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Front Page

- Panel to study SC status of Dalits post conversion

- Rights champions in Belarus, Russia, Ukraine get Nobel

- March 31 deadline for restoration of damaged roads: CM

- Surveyor sentenced to over three years in jail

- Uma Bharti to hit the streets for new liquor policy in M.P.

- PM likely to inaugurate KIA’s T2 on Nov. 10

- IARI: stubble burning in Punjab at 3-year low

- Prabhakar Reddy is TRS candidate for Munugode

- Protective shield

- TBM stuck after encountering garbage pile

- Dairy farmers to get incentive

- Party symbol dispute: EC seeks Uddhav’s reply

- Karnataka set to hike SC/ST quota

- Conversion row: AAP Minister issues apology

- Govt. to hike reservation

- Five Sri Lankan Tamils reach T.N.

- Children’s home at Tiruppur to be sealed

- Basavanna’s teachings invoked

Panel to study SC status of Dalits post conversion

Three-member commission to be headed by ex-CJI K.G. Balakrishnan has been asked to submit report in two years; development comes even as Supreme Court is hearing petitions on the issue

ABHINAY LAKSHMAN

NEW DELHI

The Union government has now formed a three-member Commission of Inquiry headed by former Chief Justice of India, Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, to examine the issue of whether Scheduled Caste (SC) status can be accorded to Dalits who have over the years converted to religions other than Sikhism or Buddhism.

The notification for the formation of the commission was issued on Thursday, days before the Supreme Court on October 11 is expected to hear the Centre’s present position on a batch of petitions seeking the inclusion of Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims and the removal of the religion criteria for inclusion as SCs.

Currently, the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 provides for only those belonging to Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist communities to be categorised as SCs. When enacted, the Order only allowed for Hindu communities to be classified as SCs based on the social disabilities and discrimination they faced due to untouchability. It was amended in 1956 to include Sikh communities and again in 1990 to include Buddhist communities as SCs.

The three-member commission will also comprise Professor Sushma Yadav, member, UGC, and retired IAS officer Ravinder Kumar Jain, and has been given a two-year deadline to submit a report on the issue — starting from the day Justice Balakrishnan takes charge of the commission.

The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment has said the commission’s inquiry will also look into the changes an SC person goes through after converting to another religion and its implications on the question of including them as SCs.

Rights champions in Belarus, Russia, Ukraine get Nobel

‘They have made an outstanding effort to document war crimes, human right abuses and abuse of power,” says Norwegian Nobel Committee

REUTERS

OSLO

A trio of human rights watchdogs from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, a highly symbolic choice of laureates drawn from three nations at the centre of the war in Ukraine.

The honour went to detained activist Ales Bialiatski of Belarus, Russian rights group Memorial and Ukraine’s Center for Civil Liberties, which is recording the toll of the conflict on the nation. “They have made an outstanding effort to document war crimes, human right abuses and the abuse of power,” the head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Berit Reiss-Andersen, told reporters.

March 31 deadline for restoration of damaged roads: CM

Repair and reconstruction of damaged roads should be taken up as a special drive, CM tells officials

THE HINDU BUREAU

VIJAYAWADA

Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has set March 31, 2023 deadline for the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Department for the restoration of damaged roads across the State. Thoroughly examine the roads in all towns and cities in the wake of heavy rains. The repair and reconstruction of the roads should be taken up as a special drive, he told the officials.

Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy, at a review on Friday, discussed cleanliness and beautification of towns and cities, waste management, greenery, YSR urban clinics, sewage water treatment and Jagananna Smart Townships.

Surveyor sentenced to over three years in jail

THE HINDU BUREAU

MANGALURU

The 3rd Additional District and Sessions judge B.B. Jakati, on Friday, sentenced Mahadeva Nayak, a surveyor from Puttur, to over three years in jail for demanding Rs. 6,000 as bribe.

According to a chargesheet, Nayak, on March 15, 2014, demanded Rs. 6,000 from G. Ankitha for preparing sketch of the land as per the application for survey filed by her father Krishnappa. The chargesheet was filed by the then Lokaykukta Police Inspector S. Vijay Prasad on November 16, 2015.

The judge sentenced Nayak to 39 months in prison and imposed a fine of Rs. 20,000 for the offence punishable under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The judge said Nayak will undergo additional imprisonment of three months if he failed to deposit the fine amount.

Uma Bharti to hit the streets for new liquor policy in M.P.

Former CM to travel across the State calling for closure of liquor shops

SHUBHOMOY SIKDAR

RAIPUR

BJP leader Uma Bharti

Senior BJP leader Uma Bharti announced on Friday that she would launch a campaign on November 7 against the sale of liquor in Madhya Pradesh. The move comes days after Ms. Bharti hailed the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government’s decision to run a de-addiction campaign.

“I will go around the streets of Madhya Pradesh till the State government holds proper consultations before implementing a new liquor policy,” the former Chief Minister said.

Earlier, Ms. Bharti had declared that she would not return home till her demand to protect people from the ill-effects of alcohol was met. “I will visit all the places where the sale of liquor is banned. If I find liquor being sold there, I will videograph it and inform [CM] Shivraj [Chouhan] ji ,” she said.

In the past, Ms. Bharti had called for controlled liquor sales to complete prohibition. In July, she had said that she would take out a women’s march on the issue of closure of liquor shops on Gandhi Jayanti (October 2). However, on the day of the proposed march, she joined Mr. Chouhan in the launch of a de-addiction campaign and merged the women’s rally with it.

She denied that the proposed campaign had anything to do with politics as she did not want to contest the 2024 elections.

PM likely to inaugurate KIA’s T2 on Nov. 10

Once operational, the combined capacity of both terminals will be 70 million passengers per annum

THE HINDU BUREAU

BENGALURU

The second terminal at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) is likely to be inaugurated next month. The State government has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate T2 on November 10. However, an official confirmation from the PMO is still awaited, sources said.

The new terminal is being constructed in two phases. The first phase of T2 will be inaugurated first. According to BIAL, once completed, the 2,55,000 sq.m Phase 1 of T2 will augment the capacity of the airport by 25 million passengers per annum (MPPA). The second phase of T2, which is still in the planning stage, will be built for an additional 20 MPPA. Once operational, the combined capacity of both terminals will be 70 MPPA.

IARI: stubble burning in Punjab at 3-year low

JACOB KOSHY

NEW DELHI

Though early days, the number of crop fires reported out of Punjab are at a three-year low, suggests data from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) that tracks such fires via satellite. Only 320 fires have been reported this year, as opposed to 620 and 1,935 in 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Uttar Pradesh, however, saw a rise in instances, shows the data till October 6, with 80 crop burning events recorded this year as opposed to 52 last year.

“While there is a 6% reduction in acreage under rice (in Punjab) this year due to erratic rains, it would be premature to assume that burning would be less,” said Dr. Ravindra Khaiwal, professor at PGIMER’s department of community medicine and School of Public Health, Chandigarh.

Prabhakar Reddy is TRS candidate for Munugode

THE HINDU BUREAU

HYDERABAD

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has named former MLA K Prabhakar Reddy as its candidate for the byelection to Munugode Assembly constituency.

The nominations for election opened on Friday with the issue of election notification and would continue till October 14 with holiday on October 8 (second Saturday) and 9 (Sunday).

The choice of candidate fell on Mr. Reddy after hectic consultations within the party owing to the emergence of multiple aspirants for the ticket. A large group of elected representatives of the party in the constituency also threatened to work for the defeat of Mr. Reddy if his candidature was finalised.

Protective shield

OCTOBER 08

On guard:Amid tight security, members of the Muslim community leave Gyanvapi mosque after offering prayers. The Varanasi district court on Friday deferred the order on an application filed by some Hindu plaintiffs in the Gyanvapi mosque-Kashi Vishwanath temple civil dispute seeking “scientific investigation” of the disputed structure reportedly found inside the mosque premises in May.PTI (Report on Page 8)-

TBM stuck after encountering garbage pile

BENGALURU

Namma Metro project work under way on Bannerghatta Road near Dairy Circle in Bengaluru on Friday. SUDHAKARA JAIN SUDHAKARA JAIN

Rudra, the tunnel boring machine (TBM) of Namma Metro project, is stuck for a reason that officials could never have anticipated. It has hit, not a hard rock, but a massive pile of garbage.

Dairy farmers to get incentive

MANGALURU

Farmers in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi will get from Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers Union (DKMUL) an incentive of Rs. 2.05 per litre starting October 11.

Party symbol dispute: EC seeks Uddhav’s reply

NEW DELHI

Uddhav Thackeray showing party symbol during a public meeting. File Photo RAJESH WARADKAR

The Election Commission of India on Friday asked former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to submit his response by 2 p.m. on Saturday in the dispute between him and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde

over who controls the Shiv Sena. The two factions

were asked by the EC to submit any documents to support their claims by Friday.

Karnataka set to hike SC/ST quota

BENGALURU

The Karnataka government is set to hike reservation for SC from 15% to 17%, and for ST from 3% to 7% taking the total quantum of reservation beyond 50%. This was the unanimous decision of an all-party meeting on Friday, which will be ratified by the Cabinet on Saturday.

Conversion row: AAP Minister issues apology

NEW DELHI

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Delhi Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam tendered an apology on Friday after the BJP raised a political storm over visuals of an alleged “mass conversion” to Buddhism where the AAP leader is purportedly seen being part of a pledge to not worship Hindu deities. While AAP did not officially react to the BJP's allegations, party sources said the Delhi CM was displeased with the Minister.

Govt. to hike reservation

BENGALURU

For consensus: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai with JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy and Congress leader Siddaramaiah at the all-party meeting in Bengaluru on Friday.

The State government has in principle agreed to increase the existing quota by 2% for Scheduled Castes and by 4% for Scheduled Tribes in Karnataka.

Five Sri Lankan Tamils reach T.N.

RAMANATHAPURAM

Five more Sri Lankan Tamils, including three children, arrived in Dhanushkodi in the early hours of Friday.

The Marine Police, acting on information from surveillance agencies, reached the fifth islet in Dhanushkodi and brought the Sri Lankans to the shore.

According to the officials, the refugees were identified as Sabrin, 33, his wife Radhika, 32, and children Sajith, 7, Salma, 3, and Sagin (6 months old).

After verification, they were taken to the Mandapam Rehabilitation Camp.

Speaking to mediapersons, Sabrin said they had hired a boat three days ago in Sri Lanka.

Opened fire

When they started sailing in the vessel, the Sri Lankan Navy personnel opened fire, he alleged.

Apprehending more trouble, the boatman left them mid-way, he claimed. “With great difficulty, we reached Indian shores, but remained stranded. We did not have food, and drinking water was also insufficient. My children were almost starving. We thank the Indian security agencies, who brought us to the shore and provided us food and water,” he said.

He said his wife had lived in Tamil Nadu before, and they were unable to survive in Sri Lanka.

The Mandapam camp houses 175 people who had arrived here since the economic crisis engulfed Sri Lanka a few months ago.

Children’s home at Tiruppur to be sealed

TIRUPPUR/CHENNAI

Minister for Social Welfare Geetha Jeevan has ordered the closure of a private children’s home near Tiruppur following the death of three boys due to suspected food poisoning.

Basavanna’s teachings invoked

MYSURU

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday invoked the teachings of social reformer Basaveshwara against hate and inequality while targeting his alleged misrepresentation in the textbooks by the BJP.

National

- ‘India can lead G20 on education, climate and debt sustainability’

- Respect and guarantee human rights to Uighurs of Xinjiang, says MEA

- Ahead of Assembly poll, Congress in Gujarat faces defections, lack of focus

- Government seeks CJI’s recommendation on appointment of successor

- India-U.K. free trade pact may miss October deadline

- Tamil Nadu Minister orders closure of children’s home

- IARI says stubble burning in Punjab is at three-year low; Uttar Pradesh records rise

- Varanasi court defers order on petition filed by Hindu plaintiffs in Gyanvapi case

- Amid row over ‘mass conversion’, AAP Minister apologises

- Every healthy man is obliged to provide for his wife, children: SC

- Bharat Jodo Yatra completes 30 days, covers over 700 km

- Two with terror links arrested in Mohali grenade attack case

- India objects to recent visit of U.S. Ambassador to PoK

- Unions oppose new appraisal system for insurance employees

- EC seeks Uddhav’s response on party symbol dispute

- Six Indian prisoners died in Pak. in last nine months: Centre

- Cough syrup deaths will impact India’s image: Anand Sharma

- Petitioner moves court for FIR copy in PFI case

- The best snaana

- ‘ Varna and caste system should be discarded’

- Panel to study SC status of converted Dalits

- CBI charge sheet against TMC leader over scam

- ED attaches Rs. 1.54 cr. in Amnesty case

- Uttarkashi avalanche toll hits 26, search on for 3 missing persons

- Kharge rejects remark that Gandhis will control him

- Belarus, Russia, Ukraine win Nobel Peace Prize

- Two Army personnel killed in tank barrel burst

- ED conducts searches in Delhi Excise Policy case

- PM using empty slogans despite rising poverty: Cong.

- Tour operators’ body writes to PM on restoring e-visas

- FIR against owners of cattle hit by Vande Bharat train

- CBI files chargesheet against Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi

- U.P. police dismiss claims of forced sloganeering at AMU

- NCB arrests former Air India pilot, five others in drug haul

- Vande Bharat train hits cattle for second day, damaged

‘India can lead G20 on education, climate and debt sustainability’

World Bank President David Malpass points to India’s involvement in restructuring debtsin Sri Lanka and it being a major creditor to African nations, calls the country a leader in education

SRIRAM LAKSHMAN

WASHINGTON DC

World Bank President David Malpass.AFPJUSTIN SULLIVAN

Debt sustainability, education and climate action are three areas of potential for India when it takes on the presidency of the Group of Twenty (G20) in December this year, according to World Bank President David Malpass.

“There’s a potential focus on debt,” Mr. Malpass told reporters on a Friday morning briefing call ahead of the World Bank IMF Annual Meetings here in Washington.

“I think the world is at a point where there can be progress made for a more effective common framework,” he said, highlighting the fact that India is a creditor for Sri Lanka and also some of the “heavily indebted countries of Africa”. India has provided some $4 billion in assistance to Sri Lanka this year and is involved with restructuring its debt.

“So as G20 Chair [sic] India has an opportunity there,” Mr Malpass said. His comments on debt sustainability being a priority echo remarks made by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar during his United Nations and U.S. visit that concluded last week.

“I’ve spoken with Prime Minister Modi about that and ...he... and India is aware of there being debt distress in countries near it as well, so it’s very relevant to India,” Mr. Malpass said.

The World Bank’s president said there had been a very concerning increase in education poverty - with 70% of children in developing countries unable to read the basic texts - and that India could play a leadership role in education. He went on to describe the backsliding in education caused by COVID-19 school closures, including children losing interest because they could not keep up with their grade/class, and decline in educational spending.

“For India’s G20, this is a big opportunity. India’s been a leader in education,” Mr Malpass said, adding that climate too would be a major focus, as advanced and developing countries work on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate issues

You’ll see the importance of [ climate change] adaptation for many of the countries in terms of saving lives on the ground. That’ll be a focus of [ the November 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference in ] Sharm el Sheikh and it’s also incredibly important for India and for the G 20 as a whole,” Mr Malpass said.

In terms of his assessment of the Indian economy Mr Malpass said India had suffered from rising interest rates and inflation, globally, as well as climate events . However, expansion of the social safety net during the COVID pandemic was a mitigating factor as was digitization (which increases the effectiveness of the net) , Mr Malpass said.

The World Bank, on Thursday, had downgraded India’s growth estimate for FY22-23 by 1 percentage point to 6.5%.

Respect and guarantee human rights to Uighurs of Xinjiang, says MEA

Statement comes a day after India abstained on voting on a draft resolutionat the 51st Regular Session at the United Nations Human Rights Council to hold a debate on the subject

KALLOL BHATTACHERJEE

NEW DELHI

Demanding justice:Members of Uighurs and other communities offering prayers at the Id Kah Mosque in Xinjiang region.file photoMark Schiefelbein

India on Friday addressed the issue of the Uighurs of Xinjiang directly for the first time saying that the community’s human rights should be “respected”.

Official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Arindam Bagchi said that the government of India had taken “note” of the human rights “assessment” of Xinjiang that was earlier presented by the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) in a 46-page report. “The human rights of the people of Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region should be respected and guaranteed. We hope that the relevant party will address the situation objectively and properly,” he said. India has generally avoided commenting on the reported crackdown on the Uighurs in Xinjiang.

This policy was evident in 2016, when India issued a visa for leading Uighur activist Dolkun Isa but cancelled it at the last moment preventing him from traveling to Delhi.

The statement from the MEA came a day after India abstained on voting on a draft resolution at the 51st Regular Session at the United Nations Human Rights Council to hold a debate on the human rights situation in Xinjiang. The resolution was sponsored by the U.S., Finland, and other members of the western group at the HRC but at the end only 17 of the 47 members voted in favour, 19 voted against and 11, including India, abstained.

Explaining India’s decision to abstain at the HRC, Mr. Bagchi said, “India remains committed to upholding all human rights. India’s vote is in line with its long-held position that country-specific resolutions are never helpful. India favours a dialogue to deal with such issues.”

In a rare gesture, Mr. Bagchi also recognised the importance of the OHCHR’s report on Xinjiang that had drawn China’s strong opposition earlier.

“We have taken note of the OHCHR Assessment of human rights concerns in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China,” said Mr. Bagchi.

The delay to release the OHCHR’s report which contains details of atrocities against the Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang was criticised by Amnesty International that had sought international investigation into the findings.

“Now that the OHCHR has finally made its findings public, it is time for the UN Human Rights Council to set up an independent international mechanism to investigate these crimes under international law and other serious human rights violations in Xinjiang,” Amnesty said in a statement earlier.

Ahead of Assembly poll, Congress in Gujarat faces defections, lack of focus

Congress’s internal organisational election and Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra appear to be the immediate top priorityfor the party; none of the prominent leaders visited during Navratri

MAHESH LANGA

AHMEDABAD

Making rounds:Rahul Gandhi during his Sabarmati Ashram visit in Ahmedabad on September 5.VIJAY SONEJIVIJAY SONEJI

It is less than two months before Gujarat faces the Assembly election, but the main Opposition Congress appears grappling with defections by senior leaders and legislators and lack of direction from the top leadership in Delhi.

Its State unit has been trying to remain in shape to take on the ruling BJP and new entrant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal leading the campaigning for their parties.

For the Congress top brass, the party’s internal organisational election and Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra appear to be the immediate top priority and they have remained occupied with these ongoing activities.

No prominent faces

Before kickstarting his yatra from Kanniyakumari, Mr. Gandhi addressed a rally in Ahmedabad on September 5 in which he announced a range of electoral sops such as free electricity and farm debt waiver.

He is now unlikely to come for campaigning because of the yatra he is leading. So far, Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have also not joined the campaign, leaving the State leaders to manage on their own.

The State party leaders were hoping that Ms. Gandhi would visit a few Garba venues during Navratri in Ahmedabad and other places which would have helped the party in getting visibility that it badly requires as at present the BJP and the AAP are hogging the limelight.

Gehlot’s absence

Also, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who has been appointed AICC senior observer for the party in Gujarat for the Assembly polls, remains occupied in his own State because of the unexpected political developments there, leaving not much time for Gujarat.

So far, Mr. Gehlot has visited the State several times before the developments in Rajasthan and Delhi regarding the presidential polls in the grand Opposition party.

Many Congress leaders in Gujarat feel that the high command has not accorded due importance to the Assembly poll compared to the BJP and the AAP whose top leaders are criss-crossing the State.

So far, since March this year, Mr. Modi has visited the State 12 times and held rallies or roadshows and launched new projects or inaugurated completed ones in a dozen different places while Mr. Kejriwal has been to the State almost two dozen times. Both leaders are now visiting Gujarat almost once a week.

“There is certainly lack of direction from the top leadership but one has to admit that the entire party is undergoing massive changes and transformation,” a senior Congress leader said, adding party’s internal developments and dynamics came at wrong time.

In such situations, the State unit is witnessing defections from its rank. This week, its senior legislator Harshad Ribadia joined the BJP. Earlier in July, a prominent tribal leader and three-time legislator Ashwin Kotwal had resigned and joined the ruling party.

In between, working president of the State and Patidar quota agitation leader Hardik Patel defected to the saffron camp. Former Rajya Sabha member Raju Parmar and former leader of Opposition in the Assembly Naresh Raval joined the BJP.

After the 2017 Assembly poll, as many as 17 sitting Congress legislators have joined the BJP, bringing down the party’s strength from 78 to just 61 now.

Meanwhile, according to insiders, five to six more legislators are likely go to the other camp in the days to come.

After the 2017 polls, 17 have joined the BJP, bringing down the strength from 78 to just 61 now

Government seeks CJI’s recommendation on appointment of successor

The letter by Law Minister kick-starts the process to identify the 50th Chief Justice of India, with four names under consideration of the collegium. CJI Lalit is set to retire on November 8

THE HINDU BUREAU

NEW DELHI

Chief Justice U.U. Lalit was administered the oath of office on August 27.File PhotoPTI

The Ministry of Law and Justice on October 7, 2022 sought Chief Justice of India U.U. Lalit’s recommendation for appointment of his successor.

“As per the MoP [Memorandum of Procedure] on appointment of Chief Justice of India and Supreme Court Judges, today the Hon’ble Minister of Law and Justice sent a letter to the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India for sending his recommendations for appointment of his successor,” the Ministry tweeted.

The letter kick-starts the appointment process for the 50th Chief Justice of India. Justice D.Y. Chandrachud is next in line to be Chief Justice of India in accordance with the seniority norm.

The process of appointment, according to the ‘Memorandum of Procedure of Appointment of Supreme Court Judges’, begins with the Union Law Minister seeking the recommendation of the outgoing CJI about the next appointment.

The Minister has to seek the CJI’s recommendation “at the appropriate time”. The Memorandum does not elaborate or specify a timeline. Usually the Law Minister sends his request and the outgoing CJI makes his recommendation with a month to spare before his retirement. Chief Justice Lalit is set to retire on November 8, which leaves him hardly 15 working days.

The appointment process for the next Chief Justice of India has begun at a time when four names are under consideration of the collegium for appointment as Supreme Court judges. Usually, no new recommendations for judicial appointments are made when the appointment process for the next Chief Justice of India is on.

India-U.K. free trade pact may miss October deadline

Officials appear to shy away from Diwali deadline to conclude FTA negotiations

SUHASINI HAIDAR

NEW DELHI

The India-U.K. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) may not be ready in time for its “Diwali” or October-end deadline indicated both New Delhi and London, as India reacted sharply to British Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s statement linking the FTA with migration issues and the U.K. government said “quality”, not “speed” would determine the FTA’s launch.

Responding to questions at the weekly media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that Diwali (October 24) was only “a goal”, seemingly downplaying the time-bound negotiating deadline that had been set in the India-U.K. joint statement in April this year, as well as comments by then-U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson to “get it done by Diwali”.

“There is interest on both sides to conclude the FTA at the earliest,” said Mr. Bagchi replying to a specific question about the timeline. “I think Diwali was set as a goal, but... that is a goal. I understand that intense discussions are under way and are continuing,” he added.

When asked, the British government also declined to give a direct commitment on the timing for the FTA announcement, which was expected to coincide with a proposed visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the U.K.. It is understood that the U.K. and India are still targetting the end of October for concluding the “majority of talks” on the FTA, without necessarily signing the agreement.

“We remain clear that we won’t sacrifice quality for speed and will only sign when we have a deal that meets the U.K.’s interests,” a British government spokesperson said in response to a question from The Hindu , stressing that the trade deal is a “huge opportunity to deepen our already strong trading relationship worth £24.3bn a year, which will benefit businesses and sectors right across both our countries.”

As The Hindu had reported on Thursday, comments by British Home Secretary Suella Braverman earlier this week appeared to throw a dampener on the FTA, when she expressed “reservations” and “concerns” about any trade deal with India that involved more migration or visa flexibility, given what she called the largest number of Indian migrants overstaying illegally in the U.K..

Mr. Bagchi said he would not want to respond to the comments that were made “perhaps for domestic perspectives”.

Meanwhile, the Indian High Commission in London issued a detailed rejoinder to Ms. Braverman, calling comments while negotiations are underway inappropriate, and accusing the U.K. of not having made “demonstrable progress” on its commitments as part of the “Migration and Mobility Protocol” signed by both governments last year.

“While certain issues pertaining to Mobility and Migration are currently under discussion as part of these negotiations, any comment on these matters may not be appropriate given that the negotiations are underway, and that any arrangement will include issues of interest to both sides,” said the Indian High Commission spokesperson, adding that the Government of India (GoI) is “committed” to facilitate the return of Indians citizens who have overstayed their visa period and has initiated action “on all of the cases referred to the High Commission.”

I think Diwali was set as a goal, but... that is a goal. I understand that intense discussions are under way and are continuing

Arindam Bagchi

MEA spokesperson

Tamil Nadu Minister orders closure of children’s home

Move follows the death of three boys due to suspected food poisoning; Chief Minister announces a solatium of Rs. 2 lakh each to kin of the deceased; 11 inmates and warden undergoing treatment

THE HINDU BUREAU

TIRUPPUR/CHENNAI

Spot visit:Minister for Social Welfare Geetha Jeevan and Minister for Information and Public Relations M.P. Saminathan enquiring about the health of those who had been hospitalised.

Tamil Nadu’s Minister for Social Welfare Geetha Jeevan on Friday ordered the closure and sealing of a private children’s home at Thirumuruganpoondi near Tiruppur, following the death of three boys due to suspected food poisoning.

