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NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

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CITY

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

D E L H I

Sep 29, Thu

Sep 30, Fri

Oct 01, Sat

RISE 06 13 SET 18 09

RISE 06 14 SET 18 08

RISE 06 14 SET 18 07

RISE 04 33 SET 17 20

RISE 05 27 SET 17 55

RISE 06 19 SET 18 29

SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS

CBI looking into Bansals

complaint against oicials
Deceased claimed harassment by those probing corruption case against him
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: The Central Bur-

eau of Investigation on
Wednesday launched an inquiry into allegations by
B.K. Bansal, suspended
Corporate Afairs DirectorGeneral, and his son, who
both committed suicide on
Tuesday, that they, along
with his wife and daughter,
were harassed by some of
its oicials involved in an
investigation of a corruption case filed against him.
The two women had
ended their lives on July 19.
We have today received
communication from the
Delhi Police enclosing
therewith the purported
handwritten notes of Mr.
Bansal and his son Yogesh.
It contains allegations
against certain CBI oicials
in connection with the ongoing bribery investigation
against him and others,
said CBI spokesperson R.K.
Gaur. He said the agency
had decided to investigate
the allegations.

He blamed CBI for ruining his life DELHI TODAY

STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: Rachna, the

housemaid who first

saw the bodies of
former D-G B.K. Bansal
and his son Yogesh in
their flat in east Delhi
on Tuesday, claimed
that her employer
complained of
harassment by the CBI
and had lost the will to
live.
Corroborating some
of the allegations made
by Bansal in a suicide
note, Rachna said that
the family was worried
as they were repeatedly
called by the CBI.
They used to tell me
that they are being
harassed, said Rachna.
Uncleji (Bansal)
would keep saying that
CBI murdered his wife
and daughter. He would

Bansals maid
Rachna has
claimed that her
employer had lost
the will to live
say, even if I am wrong,
the CBI shouldnt have
tortured my wife and
daughter and forced
them to kill
themselves. He would
often blame the CBI for
ruining his life
completely, she said.
She added that a day
before the incident,
Bansal had gone for
another round of
interrogation and upon
returning had shared
his plan to take a trip
with his son to Hisar.
The duration of the
trip was undecided, but
they had planned it to

be three or four days.

They had even ordered
south Indian food that
day, but didnt eat at
all, she said.
She said the father
and son were
depressed. They didn't
show to the outside
world that they were
depressed. But since
they used to treat me as
a family member, they
would keep saying that
there is nothing left in
their lives, she said.
Cremation in
Hisar
Bansal and his son
were cremated in their
ancestral village in
Hisar, Haryana, on
Wednesday. Bansals
nephew Naresh lit the
pyres in the presence of
the oicials brother
Pawan and some
relatives.

Talk: Lecture on India and Central Asia - Past,

Present and Future by Ashok Sajjanhar, president,
Institute of Global Studies. Chair: K. Raghunath at
IIC, 6:30 p.m.
Talk: Seminar on Clea(n/r)ing the City: The
Paradox of Sanitation and Improvement in Colonial
Calcutta by Sudipto Basu, Doctoral Candidate, University of Delhi, at Seminar Room, Nehru Memorial
Museum & Library, Teen Murti House, 3 p.m.
Talk: Empowering People to be Heart Healthy by
Dr. Anita Khalil and Dr. A. S. Dave to Mark World
Heart Day-2016. President and Co-Chair: Dr. S. Padmavati and Dr. M. Khalilullah at IIC, 2 p.m.
Talk: Home and the World: 1, Shanti Road by
Suresh Jayaram. Chair: Gayatri Sinha, at IHC, 7 p.m.
Music: Hindustani Vocal recital by Dhananjay Joshi
from Nanded, Maharashtra, with Manish Kanole on
tabla and Devendra Sharma on harmonium at IIC,
6:30 p.m.
Music & Dance: Beyond Barriers: An evening of
Fusion Music and Dance. Vocal and Tabla symphony, Kathak and Contemporary Dance performed
by more than 50 artistes. Concept and direction by
Sovon Hazra, at IHC, 7 p.m.
Exhibition: Manifestations - solo exhibition of
paintings by Susmita Lakhyani, IHC, 11 a.m. 7 p.m.
Exhibition: Solo show of paintings & drawings by
Narayan Acharya at All India Fine Arts & Craft Society (AIFACS), 1 Rafi Marg, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Exhibition: Avata Msana (Garland) - solo water
colour painting exhibition by Bindu Chutani at IHC,
11 a.m. 7 p.m.
Exhibition: The Fantasy World of Gouri Vemula and
The Recent Works of Aditi Aggarwal at Triveni Kala
Sangam, 205, Tansen Marg, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
(Mail your listings for this column at
cityeditordelhi@thehindu.co.in)

Yogesh had depression

If any violation is established, strict action will be
taken against the CBI oi-

If any violation is
established, strict
action will be taken
against the officials.
The competent court
will be informed

cials. The competent court

will be informed, he said.
A Patiala House court
bail order dated August 30
noted that the suspended
oicials son Yogesh had
depression.
Bribe charge
Bansal was arrested on

July 16 when he was allegedly receiving a bribe of

Rs.9 lakh from a Delhibased
businessman,
Vishvadeep Bansal, for not
recommending a Special
Fraud Investigation Oice
probe against the Mumbaibased
Elder
Pharmaceuticals.

He had earlier taken

Rs.11 lakh from the accused
persons.
During searches, over
Rs. 56 lakh in cash, jewellery and gold worth Rs.87
lakh and papers related to
20 immoveable properties
were seized, a CBI oicial
said.

Disclaimer: Readers are requested to verify &

make appropriate enquiries to satisfy
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Publisher & Owner of this newspaper, does not
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Owner, Publisher, Printer, Editor, Director/s,
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responsible/liable in any manner whatsoever for
any claims and/or damages for advertisements
in this newspaper.

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

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CAMPUS CLASH

Drama over play in Haryana university

Play based on short story Draupadi causes an uproar for allegedly showing soldiers in poor light

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

Authorities advise organisers

to defer Atif Aslam concert
Gurgaon admin says sentiments of soldiers should be kept in mind
STAFF REPORTER

up the fight on the matter.

In view of the protests, the
university authorities hurriedly issued a letter to Assistant Professor Snehsata,
one of the plays co-ordinators, seeking explanation on
the contents of the play, especially the epilogue. Both
the university and the district administration have
now set-up separate committees to probe the matter.

ASHOK KUMAR
MAHENDRAGARH: The contro-

versy over a play based on

Mahasweta Devis short
story Draupadi, enacted at
Central University of Haryana in Mahendragarh, about
150-km south-west of Delhi,
this past week has turned the
campus into a battleground
between academicians and
right-wing organisations.
Many are now calling for
sedition charges against the
organisers for allegedly
showing soldiers in a poor
light.
Taking exception
Organised by the varsitys
English and Foreign Languages Department on
September 21 as a tribute to
the renowned writer, the
play tells the story of Dopdi
Mejhen, a tribal woman
killed in an encounter by the
States Special Forces.
Even as the play was being
enacted, some students re-

IMPACT: The play was staged at the Central University of Haryana in Mahendragarh on
September 21 as a tribute to writer Mahasweta Devi. PHOTO COURTESY YOUTUBE
portedly informed social
activist Kailash Pali that soldiers were shown raping a
woman and committing
other atrocities.
The matter soon snowballed into a controversy
with activists of several

right-wing organisations, including the Akhil Bharatiya

Vidyarthi Parishad, ex-servicemen and local politicians in the area staging a
protest and sit-in outside the
university gate seeking action against those who were

part of the play.

Later, the protesters burnt
the eigies of the Vice-Chancellor and lodged a formal
complaint with the police
under the aegis of Sainik
Samman Sangarsh Samiti,
specially constituted to keep

Conspiracy
Harayana ABVP leader
Pramod Shastri said the play
was enacted as part of a larger conspiracy to promote
communist ideology in this
far-of area of rural Haryana
after similar attempts at
Jawaharlal Nehru University
and Hyderabad University.
Ms. Snehsata defended the
act in her reply to the authorities saying universities are
made for academics and research. These are platforms
where we can discuss and
debate every kind of issue.

GURGAON: The Gurgaon admin-

istration has advised the organisers of an upcoming concert of Pakistani singer Atif
Aslam in the city to defer the
show following a memorandum from Akhil Bharatiya
Hindu Kranti Dal (ABHKD),
a fringe Hindu group.
Within hours of the group
submitting the memo, Deputy Commissioner T. L.
Satyaprakash issued a statement saying that considering the sentiments of
armed forces and soldiers at
the frontier, the organisers
are advised by the district administration of Gurgaon to

defer the Atif Aslam concert.

Asking the authorities to
withdraw the permission it
granted to the show, the ABHKD, in its memorandum,
said that soldiers at the border were falling prey to
Pakistan-sponsored terrorism while the Gurgaon administration was inviting
guests from the country for
petty monetary gains.
The group said it would not
allow any shows or films of
Pakistani actors to be
screened or organised and
warned that the administration would be solely responsible for any untoward
incident if the show was
allowed.

Already postponed
However the spokesperson
of the organisers, Konceptentertainment, said that they
had already decided to postpone the concert indefinitely
after the terror attack at Uri in
Kashmir.
He said that the organisers
had not even applied for the
permission.
Some fringe Hindu outfits
had also raised objections to
Atif Aslam performing in a
concert scheduled on August
27 at Leisure Valley, but the
singer had already announced that he was backing
out of the performance due to
non-payment of dues.
(See also Page 8)

ALL SMILES: The HRD Minister inaugurated a girls hostel at Jamia Millia Islamia on Wednesday.
PHOTO: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

Faculty, students say space for free thinking shrinking Real education is learning
ASHOK KUMAR

MAHENDRAGARH: The uproar

over the enactment of a play
based on Mahasweta Devis
short story Draupadi at
Central University of Haryana has left the faculty and
students scared to discuss
sensitive
issues
in
classrooms or on campus.
I teach human rights and
will be wary of discussing
several sensitive issues inside the classroom after the
recent controversy. What if I
talk about human rights violations in Kashmir in the
class some day and a student
films me and makes it public.
I may be branded anti-national and sent to jail on
charges of sedition. It seems

the space for free thinking

has shrunk of late, said
Rakesh Meena, assistant
professor in the Law
Department.

Tight control
The university authorities disconnected the power
when a film on Babri Masjid
demolition
was
being
screened in the auditorium,
following complaints from a
few activist students. Facebook has been banned inside
campus, even for teachers,
for a year now. This was
done after some students
created a page expressing
their views on certain issues
plaguing the university, said
Mr. Meena.
Snehsata, assistant pro-

What if I talk about

human rights
violations in
Kashmir in the class
some day and a
student films me
and makes it public.
I may be branded
an anti-national and
sent to jail on
charges of sedition
fessor in the English Department and one of the co-ordinators for the play, said
that speaking about the mar-

ginalised has been conveniently branded as anti-national.

We are free to talk about
Nirbhaya, a middle-class
woman that was raped, but
cannot speak about a Dalit or
a Manipuri woman subjected to the same cruelty. More
than the Army, the play is
about rape, the brutal dehumanising weapon in the
hands of the patriarchy and
the State. I am disappointed
how the real issue got lost
amid the din. When we can
question the legislature, the
judiciary, the teaching fraternity, what is so sacrosanct
about the Army. Is it above
the Constitution? said
Snehsata.
The events over the past

On the ofensive

few days has left Snehsata,

the first scholar from this
university, drained. But it has
failed to dampen her spirits.
The first few days were
really tough with little support from the fraternity, except a few colleagues. I was
busy explaining to the police, the media and my own
people as if I had committed
a crime. But I have emerged
more stronger from all this,
she said.
Assistant professor Manoj
Kumar, another co-ordinator, said that he was still too
scared to step out of the campus. Just because I
happened to spend a few
years teaching at Chattissgarh, they labelled me a
Naxal, said Mr. Kumar.

