractedfor shipment of over 2.5 MTof sugar under the government’s MAEQ (Maximum Admissible Export QuantityQuota).

Exmill sugar prices haveremained steady in the rangeof ₹��3,2503,350 per quintal

in north India and at ₹��3,1003,250 per quintal in south India, ISMA added.

“Since the Centre has notincreased the fair and remunerative price (FRP) for201920 as also State govern

ments like Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab havenot hiked the state advisedprice (SAP), exmill prices remain stable and mills are in abetter position to be able topay cane prices to the farm

ers on time,” ISMA said.Releasing the latest pro

duction data, it said thecountry’s total sugar production has dropped to 7.79 MTtill December 2019 from 11.17million tonne in the same period of the 201819 marketingyear (OctoberSeptember).

In its fi��rst estimate, ISMAhad pegged sugar production lower at 26 MT this yearfrom 33.16 MT in 201819.

Sugar production in Maharashtra — the country’s largest sugar producing State —dropped to 1.65 MT till December 2019 against 4.45 MTin the same period last year,the data showed.

Sugar recoveryThe average sugar recoveryin Maharashtra has declinedto 10% from 10.5% achievedin the yearago period due to

loss of sucrose content in thefl��oodaff��ected sugarcanecrop.

About 137 sugar mills werein operation till December2019 against 189 mills in thesame period last year.

Production in U.P. risesProduction in Uttar Pradesh,the country’s second largestproducing State, rose to 3.31MT so far compared to 3.10MT a year ago.

On exports, ISMA said thegovernment is in the processof reviewing actual exportsmade by mills against MAEQduring October—December2019 quarter, and has already announced in the policyto reallocate unexported quota to the sugar mills thathave exported and are willing to take additional quotabeyond their MAEQ.

Sugar output drops by close to a thirdProduction in fi��rst 3 months of marketing year at 7.79 MT, prices remain stable, exports at good pace

PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEW DELHI

In what can potentially hurtthe math for the ongoing fi��scal, a senior government offi��cial said strategic divestments in Air India, BPCLand Container Corporationare ‘unlikely’ to be completed in FY20. Work on allthese companies is on andthe process is facing delaysdue to “surprises” encountered once the wheels beganmoving, the offi��cial from theDepartment of Investmentand Public Asset Management (Dipam) said.

The Ministry had budgeted to garner ₹��1.05 lakh crorefrom divestments duringthe fi��scal. When asked if thestrategic divestment inBPCL, which alone can fetchthe government over

₹��60,000 crore if it were tosell its entire 53% stake, willbe completed this fi��scal, theoffi��cial said, ‘unlikely’.

On Container Corporation (Concor) and Air Indiaas well, the offi��cial said thesale would not go through inthe current fi��scal endingMarch 31. The offi��cial saidthe government is preparing the fi��nancial statementsand getting the data roomready for the sale.

Till now, the industry hasshown ‘excitement’ over thecompanies which are beingfl��oated, the offi��cial said, adding that there are additional details which may besought by potential bidders.

The strategic sale in Shipping Corporation of India isat a certain stage and goingstrong, the offi��cial said.

Divestments in Air India,BPCL unlikely this fi��scalProcess is facing delays, says offi��cial


Mumbai

Stateowned Oil and NaturalGas Corporation (ONGC) onThursday walked away withall the seven oil and gasblocks on off��er in the latestbid round that saw just eightbids coming in.

ONGC signed contractsfor the seven blocks at anevent where Oil MinisterDharmendra Pradhan andother Ministry offi��cials werealso present.

“These seven blocks areadding exploration acreageof 18,510 sq. km spread overthree sedimentary basins ofIndia and have a resourcepotential of approximately33 billion barrels of oil andoil equivalent gas,” he said.

The latest licensing roundfor allowing companies toexplore for oil and naturalgas was held on revampedterms but saw only ONGC

and Oil India Ltd. participating. ONGC put in bids for allseven blocks on off��er, whileOil India put in an off��er forone block at the close of bidding on October 31, 2019.

ONGC was the sole bidderfor fi��ve blocks in MadhyaPradesh and one in WestBengal and it was locked incompetition with Oil Indiafor one block in Rajasthan.

ONGC walked away withall the seven blocks on superior bids. According to theDirectorate General of Hy

drocarbons (DGH), sevenonland blocks were on off��erin the fourth round of OpenAcreage Licensing Policy(OALP) with an area of about18,510 sq km.

“With the culmination ofBid Round IV today (Thursday), we have awarded 94blocks under the exploration policy in a very shorttime span of two and a halfyears. These 94 blocks coveran exploratory area of approximately 1,36,800 sq. kmover 16 Indian sedimentarybasins,” Mr. Pradhan said.

“Investors in the 94blocks have committed29,270 line km of 2D seismicsurvey and 43,272 sq. km of3D seismic survey [and] 369numbers of exploratorywells. This will generate investment... of $2.35 billion(about ₹��16,450 crore) overthe next 3/4 years in the exploratory activities alone.”

Potential estimated at 33 billion barrels of oil, oilequivalent


NEW DELHI

ONGC wins all 7 oil, gas blocks

Dharmendra Pradhan

The country’s manufacturing sector activity improvedin December, driven by neworders that rose at the fastest pace since July, as companies ramped up production and resumed hiringeff��orts, a monthly surveysaid on Thursday.

Notwithstanding the improvement in operatingconditions during December, companies were cautious regarding the annualoutlook of 2020, and thiscould have an impact on jobcreation and investment inthe year, the survey said.

The IHS Markit India Manufacturing PMI rose from51.2 in November to 52.7 inDecember, registering the‘jointstrongest’ improvement in 10 months.

“Factories benefi��ted froma rebound in demand andresponded by scaling upproduction to the greatestextent since May. Therewere also renewed increases in input purchasing andemployment during December,” said Pollyanna de Lima, principal economist atIHS Markit.

New work orders witnessed a marked improvement, with the pace of expansion picking up to thefastest since July.

Manufacturing sectoractivity rises in Dec. Companies cautious on 2020 outlook


New Delhi Bharat Bond ExchangeTraded Fund (ETF) madeits debut on the bourses onThursday with the unitsclosing marginally abovethe issue price of ₹��1,000.

While the units of BharatBond ETF maturing in2023 closed at ₹��1,000.75,those with a 10year maturity in 2030 settled the dayat ₹��1,002.

Further, about 45,000units of the ETF were traded on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Anuradha Thakur, Joint Secretary, Department of Investment and Public AssetManagement (DIPAM) saidthe strong response thatthe off��ering received has given the government confi��dence for similar issuancesin the future.

Bharat Bonddebuts onbourses


MUMBAI

Banks’ credit and depositsgrew by 7.1% and 10.09% to₹��99.47 lakh crore and₹��130.08 lakh crore in thefortnight ended December20, respectively, accordingto latest Reserve Bank data.

In the yearago fortnight, banks’ advancesstood at ₹��92.87 lakh crore,while deposits were at₹��118.16 lakh crore.

In the previous fortnightended December 6, credithad grown by 7.91% to₹��99.34 lakh crore and deposits had increased by10.27% to ₹��131.05 lakhcrore. On a yearonyearbasis, banks’ credit growthslowed to 7.2% to ₹��86.73lakh crore in November2019 from a 13.8% increaseto ₹��80.93 lakh crore in theyearago period.

Banks’ creditgrows 7.1% to₹��99.47 lakh cr.


Mumbai

Buoyed by a strong surge inthe global markets, the Indian benchmark indices registered signifi��cant gains onThursday, with the broaderNifty closing at a new alltime high.

The 50share Nifty gained99.70 points, or 0.82%, toclose at a record high of12,282.20. Meanwhile, theSensex ended the day at41,626.64, up 320.62 points,or 0.78%.

Market participants attributed the rally to the announcement by the Chinesecentral bank — People’sBank of China (PBC) — that itwould take steps, includinglowering the reserve requirement ratio, to boosteconomic growth. “Globalmarkets cheered the newsthat China’s central bankhas cut the amount of cashthat all banks must hold as

reserves, releasing around800 billion yuan ($114.91 billion) in funds to shore upthe slowing economy,” saidSiddhartha Khemka, Head –Retail Research, Motilal Oswal Financial Services.

U.S.-China deal“Sentiments also got boosted by U.S. President DonaldTrump’s announcement onTuesday that the Phase 1trade deal with China will besigned on January 15,” headded.

The announcement led toa global rally with the HangSeng gaining over 1%.

Most of the Europeanmarkets were also tradingstrong with some of thebenchmarks gaining over 1%during the trading session.

Back in India, the marketbreadth was quite strongwith more than 1,700 gainers on BSE, as against lessthan 800 declines.

Nifty closes at a recordhigh amid global rallyPBC easing reserves norm brings cheer


Mumbai

India’s Arabica productionhas hit an alltime low thiscoff��eepicking season, whichcommenced a fortnight ago.

Coff��ee Board chairmanM.S. Boje Gowda said thisyear’s Arabica yield wouldfall more than 50% after thetorrential rains, fl��oods andlandslides during AugustSeptember last year washedaway a sizeable chunk ofplantations and destroyedcoff��ee plants in Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Kodagu andWayanad districts.

“Plantations were hit byheavy rains, fl��oods and landslides. The entire top soil gotwashed away. Farmersdidn’t have funds to maintain their gardens or buy manure. [So], the crop is poor

and the quantity too low thisseason,’’ he said.

Most Arabica farmers arereporting a production decline of 50%, while the exactsize of the output for thisyear will be known by end ofJanuary. Five years ago, India’s Arabica productionwas 1.5 lakh tonnes. It fell to80,000 tonnes last year, he

said. H.T. Pramod, formerpresident, Karnataka Planters’ Association and a Chikkamagaluru farmer, said,“This is the worst Arabicacrop we have seen. The berry quantity per plant is toolow. We used to get at least300 kg of parchment coff��eeper acre. We are getting onlysome 100 kg this season.’’

Rains, fl��oods, landslides hit a chunk of plantations last year

Mini Tejaswi

Bengaluru

From 1.5 lakh tonnes fi��ve years ago, India’s Arabicaproduction fell to 80,000 tonnes last year. * GP SAMPATH KUMAR

India’s Arabica output at alltime low

The Committee of Creditors(CoC) of Jet Airways (India)Ltd., at their seventh meeting held in Mumbai, approved a proposal to extendthe deadline for acceptingExpression of Interest (EoI)from interested parties to January 15, 2020 from the earlier January 6, 2020.

They have also decidedthat this would be the lastextension of deadline, failing which liquidation proceedings will kick in.

Recently, the NCLT, Mumbai, had granted 90 days’ extension for the resolution ofJet Airways case.

A few more players otherthan the Synergy Group ofBrazil are in the fray.

These include the Hinduja Group, Hyderabadbasedground handling companyTurbo Aviation, and a Dubaibased fund.

In anticipation of a favourable news, Jet Airwaysstock on Tuesday closedwith a gain of 4.99% at₹��32.60. The CoC also decided to get some of Jet Airwaysassets released and mayhave to make payment.

A member of the CoC saidthey discussed about thecontours of releasing suchassets. A European cargoservice provider seized aBoeing 777300 plane of JetAirways at Amsterdam onaccount of non payment ofdues and this aircraft maybe released.

Committee of Creditorsextends Jet’s EoI deadline ‘Final extension before liquidation’

Special Correspondent

MUMBAI

Regulator IRDAI on Thursday issued guidelines onstandard individual healthinsurance, asking generaland health insurers to off��era product that can takecare of basic health needsof customers with a maximum sum insured of ₹��5lakh and a minimum of ₹��1lakh.

The product will benamed Arogya SanjeevaniPolicy, succeeded by thename of the insurancecompany. No other name isallowed in any of the documents, according to theguidelines issued by the Insurance Regulatory andDevelopment Authority ofIndia (IRDAI).

IRDAI normsfor standardhealth cover


NEW DELHI

CMYK

A ND-NDE


DELHI THE HINDU


SHOWCASE

Video artKiran Nadar Museum of Art is hosting the second

chapter of the Festival of Video Art by Indian

Contemporary Artists. Curated by Bharati

Kapadia and Chandita Mukherjee, the four-day

festival, which begins today, offers an

opportunity for viewers experience video art and

to create space for a discussion around them.

Venue: DLF South Court Mall, Saket

Time: 5:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.

FESTIVAL

English comedyThe American Center is screening The

Descendants, an American comedy-drama,

directed by Alexander Payne. Starring George

Clooney as a father, the film tells the story of his

attempts to reconnect and repair the

relationship with his two daughters, after his

wife is seriously injured in a boating accident.

Venue: 24, Kasturba Gandhi Marg

Time: 6 p.m.

FILM

Winter cocktailsTCK by The China Kitchen, a restaurant which

specialises in Chinese food, has introduced an

all-new winter cocktail menu. The menu will

have diverse offerings, from regular spirits:

sparkling, red, and white wine, beer, dark rum,

and vodka, to cocktails like Gingerbread Egg

Nogg and Fireball Hot Toddy.

Venue: DLF Cyber City, Gurugram

Time: 12 noon-4 p.m.; 6-11:30 p.m.

F&B

Japanese crime-dramaIndia Habitat Centre’s Film Club will screen

Shoplifters, a Japanese movie this evening.

Directed by Hirokazu Koreeda, the film follows

the lives of a family of small-scale thieves living

on the outskirts of an unnamed Japanese city. In

the cold, they survive by engaging in casual

labour and petty crime.

Venue: Gulmohar Hall, IHC

Time: 7 p.m.

FILM

Kashmiri shawlsThe Splendor of Kashmir is back with its new

collection of Pashmina shawls in a two-day show.

Aimed at promoting the state’s shawl-making

heritage, the show will have a wide range of

shawls such as hand-embroidery and Kalamkari

on both the border and palla. There are also

Jamavar shawls.

Venue: The Imperial Hotel, Janpath

Time: 10:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.

RETAIL

5 EVENTS WORTH YOUR WHILE

Bhagyalaxmi Dairy, Pune, has a brand called Pride of Cows

that delivers milk daily, within 8-10 hours of the milking

process. They say they use technology to feed the cows,

milk them, process the milk, and package it into bottles.

The milk is transported under temperature-controlled

conditions. The brand claims there are no additives or

preservatives, and that the 2,000 cows they have are fed

with a balanced diet of all-natural foods and treated by

Ayurvedic and naturopathy doctors.

Register at Prideofcows.com, ₹��120 per litre in Delhi/NCR

Milk moustache

PRODUCT

Contact us at [email protected]

Anpu Varkey’s silent comic, Summer’s Children, comprises only visuals and no text and comes at atime when we are being bombarded with information. . Each panel isdetailed and brings alive a rubberplantation in Kerala, where thebook is set.

Anpu, who has painted publicart murals across the country, saysof her selfpublished book, “It tookme two years to draw for the bookand a year to look around for publishers. The whole process tookaround three years.” Her fi��rst silentcomic was Jaba, in 2014, but shesays Summer’s Children is larger.

“Summer’s Children is a story ofmy childhood in Pala, Kottayam,where I spent the fi��rst three yearsof my childhood, and then subsequent summer vacations. Theplace does not exist any more, sothe book is about memory andloss,” she says.

The story is a visual narrationfrom the perspective of two siblings, and their explorations overa day. “This book is mainly foradults because you would reminisce in some ways. So it is a memoir of some sort,” says Anpu, whocompleted her Master of Fine Artsat Maharaja Sayajirao University,

Baroda, and received a diploma inFine Arts at Central St MartinsByam Shaw School of Art, London.The power of the silent comic, saysAnpu, is that the reader can interpret the story in their own way.