Extending his condolences, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced a solatium of Rs. 2 lakh each to the bereaved families, from the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund.

A total of 30 boys had been staying at Sri Vivekananda Sevalaya, and a few of them had gone to their relatives’ place on the occasion of Navratri. On Wednesday night, 14 inmates and the warden, Jayaraman, 63, had dinner, and some of them fainted on Thursday morning. Jayaraman and a few students developed severe diarrhoea and fever.

While Babu, 10, and Athish, 11, died, the remaining 12 boys and the warden were rushed to government and private hospitals nearby. Another boy, Mathesh, 14, died at a private hospital. Eleven boys and the warden are currently undergoing treatment.

Ms. Jeevan and Minister for Information and Public Relations M.P. Saminathan inspected the home and said the DMK would give Rs. 1 lakh each to the families of the three boys who died and Rs. 50,000 each to the kin of the 11 boys who have been hospitalised. She said stringent action would be taken against Senthilnathan, the administrator of the home. Despite the presence of a concrete building, the children were staying in a structure made of iron sheets. This was because of the lack of regular inspections, and action would be initiated against the District Child Protection Officer, she said. She said all 13 homes (for the destitute) in Tiruppur district would be inspected. The inmates of Sri Vivekananda Sevalaya would be shifted, on recovery, to government-run homes, and the government would take care of their education till graduation.

IARI says stubble burning in Punjab is at three-year low; Uttar Pradesh records rise

Only 320 fires have been reported this year, as opposed to 620 and 1,935 in 2021 and 2020 respectively

JACOB KOSHY

NEW DELHI

A farmer burning paddy stubble in Amritsar.-

Though early days, the number of crop fires reported out of Punjab are at a three-year low, suggests data from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) that tracks such fires via satellite. Only 320 fires have been reported this year, as opposed to 620 and 1,935 in 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Uttar Pradesh, however, saw a rise in instances, shows the data till October 6, with 80 crop burning events recorded in the State this year as opposed to 52 last year. So far, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi reported instances of burning that are in single digits.

Ahead of the crop burning season, the Centre on September 30 had undertaken a review meeting with States. In a press statement, Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav had expressed his “concern and dis-satisfaction” over the preparedness in Punjab in taking concrete action towards Air Quality Management.

Agricultural experts said it is too early to predict if instances of crop burning would be less in Punjab and Haryana compared to previous years.

‘Early to predict’

“While there is a 6% reduction in acreage under rice (in Punjab) this year due to erratic rains, it would be premature to assume that burning would be less. Instances of stubble burning rise through the season and peak around November. We still have to wait a few weeks to discern a trend,” said Dr. Ravindra Khaiwal, professor at PGIMER’s department of community medicine and School of Public Health, Chandigarh.

Varanasi court defers order on petition filed by Hindu plaintiffs in Gyanvapi case

THE HINDU BUREAU

NEW DELHI

The Varanasi district court on Friday deferred the order on an application filed by some of the Hindu plaintiffs in the Gyanvapi mosque-Kashi Vishwanath temple civil dispute seeking “scientific investigation” of the disputed structure reportedly found inside the mosque premises in May.

While the Hindu plaintiffs have claimed that the structure is a shivling , the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee has insisted that the structure is part of the fountain in the mosque’s wuzu khana [ablution pond].

District Judge A.K. Vishvesha had at the last hearing reserved his orders and was expected to deliver the order on Friday, when all parties had shown up in court. The application sought “scientific investigation”, including carbon-dating of the structure, reportedly found during a court-ordered video survey of the mosque in May.

Only one condition

On Friday, advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, who had sought the tests on behalf of four of the five plaintiffs, submitted before the court that their application for “scientific investigation was rooted in the condition that no damage be caused to the structure in question”.

Following this, the masjid panel, expecting to hear the order on Friday, said they needed time to file a reply to the point raised by Mr. Jain. The matter has now been posted for next hearing on October 11, senior advocate Mumtaz Ahmed told The Hindu .

At the last hearing, the masjid panel had objected to the application seeking tests on two grounds. It said carbon-dating was not the scientifically appropriate test for such a structure and besides, such a test would violate orders of the Supreme Court which had mandated that the structure be protected.

The lead plaintiff in the case—Rakhi Singh—had also objected to the application, arguing that carbon-dating would destroy the structure, rendering it not worthy of worship.

Next hearing on the suit seeking ‘scientific investigation’ into structure posted for October 11

Amid row over ‘mass conversion’, AAP Minister apologises

JATIN ANAND

OCTOBER 08

Delhi Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam found himself in the middle of a political storm after visuals of an alleged “mass conversion” to Buddhism, involving around 10,000 people (as per Mr. Gautam’s claim) seemingly boycotting Hinduism and Hindu deities at an event organised by a social organisation founded by him, emerged here on Friday.

Held on the occasion of Ashoka Vijaydashmi — which in the Buddhist tradition is commemorated as the day that Emperor Ashoka embraced Buddhism — the event was organised by Mr. Gautam’s ‘Mission Jai Bheem’ on Wednesday.

Soon after the visuals of the event went viral, the BJP lashed out at the Delhi Minister and the AAP, approaching the police with a complaint against him and demanding his removal from the Cabinet. Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta alleged that Hinduism and Hindu deities were deliberately insulted at the event as part of a “well-thought conspiracy”, while Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri accused Mr. Gautam of “openly insulting Hinduism in public”.

Responding to these charges, Mr. Gautam said he was “pained at the propaganda” being spread by the BJP against him and apologised for hurting “anyone’s religious sentiments”.

Every healthy man is obliged to provide for his wife, children: SC

Bench saysit is the sacrosanct duty of the husband to provide financial support to the wife and minor children

THE HINDU BUREAU

NEW DELHI

A healthy man is obliged to provide through legal means, even by physical labour, for his wife and minor children, the Supreme Court has said in a judgment.

A Bench led by Justice Dinesh Maheshwari said it was a basic canon of law “that it is the sacrosanct duty of the husband to provide financial support to the wife and to the minor children. The husband is required to earn money even by physical labour… If he is able-bodied, he cannot avoid his obligation, except on the legally permissible grounds”.

The judgment was based on an appeal filed by a woman who failed to win her case for maintenance from her estranged husband in the Family Court and the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The woman had argued in the High Court that the lower court had denied her claim for maintenance on perfunctory grounds. The husband contended that she hadfailed to prove that she could not maintain herself. But the apex court said the purpose of maintenance was to prevent even the slightest possibility of an estranged wife facing destitution.

The purpose of maintenance is to prevent the chance of an estranged wife facing destitution

Bharat Jodo Yatra completes 30 days, covers over 700 km

THE HINDU BUREAU

NEW DELHI

Rahul Gandhi with Gauri Lankesh's mother Indira and sister Kavitha on Monday.PTI-

The Bharat Jodo Yatra , launched on September 7 at Kanniyakumari, completed 30 days on Friday, having covered a distance of over 700 km across Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. Former party chief Rahul Gandhi, who has been at the yatra centre stage, is expected to address a press conference on Saturday to share his experiences so far.

Starting the Karnataka leg of the padayatra by walking alongside a young girl dressed as Bharat Mata [Mother India] at Mandya district, Mr. Gandhi was joined by the late Gauri Lankesh’s mother, Indira, and sister in the evening.

In the next 120 days, the Congress is not only hoping that the padayatra would become a path to its political revival revival but also repackage Mr. Gandhi as a people’s politician.

The Congress has carefully showcased the compassionate side of Mr. Gandhi by sharing images of him tying the shoe laces of his mother and party chief Sonia Gandhi, delivering a speech in Mysuru despite a heavy downpour and enthusiastic interactions with youngsters in the past 30 days.

Apart from the image make-over, the party has also aimed to bring together different factions in States like poll-bound Kerala.

(With PTI inputs)

Two with terror links arrested in Mohali grenade attack case

THE HINDU BUREAU

NEW DELHI

The Delhi Police Special Cell has arrested a man, and apprehended a juvenile, in connection with the rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attack on the Punjab Police Intelligence HQ in Mohali in May this year, officers said on Friday.

Special CP (Special Cell) H.G.S. Dhaliwal said that the accused arrested has been identified as Arshdeep Singh. Both the accused and the juvenile were arrested from Jamnagar in Gujarat.

The Special CP said that the accused were “important nodes of the joint terror network of Pakistan-based Khalistani terrorist Harvinder Singh alias Rinda and Canada-based gangster-turned-terrorist Lakhbir Singh Landa”.

On May 9, a rocket-propelled grenade was fired at the Punjab Police’s intelligence headquarters in Mohali in Punjab.

During investigation, it was established that the attack was a conspiracy of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and local gangsters.

The attackers were identified as a juvenile and one Deepak, a resident of Surakhpur in Haryana. “It was also established that the attack was orchestrated by gangster-turned-ISI stooge Harvinder Singh alias Rinda,” the Special CP said.

Arshdeep was wanted in the IED recovery case of Shahabad in Kurukshetra and IED-recovered case at Sirhali police station in Punjab and other narcotic and arms cases.

The accused were important nodes of the joint terror network of Pakistan-based Khalistani terrorist Rinda and Canada-based gangster-turned-terrorist Lakhbir Singh Landa

H.G.S. Dhaliwal

Special CP (Special Cell)

India objects to recent visit of U.S. Ambassador to PoK

PoK visit among irritants including F-16 support deal, sanctions on Indian company for Iran oil

SUHASINI HAIDAR

NEW DELHI

India has objected to the United States over the recent visit of the American Ambassador to Pakistan’s visit to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday.

Reacting to the visit in early October, which the U.S. referred to as “AJK (Azaad or ‘Free’ Jammu Kashmir) of Ambassador David Blome to Muzaffarabad and other areas across the Line of Control (LoC) that India recognises as its territory, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that India had objected to both the visit and the meetings Mr. Blome held there.

In a press release about the visit from October 2-5, the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad said it aimed to “promote U.S.-Pakistan partnership and highlight the two countries’ deep economic, cultural, and people-to-people ties”, detailing the U.S. projects and investments in the area.

“Our objection to the visit and meetings in PoJK (Pakistan Occupied Jammu Kashmir) by the U.S. Ambassador in Pakistan has been conveyed to the U.S. side”, Mr. Bagchi said in response to a question by The Hindu , but did not give details of the objection or how it was conveyed.

No American Ambassador has been posted to New Delhi since January 2021, when the Trump administration nominee Kenneth Juster demitted office due to issues with the confirmation of the Biden nominee Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and it is unclear if the issues will be resolved before the mid-term elections in the U.S. in November, which could delay the process further.

Concern on fighter jets

To a query, the MEA spokesperson said that India’s concerns over the U.S. package on support for F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan remained, despite the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s assertion that Pakistan used the F-16s for counter-terrorism operations. On the U.S. decision on September 29 to sanction an Indian company Mumbai-based Tibalaji Petrochem for the alleged import of oil from Iran, the MEA said it was a “new development” and the government was looking into it.

Unions oppose new appraisal system for insurance employees

THE HINDU BUREAU

NEW DELHI

Ten Central Trade Unions (CTUs) in the Opposition camp have urged the Centre to keep the “unilateral imposition” of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) for General Insurance Companies in abeyance. The CTUs said in a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman that the GIPSA management have started implementing the KPI process without the approval of the boards of the insurance companies.

They said imposition of the KPI is severely affecting the health of the industry as hundreds of offices are proposed to be closed or merged in the name of KPI and restructuring.

EC seeks Uddhav’s response on party symbol dispute

Uddhav Thackeray has to submit his response by 2 p.m. tomorrow and “in case no reply is received, the Commission will take appropriate action in the matter accordingly”

THE HINDU BUREAU

NEW DELHI

Uddhav Thackeray showing party symbol during a public meeting.File PhotoRAJESH WARADKAR

The Election Commission of India on Friday asked former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to submit his response by 2 p.m. on Saturday in the dispute between him and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde about who controls the Shiv Sena. The two factions have claimed that they represent the real Shiv Sena and were asked by the EC to submit any documents to support their claims by Friday.

The EC said the group led by Mr. Shinde had on Tuesday sent an application asking for the party’s “bow and arrow” symbol to be allotted for the ongoing by-election to Andheri East Assembly constituency. “In case no reply is received, the Commission will take appropriate action in the matter accordingly,” the EC said.

Meanwhile, Uddhav Thackery on Friday informed the EC that the faction led by Mr. Shinde cannot claim the symbol as he and legislators in the camp had voluntarily quit the party. “Their primary membership was cancelled after they voluntarily quit the party. So, technically they are no longer associated with Shiv Sena and cannot claim the symbol,” Uddhav loyalist and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Desai told The Hindu .

Six Indian prisoners died in Pak. in last nine months: Centre

Indian spokesperson said number of deaths of Indian fishermen in Pakistan in recent times has been increasing

PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEW DELHI

Six Indian prisoners, who completed their jail terms, died in Pakistan in the last nine months and India has raised the “alarming” issue with Islamabad, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.

MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said five of the six Indians were fishermen. “Six Indians, five of them fishermen, died in Pakistani custody in the last nine months or so,” he said. “All the six had completed their sentences, but what we would say, were illegally detained by Pakistan despite completing their sentences and in spite of multiple demands by the Indian side for their release and repatriation,” Mr. Bagchi added.

Cough syrup deaths will impact India’s image: Anand Sharma

Former Commerce and Industry Minister urges Centre to fix accountability

THE HINDU BUREAU

NEW DELHI

The death of dozens of children in the Gambia because of an adulterated cough syrup made in Haryana will impact India’s reputation as the ‘pharmacy of the world’, former Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said on Friday while urging the Centre to fix accountability and take urgent action.

Calling it a monumental tragedy, he said in a statement that the Indian government’s stance was unacceptable.

“India has a firm legal framework and regulatory mechanism on safety, quality and standard of manufacturing. No drug that fails the test of safety can be marketed, let be alone exported. The casual statements of government authorities and drugs regulator that these syrups are not sold in India and exported only to Gambia are not reassuring ...This is unacceptable and needs urgent course correction,” Mr. Sharma said.

Asserting that no drug could be exported without the Certificate of Pharma Products, Mr. Sharma asked how a syrup, adulterated with diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, could be given export permits.

“This incident is a wake-up call. India must revisit the regulatory framework to ensure national uniformity for certification, licensing, marketing and export. The tragedy in Gambia must not be allowed to cast a shadow on the reputation of Indian pharma Industry or provide an opportunity to entrenched global pharma lobbies to exploit this,” he said..

Mr. Sharma pointed out that the Indian Pharmaceutical Industry had assiduously built a reputation and global acceptability over decades. Arrival of Indian generics brought down the cost of life saving medicines and made them affordable in Africa and other developing countries.

That saved millions of lives and earned India recognition as “pharmacy of the world” but it also unsettled the vested interests of the well-entrenched pharma multinationals, he added.

Former Commerce Minister asked how the adulterated syrups were given export permits

Petitioner moves court for FIR copy in PFI case

THE HINDU BUREAU

NEW DELHI

The Delhi High Court on Friday asked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to respond to a plea seeking a copy of an FIR registered against alleged members of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) in a case lodged under the anti-terror law.

Justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta gave the order on a petition filed by Mohammad Yusuff, who was arrested from his residence in Chennai on September 22 in a case lodged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act [UAPA].

Mr. Yusuff sought a copy of the FIR lodged by the agency, a copy of the grounds of arrest of each of the accused, and a copy of the remand applications filed before the trial court.

“At the time of arrest, the respondent [NIA] did not communicate to the petitioner [Mr. Yusuff] any particulars of the offence or grounds of arrest, in clear violation of the statutory mandate under Section 50 of the Code of Criminal Procedure read with Article 22(1) of the Constitution,” the plea noted.

The best snaana

OCTOBER 08

Srimad Bhagavatam has a story about a poor farmer who had no expectations in life, said P.T. Seshadri in a discourse. He used to collect fallen fruits and scattered grains to feed his family. Lord Narayana wanted to show the world the greatness of this humble farmer.

One day, as the man kept picking fruits, he noticed a gold bar. He ignored it. In the meanwhile, the Lord had come to his house in the guise of an astrologer. He told the farmer’s wife about the gold that her husband had come across. He told her to urge the farmer to go back and fetch the gold. When the farmer arrived, she told him to go and get the gold. But the farmer made no attempt to do so. The agitated wife asked the astrologer to advise her husband. The astrologer said the farmer should not hesitate to bring the gold. The world respected only those who were rich. Moreover, what would he do, if he fell ill? The astrologer added that God had intended the gold for him, which was why he had spotted it. The farmer replied that he was not going to deny the truth of anything that the astrologer had said. But so far he had enjoyed peace of mind in his life. If he were to come into possession of gold, he would worry about how to safeguard it. He said the Lord had put the gold there, to see if he would yield to temptation.

The farmer said the Lord had given him the jnana that the Lord was the means and the end. The farmer said this jnana was the best snaana one could have, and that one must constantly think of the Lord’s qualities. The astrologer then revealed that He was none other than Lord Hari. He said jnana about the Supreme One was indeed the best snaana. Andal refers to this jnana as neerattam (bath).

‘ Varna and caste system should be discarded’

PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NAGPUR

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Friday said the concepts like varna and jaati [caste] should be completely discarded. Speaking at a book release function here, he said the caste system has no relevance now.

In “Vajrasuchi Tunk” written by Dr. Madan Kulkarni and Dr. Renuka Bokare, the RSS chief said social equality was a part of the Indian tradition, but it was forgotten and led to damaging consequences.

Referring to the claim that the varna and caste system originally did not have discrimination and had its uses, Mr. Bhagwat said if today someone asked about these institutions, the answer must be that “it is past, let’s forget it.”

Panel to study SC status of converted Dalits

OCTOBER 08

These will include examining their traditions, customs, social and other forms of discrimination and how and whether they have changed as a result of the conversion.

Noting that several representatives of existing SC communities have staunchly opposed the inclusion of converts to other religions, the government has also tasked the Justice Balakrishnan Commission with examining the impact of such a decision on these existing SC communities.

The petitions challenging the religion criterion for inclusion have cited several independent commission reports since the First Backward Classes Commission headed by Kaka Kalelkar in 1955 that have documented the existence of caste and caste discrimination among Indian Christians and Indian Muslims, concluding that Dalit converts continued to face the same social disabilities even after leaving the Hindu fold. These include the Report of the Committee on Untouchability Economic and Educational Development Of the Scheduled Castes in 1969, the HPP report on SCs, STs, and Minorities in 1983, the Ranganath Mishra Commission Report, among others.

In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court in November 2019, the Union government had refused to accept these reports as evidence of continued social disabilities due to caste identity.

The Kalelkar Commission Report and the 1983 HPP Report were the basis for amending the Order to include Dalit Sikhs and Dalit Buddhists as SCs in 1956 and 1990 respectively.

CBI charge sheet against TMC leader over scam

He was arrested by the CBI on August 11 in connection with cross-border cattle smuggling scam.

THE HINDU BUREAU

KOLKATA

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday filed a charge sheet against Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Anubrata Mondal in connection with cross-border cattle smuggling scam. The charge sheet, which was filed before a court in Asansol, has described Mr. Mondal, Birbhum TMC district president, as a facilitator and beneficiary in the scam.

Mr. Mondal was arrested by the CBI on August 11 and has been behind bars since then. The charge sheet comes 57 days after his arrest and has brought charges against him under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code and several sections of The Prevention of Corruption Act.

ED attaches Rs. 1.54 cr. in Amnesty case

THE HINDU BUREAU

NEW DELHI

The Enforcement Directorate attached Rs. 1.54 crore lying in the bank accounts of Indians for Amnesty International Trust in connection with the money laundering probe against the Amnesty International India Private Limited and others. The total value stands at Rs. 21.08 crore.

Uttarkashi avalanche toll hits 26, search on for 3 missing persons

Adverse weather conditions on the mountain has affected rescue operations, which will continue on Saturday too

ISHITA MISHRA

NEW DELHI

With the recovery of seven more bodies on Friday, the toll in the Uttarkashi avalanche reached 26. This has turned out to be the highest number of casualties in any mountaineering training/summit in the country. Three people who fell in a crevasse during the training course are still missing.

The Army, ITBP, SDRF and Air Force teams who were engaged in rescue operations recovered four bodies on Wednesday, 15 on Thursday and seven more on Friday. “We airlifted 13 mountaineers from the spot and 17 were rescued on foot. Search will continue for rest of the three-missing people,” said Devendra Patwal, Disaster Management Officer Uttarkashi, who added that search and rescue operation will continue even on Saturday, but the success will depend on the weather conditions.

“Heavy snowfall is taking place in the mountain which has affected the rescue even on Friday. Warning of adverse weather is there for next 48 hours,” he said. The people who were caught in the avalanche were taking part in the Advance Mountaineering Course organised by the Nehru Institute Of Mountaineering at the Draupadi Ka Danda Mountain peak earlier this week.

Starting on September 14, a total of 61 people, including trainees, instructors and a nursing assistant, were participating in the exercise.

Kharge rejects remark that Gandhis will control him

THE HINDU BUREAU

AHMEDABAD

The Congress Presidential candidate Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday said he will work with other party leaders if elected to the post of president of the Indian National Congress.

He also dismissed that the Gandhi family will “remote control” him and he will be their puppet president.

He arrived in Gujarat to canvass for his candidature and met the AICC delegates who will cast their vote in the presidential polls of the party in which he is pitted against the party’s parliamentarian and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor.

“A lot of people say I am a remote control and work from behind. They say I will do what Sonia Gandhi will say. There is no such thing as remote control in Congress, people take decisions together,” he said.

In fact, he suggested that the BJP was being remote controlled by the PM.

“How many times has the BJP held an internal election to the elect its president?” he asked, adding nobody knows how the BJP president is appointed.

“When I will be elected as Congress president, the remote control will stay with me and everyone will work as per the party’s organisational structure,” he asserted.

Belarus, Russia, Ukraine win Nobel Peace Prize

OCTOBER 08

As predicted by experts, the committee’s choice of laureates this year marked a stinging criticism of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, which has plunged Europe into its worst security crisis since the Second World War.

But the five-member committee stopped short of criticising Russian President Vladimir Putin directly.

Ms. Reiss-Andersen called his regime an “authoritarian government that is suppressing human rights activists”, stressing that the committee wanted to highlight the “way civil society and human rights advocates are being suppressed.”

The Nobel committee also called on Belarus to release Mr. Bialiatski, 60, the founder of rights group Viasna whose work has charted the increasingly authoritarian tendencies of President Alexander Lukashenko and his security forces.

Two Army personnel killed in tank barrel burst

The tank was manned by a crew of three personnel.The incident is under further investigation, sources added.

THE HINDU BUREAUNEW DELHI

NEW DELHI

Two Army personnel were killed after the barrel of a T-90 tank burst during the annual firing exercise at Babina Field Firing Ranges. “During the annual firing at Babina Field Firing Ranges on October 06, a tank barrel burst took place. The crew was provided immediate medical aid and evacuated to Military Hospital Babina,” the Army said in a statement. “The Commander and the Gunner unfortunately succumbed to burn injuries. The Driver is out of danger and under treatment.” The incident is under investigation.

ED conducts searches in Delhi Excise Policy case

THE HINDU BUREAU

OCTOBER 08

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday conducted the third round of searches at multiple locations, including the office premises of India Ahead news channel, in the Delhi Excise Policy case, said a senior agency official. About three dozen premises in Delhi, Punjab and Hyderabad were covered during the operation. “More than 500 raids, for three months more than 300 CBI/ED officers are working 24 hours – to find evidence against Manish Sisodia. (They are) Not finding anything. Because nothing was done. Time of so many officers is being wasted for their dirty politics. How will such a country progress?,” Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said in a tweet responding to the development.

PM using empty slogans despite rising poverty: Cong.

Ms. Shrinate said rupee has hit a historic low.

THE HINDU BUREAUNEW DELHI

NEW DELHI

Citing the World Bank report that flagged worsening of poverty numbers in India during the COVID pandemic and downgraded the country economic growth forecast, the Congress on Friday alleged that the situation doesn’t worry the Prime Minister as he is still resorting to “empty slogans”. Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said, “Now, given the Modi government’s nature, it may be perceived as an international conspiracy against India...”

Tour operators’ body writes to PM on restoring e-visas

THE HINDU BUREAU

OCTOBER 08

The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), an apex tourism body representing more than 1,700 inbound tour operators in India, has sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention in restoring e-visas for visitors from United Kingdom, Canada and other countries from where maximum tourists travel to India. The organisation said it has already made numerous representations and sent letters to the ministries of Home, Tourism and External Affairs in this matter. “Having failed to evoke any response from these ministries, we have written to the PM, hoping for a quick resolution,” IATO President Rajiv Mehra said on Friday.

FIR against owners of cattle hit by Vande Bharat train

The incident occurred around 11.15 a.m. on Thursday near Ahmedabad while on its way to Gandhinagar

PTI

OCTOBER 08

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) in Gujarat registered a case against the owners of the four buffaloes that were hit by the Mumbai-Gandhinagar Vande Bharat Express, in which the front portion of the train was damaged, officials said on Friday. The nose cone cover of the driver coach of the semi-high speed train, which got damaged after hitting the buffaloes, was replaced with a new one in Mumbai, the Western Railways said in a statement. In the second such incident in two days, the Vande Bharat Express train on Friday hit a cow near Anand in Gujarat while on its way to Mumbai, officials said.PTI

CBI files chargesheet against Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi

PTI NEW DELHIOCT 7 (PTI)

OCTOBER 08

The CBI has filed a chargesheet against former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi and 14 others in connection with an alleged land-for-jobs scam during his tenure in the Railways, officials said on Friday. Mr. Prasad’s daughter Misa Bharti and a former general manager of the Railways have also been named as accused in the chargesheet filed before a special CBI court recently, they said.PTI

U.P. police dismiss claims of forced sloganeering at AMU

On Thursday, Saket Kumar alleged that he was brutally beaten and made to shout ‘Pakistan Zindabad’

MAYANK KUMARLUCKNOW:

LUCKNOW:

Amid allegations that a Hindu student pursuing M.Tech at the Aligarh Muslim University was thrashed and forced to chant pro-Pakistani slogans such as ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ by a group of students at the University’s campus, the U.P. police said that no such incident had occurred. They said that the two students had a scuffle, after which they submitted complaints against each other at the proctor’s office. In the complaint, no issue involving the slogans was mentioned.