NEW DELHI: A seven-year-

old boy was rescued from

a 38-year-old man who
was allegedly trying to
kidnap him from outside
his school on the pretext
of taking him for a walk, in
southeast Delhi's New
Friends Colony, the police
said on Wednesday.
The man identified as
Mukesh was arrested by
the police on Tuesday,
and has been charged
under the appropriate
sections of IPC.
"The accused had
reportedly told the boy
that he knew his parents.
He then allegedly lured
the child by giving him

LOOK CLOSER: A Delhi BJP poster on NH-24 questions the clean chit given by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to his party
MLAs, who have been accused of corruption and crimes against women. PHOTO: R. V. MOORTHY

Congress to campaign against AAP ad expenditure

NEW DELHI: Accusing the Aam

Aadmi Party (AAP) government of spending hundreds

of crores of rupees on misleading advertisements, the
Delhi Congress on Wednesday announced that it would
be launching a signature
campaign in protest.
The party will observe
Vasooli Diwas on October 8
and 9 by seeking 8.54 lakh
signatures from the public to
demand that the AAP pay the
Delhi government for the
amount of money spent on
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ads. The petition will be submitted

to
LieutenantGovernor Najeeb Jung.
The Congress will ask
people to support its demand that the AAP give
Rs.854 crore to the government in lieu of the expenditure incurred by the exchequer on ads in the national
media, that is outside Delhi.
Vasooli Diwas
The Congress had earlier
raked up the issue when
Delhi Congress president
Ajay Maken filed a PIL in the
High Court against the gov-

STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: For hundreds of
years, women did not have
access to education. Today,
women are achieving success in every field after completing their education.
Imagine, how much we have
lost out on by not educating
every girl child for so many
years, said Union Human Resource
Development
Minister Prakash Javadekar
on Wednesday.
The Minister was speaking at a function at Jamia Millia Islamia after inaugurating
a five-storey girls hostel Begum Hazrat Mahal that can

accommodate 400 students.

This was Mr. Javadekars
first visit to a central university in the city after taking
charge of the HRD ministry.
The Minister spoke about
womens empowerment and
laid emphasising on the governments Beti Bachao, Beti
padhao campaign.
Message of unity
The Minister said that
about 100 years ago it was
impossible for girls to get an
education and lauded the
founders of Jamia Millia Islamia for having a vision
2020 in 1920 that is bearing
fruits now.

Man held for bid to kidnap

seven-year-old schoolboy
STAFF REPORTER

STAFF REPORTER

from each other: Javadekar

ernment for spending on ads

outside the Capital.
Mr. Maken said that the
High Court had directed the
court-appointed B. B. Tandon Committee on August 10
to file a report on the matter.
The three-member panel
had held the government responsible for spending
crores on ads and said that
the AAP should pay Rs.284
crore as per rates fixed by the
Directorate of Advertising
and
Visual
Publicity
(DAVP), said Mr. Maken.
The Congress leader added that the Comptroller and

Auditor General of India had

also found that the Delhi
government had put out false
and misleading information
in its advertisements at the
expense of the people of
Delhi for its propaganda.
The Congress alleged that
nearly 85 per cent of the
money spent on ads were on
media outside Delhi.
Mr. Maken said that
though the DAVP rates peg
the amount at Rs.284 crore,
the ads were political in
nature and the AAP should
be charged Rs.854 crore on
commercial rates.

Encroaching
mohalla clinics
may be removed

chocolates since he found

him physically attractive,
said a police source.
However, the police
refuted claims that the
accused wanted to
sexually assault the child.
Sources said Mukesh
worked as a salesman in
Nehru Place. He used to
live alone in the slums of
Taimoor Nagar.
Alert neighbour
Investigators said the
incident came to light on
Tuesday when around 3
p.m. a neighbour of the
child, a class II student at
New Cosmos Public
School in Taimoor Nagar,
saw an unidentified man
taking the minor boy.

Man shot dead on busy

south Delhi street
STAFF REPORTER

STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi

Party (AAP) governments

mohalla clinics could face
some trouble in north Delhi
with the local civic body
planning to take action
against those that have encroached on public land.
The Standing Committee
of the North Delhi Municipal
Corporation on Wednesday
ordered action, including removal, of the mohalla clinics
that had taken up space on
public roads and footpaths.
The civic body is planning
to remove the encroachments in the next two weeks.

Sources said the woman,

who had come to pick his
child, raised an alarm and
informed the school
authorities who in turn
informed the police.
The police said the
school authorities had
detained Mukesh and also
informed his father.
The boy's father works
a compounder at a private
hospital in New Friends
Colony.
A case has bee
registered under IPC
Section 363 (punishment
for kidnapping) at the
New Friends Colony
police station against the
accused.
He has been sent to
judicial custody.

NEW DELHI: A 25-year-old man

was shot dead by some
youths on a busy street in
south Delhis Ambedkar
Nagar
on
Wednesday
evening.
The victim, Aman, was
driving a Maruti Swift car
when a street cart brushed
against his vehicle around
5.30 p.m. The cart owner and
Aman entered into a argument, but the matter was
quickly settled between
them, said the police.
Even as the cart owner
walked away, three local
youths took on Aman for entering into an argument in

their locality.
Aman apparently tried to
exit the scene claiming that
he too belonged to the same
locality, but the three youths
did not listen to him.
The arguments turned
into a brawl and one of the
youths allegedly pulled out a
pistol and fired thrice at
Aman.
One bullet hit the victim.
He was rushed to Batra Hospital for treatment where he
succumbed to his injury,
said Romil Baaniya, DCP
(South-East).
The police registered a
case of murder, but were yet
to nab the killers at the time
of filing this report.

Mr. Javadekar said the new

hostel will give peace of
mind to parents, and also
provide a conducive environment where students
from diverse backgrounds
can learn from each other
and live together.
Emphasising the need to
make university education
more
research-oriented,
which in turn will boost the
countrys economy, the Minster said that the government
is promoting greater industry-academia linkage and
encouraging start-ups from
hostel rooms to tap the
young energy and ideas of
the youth.

BRIEFLY

Swachh Bharat
exhibition today
NEW DELHI: A two-day exhibition

showcasing a wide range of

sanitation technologies is being
organised in New Delhi as part
of a special drive week under
the Swachh Bharat Mission.
The exhibition on sanitation and
solid waste management has
been planned by the Ministry of
Urban Development and
Ministry of Drinking Water and
Sanitation at Vigyan Bhawan.
The exhibition will be
inaugurated by Minister of
Urban Development M.Venkaiah
Naidu and Minister of State for
Drinking Water and Sanitation
Ramesh Chinnappa Jigajinagi on
Thursday.
The INDOSAN (India Sanitation
Conference) will be held on
September 30, an UD Ministry
spokesperson said.
The INDOSAN will be
inaugurated by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.- Staff Reporter

UD Ministrys efforts
for energy efficiency
NEW DELHI: A major programme

of the Centre to improve energy

efficiency in cities promises to
save Rs.6,000 crore per year.
To promote energy efficiency
programmes at no cost to cities,
the Ministry of Urban
Development signed a
Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) with public sector
enterprise Energy Efficiency
Services Limited. The ministry
aims to improve energy use
efficiency in bulk water supply,
public lighting, transportation
and domestic consumption in
cities and towns across the
country. Cities selected under
Smart City Mission will be
targeted first, followed by Atal
Mission for Rejuvenation and
Urban Transformation cities and
others in a phased manner.
- Staff Reporter
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CITY/STATE

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

Delhi in midst of chikungunya epidemic: IMA

NEW DELHI: With the number

Association
honorary
secretary general K. K.
Aggarwal.

of people afected by
dengue, chikungunya and
malaria increasing unabated, doctors say the city
is in the midst of a chikungunya epidemic.
This is the collective failure of the municipal corporations, Delhi government,
Central government, Lieutenant-Governors Oice,
medical associations and
CSR departments, among
others, said Indian Medical

Two more dengue deaths

Dr. Aggarwal said as per
the current picture, mosquito container index (the
percentage of water-holding
containers infested with larvae or pupae) in Delhi is
over 40 per cent. He added
that any index above five per
cent requires a communityintegrated cluster approach
to reduce mosquito density
along with efective anti-lar-

BINDU SHAJAN PERAPPADAN

Collective failure of
civic bodies, Delhi
govt, Centre, L-G
Office, medical
associations, it says
val measures.
The statement from the
countrys largest association
of doctors comes at a time
when the city has reported
two more dengue deaths, including that of young boy.
Dengue and chikungunya
together have resulted in 21
fatalities, with the total num-

ber of dengue cases in Delhi

going up to 1,692, including
921 of them being reported
this month.
Both dengue deaths occurred recently, one at Safdarjung Hospital and the
other at Lok Nayak Hospital.
According to the law,
dengue or chikungunya
cases must be notified. However, one can notify them
within seven days of
diagnosis. The Aedes mosquito takes up to three meals
a day, thus will bite about 21
people in a vicinity within a

week. Municipal anti-mosquito and anti-larval actions

must occur within hours of
its detection.
Dr. Aggarwal added: Also,
the very purpose of notification is lost if the disease
is not notified within hours
of even suspecting a
diagnosis of chikungunya.
So, all suspected cases must
be reported without waiting
to confirm the diagnosis. We
have failed because the government has been insisting
that only ELISA-confirmed
cases be notified. An SMS

should be sent to all doctors

practising in that PIN code
areas with a case so that they
can become a part of the public health action chain. When
the first case is suspected in a
state, colony or house, all
public
health
measure
should start, he added.
He said even today, three
lakh mosquito repellents and
mosquito nets received by
the civic body as donations
are not available to patients.
Anti-larval measures are not
available to the common
man.

Black and white

CHECKMATE: The Hindu Chess Competition in progress

at Bal Bharati Public School in New Delhi on
Wednesday. PHOTO: V. SUDERSHAN

Falling debris
kills man
STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: A 50-year-old rickshaw-puller passing by G.B.
Road on Wednesday evening
was killed after debris from
an illegal building being
razed fell on him.
According to the police,
the deceased has been identified as Aftari. They said a
part of the balcony from the
old building fell on him as he
was passing by. The accident
caused panic in the area and
another passers-by informed
the police. A police team
rushed the victim to a nearby
private hospital, where doctors declared him brought
dead.

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NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

|7

EARLY MORNING DRAMA

Suspected carjacker
killed in encounter

DEATH

Family suspects foul play; Crime Branch to probe incident

SHIV SUNNY
NEW DELHI: An alleged encounter between the police
and suspected carjackers
ended with the death of a 25year-old youth in outer Delhis Kanjhawala on Wednesday morning.
With the family of the deceased suspecting foul play,
the Crime Branch has been
asked to investigate the matter. However, no case was registered against the police
team involved in the incident
till late on Wednesday.
M. N. Tiwari, who took
over as the DCP (Outer district) on Tuesday, said the deceased, Abhishek Sharma,
was part of a group of carjackers who had robbed a man of a
Honda Mobilio car from west
Delhis Uttam Nagar around
4.45 a.m. on Wednesday.
They allegedly dumped the
driver mid-way after which
he informed the police. Since
the vehicle was GPS-enabled,

My son has
been branded
a criminal

CASE DIARY: The police said

Abhishek and his team had
robbed a man of his car.
PHOTOS: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

a team from Kanjhawala police station set out after the

suspects.
They were intercepted in
Kanjhawala at 7.46 a.m, said
the DCP. He added that the
carjackers refused to stop and
fired at the police, who responded by returning fire.
Mohd Alam, a shopkeeper
who claimed to be an eyewitness, had a diferent version
to ofer. He said the suspected
carjackers tried to reverse

their car and escape.

He said that only one shot
was fired and that was by
the police. The policeman
(head constable Vikram
Singh) may have been aiming
for the cars tyre, but hit the
window, said Mohd Alam.
A private hospital, meanwhile, informed the police of
a man with a bullet injury
who had come for treatment.
The suspect could not be
saved despite being referred
to Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar
Hospital, said the DCP.
The car was found abandoned in Haryanas Bahadurgarh a few hours later. The
DCP said blood stains were
found in the car, with Abhisheks associates missing.
The head constable involved in the incident identified the deceased as Abhishek, one of the alleged
carjackers involved in the
encounter. The DCP said a
case had been registered
against the suspects.

PUBLIC NOTICES
LEGAL NOTICE

STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: Abhishek Sharmas
family refuses to accept that
he was killed in an encounter.
His parents, who say their
son was at home till 7.30 a.m.
on Wednesday, have demanded that the police scan
CCTV footage in the area.
Their claim is in contrast to
the polices version, according to which Abhishek was
part of a team that robbed a
Honda Mobilio car. The police said that the vehicles
driver, Vishal, had confirmed
Abhishek as one of the
carjackers.
Abhisheks father, Satish,
said that around 7.30 a.m. a
youth from the neighbourhood, Mogli, came and asked
Abhishek to accompany him.
How could he be part of an
incident that took place at 4.45
a.m.? he asked while adding
that his son had no criminal
record.
DCP (Outer) M. N. Tiwari
said that though a background
check was being conducted,
nothing was found till
Wednesday evening.
Abhishek, who was working as a supervisor with his
cousin - a local contractor until a few days ago, had recently joined a private firm in
Gurgaon. According to Abhisheks family, he was hit in
his lower abdomen. If Abhishek was inside a car, he
should have been hit in the
chest, said his cousin Puneet.
The police, however, said it
was too early to confirm if it
was a police bullet that killed
Abhishek.
While his father has vowed
to ensure justice for Abhishek, he is worried for his
daughter. My son has been
branded a criminal. This will
afect my daughters marriage. I will ensure he is declared innocent, said Satish.