Initially, the drawings weremade on A3 pages, but later madeon A5 pages. “I wanted to make it apillow book, one that you couldkeep under your pillow.”

Anpu is wellknown for her public art, such as of a 158foot muralof Mahatma Gandhi in the DelhiPolice Headquarters in ITO, Delhi,made in collaboration with German artist Hendrick Beikirch, andof a giant harvest moon near Halasuru metro station in Bengaluru.

Anpu says public art happenedserendipitously. “In 2012, a friendof mine gathered a couple of peo

ple at Khirki Extension, Delhi. Myfi��rst wall was 20 by 40 feet. It was arealisation that this is something Ican do.”

Of public art being seeing as anact of reclaiming the streets, shesays, “I don’t think I am aboveanything when I am on the streets;this is when I am totally humble.On the street, I am accountable toeveryone, unlike in the studiowhere you are only accountable toyourself. For me a public space isnot an arrogant space. What isthere to reclaim?”

She agrees that public art is notalways an easy space to work in.“But it is not as if I know how to inhabit it; it is a learning process. Idon’t revisit my work. I think of itas a learning process. And that hasallowed me to try a new medium.All of this happened because Ibroke out of my studio practice, expanded my skills, and not think Iam precious.” Unlike murals, Anpusays, comics take a much longertime to make. “Graffi��ti is faster, ittakes me about three to fi��ve days.But the comic took me days to do.”

Anpu’s next project is a muralfor Daksh, a Bengalurubased civilsociety organisation focused onsolving the problem of pendency ofcases in the Indian legal system. Tocelebrate 70 years of the Constitution and our Republic, Daksh is organising several events betweenConstitution Day (November 26,2019) and Republic Day ( January26, 2020). The campaign, calledRepublic@70 seeks to deepen ourengagement with the Constitutionand make it more relatable to ordinary Indians.

Available on Anpuvarkey.com, ₹��750

The visuals say it allArtist Anpu Varkey describes her silent comicSummer’s Children as a sepia-tinted memory

Going back in time Anpu Varkey saysit took her three years to put thebook together * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

SRAVASTI DATTA

■ Across

1 Large hard sweet

(10)

7 Yield (7)

8 Mocking

exclamation of

laughter (23)

10 __ Novello, Welsh

composer and

songwriter, d. 1951

(4)

11 Bedspread (8)

13 Easily offended (6)

15 Incombustible

matter left in the

fi��replace (6)

17 Hypothetical (8)

18 Pedestrian

shopping area (4)

21 Down on a map (5)

22 Rotary engine (7)

23 Discarded (6,4)

■ Down

1 Nocturnal lizard (5)

2 Depressed (4)

3 Also (2,4)

4 Pitiful (8)

5 Breathed out (7)

6 Helpers (10)

9 Spellbound (10)

12 Chattanooga train?

(44)

14 Falsehood (7)

16 First English

printer, d.1491/2 (6)

19 Friendship (5)

20 Native American —

bird (4)

THE GUARDIAN QUICK CROSSWORD-13267

6

The solution will

appear on

January 4, 2020.

Solution No. 13266

POOCH CAFE

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE

TIGER

PEANUTS

CALVIN AND HOBBES

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

WUMO

CMYK

A ND-NDE


THE HINDU DELHI


SHOWCASE

At the recent German Christmas Market in Delhi, a cookbook titled Re-cipes from an Urban Village by Charmaine O’Brien caught my eye at TheHope Project’s stall. It had recipesfrom the Nizamuddin Basti in Delhi.The recipes are interesting, and thegaram masala turned out to be agem. Intrigued as to why someonewould record recipes from the slumsand lessprivileged areas when foodrecipes from royalty, privileged communities and nobility are the toast, Idid some digging. There are severalsuch publications: Amanda Cleggand Victoria Byrne’s Hope & Spice(recipes collected from the recipientsof Asha Society’s work in Delhi aswell as some of the staff�� ), Anna Kochan’s Rice and Spice: A BengaliFood Adventure (recipes cooked atFuture Hope, a small charity workingwith street children) in Kolkata. Therecipes of the women from slums inDharavi fi��nd a place in Prajna Desai’s

The Indecisive Chicken; those ofMumbai’s Kalwa slum fi��nd a place inMasala Mamas. The proceeds of thebook invariably support the organisation that helped document it.

In my search for more informationon the Nizamuddin Basti book, Ireach Dargah Hazrat Inayat Khan,The Hope Project offi��ce. A few of thewomen remember Charmaine, anAustralian who had diligently setabout the book, proceeds fromwhich go to the project. There isAsha, who works with the vocationaltraining section: her kebab using ka-la chana (black gram) has made it into the book. I meet Anwari, a procook much soughtafter for dinnersin the expat circles, whose biryani recipe is in the book. Anwari’s cooking

From Dharavi in Mumbai to Nizamuddin Basti inDelhi, India’s slums are teeming with enterprisingpeople from across the country. What better way todocument this melting pot, than cookbooks?

................................................................................................................................

Hope & Spice records

recipes from 12 slums

in Delhi, from over

60 cooks

Recipes galore Dishes from

Anna Kochan's Rice and Spice:A Bengali Food Adventure

* SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Food that

tells a story

skills seem legendary at the offi��ce;she can cook for a party or take orders for the range of pulao, biryani,curries etc. Gulabshahi coordinatedCharmaine’s visits to various homesto try the recipes. Asha recalls howthey did not have a building then,and cooked in makeshift kitchens todemonstrate recipes.

Anna Kochan, a journalist fromLondon who had come to Kolkata asa volunteer for Future Hope, tellsme, “The charity does wonderfulwork looking after the street children, educating them and providingthem shelter. We have many Indianrestaurants in London and I am veryfond of Indian vegetarian food, butwhat was cooked at Future Hope’sschool for the children was very different to what I had eaten.That is when the idea torecord these recipes andbring it out as a cookbook to be sold in England, with the proceedsgoing to the charity, cameto mind.” For Anna, a passionate cook and recorder of family recipes, this was the perfect place tostart. “The women who came tocook wore saris and were simply veryhardworking. They had probably

never seen a cookbook and had beentaught the recipes by their mothersor grandmothers. Yet, the food wasdiff��erent each day. They would go tothe markets and choose inseason vegetables, and then prepare the food.There was no predecided menu. Also, at the Future Hope homes wherethe children stayed, the older onestook turns to cook during weekends.Many had a signature recipe whichwas recorded.” The cookbookevolved after each recipe was testedin London and pronounced good byfriends and family. Measurementswere added, and the quintessentialmustard oil was replaced with vegetable oil, but otherwise the traditionalrecipe stayed.

From the UK, Amanda Clegg and

Victoria Byrne recorded authentic recipes and stories of transformationfrom the slums of Delhi, the proceedsof which go to Asha Society. Victoriasays, “Amanda has been a volunteerfor over 10 years. I joined the projectrecently. It was a very diff��erent experience from the kind of things visitorsto Delhi usually see. Members wouldopen their homes and off��er the bestof what they had. We had to tellthem, ‘please tell us what you eat regularly’. Thus, we came across awealth of dishes.”

Learning process

For Victoria, understanding the techniques of cooking was the high point.“Like frying the onions and tomatoestill the oil separates. Here, we simplyput it all together. Also, for someonelike me, who looks for glutenfreefl��our, bajra roti was an excellent option.” She adds, “There is a recipe formasala chai from a person whoworks with the Society. His mother isa fi��fthgeneration chaiwala and this isthe family recipe. We not only learntabout food but also how it broughtwomen closer. How, when eating together, recipes and cooking tipswould be exchanged.”

The cookbook records recipesfrom 12 slums, from over 60 cooks.One forgets all this when browsingthe book: it has an amazing range ofdishes from the Nizamuddin area.The Urs of the various Sufi�� saints,their powers, and then the off��eringmade. There is Baba Sahib khichri (asweetened version), siwani, tosha,kheer, sherbet, sewaiyyan. Since Delhi is home to migrants from all partsof the country, there is an amalgamof cooking styles as well. Apart fromthe winner of a garam masala, thereis a shakargandhi halwa, banana hal-wa, mooli chutney, baingan ki talaji,aloo ka bharta, mongochhiyan, biryani, nihari and kebabs.

Hope & Spice also has unusual recipes: there is a nice frizzy drink withlemons, orange, masala and topped

with Sprite. There is a spiff��yinstant papadam with be-

san, which does not require drying in the sun;walnut chutney and

yakhni from a staff��erfrom Kashmir; a rarely

heard paneer ki kheer substituting rice with grated paneer,

lemon rice, thoran, fi��sh curries andbanana fritters. In Anna’s words, however, “The tomato chutney is awinner.”

Chitra Balasubramaniam

CMYK

A ND-NDE


DELHI THE HINDU


SPORT

The Sri Lankan cricket team,led by veteran pacer LasithMalinga, arrived here onThursday for the threematch T20I series against India amid tight security. Theteam headed straight to thehotel.

The members of the Indian team are expected to arrive in batches on Friday forthe series opener on Sunday.

“Both the teams have optional training sessions, SriLanka followed by India in

the evening,” an offi��cial ofthe Assam Cricket Association (ACA) said.

“The situation is absolutely normal now and tourismis back in the state. We arehosting Khelo India Gamesfrom January 10 and about7000 will participate,” ACAsecretary Devajit Saikia said.“It’s now safe as any otherplace in the country. Thestate government is lookingafter the security arrangement and there’s no issue atall.”

About 27,000 tickets ofthe 39,500capacity Barasapra Stadium have already

been sold out.“We are expecting a last

minute ticket rush now,” hesaid.

The second T20I will beplayed in Indore on Jan. 7while Pune will host the fi��nalmatch of the series on Jan.10.

The short series will markthe T20 World Cup countdown for the two neighbouring countries.

Busy scheduleIndia will play eight T20Is,including fi��ve in New Zealand, ahead of its T20 WorldCup opener against South

Africa in Perth on October24.

Former skipper AngeloMathews and Dhananjaya deSilva have been recalled tothe 16member Sri Lankansquad. Mathews last played aT20I against South Africa inAugust 2018.

For India, the series willmark the return of pacespearhead Jasprit Bumrah,who has recovered from alower back surgery, whileopener Shikhar Dhawan willalso make a comeback.

Opener Rohit Sharma andpacer Mohammed Shamihave been rested.

Sri Lankan team arrives for T20I seriesIndian players expected to reach the city in batches on Friday

Here we come... The Sri Lankan team in Colombo before its departure to India. * COURTESY: SRI LANKA CRICKET

SL IN INDIA


Guwahati

Batting legend Brian Larabelieves the Indian cricketteam, under Virat Kohli, iscapable of winning all ICCtournaments it competesin.

“I think they aredefi��nitely capable ofwinning all tournamentsthat they play. I think whatVirat Kohli and companyand the Indian team has toappreciate the fact thateverybody sort of targetIndia,” Lara was quoted assaying by India Today.

“Everybody knows thatsome point of time oneteam is going to play thatimportant match againstIndia. If it’s a quarterfi��nal,

semifi��nal and fi��nal,” headded.

Under Kohli’sleadership, India hasreached great heights inboth Tests and ODIs buthas failed to win an ICCtournament, fi��zzling out incrucial games.

The Men in Blue lastwon an ICC event in 2013when Mahendra SinghDhoniled side lifted theICC Champions Trophy.

Breaking the 400 scoreLara feels Kohli, DavidWarner and Rohit Sharmahave the potential to breakhis record Test score of400.

“It would be diffi��cult forSteve Smith to do it batting

at No.4 for Australia. He isa great player but hedoesn’t dominate. Youknow a player like DavidWarner for sure,” Larasaid.

“A player like ViratKohli, who gets in earlyand gets set. He is a veryattacking player. RohitSharma on his day. So theyhave got quite a group ofplayers who can do so,” headded.

Kohli-led India can win all ICC tournaments: LaraPress Trust of India

NEW DELHI

Lara is bullish on Kohli’sIndia. * VIVEK BENDRE

<> I think what Virat

Kohli and company

and the Indian

team has to

appreciate the fact

that everybody sort

of target India

The National Cricket Academy (NCA), which has oftenbeen criticised for its handling of players’ injuries, isset to get the help of a BCCImedical panel and a dedicated social media departmentas part of its revamp plan.

The need for a medical panel was discussed at NCA’srecent meeting which was attended by all BCCI offi��cebearers, including presidentSourav Ganguly and NCAcricket head Rahul Dravid.

The development comesafter the criticism the NCAdrew for the injury management of some leading Indiaplayers, including Wriddhiman Saha and more recentlyBhuvneshwar Kumar.

Allrounder Hardik Pandya and premium pacer Jasprit Bumrah added to theNCA’s woes by choosing personal rehabilitation over recovering in Bengaluru.

“The BCCI will consult aLondonbased clinic, Fortius, for setting up its medicalpanel,” said a top BCCIoffi��cial.

The head of fast bowling,

a position which has been lying vacant for a long time,will also be fi��lled soon.

That person will be incharge of setting up a fastbowling programme at theNCA.

The board will also hire anutrition head for the Bengalurubased facility.

Social media managerA social media manager willcome on board to provideregular updates on the happenings inside the NCA.

The move could also go along way in repairing its reputation, admitted the Boardoffi��cial.

The NCA had failed to detect Bhuvneshwar’s sportshernia and was also criticised when it came to lightthat Bumrah and Hardikwere taking outside help for

their recovery rather thanrelying on the NCA staff��.

Primary centreGoing forward, Ganguly hasalready made it clear that theNCA will be the primarycentre for cricket development programmes in thecountry and all India playerswill have to go to Bengalurufor rehabilitation. He expects the new NCA facility tobe ready in 18 months’ time.

The other recruitment,which will be done soon, isthe head of data analytics.

The NCA will also be conducting Level 2 and Level 3coaching courses at its premises with the State associations paying the bill for theirrespective coaches.

“Coach development consultants” will also be hiredon a need basis.

BCCI to set up medical panel at NCAThe Academy has been criticised for the way it has handled injuryrelated issues

BCCI-NCA


NEW DELHI

Sourav Ganguly.* FILE PHOTO: VIVEK BENDRE

Ish Sodhi will have a dualrole with the RajasthanRoyals this season. The 27yearold legspinner fromNew Zealand will work as aspin consultant besides being an operations executive. It is a diff��erent kind ofhomecoming for the Ludhianaborn Sodhi, whoplayed for the Royals thelast two seasons.

“I am delighted to betaking on this new challenge at Rajasthan Royalswith this dual role,” hesaid. “I have formed a greatlevel of understandingwith all the people involved with the franchise,and they have always beenvery supportive of me.

“I did not have to thinktwice when this opportunity was off��ered to me by theRoyals’ management. I lovethis franchise and want tohelp us win the IPL thisyear.”

Sodhi, who played 17Tests, 31 ODIs and 40T20Is, said it was a fascinating opportunity to beinvolved in a coaching roleat such a young age. “I amlooking forward to developing my coaching skillsalongside Sairaj and learning from Jake on businessoperations,” he said.

Sodhi back atRoyals, withtwin roles

Sports Bureau

JAIPUR

IPL

Ish Sodhi. * FILE PHOTO

Arsenal rang in the new yearby giving boss Mikel Artetahis fi��rst victory as lacklustreManchester United crashedto a 20 defeat.

Arteta had watched Arsenal take only one point fromhis fi��rst two matches, withlast weekend’s 21 defeatagainst Chelsea especiallypainful after the Blues scoredtwice in the fi��nal minutes.

But Arsenal had playedwell for long periods in thatLondon derby and it produced an even more sparkling display to put United tothe sword at the EmiratesStadium.

Close rangeThe Gunners took the lead inthe eighth minute when SeadKolasinac’s cross ranthrough to Nicolas Pepe atthe far post and the Ivory

Coast winger beat David deGea from closerange.