NCB arrests former Air India pilot, five others in drug haul

PTI

OCTOBER 08

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has seized 60 kg mephedrone drug worth more than Rs. 120 crore from Mumbai and Gujarat, and arrested six members of an inter-State drug cartel, including a former Air India pilot, a senior official said here on Friday. The action was taken based on specific inputs received by the Naval Intelligence unit at Jamnagar in Gujarat, said Sanjay Singh, Deputy Director General of the NCB in a press briefing here. "We have cracked a drug network spread across States of the country and arrested six persons involved in the syndicate," Mr. Singh said.PTI

Vande Bharat train hits cattle for second day, damaged

The incident happened at 3:44 p.m and the train suffered a minor dent on its nose

THE HINDU BUREAU

OCTOBER 08

In the second such incident in two days, the Gandhinagar-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express on Friday hit a cow at Anand in Gujarat while on its way to Mumbai, officials said. The incident happened at 3:44 p.m. and the train suffered a minor dent on its nose, said a railways official. On Thursday, the train had hit four buffaloes between Vatva and Maninagar stations and the nose panel had to be replaced due to damage. Meanwhile, the Railway Protection Force has registered a case against the owners of the buffaloes for Thursday’s incident, officials said.

International

- Ukraine predicts more gains as Putin’s Generals face flak

- Ukraine changes mind on UNHRC vote on Xinjiang

- Ahead of midterm elections, Biden pardons Americans for possession of cannabis

- U.S. imposes new sanctions on Chinese chips

- Amazon deforestation sees monthly record

- Russian court orders seizure of Memorial’s Moscow office

- No Chinese troops in Solomon Islands: PM

- More than 1 million displaced since Myanmar coup, says UN

- U.S. and Philippines reinforce their alliance with joint military drills

- World food prices fall for sixth straight month, says UN

- Iran says Mahsa Amini died of illness rather than ‘blows’

Ukraine predicts more gains as Putin’s Generals face flak

Zelensky says his forces recaptured more than 500 sq. km of territoryand dozens of settlements in the Kherson region; Pro-Russian forces claim gains in Donetsk

REUTERS

KYIV

Broken prospects:A disabled woman being helped by neighbours to return to her home in the Donetsk region on Friday.AFPYASUYOSHI CHIBA

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv’s forces were swiftly recapturing more territory, especially in the south while Moscow’s military leadership faced rare public backlash from within Russia over its handling of the war.

Mr. Zelensky said in a video address on Thursday that Kyiv’s forces recaptured more than 500 sq. km of territory and dozens of settlements in the southern Kherson region alone in October.

“There are successes in the east as well. The day will surely come when we will report on successes in the Zaporizhzhya region (in southeastern Ukraine) as well, in those areas that the occupiers still control,” Mr. Zelensky said.

Thousands of Russian troops have retreated after the front line crumbled, first in the northeast, and, since the beginning of this week, also in the south.

In rare, but growing, public criticism of Russia’s top military officials, Kirill Stremousov, the deputy head of the Russian-backed administration in the Kherson region, slammed “Generals and Ministers” in Moscow for failing to understand the problems on the front lines.

Preventive strike

In remarks to Australia’s Lowy Institute, Mr. Zelensky said NATO should launch preventive strikes on Russia to preclude its use of nuclear weapons. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denounced the comments as “an appeal to start yet another world war with unpredictable, monstrous consequences,” according to RIA news agency.

Meanwhile, separatist forces in the Donetsk region said they had reclaimed a series of villages near the Ukraine-controlled industrial town of Bakhmut, which has been under Russian shelling for weeks. The announcement came as Russia’s Orthodox Church said President Vladimir Putin’s rule had been divined by God, congratulating him on his 70th birthday.

“On the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic, a grouping of troops of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics, with fire support from Russian forces, liberated Otradovka, Veselaya Dolina and Zaitsevo,” the separatists said.

Ukraine changes mind on UNHRC vote on Xinjiang

AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

GENEVA

Ukraine indicated on Friday it had changed its mind on a historic vote a day earlier that saw the UN Human Rights Council refuse to debate violations in China’s Xinjiang region.

Western nations suffered a heavy defeat at the UN’s top rights body on Thursday when they failed to get enough votes to pass a first-ever attempted resolution targeting China.

The draft text, presented by the United States and a number of other Western countries, had merely asked the council to debate a UN report, citing possible crimes against humanity against Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in the far-western Xinjiang region.

But in a moment of knife-edge drama, countries on the 47-member council in Geneva voted 19-17 against holding a debate on human rights in Xinjiang, with 11 nations abstaining.

China’s lobbying

Following an intense lobbying campaign by Beijing, many of the votes against and abstentions did not come as a huge surprise.

However, the decision by conflict-torn Ukraine, which relies heavily on Western backing as it battles Russia’s invasion, to abstain in the vote caught some off guard.

And Ukraine itself appears to have had second thoughts.

Council takes note

In an unusual move, Ukrainian Ambassador Yevheniia Filipenko took the floor on Friday, asking that the “record of the proceedings reflect our position in favour of the adoption of the mentioned decision” on Xinjiang.

The president of the council, Federico Villegas of Argentina, said the council would “take note of your statement”, but stressed that “in accordance with the rules and practices the result of the vote will remain as it was announced yesterday.”

Even if the result had shifted to reflect the changed vote, the resolution on China would still have failed, by one vote.

Countries on the 47-member council voted 19-17 against holding a debate on rights in Xinjiang

Ahead of midterm elections, Biden pardons Americans for possession of cannabis

AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

WASHINGTON

Joe Biden

U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday pardoned thousands of Americans convicted of marijuana possession in a major new step towards destigmatising the drug — and fulfilling a promise to his supporters a month before midterm elections.

“I am announcing a pardon of all prior federal offenses of simple possession of marijuana,” Mr. Biden said.

No decriminalising

He did not call for fully decriminalising cannabis, saying that “limitations on trafficking, marketing and under-age sales should stay in place.”

Instead, the U.S. President homed in on individual possession of a substance that the government health authorities estimate was used by at least 18% of the population in 2019 — and which is already permitted by multiple State governments for recreational or medical purposes.

In addition to the pardons, Mr. Biden instructed the departments of justice and health to determine whether cannabis should be reclassified as a less dangerous substance.

Officials told reporters that about 6,500 people are directly affected by convictions under federal marijuana statutes. Clemency will extend to thousands more convicted under laws in the federal capital, Washington.

However, Mr. Biden’s gesture aims to take the shift much further, putting pressure on State authorities everywhere to follow suit.

“I am urging all Governors to do the same with regard to state offenses. Just as no one should be in a federal prison solely due to the possession of marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or State prison for that reason, either,” Mr. Biden said.

The impact is expected to be significant, both legally and politically, allowing Mr. Biden to seize the narrative on a trend toward decriminalisation that swaths of the country have already embraced.

Midterms in mind

Ahead of the November 8 midterms, where his Democrats are struggling to hold onto even partial control of Congress, Mr. Biden has now satisfied a key demand from racial justice activists angered at the way enforcement of cannabis laws often targets ethnic minorities.

He noted that non-white people are disproportionately affected by marijuana possession convictions.

The third measure announced was an instruction for federal health and justice officials to “review expeditiously how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.”

U.S. imposes new sanctions on Chinese chips

REUTERS

OCTOBER 08

The Biden administration on Friday published a sweeping set of export controls, including a measure to cut China off from certain semiconductor chips made anywhere in the world with U.S. tools, vastly expanding its reach in its bid to slow Beijing’s technological and military advances.

The rules, some of which go into effect immediately, build on restrictions sent in letters earlier this year to toolmakers KLA Corp, Lam Research Corp and Applied Materials Inc, effectively requiring them to halt shipments of equipment to wholly Chinese-owned factories producing advanced logic chips.

The raft of measures could amount to the biggest shift in U.S. policy toward shipping technology to China since the 1990s.

In a briefing with reporters on Thursday, government officials said many of the measures sought to prevent foreign firms from selling advanced chips to China or supplying Chinese firms with tools to make their own advanced chips. They conceded, however, that they have not yet secured any promises that allied nations will implement similar measures.

The expansion of U.S. powers to control exports to China of chips made with U.S. tools is based on a broadening of the so-called foreign direct product rule. It was previously expanded to give the U.S. government authority to control exports of chips made overseas to Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and later to stop the flow of semiconductors to Russia.

On Friday, the Biden administration applied the expanded restrictions to China’s IFLYTEK, Dahua Technology, and Megvii Technology, companies added to the entity list in 2019 over allegations they aided Beijing in the suppression of its Uighur minority group.

Amazon deforestation sees monthly record

AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

RIO DE JANEIRO

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon broke the monthly record for September, according to official figures released on Friday, triggering calls from environmentalists to vote far-right President Jair Bolsonaro out of office later this month.

Satellite data

In the latest worrying news on the rainforest, satellite monitoring showed 1,455 sq. km of forest cover was destroyed in the Brazilian Amazon last month, according to national space agency INPE's real-time surveillance program, DETER.

The area is equivalent to 25 times the size of Manhattan, and the worst for September since the program was launched in 2015.

The previous record for September was also under Mr. Bolsonaro: 1,454 sq. km in 2019.

The figures came as Mr. Bolsonaro battles to win re-election in an October 30 run-off against leftist ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has vowed to work to achieve net-zero deforestation.

Lula — who also faced criticism at times for his environmental record as President — won Sunday's first-round election with 48% of the vote, to 43% for Mr. Bolsonaro.

Mr. Bolsonaro, an ally of the powerful agribusiness sector, has faced international criticism for presiding over a surge of destruction in Brazil's 60% share of the world's biggest rainforest, a key buffer against global warming.

Bolsonaro’s tenure

Since he took office in January 2019, average annual deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has increased by 75% from the previous decade. Experts say the agribusiness industry is driving the destruction by clear-cutting and burning forest to turn it to farmland and pasture.

Russian court orders seizure of Memorial’s Moscow office

AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

MOSCOW

A Moscow court on Friday ordered the seizure of Memorial’s Moscow headquarters, in a ruling delivered hours after the rights group was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, agencies reported.

The Tverskoy court ordered the group’s central Moscow headquarters to “become state property”, the Interfax agency reported.

Memorial, Russia’s most renowned rights group, was officially disbanded by authorities in December last year.

It was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize earlier on Friday, along with jailed Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski and Ukraine’s Center for Civil Liberties.

No Chinese troops in Solomon Islands: PM

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said on Friday he has assured Australia that his nation will not allow a Chinese military presence in its territory

AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

SYDNEY

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said on Friday he has assured Australia that his nation will not allow a Chinese military presence in its territory. The island nation has been at the centre of a diplomatic tussle in the southern Pacific Ocean between the United States, Australia and their allies on one side and China on the other.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met Mr. Sogavare in Canberra to smooth ties that have been frayed since the Solomons signed a pact with Beijing this year — a move that sparked fears of Chinese military presence in the region.

More than 1 million displaced since Myanmar coup, says UN

OCTOBER 08

The UNICEF said 10,17,000 people have been internally displaced in Myanmar since last year’s coup. More than half of those forced to flee are in the country’s northwest Sagaing region, which has seen some of the fiercest fighting. There were "significant challenges" to delivering humanitarian assistance in the region, UNICEF said.AFP

U.S. and Philippines reinforce their alliance with joint military drills

OCTOBER 08

U.S. and Philippine marines held joint military drills involving more than 3,500 troops in the South China Sea on Friday. It is the first time the exercises were held under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, who has expressed strong support for the alliance, after rocky relations under his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte.AFP

World food prices fall for sixth straight month, says UN

OCTOBER 08

World food prices have fallen for a sixth month in a row in September, UN data showed on Friday, as they continued to decline since a record reached following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Food and Agriculture Organization said its price index averaged 136.3 points in September, a 1.1% drop from August.AP

Iran says Mahsa Amini died of illness rather than ‘blows’

OCTOBER 08

Iran said an investigation into the death of Mahsa Amini found that she lost her life to illness rather than reported beatings that sparked three weeks of bloody protests. The death of Amini, whose Kurdish first name is Jhina, was related to “surgery for a brain tumour at the age of eight,” Iran's forensic body said.AP

Opinion

- Where the stars must not twinkle

- The growth and limitations of Dravidian urbanism

- The atrophy of the neo-Buddhist movement in India

- Slow lane driving

- A synthetic click

Where the stars must not twinkle

Clean skies, high altitude and complete darkness are vital for India’s cutting-edge astronomical observatory in Ladakh’s Hanle village. Jacob Koshy reports on the challenges in having it declared an International Dark Sky Reserve, and the efforts to make residents stakeholders in the process

JACOB KOSHY

OCTOBER 08

A view of theMilky Waygalaxy behindthe Indian Astronomical Observatory(IAO) at Hanlein Ladakh.MOORTHY RV

Srinivasa Ramanujan was ‘discovered’ twice in the 20th century. The first was when English mathematician G.H. Hardy ‘discovered’ the genius mathematician in 1914; and the second was when Indian astronomers in India, led by R. Rajamohan, discovered an asteroid that was later named 4130 Ramanujan. It was the first time in 104 years that asteroids were discovered from India. Their instrument, the 45-cm Schmidt telescope, was housed on the Javadi hills in Kavalur, Tamil Nadu.

This spot is today the Vainu Bappu Observatory and is run by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, and is among India's foremost observatories. It was chosen in the 1960s because it was an impressive 750 metres above sea level, located amid a forest and offered fairly unobstructed vistas of the night sky.

But this wasn’t ideal. Kavalur’s geography put it in the path of both monsoonal clouds, during June-September and the returning, or northeast, monsoon in November, forcing the observatory to often shut down for months. Rainclouds absorb starlight and radiation from cosmic objects, preventing them from being caught on the telescopes of cameras. So IIA scientists began their search in the early 1980s for a place least affected by the monsoon.

To be able to detect stars or traces of cosmic phenomena, such as supernovae or nebulae from light years away, astronomers must be able to catch the faintest slivers of their radiation that often lie outside the range of visible light. Such radiation is, however, easily absorbed by water vapour and so it helps to have a telescope high above ground where the atmosphere is drier. “A dry, high-altitude desert is in many ways the ideal location,” says Annapurni Subramaniam, Director of the IIA. “Such terrain is difficult and quite inaccessible. We commissioned several expeditions and teams to different parts of the Himalayas and finally Hanle, Ladakh was chosen.”

In the high ranges of Ladakh

A largely smooth double-lane highway from Leh, the capital of Ladakh, to Hanle cuts through a valley scooped out of the mountains of the Ladakh range and the teal-coloured Indus. Army units and border check-posts punctuate the landscape that opens out into the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary, where you can spot the occasional herd of the Tibetan wild ass and swarms of leaf warblers. As the road ascends, a smattering of hamlets, surrounded by pasture land, comes into view with herds of Changthangi sheep, the source of pashmina wool.

Situated at 14,000 ft above sea level and a little over 250 km southeast of Leh, Hanle is a village of about 320 houses and a population of about 1,500, according to Paljor Therchin, the sarpanch of Hanle.

Against the backdrop of a blue sky flecked with cottony clouds, two huge metallic capsules — one higher than the other — incongruously rise out of the hills. Next to them, satellite dishes, like ushers, point to the sky. From here, a tarred road spirals down about 900 ft to flat land where makeshift cabins and a small building serve as ancillaries to a giant, parabolic dish that is a complex of a thousand mirrors bathed white in sunlight, resting on criss-crossing steel frames of red and blue. Men, some perched, some dangling on the beams, weave out of the meshes of this honeycomb structure.

Facing this are what look like seven concrete cannons, one in the centre and six surrounding it. Each has seven mirrors that together resemble a robot-contingent of photographers training their apertures at some uncertain blink-and-you-will-miss cosmic event.

This entire set-up, laid out on the mountain called Digpa-Ratsa Ri, aka Mt Saraswati, comprises the Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO). The multicoloured dish is the Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiment Telescope (MACE) built by a consortium of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, the Electronics Corporation of India Ltd. and the IIA. The dish, with a diameter of 21 m, is the second largest of its kind in the world and the only one at such an elevation. Its goal is to detect Cherenkov radiation from space.

This is a special kind of light from gamma rays, or the most energetic sources of radiation, that can result from dying stars or several galactic events. The seven-telescope contingent, called HAGAR (High Altitude Gamma Ray), also looks at Cherenkov radiation, although at a lower range of energies. The metallic capsule, the highest of the observatories, is the Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT), the oldest and active since 2000. An optical-infrared telescope with a 2-metre lens is designed to detect light from the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum as well as that just below it, or the infra-red spectrum. The second capsule, situated slightly lower than the HCT, is the GROWTH-India telescope, a 70-cm telescope made by IIA and the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai that is equipped to track cosmic events that unfurl over time, such as afterglows of a gamma ray burst or tracking the path of asteroids. Because of the wide span of frequencies covered collectively, the IAO provides multiple vantage points to observe a range of cosmic phenomena and investigate the mysteries of the universe. Telescopes with small diameters generally can track a greater swath of sky but those with larger diameters can peer deeper when trained towards desired locations.

The flip-side of Hanle’s seclusion, making it ideal for astronomy, is the weather and climate. The altitude means that atmospheric oxygen is low, making one prone to mountain sickness.

Among the recommended paraphernalia on a trip to Hanle are cans of oxygen cylinders. The desiccated air that helps the telescope catch ephemeral interstellar light translates to sub-zero winters for at least six months of the year. The summer months from April to September have cold, windy nights, and with no access to the electric grid, the eager stargazer must brave runny noses and chills.

The IAO telescopes, however, can be controlled remotely via a satellite link. Whatever the weather, astronomers at the IIA’s Centre for Research and Education in Science and Technology (CREST), about 35 km from Bengaluru, can manoeuvre the HCT to face their desired spot of sky. The other instruments too are equipped to be remotely controlled. While the HCT is manned 24/7, those on site are required only for maintenance and not for using the telescopes. Researchers who want a shot at using the instruments must apply, in fact compete, for observation time made available in quarterly slots; the applications are scrutinised by scientific committees.

“The available time is over-subscribed three times. Every astronomer, even when they have their own telescopes, applies to use these because of the quality of sky and the large number of viewable nights that the telescopes offer. It is their bread and butter,” says Subramaniam.

In recent years, these telescopes have helped gain a better understanding of a system of Earth-sized planets orbiting the TRAPPIST-1 star, about 40 light years away from Earth, as well as gravitational waves that resulted from the collision of neutron stars from a billion years ago, she adds.

The play of light and dark

While these sophisticated instruments and their images are manipulated by scientists, all that novice visitors have to do to realise they are in a special place is look up at the night sky. At least 300 nights a year, the clouds would have been swept away, and the vista looks as if some invisible, giant being had kicked up a sandstorm of stars. Contrary to the thumb rule that ‘the lights that twinkle are stars, those that don’t are planets’, the sky is studded with unblinking lights.

Twinkling stars imply starlight is being bounced around by atmospheric gases, dust and water vapour, and therefore obscuring to us on land its origins. At Hanle, the thinner air and the elevation means starlight is relatively unimpeded until it descends into the lower, more polluted stretches below.

“You don’t need your phone’s flashlight to navigate here. Close your eyes, clear out the artificial light, absorb the darkness, and open them. You’ll see everything,” says Dorje Angchuk. As chief engineer at IIA, Angchuk, a native of Leh and the person in-charge of the HCT systems, has made countless trips to Hanle in the last quarter century and been closely involved in the installation of IAO telescopes.

In the last couple of years, he has curated an avidly-followed Twitter stream of night-sky photographs of Hanle. Over the last several months, particularly since Ladakh was marked out as a distinct Union Territory from Jammu and Kashmir, he has been in the thick of a project that will shape the future of Hanle.

Dark Sky Reserve

“Light is the enemy,” says Pawan Kotwal, Principal Secretary in the Ladakh Administration, referring to the phenomenon of light pollution in which artificial light from cities and home electrification have obscured the natural night sky. Recent studies show that clouds, the biggest reflectors of sunlight, scatter artificial light from ground-based sources, amplifying light pollution.

For astronomy, a discipline that hinges on the wisps of light, artificial sources of light are contaminants. Thubstan Rinchen, the officer in charge of MACE, said in an IIA-commissioned documentary that light from, say, the high beam of a vehicle at night would flood the sensors of the telescope. Separating this light from that collected as part of experiments is a cumbersome process and results in loss of scientific data.

Hanle, as it currently stands, is largely shrouded in darkness. Disconnected from the electric grid, solar panels and a diesel generator are the only sources of electricity. Hanle only gets electricity from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. The freezing months, says Padma Lazo, who runs a homestay here, can see temperatures dip to minus 40°C, though cookstoves and dung provide heat. “We don’t need electricity all the time but better jobs and schools for our children would be welcome.”

Ladakh’s recent Union Territory status, a government eager to expand economic opportunities via tourism and the Indian Army expanding its infrastructure development, lighting to bolster its defence at the India-China border which is not far away — all these are challenges in keeping light from seeping into Hanle.

To strike a balance, the Ladakh government along with the IIA and India’s Scientific Ministries is laying the groundwork to have Hanle declared as an International Dark Sky Reserve by the International Dark-Sky Association. Since 1988, the U.S.-based non-profit has been advocating the cause of minimising light pollution and certifies places where night skies are least polluted as International Dark Sky Reserves or sanctuaries.

“The average tourist visits for high roads, exotic landscape, and the Pangong Lake. Hanle is already in a wildlife sanctuary and developing it as such a reserve would encourage a newer kind of tourism, or astro-tourism,” says Kotwal. “The most important condition, however, is that it must have the support of the local community.”

In the weeks ahead, amateur and professional astronomers have been roped in by the IIA and the local government to give talks on constellations to villagers. As many as 18 telescopes will be set up in village clusters, and homestay owners trained in elementary astronomy to guide astro-tourists. Villagers will also be given dark curtains to minimise outgoing light from residences. The roads will be installed with light delineators.

Having been promised electrification in two years and funds from the government to improve their homes to homestays, residents of the village say they would be happy to comply with light restrictions. “That’s not a problem for us. However, more than residential lights, it’s the light from Army bases that are actually stronger. That should be managed too,” says Therchin, who is also a religious head at a nearby monastery.

Kotwal and Angchuk say Commanding Officers of the units have “readily agreed to comply”.

“We have a long-standing relationship with the community and they were involved in construction of the existing facilities,” says Subramaniam.

Hanle is already in a wildlife sanctuary and developing it as such a reserve would encourage a newer kind of tourism, or astro-tourism

Pawan Kotwal

Principal Secretary, Ladakh Administration

We commissioned several expeditions and teams to different parts of the Himalayas and finally Hanle, Ladakh was chosen

Annapurni Subramaniam

Director, IIA

The growth and limitations of Dravidian urbanism

Dravidian leaders have perhaps over-emphasised urbanisation as an ideal outcome, while not yet paying sufficient attention to urban processes themselves

KALAIYARASAN A.PRITI NARAYAN

OCTOBER 08

Accounts of Dravidian mobilisation in Tamil Nadu have focused largely on their achievement of economic growth and welfare outcomes. Less recognised is the centrality of urbanisation in distributing the benefits of growth and development relatively more inclusively. T.N.’s urban trajectory has been distinct from most other parts of India on two accounts. One, T.N. has continuously attempted the breakdown of traditional caste-based hierarchies to enable the upward mobility of ordinary people, transforming them into agents of urban transformation. Two, urbanisation in T.N. is more broad-based, being driven by multiple urban centres rather than a few metropolitan cities, as in the case of Maharashtra or Gujarat.

Over the last 70 years, Dravidian parties have capitalised on historical conditions to adopt what appears to be a multi-pronged strategy to transform ordinary people into agents of urban transformation. This includes the provision of physical and social infrastructure to speed up urbanisation; redistributive policies such as affirmative action, particularly in education; and the diffusion of a productivist ethos. These measures are at least partly responsible for the fact that 48.4% of T.N.’s population lives in urban areas compared to the all-India average of 34% (2011 Census). Seven out of eight households rely on the non-farm sector. T.N.’s urban character does not rely on a couple of big metropolitan cities as is the case in Maharashtra or Gujarat; there are multiple urban centres undergirded by a network of small towns and a strong rural-urban linkage. It is important to understand how this was enabled.

Historical conditions, Dravidian policy

As an important colonial city, Madras possessed some industrial strength and physical infrastructure. Later, during K. Kamaraj’s regime, T.N. benefited significantly from efforts to build infrastructure for industrial clusters and mass education. The DMK, which came to power in 1967, further expanded the industrial base of T.N.

Agricultural modernisation was spurred by access to irrigation and motorised electrical technology, among other things. Different parts of the State have historically specialised in particular strategic forms of irrigation such as canals and wells. This has led to diversified cropping patterns with distinct crop specialisations emerging in different regions. This made possible the emergence of ‘agro-towns’ linked to a crop, for processing, marketing, and selling — or entrepreneurship from below.