CM
YK

ND-ND

8|

SOUTH

Fee hike row rocks Kerala Assembly

House adjourned
for the second
consecutive day

Amid heated exchanges, Mr.

Chennithala announced that
Mr. Shafi, Mr. Eden and Mr.
Jacob would go on a fast in
protest against the government stance in the Assembly
premises and Mr. Shamsudeen and Mr. Shaji would
start a satyagraha declaring
solidarity with the fasting
members. Soon, Mr. Sreeramakrishnan completed the
proceedings in a hurry and
adjourned the Assembly.

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Ker-

ala Assembly was adjourned

for the second consecutive
day on Wednesday following
the United Democratic
Fronts protests over the fee
hike in self-financing medical colleges.
Three Opposition MLAs,
Hibi Eden and Shafi Parambil (Congresss) and Anoop
Jacob, Kerala Congress
(Jacob), went on a fast and
two Indian Union Muslim
League members N. Shamsudeen and K.M. Shaji started a satyagraha declaring
solidarity with the fasting
members.
The Opposition that had
raised a din during question
hour, continued its protest
during the zero hour and
when Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala
stood up to speak amid the
protests, Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan said protest and

BUSINESS HIT: A deserted vegetable market during the dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the UDF in
Thiruvananthapuram. PHOTO: S. MAHINSHA
speech would not be allowed
together.
The Opposition members
who were squatting in the
well then went back to their
seats and once Mr. Chennithala rose to address the
House, the Left Democratic
Front members stood up and
raised their voice. Mr. Chennithala said when V.S.
Achuthanandan was the
Leader of the Opposition, he
had addressed the House six
times and read out the dates.
He demanded the Speaker
examine the Assembly
records and go by the

precedents. It was unfortunate, he said, that the

Speaker was not giving due
protection to the Opposition. LDF members again
raised a din.
No emotional speech
Mr. Chennithala also said
he had given a letter to the
Speaker regarding the Chief
Ministers observations in
the House on Tuesday. The
Chief Minister, he said, as
leader of the House should
not speak emotionally,
whatever the provocation.
Mr. Achuthanandan had

personally targeted former

Chief Minister Oommen
Chandy and the police had
lobbed stun grenades at the
Youth Congress when Kerala
Pradesh Congress Committee president V.M. Sudheeran was sitting among
them before the Secretariat.
UDF members again
moved out of their seats and
resumed their protest. Law
Minister A.K. Balan raised a
point of order and said it was
Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan who gave notice for an
adjournment motion and Mr.
Chennithala could not speak.

Dont suppress agitation

Later, launching the fast
outside the House, Mr. Chennithala
termed
Health
Minister K.K. Shylaja as the
one who signed on the dotted line as per the wish of the
medical college managements. The martyrs of
Koothuparamba would not
pardon the Minister who
represented the segment, he
said.
He accused Mr. Vijayan of
being arrogant and the
Speaker of acting as per the
wish of the former.
The government should
not try to suppress the agitation using the police, he said.

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

Port Blair-bound passenger ship

stranded at sea for hours
SANTOSH PATNAIK
VISAKHAPATNAM: After 24 hours
of agonising wait, a Port
Blair-bound passenger ship
belonging to the Shipping
Corporation of India, stranded about 14 nautical miles
of the coast following a snag,
was asked to return to the Visakhapatnam
Port
for
repairs.
The vessel m.v. Harshavardhana, was held up for six
hours after it left the Visakhapatnam Port on Tuesday evening with about 500
passengers on board, mostly
labour from North Andhra
Pradesh and South Odisha.
Confirming the late evening decision to bring the
ship back to Visakhapatnam
for repairs, director of A.V.
Bhanoji Row & Garuda Pattabhiramayya & Co., agents
for SCI vessels in the city,
A.V. Monish Row said the
vessel would resume its voyage once the repair was
completed.
Visakhapatnam Port Deputy Chairman P.L. Haranadh
earlier said they had in-

A file photo of m.v. Harshavardhana. PHOTO: K.R. DEEPAK

formed the Andaman &
Nicobar Islands administration about the situation
and asked it to order the return of the ship to the port
for repairs, instead of subjecting the passengers to
more agony.
Passengers panic
The sudden decision to
halt the ship mid-sea created
panic among the passengers.
After the crew noticed that
one of the four generators
stopped functioning, a decision was taken to anchor
the ship near the port area
after informing the pas-

sengers that they would return to Visakhapatnam.

We had a sleepless night
as the ship crew first said the
engine developed a snag, and
later clarified that one of the
generators had become defunct, Setti Ramana, who
ekes out a living as an autodriver in Andaman and
Nicobar Islands, told The
Hindu.
Laxman Rao of Vizianagaram said the management did not make arrangements for food for the
stranded passengers. They
were forced to buy food from
the canteen, he added.

Quarrying destroys Laggar Falcon habitat in Madurai Storage in Cauvery reservoirs up Pakistani singers
B. KOLAPPAN
MADURAI: Indiscriminate sand
quarrying on the Vaigai riverbed, and granite quarrying in
many parts of Madurai, have
spelt disaster for many raptor
species and, today, only two
Laggar Falcons survive on the
rock clifs of Arittapatti near
Melur in the district.
They are probably the only
birds spotted in the entire
south Indian region in the last
two years. There is no record
of spotting Laggar Falcons on
eBird, a U.S.-based web page
for birders. The species nest
only on rock clifs unreachable
to humans.
They have fallen victim to
granite sand quarrying in the
last two decades, says ornithologist N. Raveendran,
Founder-Secretary of the
Madurai Nature Forum.

CM
YK

RARE SIGHTING: A Laggar Falcon in Arittapatti, Madurai.

Laggar Falcons are an indigenous raptor species with
white and grey plumage, which
can hunt and fly at speeds of up
to 180 kmph. We have been eagerly waiting for the birds to
breed for the last two years,
Mr. Raveendran said. A few
Peregrine Falcons, also a resident species and one of the
fastest at flying, also reside in
this area.

Arittapatti, situated between

Alagarmalai and Perumal
Malai reserve forests, is a historic site with 2,000-year-old
Jain
rock
beds
and
inscriptions.
Madurai was once a paradise
for 17 species of raptors, which
could feed on the then plentifully available reptiles.
Birds are the greatest indicators of climate change, and of

loss of habitat and biodiversity.

Due to sand quarrying,
Madurai lost its Vaigai-based
biodiversity, including hundreds of Brahminy Kites, Black
Kites and native fishes, the
birder said.
The records with Badri
Narayanan, a Madurai-based
ophthalmologist and President
of the Nature Forum, talk about
the numerous raptors that
were found even in the city of
Madurai 30 years ago.
Stone
quarrying
in
Keezhavazhavu
and
Melavazhavu destroyed the
habitat and nesting spots of
raptors and other birds, including eagles, falcons and owls.
Felling of palm trees, which is a
nesting spot of many raptor
species, is also one of the reasons for the disappearance of
the birds, Mr. Raveendran
said.

concert cancelled
in Bengaluru

MOHIT M. RAO
BENGALURU: Storage in Karnatakas Cauvery basin reservoirs
seems to have improved considerably in comparison with
the situation a few days ago,
when the State legislature
passed a resolution and the
government defied the Supreme Court order to release
water to Tamil Nadu.
On September 20, when the
State stopped releasing water
to Tamil Nadu, the combined
storage in four dams (Harangi,
Hemavati, Krishnaraja Sagar
and Kabini) was 26.21 tmcft.
This was termed alarming
as it was less than the 27 tmcft
required for providing drinking water till the end of May
next.
On Wednesday, however,
the cumulative storage had
risen to 31.29 tmcft. This is

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
BENGALURU: Pakistani singer

The KRS, from where the water is released, has seen its
storage increase by 2.02 tmcft, the highest since Sept. 14.
owing to rainfall in the catchment areas, coupled with no
outflow from the reservoirs.
The KRS, which was the point
of release, has seen its storage
increase by 2.02 tmcft. This is
the highest since September
14. The cumulative volume of
water discharged from the

reservoir over the past eight

days has been around 0.2 tmcft, while the volume of water
reaching it has been 2.45 tmcft. The storage levels, however, still remain a concern for
oicials as they are nearly a
third lower than the levels in
the same period last year.

Shafqat Amanat Alis concert,

scheduled to be held on
September 30 in Bengaluru,
was cancelled amid growing
opposition from right-wing
groups.
Members of the Karnataka
units of right-wing organisations recently submitted a letter to the city police asking
them to cancel the programme as they did not want
a Pakistani singer performing
in the city.
Event organisers, however,
told the police that the concert had been cancelled on
September 20, even before
the groups raised the issue.

ND-ND

THE HINDU THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

Shahabuddin bail: SC flays Bihar govt.

Were you in slumber, asks apex court; lawyer admits there were anomalies in the States work
The Supreme
Court on Wednesday came
down heavily on the Bihar
government for not placing
facts before the Patna High
Court, which granted bail to
controversial RJD leader
Mohammad Shahabuddin in
a murder case.
Counsel for the Nitish Kumar government, which has
the RJD as its coalition partner in the State, faced searing
questions in the apex court,
which rebuked the State government for not being
serious in pursuing the case
against Shahabuddin.
Why have you approached the court only after
his release? Were you in
slumber till he got bail? This
is a peculiar case. But the
question is on whose instance, and who is behind,
this peculiarity? Why you
did not challenge the bail
granted to Shahabuddin in 45
cases? Why did you realise
only when he came out of
jail? If everything was fair,
NEW

DELHI:

Saamna row:
Cartoonist
apologises
STAFF REPORTER
MUMBAI: A day after its

oice was attacked,

allegedly by activists of
the Sambhaji Brigade
an organisation
representing the
Maratha community
the Shiv Sena
mouthpiece, Saamna,
on Wednesday
published an
unconditional apology
from cartoonist
Srinivas Prabhudesai,
who sketched the
controversial cartoon,
triggering State-wide
protests.
I am not a political
cartoonist. I draw only
to give two moments of
laughter to people. The
Maratha community
has taken objection to
my cartoon. But I must
confess that I had no
intention to hurt the
feelings of any
communityI
apologise if my cartoon
has hurt the feelings of
someone, Mr.
Prabhudesai said.
Meanwhile, the party
refused to tender an
apology claiming that
the controversy was a
deliberate attempt by
some anti-social
elements to disturb the
law and order situation.
Sena leader Subhash
Desai denied reports
that two Sena MLAs
and one MP had
submitted their
resignation to party
chief Uddhav
Thackeray on Tuesday
to protest against the
cartoon. The
cartoonist has
apologised. The Sena
has always been in the
forefront demanding
reservation for
Marathas and will
continue to do so. A
cartoon does not
represent the Senas
position. No MLAs or
MPs has submitted
resignation.
The Senas Rajya
Sabha MP and the
newspapers executive
editor, Sanjay Raut,
refused to apologise,
saying the cartoon did
not have any
communitys name
written on it.

MAKING A POINT: File photo of NDA leaders in Bihar after their meeting with Governor Ram Nath
Kovind on September 12. They met the Governor after the Patna High Court released
Mohammad Shahabuddin as the Bihar government did not oppose his bail plea.
why would this case come to
us, a Bench comprising
Justices P.C. Ghose and
Amitava Roy said, and clarified that by peculiarity, it
meant negligence.
The observations came
after senior advocate Dinesh

Dwivedi, appearing for Bihar, sought cancellation of

Mr. Shahabuddins bail and
said the decision to release
the RJD leader was improper
as the High Court had ignored the relevant material
in the case.

He said the High Court

could not have granted him
bail unless there was a special reason or a medical
urgency.
The senior lawyer admitted there were anomalies
in the work of the State gov-

13-foot python rescued from

CNG testing station in Agra
BINDU SHAJAN PERAPPADAN
AGRA: The Wildlife SOS rapid

response unit recently rescued

a 13.5-foot-long Indian rock python weighing nearly 24 kg
from a CNG testing station at
Runakta on the Agra-Mathura
highway.
The massive constrictor was
severely injured and is currently undergoing treatment.
It will be released back in to its
natural habitat once deemed
fit.
The rapid response unit received a call on its 24-hour
helpline about an enormous
python being spotted at a CNG
testing station near Dolphin
Water Park at Runakta on the
Agra-Mathura Highway. The
snake had reportedly taken up
shelter in the bushes. Fearing
for the safety of the staf, the
manager immediately contacted Wildlife SOS for
assistance.
A team comprising of three
trained snake rescuers arrived
at the site. Careful observation
revealed that the distressed
snake had sustained several injuries and was in immense
pain. It took almost 30 minutes
to successfully carry out the
rescue operation.