Arsenal, which last won inthe league at West Ham onDecember 9, got a deservedsecond goal in the 43rd minute when de Gea kept outAlexandre Lacazette’s fl��ickand Sokratis reacted quickest to lash home.

Nine adriftArteta’s team is nine pointsadrift of the top four, but itssecond win in 16 matches inall competitions off��ers hopeof a brighter future under theformer Arsenal midfi��elder’smanagement.

“It feels great, incredible.I’m so happy and proud ofthe players,” Arteta said.“Physically the leveldropped in the second halfbut the commitment and desire was terrifi��c. The performances are getting better so Iwas desperate for the win.”

United is fi��fth, fi��ve pointsbehind fourthplaced Chel

sea, after the latest in a longlist of underwhelming performances in a troubledcampaign.

Meanwhile, ManchesterCity remained third, a pointbehind Leicester, after itshome win against Everton.

Gabriel Jesus scored twicein the second half at the Etihad before Richarlisonpulled a goal back for Everton but City held on despitesome nervy moments.

“This period is so tough.When you are far away fromthe fi��rst position sometimespeople give up, but we nevergive up,” City boss Pep Guardiola said.

The results:

Arsenal 2 (Pepe 8, Sokratis43) bt Manchester United 0;Manchester City 2 (Jesus 51, 58)bt Everton 1 (Richarlison 71).

Norwich 1 (Cantwell 4) drewwith Crystal Palace 1 (Wickham85); West Ham 4 (Noble 17, 35pen, Haller 25, Anderson 66) btBournemouth 0.

Arsenal guns down a lacklustre Manchester UnitedThe win off��ers hope for a brighter future under new manager Arteta; Jesus’ brace gives Manchester City a 21 victory over Everton

PREMIER LEAGUE

Clinical: Nicolas Pepe’s early strike set the tone for Arsenal’s dominant display against Manchester United. * GETTY IMAGES


London

A Brighton fan wasarrested for raciallyabusing Chelsea playersduring a Premier Leaguematch, and two othersoccer fans were arrestedin separate incidentsduring the same game forhurling homophobicabuse at rival supporters.

Brighton chiefexecutive Paul Barbercalled the abuse“disgusting” and urgedsupporters to report

wrongdoing at thestadium.

“If the prospect of a lifeban from watching theirclubs play football isn’t astrong enough deterrent,we have to ask thequestion as to whether thecourts should be given thepower to hand out moresevere punishments?”Barber said in a statementon Thursday.

“Football can only doso much, and we are sickand tired of the game’sreputation being

tarnished by these people.

“I fi��nd it impossible tocomprehend how andwhy some individualsthink it’s acceptable tobehave in this way.”

During a seconddivision game on NewYear’s Day, anannouncement was madein Huddersfi��eld warningfans to stop off��ensivebehaviour after sectarianabuse was allegedly aimedat Stoke player JamesMcClean.

Three football fans arrested for racist, homophobic abuseAssociated Press

London

Paul Pogba will undergo surgery on a recurring ankle injury and is expected tospend another month on thesidelines, Manchester United manager Ole GunnarSolskjaer confi��rmed after hisside’s 20 defeat to Arsenalon Wednesday.

The French World Cupwinner made his comebackafter nearly three monthsout in a 20 defeat at Watford10 days ago and also made anappearance off�� the bench ina 41 thrashing of Newcastlefour days later.

“We’ve had scans and it’s

nothing major, it’s something that has to be sorted anddealt with. He’s been advised to it as soon as,” said

Solskjaer. Pogba has madejust six starts in all competitions for United this seasonand his infl��uence in midfi��eld

has been badly missed withUnited sitting fi��fth in the Premier League.

His latest setback comesat a bad time for Solskjaerwith Scott McTominay alsosidelined for two monthsleaving the Norwegian extremely short on midfi��eldoptions. “It’s a big blow thatPaul is out now that Scott’sout, he’ll be out for a fewmonths. Paul will be backwithin a month.”

Solskjaer denied suggestions it is Pogba’s own medical team rather than theclub’s which has suggestedto undergo surgery at thistime.

Paul Pogba’s new injury setbackAnkle surgery can keep the midfi��elder out for a month

Agency France-Presse

London

Down and out: Pogba’s infl��uence in midfi��eld has been badlymissed with United sitting fi��fth in the Premier League. * AFP

Smoke haze could come intoplay as New Zealand looks tosalvage some pride from itsmiserable tour of Australia inthe third and fi��nal Testwhich begins on Friday.

With bushfi��res ragingacross New South Walesstate, day two of the matchon Saturday shapes up as thebiggest challenge with temperatures forecast to soarand smoggy conditionsexpected.

The issue of smoke is a diffi��cult one for offi��cials, whocurrently rely on a mix of airquality guidelines from theInternational Cricket Council, State governments andthe Australian Institute ofSport.

InconsistenciesBut there are inconsistencieson what is considered “unsafe”, with Cricket Australiaand the players’ associationcurrently working to deve

lop better protocols aroundvisibility and air quality.

With the fi��rst two Tests atPerth and Melbourne endingin heavy defeats inside fourdays, New Zealand will needall the help it can get. CoachGary Stead admitted the

Black Caps were “beaten upby Australia again” in their247run Melbourne thrashing and they have had to goback to the drawing board.

“We’ve got to fi��nd someareas where we can keepchipping away, make im

provements and put Australia under pressure for longer,” he said.

“When you are underpressure for the periods Australia have put us under,then you have to questionwhat we’re doing.

“Australia have three bowlers at 145 kph and a spinner(Nathan Lyon) who’s takenover 300 Test wickets soyou’re always up against it.You don’t get a reprieve andthat’s the hard thing for us.”

Only bright spotThe bright spot from Melbourne was makeshift opener Tom Blundell’s gritty second innings century and heis set to retain the role alongside Tom Latham.

But there is doubt overskipper Kane Williamson,who has had a poor tour. Hemissed training on Wednesday with fl��ulike symptoms,with batsman Henry Nichollssuff��ering similar problems.

Jeet Raval is the only specialist batsman waiting in thewings, but he has been out ofform.

Kiwis look to salvage pride in fi��nal TestWith bushfi��res raging, smoke haze could come into play

NZ IN AUSTRALIA


Sydney

Lone warrior: Tom Blundell, coming in as makeshift opener,played a gritty knock for New Zealand in Melbourne. * AP

CMYK

A ND-NDE


THE HINDU DELHI


SPORT

Swede Kulusevski setfor Juventus move MILAN

Promising Swedish teenager

Dejan Kulusevski is poised to

complete a move to Juventus

from Atalanta after

undergoing his medical, the

Serie A champion confirmed.

“The Swedish midfielder

arrived at the medical centre

located at the Allianz

Stadium and began his tests,”

the club said in a statement.

The 19yearold has had a

breakthrough season since

going on loan from Atalanta

to Parma in June, scoring

four goals and setting up

another seven in 17 games.AFP

IN BRIEF

Orlando Magic endsfourgame losing streak LOS ANGELES

D.J. Augustin and Nikola

Vucevic combined for 45

points as the Orlando Magic

snapped a fourgame losing

skid with a 122101 victory

over the Washington Wizards

on Wednesday.The results:Lakers 117 bt Phoenix 107;New York 117 bt Portland 93;Milwaukee 106 bt Minnesota104.Washington 101 lost toOrlando 122.

Dudamel steps down asVenezuela coach CARACAS

Rafael Dudamel is stepping

down as coach of Venezuela

after nearly four years in

charge, sources close to the

case told AFP on Thursday.

According to reports in the

Brazilian press, the 46year

old is likely to take over

Atletico Mineiro, which has

been on the hunt for a coach

since the end of Vagner

Mancini’s brief tenure in

December. His departure

comes just three months

before the start of South

American qualifying for the

2022 World Cup. AFP

Australia v New Zealand:3rd Test, Sony Six (SD & HD),5.30 a.m.NBA: Sony Ten 1 (SD & HD),6.30 a.m.Ranji Trophy: Star Sports 2(SD & DH), 9.30 a.m.Big Bash League: Sony Ten3 (SD & HD), 1.40 p.m.South Africa v England:2nd Test, Sony Six (SD & HD),2 p.m.ISL: Star Sports 2 (SD & HD),7.30 p.m.

TV PICKS

GROUP A: Bengal v Gujarat(Kolkata); Hyderabad v Kerala(Hyderabad); Punjab v Delhi(Mohali); Rajasthan v Andhra(Jaipur). GROUP B: Baroda v Railways(Vadodara); Himachal v MadhyaPradesh (Dharamshala); Mumbai v Karnataka (Mumbai); UttarPradesh v Tamil Nadu (Kanpur). Group C: Chhattisgarh v Haryana (Raipur); Jharkhand v Jammu & Kashmir (Ranchi); Services v Maharashtra (New Delhi);Tripura v Odisha (Agartala); Uttarakhand v Assam (Dehradun).Plate: Bihar v Mizoram (Patna);Goa v Manipur (Porvorim);Meghalaya v Pondicherry (Mangaldoi); Nagaland v Chandigarh(Sovima); Sikkim v ArunachalPradesh (Bhubaneswar).

ROUND 4 SCHEDULECCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

Punjab’s batting juggernautis likely to continue when thehost takes on a severelydepleted Delhi in the fourthround of the Ranji Trophychampionship, beginning atthe PCA Stadium here onFriday.

Since Patiala hosts threeof the four home games,Punjab would like to make itsonly appearance of theleague here a fruitful one.

Punjab’s batting has comegood in all three matches.With Delhi shorne of pacersIshant Sharma, Navdeep Saini and Pawan Suyal, the hostwill eye a win similar to the10wicket triumph it postedlast November.

Outright wins over Rajasthan and Andhra, followedby three points against twotime defending champion Vidarbha, have placed Punjabatop the points table. With 17points, Punjab is 10 ahead ofDelhi. And the gulf betweenthe performances of the twoteams this season is aptly refl��ected on the pointstable.

Batting juggernautThe only time Punjab wasbowled out this season,against Rajasthan, it scored358. Thereafter, Punjabcrossed 400 when it batted

once against Andhra and Vidarbha.

This was mainly due toskipper Mandeep Singh (385runs including a double century, a century and a halfcentury), Gurkeerat SinghMann (222, one century), Anmol Malhotra (156, two halfcenturies) and Shubman Gill

(148 runs, one century).Among the bowlers, legspinner Mayank Markande (11wickets) is leading thecharge.

Medium pace of SanvirSingh and Baltej Singh alongwith the off��spin of Gurkeerat Singh Mann have resultedin seven wickets for each

bowler. According to Delhicoach K.P. Bhaskar, the pitchdid not appear to be in favour of the medium pacers.

“So, at the moment, Idon’t think the absence ofour main bowlers will hit usreally badly. Yes, our bowling resources are not thesame but we will fi��ght. Three

points from this match willsatisfy us.”

With inadequacies galore,Delhi crossed 300 just oncethis season. Among the batsmen, with Shikhar Dhawanaway on National duty, opener Kunal Chandela, skipperDhruv Shorey and Nitish Rana are expected to shoulderthe responsibility of playinglong innings.

Medium pacer SimarjeetSingh (10 wickets) and leftarm spinner Vikas Mishrawill have to play a big role forDelhi to survive.

Overall, Punjab expectsmore from this game thanDelhi.

Punjab expected to steamroller Delhi Visitors’ lack of pace options not an impediment, says coach Bhaskar

RAKESH RAOMOHALI

Going full tilt: Punjab captain Mandeep Singh has been in phenomenal form with a double century, century and a halfcentury so far this campaign. * FILE PHOTO

RANJI TROPHY

BENGALURU: Desert God, who isin fine fettle, may score an encorein the Chief Minister’s Trophy(2,000m), the feature event of theraces to be held here on Friday( Jan 3). False rails (width about4.5m from 1,600m to the winningpost) will be in position. Jockey forGood Word (1st race) will be declared later.

1 MOODABIDRI PLATE (1,400m),rated 00 to 20, 5yo & over, 215

p.m.: 1. Brightside Of Life (2)Arvind Kumar 60, 2. Desert Gilt (7)K. Raghu 60, 3. Bravado (3) J.H.Arul 59.5, 4. Winx (12) R. Manjunath 59.5, 5. Only Prince (10)Naveen Kumar 59, 6. Good Word(5) (—) 57.5, 7. Indian Brahmos (8)M. Naveen 57.5, 8. Prime Star (11)Md. Aliyar 57.5, 9. Noble Splendor(6) S. Shareef 56.5, 10. Purity (1)Ankit Yadav 56, 11. South Bell (4)Shreyas Singh 55 and 12. Sultana(9) Chetan G 55.1. NOBLE SPLENDOR, 2. DESERTGILT, 3. PRIME STAR

2 AMBER REGENT PLATE(1,600m), rated 15 to 35, 245: 1.

Cosmic Feeling (9) A. Imran 60, 2.Custom Cut (2) Akshay Kumar59.5, 3. Aferpi (10) Srinath 59, 4.Akasi (5) Trevor 58, 5. HeavenlyAngel (6) Darshan 57.5, 6. SirLancelot (3) R. Marshall 57, 7. HighPriestess (4) David Allan 56.5, 8.Iconic Princess (8) S. Shareef 56.5,9. Scintilla (1) Donoghue 56.5, 10.Sun Splash (7) Vaibhav 56, 11.Sainthood (12) C. Umesh 55.5 and12. Sky Moon (11) Jagadeesh 55.5.1. AFERPI, 2. HIGH PRIESTESS, 3.CUSTOM CUT

3 LAL BAGH PLATE (1,400m),rated 60 & above, 315: 1. Tor

orosso (6) S. Shareef 62.5, 2. Angelino (5) David Allan 56.5, 3. Peluche (1) Trevor 56.5, 4. Buscadero(7) Vinod Shinde 55, 5. TreasureDelight (4) Suraj 54, 6. Turf Magic(8) Donoghue 54, 7. Ashwa Raftar(2) I. Chisty 51.5 and 8. StarCracker (3) Sai Kiran 51.1. ANGELINO, 2. PELUCHE, 3.TREASURE DELIGHT

4 G. KRISHNAPPA MEMORIALTROPHY (DIV. I), (1,200m),

rated 30 to 50, 345: 1. Indian

Empress (6) J.H. Arul 60, 2.Siyouni (9) Nikhil Naidu 57.5, 3.Slice Of Heaven (4) A. Imran 57, 4.Winall (5) S. John 57, 5. Constanza(7) Trevor 56.5, 6. Habanero (3)Tousif Khan 56, 7. Palm Reader(10) C. Umesh 55, 8. Big Boon (8)R. Anand 54.5, 9. Stari Grad (1) A.Vishwanath 54.5 and 10. IndianDemocrat (2) David Allan 54.1. INDIAN DEMOCRAT, 2. INDIANEMPRESS, 3. SLICE OF HEAVEN

5 CHIEF MINISTER’S TROPHY(2,000m), 4yo & over,

(Terms), 415: 1. Desert God (5)David Allan 62, 2. Salazaar (4)Srinath 58.5, 3. Secretive Force (1)Suraj 57.5, 4. Point To Prove (6)Antony 55.5, 5. Velocidad (3) Darshan 55.5 and 6. Square The Circle(2) C. Umesh 51.5.1. DESERT GOD, 2. SALAZAAR

6 JANUARY PLATE (1,400m),maiden 3yo only, (Terms), 4

45: 1. Al Buraaq (2) T.S. Jodha 55, 2.Cavallini (10) C. Umesh 55, 3. Fulgurant (4) I. Chisty 55, 4. Handsome (5) Suraj 55, 5. MountainLion (7) Trevor 55, 6. Pissarro (1)Akshay Kumar 55, 7. Redoubtable(3) Srinath 55, 8. Welcome Surprise (9) A. Imran 55, 9. AngelHeart (11) R. Marshall 53.5, 10. Classic Charm (8) Sandesh 53.5, 11.Glorious Logan (12) Darshan 53.5and 12. Osibisa (6) Jagadeesh 53.5.1. MOUNTAIN LION, 2. HANDSOME,3. CLASSIC CHARM

7 G. KRISHANAPPA MEMORIALTROPHY (DIV. II), (1,200m),

rated 30 to 50, 515: 1. Tarini (5) M.Naveen 60, 2. Perfect Rendition (2)I. Chisty 59, 3. Schafenberg (8) Trevor 58.5, 4. Princess Holly (7) SaiKiran 57, 5. Lightning Attack (4)Darshan 56, 6. Black Whizz (3) T.S.Jodha 56, 7. Silken Striker (1) R.Manish 56, 8. Amazonite (10) S.Shareef 55.5, 9. Desert Rose (11) B.Nayak 55.5, 10. Donna Bella (6) C.Umesh 55.5 and 11. Darahasini (9)P. Surya 54.5.1. PERFECT RENDITION, 2.SCHAFENBERG, 3. DONNA BELLA

Day’s best: DESERT GOD

Double: AFERPI — MOUNTAIN LION

Jkt: 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7; Tr (i): 2, 3 and4; (ii): 5, 6 and 7.