The interventions of Dravidian parties through physical and social infrastructure further facilitated this transition, while the absence of a dominant trading community — a Vaishya vacuum — allowed for entrepreneurship from lower castes and a ‘democratisation of capital’. Investments in infrastructure enabled even artisans to enter industry. Anthropologist Yann Philippe Tastevin shows that carpenters and blacksmiths have become ‘self-made engineers’, setting up several makeshift repair shops of transport services which have morphed into a truck body-building industry, and further into mobile drilling rig assembly. This has changed the industrial landscapes of Namakkal and Salem districts, illustrating how urbanisation in T.N. has evolved from small towns with each region having a specific industrial cluster. The State has among the highest proportion of Dalit and Backward Caste entrepreneurs, many of them from small towns.

Dravidian discourse saw the village as the site of oppression and the urban as liberating, as opposed to M.K. Gandhi’s vision of village reconstruction. Dravidian mobilisation worked on two planks. The first was the diffusion of a productivist ethos that broke down existing social hierarchies and helped imagine new social relations. The second was public investments in infrastructure which allowed the entry of diverse actors into the domain of capital accumulation.

The development of amenities — transport connectivity, access to electricity and medical and educational facilities — has been relatively impressive and widely spread across T.N. Some significant illustrations include the increase in the percentage of minor roads from 47% in 1961 to 80% in 1991. Thanks to policy interventions to build broad-based road transport infrastructure, including a network of minibuses, T.N. has linked rural and urban areas and expanded the scope for non-farm livelihood options for rural households. Similarly, connecting villages to towns helped people access employment outside, loosening caste ties to an extent.

While the postcolonial Indian state relied on planning apparatuses to spur development, it couldn’t alter the pathways of outcomes. The Congress in T.N. worked with inherited colonial and elite-controlled bureaucratic structures and procedures. After the DMK came to power, policy agendas began to be driven by what were thought to be the needs and demands of the people. Over the next few decades, there was increased recruitment from backward and Dalit castes, and from small towns and rural areas, in government services. This increased the administration’s responsiveness to the needs and aspirations of the marginalised. The conservative financial management of the State was overhauled to accommodate welfare distribution by the State.

While this urban transformation was in line with the Dravidian vision of moving the subaltern out of caste-bound occupations, those unable to make the transition had to be provided with a degree of social protection. The State was indeed a pioneer in the creation of a vibrant public distribution system and welfare boards which provide informal workers a host of protections.

The road forward

Liberalisation provided a shot in the arm to existing manufacturing industries, such as textile and leather, and also spurred service industries such as IT. All of this led to further urbanisation. The gains that had been made over decades in the growth of technical education, reservations for middle and lower castes in higher education and public health, to name a few, paved the way for more people to benefit from liberalisation in economic, social and geographical terms.

However, poverty has now been urbanised, with new, precarious jobs created largely in the informal sector. This indicates that the rate of dispossession from traditional and farm-based occupations has been higher than that of creation of decent jobs in urban areas, pointing to the urgency in the need for urban employment guarantees. While caste hierarchies have weakened to an extent, caste segregation continues, including in urban T.N. The DMK regime has come under rightful criticism for allowing eviction of the urban poor from Chennai, while simultaneously touting the successes of the Dravidian model.

Dravidian leaders have perhaps over-emphasised urbanisation as an ideal outcome, while not paying sufficient attention to urban processes themselves. The absence of adequate participatory governance, such as in the form of the implementation of the 74th Amendment, has only increased dependence on the bureaucracy and political actors, rather than empowering people. Dravidian urbanisation now has to contend with these structural problems, as well as rampant rent seeking, especially in natural resources, to repair the chinks in the face of T.N.’s relatively better development outcomes.

Dravidian leaders have perhaps over-emphasised

urbanisation as an ideal outcome, while not yet paying sufficient attention to urban processes themselves

The atrophy of the neo-Buddhist movement in India

Revisiting the ideals of Ambedkar’s neo-Buddhist movement can be helpful in building fierce ideological challenges to Hindutva’s understanding of history and culture

HARISH S. WANKHEDE

E

very year in October, thousands of people assemble at Nagpur’s Deekshabhoomi to pay homage to B.R. Ambedkar and remember the historic day of October 14, 1956, when he and half a million of his followers embraced Buddhism. Ambedkar chose Buddhism after examining various religions to understand the suitability of each to liberate socially marginalised communities from the exploitative caste order. He found that Buddhism is rooted in India’s civilization, supplements modern ethical values and is averse to social hierarchies and patriarchal domination. Neo-Buddhism was proposed as a mass movement that would elevate former ‘Untouchables’ and help them achieve self-respect. He hoped that Buddhist principles would mobilise them into a robust community to battle the ruling Brahmanical elites.

Struggles of neo-Buddhism

Neo-Buddhism emerged as a maverick phenomenon that offered strong psychological solace to the struggling Dalit masses. However, Ambedkar’s grand hopes remain unfulfilled. Today, the Buddhist population in India is one of the smallest minorities, its ideological challenge against the Hindu social order has not been taken seriously, and even within the Dalit community, conversion to Buddhism is not perceived as a suitable path to achieve social emancipation. Instead, it is the BJP that often fashions itself as the new torchbearer of Buddhist identity.

A large majority (close to 80%) of Indian Buddhists resides in Maharashtra. The neo-Buddhists have established social and educational institutions, initiated cultural movements, and organised popular public festivals to make Buddhism a visible force in Maharashtra’s public sphere. However, it is mainly the Mahar caste and recently, smaller sections within the Matang and the Maratha castes which have identified themselves as neo-Buddhists. Other socially marginalised groups are still defined by Hindu caste nomenclatures and traditional occupations.

The Dalit sociopolitical movements in States including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have also not promoted conversion to Buddhism. In U.P., during the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)’s regime, cultural symbols related to Buddhism, such as the Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal and Green Garden, were erected in public spaces, but there was still hesitation in suggesting religious conversion as an alternative to fight the battle for social justice. Even in States where the Scheduled Caste population is relatively high, such as in Punjab, West Bengal and Odisha, Dalits have shown restraint in adopting Buddhism to challenge their social location.

Importantly, India’s neighbouring Buddhist countries also have not identified neo-Buddhists as significant partners in their theological engagements. Several Buddhist countries have built their own pagodas and temples in Bodh Gaya and are more concerned with adding new sites in India’s Buddhist Circuit. Certain individuals and Buddhist associations from Japan, Thailand and the U.K. have established some close links with the neo-Buddhists of Maharashtra, but this is small support.

Appropriation by the right wing

Interestingly, it is the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre that has often presented itself as the promoter of Buddhist cultural heritage at the national and international levels. In overseas diplomatic gatherings, Mr. Modi has frequently invoked India’s ancient Buddhist identity, especially in China, Nepal, Myanmar and Japan. Mr. Modi has made a conscious effort to emphasise shared Buddhist heritage with these countries. He also visited Deekshabhoomi in 2017, paid rich tributes to Ambedkar and announced multiple developmental projects. It is his government that proposed a Buddhist Circuit.

Theoretically, the neo-Buddhist movement is seen as an ideological and intellectual challenge to the dominant social and political ideas of the ruling elites. Interestingly, within the Hindutva discourse, Buddhism has been appropriated as an integral part of greater ‘Indic Civilization’ and the Buddhist conversion movement has not been seen as antithetical to the Hindu cultural pantheon. Further, Hindutva forces, using assertive cultural strategies, overtly appropriate crucial Dalit-Bahujan icons and underplay the fierce ideological antagonism that the early Dalit movement had against the Hindu social order.

When right-wing forces are asserting their Hindu identity to build a monolithic majoritarian community, a popular deliberation on Ambedkar’s logic of conversion to Buddhism would have helped the Opposition, including the popular Dalit political class, to challenge such hegemonic appropriation. Independent cultural and religious strategies are crucial in building a challenge to the dominant narrative of Hindutva.

However, the current Opposition lacks effective cultural strategies to challenge right-wing assertion. Instead, it still uses the same old formal electoral strategies, as we are seeing in Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s current Bharat Jodo Yatra. In this context, revisiting the ideals of Ambedkar’s neo-Buddhist movement can be helpful in building fierce ideological challenges to Hindutva’s understanding of history and culture.

Revisiting the ideals of Ambedkar’s neo-Buddhist movement can be helpful in building fierce ideological challenges to Hindutva’s understanding of history and culture

Slow lane driving

The World Bank has warned India’s uneven recovery could soon falter

OCTOBER 08

At the onset of 2022-23, the Indian economy was expected to grow anywhere between 7.2%, as per Reserve Bank of India projections, and 8.2%, as per the International Monetary Fund forecast, with major rating agencies and financial institutions pegging their projections in the middle. Having bounced back 8.7% last year from a COVID-triggered nadir, the moderation in economic growth was not a big deal even as the ripple effects of the war in Europe had begun and inflation had been high since January. By early September, the range of most forecasts shifted to 6.7%-7.7%. The RBI, Asian Development Bank, and Fitch Ratings have lowered their estimate to 7%. S&P Global Ratings retained its forecast at 7.3% and Moody’s Investors Service pared it to 7.6%, but both believe the emerging global slowdown will not derail the post-COVID recovery. The outlook is not so benign any more, the World Bank has suggested, based on inputs as recent as the last week of September. From its initial expectation of 8% growth this year, which it cut to 7.5% in June, the Bank has laid out a gloomier outlook with growth of just 6.5%, citing the worsening external environment.

After the 13.5% expansion in the April-June quarter, high-frequency economic indicators point to a healthy uptick through August. But growth appears to have stumbled a bit in September with goods exports contracting for the first time since February 2021 and imports growth also slowing sharply, signalling lower domestic demand. The Bank’s latest forecast suggests a relative slowdown starting in the October-December quarter, with tighter global liquidity, higher inflation (oil prices are surging again after the OPEC meet) and rising interest rates denting domestic demand. At the same time, the demand for exports will shrink further and private investment will likely prefer to sit out this period of heightened uncertainty. Private consumption, in particular, will be affected this year and next, the Bank has reckoned, especially as the pandemic’s scars on income and employment levels persist for rural and low-income households. As many as 56 million Indians may have slipped below the poverty line in 2020, it estimated. The government has been gung-ho about “entering an era of robust growth”, but its decision to extend the pandemic-driven free foodgrains programme suggests it realises that not all actors of the economy have managed to get out of the woods yet. This realism should be reflected in other policy choices it makes too, tempering optimism with caution.

A synthetic click

The chemistry awards show that it pays to rethink the fundamentals

OCTOBER 08

The Nobel Prize for Chemistry has been awarded to Carolyn Bertozzi, Morten Meldal and Barry Sharpless, the last of whom features in a group of only five to have won the Prize twice. The three chemists have been awarded for pioneering ‘click chemistry’ or getting molecules that wouldn’t normally bond together to do so in an efficient and uncomplicated manner. The ‘click’ comes from an analogy Sharpless drew of molecules snapping together, like airline seatbelts fitting into their buckles. Historically, chemistry has sought to imitate nature. From medicine to fertilizer, the chemist has sought to make synthetic products that mimic natural molecules. The artificial synthesis of indigo, instead of extraction from plants, had disastrous consequences for colonial India’s economy. On the other hand, several molecules have been synthesised in ingenious ways to create drugs and medicines to kill bacteria and relieve pain. The flip side is that these processes are likely laborious, can create unwanted by-products, many toxic. Often, the number of intermediary steps is so great and complicated that the desired result is usually too expensive to be useful.

Sharpless began the conversation, almost immediately after winning his first Nobel Prize, of creating molecular building blocks — like Lego blocks — that could snap together quickly and efficiently. The first breakthrough came when Meldal and Sharpless, independently of each other, discovered what has become the foundational stone of click chemistry, namely the copper catalysed azide-alkyne cycloaddition. Two kinds of chemicals — azides and alkynes — react very efficiently when copper ions are added, Meldal discovered in his Copenhagen laboratory, and form a very stable structure called a triazole. Previous attempts to join azides and alkynes were cumbersome, but the trick this time was copper. From then on, if chemists wanted to link two different molecules, all that was required was to introduce an azide in one molecule and an alkyne in the other. They then snapped the molecules together with the help of some copper ions. This has now become an industry standard. However, Bertozzi took click chemistry to a new dimension and showed that it could be used in living organisms. Copper is toxic to living cells, but she figured out a way to produce a copper-free click reaction, called the strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition, and showed it could be used to treat tumours. The awards demonstrate that it pays to rethink the fundamentals of a field and persevere at it for long enough to spark a revolution.

Business

- Government kicks off IDBI Bank disinvestment process

- Expensive handsets, high tariffs may delay adoption of 5G services

- Car firms propose tax cut on imports under U.K. trade deal

- Hero MotoCorp unveils e-scooter VIDA V1 at Rs. 1.45 lakh

- Adani Group likely to invest Rs. 65,000-crore in Rajasthan

- India’s forex reserves slide to more than two-year low

- RBI to start e-rupee pilot for specific use cases

- Rupee sinks to new low of 82.32 as dollar rules strong versus peers, stocks slide

- M&M unveils XUV300 Turbosport at Rs. 10.35 lakh

- India slaps $244-mn notice on French spirits maker Pernod

- Government notifies credit guarantee plan for start-ups

Government kicks off IDBI Bank disinvestment process

Centre will sell 30.48% holding in the lender, while current promoter LIC will offload 30.24% stake; interested investors will have to submit expressions of interest by December 16 this year

THE HINDU BUREAU

NEW DELHI

Base floor:A minimum net worth of Rs. 22,500 crore has been set for firms looking to bid individually or via a consortium.G. RamakrishnaG. Ramakrishna

The government on Friday kicked off the process for the strategic disinvestment of IDBI Bank along with the transfer of management control, by issuing a preliminary information memorandum to invite expressions of interest from prospective buyers.

The Government of India will sell 30.48% of its stake in the bank, and Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) shall sell 30.24%, aggregating to 60.72% of IDBI Bank’s share capital, along with transfer of management control in the lender. LIC, the bank’s current promoter, holds 49.24% stake, while the government’s stake comes to 45.48%. Public shareholders hold 5.28%. Strategic investors interested in taking over the bank have been given time till October 28 to submit any queries they have on the memorandum and submit expressions of interest by December 16.

Only qualified bidders will be given the RFP (Request for Proposal) document in the second stage of the transaction. A minimum net worth of Rs. 22,500 crore has been set for firms looking to bid individually or via a consortium, which can include a maximum of four entities with a lead member holding at least 40% stake.

Expensive handsets, high tariffs may delay adoption of 5G services

With total 5G smartphone penetration in the country having reached only about 50 million shipments, analysts do not expect a mass switching. Lack of 5G smartphones under Rs. 20,000 category and

YUTHIKA BHARGAVA

NEW DELHI

Up to 10 times faster Internet speeds, download of 8K movies in seconds and console quality gaming experience on smartphones — these are just some of many benefits that 5G networks will bring to users. However, lack of affordable devices and high tariffs may drag down the pace of adoption of these services.

Even though 5G services were unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi just last week, the first 5G smartphone was unveiled in the country in 2020. Since then, 5G smartphone penetration has reached only about 50 million shipments of the total smartphone base of 550 million units.

While these 5G-enabled users will not need to switch devices to experience 5G services once the network goes live, analysts said they expected only premium phone users to switch to 5G initially.

‘Affordable devices’

India’s 5G years “will be marked with the introduction of mass volumes in Rs. 10,000-20,000,” according to a report by Techarc. However, for now, buyers will have to spend more as the average selling prices have already gone up by 15-25% after the introduction of 5G devices.

For the smartphone industry that has seen its user base plateau over the past three years 5G may come as a ‘saviour’, but users may need to wait 2-3 years for convincing use cases.

Prachir Singh, senior research analyst at Counterpoint Research, said Indian consumers want a 5G device but whether they will shift to 5G plans will depend on tariffs.

“In China also, a lot of people have 5G devices but only a fraction of those users are availing of 5G services,” he noted.

Car firms propose tax cut on imports under U.K. trade deal

Carmakers propose tax cuts to 30% over a decade: sources

REUTERS

NEW DELHI

Indian carmakers have proposed cutting to 30% the tax rate on imported cars as part of a trade deal with Britain, sources told Reuters, an unprecedented move that could ease access to one of the world’s most protected automobile markets.

It is the first time Indian carmakers have backed such cuts, caving in to pressure from a government that wants them to give up their protectionist position and lower entry barriers, sources said.

Import taxes from 60% to 100% in the world’s fourth-largest car market rank among the highest globally, drawing criticism from firms such as Tesla Inc., which shelved entry plans because of the high tariffs.

Lobby group the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers has written to the government, backing phased cuts to 30% over five years, following a grace period of five years with none, three sources said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

It was not immediately clear if India had presented the offer to Britain in trade talks due to end soon, with the signing of a final deal expected by the end of the month.

Hero MotoCorp unveils e-scooter VIDA V1 at Rs. 1.45 lakh

The electric scooter would be produced at the company’s Chittoor-based plant in Andhra Pradesh and compete with the likes of Bajaj Chetak, TVS iQube, Ather Energy, Hero Electric and Ola Electric among others

PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

JAIPUR

The country’s largest two wheeler maker Hero MotoCorp on Friday forayed into the electric vehicle segment with the introduction of its first electric scooter VIDA V1 priced at Rs. 1.45 lakh (ex-showroom).

The company has introduced two trims of the scooter — VIDA V1 Plus and VIDA V1 Pro - tagged at Rs. 1.45 lakh and Rs. 1.59 lakh, respectively.

The VIDA V1 Plus comes with a range of 143 kilometres, while the VIDA V1 Pro comes with an enhanced range of 165 kms on a single charge.

The company would commence sales of the electric scooter in Bengaluru, Delhi and Jaipur before scaling up to the new locations. Bookings would start on October 10 while deliveries would commence from the second week of December.

Speaking to reporters, Chairman and CEO Pawan Munjal said the firm would add new locations gradually while utilising its existing strength in terms of strong sales infrastructure.

Adani Group likely to invest Rs. 65,000-crore in Rajasthan

Group to set up 10,000 MW solar power capacity, expand cement plant and upgrade Jaipur airport

PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

JAIPUR

Richest Asian Gautam Adani on Friday announced a Rs. 65,000-crore investment in Rajasthan over the next 5 to 7 years in setting up a mega 10,000 MW solar power capacity, expanding cement plant and upgrading Jaipur airport.

The investment by ports-to-energy conglomerate that Mr. Adani heads, also spans city gas infrastructure for retailing CNG to automobiles and piped gas to households and industries as well as laying transmission lines to carry renewable power.

Speaking at the Invest Rajasthan 2022 Summit here, he said the Group is investing Rs. 50,000 crore to add 10,000 megawatts of renewable power capacity.

India’s forex reserves slide to more than two-year low

India's reserves declined for a ninth consecutive week

REUTERS

MUMBAI

India’s foreign exchange reserves fell to $532.66 billion in the week through September 30, their lowest level since July 2020, the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) weekly statistical supplement showed on Friday.

The country’s reserves declined for the ninth consecutive week. They were $537.52 billion at the end of the previous week ended September 23.

RBI to start e-rupee pilot for specific use cases

‘The aim is to build an open, inclusive, interoperable and innovative CBDC system which will meet the aspirations of the modern digital economy of India’

PRESS TRUST OF I

MUMBAI

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday said it will soon commence the pilot introduction of e-rupee for specific use cases with a view to bolstering India’s digital economy, making payment systems more efficient, and checking money laundering.

In a concept note on Central Bank Digital Currency, the RBI said CBDC is aimed to complement, rather than replace, current forms of money and is envisaged to provide an additional payment avenue to users, not to replace the existing payment systems.

“Supported by state-of-the-art payment systems, the Digital Rupee system will further bolster digital economy,” the RBI said.

Rupee sinks to new low of 82.32 as dollar rules strong versus peers, stocks slide

The dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, declined 0.19% to 112.04

PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

MUMBAI

The rupee depreciated 15 paise to close at an all-time low of 82.32 against the dollar on Friday as a firm greenback and risk-averse sentiment among investors weighed on the local unit.

Moreover, a negative trend in domestic equities and elevated crude oil prices sapped investor appetite, forex traders said.

On Thursday, the Indian currency for the first time closed below the 82 level, plunging 55 paise to a record low of 82.17.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, declined 0.19% to 112.04.

Oil firms

Global oil benchmark Brent crude futures surged 0.82% to $95.19 per barrel after oil cartel OPEC decided to cut production in view of weakening global demand.

In the domestic equity market, the 30-share S&P BSE Sensex dropped 30.81 points, or 0.05%, to end at 58,191.29, while the broader NSE Nifty index fell 17.15 points, or 0.1%, to 17,314.65.

Foreign institutional investors were net buyers in the capital market on Thursday as they purchased shares worth Rs. 279.01 crore, as per provisional exchange data.

M&M unveils XUV300 Turbosport at Rs. 10.35 lakh

THE HINDU BUREAU

OCTOBER 08

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M) has announced the unveiling of its XUV300 Turbosport series – the first Mahindra sport utility vehicle (SUV) to be powered by an all-new 1.2 L mStallion TGDi engine – at Rs. 10.35 lakh (ex-showroom). With this offering, the XUV300 will be now available with three powertrains – the existing diesel and petrol Turbo series and the new TurboSport series.

India slaps $244-mn notice on French spirits maker Pernod

French spirits giant embroiled in tax tussle in India

REUTERS

OCTOBER 08

Indian authorities have demanded $244 million from the local unit of French spirits giant Pernod Ricard for undervaluing concentrate imports for more than a decade to avoid full payment of duties, a government notice seen by Reuters shows.

The demand is the latest setback for Pernod in India, a key growth market where it has long been lobbying Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his tax officials to settle disputes related to valuation of liquor imports.Reuters

Government notifies credit guarantee plan for start-ups

‘Maximum guarantee cover per borrower shall not exceed Rs. 10 crore’

CUE API

OCTOBER 08

The government has notified the credit guarantee scheme for start-ups to provide them collateral-free loans up to a specified limit.

In a notification, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) said that loan/debt facilities sanctioned to an eligible borrower on or after October 6, would be eligible for coverage under the scheme. “Maximum guarantee cover per borrower shall not exceed Rs. 10 crore,” the DPIIT said.pti

Sport

- Simranjit Kaur, Shiva Thapa cruise into the quarterfinals

- Nida’s all-round performance fashions Pakistan’s remarkable win over India

- The buzz is back around Bengaluru FC as it takes on NorthEast United

- Hashika claims her sixth gold; Sajan takes his yellow metal tally to five

- Ravishing Form wins feature

- Ivan’s night out as Kerala’s Blasters have a party

- Madras HC paves way for team picked by VFI to represent TN in 2022 National Games

- Giannis Antetokounmpo keen to play pre-season games in India

- MRF Formula 2000 makes a return after a two-season break

- Priceless Ruler has edge in Mount Everest Handicap

- Parth, Kashish emerge champions in TPL talent hunt

- Rashmi is third time World Champion

- Purav and Divij make the doubles finals in France

- Nehru hockey: NCC takes on Mizoram school in semifinals

- ‘We fell short of finding two big hits’

- Warner, Starc star in Australia’s T20 sweep against the Windies

- Punjab women storm into hockey semifinals

- Technical tweak does the trick for Vivaan

- Abhinav and Karandeep share the top spot

- Russell and Hamilton make it a Mercedes 1-2 in second practice

- Arsenal in cruise control while United huffs and puffs

- MEG & Center pips Friends United

- Santosh Trophy knockout in Saudi Arabia in February

- Naveen powers Dabang Delhi past U Mumba; Bulls beat Titans

- Iran’s Azmoun faces World Cup injury heartbreak

- Pakistan beats Bangladesh in tri-series opener

- Mitchell ruled out of T20 Tri-Series with fractured hand

- Lionel Messi says Qatar World Cup will be his last

- TNCA lower division scores

- Diya puts it across Aleena

Simranjit Kaur, Shiva Thapa cruise into the quarterfinals

The former breached Rinky’s defence to land some clean headshotsbefore delivering good combinations while the latter used his experience to tackle Aniket’s raw aggression

Y.B. SARANGI

GANDHINAGAR

Easy time in the ring:Assam’s Thapa, left, put up a commanding performance against Aniket of Gujarat.V.V. KrishnanKRISHNAN VV

Olympians Simranjit Kaur and Shiva Thapa gave commanding performances to cruise into the quarterfinals at the boxing arena of the National Games in Gandhinagar on Friday.

While Simranjit got the better of a gritty Rinky Sharma 5-0 in a 60kg first-round bout, Shiva trounced home state’s Aniket Pandey 5-0 in a men’s 67kg clash.

Intense attacks

A 2018 World championships bronze medallist, Simranjit breached her rival’s defence to land some clean headshots in the first round before delivering good combinations on the counter in the second. She attacked with more intensity in the third to record a convincing victory.

Shiva used his experience to tackle Aniket’s raw aggression. The former World championships bronze medallist and a five-time Asian medallist maintained a safe distance against the taller home boxer and used his well-directed counterattacks.

“It’s a perfect platform to assess talent. Many boxers have come up from 63.5kg and many from higher weights have come down, so the competition level has gone up,” said Shiva.

Worlds medallist Saweety Boora (75kg) and World youth champion Sachin Siwach Jr. (57kg) also made it to the last-eight.

Important results (preliminary round):

Men: 51kg: Karan Rupini (Tri) bt Suraj Soy (Jha) 4-1, Avinash Chandel (HP) bt Ruchir Srivas (MP) 3-2; Ramakrishnan Bala (TN) bt Aman Kumar (Bih) 5-0.