The 13.5-foot-long rock python was severely injured when it

was captured. PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Varun Kumar, the manager
at the testing station, said:
The staf heard a rustling
noise from the bushes and decided to take a closer look.
They were terrified on spotting the gigantic reptile and
immediately reported the incident to me."
The python has several cuts
on its body and has sustained
some serious tissue damage
under the lower jaw. We believe the injuries were caused
by the sharp barbed wires
along the boundary walls. We
have treated its wounds and

sutured the deep gash on its

neck, said . M.V Sharma, veterinary oicer, Wildlife SOS.
Indian rock python (Python
molurus) is a large non-venomous python species found
in India, Pakistan and Sri
Lanka. The pecies is protected
under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and is
listed under Appendix I of the
Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species
of Wild Flora and Fauna
(CITES), which regulates the
international trade of wildlife
species.

PRAKASH KAMAT

15 charges
The charge sheet has been
filed with as many as 15
charges, including attempt to
murder, rioting as well as assaulting or obstructing public
servant and blocking the national highway (NH-17). The
incident took place on October 31, 2013.
Of the 52 accused, four Nigerian nationals are currently
in the judicial custody in
various drug cases, while 36
are under the police radar, and
eight have gone underground.
The violence broke out

MPs seek lower

last minute
airfares

A new handheld device to

detect melamine in milk

NEW DELHI: Lawmakers cutting

R. PRASAD

across party lines have

sought reduction in the last
minute surge in airfares to facilitate their travel during
emergencies, a demand
which has not found favour
with any of the established
carriers.
The demand was made by
some MPs at a meeting of the
Joint Committee on Salaries
and Allowances of Members
of Parliament (Lok Sabha)
last week, but all the airline
executives who were present
rejected the proposal, informed sources said.
The meeting was attended
by oicials of Air India, Jet
Airways, SpiceJet, IndiGo
and GoAir. The Committee
had received a representation from one of the
MPs from Kerala asking it to
take up the issue of last minute airfares with the airlines
as once he had to shell out Rs
60,000 for a flight from Kerala to Delhi. Accordingly, the
Committee discussed the issue, they said.
At
present,
airlines
provide assistance to lawmakers to board and deboard
a plane as courtesy. PTI

PANAJI: Almost three years after

the incident, the Goa Police on
Tuesday filed a charge sheet
against 51 Nigerians and a
Ghana national for violence
along the National Highway
(NH-17) at Porvorim in north
Goa for causing damage to
property and assaulting police
personnel. The charge sheet
was filed before a Judicial Magistrate First Class court.

Demonstrators protest the murder of Obodo Uzoma Simeon

by a local gang in Goa. Violence broke out when protesters
felt the police were not taking the case seriously. FILE PHOTO: AFP
when demonstrators felt that
the police in the coastal belt of
north Goa were not taking the
alleged murder of Obodo
Uzoma Simeon (a Nigerian national) by a local gang at Parra
the previous night, seriously.
The mob had stopped the
hearse van carrying the body

of Simeon at Porvorim along

the NH-17.
Policemen were assaulted,
vehicles damaged and the
body of Simeon was pulled out
of the hearse van and kept on
the NH-17, disrupting traic
for over three hours.

CHENNAI: Detecting melamine

in milk has become extremely easy, quick and inexpensive thanks to a handheld
melamine detector developed by researchers at the
Indian Institute of Science
(IISc), Bangalore. Leaf extract of a commonly seen
weed parthenium, along
with silver nitrate, is used for
detecting the presence of
melamine in milk. The results were published in the
journal Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical.
The
presence
of
melamine in milk can be detected at room temperature
within a few seconds
through a change in colour,
says S.C.G. Kiruba Daniel
from the Department of Instrumentation and Applied
Physics, IISc and the first author of the paper.
Our sensor has a very
high sensitivity as it can detect melamine even at a low
concentration of 0.5 ppm in
raw milk. Melamine content
of more than 1 ppm in infant
formula and more than 2.5
ppm in other foods should be

(From left) Prof. Sai Siva Gorthi, Prateek Katare and Dr. Kiruba
Daniel have devised an inexpensive and quick way of
detecting melamine in milk. PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
viewed with suspicion of
adulteration, says the Food
Safety and Standards Authority of India. In 2008, at
least four babies in China
died and around 100,000 became sick after consuming
powdered milk baby food
laced with melamine. Due to
the presence of nitrogen, the
addition of melamine to milk
makes it look protein-rich.
Prior to melamine detection, the milk is processed to
remove fat and proteins as
they tend to interfere with

detection. While most researchers had used already

prepared
silver
nanoparticles for melamine detection, the IISc team added
silver nitrate and the leaf extract in a particular ratio and
at a particular pH to the preprocessed milk to synthesise
silver nanoparticles.
If melamine is present
then it interferes with the
synthesis and there is abrupt
formation of nanoparticles
leading to colour change,
says Dr. Daniel.

C. Rangarajan bereaved
STAFF REPORTER
CHENNAI: Renowned icono-

graphist Dr. Haripriya

Rangarajan, wife of Dr.
C.Rangarajan,
Former
Governor, Reserve Bank of
India, and Former Chairman, Economic Advisory
Council to the Prime
Minister, passed away here
on Wednesday afternoon
following a brief illness. She
was 81.
She was a member of the
Indian History Congress

and has penned several

books, including one on
Vaishnavism in Gujarat and
another on the iconography
of Varahi. She was working
on a volume on Dakshinamurthy. A native of Vellore,
she obtained her doctorate
from Gujarat University.
She is survived by her
husband, son, daughter and
four grand children. The final rites were performed in
the evening, said T.V. Subramanian, a close friend of
the family.

FOR A CAUSE: Garba dancers in Ahmedabad at a dress rehearsal on Wednesday to raise awareness on preventing the
transmission of diseases. This drive is being held ahead of Navratri, which will be celebrated from October 1 to 10. PHOTO: AFP

AMARNATH TEWARY

CM
YK

Three years later, 52 Africans

charged for blocking NH-17

ernment in the case.

To this, the Bench said:
We can understand your
diiculty and the only thing
we can say is that we understand everything.
Mr. Dwivedi said, I admit
the anomalies. I am not in
any way justifying the actions of the State government. We were handicapped
at that time. But my submission is that the relevant
material has been ignored in
the case.
The Bench then asked
him: Why should you be
handicapped? You are the
State. It was the duty of your
lawyer to inform the High
Court about the correct facts
of the case. It was your duty
to inform the High Court
that a revision petition has
been filed in the Sessions
Court by Shahabuddin. Why
didnt you tell the High
Court at that point of time?
The hearing remained inconclusive and will continue
on Thursday. PTI

Awareness drive

Katju in trouble for Shakuni Mama remark

PATNA: Bihar continued to be
in the news on Wednesday
when former Supreme Court
judge Markanday Katju said
he was the Shakuni Mama
(the crafty uncle of the
Kauravas in Mahabharata)
of the Biharis.
The remark led to complaints being filed against
him in Bihar.
It all began with a comment Mr. Katju made on social media on Sunday, saying
if Pakistan wants Kashmir
they also have to take Bihar
as a package deal. Even
though he later said he had

|9

NATION

NOIDA/DELHI

Markandey Katju
made the remark in a lighter
vein, he drew sharp criticism
from the people of Bihar, including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who sought to
know whether the retired

judge had become the maibaap (guardian) of Bihar.

Mr. Katju retorted by putting up a post on Wednesday:
Nitish Kumar says I regard
myself as the mai baap of Bihar. No Nitishji, I am not the
mai baap of Biharis but their
Shakuni Mama. An hour later, he put up another post: I
suggest Biharis should take
their complaint against me
to the U.N. When cheer
haran
[disrobing]
of
Draupadi was being done,
she appealed to Lord
Krishna to save her honour.
Infuriated by the comments, JD(U) MLC Neeraj
Kumar filed a case against

Mr. Katju at a Patna police

station under Section 124-A
(sedition). We dont need to
move the U.N. The available
Indian laws are suicient to
tame the man going out of
control. He must be ready to
go to Patnas Beur jail very
soon, said Mr. Kumar.
Patna High Court lawyer
Arvind Kumar too filed a
petition in the court of Chief
Judicial Magistrate Om
Prakash against Mr. Katju
and sought registration of a
case under Sections 124 (A)
(sedition), 500 (punishment
for defamation), 501 and 505
(statements conducting to
public mischief) of the IPC.

Cabinet approves
festival bonus
for railway staf
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: As a festive ofer-

ing, the Centre on Wednesday approved the payment of

productivity linked bonus,
equivalent to 78 days of
wages, to railway workers.
All non-gazetted railway employees, except Railway Protection Force and Railway
Protection Special Force
personnel, are eligible for the
bonus for 2015-16.
The payment will be made
to eligible employees before
Dussehra or Puja holidays.
ND-ND

10 |

EDITORIAL

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

To revive an old friendship

The Russia-Pakistan joint exercises raise many questions. New Delhi has to rebuild ties on its strengths
and common concerns with Moscow
T H U R S D AY , S E P T E M B E R 2 9 , 2 0 1 6

ANURADHA M. CHENOY

The SAARC
gambit

ndias decision to pull out of the SAARC summit in Islamabad this November, with Afghanistan, Bhutan and Bangladesh deciding to
follow suit, efectively draws the curtain on
what was increasingly becoming a farce. Since the
previous Nepal summit, Pakistan has blocked all
protocols to better link the region, while India has
pursued a SAARC minus Pakistan plan to push
through with agreements it is keen on. Meetings in
the run-up to Islamabad have been overshadowed
by ongoing India-Pakistan tensions for months
now. Basic courtesies were set aside by both countries after the Pathankot attack. Islamabad dropped
any plans to send a representative to India to formally extend an invitation to the summit, as is the
custom. Home Minister Rajnath Singh was given a
mixed welcome by his Pakistani hosts during the
Home Ministers meeting in Islamabad in August,
prompting Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to cancel
his visit for the subsequent SAARC Finance
Ministers meeting. Afghanistan and Bangladesh
too had downgraded their participation in these
meetings because of their anger with Pakistan on
its continued support to terror groups in the respective countries. Uri proved to be the final straw,
especially in view of Pakistans refusal to even issue
a statement condemning the attack, galvanising India to reach out to other SAARC member-countries
in an efort to diplomatically isolate Pakistan. But
Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and Nepal, the acting
SAARC Chair, have kept out of the boycott.
The Modi government cannot claim much more
than a pyrrhic victory for the SAARC process getting derailed in this manner. With one-fifth of the
worlds population, South Asia is home to twofifths of the worlds poor. It has abysmally low intraregional trade. It was precisely to work around bilateral tensions in the subcontinent, especially between its two biggest members, and to make space
for discussion on common issues such as trade, infrastructure, sustainable development and poverty
alleviation, that SAARC was set up. The founding
principle was that together South Asia had a better
chance of fighting its shared ills, an idea that held
the group together for decades in the face of intermittent regional tensions. Of course, this is not the
first time that a SAARC summit has been postponed. But given the prevailing environment of
deep mistrust and tension, it is unlikely that the
summit will be rescheduled to take place in the
near future. This is something that will cause
serious damage to the multilateral process and
raise even more questions about the future and relevance of SAARC.

The Russian Embassy announced that their

first-ever joint military exercises with
Pakistan, that were initially to be held in the
sensitive Gilgit-Baltistan area this week,
would be shifted with due respect to Indian
sensitivities. Why is Indias time-tested strategic partner engaging with Pakistan at this
juncture? Is there a shift in Russian geostrategy and linkage with China that is impacting Moscows relations with India? Have
Indias own foreign policy shifts and new relations set of a reaction in Russia? The Russia-Pakistan joint exercises raise many
questions.
A Russia on the move
Under President Vladimir Putin, Russia
has shown assertiveness in international affairs. It has taken a clear position on opposing Western intervention and militarist regime-change policies in Iraq and Libya and
now in Syria. Russia has used counter-force
in the fight against the Islamic State in backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. It retook the province of Crimea that it had gifted
Ukraine in 1954 due to (Soviet) historical
reasons. This invited unilateral sanctions on
Russia from the U.S. and the European
Union. Demonised by the West, Russia has
become a strategic partner of China and they
have significant convergence of interests.
India as an emerging power has developed
a strategic partnership with the U.S. There
are real and perceived shifts in Indian armament policies where Russia dominated for
years. India has opened up to the U.S.,
France, Israel, all of whom are gradually
edging out the Russians in some sectors.
Russia-India trade has not grown to great
heights despite the encouragement of both
states. Yet India has been supportive of Russian positions and has a careful and calibrated response to all Russian actions in
Chechnya, Syria, Ukraine and elsewhere, India has supported Russia.