Desert God well preppedfor Chief Minister’s Trophy

This has been a breakthrough season for BrandonFernandes. The 25yearoldmidfi��elder is enjoying arguably his best ISL campaign,while also cementing hisplace in the Indian team. Fernandes is the sort of creative,technicallygifted, passingmidfi��elder the national sidehas long craved; over the lastfew months he has steadilyemerged as one of the country’s fi��nest.

Ten games into this ISLseason, Fernandes leads theassists charts (5); he has nowprovided more assists thanany other Indian player inthe history of the league (13)which, considering he’s onlyfeatured in 45 matches, issaying a lot. In India’s 2022FIFA World Cup qualifyingcampaign, all three of theteam’s goals have been assisted by Fernandes, his setpiece delivery a real asset.

“I love to provide assists,”Fernandes tells The Hindu.“I’ve got better and better every season. I also want toscore goals but we (FC Goa)have goalscorers so I have toprovide good passes for

them to score. I just focus onputting the ball in the rightplace.”

Some regretFor all the rewards this season has brought Fernandes,2019 will remain a yeartinged with some regret.When Stephen Constantinenamed the Indian probablesfor the AFC Asian Cup, theMargao midfi��elder did notfi��nd a place in it. The omis

sion must have been disappointing, but Fernandesdoes not wish to dwell on it.

“It’s not good to speakabout that,” he says. “I expected a callup and it didn’thappen. But I don’t want tosay anything about that. Thatwas 2019. And 2020 is a newyear.”

Constantine quit after theAsian Cup, though, and IgorStimac was appointed India’snew head coach. The Croat

called Fernandes up at once,handing him his fi��rst Indiacap against Curacao in June.

“Igor Stimac told me thathe saw my ISL matches andhe said I was a very important player for him,” says Fernandes. “He told me that if Iwork hard I’m going to getmy place in the team.”

Stimac has deployed Fernandes as a deeplying playmaker; at FC Goa, he playsmainly as a leftsided attacking midfi��elder but is also sometimes used as a 10. “Aslong as I am playing, I’m happy,” he says. “Diff��erentcoaches see me in diff��erentways. I try to adapt and givethem whatever they ask for.”

FC Goa’s fi��rst game of2020 is against BengaluruFC, at the Sree KanteeravaStadium here on Friday.Matches between the twosides have always tended tobe close and Fernandes expects another tense encounter. He is hopeful, though, ofbeginning the new year justlike he ended the old one. “Ithas been a very good seasonfor me so far,” he says.“There were a lot of ups anddowns but I kept going. I willcontinue doing that.”

The 25-year-old has emerged as an integral part of FC Goa and the Indian team

Shreedutta ChidanandaBengaluru

A real asset: Brandon Fernandes is the sort of creative,technicallygifted, passing midfi��elder the national side has long craved for. * FILE PHOTO: VIVEK BENDRE

Love to fi��nd the perfect pass: FernandesDavid Stern, 77, who oversawNBA’s growth into a globalsports powerhouse whileserving as commissionerfrom 1984 to 2014, died onWednesday after suff��ering abrain haemorrhage lastmonth.

The NBA, whose championship games were not televised live in the UnitedStates when Stern’s 30yeartenure began, announced hispassing.

Stern, who underwentemergency surgery after hewas stricken December 12,built the league into a globalsporting empire by the timehe retired in February 2014,and passed leadership to current commissioner AdamSilver.

“David took over the NBAin 1984 with the league at acrossroads, but over thecourse of 30 years as commissioner he ushered in themodern global NBA,” Silversaid in a statement.

“He launched groundbreaking media and marketing partnerships, digital assets and social responsibilityprograms that have broughtthe game to billions of peoplearound the world.

“Without David Stern, the

NBA would not be what it istoday,” sixtime NBA champion Michael Jordan said in astatement.

“He guided the leaguethrough turbulent times andgrew the league into an international phenomenon, creating opportunities that fewcould have imagined before.

“RIP Mr David Stern Thebest commissioner to ever doit,” fourtime NBA championShaquille O’Neal O’Neal

tweeted.Stern oversaw expansion

of the league from 23 to 30clubs, the debut of activeNBA talent in the Olympicsand the sport’s expansion toa popular worldwide television phenomenon.

Stern also helped establishthe Women’s NBA and a development league for NBA talent, ensuring a next manwas ready whenever an injury struck.

Agence France-PresseNEW YORK

Pathbreaker: David Stern, seen with Michael Jordan in 1996,made the NBA one of the mostwatched leagues in theworld. * FILE PHOTO

NBA mastermind Stern passes away

Tamil Nadu bagged themen’s crown in the seniorNational volleyball championships with a 2518, 2521, 2125, 2523 victory overRailways in the fi��nal here onThursday. This was TamilNadu’s ninth title overall inthe men’s event and the fi��rstafter six years. Kerala defeated Railways 2518, 2514,2513 and retained the women’s title.

Head coach G. Dhinakaran praised the seniors forputting up a wonderfulshow. “G.R. Vaishnav, Ukkrapandian and Naveen Ra

ja Jacob were really eff��ectivewhile the juniors did whatwas expected of them,” hesaid.

Dhinakaran said theteam’s fi��rst objective in thefi��nal was to stop the Railways’ central blocker Ashwal and it was done successfully.

“Our attacker Ashwin andcentral blocker Manoj didreally well,” he said.The results: Men’s fi��nal: TN bt Railways 2518, 2521, 2125, 2523; Thirdplace playoff��: Kerala bt Karnataka 2521, 2624, 2519.Women’s fi��nal: Kerala bt Railways 2518, 2514, 2513; Thirdplace playoff��: Maharashtra btWest Bengal 2518, 2520, 2512.

TN claims men’s titleafter six yearsKerala retains the women’s crown

Sports BureauBHUBANESWAR

Winning smiles: The victorious Tamil Nadu men’s team.* SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

NATL. VOLLEYBALL

Mangalore University’s Narendra Prathap Singhbroke the men’s 10,000mmeet record on the opening day of the 80th National interuniversity athleticschampionships here onThursday.

The 22yearold clocked29:42.19s, bettering the oldrecord of Mangalore’s R.Kumar Patel (29:45.81) setin 2018.The results: Men, 10,000m:1. Narendra Prathap Singh(Mangalore) 29:42:19s MR, OR29:45.81; 2. Kisan Tadvi (SSPPune) 30:57.12; 3. Yadav Santosh (Calcutta) 30:57:29.Women, 10,000m: 1. SonunePoonam (SSP Pune)36:00.32s; 2. K.M. Amrita Patel (MG Kashi Vidyapeeth)36:01.98; 3. Sonika (MaharshiDayananda, Rohtak) 36:02.04.

Narendra’smeet record

Sports BureauMOODBIDRI

Narendra Prathap Singh(Mangalore). * H. VIBHU

The ITF junior circuit in India will start with the grade3tournament to be staged inChandigarh from January 6.It will be followed by thegrade2 tournament in Delhi,and another similar tournament in Kolkata, in subsequent weeks.

The fourth tournamentwill be held at Indore, thegrade5 event to be playedfrom January 27.

Dev Javia, ranked 98th, is

the best among the Indianjuniors, and is expected tocompete in the AustralianOpen junior event.

Mann Shah (265), KabirHans (340), Uddayvir Singh(383), Madhwin Kamath(451) and Aryaan Bhatia(462) are some of the otherleading Indian boys in therankings’ list.

Among the girls, VipashaMehra has the best rank of158. She is followed by NikitaVishwase (216), SandeeptiSingh Rao (396), Sarah Dev

(461) and Sanjana Sirimalla(475).

Meanwhile, a $25,000 ITFwomen’s tournament isscheduled to be held in Jodhpur from February 17. It isthe only ITF tournament forIndian men or women, to bestaged at home, in the fi��rstthree months of the season.

The men do have the$610,010 ATP Tour event,the Maharashtra Open inPune from February 3, followed by the $162,480 Challenger in Bengaluru from Fe

bruary 10.

Tennis tournament for seniorsMeanwhile, the Delhi Masters Games seniors’ tennistournament will be held atthe MM Public School, Pitampura, on January 11 and12.

Events will be held in theover35, 40, 50 and 60 agegroups. A player can compete in one singles and onedoubles. Entry fee will be₹��2,100 per player.

ITF junior circuit begins on Jan. 6SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTNEW DELHI

Germany’s Alexander Zverevon Thursday said he felt intop shape for 2020 despiteonly starting to hit balls aweek ago after an off��seasoncurtailed by a lucrative exhibition tour.

The 22yearold only wonone title last year, in Geneva,not quite taking the step upthat many had predicted,slipping from fourth to seventh in the men’s tennisrankings.

But Zverev remains a bigdrawcard and he fi��nished2019 playing a fi��vestop exhibition tour of South America

and China with RogerFederer.

Although the tour meant ashorter off��season than normal, Zverev insisted it madelittle diff��erence.

“I mean, still I think I hada good off��season. It was a little bit diff��erent. It was shorter this year, for sure,” hesaid at the ATP Cup teamevent in Brisbane.

“I only started playingtennis a week ago, prettymuch, so I don’t have a lot oftennis practice yet, which Iwill build up.

“But I feel good. I feelpretty fi��t again. My physical(condition) was never really

my problem. It was in the beginning of my career, but inthe last one, two years it’snever been a problem.

“I know I can last matches, I know I can play longerthan most guys.”

Confi��dentWhile Zverev is confi��dentabout his oncourt stamina,he admitted he could haveplayed better last year andwants to put that right thisseason. “For me, I need toget my tennis back a little bitand kind of have a fresh startas well,” he said.

“Obviously, the last year Ifi��nished number seven in the

world. I had good tournaments, but it was still not theyear that I wanted to haveand I hope I can kind of improve this year.”

Zverev is playing the inaugural ATP Cup under thecaptaincy of German greatBoris Becker and he is confi��dent they will do well, despite being in a tough groupwith the Nick KyrgiosledAustralia.

Under the tournamentformat, 24 nations are splitinto six roundrobin groupsacross Brisbane, Perth andSydney with only eightteams qualifying for theknockout phase.

Zverev says no concerns over curtailed off��seasonAgence France-PresseBrisbane

Former World No. 3 GrigorDimitrov saw his rankingslump last year as he struggled with a shoulder injury,but the Bulgarian on Thursday said he won’t pushhimself too hard, too fast toreturn to the top of tennis.

The 28yearold was laidlow early in the season andwas far from his best afterhe returned to action, although he did reach the USOpen and Paris Masterssemifi��nals.

Dimitrov said 2019,where he failed to win a title, had been “quite a journey”. “It’s going to be ayear that I remember forthe rest of my life,” he said.

“Yeah, the body checksout pretty good right now.I’m still monitoring a lot ofmy work, a lot that I’m going through. I kind of pacemyself in the right way. I’mnot in a rush, which is alsoa good thing.”

The shoulder problemwas Dimitrov’s fi��rst majorinjury and he said he plansto limit the number of tournaments he plays, particularly early in the season.

Dimitrov to ease hisway back

Agence France-PresseSYDNEY

CMYK

A ND-NDE


DELHI THE HINDU


SPORT

He hasn’t lost a bout in closeto fi��ve years and VijenderSingh is determined to keepthe record with a world titleto boot as he enters the newdecade donning multiplehats, including the one of anactive politician “with strongopinions’’.

The 34yearold trailblazing boxer, who delivered India’s fi��rst Olympic and men’sWorld championship medalsin boxing back in 2008 and2009, has logged an enviable120 record in the professional circuit, which he enteredin 2015.

“All the talk with my promoters is focused on theworld title. In all, I expect tocompete in threefour fi��ghtsthis year with the world titlebeing the big one. We are trying to ensure that this marquee fi��ght happens in India,”Vijender said.

Vijender is handled byHall of Famer Bob Arum’sTop Rank Promotions in theUSA and has Infi��nity OptimalSolution (IOS) Boxing Promotions to handle him in India. He last fought in Novem

ber 2019, beating Ghana’sformer Commonwealthchampion Charles Adamu ina lopsided bout.

Trains with Beard“I will continue to train withLee Beard and move to Manchester in a next few weeksto begin my training there.While I am here, I train at agym in Gurugram,” he said.

Beard, who has trainedprofessional stars like RickyHatton, has been Vijender’strainer since 2015. Under histutelage, the Haryanaladclinched the WBO Asia Pacific and Oriental super middleweight titles.

The only time Vijendertasted defeat in the last fi��veyears was when he decidedto take the political plungeahead of the 2019 Lok Sabhaelections.

He lost the election fromSouth Delhi while contestingon a Congress ticket.

Does he regret the move?“Not one bit. I fully stand byit and I intend to be an activepolitician. I have strong opinions on issues and I like tobe vocal. Being a politiciangives you a platform to bethe change,” he asserted.

“Kai baar aap seekhtehain, kai baar aap jitate

hain (sometimes you learn,other times you win). That’show I would describe my decision to join politics. It is awonderful way to stay connected with realities of life.Why should I have regretsjust because I lost one election?” he asked.

Vijender said there isnothing wrong if people demand their heroes to voiceopinion in public.

Voices matter

“I believe athletes shouldspeak. At one level, we are also representatives and ourvoices matter. It shouldn’t bethat we are saying stuff�� onlywhen being paid to do so.Views rakhne chahiye, generally (we should presentour views).

Speaking about going forward, the strapping sixfooter welcomed his second sonin May last year and he sayshe has lost track of time eversince.

Daddy duty

“I don’t know when the daystarts and when it ends.Right now, I am on daddy duty as well. I am a boxer, father, and politician. I hope I amat least decent in all theseroles,” he laughed.

‘You win sometimes, other times you learn’ Vijender expects to compete in threefour fi��ghts this year, with World title being the big one


New Delhi

Unbeatable: Vijender has not lost a bout in nearly fi��ve years and hopes to continue in the same vein in 2020. * FILE PHOTO

BOXING

Australian pace legendGlenn McGrath on Thursdaycalled himself a traditionalist and said he was againstthe idea of shortening thefi��veday game to a fourdayaff��air as proposed by theICC.

The ICC is consideringthe introduction of fourdayTests as part of the WorldChampionships from 2023,an idea which was supported by Cricket Australia CEOKevin Roberts.