57kg: S. Sahil (Cht) bt Jobison Yengkokpam (Man) 5-0; Sachin Siwach Jr. (Har) bt Amir Tajo (Aru) RSC-R3.

60kg: Vijay Kumar (Pun) bt Krian B.K. (Kar) 5-0; Muhammad Etash Khan (SSCB) bt Harivansh Tiwari (Mah) 5-0.

67kg: Shiva Thapa (Asm) bt Aniket Pandey (Guj) 5-0.

Women: 52kg: Manju Basumatary (Asm) bt Hetal Sundarji Dama (Guj) 3-2, Anjali Sharma (MP) bt G. Ramya (AP) 5-0.

60kg: Simranjit Kaur (Pun) bt Rinky Sharma (UP) 5-0.

75kg: Saweety Boora (Har) bt Chirangi Chouhan (Raj) 5-0; Shalakha Singh (Del) bt D. Priya (TN) 5-0.

Nida’s all-round performance fashions Pakistan’s remarkable win over India

First loss in six years to archrivals a result of Indian batters throwing away their wickets;Richa Ghosh’s valiant pinch-hitting at the fag end to no avail as target remains tantalising out of reach; skipper Bismah Maroof also chips in to script Pakistan’s turnaround after shock loss to Thailand

PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

SYLHET

Tale of woe:The Indian batters contributed to their own downfall, giving the Pakistanis reasonto celebrate.PTI

The Indian batters bungled badly in a straightforward chase as Pakistan recorded its first win over India in six years with a 13-run victory in the Women’s Asia Cup here on Friday.

India, the most formidable team in Asia by some distance, batted poorly to be all out for 124 in 19.4 overs after Pakistan posted a modest 137 for six.

Pakistan scripted a remarkable turnaround less than 24 hours after a shock loss to Thailand.

All sorts of trouble

At 65 for five, India was in all sorts of trouble with most of the batters, including star player Smriti Mandhana (17, 19b), throwing their wickets away.

Going into the game, India had a 10-2 record over Pakistan, whose previous win had come way back in the 2016 T20 World Cup in New Delhi.

With India needing 61 off the last six overs, Pakistan was favourite to pull off victory.

But, Richa Ghosh (26, 13b), who had be taken off the field during Pakistan’s innings after suffering a heat stroke, brought India back into the game with three sixes against the spinners before being caught in the deep in the 19th over.

Her dismissal effectively ended India’s hopes.

Earlier, Pakistan, shocked by Thailand on Thursday, put up an improved batting performance, but it still seemed below par.

Nida Dar (56 not out, 37b) and skipper Bismah Maroof (32, 35b) shared a crucial 76-run stand off 58 balls to give the innings impetus.

Nida was the pick of the Pakistan batters as she used her feet well, especially against the spinners, to get the big hits.

Off-spinner Deepti Sharma (3/27) stood out among the Indian bowlers.

The buzz is back around Bengaluru FC as it takes on NorthEast United

N. SUDARSHAN

BENGALURU

Confident:BFC captain Chhetri and head coach Grayson ahead of the match against NorthEast United.K. Murali Kumar

The pandemic has shifted many a memory and altered many a life. But Sunil Chhetri swears that he remembers every little detail from his footballing life from before, like “coming to the stadium, doing our warm-up, seeing the fans and memorising all the chants.”

On Saturday, he will relive everything when Bengaluru FC returns to its traditional home, the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, after two stifling seasons in a bio-bubble, for its ISL season opener against NorthEast United FC.

“It’s like normal football again and supporters will be like big caged animals,” said head coach Simon Grayson. “Now, they are going to be released into the open to create the atmosphere, the noise, and the enthusiasm. I am sure they cannot wait, and the players too.”

After two disappointing campaigns, the buzz around the club appears to be back. The signings of star forward Roy Krishna and creative midfielder Javi Hernandez, the emergence of youngster N. Sivasakthi, and the Durand Cup win ending a three-year barren run have excited the supporters.

The additions of Prabir Das, who formed a good on-field understanding with Krishna while at ATK Mohun Bagan, and defender Sandesh Jhingan indicate that BFC is desperate to contend for a title that it last won in 2018-19.

“I am just trying to make sure that I get into the first XI,” said a dead-serious Chhetri. “That’s the level of competition. The youngsters are pushing us and a lot of seniors are insecure of their places. That’s one of the best teams to be at.”

NorthEast, on the other hand, is a bit of an unknown quantity, with much of the team new. The well-loved Federico Gallego and solid V.P. Suhair are no longer at the club which finished second from bottom last season. But coach Marco Balbul promised to “try and win the game”. It’s for the players to make good on that.

I am just trying to make sure that I get into the first XI

Sunil Chhetri

Hashika claims her sixth gold; Sajan takes his yellow metal tally to five

M.R. PRAVEEN CHANDRAN

RAJKOT

Hashika Ramachandra, the 14-year-old budding star of Indian swimming, underlined her class by winning her sixth gold of the 36th National Games at the Sardar Patel Aquatic Complex here on Friday.

The Karnataka girl won back-to-back gold medals on the penultimate day and set a new meet record in 400m freestyle after warding off a tough challenge from Delhi’s Bhavya Sachdeva.

Hashika timed 4:32.17s to better Aakansha Vora’s old mark (4:32.50) set in 2015. Hashika also won the 200m individual medley in 2:26.23s for her sixth gold medal of the games.

Veteran Sajan Prakash picked up two gold medals to take his yellow metal tally to five.

Sajan, in a storming final 50 metres, beat back the challenge from Karnataka’s S. Siva and MP’s Advait Page to set a new mark in 200m IM.

Breaking away

At the homestretch Sajan broke away from Siva and Advait — despite a terrific sprint couldn’t catch up with the Kerala swimmer — who clocked 2:05.81s to break P.S. Madhu’s 2015 mark (2:08.98).

Sajan also won the 400m freestyle in 3:58.11s after nosing ahead of his rivals in the final 25 metres. Advait came up with his customary fast finish to pip Aneesh for the silver.

The 50m backstroke event didn’t produce any surprises with Srihari Nataraj (Karnataka) and Maana Patel (Gujarat) winning the gold in the men’s and women’s sections with meet records.

Leading from the start

Srihari led from the start to clock 25.65s and improved his own record (25.88s) set in the heats in the morning.

Maana blitzed the field to win in 29.77s and also bettered her own record (29.81s) set in the heats.

Karnataka won the 4x100m mixed freestyle to take its gold tally to 18.

The result:

Men: 400m freestyle: 1. Sajan Prakash (Ker) (3:58.11s), 2. Advait Page (MP), 3. Aneesh S. Gowda (Kar); 200m IM: 1. Sajan (2:05.81s: NGR; OR: 2:08.98, P.S.Madhu, SSCB, 2015), 2. S. Siva (Kar), 3. Benedicton Rohit (TN); 50m backstroke: 1. Srihari Nataraj (Kar) (25.65s: NGR; OR: 25.88s, Srihari, 2022), 2. V. Vinayak (SSCB), 3. S. Siva (Kar).

Women: 400m freestyle: 1. Hashika Ramachandra (Kar) (4:32.17: NGR; OR: 4.32.50, Aakansha Vora, Maharashtra, 2015), 2. Bhavya Sachdeva (Del), 3. Vritti Agarwal (Tel).

200m IM: Hashika (2:26.23s), 2. Manavi Varma (Kar), 3. Shrungi Bandekar (Goa).

50m backstroke: 1. Maana Patel (Guj) (29.77s: NGR; OR: 29.91s, Maana, 2022), 2. Ridhima Veerendra Kumar (Kar), 3. Pratishitha Dangi (Ben).

4x100m mixed freestyle: 1. Karnataka (3:44.62), 2. Maharashtra, 3. Tamil Nadu.

Ravishing Form wins feature

MYSURU:

B.M. Nagesh, president JWGC, presenting the 2000 Guineas trophy to Parvati Byramji, trainer of Ravishing Form, and jockey P. Trevor.M.A. SRIRAMM.A. SRIRAM

Parvati Byramji trained Ravishing Form (Trevor up) won the Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Golf Club Mysore 2000 Guineas 2022, the chief event of the races held here on Friday (Oct 7).

The winner is owned by Mr. Mukul A. Sonawala, The Estate Of Late Mr. R.R. Byramji, Mrs. Anasuya Gupta, DT Racing & Breeding LLP rep by. Mr. D.R. Thacker. Jockey S. Saqlain won three races on the day.

Trevor, who rode confidently, kept the colt in the handy second position till the home stretch. He started manoeuvring his mount in the straight, Ravishing Form responded tremendously and took over from long-time leader Last Wish passing the 400m and won comfortably.

The results:

1. YADAVAGIRI PLATE (1,600m), rated 00 to 25, 5-y-o & over: SOUTHERNARISTOCRAT (Antony) 1, Adela (S. Saqlain) 2, News Maker (Srinath) 3 and Osibisa (Sai Kiran) 4. 1-1/2, 2-3/4 and 3-1/2. 1m 40.37s. Rs. 29 (w), 32 and 11 (p), SHP: 28, THP: 37, FP: 110, Q: 21, Trinella: 193 and 135. Favourite: Adela.

Owner: Mr. Srinivasa M. Trainer: Rajendra Singh.

2. SUNDERBANS PLATE (1,100m), rated 00 to 25: LUCKY SUN (B. Darshan) 1, Areca Angel (Salman K) 2, Scarlet Princess (H. Rathod) 3 and Engelberg (Hasib A) 4. 2-3/4, 1-3/4 and Shd. 1m 06.28s. Rs. 94 (w), 31, 17 and 88 (p), SHP: 48, THP: 293, FP: 757, Q: 279, Trinella: 54,682 and 23,435. Favourite: Virginia Queen.

Owners: M/s. Gaurav Sethi & Abhimanyu Jagdish Thackersey. Trainer: Vishal Yadav.

3. SPECTACULAR QUEST PLATE (Div. III), (1,200m), rated 20 to 45: PERFECT JUSTICE (Kiran Rai) 1, Stars Above (Antony) 2, Meghann (Salman K) 3 and Country's Major (H. Zeeshan) 4. Not run: Kallu Sakkare. 9-3/4, 2 and 3-1/2. 1m 12.20s. Rs. 17 (w), 11, 15 and 15 (p), SHP: 25, THP: 35, FP: 33, Q: 22, Trinella: 67 and 48. Favourite: Perfect Justice.

Owner: Mrs. Sandhya Suman. Trainer: C. Girinath.

4. SPECTACULAR QUEST PLATE (Div. II), (1,200m), rated 20 to 45: UNIQUE STYLE (S. Saqlain) 1, Archway (Antony) 2, Altair (Sai Kiran) 3 and Supreme Angel (Hindu S) 4. Not run: Angel Dreams. 1/2, Nk and 8-1/2. 1m 12.54s. Rs. 30 (w), 11, 16 and 14 (p), SHP: 38, THP: 63, FP: 110, Q: 49, Trinella: 141 and 53. Favourite: Altair.

Owner: Mr. H.K. Lakshman Gowda. Trainer: V. Lokanath.

5. MAJ. SARDAR L. MAHADEVAIAH MEMORIAL TROPHY (1,600m), rated 40 to 65, 5-y-o & over: CAPABLE (S. Saqlain) 1, Southern Power (Antony) 2, Tyto Alba (Angad) 3 and Ceffina (Shreyas S) 4. 1, 8 and 1-1/4. 1m 38.45s. Rs. 14 (w), 14 and 15 (p), SHP: 23, THP: 38, FP: 23, Q: 19, Trinella: 63 and 52. Favourite: Capable.

Owner: Mr. G.S. Reddy. Trainer: Sharat Kumar.

6. JUSTICE P. MEDAPA MEMORIAL TROPHY (1,400m), rated 60 to 85, 4-y-o & over: CARACAS (Trevor) 1, Peyo (Suraj) 2, Rising Sun (Angad) 3 and Aberlour (S. Saqlain) 4. Not run: Leilani. 2-1/4, 4-1/2 and 3/4. 1m 23.09s. Rs. 15 (w), 10, 11 and 49 (p), SHP: 17, THP: 55, FP: 20, Q: 11, Trinella: 104 and 95. Favourite: Caracas.

Owner: Mr. Aditya P. Thackersey. Trainer: S. Dominic.

7. JAYACHAMARAJA WADIYAR GOLF CLUB MYSORE 2000 GUINEAS 2022 (1,600m), 3-y-o only, (Terms): RAVISHING FORM (Speaking Of Which - Adlella) Trevor 1, Once You Go Black (Win Legend - Aksinya) Suraj 2, Still I Rise (Chinese Whisper - For Sure) Srinath 3 and Tranquilo (Win Legend - Only Royale) Antony 4. 1, 3-1/4 and 2-3/4. 1m 33.71s. Rs. 24 (w), 19 and 14 (p), SHP: 28, THP: 39, FP: 105, Q: 36, Trinella: 359 and 235. Favourite: Ravishing Form.

Owners: Mr. Mukul A. Sonawala, The Estate Of Late Mr. R.R. Byramji, Mrs. Anasuya Gupta, DT Racing & Breeding LLP rep by. Mr. D.R. Thacker. Trainer: Parvati Byramji.

8. SPECTACULAR QUEST PLATE (Div. i), (1,200m), rated 20 to 45: INDIAN PATRIOT (Srinath) 1, Star Admiral (S. John) 2, Indian Glory (S. Saqlain) 3 and Eye The Mind (Antony) 4. Not run: Fassbinder. 5, 2-1/2 and 1-1/4. 1m 10.62s. Rs. 20 (w), 12, 10 and 23 (p), SHP: 35, THP: 50, FP: 32, Q: 21, Trinella: 172 and 160, Exacta: 543 and 166. Favourite: Indian Patriot.

Owner and trainer: Mr. Rakesh.

9. HASTHINAPURA PLATE (1,100m), rated 20 to 45, 5-y-o & over: D KARNA (S. Saqlain) 1, Pastiche (Darshan) 2, Gold Gray (Vaibhav) 3 and Impeccable (Rayan) 4. Not run: Stone House. 2, Snk and 1/2. 1m 04.90s. Rs. 36 (w), 21, 51 and 13 (p), SHP: 133, THP: 45, FP: 1,674, Q: 515, Trinella: 2,051 and 1,492, Exacta: 2,904 (carried over). Favourite: Gold Gray.

Owner: Mr. Suchendra Bal Rajurs. Trainer: K. Aditya.

Jackpot: Rs. 1,929 (148 tkts); Runner up: 76 (1,614 tkts); Treble (i): 4,533 (carried over); (ii): 117 (11 tkts); (iii): 522 (eight tkts).

Ivan’s night out as Kerala’s Blasters have a party

STAN RAYAN

KOCHI

Breaking through:Luna’s shot kissed the crossbar beforerolling in.Thulasi KakkatTHULASI KAKKAT

There was a nice and dramatic Ukrainian touch to the Kerala Blasters’ party as it won its Hero Indian Super League opener against East Bengal FC 3-1 at a packed Nehru Stadium here on Friday.

Coming in as a 79th-minute substitute, replacing forward Apostolos Giannou, Ukrainian Ivan Kaliuzhnyi was quick to make his mark and make a dream debut.

Quick run

Minutes after arriving, the 24-year-old, who had come on loan from FK Oleksandriya two months ago, made a quick run from the centre, dodged past a couple of defenders and coolly sent the ball in. Everything was over in a jiffy and Ivan made it look all so easy.

Just as the Blasters coach Ivan Vukomanovic had predicted, the new faces look capable of producing a few wonderful surprises this season.

And the home fans had plenty to celebrate as Ivan came back to produce another beauty from outside the box seven minutes later, shortly after midfielder Alexandre Lima had reduced the margin for East Bengal. Blasters’ midfielder Adrian Luna, who had been one of the standout performers for runner-up Blasters last year, scored the ISL ninth edition’s opening goal earlier, his attempt kissing the crossbar and going in, in the 72nd minute.

The first half was rather quiet, but nobody expected the second half to be so dramatic.

East Bengal goalkeeper Kamaljit Singh was kept very busy early in the second session by Luna and Apostolos. He stayed steady early, but things changed in a big way later.

The result: Kerala Blasters 3 (Adrian Luna 72, Ivan Kaliuzhnyi 82 & 89) bt East Bengal 1 (Alexandre Lima 88).

Saturday’s match: Bengaluru FC vs. NEUFC, Bengaluru.

Just as the Blasters coach Vukomanovic had predicted, the new faces look capable of producing a few wonderful surprises this season

Madras HC paves way for team picked by VFI to represent TN in 2022 National Games

MOHAMED IMRANULLAH S

CHENNAI

The Madras High Court on Friday paved the way for a team selected by Volleyball Federation of India (VFI) to represent Tamil Nadu in the ongoing 36th National Games in Gujarat. The court held that de-recognition of VFI by the Centre would not come in the way of selecting teams for various tournaments.

Justices G.R. Swaminathan and N. Mala said that VFI had to step in and constitute a selection committee for Tamil Nadu only because of the delay on the part of the Tamil Nadu State Volleyball Association (TNSVA) in making the selections. The judges also said, players selected by VFI could not be deprived of the opportunity.

Passing identical but separate orders in two sets of cases related to the issue, the Bench further said there would be no representation for Tamil Nadu in the volleyball event if the court does not interfere and permit the squad picked by VFI to participate in the Games.

“Already, in the beach volleyball event there has been a walkover. The same should not befall volleyball event also,” the Division Bench said while allowing a writ appeal preferred by VFI against a single judge’s September 30 order permitting a team selected by TNSVA to participate in the national games.

VFI counsel P.V. Balasubramanian told the Bench the appellant had selected the team for Tamil Nadu and submitted the names well before time to the Games Technical Conduct Committee, constituted by the Indian Olympic Association. However, after the entire process was over, an individual player filed a public interest litigation petition.

Giannis Antetokounmpo keen to play pre-season games in India

ASHWIN ACHAL

ABU DHABI

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo stated that he would like to play a few NBA pre-season games in India.

“I’ve played in London and Paris, and today, I played in Abu Dhabi for the first time. I’ve never played in China — so maybe in Beijing or Shanghai. Maybe we can play somewhere in India.

“We have to try and expand our game as much as possible.

“We have to make it global and reach places we haven't reached.

“A lot of places around the world love basketball, and we have to present it to them. We can create more fans that way,” Antetokounmpo said in a press conference here.

Antetokounmpo spoke after a pre-season friendly between Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks at the Etihad Arena here.

Dejounte Murray, traded by the Spurs in the off-season, scored 25 points to lead Atlanta to a 123-113 win. This was the NBA’s first game in the United Arab Emirates.

Antetokounmpo, who led Milwaukee to the NBA title last year, said that he enjoyed the atmosphere in Abu Dhabi.

Different energy

“Playing here has been fun. We felt a different crowd, with a different energy. I’ve made new memories here, and it’s something I will tell my kids about,” Antetokounmpo said.

(The author is in Abu Dhabi on invitation from NBA India)

We have to make NBA global and reach places we haven't reached

MRF Formula 2000 makes a return after a two-season break

SPORTS REPORTER

CHENNAI

Keenly-watched:The MRF Formula 2000 will headline the 10-race programme.File Photo

The MRF Formula 2000, among the quickest racing cars in the country, will return to the MRF MMSC-FMSCI Indian National Car Racing Championship after a two-season break, as the first round of the 2022 season gets underway at the Madras International Circuit here on Saturday.

The two-litre single-seater, developed by JA Motorsports in Coimbatore, will headline the compact, 10-race programme which also includes the MRF Saloons (Toyota Etios), Formula LGB 1300 and the three-tier saloon cars — Indian Touring Cars, Indian Junior Touring Cars and the Super Stock — categories.

The MRF F2000 will have a grid of nine youngsters for whom it will be the first race outing in this category. Spearheading the pack is Agra’s Shahan Ali Mohsin, winner of the MRF F1600 championship in 2021.

All the nine drivers have graduated from karting and junior formula championships.

Debut

Another notable development is the debut of Volkswagen Virtus GT car with two of them entered in the premier Indian Touring Cars category. They will be driven by Chennai’s Sandeep Kumar, last year’s VW Polo Cup winner, and Jeet Jhabakh of Hyderabad, the 2019 VW Ameo Cup champion. The grid for the season-opener will comprise some 50 saloon cars and 30 single-seaters with a healthy mix of young and experienced competitors besides a few female drivers. The grandstand for spectators is open for the weekend.

MRF F2000 will have a grid of nine youngsters for whom it will be the first race outing in this category

Priceless Ruler has edge in Mount Everest Handicap

CHENNAI:

Priceless Ruler has an edge over his rivals in the Mount Everest Handicap (1,100m), the main event of the races to be held here on Saturday (Oct. 8).

DECORUM HANDICAP (1,200m), 4-y-o & over, rated 00 to 25, 1.45 p.m.: 1. Arapaho (4) Khet Singh 60, 2. Break The Silence (6) Ram Nandan 60, 3. Dancing Queen (2) Inayat 60, 4. Salvador (11) S. Saqlain 60, 5. Feni (8) S. Imran 59.5, 6. Priceless Treasure (12) Farid Ansari 59, 7. Star Of Texas (7) P.S. Kaviraj 59, 8. Reign Of Terror (1) B. Dharshan 58.5, 9. Regal Kid (3) Yash Narredu 56.5, 10. Benin Bronze (5) S.A. Amit 55.5, 11. Roger O’More (10) Farhan Alam 55.5 and 12. Rajputana (9) S. Kamble 54.5.

1. DANCING QUEEN, 2. REGAL KID, 3. STAR OF TEXAS

RANDOM HARVEST HANDICAP (Div. II), (1,200m), rated 20 to 45, 2-15: 1. King Roger (4) A.Ayaz Khan 60, 2. Zucardi (3) Akshay Kumar 60, 3. Supreme Dance (7) P. Sai Kumar 57.5, 4. Full Of Surprise (2) Kiran Naidu 57, 5. Daiyamondo (6) P.S. Kaviraj 56.5, 6. Glorious Victory (5) R. Manish 56.5, 7. Bohemian Star (9) Kuldeep Singh 55.5, 8. Tudor Crown (1) Farhan Alam 55.5, 9. Turf Melody (10) Yash Narredu 55.5 and 10. Fast Play (8) S. Kamble 54.5.

1. TURF MELODY, 2. ZUCARDI, 3. FULL OF SURPRISE

RANDOM HARVEST HANDICAP (Div. I), (1,200m), rated 20 to 45, 2.45: 1. Pappa Rich (9) Koshi Kumar 60, 2. Angavai (4) P.S. Kaviraj 59, 3. Strong Breeze (7) A.S. Amit 59, 4. Grand Royal (5) A. Ayaz Khan 57, 5. Oberon (3) Farhan Alam 56.5, 6. Royal Monarch (6) Kuldeep Singh 56.5, 7. Fabulous Show (1) Khet Singh 56, 8. Rubert (8) Yash Narredu 55 and 9. Fashion Of Stars (2) Farid Ansari 54.5.

1. ROYAL MONARCH, 2. ANGAVAI, 3. RUBERT

BELLRUE HANDICAP (Div. I), (1,400m), 4-y-o & over, rated 20 to 45, 3.15: 1. Supreme Runner (5) Yash Narredu 61, 2. Trending Princess (8) S. Kamble 61, 3. Right Move (2) Farhan Alam 60.5, 4. Demesthenes (9) S. Saqlain 58.5, 5. Glorious Symphony (10) C. Brisson 58.5, 6. Carnoustie (6) P.S. Kaviraj 57.5, 7. Royal Pearl (3) Akshay Kumar 57.5, 8. Eyes Of Falcon (7) S. Imran 57, 9. Amber Lightning (1) Kuldeep Singh 56, 10. Kikata (11) Manikandan 54 and 11. Cloud Jumper (4) Kiran Naidu 53.5.

1. SUPREME RUNNER, 2. DEMESTHENES, 3. ROYAL PEARL

BELLRUE HANDICAP ( Div. II), (1,400m), 4-y-o & over rated 20 to 45, 3.45: 1. Turf Beauty (7) P. Sai Kumar 60, 2. Air Marshal (4) A.S. Amit 59, 3. Nagada (3) S. Saqlain 57.5, 4. War Emblem (9) A.M. Alam 57.5, 5. Masterpiece (8) S. Kabdhar 57, 6. Royal Treasure (5) Yash Narredu 56.5, 7. Chaitanya (6) Koshi Kumar 56, 8. Gingersnap (10) Kiran Naidu 55.5, 9. Wisaka (2) S. Kamble 54.5 and 10. Beauregard (1) S. Imran 52.

1. ROYAL TREASURE, 2. TURF BEAUTY, 3. WISAKA

COMANCHE HANDICAP (1,000m), 5-y-o & over, rated 40 to 65 (no whip), 4.15: 1. Thomas Hardy (2) S. Saqlain 60, 2. Namak Halaal (10) B. Dharshan 59, 3. Magical Wish (9) L.A. Rozario 58.5, 4. Beethovan (11) C. Brisson 58, 5. Rhiannon (1) Koshi Kumar 56.5, 6. Despacito (4) A. Ayaz Khan 54.5, 7. Embrace (3) Akshay Kumar 54.5, 8. Butterfly (5) Farid Ansari 54, 9. Celeritas (7) Ram Nandan 53.5, 10. Star Waves (12) A.M. Alam 53, 11. Demerara (8) Angad 52.5 and 12. Beauty Of The Turf (6) Farhan Alam 50.5.