ILLUSTRATION: DEEPAK HARICHANDAN

The U.S. will always have a dual

approach to India and Pakistan,
because it needs both. Russia on
the other hand will not. But India
should not take this for granted
The Russians, on their part, have dutifully
backed the Indian position on Kashmir; they
share Indian concerns on terrorism; they
continue with deep collaborations, providing sensitive technologies, military equipment, nuclear power engines and much
more to India. They have a partnership in energy. Yet a Russia dependent on arms and energy exports is constantly looking for new
markets and Pakistan is a potential one. The
planned exercises were an extension of this
search.
Moscows Chinese concerns
The reality is that the world situation is
one of multipolarity and consequent interdependency, contradictions, compromises
and pressures. Countries across the spec-

trum are building multiple alliances. There

is scope for both linkages and dependency.
So China, who we think the U.S. is trying to
contain (and India could get a role in this),
has got its yuan accepted as world currency
by the International Monetary Fund and the
New York branch of Bank of China has been
designated as the clearing house for the
Chinese oicial currency, the renminbi.
China is leveraging its economy and relationships to build a hegemony (G-2) with the
U.S. where both can share international financial domination.
Russia is well aware of this, and has its own
concerns about the Chinese dominating
Russian markets, exploiting Russian resources, and not backing Russian security
concerns. China is enticing countries, including Russia, with its One Belt, One Road
plan that will develop huge new linkages and
develop trade routes. Pakistan is a satellite
state for China. Russia has concerns about
Central Asia vis--vis China and Pakistan.
In these circumstances, India has to rebuild on its strengths and common concerns
with the Russians. They have to revitalise
their earlier agreement on sharing intelligence for a joint strategy on terrorism. If India is concerned with state-sponsored terrorism from Pakistan, Russia is concerned
with the backing that states are directly or indirectly giving to terror groups in West Asia
and Central Asia. India will have to be more
forthright in condemning states that on the
pretext of regime change or local geopolitics
are allowing the growth of terror groups in
West Asia.
Balancing new and old allies
Russia and India have common positions
and concerns in Afghanistan. Last week the
Afghans, in a peace deal backed and welcomed by the U.S. and Pakistan, rehabilitated the mujahideen butcher of Kabul
and India hater Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. This
snubs the Indian and Russian policy of isolating all terrorists and instead has accommodated and compromised with who they
wish to label good Taliban. This policy is an
extension of using terrorists for strategic
use. Indian and Russian anxieties on terror-

CARTOONSCAPE

Rescuing the
Syrian truce deal

ver the past five and a half years, every

international efort to bring violence in
Syria to an end has collapsed. The UN
has largely been a spectator since what
began as civil strife spiralled into a deadly war between the regime and a group of rebel groups supported by outside powers. In this time, half a million people have been killed. The Geneva I and II
peace plans did not even take of. Russia and the
U.S. had earlier agreed to cease hostilities, but the
agreement did not hold. When Moscow and Washington, which support the regime and the rebels,respectively, decided to go ahead with talks despite
the initial setback and finally came up with a proper
ceasefire agreement earlier this month, hopes were
high about bringing at least some temporary relief
to Syrians. But within a week of reaching the agreement, the Syrian regime and the rebels are back
fighting each other, erasing the advances made
through months of negotiations. It is immaterial to
ask who has violated the terms of the agreement,
given the hostility and the contradictory accounts
of who did what. The Syrians blame the U.S. for violating the terms first with airstrikes, killing more
than 60 Syrian soldiers in Jebel Tharda on September 17, a few days into the deal. The U.S. says the
strike was a mistake. It, in turn, blames Russian jets
for attacking a UN aid convoy in Aleppo a few days
later, which Moscow denies. Amid the allegations
and counter-allegations, the war drags on, creating
more havoc, especially in Aleppo that has witnessed heavy regime bombardment and where 2.5
lakh people are believed to be trapped.
There are two key impediments to achieving
truce. First, President Bashar al-Assad is now making advances in the battlefield. Recapturing
Aleppo, once Syrias largest city, has always been
high on his agenda, and he may be less keen to compromise at a time when he is winning. But the problem is that while trying to recapture the city his
forces might commit another massacre, which the
world should not let happen. Being Mr. Assads
greatest supporter, Russia has a moral responsibility to end the siege of Aleppo. But Russia has its
own concerns. It wants the rebels to isolate the jihadists among themselves, particularly Jabhat
Fateh al-Sham, and has been asking the West to target such groups. Though the U.S. has said it is fighting all jihadist groups in Syria, it is now focussed
only on the Islamic State, which is in retreat. The
U.S. and Russia need to stay engaged in talks. The
word truce may appear to be a clich in todays
Syria, but an international ceasefire deal between
the U.S. and Russia still seems to be the best option
to turn around the Syrian situation.
CM
YK

ism need to converge and bring about some

positive outcome.
India has its own military exercises with
the U.S. and has signed logistics agreements
which can eventually give the U.S. access to
Indian naval bases. Is India willing to do the
same with Russia? Given the growing U.S.Russia hostility, has India reassured Russia
that this access will not jeopardise Russian
interests? If not, it should do so.
India needs to deepen its scientific and
technological relations with Russia since a
base for this already exists. Often agreements are signed amidst bilateral rhetoric
and are not suiciently followed up. The
Russia-India investments in the oil and gas
sector and exports to third countries need to
be energised. Joint manufacturing needs to
be planned. A continuous engagement and
follow-up plan need to be made.
India and Russia are engaged in several
multilateral eforts that are greatly favoured
by Russia such as the BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. The BRICS
meeting in a few weeks will give a great opportunity for the leaders of these countries
to further deepen their engagements. Russia
had proposed a Russia-India-China (RIC)
forum. India is hesitant about this because of
the unresolved issues with China. This has
not moved ahead like the BRICS has. Our argument should be, if China can have compromises and contradictions with the U.S.,
then why not with India? India can use some
creative means to build an RIC alliance.
India should use the interdependency and
pressure-compromise strategies to leverage
its interest to isolate Pakistan. A former U.S.
Secretary of State had called Pakistan an international migraine, but then moved on to
use it as the U.S. front line in Afghanistan and
West Asia. No matter what India gives the
U.S., this equation will not change. The U.S.
will always have a dual approach to India and
Pakistan, because it needs both. Russia, on
the other hand, will not. But India has to actively ensure that and not take this strategic
partnership for granted.
Leveraging multilateralism
India needs to move on in the international system. In some ways it has, but in
other ways it is moving backwards. Its
foreign policy is only an extension of its
domestic politics. India has to fix its
domestic issues to further social cohesion
and make special eforts to build bridges between communities. Indias domestic
politics has to move towards inclusive democracy, non-militarism, rights and the rule
of law. This will give it an edge in the international system. Any dilution would damage it
deeply. Indian foreign policy should focus on
its strengths of working with the global
South, opposing militarist interventions,
building norms and depending on multilateralism. India cannot be in denial of its history even as it moves forward.
As far as Russia is concerned, it might appear that there is some strategic shift. But
Russia has been pushed into that position. In
reality, it knows that India is still its most reliable ally. It has no conflict of interest or
anxiety about India as it does about others.
India was instrumental in the construction
of a multipolar international system. This
system has benefitted India and Russia, not
to speak of others like China. To retain this,
India and Russia need to be active strategic
and economic allies. But both will have to
make an efort for this.
Anuradha M. Chenoy is a Professor at the Centre for
Russian and Central Asian Studies, School of International
Studies, JNU.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letters emailed to letters@thehindu.co.in must carry the full postal address and the full name or the name with initials.

It is a welcome development that

India is determined this time around
to step up diplomatic pressure on
Pakistan in the wake of the Uri attack
by undertaking a slew of measures
that include boycotting the SAARC
meet in Islamabad (India steps up
pressure, to boycott SAARC meet in
Pak., Sept.28). While this move will
expose Pakistan in the eyes of the
international community as a rogue
nation sponsoring cross-border
terrorism, it will stand isolated
eventually. To reinforce its ofensive,
India may also move the United
Nations to impose economic
sanctions against Pakistan.
P.K. Varadarajan,

summit, appear to be desperate

non-military measures. The
distinction drawn by the Prime
Minister between the people of
Pakistan and the rulers of Pakistan
gets blurred when denial of water
and a trade ban are used as weapons
of war by other means. The
dynamics of geopolitics cannot be
subsumed to the dynamics of
internal politics without
consequences diicult to cope with.
A solution to the vexed Kashmir
problem will go a long way towards
taking the sting out of militancy.
India and Pakistan are irreplaceable
neighbours and have to work out a
road map for peace and
collaboration.
G. David Milton,

Chennai

Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

A boycott by India will not end

terrorism, but may threaten the very
existence of the organisation itself
which had the economic integration
of South Asia as one of its objectives.
Economic prosperity of the region
can be a good tool in weakening
terrorist activities. Instead of
boycotting the meet, India should
have sent a low-profile
representative instead. New Delhi
has struggled in the past to make
SAARC a successful forum, and
causing any harm to it is unwise.
India can use the SAARC platform to
reach out to peace-loving people in
the region, including in Pakistan.
K. Muhammed Ismayil,

Simultaneous elections

Step three, on SAARC

Kozhikode

Some time from now, India is bound

to realise the folly of what it mulls to
upstage Pakistan. The decisions to
review the Indus Waters Treaty
(IWT) and the Most Favoured
Nation (MFN) status to Pakistan,
and now a boycott of the SAARC

The article, The case against

simultaneous polls (Sept.27), omits
many issues in what would have
made for a wonderfully balanced
article. The writers do accept to an
extent that simultaneous polls
would reduce expenses, but it must
be remembered that election
expenses have a direct as well as
indirect component. There is largescale funding by business houses
which is not necessarily accounted
for. The point about how the model
code of conduct has limited efect on
governance is flawed. Many a time,
we find sound economic principles
taking a back seat and populist
schemes taking efect which slows
down growth. In fact the model code
should be curbing this.
Rahul Nair H.,
Thiruvananthapuram

When elections are held

simultaneously, it is reasonable to

expect a huge publicity campaign to

be launched by large parties with
deep pockets. It will be virtually
impossible for fledging regional
parties to make their presence and
does not bode well for our
democracy.
Hritvik R. Pandey,
New Delhi

We have had 16 general elections and

a casual glance at the results would
reveal that coalition governments
were formed at the Centre on more
than six occasions, with regional
parties playing a crucial role. Quite a
few States have been ruled by
regional parties, eclipsing the
national parties for decades. Even if
simultaneous elections are held,
there is no guarantee that elected
governments will complete their full
term rendering the idea of
simultaneous elections to the Lok
Sabha and Assemblies irrational and
unrealistic. Single party rule belongs
to a bygone era.
C.R. Ananthanarayanan,
Bengaluru

The writers are perhaps right in

their assertion that political
diversity is essential for addressing
the social diversity of India.
Simultaneous elections are not
feasible in India. People in general
have diferent perceptions as far as
both elections are concerned.
Assembly elections are more about
local issues, which a general election
cannot focus on to that extent.
K.V. Venugopal,
Chennai

Separate elections are essential as

they will keep our politicians
accountable. If they are assured of
no elections at all for the next five
years, they are bound to become

apathetic to the needs of the general

public. It becomes all the more
significant in India as we dont have
direct democratic devices like the
Right to Recall.
Ashutosh,
Gaya, Bihar

The Election Commission should

find other ways to reduce costs in
conducting elections rather than
harming federalism and
circumventing the Constitution.
Elections have never been a
hindrance to governance as the code
of conduct only ensures that a
government does not misuse policy
announcements as inducements for
voting. It is not a surprise that the
BJP-led Central government is
pushing for this change in the hope
that simultaneous elections will
boost its chances in States where it is
weak. This is the only political
explanation for the move.
Yacoub Z. Kuruvilla,
New Delhi

Most people in India dont vote for

parties by studying and analysing
their manifestos. Most are guided
by external influences, swayed by
false promises and freebies. If
simultaneous elections take place,
there are likely to be the twin
blunders of voting for two parties
and being ignorant about both.
J. Sumuki,
Vellore, Tamil Nadu

There must be focus on reducing the

ability to distribute money and
liquor through curbs on the supply
side. The second premise is that
permission can be taken from the EC
to implement decisions that will not
have implications on the electoral
outcome. The point should be about
where the line is to be drawn for the

EC as it does not have the expertise

to evaluate every possible decision.
If a similar voting pattern for Central
and State governments is a concern,
an option could be to have
simultaneous State elections in the
middle of the tenure of the Central
government which can reduce
non-governance periods to two from
the current dozen plus during every
five-year cycle.
K. Kiran Chandra,
Hyderabad

Clinton vs Trump
The poser, how has a candidate
such as Mr. Trump come this far?
(Editorial Debating America,
Sept.28), is quite pertinent. Donald
Trumps strategy of blaming
politicians and the Washington
elite/clique for failed U.S. policies
should have found resonance with a
good number of voters. Though he
practically carries no political
baggage of past failures, his trying to
shift the blame on to Hillary Clinton
for the failures of the last 30 years
is far-fetched.
C.G. Kuriakose,
Kothamangalam, Kerala