McGrath, however, saidhe is completely against theidea of tinkering with thelonger format.

Traditionalist

“I’m very much a traditionalist. I like the game the wayit is,” McGrath, who has taken 563 wickets in 124 Tests,told reporters ahead of theSydney Test between Australia and New Zealand beginning here on Friday.

“To me, fi��ve days is veryspecial and I’d hate to see itget any shorter. The introduction of pink Tests, daynight Tests is a great way tocontinue keeping our gamefresh and moving forward.In respect to changing how

many days it’s played, I’mactually against it. I like theway it is.”

ICC’s proposal to introduce fourday Tests receivedstiff�� opposition from leadingAustralia spinner NathanLyon on Wednesday, whotermed it “ridiculous”. Australia chief coach Justin Langer is also not in favour oftinkering with the traditional format.

England batsman Jos Buttler, however, feels cricketmust be open to change andfourday Tests must belooked at as it could be away to keep the longer format alive.

BCCI president SouravGanguly said it was too earlyto make any comment.

To me, fi��ve days isspecial: McGrath PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

SYDNEY

McGrath.* FILE PHOTO: K. PICHUMANI

Australia’s tennis chief announced a series of fundraisers for victims of ragingbush fi��res on Thursday afteran appeal from bad boy NickKyrgios.

Kyrgios, often a controversial fi��gure in the sport, calledfor an exhibition tournament before the AustralianOpen Grand Slam, after blazes that have claimed 18 livesand forced massevacuations.

“C’mon @TennisAustraliasurely we can do a pre @AustralianOpen exho to raisefunds for those aff��ected bythe fi��res?” tweeted the 24yearold, who has handed a16week suspended ban inSeptember after a series ofoutbursts.

Tennis Australia CEOCraig Tiley responded by

saying fundraisers would beheld during tournaments including the Australian Openand the ATP Cup team event,telling fans to “stay tuned”for details.

“For weeks we’ve beenwatching the devastationcaused by bush fi��res across

Australia and the people affected are constantly in ourthoughts,” said Tiley.

“We want to help thesecommunities in a meaningful way and will announce anumber of fund raising andsupport initiatives that willbe rolled out across the ATP

Cup, Australian Open andour other events over thecoming weeks.”

Kyrgios, in Brisbane forthe inaugural ATP Cup teamcompetition, said the tennisworld now had the chance todo “something special“.

“Tennis Australia, obviously, has been prettyproactive about it,” Kyrgiossaid Thursday. “I’m sure something will happen. I’msure all of us will be involvedin some way,” he added.

The bush fi��res are the major talking point ahead of the24team ATP Cup, which isbeing held in Brisbane,Perth and Sydney.

World No. 2 Novak Djokovic, who is based in Brisbane with Serbia, visited akoala sanctuary and said itbrought home to him the devastation wrought by thefi��res.

Kyrgios inspires fundraisers to help fi��re victims The tennis star calls for an exhibition tournament to raise moneyAgence France-Presse

Sydney

Let’s do it: Nick Kyrgios is keen to help bush fi��re victims,saying the tennis world can do something special. * REUTERS

The Wrestling Federation ofIndia (WFI) will go aheadwith trials in the men’s freestyle 74kg category despite apostponement request fromthe injured Sushil Kumar.

However, the celebratedgrappler may get a chance toqualify for the Tokyo Olympics in March.

Hand injurySushil, who has been struggling to revive his career, haspulled out of Friday’s trialsciting a hand injury and hadrequested trials in his category to be postponed.

The winners of the trialswill be part of the Indianteam for the season’s fi��rstranking series tournamentin Rome ( January 1518),

Asian Championship in NewDelhi (February 1823) andthe Asian Olympic Qualifi��erin Xian, China, from March27 to 29.

WFI President Brij.Bhushan Sharan Singh saidthe trials will be held in allcategories — fi��ve Olympicclasses in men’s freestyleand six in GrecoRoman.

“Defi��nitely the trials will

not be postponed. We willhave wrestlers competing inthe 74kg. What can we do ifSushil is injured,” saidSharan.

“We will see the performance of the winner in the74kg in the ranking seriesevent. Then we will decidewhat step we need to take,”said Sharan when asked ifSushil will be given a chanceto compete at the Asianqualifi��ers.

India had secured Olympic quotas in three men’sfreestyle categories throughRavi Dahiya (57kg), Bajrang(65kg) and Deepak Punia(86kg) while Vinesh Phogat(53kg) was the lone womangrappler to grab a TokyoGames quota at the WorldChampionships in NurSultan.

While Ravi, Deepak andVinesh have been asked to

compete in the trials, competition in their categorieswill be held only for theRome and New Delhi events.

“If the WFI feels that wedo not have a strong candidate for the Asian qualifi��er(for Tokyo Games) in March,the federation may ask Sushil to appear in a trial,” saidWFI assistantsecretary Vinod Tomar.

Will be back

Sushil has been training vigorously with Russian coachKamal Malikov. “I will be fi��tin two weeks’ time. Don’tworry, I will be back. I hadsustained this hand injury after the Worlds while training. The WFI knew about it.It’s ok if they are going aheadwith the trials,” said Sushil.

The women’s trials will beheld in Lucknow on Saturday.

No Sushil, but trials to go ahead The injured wrestler had asked for a postponement

WRESTLING


NEW DELHI

Sushil. * FILE PHOTO

The Indian women’s hockeyteam defender Sunita Lakra,who was part of the 2018Asian Games silverwinningside, announced her international retirement on Thursday, citing a knee injurywhich would require another surgery.

The 28yearold said thenagging injury has come inthe way of her dream to be apart of India’s Tokyo Olympics campaign this year.

“Today is a very emotional day for me as I have decided to retire from International Hockey,” she said in astatement issued by HockeyIndia.

In the team since 2008,Sunita captained India during the 2018 Asian Champions Trophy, leading theside to a secondplace fi��nishin the event. She played 139matches for India. She was amember of the side thatclaimed the 2014 AsianGames bronze medal.

“I was very fortunate tohave played at the Rio Olympics in 2016, India’s fi��rst appearance in over three decades. As much as I wish tobe part of the Indian team asthey prepare for the TokyoOlympics, my knee injurieshave cut short my dream.

“I have been told by thedoctors that I would be requiring another knee surgery in the coming days and Iam unsure how long it wouldtake before I fully recover,”she said.

Sunita said she would continue to play in domestic

hockey after recovering.

“Pursuant to my treatment, I will play domestichockey and play for NALCOwho have supported my career by providing me a job,”she said. “I have come a longway and I carry with mesome great memories withthe Indian team who havestood strong by my side andthe girls were always my family away from home.”

Sunita thanked her teammates and chief coach SjoerdMarijne for their support.

“My heartfelt thanks toHockey India who ensured I

was given the best treatmentduring my injury and I amgrateful for their unparalleled support to women’shockey. My family, my husband and friends back in Odisha have been my strongestsupporters and I wish tothank them for helping mepursue my passion for hockey. I could not have comethis far without their encouragement,” she said.

India captain said Sunitawould be missed.

“Congratulations @sunitalakraodisha26 for a wonderful carrier. Will defi��nately(sic) miss the best momentswe have shared on the fi��eldand dressing room for morethan a decade. Praying foryour recovery soon and allthe best for your future endeavours,” she tweeted.

Sunita retires due to injury breakdownShe was in the side that claimed the 2014 Asiad bronze

HOCKEY


NEW DELHI

Curtains: Sunita says a nagging injury has come in the way ofher dream to be a part of India’s Tokyo campaign. * FILE PHOTO

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

B Sunita played 139 matchesfor India and captained thecountry in the 2018 AsianChampions Trophy, leadingit to a secondplace fi��nish

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Former World championMirabai Chanu, on courseto seal a berth for the Tokyo Games, maintainedher eighth spot in theOlympic qualifi��ers’ rankinglist released by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) on Thursday.

In the race for qualifi��cation, the 25yearold, whocompetes in the 49kg category, has gathered2966.6406 ranking pointstill now.

To qualify for Tokyo, aweightlifter must competein at least one event in eachof the three periods of sixmonths (spread over November 2018 to April2020), at least six eventsoverall and in at least onegoldand silverlevel event.

“Being eighth now is nota problem as after the fi��nalrankings’ list is made inApril, the best results willbe taken into account,”said National coach VijaySharma .

In the men’s 67kg category, Jeremy Lalrinnungais placed 32nd with2,310.9653 points.

Chanu still ineighth spot

Mirabai Chanu. * FILE PHOTO


NEW DELHI

Australia women’s Ateamcoach Leah Poulton has lavished praise on young Indian opener Shafali Vermafor her powerful batting,and said the teenager is “oneto watch over” in the future.

Playing for IndiaA women’s team, the 15yearoldsmashed a 78ball 124 in aoneday match against AustraliaA last month in Brisbane leaving behind a lasting impression on Poulton.

Full of power“She’s just an amazing talent, she’s only 15yearsoldand she’s got so much power. She just had so muchcomposure at the crease,she didn’t looked fussed atall. She’s defi��nitely going tobe one to watch over thenext few years,” Poulton toldcricket.com.au.

“We’d seen a bit of footage leading in, she’s played abit of cricket for India. Butwhen you watch footage of aplayer like that, it probablydoesn’t do it justice becauseshe’s actually got a really

good presence at thecrease,” she added.

Shafali, who made her debut in September, has represented India in nine T20Isamassing 222 runs. The Rohtakborn player hit two backtoback halfcenturiesagainst the West Indies.

In November, she becamethe youngest Indian cricketer to score a halfcentury ininternational cricket whenshe hit a 49ball 73 in a T20Iagainst the West Indies.

Not typical Indian

“Even though she’s 15, she’sa tall girl and strong as well.When she walked out to bat,I thought, ‘that can’t be the15yearold.’ She’s not yourtypical Indian opening bat,”Poulton said.

“Over the years they’veproduced these openingbats with these amazingtechniques and they’re really crafty, whereas shewalked out there and shewas just pure power.

“It was really good towatch, I did get into fanmode for a while.”

Aussie-A coach lavishespraise on Shafali Press Trust of India

Melbourne

Talented youngster: Shafali Verma, just 15 years old, hasalready shown what she is capable of. * GETTY IMAGES

Grappler Vinesh Phogat said2019 was a year fi��lled with allkinds of emotions where shelearned a lot and believesthat 2020 — a year in whichshe will be making her second Olympics appearance— will be special.

“2019 was a year fi��lledwith emotions — some bitter,some sweet! Started off�� theyear with a lot of anger, frustration and fear inside ofme. I had a new fulltimecoach, a whole new practiceregimen, and most importantly a completely newweight category!” Vineshtweeted on Wednesday.

At the 2016 SummerOlympics in Brazil, Vineshreached the quarterfi��nalsand lost to Sun Yanan of China owing to a knee injury.

Vinesh, who was stretchered off�� the mat midwayduring her quarterfi��nal boutin Rio, changed her weightcategory twice since 2016,and in March 2019, she decided to move up to the 53kgcategory with an eye onavoiding injuries.

Huge changes

“Now that I think of it, thisnew weight category madethe biggest diff��erence and fi��nally helped me achieve something that I had pursuedfor a long time, a WorldChampionship medal! Chasing that medal brought inhuge changes,” she said.

“I changed the way Itrained, the way I ate, andhow I recovered!!! I explorednew countries, wanderedround new cities and had a

tonne of fabulous new experiences. Looking back, 2019turned out pretty great!

“2020 comes with a lot ofpromise with the fact that Iam competing at my secondOlympic Games taking it to awhole new level! Thank you2019 for all the wonderfuland not so wonderful moments that taught me somuch! Wishing all of you avery happy new year!!!

“2020 is gonna be special,” she added.

PotentialThe 25yearold underlinedher potential with a bronzemedal in the World Wrestling Championships aftershe registered an emphatic41 victory over Greece’s Maria Prevolaraki in Russia.That made her the fi��rst Indian wrestler to qualify forthe 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

She also became the fi��rstIndian woman wrestler tomake the cut throughWorlds, a feat which onlystrengthens her stakes at theTokyo Olympics. WithSakshi Malik struggling, Vinesh will be India’s besthope for glory in Tokyo.

Vinesh Phogat says 2020will be special IANS

New Delhi

Vinesh Phogat...looking ahead. * PTI

CM

YKND-ND

Delhi • city EDITION • JANUARY 3, 2020

Arts | Dance | Music | Movies www.thehindu.com/FridayReview Theatre | Review | History & Culture | Faith

This Wednesday marked the 31stShahaadat Divas (martyrdom day)of theatre activist Safdar Hashmi,

and the crowd gathered at Jhandapur inthe Sahibabad Industrial Area to celebrate his memory, as on every January 1,showed that neither the theatre worldnor those politically affi��liated to theCommunist Party of India and the workers’ organisation CITU have forgottenhim.

January days in the DelhiNCR off��er abrief spell of sunlight soon to be snuff��edout by the early onset of evening. But

more than sunlight was snuff��ed out onJanuary 1, 1989, the day Safdar Hashmicame with his group Jana Natya Manch( JANAM) to perform the street play“Halla Bol” in Jhandapur village, as partof their eff��orts to educate the factoryworkers and make them aware of theirrights and powers. The group was attacked by goons owing allegiance to theCongress party (of the 10 attackers laterconvicted of the murder, one was theparty’s mayoral candidate), and Hashmisuccumbed to his injuries the followingday. A factory worker Ram Bahadur wasshot dead.

Stunned as Hashmi’s supporters

were by his tragic end, the fl��ame he ignited refused to go out. Not only did JANAM, led by Safdar’s wife Moloyashree,return to complete “Halla Bol” at the very same spot two days after his death,they also turned it into a pilgrimage ofsorts. Every January 1, it is here in Jhandapur that artists and workers come together to celebrate the sacrifi��ce and theunbreakable pledge made by SafdarHashmi.

This year, apart from artists of JANAM, those gathered at the site included other theatre practitioners, youngpeople from diff��erent walks of life, factory workers and their families, plusthree special guests: Shabana Azmi andJaved Akhtar, known for their propeople activism that is as strong as their artpractice, and CPI (M) General SecretarySitaram Yechuri.

The noon air was festive with the “circus” as the crowds referred it, watchingthe seasoned nat performing acrobaticskills on a tightrope rigged up on a precarious looking set of poles dug into theground. Crossing the rope on foot andwhile balancing on a steel wheel (withno protective net or mattress on theground), and jumping through a fl��aming hoop, the nat and his two youngcompanions, a tiny boy and girl, earnedthe applause of the onlookers. The audience then turned to the other side ofthe courtyard where a stage was set up.

The JANAM group led by stalwarts

it’s very cold. Like other speakers, he drew paral

lels between the daily fi��ght for justicewaged by the oppressed and the currentcountrywide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the National Population Register (NPR) and

the National Register of Citizens (NRC).He pointed out that these moves werenot against the minority but against thepoor of every community, and that themove was but a stepping stone to controlling the majority. He also recited twoof his more recent pieces of poetry, including the ghazal “Likh”. The ghazalexhorts poets to write the words thatothers are afraid to utter, to throw awaythe pen they used for sycophancy, andfearlessly write the truth, for never before has the night been as dark as thisnight.

His impassioned words brought outthe truth of Yechuri’s statement that artists give inspiration to the foot soldiersof a movement.

Inspirational poetryShabana, speaking fondly of the days

when her father, poet Kaifi�� Azmi, usedto take her to such meetings of workers,and reciting lines from both Azmi’s andAkhtar’s inspirational poetry, also released an important publication on theoccasion. This was Sudhanva Deshpande’s “Halla Bol: The Death and Lifeof Safdar Hashmi” (LeftWord). Thebook has been published in both English and Hindi versions.