1. BUTTERFLY, 2. THOMAS HARDY, 3. MAGICAL WISH

MOUNT EVEREST HANDICAP (1,200m), 5-y-o & over, rated 60 to 85, (out station horses eligible), 4.45: 1. Priceless Ruler (5) Farid Ansari 60, 2. Glorious Destiny (7) Angad 58, 3. Fun Storm (3) L.A. Rozario 57, 4. Karadeniz (6) P. Sai Kumar 56, 5. Classic Remark (4) S. A. Amit 55.5, 6. Gallantry (2) C. Brisson 54, 7. Star Templar (1) Farhan Alam 52.5 and 8. Lordship (8) Akshay Kumar 51.5.

1. PRICELESS RULER,

2. LORDSHIP,

3. FUN STORM

STATE BANK HANDICAP (1,200m) rated 40 to 65, 5.15: 1. Empress Eternal (6) Kuldeep Singh 60, 2. Lady Mimi (2) Yash Narredu 59, 3. Skylight (4) S. Kamble 56.5, 4. Annexed (7) S.A. Amit 56, 5. Bohemian Grandeur (-) (-) 54.5, 6. Dark Son (3) P. Sai Kumar 53.5, 7. Glorious Sunshine (1) Angad 53.5 and 8. Augusta (5) Akshay Kumar 52.

1. DARK SON,

2. LADY MIMI,

3. AUGUSTA

Jkt: 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8.

Mini Jkt: 5, 6, 7 & 8.

Tr (1) 2, 3 & 4; (ii): 6, 7 & 8.

Parth, Kashish emerge champions in TPL talent hunt

SPORTS BUREAU

NEW DELHI

Victorious:Parth Aggarwal gets the winner’s cheque from Kunal Thakkur and Mrunal Jain.Special ArrangementSpecial Arrangement

Parth Aggarwal and Kashish Bhatia emerged the men’s and women’s champions in the talent hunt for the Tennis Premier League at the DLTA Complex here on Friday.

The two were selected along with Denim Yadav and Reshma Maruri. All the four players were presented Rs. 50,000 each.

The two players in each of the four sections were taken one each by Punjab Tigers and Delhi Binny’s Brigade on the basis of the choice of the champion players.

Quite interestingly, the Vemuri twins, Apurva and Abhaya bagged the two slots for under-18 girls, which carried a cash purse of Rs. 30,000 each.

More interestingly, Reshma bagged the women’s spot in Delhi, after her sister Suhitha Maruri had taken the girls’ spot in the Talent Day held in Hyderabad recently.

The under-14 players Ranvir Singh and Purahan Yadav were presented Rs. 20,000 each.

The TPL scheduled to be staged at the Balewadi Stadium in Pune from December 7 to 11, and to be shown ‘live’ by Sony Ten-2 television channel, will have more Talent Day events in Baroda and Bengaluru on October 29 and 30, followed by one in Mumbai on November 5 and 6.

The architects of the TPL, which is getting ready for the fourth edition on a much bigger scale than earlier, Kunal Thakkur and Mrunal Jain presented the cheques to the selected players, along with the team owners of Punjab and Delhi.

The selected players: Men: Parth Aggarwal, Denim Yadav.

Women: Kashish Bhatia, Reshma Maruri.

Under-18 girls: Apurva Vemuri, Abhaya Vemuri.

Under-14 boys: Ranvir Singh, Purahan Yadav.

Rashmi is third time World Champion

SPORTS BUREAU

NEW DELHI

Rashmi Kumari.Special ArrangementSpecial Arrangement

Rashmi Kumari won three titles in the 8th World Carrom Championship in Langkawi, Malaysia.

Rashmi won her third World singles title beating compatriot Kajal Kumari 25-20, 25-16 in the final. She had won the team title along with Nilam Ghodake, Kajal Kumari and Debajani Tamuly and the doubles title earlier with Nilam.

The results (finals): Men: Sandeep Dive bt Abdul Rahman 1-25, 25-19, 25-22.

Team: India bt Sri Lanka 3-0 (Prashant More bt Nishantha Fernando 25-15, 25-14; K Srinivas bt Shaheed Hilmy 25-4, 25-9; Abdul Rahman & Sandeep Dive bt Udesh & Suruj 25-0, 25-15).

Women: Rashmi Kumari bt Kajal Kumari 25-20, 25-16.

Team: India bt USA 3-0 (Rashmi Kumari bt Preeti Jakhotia 25-4, 13-25, 25-14; Nilam Ghodake bt Puja Rathi 25-0, 25-0; Kajal Kumari & Debajani Tamuly bt Uma Munagala & TEjasvi Duduka 25-9, 25-0).

Purav and Divij make the doubles finals in France

SPORTS BUREAU

OCTOBER 08

Purav Raja and Divij Sharan beat Theo Arribage and Luke Johnson 4-6, 7-5, [10-7] to reach the doubles final of the €67,960 Challenger tennis tournament in Mouilleron le Captif, France, on Friday.

Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni also reached the Challenger doubles final in Gwangju, Korea.

Other results: €134,920 Challenger, Parma, Italy: Doubles (quarterfinals): Sriram Balaji & Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan bt Alexander Erler & Lucas Miedler (Aut) 2-6, 7-5, [10-4].

$53,120 Challenger, Gwangju, Korea: Doubles (semifinals): Yuki Bhambri & Saketh Myneni bt Maxmilian Marterer (Ger) & Maximilian Neuchrist (Aut) 6-3, 6-2.

$53,120 Challenger, Tiburon, USA: Doubles (quarterfinals): Carl Emil Overbeck (Den) & Siddhant Banthia bt Anirudh Chandrasekar & Vijay Sundar Prashanth 6-3, 7-5.

$5,000 ITF men, Sheffield: Semifinals: Prajnesh Gunneswaran bt Giles Hussey (GBR) 6-4, 7-5. Quarterfinals: Prajnesh bt Mathys Erhard (Fra) 6-2, 6-1; Pre-quarterfinals: Prajnesh bt Anton Matusevich (GBR) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

$15,000 ITF men, Monastir, Tunisia: Quarterfinals: Mu Tao (Chn) bt Niki Poonacha 3-6, 7-5, 6-0.

$25,000 ITF women, Hua Hin, Thailand: Pre-quarterfinals: Luksika Kumkhum (Tha) bt Y. Sahaja 6-1, 6-3.

$15,000 ITF women, Monastir, Tunisia: Quarterfinals: Jennifer Luikham bt Marie Villet (Fra) 7-5, 6-2. $15,000 ITF women, Sharm El Sheikh: Doubles (quarterfinals): Tamara Kostic (Aut) & Carlotta Moccia (Ita) bt Karola Patricia Bejenaru (Rou) & Ashmitha Easwaramurthi 6-4, 7-5.

Nehru hockey: NCC takes on Mizoram school in semifinals

SPORTS BUREAU

NEW DELHI

The NCC Directorate defeated Birsa Munda Vidyapitha, Rourkela, 8-0 in a Group-I encounter and qualified for the semifinals of the Charanjit Rai 28th Nehru under-17 girls’ hockey tournament at the Shivaji Stadium here on Friday.

In the semifinals, NCC will play Lallengvunga High School, Thenzawl, Mizoram, on Saturday. The other semifinal will be between Madhya Pradesh Women’s HA, Gwalior, and Odisha Naval Tata Hockey Academy, Bhubaneswar.

The results (league):

Pool-I: NCC Directorate 8 (Riya 2, Ravina 2, Tamanna Yadav 2, Sejal, Khushi) bt Birsa Munda Vidyapitha, Rourkela 0.

Pool-K: Odisha Naval Tata Hockey Academy, Bhubaneswar 10 (Surekha Bahalla 4, Ashima Rout 2, Doli Bhoi 2, Mumuni Das, Mariyam Dhanwar) bt Government Girls Model SSS, Sector-18, Chandigarh (Kamaljeet Kaur, Amrit Kaur) 2.

Pool-L: SS Girls HS, Simdega, Jharkhand (Nisha Minj) 1 drew with Punjab Institute of Sports, Bathinda (Lakhveer Kaur) 1.

‘We fell short of finding two big hits’

RAKESH RAO

LUCKNOW

Lesson to learn:Samson admits he may have missed a trickin conducting the chase.R.V. MoorthyMOORTHY RV

“In the end, we fell short of finding two big hits — a six and a four.” That’s how Sanju Samson summed up India’s nine-run loss to South Africa in the first ODI on Thursday.

“We knew (Tabraiz) Shamsi was left with an over and he could be targeted. He had proved expensive and I was confident of hitting four sixes if we needed even 24 in the final over,” said Samson.

As it turned out, India needed 30 off the 20th over. After a wide ball, Samson raised the excitement by hitting a 6, 4, 4 before managing a 0, 4, 1 off the next three.

In fact, it was the 19th over — bowled by Kagiso Rabada — that almost put the match beyond the host as the bowler conceded just seven runs. More significantly, Samson did not get the strike in that over.

“I missed a trick or two. I did make 80-plus runs but faltered in the end. Though we did well, there was a lesson to learn. The next time, in a similar situation, I will try to do better,” said Samson.

“I like to spend time at the crease, it becomes even more special when you don the India colours.”

Warner, Starc star in Australia’s T20 sweep against the Windies

REUTERS

BRISBANE

Classy:Warner made an exciting half-century that contained 10 fours and 3 sixes.AFP

Australia’s David Warner smashed an exciting half-century and Mitchell Starc claimed four for 20 to help the hosts beat West Indies by 31 runs in the second T20I and complete a 2-0 sweep here on Friday.

Warner got Australia off to a flyer in his stroke-filled 75 and Tim David belted 42 off 20 balls down the order to power the team to 178 for seven after being put in.

Warner’s form is crucial to Australia’s hopes of retaining their T20 World Cup title on home soil later this month.

Starc led Australia’s spirited defence of the total with career-best figures, while Josh Hazlewood conceded only 19 runs in his four overs, though he finished without a wicket.

Johnson Charles (29) and Brandon King (23) could not convert their starts and lack of a partnership hurt West Indies as it finished on 147 for eight.

The scores: Australia 178/7 in 20 overs (David Warner 75, Tim David 42, Alzarri Joseph 3-21, Obed McCoy 2-33) bt West Indies 147/8 in 20 overs (Johnson Charles 29, Akeal Hosein 25, Mitchell Starc 4/20, Pat Cummins 2/32).

Toss: West Indies

Australia won by 31 runs to clinch the two-match series 2-0.

Punjab women storm into hockey semifinals

SPORTS BUREAU

OCTOBER 08

Punjab women stormed into the semifinals of the 36th National Games hockey event in Rajkot on Friday, routing Gujarat 24-0 in a lopsided quarterfinal.

Defending champion Haryana crushed Karnataka 6-0 to enter the last-four. Karnataka goalkeeper G.R. Shravya’s heroics under the bar prevented a carnage as the star-studded Haryana ran its opponent ragged.

Rani and Neha got a brace each for Haryana.

Madhya Pradesh came back from behind to beat Odisha 4-2 and make the semifinals.

The results (quarterfinals):

MP bt Odisha 4-2; Haryana bt Karnataka 6-0; Punjab bt Gujarat 24-0.

Technical tweak does the trick for Vivaan

Y.B. SARANGI

AHMEDABAD

Vivaan.SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Vivaan Kapoor overcame a technical issue to claim the men’s trap gold medal at the National Games here on Friday.

The 20-year-old Vivaan, representing Rajasthan, defeated Punjab’s Zoravar Singh Sandhu 31-26 to win the title. Services’ Balabhadra Tarasiya bagged the bronze.

“It’s a big boost to my confidence. I missed a few targets, so I just needed a few tweaks. My coach (Khaled Al Mudaf) provided me with a technical input and helped me,” revealed Vivaan.

In women’s trap, MP’s Neeru edged out UP’s Sabeera Haris 26-24 to clinch the gold.

Sabeera, who won 4-3 in a shootoff in the semifinal against Manisha Keer (both had 19), took the silver.

Services’ Seema Tomar claimed the bronze.

Abhinav and Karandeep share the top spot

SPORTS BUREAU

AHMEDABAD

Abhinav Lohan and Karandeep Kochhar shared the lead with a total of 134 in the men’s section after the second day of the National Games at the Kensville Golf and Country Club in Ahmedabad on Friday. Amandeep Kaur aggregated 141 in two rounds to be in the lead in the women’s category.

The scores: Men: Individual: Abhinav Lohan (68, 66) and Karandeep Kochhar (68, 66) 134; Rohan Patil (67, 74) 141; Arjun Bhati (72, 70) and Sunhit Bishnoi (73, 69) 142; Ishaan Chawhan (71, 72) and Varun Parikh (74, 69) 143.

Team: Haryana 289; Delhi 290; Karnataka 291; Gujarat and Chandigarh 293.

Women: Amandeep Kaur (72, 69) 141; Nishna Patel (74, 68) 142; Avani Prashanth (71, 74) 145; Gaurika Bishnoi (73, 74) 147; Puneet Kaur Bajwa (75, 74), Durga Nittur (73, 76) and Vani Kapoor (75, 74) 149.

Team: Maharashtra 291; Punjab 293; Karnataka 294; Haryana 301; Delhi 309.

Russell and Hamilton make it a Mercedes 1-2 in second practice

Third-fastest Verstappen examines ways to win his second World title

AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

SUZUKA

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton made it a Mercedes one-two ahead of title-chasing Max Verstappen in a soggy second practice on Friday for the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka. Red Bull’s Verstappen can clinch his second straight World title on Sunday if he wins the race with the fastest lap, no matter what his rivals do.

Arsenal in cruise control while United huffs and puffs

AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

PARIS

Manchester United avoided further embarrassment after its humiliating defeat to Manchester City by coming from behind to beat Cypriots Omonia Nicosia 3-2 in the Europa League on Thursday, while Premier League leader Arsenal eased past Bodo/Glimt.

Important results: Group A: Arsenal 3 (Nketiah 23, Holding 27, Vieira 85) bt Bodo/Glimt 0.

Group C: Roma 1 (Dybala 34-pen) drew with Real Betis 2 (Rodriguez 40, Luiz Henrique 88).

Group E: Omonia Nicosia 2 (Ansarifard 34, Panagiotou 85) lost to Manchester United 3 (Rashford 53, 84, Martial 63); Sheriff Tiraspol 0 lost to Real Sociedad 2 (D. Silva 53, Elustondo 62).

MEG & Center pips Friends United

OCTOBER 08

MEG & Center FC edged Friends United FC 2-1 in the BDFA Super Division League football here on Friday.

The result: MEG & Center FC 2 (Arjuna Madhu 41, Ahmed Asrarul 90+4) bt Friends United FC 1 (Magesh Selva 10).

Likith and Ahida corner glory

Likith Gowda and Ahida Singh emerged the boys' and girls' champions at the Topspin AITA U-14 CS-7 tennis championship.

The results (finals): Boys: Likith Gowda bt Niyant Vikas 6-4, 6-3. Girls: Ahidha Singh bt Sanmitha Harini 6-3, 6-0.

Santosh Trophy knockout in Saudi Arabia in February

PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEW DELHI

In an unprecedented move, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) is planning to hold the knockout stages of the Santosh Trophy National Championships in Saudi Arabia early next year. AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey and secretary-general Shaji Prabhakaran on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with their Saudi Arabian counterparts to “study the possibility to stage the final stages of the Santosh Trophy” in the West Asian country in February 2023”. Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) president Yasser Al-Mishal and general-secretary Ibrahim Al Kassim signed the agreement for the West Asian country. The agreement was signed at the Saudi Arabian city of Dammam.

Naveen powers Dabang Delhi past U Mumba; Bulls beat Titans

OCTOBER 08

Dabang Delhi captain Naveen Kumar (13 points) powered his team to a 41-27 win over U Mumba in the opening match of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 9 in Bengaluru on Friday. In the second contest, Bengaluru Bulls overcame Telugu Titans’ challenge 34-29 in the second contest, giving the home fans a reason to rejoice.

Iran’s Azmoun faces World Cup injury heartbreak

OCTOBER 08

Iran international striker Sardar Azmoun could miss the World Cup after a calf injury sustained on club duty at Bayer Leverkusen left him sidelined for six to eight weeks. The 27-year-old’s estimated time of absence will be between six and eight weeks, the club said. The World Cup in Qatar gets underway on November 20 with Iran facing England in its opening match the following day.

Pakistan beats Bangladesh in tri-series opener

PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

CHRISTCHURCH

Mohammad Rizwan (78 n.o., 50b, 7x4, 2x6) set up Pakistan’s 21-run win over Bangladesh in a tri-series match in Christchurch on Friday.

The scores: Pakistan 167/5 in 20 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 78 n.o.)

bt Bangladesh 146/8 in 20 overs (Yasir Ali 42 n.o., Liton Das 35,

Mohammad Wasim 3/24).

Mitchell ruled out of T20 Tri-Series with fractured hand

OCTOBER 08

New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell has been ruled out of the T20 Tri-Series in Christchurch after fracturing his hand during training at Lincoln on Friday. The all-rounder sustained a blow to his right-hand while batting in the nets and an X-ray revealed a fracture to his fifth metacarpal.

Lionel Messi says Qatar World Cup will be his last

ASSOCIATED PRESS

BUENOS AIRES

Lionel Messi has confirmed that the World Cup in Qatar next month will be the last of his career. The 35-year-old Argentina star will play in his fifth World Cup but is still seeking his first title at the showpiece tournament. “There’s some anxiety and nerves at the same time ... it is the last one,” Messi told Star Plus.

TNCA lower division scores

SPORTS BUREAU

OCTOBER 08

Aravind Krishnan(Jubilee, 5/51).

Good spells by Bharath, Aravind Krishnan

J. Aravind Krishnan (five for 51) bowled Jubilee to a 26-run win over Krishnaraj Memorial in a third division A-zone match of the TNCA league recently.

In another match, A. Bharath’s five for 30 was the highlight of Madras Aryan Club’s one-wicket win over Reserve Bank.

The scores:

III-A: Bharathi 151 in 37.3 overs (M. Manikandan 50, N. Kabilan 3/35, D. Sushil Rhaj 3/21) lost to National RC 152/2 in 34.5 overs (S. Harish 61 n.o., T. Kapil 42, T. Sangara Lingam 30 n.o.).

Jubilee 259/8 in 50 overs (K. Veerraviswa 79, Rohan Jebaraj 62, S. Raja Ravi Varma 30, M.V. Vishal Sundar 3/34) bt Krishnaraj Memorial 233/8 in 50 overs (Ramnath 48, M.V. Vishal Sundar 47, M. Abhinava Sundar 31, J. Aravind Krishnan 5/51).

SPIC 126 in 48 overs lost to Sir M.Ct.M. Old Boys 130/5 in 33.5 overs (M. Sadiqulameen 40, R. Gowtham 38 n.o.).

Triplicane SC 220/6 in 33 overs (E. Prabhaker 79 n.o., H. Mohammed Imran 34) bt Sir Theagaraya RC 164/7 in 33 overs (M. Anbu 59, K. Sameer Khan 3/42).

ICF 218/9 in 50 overs (R. Javed Mohammed 57, A. Ganesh Kumar 56, P. Arjun Thapa 3/32) bt Southern Railway 185 in 45.4 overs (M.V. Ponnarasu 48, S. Selva 35, A. Ganesh Kumar 3/47, M. Akram Khan 3/43).

Reserve Bank 187/8 in 50 overs (Y. Surya 69, A. Bharath 5/30) lost to Madras Aryan 188/9 in 49 overs (C. Sathyanarayanan 48, T.K. Gowthama Raj 36).

SKA Chennai

becomes champion

Arya Ganesh top-scored with 52 and S. Rohan picked up four for 19 as Super Kings Academy Chennai (SKA Chennai) beat N2 Cricket Foundation by 49 runs in the final to emerge the champion of the Havihass Cricket Academy u-14 cricket tournament in Salem.

SKA Chennai finished unbeaten in the tournament.

The scores (final): Super Kings Academy Chennai 124/9 in 30 overs (Arya Ganesh 52) bt N2 Cricket Foundation 75 in 27.1 overs (S. Rohan 4/19, Vel Rakshith 3/10).

Special awards: Player of the tournament: S. Rohan (SKA Chennai); Best batter: S.A. Bhavik Dario (SKA Chennai).

Lakshmanan and

Uma Maheswari win

Lakshmanan & Uma Maheswari secured 64.09 % to win the IIT Alumni open bridge tournament here.

Sunil & Srihari Varghese secured 60.91 % to finish second.

Diya puts it across Aleena

SPORTS BUREAU

LUCKNOW:

Third seed Diya Chaudhary defeated top seed Aleena Farid 6-1, 6-4 in the girls’ semifinals of the Asian under-14 tennis tournament at the Vijayant Khand Stadium courts here on Friday.

In the final, Diya will play Sherry Sharma, who beat Khushi Gaur 6-3, 6-3.

The results:

Boys, semifinals: Prakaash Sarran bt Siddharth Jeebu 6-2, 6-2; Vivaan Bidasaria bt Vanshraj Jalota 6-4, 6-1; Quarterfinals: Prakaash bt Amrit Dhankar 6-4, 6-1; Siddharth bt Varad Undre 7-5, 6-2; Vanshraj bt Shashank Karnati 4-6, 6-3, 6-3; Vivaan bt Dishender Lamba 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.

Girls, semifinals: Diya Chaudhary bt Aleena Farid 6-1, 6-4; Sherry Sharma bt Khushi Gaur 6-3, 6-3.

Aditya exacts revenge on Ajay, clinches title

Top seed Aditya Nandal beat Ajay Kundu 6-4, 6-2 in the final of the Rs. 1,00,000 AITA men’s tennis tournament at the Tejli Sports Complex here on Friday.

Ajay had earlier won the doubles title in the company of Deepender Grewal. The duo defeated Aditya and Amrutjay Mohanty.

The result (final): Aditya Nandal bt Ajay Kundu 6-4, 6-2.

Weekend

- Down to Earth

- Written in the stars

- I disagree

- The Japanese Koi from Perumanadu

- Samridhi’s many shades

- Listen in on the Bachchans

- Celebrating 10 grand years

- Between currents and crosswinds

- Ticket to ride

- Books and postcards

- Talkingpoint

- The luxe edit

- Anita Dongre showcase

- Instapick

- Pick of the week

- Dalit art festival

- Sound of love

- MP_Chennaievents

- Designer Deepavali

- Whetting dry wit

- Spaced out?

- Krrish or Batman?

- Painting India’s freedom struggle

- Weave your own scarf

- Lil fad reel

Down to Earth

The new faces of eco-kidswear, actors Dia Mirza and Lara Dutta, on encouraging sustainable consumerism and why hand-me-downs should be the norm

NIDHI ADLAKHANIDHI.ADLAKHA@THEHINDU.CO.IN

OCTOBER 08

Dia Mirza

“My ideas about sustainability formed well before I became a mother. But I think I’m a lot more conscious now than ever before,” says actor Dia Mirza, who recently announced a partnership with organic babywear brand Greendigo. “One key principle I followed is to accept hand-me-downs. I actually call this process, paying it forward. A lot of the stuff that Avyaan uses has come from another friend of mine who had a baby much earlier than I did.”

Also the brand ambassador, Dia says, “The first thing that really attracted me to the brand is that they have organic certification. It takes a very special kind of resilience to be able to do business in a clean, sustainable manner considering the world that we live in. So I’m very proud of the founders Barkha and Meghna Kishore, and I’m happy that I have the opportunity to empower them and to expand their voice and their reach.”

The Sustainable Development Goals Advocate says she has joined the “Greendigo family as a parent first”. “One of the critical and most important components of sustainability is sustainable consumerism. We must introspect about what kind of products we use and the clothes we wear in our everyday lives. Safe, healthy, natural, good options are few and far between, which is why it’s so important to support such green businesses so that they become normative and don’t remain an exception,” she says, adding, “Today as a parent, I feel even more responsible for what I buy for my child. I consume a lot less now than I ever did, and I understand the impact of my child’s consumption and recognise how important it is to help him become a Nature defender right from the start.”

As someone who has been vocal about battling climate change issues, what are the five steps she suggests every individual can take towards reducing apparel waste? To begin with, says Dia, we must celebrate the fact that as Indians, we are not traditionally wasteful consumers. “It is the advent of fast fashion that has encouraged this idea of use and throw. India has a culture where most people once upcycled household objects and passed on or gave away the clothes they were done wearing.” In addition, being open to hand-me-downs, and cultivating the practice ofengaging and interacting with Nature early on is key.

Meghna Kishore, co-founder, Greendigo adds, “Barkha and I are aware of the fact that children outgrow their wardrobe every 60-70 days. Though most parents try to give these clothes away, it’s still a wasteful exercise to keep buying new clothes. So, we have launched clothing that is size adjustable. “We also do a lifecycle analysis, where we measure the impact of Greendigo’s supply chain. On our website, there are these numbers that tell you how much you have saved by buying that garment. For example, how many light bulbs or how much water has been saved.”

Kidswear Rs. 600 upwards on

greendigo.com

Lara Dutta

After skincare and home decor, actor-turned-entrepreneur Lara Dutta has taken the eco-route for her brand Arias’ latest offering: kidswear. Recently launched in collaboration with FirstCry,Arias kids, she says, “strives to design responsible fashion while translating current trends into comfortable, chic, and high-quality products”. With dresses, jumpsuits, and shirts for children aged between two and 14, Lara says Arias expanding into the children’s clothing market was a natural step as “the brand name is my daughter’s name, Saira, spelt backwards”. She adds, “All fabrics are carefully chosen, and we prefer 100% natural fibres such as cotton, viscose, flax, among others. We also use biodegradable plastic made of cornstarch, recycled seed paper, coconut and sea-shell buttons as trims.”