Database nation
With the globalisation of terror, it is
essential that there is some kind of
check. Online and oline
radicalisation need to be checked.
Further, with a negligible percentage
of the population paying tax, tax
evaders need to be brought into the
tax net. NATGRID, CMS and
Aadhaar are only means to tackle
these problems. We need to learn to
trust the government (Towards a
database nation, Sept.27).
Tej Kankaria,
Chennai
ND-ND

12 |

NEWS

FROM PAGE ONE

SAARC summit
to be cancelled
The source said Nepal
had not taken any decision
as it is the SAARC Chair
and will have to follow
proper oicial procedure
before announcing the cancellation.
We wish a diplomatic
breakthrough could be
found with a possible
change of venue but no one
can guarantee success of
such steps as four countries
have already declared their
inability to attend the summit, he said. The diplomat
also pointed out that the
leaders
of
India,
Bangladesh, Bhutan and
Afghanistan do not want to
share the dais with Pakistan
Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif.
The atmospherics for the
cancellation began to build
up
after
Bangladesh,
Bhutan and Afghanistan
sent formal communications to Kathmandu on
September 27 almost immediately after India expressed
inability
to
participate due to prevailing circumstances and
stepped up diplomatic
pressure on Pakistan after
the September 18 attack on
the military base in Uri.
India argued that the
SAARC rules are clear that

the summit meeting cannot

be held if one member
withdraws. The SAARC
summit will be postponed
since four nations have decided to not attend it. There
is no other way, MEA
spokesperson
Vikas
Swarup told the media.
Like India that cited
cross-border terrorist attacks in the region as a
reason for boycotting the
summit,
Bangladesh,
Bhutan and Afghanistan
too expressed similar concerns in their oicial notes
to Kathmandu.
The cancellation will be
unprecedented as four
members have cited terrorism , interference and
imposed violence while
withdrawing from the summit.
In the past, summits were
postponed after quiet consultation but this time, major members of the regional
grouping openly cited terrorism emanating from
Pakistan as the reason for
non-participation.
The tough Indian step
had been under consideration since the Uri attack,
the second such cross-border strike in nine months
after the January 2 Pathankot airbase attack.

The report faulted the

decision to let Mr. Thakur
represent the BCCI in the
ICC and the Asian Cricket
Council. It said Mr. Pawars
nomination as alternate
director at ICC meetings
was an aberration from the
committees
recommendations. The report
questioned the decision to
have Mr. Shirke to
represent the BCCI at the
CEC meeting of the ICC.
Most importantly, the report said, the BCCI went
back on its word to formally
adopt the new memorandum ushering in trans-

parency on September 28.

As proof of this, the committee pointed out that the
BCCI had not even issued
directives to the member
associations, despite express directions from the
committee.
It highlighted how the
BCCI committed these violations even as its review
petition against the July 18
verdict was gathering dust
in the Supreme Court
Registry.
It said no eforts were
made by the BCCI to correct the defects and push
for an early hearing.

Its up to SC to initiate
contempt, says Lodha
He
said
whether
contempt
of
court
proceedings should be
initiated or not against the
BCCI was a matter
between the Supreme
Court and the BCCI.
The Lodha Committee
was
tasked
with
monitoring
the
implementation of reforms
in the functioning of the
BCCI. He said the trouble
started after the committee
on July 25 gave the BCCI
the go-ahead to conduct its
Annual General Meeting, if
all decisions taken at the
meeting would be confined
to the year 2015-16 and not
beyond. Instead, they
acted in direct conflict with
the
committees
recommendations. They
went ahead to make
appointments, nominated
persons, designated roles
and appointed selectors to

Justice R.M. Lodha

men, women and junior
cricket. They did all that in
violation of our norms,
Justice Lodha said. He said
the way things happened, it
was very diicult for the
BCCI to achieve our time
lines and targets.
The Supreme Court
wanted us to inform it in
case of any impediment. So
we have filed the status
report which narrates
everything he said.

support on the world stage

and at the UN General Assembly for the Comprehensive Convention on International Terror (CCIT), which
it had hoped to corner
Pakistan, and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj
referred to her disappointment over that in her speech.
India also received criticism
at the UN Human Rights
Council over Kashmir, although Pakistan failed to
have any resolutions or references passed against India.

We will work
with those who
share our vision,
says MEA
SUHASINI HAIDAR
NEW DELHI: By pulling out of

the SAARC summit in Islamabad, the government is

trying to achieve two ends:
sending a tough message in
the wake of the Uri attack in
which 18 soldiers were killed,
but also that it is going ahead
with its plan for SAARC
minus Pakistan instead. The
fact that India did not pull
out alone but that Afghanistan, Bangladesh and
Bhutan also did so, citing the
same reason as India, was a
significant step in that direction for the grouping, oicials say.
If you heard the PMs
speech
in
Kathmandu
[November 2014], he made it
very clear that we would like
to go forward with regional
connectivity and other initiatives with all SAARC member countries if possible, and
with only some if necessary,
MEA spokesperson Vikas
Swarup said on Wednesday.

So if there is one country

that doesnt want to be part
of the initiatives, then we
have no choice but to work
with those who share our
vision, he added, pointing to
the motor vehicle movement
agreement, railway linkages,
and the SAARC satellite programme for which all
SAARC countries apart from
Pakistan have signed up.
With Afghanistan, which
cannot be accessed by land,
the two governments have
discussed a separate air corridor for cargo.
A bigger articulation of
that vision is expected in
mid-October, when India

NEW
DELHI:
The Home
Ministry has asked the security forces to prepare for a
long haul in the Kashmir Valley and has begun stacking
up snow-suits, sleeping bags
and boots for over six lakh
Central armed police personnel posted there.
The Valley has been going
through a severe wave of violence for the past three
months where more than 70
people have died and more
than 6,000 injured after the
killing of Hizbul Mujahideen
commander Burhan Wani in
an encounter on July 8.
Though the government
expects the situation in the
Valley to come back to normal once the winter sets in, it
has asked the security forces
to prepare for the worst.

As winter nears,
Home Ministry places
orders for snow-suits,
sleeping bags and
boots for personnel
As reported earlier, the
camps of Central Reserve
Police Force (CRPF) are
bursting at the seams as the
government rushed in additional forces in the past three
months to quell the protests.
The strength of other forces
like the Sashastra Seema Bal
(SSB) and the Border Security Force (BSF) were also
augmented.
Senior Home Ministry officials have had a series of
meetings with oicials in
J&K and have even asked the
Army to lend 20,000 snowsuits. The Home Ministry

DIALGAM (KASHMIR): Blending

its Operation Calm Down
with Jadoo ki Jhappi
(magical hug), the Army is
now foraying into the
interiors of south Kashmir,
giving semblance of law
and order and building up
confidence among the
locals to open their
establishments which have
been shut for nearly three
months.
At the break of dawn,
Colonel Dharmendra
Yadav, incharge of the most
sensitive Anantnag district,
takes out his jeep to take a
round of his Area of
Responsibility or
popularly known as AOR.
He mingles with locals,
interacts with them,
especially the children.
Col. Yadav and his team
is often greeted by the
villagers and children
while passing through. No

New shells inefective

The oicial also said that
the Pelargonic Acid Vanillyl
Amide (PAVA) shells, which
was recommended by an expert committee constituted
to look for alternatives to
pellet guns, has been in use
since July 17 but has failed to
give the desired results.
The PAVA shell is taking
longer to be fired from the
projectile. We have asked the
Tekanpur factory of the BSF,
which manufactures the
shells, to improve it, said the
oicial.

MAGIC OF LOVE: Col. Dharmendra Yadav embraces an Imam

at Rainpora in Anantnag district during Operation
Calm Down of the Army. PHOTO: PTI
doubt they have restored
some law and order in
many areas of the district,
says Ghulam Mohiudden, a
teacher. He was
encouraged by the Army
personnel to teach children
in a makeshift school so
that their education is not

STAFF REPORTER

CM
YK

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir

has sufered losses due to the

Indus Water Treaty (IWT)
with Pakistan and should be
compensated by the Centre,
Chief Minister Mehbooba
Mufti said on Wednesday,
two days after India decided
to exploit to the maximum
the water of Pak-controlled
rivers.
Today, many things are
being talked about. There is a
talk of IWT... We are facing
losses on account of IWT.
We should get compensation
and we cannot ask Pakistan
for that but our own country.
Whatever we get, be it our
power projects or anything,
we should get, she said at a
function here.
Under the Treaty, which
was signed by Prime
Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
and Pakistan President Ayub
Khan in 1960, control of three
rivers flowing through
Jammu and Kashmir
Jhelum, Indus and Chenab
was given to Pakistan while
India was given control over
Beas, Ravi and Sutlej, all
passing through Punjab. Because of the treaty, no big
dams or power projects can
be built by India on Jhelum,
Indus or Chenab. PTI

does not want to be caught

napping when the security
forces are caught in extreme
weather conditions. We have
already placed requests with
the Army and have placed
new orders with the manufacturers, said the oicial.

SEEKING ANSWERS: Students hold placards calling for boycott of exams in Srinagar on
Wednesday, in protest against the security forces. PHOTO: NISSAR AHMAD

Col. Yadav or Army uncle often reaches out to local residents in restive Anantnag

NEW DELHI: The Election Com-

to the Congress in West

Bengal, two more of its
MLAs have joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC),
bringing down its number in
the Assembly to 39.
Kanaia Lal Agarwal from
the Islampur Assembly seat
in Uttar Dinajpur district
and Hasanuzzaman Seikh
from Kaliganj Assembly seat
in Nadia district left the Congress for the Trinamool on
Wednesday.
The Congress had won 44
seats in the last Assembly
poll, but five of its MLAs
have so far left the party.
Speaking to journalists,
Trinamool MP and Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjees
nephew Abhishek Banerjee
said one of the key reasons
behind the defections was
the disgust the MLAs felt for

ancier, Asian Development

Bank (ADB), has already approved about 40 infrastructure and IT projects worth
about $7.7 billion.
Bilaterally too, India has
been busy with its SAARC
minus Pak programme.
Earlier this month, PM Modi
played host to Nepal PM
Prachanda and Afghan
President Ashraf Ghani. Sri
Lankan Prime Minister Ranil
Wickremsinghe is expected
in Delhi from October 4-6.
However, analysts say Indias push for a South Asian
isolation of Pakistan is also
driven by the fact that it received less than expected

In Valley, this Army oicer heals with hugs

Two more Congress MLAs

join Trinamool camp
KOLKATA: In yet another blow

hosts the BIMSTEC outreach summit on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in
Goa. The initiative for
Bangladesh, India, Myanmar,
Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan
and Nepal is expected to see
proposals on transport as
well as electricity and broadband connectivity being discussed. This week, another
grouping
of
India,
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka
met for the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) programme in
Delhi to release the first
SASEC Operational Plan
2016-2025. SASECs lead fin-

Pakistans line of action

However,
Pakistan
continues to receive support
from several other countries
outside of the SAARC, most
notably China, and also has a
new relationship with Russia
that conducted its first ever
military exercises in Pakistan
just days after the Uri attack.
Iran too sent four naval warships to the Karachi port to
participate in a Passage exercise (PASSEX) this week.
The U.S., which joined
many countries in condemning the Uri attack, also
called on India and Pakistan
to resume dialogue, which
now seems as remote as the
rescheduling of the 19th
SAARC
summit
in
Islamabad.

J&K has sufered

due to Indus
treaty: Mehbooba

Get ready for the long haul in Kashmir, Centre tells forces

EC transfers
oicials in
poll-bound States
mission on Wednesday directed the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand,
Punjab, Goa and Manipur,
where Assembly polls are
due next year, to transfer all
oicers who have completed
three years in a district as
part of its eforts to ensure
free and fair elections.
No oicer connected with
elections, directly or indirectly, should be allowed to
continue in the present district of posting if she or he is
posted in home district or
home district of spouse and
has completed three years in
that district during the last
four years, the EC said in an
order.
For the past several years,
it has become a standard
practice for the Commission
to order transfer of oicials
to ensure free and fair elections. PTI

THE HINDU THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

Mission SAARC minus Pakistan

VIJAITA SINGH

Lodha wants BCCI

brass removed

NOIDA/DELHI

the opportunist alliance

between the Left and the
Congress.
We are not forcing anyone to join the TMC. Those
who are coming to the Trinamool are doing so to be a
part of the Chief Ministers
development drive, Mr.
Banerjee said.
Earlier this month, senior
Congress MLA from Sabang
constituency in Paschim
Medinipur and former State
Congress president Manas
Bhunia joined the ruling
party. The seven-time Congress MLA was also a member of the All-India Congress
Committee.
Status in municipalities
The Trinamool has gained
control over the Congressheld Murshidabad Municipality in Murshidabad
district and the Islampur
Municipality in Uttar Dina-

jpur district. In Murshidabad, nine councillors

from the Congress and one
each from the Communist
Party of India (Marxist) and
the All-India Forward Bloc
defected to the Trinamool,
taking its tally to 12 from just
one in the 15-member municipality.
As for Islampur, 10 Congress and two Bharatiya
Janata Party councillors
joined the Trinamool Congress, raising its tally from
three to 15 in the 17-member
municipality. The Trinamool
now controls six of the seven
municipalities in Murshidabad.
The Trinamool has already gained control of the
Murshidabad, Malda and
Jalpaiguri zilla parishad (district council) through defections. In Purulia district, the
ruling party gained control
over the Jhalda Municipality.

afected any further.