It seemed just the right time for thisbiography. While Hashmi has alwaysbeen a symbol of nonviolent resistanceand resilience in the face of heavy odds,the outpouring of public wrath throughnonviolent protests across India thiswinter has brought his example evenmore into the limelight. The book willbe a reminder that art and politics areindeed inseparable, that culture is ofthe people and by them.

like Kajal Ghosh and Sudhanva Deshpande sang rousing songs including thepoignant “Lal jhanda leke comrade aagebadhte jayenge” which contains the line“Tum nahin rahe, iska gham hai paraage badhte jaayenge (Though it saddens us that you are no longer with us,still we will carry on)”.

Eloquent addressAside from JANAM’s play on the

plight of workers burdened by a lack offreedom to protest and denied justworking conditions, it was in the eloquent address of Javed Akhtar that thetorch of poetic anguish met the fi��re ofthe commoner’s anger at circumstances. Injustice is like the climate, said thecelebrated poet and lyricist, drawing attention to the prevailing situation whereworkers and the poor have never had iteasy, regardless of the ruling dispensation. But sometimes, he added, it’s colder than at others. These days, he said,

Artists and workers gathered at Jhandapur to remember Safdar Hashmi on theanniversary of his murder and to pledge to fi��ght injustice of all kinds

ANJANA RAJANCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

Incisive comment Moloyashree Hashmi with a JANAM member during the

performance at Jhandapur in Ghaziabad, Safdar Hashmi during a street play

* SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT, SAFDAR HASHMI TRUST

When art’s passion metlayman’s anger

READ INSIDE

L. Subramaniam on how music

binds different cultures P2

Tribal and folk arts at the

Azamgarh Mahotsav P3

Actor Akshaye Khanna on his

craft and role in politics P4

teacher. She is relooking at tradition fornewer interpretations, exploring ancients texts, revisiting the timeless worksof the legendary Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra.

“Of course, Surupa’s pieces will alsobe part of my repertoire. I have grownartistically with them. All her choreographic works were fi��rst mounted on mybody. We have shared every moment ofthe creative process. So the connect andresonance will remain always,” saysBijayini.

After her early training at the OrissaDance Academy in Bhubaneshwar,when she decided to join Nrityagram in1993 after being selected in an auditionby Protima Bedi, her parents refused tolet her go.

“They wondered why should I leaveBhubaneshwar to train in Odissi at a residential school near Bangalore. But I persisted because I was looking at the holistic training and perfect ambience thatNrityagram off��ered.

“It was as diffi��cult a move as the one Ihave made now. Sometimes, in life, oneneeds to stand and stare, of course at thesky, stars and trees, but also within tobring out one’s best,” she says.

Draped in a bright red handloom sari, a big red bindion the forehead, hair neatlytied into a bun and a joyoussmile lighting up her face,

Bijayini Satpathy walked into BharatiyaVidya Bhavan, Chennai, for the ‘DanceFor Dance Festival’ without Surupa Sen,her partner in creativity. It was unusual,for people have only seen them dance inunison for the past 25 years, mirroringand complementing moods and movements like no other performing duo. Surupa as artistic director and Bijayini asthe principal dancer created incrediblechoreographic works in Odissi. Theyworked hard to nurture Protima Bedi’svision Nrityagram, making it one of the

most recognised dance institutions inthe world. But a year ago, Bijayini decided to step out of this creative zone andembark on a solo journey.

Moving away from the foyer of theauditorium that was teeming with dancers and dance lovers at the KalavaahiniFestival, where she performed to apacked house, she spoke about steppingback from a long collaboration and rediscovering herself.

“The decision wasn’t easy. I had topush myself hard to make it since I wasyearning to fi��nd the dancer in me on myterms. I wanted to explore the untouched dimensions of my artistry. Itwas not external validation I was seeking; I needed internal validation.

“I view my decision as both a spiritualand artistic pilgrimage and one has to dothe parikrama alone. Nrityagram ishome. Its doors will never close for me, Ican go back anytime,” she says, herlarge, expressive eyes conveying the

emotion impeccably.Bijayini had been mulling the

move for over 10 years. Everytime the thought crossed hermind, the responsibility ofthe institution that shapedher into the magnifi��cent dan

cer that she is today would deter her from going ahead. “I

owe so much to Gaurima (Protima Bedi) and wondered if I would

ever be able to isolate myself fromNrityagram. At the same time, Irealised that if I didn’t do it now,

it would be too late. I will be 50 in afew years. Dancers’ life on stage isdetermined by their body, their singular vehicle of communication. At

some point, they have to come toterms with ageing and aches. I

panicked that someday whenmy body gives in, I shouldn’t

be traumatised by unfulfi��lled creative desires. So Ihave set out with passion,hope and dreams forcompany,” says Bijayini.

After a sixmonth tourof the U.S., where her per

formances came in for ravereviews, accompanied by ex

tensive interviews, she is backin India to participate in Chen

nai’s Margazhi festival. She willbe performing solo for the fi��rst

time at the Music AcademyDance Festival ( January 8,

2020), which has oftenfeatured the Nritya

gram ensemble. “I am gra

duallycomingto terms

with mysolo being,

practising on the rooftop studio at myhouse near Nrityagram that I share withmy husband.”

Bijayini is also learning to handle every little detail, from availability of themusicians to checking if tickets have arrived and arranging meals to looking into accommodation.

“At the institution I was cocooned inevery way. Somebody was taking care ofall these tedious jobs while Surupa designed productions into which I had tofi��t myself in. I am even writing to organisers of festivals to be invited to perform.It is a lot of work, yes, but I am happy Ihave the energy to deal with it,” says Bi

jayini, who will be conducting workshops in Odissi in Chennai after spending the New Year with her family inBhubaneshwar.

As Nrityagram’s director of trainingand outreach, Bijayini developed an integrated physical conditioning for practitioners of Indian classical dance, particularly Odissi. It blends her knowledgeof yoga, kalaripayattu, Western fi��tnesstechniques and kinesiology. “I continueto research and work on this aspectsince it is important for dancers to prepare and preserve their body. At myworkshops and training sessions I insiston looking at dance beyond movement

and mime. The strengthening routineshould be made part of the training vocabulary,” she points out.

As a soloist, Bijayini feels her perspective of the artform has also changed. Shehas begun to draw diff��erently from allthat she has imbibed as a dancer and

Rediscoveringherself Bijayini

Satpathy * PHOTO:

SHALINI JAIN

A stageof her ownOdissi exponent BijayiniSatpathy, the star dancer ofthe Nritygram ensemble,embarks on a solo journey

Chitra SwaminathanCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

<>I have undertaken an artisticpilgrimage and I am gearingup to do the parikramaalone

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

Injustice is like the climate,said Javed Akhtar, drawingattention to the prevailingsituation where workers andthe poor have never had iteasy, regardless of the rulingdispensation. But sometimes,he added, it’s colder than atothers. These days, he said, it’svery cold.

Bijayini wants her repertoire to

combine the spirit of the

tradition and contemporary

sensibilities.

‘aStree’ breaks the myth that

Odissi is a feminine form with

just soft movements and sensual

abhinaya. She chose to portray

characters that brought to the

fore masculine experiences and

expressions. ‘Kalpana - A world

of imagination’, which she will

present at The Music Acdemy on

January 8 with an amazing set

of musicians, includes pieces

choreographed by Guru

Kelucharan and Surupa Sen.

Distinctstyle

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To be born amidst a familyof artistes is truly a blessing. It comes with greatprivilege that needs to bechecked responsibly. To

use that privilege in ways that wouldbind diff��erent traditions and cultures, to further the arts and make itaccessible to a larger audience is thetask of any true artiste. L Subramaniam’s musical genius needs no introduction. As an artiste, he has relentlessly pursued his own music aswell as World music in many ways.Entering into its 29th edition is theLakshminarayana Global Music Festival (LGMF), organised in the memory of his father, mentor, guru andthe legendary violinist Prof. V.Lakshminarayana. Through theyears, the festival has brought in artistes from all continents, consistently experimenting and never restricting itself to what is traditional.

Says Subramaniam, “Music in itself is an extremely powerful medium to communicate, without thebarrier of language. It also projectsour culture, our philosophies, ourways of thinking, rituals while interacting with diff��erent people and artistes. It brings in peace and harmony in a diff��erent way. But I thinkinvolving other global players in thistakes it to the other side of the coin.To collaborate with your own peopleis one thing, but global collaborations bring in brilliant inputs, expressions and emotions. The totalimpact leads to understanding of different cultures from our side, because from our side, unless someone is extraordinarily artistic or isfi��nancially capable, she/he cannotgo to diff��erent countries. We try tobring them to the doorstep, so thatthey are exposed to internationalarts, including instruments whichhave never been brought to India before.”

It is his father who largely left animprint on the young boy. “After hispassing in 1990, my sister Viji and Iwanted to do something in his memory,” says Subramaniam. Lakshminarayana was not simply a violinist. His grandeur also lies in the factthat he put the violin on the globalstage as a solo instrument. The festival began in Chennai’s Madras Music Academy, where TT Vasu, a closefriend of Subramaniam’s was thePresident. It was only a matter oftime before Subramaniam’s music,along with the festival met legendaryartistes. His collaborations and recordings with icons like StephaneGrapelli, Yehudi Menuhin, HerbieHancock, JeanPierre Rampal, JoeSample, Staneley Clarke, GeorgeDuke, Larry Coryell, Tony Williamsand Maynard Fergusson only addedto the opulence of the festival. Thefestival does not stop with concertsand performances, but foundationcourses with Subramaniam Foundation and the Subramaniam Academyof Performing Arts (SaPa) whereinthe students are introduced to diff��erent schools and the artistes whoconduct workshops. “We focus a loton practice. You cannot read 200books on how to sing a raga, youhave to sing it and then go deeper. Itis important in our theory to learnother cultures as well, learn aboutWestern music, which is very strongin harmony. It is also important to befamiliar with forms like Latin American music, African and Indonesianmusic. The structure in itself is veryinterdisciplinary,” adds Subramaniam.

Ace singer and his wife KavitaKrishnamurthy has played a pivotalrole in inspiring his music and creative faculties. He remembers whenthey fi��rst met for a project calledGlobal Fusion Album for WarnerBrothers in Bangalore. “For the album, I had representation from fi��vediff��erent continents. I was living inthe US at that time, which is when afriend suggested that I listen to thetapes of a few singers whom I coulduse for the recording. I heard hervoice; it had a bigger range, diff��erentemotions and a kind of depth. Kavitahad never done any fusion work atthat time, when I approached her.She came and did the fi��rst piece,some time in 1999. It was a huge success musically.”

Musical tributeFor its 29th edition LGMF is also

celebrating the 150th birth year ofMahatma Gandhi. The festival startsin Delhi with a musical tribute bySubramaniam and Kavita featuringSymphony Orchestra of Castile andLeon from Spain, followed by Hyderabad and Pune. The concert at Hyderabad will also see performances byhis children’s band ‘SubraMania’and his granddaughter Mahati. Theperformances will feature ‘SpringRhapsody’, one of Subramaniam’sown compositions published sometime back alongside the bhajans‘Raghupati Raghav’and ‘VaishnavJan Toh’ followed by a compositionwhich is a tribute to Purandara Dasa.

“We have grown so much as a family of artistes. Ever since, we havebeen trying and experimenting with

many things. Most of the compositions I do for orchestras are ragabased contemporary compositions.They have branded it as fusion whereas what I was doing for orchestrawas based on Western harmony andraga harmony. Music is like an oceanand I want to explore as much aspossible. It makes me travel both literally and virtually. It has a healingquality wherein everyone fi��nds something,” he says.

The LGMF book was just released,too, recording and documenting upto 25 years of the festival. The LGMFawards this year will be conferredupon violinist TN Krishnan and mridangist Chandramouli. As to his winter concert in Delhi, Subramaniamchuckles, “I am looking forward tothe concert but not to the cold.”

The Lakshminarayana Global Mus-ic Festival 2020 will be held on 4th Ja-nuary at 6 p.m. at Siri Fort Auditori-um, New Delhi.

Ahead of the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival 2020, maestro L Subramaniam says music islike an ocean and he wants to explore as much as possible

Anuradha Vellat CCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

An excellent communicator ( Clockwise from above)L. Subramaniam; Prof. V. Lakshminarayna; Kavita Krishnamoorthy

* SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

‘Music has a healing quality’

Literature and music share a complex relationship although bothdeal with sounds and turn them in

to meaningful expression. However,their treatment is very dissimilar as literature deals with ideas, thoughts, feelingsand emotions while music deals with only feelings and emotions. When they interact with each other, the interaction often results in the expansion andenrichment of both the art forms. Manytomes have been written on Hindustanimusic dealing with various forms likeclassical, semiclassical, folk and fi��lmmusic but there is hardly any book thatfocuses on the complexity of the relationship between literature and music.

This gap was fi��lled when MukeshGarg, who retired from Delhi University’sHindi Department as Associate Professor, selected and edited articles thatdealt with the literaturemusic tango andproduced two volumes of “Sahitya aurSangeet” (Literature and Music). Itspeaks volumes about the state of intellectual curiosity in the worlds of bothHindi and Hindustani music that, although Vani Prakashan brought them outmore than fi��ve years ago in 2014, theyhave not received adequate attention.

Mukesh Garg and his family are livingexamples of the way literature can gainfully combine with music. He trained inviolin and one of his gurus happened tobe N. Rajam, the foremost exponent ofviolin in Hindustani classical music whohoned her musical skills under the guidance of the legendary Omkar Nath Thakur. He also edited the monthly magazine “Sangeet” for more than twentyyears. And, herein lies a tale that manymay not be familiar with.

Sharp messageThe wider world of Hindi literature hasnot forgotten Kaka Hathrasi (September18, 1906 September 18, 1995) who wasthe uncrowned king of Kavi Sammelansbecause of his extraordinary wit and arare ability to compose funny poems onthe spot. Although his poetry was satirical and comic in nature, it also containedsharp social and political messages. Hisreal name was Prabhulal Garg and hewas Mukesh Garg’s uncle. While theworld knew him as hasyakavi Kaka, hehad another persona that was as much, ifnot more, important as his public one.He was an expert in Hindustani classicalmusic and his services to the cause of itspromotion remain unsung.

In 1932, Prabhulal Garg establishedSangeet Karyalaya in his home townHathras in western Uttar Pradesh andcollected, edited and published old treatises on classical and other forms of music. He himself wrote many books andlaunched a monthly Hindi magazine titled “Sangeet” in 1935. It was the only magazine of its kind and there was a timewhen musicians such as Ravi Shankarwrote for it. It carried informative articles on gharanas, history of music, formsof vocal and instrumental music and introductory books about various musicalinstruments and the technique of theirplaying. Later, Kaka’s nephews LakshmiNarayan Garg and Mukesh Garg helped

him in editing the magazine which,though past its prime, survives to thisday.

Little wonder that Mukesh Gargemerged as a highly regarded musicologist in addition to being an authority onthat period of medieval Brajbhasha poetry that is known as Reetikaal in Hindiacademic circles. He also established apanIndian organisation Sangeet Sankalptowards the end of 1980 to provide platform for struggling young musicians andto promote and propagate Hindustanimusic. Now, it has nearly 125 chapters invarious cities and towns all over India.