Given that the fashion industry has seen the rise of several ‘eco’ kidswear brands over the years, how does she make her offering stand out? “It’s fantastic that so many clothing companies are going the ‘eco’ route. This will eventually allow all of us to educate children and make them conscious in their early years. Arias focuses on producing clothing and accessories that reduce the environmental impact of the fashion industry by using natural materials, trims, and eco-friendly packaging.” And, you can help too. There are multiple efforts that can be put into reducing apparel waste, says the Bell Bottom actor. “If possible, invest in eco-conscious, sustainable brands. When you do need to buy new clothes, try to buy items made of long-lasting materials. Instead of throwing out old clothes, get creative. T-shirts can be transformed into rags, masks, or headbands with some design skills. Old sweaters can be recycled into blankets or socks,” she says, adding that many fast fashion fabrics are made with fossil fuels, and must be avoided.

As for shopping for Saira, Lara says her top tips include choosing breathable fabrics, and avoiding itchy embellishments or finicky buttons. “Get your children involved at a young age in picking out their own clothes, it helps them learn to be conscious about their choices. Help your child develop their individual fashion style, and teach them to donate their old clothes to those less fortunate. Be totally okay to accept hand-me-downs,” says the actor who has just wrapped up Ishq- E- Naadan , a film starring Neena Gupta and Mohit Raina, among others.

Her shopping style has also changed post-motherhood. “Utility and versatility is what I keep in mind. I want to be able to hang on to a garment for a long time and use it over the years in multiple ways. I like investing in pieces now that I can pass down to my daughter,” concludes Lara who will soon begin shooting for the second season of Hiccups & Hookups .

Arias Kids is priced at Rs. 899 upwards on firstcry.com

Help your child develop their individual fashion style, and teach them to donate their old clothes to those less fortunate. Be totally okay to accept hand-me-downs.

Lara Dutta

“It is the advent of fast fashion that has encouraged this idea of use and throw. India has a culture where most people once upcycled household objects and passed on or gave away the clothes they were done wearing

Dia Mirza

Written in the stars

As Hanle in Ladakh is poised to have India’s first Dark Sky Reserve, prospects for stargazing and astro tourism shine bright

SANGEETHA DEVI DUNDOO

OCTOBER 08

A Ladakhi woman operating a telescope at Cosmo Hub.Special ArrangementSpecial Arrangement

For tourists visiting Ladakh, the itinerary is most likely to include the Pangong Lake in the State’s capital Leh, and for the more adventurous lot, an expedition to Khardung La. What many don’t know is that the region’s arid landscape, sparse population and therefore minimal artificial light also makes it a destination for stargazing. And soon, India will have its first Dark Sky Reserve in Hanle, located about 250 kilometres from Leh. The initiative mooted by the Department of Science and Technology, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru, is expected to give astro tourism in India a boost.

Globally, designated dark sky regions developed by tourism boards of different countries, in collaboration with astronomers and local communities, are equipped with facilities to aid astro tourism. Since stargazing requires driving to remote locations at night, tourists look for accommodation facilities and this, in turn, can spell revenue for local tourism.

Some of the visitors to Leh might be aware of observatories and homestays that facilitate stargazing experiences. Astro tourism is courted by a niche section of tourists, propelled by astronomy clubs in different cities. A few groups venture into remote locations in Ladakh, Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh, and the deserts of Gujarat and Rajasthan to gaze at the clear night skies and spot the stars, nebulae, the Milky Way and other far-off galaxies, guided by astronomers.

Dark sky zones

A designated dark sky region has the potential to bring in domestic and international tourists.

The International Dark Sky Association (IDA), in the US, has so far certified 200 dark sky destinations as part of its International Dark Sky Places (IDSP) programme. Following a rigorous application procedure, places are certified as International Dark Sky Sanctuaries, Reserves, Communities or Parks.

Ashley Wilson, IDA’s director of conservation and lead for IDSP, says on an average, IDA certifies around 20 nominations a year. 2021 was an exception with the certification of 37 new places. The 200th place to be certified, in September 2022, was Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area in Nebraska, USA.

In an email interview, Ashley states that “the IDSP certification brings attention to light pollution and the need to preserve the night sky as a natural resource. Applying for the certification supports management agencies in achieving long-term conservation targets and connecting people to Nature. Additionally, it serves as an economic driver by fostering increased tourism and local economic activity”.

He cites examples, as reported by the Colorado Plateau Dark Sky Cooperative: In 2019, a study by Missouri State University examined the economic impact of dark sky tourism on the Colorado Plateau economy. According to the study, astro tourism could lead to $5.8 billion in visitor spending and support the creation of over 11,000 new jobs annually, over the next decade. A report also states that since dark sky observation mostly occurs at night, tourists are likely to prefer overnight stays. On an average, overnight visitors have been found to spend thrice the amount of day-only visitors.

Another report that assesses the economic impact of activities related to Mont-Megantic, the world’s first International Dark Sky Reserve in Canada puts the annual economic impact of dark sky protection efforts and astro tourism in the region at $13.8 million. Astro tourism activities in the reserve are considered to be a major driver of tourism in the region.

Certification woes

There are dark sky regions across North and South America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, developed in coordination with local tourism and government bodies, with an understanding of astronomy and the need to have lighting conditions that do not hinder the views of the night skies. Not all of these regions are certified by international bodies such as the IDA or the Starlight Foundation in Spain. Reports suggest that among the 63 national parks in North America, only 12 have been certified by the IDA.

The dark sky reserve coming up at Hanle is not yet certified by the IDA. Ashley says the IDA has contacted local officials and is working with this team to prepare their IDSP application, “If they complete the application process and are awarded a certification, it would be the first internationally recognised and certified Dark Sky Place in India. A certification could help raise awareness and encourage a call to action so that the people can help protect this (dark sky) resource.”

Tourism boosters

Regions closer to the Himalayas offer unhindered views of the night skies for avid astro tourists and a nomenclature such as a dark sky reserve or a sanctuary can further help boost tourism, says Sonal Asgotraa, founder of Astrostays, which works closely with the local community in Maan village in Ladakh, on the banks of Pangong Tso in Leh. “The dark sky as a resource has always been there in Ladakh; the announcement of a dark sky reserve in Hanle is a welcome move for those in the astro tourism industry and for tourists keen to explore the dark skies. It has helped create a buzz.”

While a few tourists have explored astro tourism in Leh, she says driving further away to Hanle and Zanskar can offer unhindered views of the night sky. “For people travelling all the way, developing accommodation facilities in the hamlets will be key,” adds Sonal.

Astrostays has been enabling tourists to stargaze, with help from the local community that has been trained in astronomy, and also incorporates elements of Tibetan cosmology, given its proximity to the 700-year-old Phyang monastery. In summer 2022, the organisation mooted an initiative called Cosmohub, which includes a visit to the monastery, stargazing experience and interactions with the local community.

Hanle, on the other hand, is equipped with the Indian Astronomical Observatory. Located 4,500 metres above sea level, Hanle is a cold desert region and houses the Hanle Monastery. The Himalayan Chandra Telescope, High Energy Gamma Ray telescope, the Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiment Telescope and GROWTH-India are among the prominent telescopes located at the Hanle observatory.

The pandemic surge

During the pandemic, with international travel out of bounds, Ashley points out to reports that suggest a surge in visits to parks and other close-to-Nature destinations. A report published by the National Parks Conservation Association, US, states that when national parks reopened after lockdown in 2020, they experienced an increase in visitors. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore had a 41% increase in visits from July to October 2020; Yellowstone and Zion National Parks also witnessed a significant surge.

Ashley adds, “Naturally dark and quiet environments can boost this sense of tranquility, which makes International Dark Sky Places more appealing.” Hyderabad-based management professional Arpita Bhaskar, recounts her pre-pandemic trip to New Zealand that was packed with visits to pristine beaches and volcanic mountains. However, what stood out was the stargazing experience at the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve at Mount Cook. “We were given a presentation about space inside a 360-degree-domed planetarium, after which the staff drove us in a bus, a 100 metres away, to the darkest spot in the universe. We could barely make out the outline of the telescopes and the guides. When our turn came to view through the telescope, the feeling was nothing less than euphoric. As the guide’s laser beam kept pointing, we watched the planets, star clusters, galaxies, the Milky Way and the Southern Cross.”

The experience made her aware of how lights can obstruct our viewing of the sky. “The reserve had a no-light policy. When we turned back to leave, I couldn’t resist looking up at the sky and I was greeted with skies as dark as darkness could be, but lit with the brightest stars.”

The announcement of a dark sky reserve in Hanle is a welcome move for those in the astro tourism industry and for tourists keen to explore the dark skies

Sonal Asgotraa,

Founder, Astrostays

Dark sky destinations

In India:Ladakh, Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh, deserts of Gujarat and Rajasthan, remote locations in Assam and Meghalaya are popular picks.International:Look for designated dark sky parks, reserves and sanctuaries in North America, South America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. A few popular regions include The Atacama Desert in Chile, Kruger National Park in South Africa, New Mexico True Dark Skies trail in USA, Aoraki Mackenzie In New Zealand and The Pinnacles, Nambung National Park in western Australia.

Away from the city

“There is a lot of astronomical awareness today and star parties are a growing trend,” says Lenin Tamilkovan, scientific officer at Birla Planetarium, Chennai. “Those who want to stargaze drive to the outskirts in small groups or to locations in far-flung areas where the artificial city light pollution is low. If you look through a telescope in an urban setup, you might spot only a few planets.”

Lenin welcomes the announcement of the Dark Sky Reserve in Hanle, Ladakh, and says cold, higher altitude regions are conducive to cloud-free, clear skies. “Years of survey and research go into studying the region before setting up observatories. Nearly 15 years of work went into setting up the Vainu Bappu Observatory at Kavalur in Javadi Hills, Tamil Nadu. Scientifically and culturally, Ladakh is a great place to observe the dark skies in a pollution-free environment.”

I disagree

Mother-tonguers versus English Vinglish : when slogans fed by pole-ticians creep into playgrounds and parks

JANE DE SUZA

OCTOBER 08

They say that people are getting more polarised. No middle ground. That there is an absolute refusal to acknowledge the other opinion. Well, I flatly disagree with anyone who holds this, or any other opinion which disagrees with my own.

The whole brouhaha started with politicians, of course, who are usually behind almost everything ending in haha. The Left slid more left on ever-slippery issues, while the Right almost stomped Righteously off the graph. The hitherto clueless population that made up the middle had to pick sides quickly, and immediately rant lustily for either side, and chant slogans the pole-iticians fed them. Sitting on the fence risked being impaled like kebabs.

Then, of course, it spread. The utopians versus the dystopians. The arranged-marriagees versus the love-conquer-alls. The past-glorifiers versus the future-gazers. Life versus Choice. Pineapple pizzatarians versus purists. West versus East, North versus South, and those who said we’re all the same were dragged bleating by their traitorous centres to either side.

It crept into schoolyards and playgrounds and parks. Mother-tonguers versus English Vinglish . Clockwise strolls versus anti-clockwise jogs. Uncles came to blows over monkey caps versus mufflers. Aunties with white hair swore to die before they’d share benches with those who dyed.

Obviously then, it slid into homes, too. There were those who loved pets versus those who went prospecting for pet poop. Those who wanted slippers outside the door versus those who threatened to fling those slippers at the slippery former. Those who fried fish that sent up a stink versus those who burnt incense that set off asthma attacks. Those who woke their neighbours with early morning prayers versus those who kept them sleepless with late night parties. Those who talked loudly in the lift versus those who wouldn’t say hello.

No middle ground. Because there were those who demanded the middle ground for kids to play football on versus those who sequestered it for silent yoga. And who wanted kids trampling all over you when you were diaphragm-breathing? versus why not do your yoga in your own house? versus how can I when there’s someone learning to play the drums right over my head? versus he can’t ever learn because of the Bollywood movies that some inconsiderate oaf blasts all day. And the upper-floor residents who fling litter down versus the lower-floor residents who use up the water pressure.

Everyone has a vehement inflexible opinion which won’t tolerate anyone else’s. Why be tolerant? Just pick a side. Heads or Tails? versus Why do we still need coins?

Where Jane De Suza, the author ofHappily Never After, talks about the week’s quirks, quacks and hacks

The Japanese Koi from Perumanadu

A koi breeding farm in this small village in Pudukottai district supplies the ornamental Japanese fish to customers all over India

NAHLA NAINAR

OCTOBER 08

(Above) PVR Sekaran of PVR Koi Centre in Pudukottai district; koi fish varieties.M Moorthy and The Hindu ArchivesMANJUNATH HS

As the water ripples in large tanks, Japanese koi await the hand that brings them food pellets. Koi carp are elegant eaters, waiting patiently for their turn and seemingly appreciative of the grub. “Koi are very sensitive to people, and will eat more when their owner feeds them, because they recognise them,” says PVR Sekaran, who has been breeding the ornamental fish in his native village Perumanadu in Pudukottai district, from 2011.

We are miles away from Japan, but the koi here retain the legendary charm and good looks of their Japanese counterparts. Costing anywhere between Rs. 1,200 to Rs. 1 lakh, the fish from Perumanadu farm draw well-heeled customers from Rajasthan, Goa, Chennai, Delhi and other big cities.

Brilliant colours

Known as nishikigoi in Japanese, koi is originally from China, where its domestication began in the 4th Century. Chinese invaders brought the fish with them to Japan as a source of food. By the early 19th Century though, Japanese rice farmers in Nigatta had started domesticating genetically modified koi carp with brilliant jewel-tone colouring as ornamental fish.

Today Koi is a label commonly used for varieties of Amur carp (Cyprinus rubrofuscus) . “I was captivated by koi when I visited Singapore where my brother Palaniselvam, a marine biologist, also has a small fish farm,” says Sekaran. “Since high-quality koi breeding was not being done in India at the time, I felt it could be a good business opportunity for us.”

Sekaran’s brother trained him in the nitty-gritty of koi breeding for two months in Singapore, following which Sekaran established the PVR Koi Centre on a three-acre property in Perumanadu. The farm sources its stock (when just a few inches long) from suppliers in Japan, quarantines them in Singapore for 24 days, and then imports them to India. “We give the Japanese fish directly only to those who can afford it. For others, we breed and grow them separately on the farm before they are sold,” says Sekaran.

Of the 10,000 eggs that hatch, only 100-150 fish are selected. The rest are culled and converted into food for the fish.

Online reach

With a rough track leading off the Pudukottai highway into the farm, one wonders how koi aficionados find their way here. “It’s mostly through our website and word of mouth from older customers,” says Sekaran’s son Aravind, who has been helping out at the farm for the past two years.

The farm grows the fish from 15-30 cm before putting them for sale through its web portal. “We have a specially adapted ‘aquatic studio’ where we photograph each fish individually. The price is fixed according to its looks, colouring and other parameters,” says Aravind.

There are at least 35 types of koi on offer at the centre; some, like the Sanke , with black and red marbling, costs Rs. 10,000. The Tancho , a sought-after white koi that has a large red spot on its head like the Japanese flag, priced at Rs. 40,000, is sold out.

Travelling Fish

Once the customer selects the koi for their pond, the fishes are kept in a quarantine tank, and trained for the new venue. “We get a sample of the water from the client’s home, and use it acclimatise our koi to the new tank. When travelling, the fish are lightly sedated, so that they do not get stressed. Ice packs keep the water cooler during long journeys,” says joint managing director Aravind. A small group of test fish are first sent into the client’s ponds; once these get used to the water, the chosen koi are transferred. “We usually take the test fish back, but if the client wishes, they can be left with the others,” says Aravind.

Koi suffers from skin diseases, especially if the level of ammonia is high in the water. It can also develop tumours. If the fish is sick, it will either exhibit erratic swimming behaviour or stop swimming altogether and park itself at the bottom of the water. “We have a ‘hospital tank’ where we take care of the ailing koi fish, and keep it under observation for a week before returning it to the owners. My brother Palaniselvam in Singapore helps us with the telemedicine consultation,” says Sekaran.

Samridhi’s many shades

The actor on playing a lawyer inGood Bad Girl, her hunt for diverse roles, and why Bollywood’s boycott culture is scary

SINDHU NAGARAJ

OCTOBER 08

Samridhi Dewan is all set to take her career to new heights with the upcoming show Good Bad Girl . After playing the role of Pammi Goel in the Indian version of The Office , and Kusum in the Hindi web series Stories by Rabindranath Tagore , Samridhi now plays Maya Ahuja in SonyLIV’s new web-series.

The show narrates the story of Maya Ahuja, a girl who has three different stories to tell in one lifetime, and how she lies her way through life to get whatever she wants. The show follows three timelines; Maya as a child, Maya when she was 18 and in law school, and Maya as a lawyer at 30.

The nine-episode show is created by Vikas Bahl and directed by Abhishek Sengupta. It also stars Vaibhav Raj Gupta, Gul Panag, Aradhya Aanjna, Sheeba Chadha, Namrata Seth, Rajendra Sethi, Soham Majumdar, and Zain Khan Durrani in pivotal roles.

Talking to The Hindu about playing Maya, Samridhi says, going forward, she wants her roles to be very versatile and diverse. “I want to dip my feet into every possible genre, and try everything as I did with this show.”

Elated about the release in the offing, she says she had a great experience working with the whole cast and crew of the show. Further talking about playing Maya, being a part of the OTT era, and her upcoming projects, Samridhi says, “This is all new for me, and the journey has been positive so far.”

Excerpts from a conversation:

Question:Can you tell us a bit about the show and the character you’re playing?

Answer:The show is about Maya, and how she understands as a young girl that life is not just black-and-white, and lying sometimes to get what you want can be beneficial. This sticks with her, and as she grows up to become a lawyer, she starts to believe that lying is an integral part of her profession. Eventually, she starts getting into trouble with her lies, and the show is about how she tries to deal with the consequences of her actions.

Q:Since Maya is a lawyer, did you do anything to prepare for the role?

A:The show is about Maya as a lawyer, and it has a legal side to it, but it is not like Criminal Minds or Suits, where every episode is about the law. The show is more about Maya as a person, her job in a legal firm, and the politics surrounding it. Having said that, we did attend an online court, as physical courts were not happening when we started shooting. When I attended these online court sessions, I realised how very different the concept of law is, as opposed to what is portrayed in popular culture. It certainly helped me bring a new dimension to the role.

Q:Maya’s character is a bit eccentric, and with negative shades. How did you approach the role?

A:It was made very clear to me from the beginning that the character would be a bit of an anti-hero, mainly because of her actions. It was still very important for me to make her relatable, to make people understand why she chooses to do certain things. I’m not condoning her actions, but Maya’s perspective helps you understand her. Playing Maya, I never thought of her as a villain because I knew why she did all that. I took time to understand her perspective of life, and after going through Maya’s three timelines, and after having multiple discussions with the director, I started understanding the body language she would use in different situations.

Q:You made your debut through a web series, so how does it feel to be a part of the streaming era?

A:I haven’t yet had an experience with mainstream Bollywood, so I cannot compare the two. But I feel the obvious difference between them would be the length. Character-wise, you get to stay with it a lot more in the OTT format. I feel like you get a substantial amount of time to convey what the person is about, and I feel comfortable knowing that there is room for exploration.

Q:Many shows are getting released across various streaming platforms. Is it overwhelming?

A:I do feel overwhelmed, but because of other reasons. Everybody’s put so much hard work into it, and have some expectations of it. You hope that people will like it and watch it. But with the amount of content coming out, I sometimes worry if it will just get lost with so much out there. I feel, as an actor, I cannot do anything about that. So, I’m just going to wait, watch, and enjoy the ride!

Q:The boycott culture in Bollywood seems to be going strong.

A:There’s a lot of effort and money and time that goes into things, but suddenly people decide to not indulge in your efforts for whatever reason. We can’t just be any type of person. We have to be very conscious of what’s going on. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, because I haven’t personally experienced it. But, it does feel a little scary.

Good Bad Girlwill stream on SonyLIV from October 14

Playing Maya, I never thought of her as a villain because I knew why she did all that. After going through Maya’s timelines, I started understanding the body language she would use.

Samridhi Dewan

Listen in on the Bachchans

Get a peek into the Bachchan home with Navya Nanda’s podcast, where she is in conversation with her mother Shweta Bachchan Nanda and grandmother, Jaya Bachchan

SHILPA NAIR ANANDSHILPA.NAIR@THEHINDU.CO.IN

OCTOBER 08

The first episode of Navya Naveli Nanda’s audio podcast ‘What The Hell Navya’ feels familiar. In conversation with her mother and grandmother, the banter is friendly, and good-hearted, typical of close family.

The 25-year-old who is co-founder and CEO of health-tech company Aaraa Health, and grand-daughter of Amitabh Bachchan makes her podcast debut with mother Shweta Bachchan-Nanda and grandmother, actor Jaya Bachchan. The three women discuss a range of topics: financial independence, navigating professional life, love and relationships over the podcast’s 10 episodes.

In the first episode, dropped on September 27, the three generations of Bachchan family women introduce each other giving listeners a glimpse of how they see each other, different from how the rest of the world knows them.

“I spoke about things I was genuinely curious about and conversations I wanted to have with my nani and mother. It is special to be able to sit down with them, have this equation and be able to have open conversations about things. Work, financial independence, relationships, love… these are questions any 25-year-old woman will have and look to family for guidance,” says Navya over a video call from Mumbai.

Across generations

Kavita Rajwade, co-founder IVM Podcasts, the creator of the show, says, “I knew Navya was a perfect fit because she is 25, runs a health-tech company, and the family she comes from.” She adds, “It is a great pan-generation conversation idea. Usually, we release our podcasts from Monday to Friday, but new episodes of this podcast drop on Saturday. We want to make it a ‘family listen’ that brings the family together… it is all PG-13,” Kavita adds.

The idea was conceived during the lockdown when, like everyone else, Navya also found herself spending more time at home with her family. That three generations of women could sit down to talk about things that matter, bringing differing opinions to the table, drew her to IVM’s idea.

Although Navya says she did not make any new discoveries about her mother or grandmother, she learnt that her views on specific topics aligned more with her grandmother than her mother. “You would naturally assume my mother’s view would not be very different from mine since she is closer to my generation than my nani .” There were disagreements too at the end of which they agreed to meet in the middle.

Bringing them on board

Navya says she learnt through the process that despite being strong women they allowed her to do what she wanted, “more than finding out new things about them, I have come to appreciate this through the experience. I also got to learn a lot from them”. Navya says she is happy that people will get to listen to her mother, Shweta, who keeps a low profile. “She has a lot of knowledge and experience, and though I will not admit it most of the time she makes sense 100% of the time.”

The podcast is not scripted. “The conversation was free-flowing. We came in with a rough idea of what we wanted to talk about, other than that we never really prepared ourselves,” she says adding that getting her mother and grandmother to participate was not very difficult since it was for her. It helped that her mother is an avid podcast listener.

What The Hell Navyais streaming across audio platforms

Celebrating 10 grand years

Revisit culinary favourites and take an eco-tour as ITC Grand Chola celebrates a decade in Chennai

NIDHI ADLAKHA

OCTOBER 08

(Clockwise from left) Cafe Mercara Express; the staircase at ITC Grand Chola; and chef Mayank Kulshreshtha.Special ArrangementSpecial Arrangement

When ITC Grand Chola opened its doors to Chennai a decade ago, it offered a much-needed, refreshing and luxurious landmark to the city and its hospitality industry. Spread across eight acres and comprising several restaurants, bars, and massive banquet areas, the hotel’s interiors draw from palatial Chola temples and royal durbars, with engraved steps, ornate chandeliers, and an Insta-worthy wheel design on its grand staircase at the entrance.

As the hotel celebrates its 10th anniversary this month, starting October 10, there are offers on stay and the team is reviving decade-old dishes, which featured on the hotel menu, to evoke culinary nostalgia.

Favourites from 2012

Zubin Songadwala, general manager, ITC Grand Chola and area manager at ITC Hotels, South, says signature dishes from the menus of 2012 will now be available at all restaurants. “The anniversary special menus have been curated to evoke nostalgia, and the dishes have been chosen for their popularity, and as a tribute to that era,” he says. For instance, at Café Mercara, guests can relish old-time creations, including Jubilee Coleslaw, Cary Saheb’s Baked prawns and Mrs Beeton’s Moorugh Curry, along with retro live music.

The 10-day themed dinner featuring the Best of Madras Pavilion includes the hotel’s classics: The Spice Trail brunch, Highway on My Buffet, Local Love - Farm to Plate Brunch and Aamchi Mumbai Brunch series, among others.

Take an eco-tour

Guests will be greeted by WelcomDivas clad in traditional Kanjeevaram saris, a floral rangoli, Bharatanatyam performances and a champagne ceremony as “the grand evening ritual in the Sangam lobby”. The LEED Zero Carbon-certified hotel is also offering an eco-tour to its guests. “The tour by our technical services team will showcase all sustainable initiatives at the hotel. These include the organic-waste convertor that converts kitchen waste into manure, used by the hotel’s horticulture department, a sewage treatment plant, an air water generator, a rooftop solar water hot water system that generates close to 20,000 litres of hot water a day, among others,” explains Zubin. “The celebration has been conceived as a thanksgiving to our guests,” he concludes. For details, call +91 44 222 0000.

“The anniversary special menus have been curated to evoke nostalgia, and the dishes have been chosen for their popularity.

Zubin Songadwala

General manager, ITC Grand Chola

Between currents and crosswinds

As the fifth race of CBL-2 kicked off in Kochi this week, we look at how the city’s Marine Drive is a challenge to rowers

PRIYADERSHINI S

OCTOBER 08

Rowers at the Champions Boat League.special arrangement

Aaarrrrppppooo….. Irro. The full-throated rhythmic battle cry of boatmen boomed on the waters off Marine Drive yesterday as the fifth race of the Champions Boat League (CBL) kickstarted.