The twovolume “Sahitya aur Sangeet” is a veritable treasure trove andcontains 71 articles penned by the likes ofAcharya Brihaspati and PrabhudayalMeetal. They cover the entire history ofthe evolution of Hindustani music, rightfrom the Vedic age to the present day andoff��er informative as well as analytical articles that tell us about the way music hasshaped up the country’s cultural life.One fi��nds articles on music in BuddhistPali literature and orchestra in Buddhistart, music in our epics, The Ramayanaand The Mahabharata, Kalidasa’s worksas well as Shudrak’s plays, music in theSikh tradition as well as in the Vaishnavite Haveli sangeet, the relationship between music and the works of Surdas andother Ashtachhaap poets, Sufi�� music andthe evolution of qawwali and otherforms.

They also discuss the contribution ofPanditraj Jagannath – the last great aesthetic theorist in the long tradition ofSanskrit poetics– to Brajbhasha poetryand the region’s music, musical compositions of the Mughal emperor MuhammadShah ‘Rangeela’, musicality in Hindipoets like Prasad and Nirala, the elementof thumri in Rajasthani folk songs, andindiff��erence to the words of the bandishin khayal singing.

Mukesh Garg has written an introduction that raises many questions – some ofthem methodological – about the complex nature of the relationship betweenliterature and music. Onlyscholarship based on rigorous research can fi��ndanswers to them.

Hindi Belt

Mukesh Garg’s “Sahitya aur Sangeet” is a veritabletreasure trove that covers the evolution of Hindustanimusic and tells us about the way music has shapedup the country’s cultural life

Kuldeep Kumar is a

senior literary critic

A complex relationship

The stage is ready, instead of aset it is packed with chairs forthe audience, while the house

lights are on. The performers areneither in the wings nor on stage. Intheir simple Greek costumes, theybreak into dialogue from among theaudience in the hall as they begintheir performance. In Pandies’Theatre group’s adaptation of theGreek classic, “Medea”, theatre director Anuradha Marwah explores ademocratic performance dynamicthat brings actors and audience onthe same level, setting aside the ideaof the stage.

Performed in the round, the concept attempts to bring classical drama into everyday arena by mergingspaces and challenging conventional

theatre strategies. The productionhas been featured in diverse settingsacross Delhi, ranging from intimateperformance venues like the basement theatre at India Habitat Centreand Studio Safdar to colleges andwomen’s shelter homes.

Levelling the stage“This is the concept of Samtal,”

she explains. “Mostly, classicalworks are performed on the proscenium stage, in ways that are inaccessible to the general public. WithSamtal, we take nuanced and profound themes to everybody, focusing on the human element that oftengets overlooked when the productions are extremely intellectualised.”The term ‘samtal’ literally means alevel fi��eld. Seeking to bring worldtheatre classics to new audiences,the concept also involves opportunities for discussions between the audience, cast and crew of the production.

Marwah refl��ects on the evolutionof the idea that inspired her to directthe play, “I was inspired by the workof theatre group Ten ThousandThings’ and dreamedup of ‘Samtal’while in Minneapolis on a FulbrightNehru Academic and ProfessionalExcellence (FNAPE) Fellowship in2017. It’s a door that opened up awhole new area of creativity for me.

I am essentially a writer, and neveractually thought of myself as a director. When I started to think of Samtal, it was something very new forme and I was like a child wanting toexplore new things.” The community theatre work of Ten ThousandThings involved taking iconic playsto nontraditional venues. Performing in the round, with all the lightson, attracted her because the audience would also become a part ofthe performance in this way.

Finally, in 2019, Michelle Hensley,founder of Ten Thousand Thingsalong with playwright Kira Obolensky, came to Delhi and trained thecreative team of Samtal for performance in the round.

Adapting ‘Medea’“Finding the play that would be

gin this programme was really challenging,” recalls Marwah. “Thescript is very strong and I was apprehensive whether a radical work likeMedea would work in the kind ofrendering we were planning.” Whenshe presented the fi��rst draft of theadaptation to her performers at thereading, they found it challengingand amusing. “It seemed too grandiose to be performed in the round. Irealised it had to be much more conversational and spent anothermonth reworking the script!”

Though the play is distant in timeand space, Marwah was confi��dentthat it would resonate with contemporary contexts and spark discussion and debate with the audience.“We premièred the play in ShaktiShalini shelter home for women inNithari Basti. The audience had absolutely no familiarity with Greekdrama yet they responded and wanted to talk.” The power of the play liesin bringing out the audience fromthe space of passive spectatorshipinto an active dialogue about theirown lives. “In educational institutions, or studio spaces, it was intense, people wanted to talk abouttheir lives – relationships, sexuality.Topics that are conventionally taboo

could be broached because we arelooking at them through the play, itwas somebody else’s story, so it becomes easy to voice opinions.”

Democratic forumThe shows extended much

beyond the performance with deeper conversations with each group.While the text and theme of Medeaopened up insights into the audience’s own lives, the discussions delvedinto diff��erent points of view. In theshelter home, for instance, womenopened up about their own experiences of abuse and abandonment.Urban audience in studio settingswere enamoured with the dynamicaesthetics of performance in the

round, while students expressed curiosity about politics and directorialchoices.

For Marwah, exploring theatre asa levelled and democratic spacestems from her own beliefs and feminist politics. “The beauty of performing in the round with classicaltexts is that a wide range of audiencerespond to it, cutting across classand socioeconomic divide.” As theproduction gains momentum, thereare more performances coming upin other cities, towns and villages.The theatre group is busy bracing upfor unexpected questions from theaudience, more intense dialogues todraw them in and their own conversation with a classic from the past.

‘Medea’ in the roundTheatre director Anuradha Marwah on taking classical works to spaces thatare accessible to general public

Reaching out

Director

Anuradha

Marwah; a scene

from “Medea”

* SPECIAL

ARRANGEMENT

SHRINKHLA SAHAI CCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

<>Kavita had never done anyfusion work at that time,when I approached her. Shecame and did the fi��rstpiece, some time in 1999. Itwas a huge successmusically

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The 12day Azamgarh Mahotsavfeatured diff��erent theatricalforms, music concerts, dancerecitals and symposia in diff��erent parts of this sprawling

district of eastern Uttar Pradesh. Itevoked a sense of joie de vivre and camaraderie among theatre practitionersthat will be remembered for long.

Organised in collaboration with thecivil society and district administration,the spectacular performances unfoldedon an elaborate makeshift stage on ahuge lawn popularly known as Jajee KaMaidan which was equipped with advanced lighting devices.

One of the visually and aurally enchanting experiences was off��ered by“Bastar Band” which was remarkablefor presenting rhythmically gracefuldance movements and soulstirringmusical tunes. The colourful costumes,the display of enviable skill by drummers, the enactment of daily chores oftribal people in harmony with naturecreated beautiful imagery.

Bow’s melodyWe know bow and arrow are essen

tial for tribals for hunting but here thewomen also created melodious tunesfrom the bow, celebrating harmoniouscommunity life. One of the tribal ritualistic performances, based on a traditional form, Dhankul Jaagar, was wovenaround the earth which produces grains

for humanity. The vibrant imageryformed by tribal artists revealed the

soul of tribal life whose selfreliant andsimple lives are now under threat by attempts to curtail their forest rights.

The show was directed and conceptualised by Padma Shri Anup RanjanPandey, who was trained in Habib Tan

vir’s repertory and was initiated intomusic by his parents. He has been working with Bastar tribals, scattered acrossin the vast forest landscape. They arelosing their cultural identity and theirrare art forms which are now on theverge of extinction.

Pandey is working with them for thelast oneandahalf decades, collectingmusical instruments and musical tunesand bringing diverse groups under theumbrella of Bastar Band. He has reviveda number of mythological stories andtribal ritualistic art forms and presentsthem on the modern stage.

The works of Bhikhari Thakur, who isknown as Shakespeare of Bhojpuri, continue to be staged by contemporarytheatre practitioners of Bihar. One of hisplays “Bidesiya” is frequently staged.Satish Anand, a veteran theatre directornow based in Delhi, has evolved his owntechnique of staging “Bidesiya”, incorporating elements of Brechtian theatre.At the Azamgarh Mahotsav, this playwas presented under the direction ofSanjay Upadhyay in an innovative style.

In the original form, it is staged by ac

tors who remain in standing posturethought out the show. The strong chorus also sings songs while remainingstanding. The Naach which reveals theearthy vigour is a vital element of “Bidesiya” and is mostly performed by menin female dress.

Upadhyay, a leading stage musicpractitioner, director, and Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee, has transformedthe play into a musical. The actorsingerremain sitting on the stage while singing. There are no dance sequences. Thepresentation has sophistication and elements of classical music have been incorporated into the musical score.

Agonised brideThe production reveals the agony of a

young bride whose husband has lefthome just after their marriage is solemnised and remained in Bidesh – foreignland – only to return after years of separation to tell the eternally waiting wifethat he has a family in Bidesh. Upadhyay's production is innovative whichwill appeal to a sophisticated urbanaudience.

At Rahul auditorium, named afterMahapandit Rahul Sanskrityayan, agreat scholar and prolifi��c writer whowas born in Azamgarh, the RepertoryCompany of Bhartendu Natya Akademi,Lucknow presented “Maar Parajay”.Written by Raj Kumar, the play is directed by Manoj Sharma with panache,creating an ambiance that enables performers to reveal their dilemma withdramatic force.

This is one of the few plays aboutGandhi, seen in recent months, that explores with intensity only one aspect ofGandhi's life rather than presenting thevast canvas of his eventful life. “MaarParajay” is structurally taut which explores Gandhi's experiment with celibacy while he was in South Africa, championing the cause of the South AfricanIndians. The entire action takes place inthe house of Gandhi with a focus on hisintense interactions with Kasturba andhis sons.

Bapu’s restrictionsOne day Gandhi reveals to Kasturba hisresolve to maintain celibacy, declaringthat the sexual relations between husband and wife shouldbe restricted only togive birth to childrenand after that, theyshould maintain absolute celibacy. Gandhi's experiments arenot only restricted toobserve celibacy, buthe also stopped taking salts and sugar.He imposed theserestrictions on his family members also.This was a kind of torture for his family.

There are painfullytouching sequenceslike children demanding sugar whichis denied to them byKasturba, torn between her tendermotherly feeling forthe children and hersense of moral dutytowards Gandhi.There is another sequence full of anguish where Gandhiorders her to clean

pot of human feces, which she refuses.Enraged, Gandhi orders her to leave thehouse and pushes her towards the exitdoor. Weeping children rush towardstheir mother and cling to her. Later,Gandhi repents his inhuman act. Thereis another poignant scene when girls living in the Ashram complain to Gandhithat his son tried to molest them, Gandhi commands his son to leave home atonce and takes scissors to cut the long,black and beautiful hair of the girls considering them as the source of sexuallust. Kasturba intervenes.

Som Ganguli as Gandhi gives a creditable performance.His Gandhi struggleshard to free himselffrom sexual lust. Pawani Gupta as Kasturba reveals the innerstrength of hercharacter.

Adapted from Dr.Akhilesh KumarChandra’s short storyby Raj Kumar Shah,“Hansuli” (silver ornament)depicted theconfl��ict between twobrothers over the division of ancestral landed property and thelone silver ornamentof the mother. Directed by Shah and presented by SammohanKala Sansthan, Azamgarh, in this bitterconfl��ict, the brothers,as well as members ofPanchayat, forget thefuture of the aging parents. From beginning to climax, however, there are littlevariations in tone andpace.

The Azamgarh Mahotsav saw Bidesiya” in a Brechtian tone, enchanting fl��avours of tribal life in “Bastar Band”, and Mahatma Gandhi’s experiment withcelibacy in “Maar Parajay”

Diwan Singh Bajeli CCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

Visually appealing (Clockwise from top) Scenes from “Bastar band”; “Maar Parajay” and “Hansuli” * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

In harmony with nature

There are some plays that continue to enthral audience despite their repeated staging.

One such is the ever popular American playwright Joseph Kesserling’s“Arsenic & Old Lace”. Its Hindi adaptation attracted a sizeable audiencedespite the prevailing cold conditions when put on board last week atthe Panna Bharat Ram Theatre Festival, Shri Ram Centre for Performing Arts’ annual event.

With an excellent content in hand– a farcical black comedy – directorNayana Sagar made watching thisplay an enjoyable experience. Theacting, innovative lighting, set design, timing, music, props and pithylines elicited repeated applausefrom the audience. It was laughaminute show that didn’t allow a boring moment in the twohour longplay.

Homicidal maniacsThe plot revolves around the Va

saibased D’Silva family, whosemembers include insane homicidalmaniacs. Martha (Aarti Nayyar) andRosa (Sohaila Kapur), the two oldaunts, believe they are doing “socialwork” by killing elderly, lonely men,when they turn up looking for accommodation in their house. Thevictims are off��ered homemade elderberry wine, ironically made fromthe fruit growing in adjacent graveyard, laced with arsenic, strychnine and a pinch of cyanide. Theirnephew, Jonathan (Ashutosh KumarKeshav) is a psychopath killer with aplastic surgeon, Dr. Talwar (ManishPanwar), as companion, who chang

es the former’s appearance after every murder.

Jonathan’s present makeoverprompts everyone to compare himto Amrish Puri, much to his annoyance and the surgeon’s discomfort. Alfi��e (Kirti Kaushik) is the schizophrenic nephew, who thinks he isHitler, dressed up in a uniform, complete with a swastika arm band. Hehelps the aunts to bury the old men,thinking they are Jews, exterminatedin the concentration camp. The sanenephew Bobby (Utkarsh Sharma), atheatre critic, in love with neighbourJulie (Shreya Pokhriyal), is left tohandle this bizarre and berserkcrowd.

Off�� to a slow start, the play warmsup with two sisters taking the centrestage. Their acting, timing and synchronisation reminded one of ahighscoring partnership in cricket,

with both complementing and supplementing the other, in terms ofemoting, actions and dialogues.Dressed in long skirts or blackmourning dresses, with a cross dangling from their chains and their Anglo Indian accent, slow movementsand slight stoop, made them look genuine aunts.

Perfect foilBobby proved a perfect foil for

them. He excelled by displaying hisbewilderment, amazement and inability to make sense of the actionsof his aunts and brother, Jonathan,in a perfect measure.

Ashutosh made Jonathan’s portrayal as a psychopath look real withthe frenzied and quick actions andwords. The scar across his face,made him look menacing. Alfi��e’s“Heil Hitler” salute, blowing the bu

gle at crucial points and talkingabout invasion of Poland, added tothe humour. Other supporting actors contributed in equal measure,rendering the performanceseamless.

While the sudden movements byactors gave a momentum to the proceedings and kept the audience engaged, its repeated use seemed attimes jarring.

The welldesigned set by Nayana,with minimal props adequately gaveone the feel of the living room, thebasement where the dead were buried and the adjoining kitchen. Thestage lighting played a crucial role inheightening the drama as did SayamRaj Sagar’s music.

The dramatic twist at the end asthe aunts try to better Jonathan’s tally of victims, had the audience insplits.

Nayana Sagar’s Hindi adaptation of Joseph Kesserling’s “Arsenic & Old Lace” was a fi��ne presentationmarked by some persuasive performances and great comic timing

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Engrossing narrative A scene from “Arsenic & Old Lace” * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

A rib-tickling fare

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The well-designed set byNayana, with minimal propsadequately gave one thefeel of the living room, thebasement where the deadwere buried and theadjoining kitchen

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There are painfully touchingsequences like childrendemanding sugar which isdenied to them by Kasturba,torn between her tendermotherly feeling for thechildren and her sense ofmoral duty towards Gandhi.

Bijapure Harmonium Foundation presents the second WorldHarmonium Summit from January 35 at Malleswaram SevaSadana, Bengaluru, and at JN Tata Auditorium, Indian Institute

of Science. Musicians, musicologists, instrument makers, connoisseurs from

across the country and abroad will be attending the marquee event. The summit is aimed at creating a platform for musical, intellectual

and creative dialogue regarding harmonium and its recitals. During the threeday extravaganza this year,harmonium solos, duets, trio, ensembles, videoshows and group interactions will be presented.

Close to 100 artistes, harmonium enthusiasts andsubject experts are expected to participate in the

deliberations.The fi��rst World Harmonium Summit was

organised last January to commemoratethe birth centenary of legendaryharmonium maestro Pandit Rambhau

Bijapure. The event is open to all. On January 3

and 4, the event begins at 9 am and onJanuary 5, it opens at 3 pm. Contact:9845793012

Held by Bijapure Harmonium Foundation, itbegins on January 3 in Bengaluru

Second worldharmonium summit

IN SHORTS

Amonth-long solo exhibition of oil

paintings by Shafali R. Anand

opens at All India Fine Arts and

Crafts Society on Rafi Marg beginning

January 3. Titled Truth, the exhibition is

a collection of 26 paintings that exist in

the twilight zone existing between

realistic rendering and abstract thought.

Speaking on the works, Shafali says her

paintings are about the emotional

journeys that people make during their

lives.

“For each of us, these journeys are

different and yet the emotions that they

churn are same. They range from the lively bright

yellows and greens that make us leap with joy to the

dark sombre browns and deep purples that weigh us

down.”

Ajit Ninan, noted cartoonist, will inaugurate the

exhibition at 5 p.m. that includes oil paintings with

titles like Spine, Pearls and Shields.

On an emotional journey Shafali R. Anand’s oil paintings exist in thetwilight zone between realistic rendering andabstract thought

CM

YKND-ND


DELHI


FRIDAYREVIEW

One of the fi��nest performances of 2019came from AkshayeKhanna in “Section375”. A nuanced

court room drama, the Ajay Bahlfi��lm could not create too muchbuzz at the box offi��ce but Akshaye’s performance as the defencelawyer impressed critics.

Always a reliable actor, Akshaye hasn’t been challengedenough in the last few years. Hewill soon be seen in “Sab KushalMangal” where again he is playing an “authorbacked” role.Meanwhile, after his father VinodKhanna’s demise, the rumours ofAkshaye jumping into the political arena keep surfacing.

Edited excerpts from aconversation:

You received widespread acclaim for your portrayal of acriminal lawyer in “Section375”. What kind of a grind didyou go through to deliver sucha measured performance?

I will be very honest. Mine wasnever really a grind. I must tellyou that as an actor I have beenvery fortunate most of the times.I have been extremely lucky tohave excellent writing backingme.

Now, if you look at the otheractors in “Section 375”, the writing backed them to a certain extent. But, for me, the writingbacked me very stronglythroughout. I had such beautifullines to deliver. I had such beautiful moments to portray. So, it wasreally an authorbacked role in somany ways.

And I feel the same for “SabKushal Mangal”. I feel that an actor is only as good as the writing.To be constantly backed by suchgood writing over a long period

of time is not common. So often Iget credited with things that I necessarily shouldn’t get creditedfor. A huge part of my performances has to do with great writing.

How do you look at your latefather’s political legacy?

Frankly, I have absolutely nointerest in politics or in public lifefor that matter. Because of thenature of my profession I am a

public person but I don’t consider that to be public life. A publiclife is when you are accountableto your constituency, voters, ideology, and your party. You are answerable because you take a salary from people who pay taxes.You are being paid to do a job.That’s public life. I have neverhad an attraction for public life,especially politics because itdoesn’t suit me.

It’s like spicy food. Some peo

ple cannot intake spicy food astheir system can’t consume it. Similarly, my system doesn’t likepublic life or politics.

The quintessential prerequisite for political life is to be a people’s person. And I am not a people’s person. And I don’tconsider it to be a legacy that Ihave to carry. One should neverlook at it like that. We are all herefor a few decades on this planetand then we will go. So I don’t

look at it that way at all.

What convinced you to takeup “Sab Kushal Mangal”?

It’s the script that I really liked.As an actor it is something that Ihave never done before. As soonas I got the brief, I knew that itwill give me a lot of scope to perform. And it would give me a certain angle of characterisationwhich has not written for me before. So I saw a great opportunityin terms of the character as wellas the script and the story.

Tell us about your character inthe fi��lm.

You see, Baba Bhandari is acombination of many opposites.He is a big shot in the world ofpolitics and crime but he is also avery emotional kind of a character which is an unusual combination.

He is violent and yet very kind.So there are many contradictionsto it which made it very interesting for me to play and also veryentertaining from the audiencepoint of view.

You are working with twonewcomers in the fi��lm. Do yousee any risk in working withnewbies?

Well, it’s not a question of riskthe way I see it. Here, it was therequirement of the script. It required two new faces. So as anactor one doesn’t look at it as arisk or reward. It’s more aboutwhat the script demands.

How do you generally choosefor your roles? Tell us aboutyour acting method.

It’s only the writing. There isnothing else except the fact that Ineed be sure whether I would beable to work with the director.

I like to spend a lot of timewith the director before I agree todo a movie. It is an importantpart of the preparation for me.But in terms of what I am going toactually do I don’t usually knowuntil I land up on the sets. While Iusually have a basic understanding of maybe how I am going todo it, I don’t know what I am really going to do till I am actually doing it. Most of the times I like toleave it to very last minute as Idon’t like to come with my ownbaggage.

I feel travelling light is good asan actor. There is so much thatone absorbs when one is on setswith the rest of the cast and thecrew. So, I like to be in the moment there as opposed to comingin with a lot of preparation.

Akshaye’s Khanna on cracking the lawyer’s role in “Section 375” and the chances of him joining politics

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Convincing portrayal (From top) Akshaye Khanna believes in travelling light as an actor; in a scene from

“Section 375” * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

‘An actor is only as good as the writing’

As I opened my wallet to payfor the 30minute pleasantdrive in Doha (Qatar), the

Pakistani taxi driver refused totake the fare from me since. In hiswords, I was his respected guest!It took a while to understand thatthe honour was bestowed as I hadlovingly referred to MohammedRafi�� as God’s Own Voice. Holdingmy hand, he said, “I can’t acceptmoney from a brother, who likeme, has found salvation in Rafi�� Sahab’s singing”. Affi��rming the subcontinent could be better if people learnt from humanism expounded in Rafi�� Sahab’s songs,the driver left after a hug and aprayer for greater kinship between Indians and Pakistanis!

It is such moments that makeour lives memorable and thoughfl��oored, I was not shocked by thisrecent happening as Rafi�� Sahab’svoice has been a longstandingpassport to happy interactionswith his fans. Ranging from stiff��lipped Englishmen to Egyptiancalligraphers, people are willingto go miles for a rare song or anecdote of the maestro. In many cases, the foreign nationals don’teven understand the lyrics, yetare devout followers of Rafi�� Sahab’s incredible singing and onecan certainly relate to such happenings as one has seen a friendshed tears every time he rewindsto his favourite “O Duniya KeRakhwale” from “Baiju Bawra”.

At a time when the worldaround us needs a big dose of tolerance and human values, manymelodies rendered by Rafi�� springto mind whose maxims teach ushumanism is a trait of the heart.

As faith dwindles in human virtuesand institutions, there are numerous Rafi�� songs to guide, inspire andrestore our belief in equality, goodness, and harmony.

Fervent pleaLong back, Rafi��’s “Dekho Dil Na

Kisi Ka Toote” (“Pyar Ka Rishta”)was a clarion call upholding friendship above blood relations just ashe also made a fervent plea foruprightness with “Bhala KarneWale, Bhalaayee Kiyeja, Buraayi KeBadle, Duaayein Diye Jaa” (“Sansar”). Like a spiritual guru, Rafi�� Sahab elaborated not just the essence

of every religion but also propounded goodness as the ultimateaim of every human being.

Life is an ephemeral bubble andRafi�� Sahab drums sense about itsmortality with his poignant appeal“Mat Bhool Arey Insaan, Teri NekiBadee, Naheen Usse Chhupi”(“Mastana”). Time and time again,Rafi�� tugs the heart with nuggets like“Bhalayee Kar Bhala Hoga, Buraayee Kar Bura Hoga” (“Khul JaSimsim”), “Daulat Ke JhootheNashe Mein Ho Choor, Gareebon KiDuniya Se Rahte Ho Door, Aji EkDin Aisa Aayega, Jab Maati Mein SabMil Jayega” (“Oonchi Haveli”);

songs that warn elitists to be humble and caring to their brethren.

Since Rafi�� pours his soul into every word, the message overwhelmsthe human psyche and that is whygems like “O Mati Ke Putle, Itna NaKar Tu Gumaan, Pal Bhar Ka TuMehmaan” (“Sheroo”), “Aaj GhamKal Khushi, Hai Yahee Zindagi, Sunle Pyaare, Aadmi Wo Jo Himmat NaHaare” (“Jawaab”) and “Waqt SeDin Aur Raat, Waqt Se Kal Aur Aaj,Waqt Ki Har Shae Ghulam, WaqtHar Shae Pe Raaj” (“Waqt”) fi��nd universal resonance.

Such is the magnifi��cence of theoutpouring and so sublime is theemotional intonation of every wordthat the essence and the purity ofevery line of the abovementionedsongs by lyricists Kaif Irani, Khumaar Barabankvi and Sahir Ludhianvi comes alive like an epic picture! Of course, the music andlyrics are outstanding but it is theextraordinary rendition by Rafi�� thatmoulds these songs into incomparable expressions of earnest prayeras well as eternal maxims of pearlywisdom.

Such is the maestro’s commandover the lyric metre and expressionthat whenever he expostulates a divine law, it almost seems you are listening to a wandering Sufi�� saint.That is why the human heart,mind, and soul can imbibe what hesings, including some severe chidings like “Matlab Ke Liye Duniya NePaise Ko Banaya Khuda” (“Mohabbat Ki Koyee Dava Naheen”), “DoDin Ki Zindagi Hai Is Par Na PhoolPyaare, Rah Jayenge Yaheen ParDuniya Ke Thaath Saare” (“GimboKi Beti”) and “Diwana Aadmi Ko Banati Hain Rotiyaan, Khud NaachtiHain Sabko Nachaati Hain Rotiyaan” (“Kali Topi Lal Rumaal”).

When the world around us needs a big dose of human values, many melodies rendered byMohammed Rafi�� spring to mind

Lasting appeal Mohammed Rafi�� * THE HINDU ARCHIVES

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Voice of humanism

CATCH UP

Kathak recital

Tumne Uss Roz Mujhe Kyun Chuna, a thematic Kathak

performance that attempts to highlight the turmoil rising

within our society, our angst and the answers we seek, will

be held on 5th January at Triveni Kala Sangam, Mandi

House. The presentation is penned by Sabika Abbas Naqvi

and weaved into a Mishra Raag by Pandit Madho Prasad.

Kathak danseuse Kartika Singh, will begin the event with

traditional Kathak compositions in taal Pancham Sawari.

Music carnival

Le Rythme Music Academy is hosting its 14th Annual

Cultural Conclave, a classical music evening titled, The

Youth Festival- Colours of India” on 4th January at

Kamani Auditorium, Mandi House. The conclave will

feature Sounds of Heaven, a vocal performance by singer

Begum Parveen Sultana, accompanied by Ustad Akram

Khan on the tabla, Dr. Vijay Mishra on the harmonium

shehnai and Pandit Rajendra Prasanna on the flute.

Besides, there will be a Bharatanatyam performance by

Guru Dr. Saroja Vaidyanathan and a Sadhya dance titled

The Mystical Forest by Guru Santhosh Nair.

Towards Zero

Dramatech, a group

formed by the IIT Delhi

alumni will stage Towards

Zero an English play,

which had hardly been

staged earlier, at Shri Ram

Centre Auditorium,

Mandi House, on 4th and

5th January. An Indian adaptation of Agatha Christie’s

accomplished detective novel in the same name, it is

directed by Renu S. Chopra/ The play revolves around the

murder of Tara Devi, a rich old lady, who was host to a

motley crowd of relatives and friends gathered in her

cliff-perched seaside house.

Portuguese Fado

Daughters Opera, an

inter-cultural

contemporary performance

directed by Indian theatre

director Anuradha Kapur

with libretto written by

Australian independent

producer Tammy Brennan, is all set for its world premiere

in Delhi at Siri Fort Auditorium on 3rd January. With an

all-female cast, the performance aims to address the

ongoing everyday acts of gender violence, such as forced

labour, infanticide, and injury alongside the expressive

form of Portuguese Fado music, and live experimental

electronics.

<>I have never had anattraction for public life,especially politicsbecause it doesn’t suitme. It’s like spicy food.Some people cannotintake spicy food astheir system can’tconsume it. Similarly,my system doesn’t likepublic life or politics

Transition from an acting student to getting established as an actor is often along route, but for Naina Sareen it was

rather destined. “It's overwhelming when people recognise you and give you love. Pastmonths were really very exciting because wewon at MAMI, my two fi��lms released and people loved us at the Dharamshala fi��lm festival,”she says. Born in Jharkhand, Naina was trainedin acting from Film and Television Institute ofIndia before appearing in fi��lms including “Hotel Mumbai” and “Warrior Queen of Jhansi”. “Ihaven't arrived yet. I have to do a lot of workand way to go,” she chuckles.

Excerpts:How did acting happen? Acting happened during FTII only. When I

was young, I knew that I wanted to performbut I didn't know what I will perform – acting,dance or theatre. I liked the attention when Iperformed. I was very interested in hiphopdancing and I am trained in Bharatanatyam also as dance is something that comes very naturally to me. Acting gives me a lot of freedomin terms of realising who I am really. For many,acting is internal to external as they fi��rst fi��ndthe character within themselves and then externalise it but for me it is very much externalto internal. It starts with once I start looking asthe character and then I internalise it.

How did you become a part of “HotelMumbai”?

I was still studying in FTII. My senior Trishan was the casting director and I came to Mumbai to give audition for the fi��rst time. I baggedthe role of a receptionist. I was overwhelmedby doing a part in an ensemble where actorslike Dev Patel, Anupam Kher and my seniorswere sharing screen space. Though it was thefi��rst time, I was not alienated. I made goodfriends there. It was extremely organised.

In “Warrior Queen of Jhansi”, youplayed a warrior. How did you prepare forthe role?

I had to go through physical training whichstarted much earlier from the actual shoot ofthe fi��lm. Someone can imagine me as a warriorwas a big thing but I accepted the challenge.We were trained in sword fi��ghting, archery andhorse riding. It happened when I fi��nished myacting course in 2017 and I moved to Mumbai

so I had time to undergo that training. We shotin diff��erent locations including Jaipur, parts ofRajasthan and in Morocco.

Your role in Prateek Vats directed “EeeBaa Loo” is a complete departure from theearlier two fi��lms...

I have never seen the kind of Delhi which isshown in “Eee Baa Loo” despite living in Delhifor three years while studying English literature at Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College. It was adiff��erent Delhi in Kamla Nagar. On real locations, we don't have the luxury to get ready inthe vanity van all the time. We used to sleep inthe same attire which we used to shoot in. I amplaying the character of the nurse from a slum.It was not a planned shoot and followed a documentary approach. The director was not always in front of you and in these locations wehad to improvise a lot.

Do you wish to become a quintessentialheroine or you want to remain an actor inthe future?

I don't mind becoming a ‘heroine’ absolutely because heroine also acts and we are alsohere to do acting. It is how you look on thescreen which separates you. I think a good makeup and good clothes can make anyone lookgood. Put nice clothes on me and do my hair, Iwill also look like a heroine. I know how heroines are perceived but everyone here is talented.

Atif Khan

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Diff��erent approach Naina Sareen

Smooth transition Quick Five

We briefed nations on CAA, says govt. - SPLessons

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