Before Kerala Tourism brought the famed snake boat ( chundan vallom ) races of Kerala under a League competition (CBL), in 2018, there were four major snake boats races and almost 15 minor races held in and around Alappuzha.

The history of boat races can be traced to warring kings of the region who used architecturally superior war boats to battle each other. The wooden boats were handmade, without any technical blueprint, and the tradition continues till date. As a boat, most often, belongs to a village and oarsmen come from there, entire villages are part of the races.

With 100-odd oarsmen rowing rhythmically, singing the boat song ( vanchipattu ) to power their moves, and guided by the war cry of helmsmen and the leading captain, the races are visually magnificent and present high wattage drama on the waters.

There was much drama in the last race at Piravom (October 1) where the Mighty Oars (NCDC) propelled themselves ahead of defending champions Tropical Titans (Pallathuruthy Boat Club) by just 30 microseconds. Raging Rowers (Kerala Police Boat) finished third edging out Ripple Breakers (Punnamada Boat Club), the second runners-up in a race a week ago.

A challenging course

“Our strategy went slightly wrong,” says Vinod P, coach of Tropical Titans, at their loss by a whisker, adding that the Marine Drive track is challenging. In the 2019 tournament, it was the only track on which the Tropical Titans had lost after winning all 11 races of the season.

The Marine Drive track has proved challenging for most teams as the 1.3 kilometre stretch is in the sea and not a river or the backwaters. RK Kurup, president of the Kerala Snake Boats and Rowers Association, and one of the event organisers, “In a site survey, it was found that the water lacked depth in certain places and required dredging. The track has been deepened and is 1,000 metres.” He adds that a minimum two metre depth is a basic requirement.

Vinod explains, “the track close to the shore is not deep, hence slow; the outer track is deep, with strong currents. The team closer to the shore negotiates steady water while the teams in the outer track have to battle the current and waves”.

Kochi and the Iruttukuthi

“Kochi had its own snake boat race — Indira Gandhi Boat Race — about two decades ago. It was successfully conducted for two to three years but was discontinued thereafter. This CBL is happening after the pandemic and will revive the race,” says Kurup.

Vinu K John, a Kochiite and a commentator at the Nehru Trophy Race this year says, “Ernakulam district has its own boat races. The big difference is that in Ernakulam the boat clubs use the ‘Iruttukuthi vallom’, a smaller sleeker boat, and not snake boats.”

While snake boats carry 100 rowers the Iruttukuthi is in three categories — A, B and C — and has a smaller number of rowers ranging from 25 to 40.

Jacob J Mappilacherry, 73, recollects the 1993 Indira Gandhi Boat race at Marine Drive. Though nominal captain, of ‘Champakulam’, he was onboard it in the race.“In the finals, we faced the one and only Karichal (a team that has won the Nehru Trophy about 15 times). After an unbearably tight race, we won by the skin of our teeth. Our leading captain KN Chandran Kalappurakkal collapsed from the excitement and had to be taken to the hospital,” says Jacob. Yearning to be back on the waters in a race, he says, the Kochi track “presents more adventure, a greater challenge with unpredictable winds and currents.”

There are as many as 40 small and big boat clubs and committees and as many local races associated with the sport in Ernakulam district

Gothuruth Boat Race

One of the oldest boat races the Gothuruth Boat Race (GBR) began in 1938. Called the Nehru Trophy of Iruttukuthi boats race, the Gothuruth Boat Club has six iruttu kuthi boats. Its most famous race, called ‘Pallithirunal Vallamkali’, is conducted on the occasion of the Holy Cross Feast, in September.

Chambakkara Boat Race

The Eroor-Chambakkara Boat race is the only snake boat race in Ernakulam. Held every year during Onam, around the Chambakkara Bridge on the Ernakulam-Chottinakara route, it enables people to watch from both sides of the Chambakkara river. Though a snake boat race, smaller crafts like churulan , odi and veppu too are part of the competition. There are races for women too.

Ticket to ride

Francesca D’Alonzo from Italy is now in India after traversing half the globe on her bike. She talks about the ups and downs of her adventures

VIJAY LOKAPALLY

OCTOBER 08

Francesca D’Alonzo is on a daring adventure on her Yamaha Ténéré 700. As a biker, she has always attracted attention — she knew it was tough but then her ambition was always to explore extraordinary places and hence, this exciting exercise — from Italy to India through the Balkans, Turkey, Iran and Pakistan.

“I am finally in India. Can’t be happier than this,” she smiles. Francesca has been in India for two weeks now, crossing over into the country via the Wagah border. Ladakh was her first stop before arriving at Amritsar. “The Golden Temple was just stunning. A magical location indeed.”

Biking was not a welcome hobby. Her family had their apprehensions. “It was not a girl thing,” she was warned. “I was initially scared. I thought I was not capable of riding a motorbike.” Her partner, Amedeo Lovisoni, initiated the idea and she lost little time in embracing biking to become a brand ambassador for Yamaha. Amedeo is her travelling partner on this tour, covering 200 to 500 kilometres a day, depending on the traffic. “We both hail from Udine, a city in north-eastern Italy.”

She presented a proposal to Yamaha Motors in Italy to ride the Yamaha Ténéré 700 in order to showcase women empowerment and was pleasantly surprised when it was accepted. She has travelled 50,000 kilometres in a year’s time since, riding from Italy to Turkey. “Getting to India on a bike was my dream and I am super happy to have done this,” says the 34-year-old.

“I worked a year in London as a financial analyst, and I grew up studying ballet and modern dance, performing in European theatres. I back-packed solo through South-East Asia and hitchhiked across Europe. I’m a serial experimenter: skydiving, canyoning, surfing, paragliding, downhill skiing,” she says. Francesca is currently in the process of pursuing a second degree in Psychology, having secured one in Law in Bologna, Italy.

She wanted to do something by herself and that is why she took up the challenge. “I am stubborn when I want something. I wanted to set an example to the world. A story to inspire girls. It is not about the bike. It is a way to develop discipline, commitment and sacrifice. It is a daring way to travel.”

Books and postcards

OCTOBER 08

For National Postal Week, Postcard Ville will launchTales From Tulika range of postcardsfeaturing artwork on books published by Tulika Publishers at Madras Literary Society today from 10.30am; tickets: Rs. 500;)09791192070. Up north, artist Orijit Sen and Samarth’s comic,Gang of 20, will be launchedat India’s G20 Moment: Notes from the Margins,in India International Centre, Delhi, 4pm today.

Talkingpoint

OCTOBER 08

The luxe edit

OCTOBER 08

Villeroy & Boch’s new collection,French Garden, comprises a ceramic crockery set with scalloped edges and hand-painted rims. Above Rs. 4,000; villeroy-boch.asia/en/. At house parties, the handcrafted chip and dip bowl fromClayventuresmakes a conversation piece. Microwave, dishwasher, and oven safe, the big-bellied bottom and floating dip bowl design is priced Rs. 5,200. Neat gift idea, you say?

Anita Dongre showcase

OCTOBER 08

anita

A celebratory preview of Anita Dongre’s collection will be on show at Tifara, a multi-designer boutique in Nungambakkam. Rooted in Rajasthan, the brand blends sustainability and craftsmanship. In addition to upcycling textile waste the brand has been fur-free and leather-free from the start. On display in Chennai are architecturally-inspired textiles, Benarasi saris, hand-crafted suit sets, embroidered kurtas and contemporary ghararas. The showcase is on till October 8 at Tifara, Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam. www.anitadongre.com.

Instapick

OCTOBER 08

London Film Festival (LFF):The 66th BFI LFF comes close on the heels of the 60th New York Film Festival, with Roald Dahl’sMatilda the Musicalas its opening film. Making their debut at the festival are Asif Kapadia’sCreatureand Frank Berry’sAisha. On till October 16; on BFI Player from October 14 to 23. Ticket details @bfi.org.uk.

Pick of the week

Concerts, workshops, tours and everything else you need to plan your social calendar.For events, contact us on weekend@thehindu.co.in

OCTOBER 08

Slice of Singapore

Singapore-based chocolatierFossahas launched two limited-edition flavours: Apple Cinnamon and Tomato & Maqaw Pepper. Delivery on request. Rs. 689 on fossachocolate.com. Closer home, Mumbai’s Magazine St. Kitchen is hosting Saturday brunch (11.30am) and Sunday lunch (2pm) menus curated by Singapore’sPark Bench Deli. Expect Vegetarian Muffeletta and Lamb Pastrami. Rs. 3,500.

Dalit art festival

OCTOBER 08

DakshinaChitra Heritage Museum, Muttukadu, has collaborated with Neelam Cultural Centre, an initiative of filmmaker Pa Ranjith, for Vaanam — A festival celebrating Dalit art, literature and theatre. The event, starting today, will feature talks, panel discussions, documentary screenings, theatre plays and an art exhibition (curated by Natraj Gangadaran) by over 20 artists, including G Chandrasekar, S Vengatesan, Sridhar and more. Their artworks are on view till October 30 at Varija and Kadambari galleries. All talks, documentaries and plays, will be showcased today, tomorrow, Oct 14 and Oct 15.

Sound of love

OCTOBER 08

Prateek Kuhad'sThe Way That Lovers Do tour, starting Oct 29, spans 15 cities, including Mumbai, Chennai, and Delhi. Tickets; in.bookmyshow.com. Rs. 499. Speaking of music, Madras Musical Association’sLook To The Rainbowwill feature musicals by over 80 choirs, ensembles, duets and solos. Venue: Kalaivanar Arangam; Time: 6.30pm, today. Tickets Rs. 300 upwards. For details,)+91 9840263063.

MP_Chennaievents

ITRA DEEPA ANANTHARAM 4878 (CHITRADEEPA.A@THEHINDU.CO.IN)

OCTOBER 08

anita

A dash of colour

Amaris by Prerna Rajpal’s new Festive Play collection uses stones ranging from emeralds and rubies to tanzanites and sapphires in varying colour combinations. This Deepavali range includes bangles that can be stacked, and over-sized chandbali earrings with intricate utrai work. There are delicate chokers too that can be paired with studs. For a more ornate look, pick a multi-layered pearl necklace. The colour-coded, chunky designer jewels go well with Indian ensembles. Amaris specialises in bespoke luxury jewels such as polki, diamonds and ethically-sourced stones. Rs. 60,000 upwards. Available at www.amarisjewels.com

Designer Deepavali

OCTOBER 08

anita

Stylebazaar’s Deepavali and wedding edit will showcase designer garments, accessories, footwear and jewellery. In the line up are Labels by Upasana from Jaipur, Kadhuwa Banaras from Varanasi, Reya Purohit’s vintage vibes, Kastaan by Sonali Ranjan, House of Sitara from Mumbai, Turrbands and Tantrums, Vivaan creations, Hanger Trails, and Suman’s Lucknowi to name a few. The exhibition is on till October 8 at Hyatt Regency, Anna Salai.

Whetting dry wit

OCTOBER 08

Deadpan performerShreeja Chaturvedi’s Stand-UpComedy Trial Show tour arrives in Chennai, today at 8pm. Curated by Vijayawada-based The Grin Club, the show atMedai-The Stage, Alwarpet, marks the artist’s debut in the city. Rs. 399;in.bookmyshow.com. Tamil stand-upcomedian Ramkumaralso takes the same stage at 6pm today. Tickets Rs. 399; in.bookmyshow.com.

Spaced out?

OCTOBER 08

After two years of battling the pandemic, writer’s block and general laziness,Varun Thakuris back with his hour-long special curiously titled Space Cadet. With a high-energy mix of hilarious anecdotes, act-outs and observational comedy, he takes you on a ride to laughter land, but be warned, not in Space, even if he sounds and seems a bit spaced out. Catch him on October 8, 8pm at ALT Space, Rd No 45, Jubilee Hills.

Krrish or Batman?

OCTOBER 08

Rado’sHrithik RoshanSpecial Edition, second addition to its Captain Cook collection, features sapphire crystal and a ceramic-titanium bracelet. Rs. 3,37,600 (rado.com). From Krrish to DC’s superhero,The Police x THE BATMANCollector’s Edition watch comes with a carbon-fire case shaped like a half batwing which opens up. Rs. 16,022; on World of Titan, Shopper Stop, Helios Watch Store, Amazon.

Painting India’s freedom struggle

OCTOBER 08

DAG’s art exhibition March to Freedom re-interprets the story of Indian’s freedom struggle and anti-colonial movement. The collection, comprising nearly 160 artworks, features 18th and 19th Century European paintings, prints and more. Curated by historian Mrinalini Venkateswaran; on view at New Delhi’s Bikaner House till Oct 29.

Weave your own scarf

OCTOBER 08

Can you weave a silk scarf in your favourite colour? Give it a try at this weaving studio that is organising a four-day weave and wear workshop. The event requires no prior experience. Tutors will guide you to select the colours, create a scarf design, set up the loom and weave the scarf. At Shuttles and Weaves, Adyar. October 11 to 14, three hours per day, 2pm to 5pm. Open for all age groups. Fee is Rs. 8,000 plus taxes. For details and fee, call 9840239140.

Lil fad reel

OCTOBER 08

Lil Nas X, Coach’s global ambassador forCourage to Be Realcampaign, stars in the brand’s eponymous short film that features his new trackStar Walkin. Watch: https://shorturl.at/cHTV0. Meanwhile,Michael Korshas launched three limited-edition bags exclusively in India for Deepavali, which feature illustrations by Aashti Miller. Available on Ajio Luxe and Tata Cliq Luxury; Rs. 19,000 upwards.

Property Plus

- Raise your glass

- Parking hazards

- ‘Buildings with glass use less power’

Raise your glass

The United Nations declared 2022 as the International Year of Glass to promote best practices and sustainability in the industry. Here we discuss its role in buildingsand the benefits of tech, says Anupama Mohanram

ANUPAMA MOHANRAM

OCTOBER 08

Architectural glass allows us to open out and connect to the world outside, giving us access to views and bringing in natural light. An advantage of using glass as a wall element is that it is much slimmer than conventional wall materials, providing more floor space.

However, one problem with glass is that along with natural light, it also brings in the heat from outside, which can make the interiors uncomfortable in hot tropical climates. In fact, when compared to wall materials such as brick, glass tends to transmit more than double the amount of heat. Additionally, glass can also radiate a lot of heat from outside if directly exposed to solar rays, thereby leading to excessive air conditioning use in a hot and humid place like Chennai.

Heat resistance

One way to minimise heat transmission during design is to ensure sensible and judicious use of glass with adequate shading to prevent direct heat gain. Use of double glazed or even triple glazed windows, where there are two or three panes of glass separated by an air gap ensures better insulation or a very low U-value (measuring the amount of heat from ambient air outside that can pass through the glass) from both heat and noise.

In addition, use of low-E (low emissivity) coatings on the external layer of glass will enhance the insulation.

Today, technological advances have led to multiple types of ‘high performance’ glass that let in the light (high visible transmittance), not the heat (low heat gain). This has been made possible by use of low emissivity (low-E) coatings on clear glass. These are thin coatings that prevent or limit certain wavelengths of light from passing through the pane while still allowing the passage of visible light.

The commonly available tints in glass are neutrals, blues and greens, all of which provide a good balance between light transmittance and thermal resistance.

Saint Gobain, Asahi India Limited, Gujarat Guardian Limited and Pilkington India are some well-known manufacturers of high performance glass. For people looking for a clear glass aesthetic for their buildings, the neutral shades are a close match.

However, it is best to avoid large areas of clear glazing without any divisions at heights greater than two or three storeys, to prevent bird hits.

Tips to choose glass

1. Ideally, it is good to choose glass with a U-value not exceeding 5.5. If your lifestyle involves using a lot of air conditioning it is best to use double glazed windows which will bring down the U-value to 2.6.

2. With respect to SHGC (Solar Heat Gain Coefficient is the amount of heat from direct sunlight that falls on the glass and passes through it), it’s best to look for glass with a factor of 0.5 or less. When this is combined with adequate shading, the factor is reduced even further.

If your home or workplace has large windows, especially facing east or west in a place like Chennai, you could look for glass with even lower SHGC factor of 0.35.

However, do keep in mind that the cost of glass increases as the SHGC gets lower. A good strategy is to choose glass with a medium SHGC factor but ensure adequate sun shading on the building.

3. To ensure adequate visible light transmittance within buildings with smaller windows, it’s best to look for glass with a VLT (Visible Light Transmission) of at least 50%.

In the case of large glass facades, a VLT of at least 35% is good.

The writer is the founder of Green Evolution, a sustainable architecture firm.

Use of double glazed

or even triple glazed windows, where there are two or three panes of glass separated by an air gap ensures better insulation

Parking hazards

Your property-related legal queries answered by S.C. RAGHURAM, Partner, RANK Associates,a Chennai-based law firm

S.C. RAGHURAM

OCTOBER 08

Question:

In our apartment complex, consisting of 10 approved and two unapproved flats, the common corridor on all four sides of the building is less than 10 feet in width. The covered car parking in the stilt has been sold to seven flat owners. Those who do not have covered parking, leave their vehicles in the narrow common area corridor thus restricting easy movement of everyone who has to cross that way. Is it possible to get a legal solution to this and prevent such parking so that the common area is used for the benefit of all the flat owners?

S. Narayanan,

Chennai

Answer:

It is not clear as to when your building was completed. If your complex was built before the RERA came into force, car parking spaces cannot be sold and the allotment should have been regulated by the association of flat owners. You must have your association duly registered (if not done already) and address these aspects in the bye-laws or in the general body.

‘Buildings with glass use less power’

A.R. Unnikrishnan, MD, Glass Business, Saint-Gobain India, says why glassas a building material is in demandin workplace design

OCTOBER 08

An evaluation of the indoor environment of 30 offices across the country was conducted by Green Business Certification Institute (GBCI) India and Saint-Gobain Research India (SGRI) to assess the indoor environmental quality of workspaces in India and their impact on occupants’ health and well-being. The study was an extensive exercise carried out over a period of three years. The study highlights some of the critical issues unnoticed by occupants, like poor ventilation, improper lighting conditions, and ineffective noise control among others.

There are four main factors that affect people’s experience of comfort in an indoor environment. They are thermal comfort, visual comfort, acoustic comfort and indoor air quality.

High on light

It has been observed that only 10% of offices met the standard for Equivalent Melanopic Lux (EML) during morning hours. EML is described as a way of measuring the biological effects of light on humans. As per the study, commercial buildings with glass use less artificial light, consume less power. About 74% of people reported no external views or only poor-quality views from their workstations. People with good outdoor views had higher energy levels at the end of the day.

Thermal comfort is that condition of mind that expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment across all seasons. As per the research, more than 56% of the spaces operated on the cooler side of the comfort zone.

Acoustic comfort is obtained by the absence or reduction of unwanted sounds from external sources like the local traffic or internal sources like office equipment, and people talking. The study suggests in 73% of spaces, levels of interior background noise were higher than the standard threshold.

Since we spend more than 90% of our time indoors, our indoor environment and its systems significantly impact the quality of the air we breathe.

The joint research reveals that offices need to prioritise the evaluation of their indoor environment.

Table of Contents

The Hindu

Front Page

Panel to study SC status of Dalits post conversion

Rights champions in Belarus, Russia, Ukraine get Nobel

March 31 deadline for restoration of damaged roads: CM

Surveyor sentenced to over three years in jail

Uma Bharti to hit the streets for new liquor policy in M.P.

PM likely to inaugurate KIA’s T2 on Nov. 10

IARI: stubble burning in Punjab at 3-year low

Prabhakar Reddy is TRS candidate for Munugode

Protective shield

TBM stuck after encountering garbage pile

Dairy farmers to get incentive

Party symbol dispute: EC seeks Uddhav’s reply

Karnataka set to hike SC/ST quota

Conversion row: AAP Minister issues apology

Govt. to hike reservation

Five Sri Lankan Tamils reach T.N.

Children’s home at Tiruppur to be sealed

Basavanna’s teachings invoked

National

‘India can lead G20 on education, climate and debt sustainability’

Respect and guarantee human rights to Uighurs of Xinjiang, says MEA

Ahead of Assembly poll, Congress in Gujarat faces defections, lack of focus

Government seeks CJI’s recommendation on appointment of successor

India-U.K. free trade pact may miss October deadline

Tamil Nadu Minister orders closure of children’s home

IARI says stubble burning in Punjab is at three-year low; Uttar Pradesh records rise

Varanasi court defers order on petition filed by Hindu plaintiffs in Gyanvapi case

Amid row over ‘mass conversion’, AAP Minister apologises

Every healthy man is obliged to provide for his wife, children: SC

Bharat Jodo Yatra completes 30 days, covers over 700 km

Two with terror links arrested in Mohali grenade attack case

India objects to recent visit of U.S. Ambassador to PoK

Unions oppose new appraisal system for insurance employees

EC seeks Uddhav’s response on party symbol dispute

Six Indian prisoners died in Pak. in last nine months: Centre

Cough syrup deaths will impact India’s image: Anand Sharma

Petitioner moves court for FIR copy in PFI case

The best snaana

‘ Varna and caste system should be discarded’

Panel to study SC status of converted Dalits

CBI charge sheet against TMC leader over scam

ED attaches Rs. 1.54 cr. in Amnesty case

Uttarkashi avalanche toll hits 26, search on for 3 missing persons

Kharge rejects remark that Gandhis will control him

Belarus, Russia, Ukraine win Nobel Peace Prize

Two Army personnel killed in tank barrel burst

ED conducts searches in Delhi Excise Policy case

PM using empty slogans despite rising poverty: Cong.

Tour operators’ body writes to PM on restoring e-visas

FIR against owners of cattle hit by Vande Bharat train

CBI files chargesheet against Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi

U.P. police dismiss claims of forced sloganeering at AMU

NCB arrests former Air India pilot, five others in drug haul

Vande Bharat train hits cattle for second day, damaged

International

Ukraine predicts more gains as Putin’s Generals face flak

Ukraine changes mind on UNHRC vote on Xinjiang

Ahead of midterm elections, Biden pardons Americans for possession of cannabis

U.S. imposes new sanctions on Chinese chips

Amazon deforestation sees monthly record

Russian court orders seizure of Memorial’s Moscow office

No Chinese troops in Solomon Islands: PM

More than 1 million displaced since Myanmar coup, says UN

U.S. and Philippines reinforce their alliance with joint military drills

World food prices fall for sixth straight month, says UN

Iran says Mahsa Amini died of illness rather than ‘blows’

Opinion

Where the stars must not twinkle

The growth and limitations of Dravidian urbanism

The atrophy of the neo-Buddhist movement in India

Slow lane driving

A synthetic click

Business

Government kicks off IDBI Bank disinvestment process

Expensive handsets, high tariffs may delay adoption of 5G services

Car firms propose tax cut on imports under U.K. trade deal

Hero MotoCorp unveils e-scooter VIDA V1 at Rs. 1.45 lakh

Adani Group likely to invest Rs. 65,000-crore in Rajasthan

India’s forex reserves slide to more than two-year low

RBI to start e-rupee pilot for specific use cases

Rupee sinks to new low of 82.32 as dollar rules strong versus peers, stocks slide

M&M unveils XUV300 Turbosport at Rs. 10.35 lakh

India slaps $244-mn notice on French spirits maker Pernod

Government notifies credit guarantee plan for start-ups

Sport

Simranjit Kaur, Shiva Thapa cruise into the quarterfinals

Nida’s all-round performance fashions Pakistan’s remarkable win over India

The buzz is back around Bengaluru FC as it takes on NorthEast United

Hashika claims her sixth gold; Sajan takes his yellow metal tally to five

Ravishing Form wins feature

Ivan’s night out as Kerala’s Blasters have a party

Madras HC paves way for team picked by VFI to represent TN in 2022 National Games

Giannis Antetokounmpo keen to play pre-season games in India

MRF Formula 2000 makes a return after a two-season break

Priceless Ruler has edge in Mount Everest Handicap

Parth, Kashish emerge champions in TPL talent hunt

Rashmi is third time World Champion

Purav and Divij make the doubles finals in France

Nehru hockey: NCC takes on Mizoram school in semifinals

‘We fell short of finding two big hits’

Warner, Starc star in Australia’s T20 sweep against the Windies

Punjab women storm into hockey semifinals

Technical tweak does the trick for Vivaan

Abhinav and Karandeep share the top spot

Russell and Hamilton make it a Mercedes 1-2 in second practice

Arsenal in cruise control while United huffs and puffs

MEG & Center pips Friends United

Santosh Trophy knockout in Saudi Arabia in February

Naveen powers Dabang Delhi past U Mumba; Bulls beat Titans

Iran’s Azmoun faces World Cup injury heartbreak

Pakistan beats Bangladesh in tri-series opener

Mitchell ruled out of T20 Tri-Series with fractured hand

Lionel Messi says Qatar World Cup will be his last

TNCA lower division scores

Diya puts it across Aleena

Weekend

Down to Earth

Written in the stars

I disagree

The Japanese Koi from Perumanadu

Samridhi’s many shades

Listen in on the Bachchans

Celebrating 10 grand years

Between currents and crosswinds

Ticket to ride

Books and postcards

Talkingpoint

The luxe edit

Anita Dongre showcase

Instapick

Pick of the week

Dalit art festival

Sound of love

MP_Chennaievents

Designer Deepavali

Whetting dry wit

Spaced out?

Krrish or Batman?

Painting India’s freedom struggle

Weave your own scarf

Lil fad reel

Property Plus

Raise your glass

Parking hazards

‘Buildings with glass use less power’