A resident of Gurgaon,
Col. Yadav often meets the
village elders and is seen
greeted by an afectionate
hug which he calls a Jadoo
ki Jhappi.
At times such colloquial
terms do come handy for

us to reach out to the

civilians. I did watch
Munnabhai MBBS some
years back..the movie was a
hit and so is the formula
here, he says as a group of
children surround him.
Col. Yadav was part of a
team of young Army
oicers involved in the
encounter in Bumdoora
village in which Burhan
Wani and his two aides
were killed. However, he
refrains from sharing any
details of the encounter,
saying, this was part of my
duty and we dont share
operational details.
Army, their goal too
The children who gather
there call him Army
uncle. This is a name that
I have not demanded but
earned. Many of them want
to become Army oicers,
says Col. Yadav. PTI

Uri accused were

trained at PoK camp
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: The two Pakistanoccupied Kashmir (PoK)
residents who facilitated the
entry of four Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists to
the Army camp at Uri in
Jammu and Kashmir were
brought to Delhi for investigations on Wednesday.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said the
two accused Faisal Hussain Awan (20) and Ahsaan
Khursheed (19) both
residents of Muzafarabad,
had received training from
Jaish cadres at a camp in Pir
Chanasai in PoK. They also
told interrogators that they
used two routes to enter
India.
The duo had identified
one of the four terrorists who
stormed into the Army camp
at Uri on September 18 as

Hafeez Ahmed, a resident of

village Dharbang in Muzaffarabad, PoK. They have
been remanded in police
custody for ten days till October 7, said an NIA
spokesperson.
The accused were arrested on September 26 from
Uri, after they were found
moving about in a suspicious
manner by the villagers.
They disclosed that they
were tasked by JeM
commanders to facilitate infiltration by a group of four
JeM cadres, who carried out
the Uri attack. On being
shown the photos of the four
slain terrorists, the accused
Faisal Hussain Awan identified one of them as Hafeez
Ahmed. They also confessed
to have facilitated the movement of other terrorists in
the area, said an NIA
spokesperson.

No incursion in
Arunachal: Rijiju

CNG kit manufacturers, importers

approach High Court for relief

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

AKANKSHA JAIN

NEW DELHI: Minister of State

for Home Kiren Rijiju has
denied that the Chinese
troops built shelters inside
Indian territory in Anjaw
district of Arunachal Pradesh a few days ago.
There were reports that
the Chinese troops came
45km inside and built a shelter to claim that the territory
belonged to them.
Local reports suggested
that more than 40 Chinese
troops set up a temporary
shelter at Plum post, earlier
this month. There was no
incursion reported in that area. Diferences between the
patrolling troops do happen
but with China we have a
well-laid-out mechanism to
sort out our diferences, Mr.
Rijiju told The Hindu.
Mr. Rijiju represents Arunachal Pradesh in the Lok
Sabha.

NEW DELHI: Manufacturers and

importers of CNG kits on

Wednesday urged the Delhi
High Court to quash the circular issued by the AAP government banning retrofitment of
CNG kits in 'in-use' cars and
also the one allowing such retrofitment in new cars only
after vehicle manufacturers
certify that original kit have
been installed.
The Society for Alternate
Fuel
and
Environment
(SAFE), a registered society of
manufacturers/
importers
and retrofitters of CNG in vehicles told a Bench of Justice
Manmohan that the decision
of the Delhi government has
caused immense hardship to
CNG kit importers and is violative of their fundamental
right to carry on their business while also raising concerns over environment by
curbing CNG.

On June 20, the Delhi government issued a circular asking MLOs not to endorse any
CNG kit in vehicle registration certificate in order to
check unapproved sub-standard kits.
Thereafter, on August 12, it
partially lifted the ban and allowed retrofitting of CNG kits
in new cars but with a rider
that the vehicle manufacturer
will have to certify that
original kits have been used.
SAFE's counsel Kapil
Sankhla told the court that the
June 20 circular had the efect
of painting all CNG kit importers/ suppliers with the
same brush while the second
circular further creates another level in the approval
mechanism.
Mr Sankhla said SAFE had
ofered a software to the Delhi
government to keep track of
sale of approved CNG kits
while the August 12 circular
simply gives vehicle manufac-

turers unabated power and

control over the certified kit,
manufacturers/suppliers.
The impugned circular the
Respondent No. 1 (Delhi government) has created an interim mechanism which requires
CNG kits which have already
received type approval certificates and which have been
endorsed by the transport department to obtain a further
endorsement
from
the
original vehicle manufacturer.
The government has sought to
add another step in the approval mechanism for retrofitted CNG kits which is not
countenanced by the motor
vehicle rules, the petition
said.
The court refused to grant
any interim relief and directed
the association members to
meet the transport commissioner to see if they can arrive
at a decision to allow them to
carry on their business with
some safeguards in place.
ND-ND

THE HINDU THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

94.4% households
have bank accounts
SOMESH JHA
NEW DELHI: Almost every

household in the country

is a part of the banking
system, mainly due to
governments financial
inclusion plans, the latest
Labour Bureau data
showed.
Around 94.4 per cent
households had a saving
bank accounts in 2015-16,
results of the Fifth Annual
EmploymentUnemployment Survey
revealed. The figure was
much higher than the
oicial figure (58.7 per
cent) of households with
saving bank accounts in
India, as per Census 2011.
While 93.4 per cent
households in rural areas
had a bank account, 96.8
houses had a savings bank
account in the urban parts.
In Daman and Diu and
Lakshwadeep, all the
households surveyed had
saving bank accounts.
Chandigarh had 99 per
cent households with
saving bank accounts
whereas households in

EC orders action
against returning
oicer in ink row

Nagaland had the least,

79.2 per cent, access to the
banking system.
Banking penetration was
particularly low in northeastern states Manipur
(82.8 per cent), Meghalaya
(85.1 per cent) and
Arunachal Pradesh (88.9
per cent).
This was followed by a
comparatively low
coverage in the States of
West Bengal (90.4 per
cent), Karnataka (91.6 per
cent) and Mizoram (91.7
per cent).
Financial inclusion
Government of Indias
recent initiatives to
enhance the financial
inclusion and accessibility
of financial institutions
such as Pradhan Mantri
Jan Dhan Yojana and
Pradhan Mantri Micro
Units Development and
Refinance Agency
(Mudra) Yojana may have
translated into entering of
more population in the
ambit of formal financial
activities, according to
the report.

| 13

NEWS

NOIDA/DELHI

Is Azamgarh the new Muzafarnagar?

Ahead of the U.P. Assembly polls, attempts are on to drive a wedge between Muslims and Dalits in the district
SMITA GUPTA
AZAMGARH (U.P.): It was in midMay that a clash between
Hindus and Muslims broke
out at Khodadadpur village
in the district. But it still
comes up in conversations
here.
2017 will be a HinduMuslim election, thats my
sense, says Bijendra Singh,
owner of Hotel Garuda in
Azamgarh town and onetime
Samajwadi
Party
activist, who is no longer in
active politics.
In the past so many
months, he says, there have
been a string of incidents involving the two communities in the district.
Some were so small, he
continues, that they escaped
major media notice, but they
are enough to keep the communal cauldron gently bubbling in this largely rural district.
The one in Khodadadpur,
of course, hit the headlines. It
started out as a violent quarrel between two individuals,
rivals in local panchayat

politics. The fact that one

was a Dalit, Musafir Ram,
and the other a Muslim, Danish, was then used by adherents of the Hindu Vahini
and of ex-BJP MP Ramakant
Yadav to turn the issue
into a full-blown HinduMuslim battle, a civil rights
activist, Rajeev Yadav, says.
But the way the story
played out in the headlines
was that it was a DalitMuslim clash, though most
of those who participated on
the Hindu side in the violence that followed the first
episode on May 14 were
largely Yadavs.
Indeed, Inspector-General
of Police, Varanasi, S.K.
Bhagat who rushed to
Azamgarh at that time to prevent the situation from escalating further, told The
Hindu: From a professional
point of view, I can say that
the first episode [between
Musafir Ram and Danish]
was the fallout of panchayat
elections. It was not a case of
a Dalit-Muslim clash, but rivalry
between
two
individuals. What happened

BSP supremo Mayawati

appealed for Dalit-Muslim
unity at a rally in Azamgarh
on August 28, stressing that
members of both communities were victims of the
BJP nationally.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Ghulam Nabi Azad share snacks with villagers in Azamgarh
early in September. The district has witnessed a string of communal clashes of late. PHOTO: PTI
on subsequent days was a
full-scale
Hindu-Muslim
clash, largely between Yadavs and Muslims.
So why was the May 14
episode highlighted as a
Dalit-Muslim clash, while
the bigger incidents that followed it did not get the same
notice?
The answer lies in the
battle for the Muslim vote in

next years elections in Uttar

Pradesh. The consensus that
emerged from a recent trip to
the central and eastern U.P.
was that while the SP was the
first choice of Muslims, if the
SP wrecked by an internal
feud did not look up to the
task of keeping the BJP at bay,
the community would shift
its support to the Bahujan
Samaj Party.

Union Cabinet approves SC allows Latorre to stay on in Italy

ratification of climate deal
KRISHNADAS RAJAGOPAL

DELHI: The Supreme

Court on Wednesday allowed
Italian
marine
Massimiliano Latorre to stay
on in Italy till a final decision
is taken by an international
tribunal on Indias jurisdiction to try him and his compatriot Salvatore Girone for
the murder of two Kerala
fishermen in 2012.
The Union government
raised no objection to the
marines plea to remain in
Italy, saying that even the
tribunal had acknowledged
the Supreme Courts continuing jurisdiction insofar
as relaxing Mr. Latorres bail
conditions were concerned.
A three-judge Bench of
Justices Anil R. Dave, Kurian
Joseph and Amitava Roy permitted Mr. Latorre, who
went to Italy in 2014 after he
sufered a stroke, to stay back
like Mr. Girone.
The Bench directed the
Union to file progress reports every three months in

NEW

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: In an unpreceden-

ted move, the Election Commission has ordered the registration of an FIR against
unknown persons and recommended disciplinary proceedings against the Haryana Assembly Secretary for
allegedly
concealing
material facts in connection
with the ink row during the
recent Rajya Sabha elections.
Haryana
Assembly
Secretary R.K. Nandal, who
was the Returning Oicer,
told
presspersons
on
Wednesday that the polls
were fair and transparent.
The ECs decision will not
change the election result, its
oicials said.
The commission held the
Returning Oicer guilty of
concealing material facts
and not complying with lawful directions. It asked the
Chief Secretary to initiate
disciplinary
proceedings
within six months. A final
decision would be taken in
consultation
with
the
commission.
An unauthorised pen was
found inside the polling
booth and another unauthorised one was used for marking ballot papers, leading to
the rejection of 12 ballot papers in June this year. The EC
observed that it was a serious
case of lack of supervisory
control and negligence.
The rejection of ballot papers led to the defeat of Independent candidate R.K.
Anand, who sought an
investigation.

But if reports of DalitMuslim clashes are highlighted as they are being

from many parts of western
U.P. ever since the BJP came
to power at the Centre in
2014 it will frighten
Muslims away, while drawing Dalits into the Hindu
read BJP fold, as happened
to a large extent in U.P. in the
last Lok Sabha polls.

On Adityanaths turf
These episodes have not
gone unnoticed in neighbouring Gorakhpur district,
where Yogi Adityanath, mahant of the wealthy Gorakhnath Temple, and five-time
BJP MP, heads the Hindu
Vahini.
Local journalist Manoj
Singh explains: In 2014, the
BJP used the Muzafarnagar
violence and the mass exodus of Muslims from their
villages to polarise society
along religious lines. This
time, there is an attempt to
make Azamgarh, located in
eastern U.P., a hub for similar
polarisation. The fact that
Azamgarh became notorious
after the Batla House encounter in Delhi as the home
district of suspected terrorists, the BJP feels, can make
its task easier.

NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet

on Wednesday gave the goahead for ratifying the Paris

climate deal on October 2, in
line with Prime Minister
Narendra Modis announcement at the BJPs national executive meeting on Sunday.
Post-ratification,
India
will have to conform to the
United
Nations-brokered
agreement to ensure that
global temperatures do not
rise more than 2 degrees
Celsius above the pre-industrial levels. The country will
have to provide continuously
a detailed inventory of its
emissions to the U.N.
Secretary-General and ensure that its growth trajectory is significantly reliant on
clean energy.
The ratification requires
India to submit a document
giving details of its action
plan, called the Nationally
Determined Contributions,
to the U.N. Secretary General. The Cabinets approval
now has to be signed by the
President and an electronic
assent can be given [to the
UN], Environment Minister
Anil Dave told The Hindu
over the phone. The physical document need only be
deposited by Indias Permanent Representative of India
to the U.N. So far there has
been no decision if somebody would go from here to
deposit it.
191 countries have so far
signed the Paris pact on climate change. The next step

was to ratify the pact. PM had

announced this at a public
rally in Kozhikode, Union
Human
Resource
Development Minister Prakash
Javadekar said at a press
briefing after the Cabinet
meeting. As the then Environment
Minister,
Mr.
Javadekar signed the Paris
deal in April.
The
Environment
Ministry is still in the process of receiving sector-wise
plans from various arms of
government and industry on
how its commitments are to
be met.
There are two conditions
for the Paris treaty to come
into efect from 2020 at
least 55 countries have to accept and ratify it and at least

as many countries responsible for at least 55 per cent of

the worlds pollution must be
covered. As of September 28,
61 countries had ratified it
and 47.79 per cent of the pollution target had been met.
With India, which is responsible for 5.8 per cent of
global greenhouse gas emissions, ratifying the deal, the
Paris agreement would still
be short of the 55 per cent target. The European Union has
indicated that it will ratify
the deal before October 7.
The advantages of India
signing on early is that we get
to be part of an exclusive
meeting of the 55 per cent
club before the climate
meetings in Marrakesh from
November 7, Mr. Dave said.

Massimiliano Latorre
the Supreme Court, detailing
the stage of proceedings at
the tribunal.
Additional Solicitor-General P.S. Narasimha said Mr.
Latorres plea was backed by
a sovereign undertaking
from Italy to comply with the
courts directions.
Similar conditions
During the hearing, the
Centre listed a few conditions which it wanted the
Bench to impose while relax-

ing Mr. Latorres bail. Some

of these conditions are
similar to those imposed on
Mr. Girone, such as reporting
on the first Wednesday of
every month to the local police station in Italy.
The Centre said the Italian
authorities have been sending a Note Verbale to their
Indian counterparts every
three months on Mr. Girone,
and this would be followed
in Mr. Latorres case too.
At this point, the Kerala
government intervened to
highlight the importance of
the Supreme Court on keeping an eye on the proceedings in the tribunal.
They say the tribunal proceedings would be decided
only by the end of 2018. It
may also take another five
years to complete ... Who
knows? It is the Supreme
Court which has to see that
nobody loses interest in this
case where two poor fishermen have been killed in cold
blood, senior advocate K.N.
Balagopal submitted.

Senior advocate Rana

Mukherjee, who appeared
for the families of the fishermen, said the witnesses were
in perpetual waiting for
justice to be done.
Mr. Balagopal submitted
how Italy claimed before the
international tribunal that
India had violated privacy
laws.

Humanitarian rights
They said humanitarian
rights of the marines are under threat. What about the
humanitarian rights of the
fishermen killed, Mr. Balagopal submitted.
In May 2016, the Supreme
Court allowed Mr. Girone to
leave for Italy on humanitarian grounds.
He was forced to stay back
in India while Mr. Latorre
went home to get better. In
August 2015, the Supreme
Court suspended all court
proceedings in India after
Italy moved the International Tribunal for the Law of
the Sea.

Taken for a ride, says SC, but

extends Subrata Roys parole
or him. To this, the bench
wondered who had stopped
Sahara chief from selling the
property. You have been in
jail for over two years and we
gave you every facility to
help you sell the properties.
When you were in jail, you
said you will come out and
sell the properties. Now you
say you want more time,
Justice Sikri said.

LEGAL CORRESPONDENT
DELHI: The Supreme
Court on Wednesday extended the parole of Sahara
chief Subrata Roy and two of
his directors till October 24,
provided they deposit Rs.
200 crore.
It, however, said Sahara
had taken the court for a
ride by providing SEBI with
outdated information about
its assets.
A Special Bench of Chief
Justice of India T.S. Thakur
and Justices Anil R. Dave and
A.K. Sikri directed the
Sahara group to provide a
concrete roadmap for paying
SEBI almost Rs. 12000 crore
it owed investors. You give
us some concrete proposal
a roadmap or a scheme
how you plan to pay the balance Rs. 12,000 crore and in
what manner, on aidavit,
Chief Justice Thakur told
Saharas counsel and senior
advocate Kapil Sibal.

NEW

Roadmap details
The Bench asked Mr. Sibal
to consult and convince
amicus curiae and senior advocate Shekhar Naphade and
SEBI counsel and senior advocate Arvind Dattar about
the roadmap.
The court took ofence at
Sahara choosing not to disCM
YK

Subrata Roy
close the fact that 47 out of a
list 60 properties given to
SEBI for selling were already
provisionally attached by the
Income Tax department.
You took us for a ride by giving SEBI a list of your already
attached assets. We have lost
faith in you, the Bench observed orally during the
hearing.
Mr. Sibal said Mr. Roy
would require one-and-ahalf years to pay back the remaining amount to the SEBI.
He said it was diicult to sell
the properties under the
conditions and this was not
good either for them (SEBI)

Time sought
Give me one-and-a-half
years time and allow me to
sell in whatever manner I
have to sell, Mr. Sibal insisted.
Allow me to do what I
have to do and choose who to
sell to. Dont put any conditions. I am ready to give an
unconditional undertaking
that I will pay back the entire
amount within a year and a
half.
He told the court that
Sahara was working on
selling its overseas assets as
well to pay of liabilities.
This endeavour of paying
Rs. 300 crore here, another
Rs. 500 crore there will not
work... It will prove to be an
endless exercise. Let them
come up with a specific
roadmap on when and how
they will pay of the entire liability, Mr. Napphade
submitted.
ND-ND

THE HINDU THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

Jobs get created when you have growth,

when it is sustainable and solid
K.M.Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group

BRIEFLY
Docomo files reply, says
Tata blocking award
MUMBAI: Japanese telecom

major NTT Docomo on

Wednesday filed its reply in the
Delhi High Court to the objection
filed by Tata that had sought to
prevent enforcement of an
international arbitration award
in favour of the Japanese
company, reigniting a spat
between the former partners. In
a statement, Docomo said that
its reply was in response to
Tatas filing of September 2 and
that it ...deals comprehensively
with the objections which the
Tatas raised to enforcement in
India of the award granted in
Docomos favour by the London
Court of Arbitration on June 22.
As Docomo noted at the time,
Tatass filing represented the
latest in a series of roadblocks
constructed to prevent
enforcement.
Special Correspondent

| 15

BUSINESS

NOIDA/DELHI

SENSEX

GOLD

RUPEE

28-09-2016 28,293
27-09-2016 28,224

28-09-2016 31,300
27-09-2016 31,450

28-09-2016 66.46
27-09-2016 66.50

69

points

Exchange Rates
Indicative direct rates in rupees a unit
except yen at 4 p.m on September 28

Currencies
U.S. Dollar
Euro
Pound Sterling
Jap Yen (100 Units)
Chinese Yuan
Swiss Franc
Singapore Dollar
Australian Dollar
Canadian Dollar
Swedish Kroner
Danish Kroner
New Zealand Dollar
Hongkong Dollar
Malaysian Ringgit
Kuwaiti Dinar
UAE Dirham
Bahraini Dinar
Qatari Riyal
Saudi Riyal
Omani Riyal

TT
TT
Buying Selling
66.26 66.58
74.34
74.71
86.22 86.64
65.86 66.18
9.93
9.98
68.26 68.60
48.69 48.94
50.80 51.04
50.14 50.38
7.73
7.76
9.98
10.03
48.09 48.33
8.54
8.59
15.99
16.13
218.67 221.19
18.04
18.13
175.70 176.64
18.25
18.26
17.71
17.72
172.01 172.93

Source:Indian Bank

Bullion Rates
September 28 rates in rupees with
previous rates in brackets

Chennai
Bar Silver (1 kg)
Retail (1 g)
24 ct gold (10 g)
22 ct gold (1 g)
Delhi
Silver
Standard gold
Sovereign

45,645
48.80
31,550
2,950

(46,525)
(49.80)
(31,800)
(2,973)

45,150 (46,050)
31,300 (31,450)
24,500 (24,500)

0.04
/$

28-09-2016 46.12
27-09-2016 45.75

0.37
$/bbl

Centre to wind up Hindustan Cables

Cabinet nod
for $3.2 billion
Rosneft deal

Cabinet also grants

approval for the
strategic sale
of sick PSU
Bharat
Pumps

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

BRICS to ink bilateral

social security pacts
NEW DELHI: BRICS countries have
agreed to enter into bilateral
social security agreements
(SSA), according to Labour
Minister Bandaru Dattatreya.
We have agreed to pursue
bilateral social security
agreements amongst the BRICS
member states, Mr. Dattatreya
said, at the end of BRICS Labour
and Employment Ministerial
meeting. The pacts ensure that a
worker who migrates for
employment does not get
curtailed of the social security
benefits during her stay in that
country. If an Indian worker
goes to Russia and contributes
to the social security system
there, her contribution will be
credited back into the Indian
system whenever she returns
and doesnt go waste, said
Manish Kumar Gupta, Joint
Secretary, Labour Ministry.
Special Correspondent

150

/10gms

BRENT OIL

ILLUSTRATION: DEEPAK HARICHANDAN

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: The Cabinet has
given its nod for a strategic
sale of sick public sector firm
Bharat Pumps and Compressors, and for the closure
of Hindustan Cables that has
stopped output since 2003.
It has also approved an
outlay of more than Rs.4,800
crore to pay statutory dues to
these firms employees and
creditors.
The Cabinet Committee
on
Economic
Afairs
(CCEA), chaired by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, has
approved a proposal to
provide a non-Plan loan to
the Allahabad-based public
sector unit (PSU) Bharat
Pumps and Compressors
Limited, HRD Minister
Prakash Javadekar said.
The CCEA also granted in
principle approval for strategic disinvestment of the
company that will be carried

out at a latter stage, the

minister said. A Rs.111.59
crore loan would be used to
settle outstanding statutory
dues payable to its retired
employees such as provident
fund and gratuity as well as
dues payable to the Central
Industrial Security Force.
Golden handshake
Separately, the cabinet approved the closure of
Hindustan Cables by ofering a golden handshake to its
employees and a Rs.305
crore one-time settlement to
a consortium of its lenders
led by State Bank of India.
In all, the Centre has
agreed to bear Rs.4,700 crore
to fund the units closure, of
which cash infusion will be
Rs.1,309.90 crore and noncash infusion of Rs.3,467.15
crore whereby the Government of Indias loan and interest dues pending on the
companys books, would be

Insolvency bill moots

creative destruction
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: A draft Financial

Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill 2016 has mooted

the creative destruction of
ineicient firms as part of
the legislation that seeks to
address insolvency issues in
financial
services
companies.
In financial firms, zero
failure of financial firms is
not always possible, the report by the Committee that
accompanied the draft Bill
said. Regulation will sometimes fail, and a prudentially
regulated financial firm will
become insolvent. Moreover, some instances of firm
failure are good for creative
destruction of ineicient
firms.
However, it is important to
ensure that the failure of a
financial firm is orderly, so
that consumers are protected and systemic stability
and resilience are preserved,

without relying on taxpayerfunded bail-out.

The Ministry of Finance
on Wednesday invited comments on the proposed draft.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had in his Budget 2016
speech said that there was a
need for a comprehensive
code for the resolution of financial sector companies,
which would, together with
the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2015, when enacted, provide a comprehensive
resolution
mechanism
for
our
economy.
The draft Bill sets in place
the creation of a Resolution
Corporation
comprising
three ex-oicio members
representing the Ministry of
Finance, the Reserve Bank of
India, and the Securities and
Exchange Board of India, respectively.
Additionally,
there will be one member
each nominated by the insurance and pension regulators.

converted to equity.
There is no production
activity in the company since
January 2003. Due to nonpayment of salary and wages,
it is very diicult for the employees to survive...With the
present time bound closure
of the company, the valuable
assets of the company will be
available for other optimum
utilization, according to an
oicial statement.
Meanwhile, the department of public enterprises
(DPE) under the ministry of
heavy industries and public
enterprises has asked ministries to close non-strategic
PSUs that have no specific
hope for revival in a timebound manner.
Revival strategy
As per its guidelines, public sector firms were to be
categorised into strategic or
non-strategic and ministries
were to prescribe their re-

vival
or
restructuring
strategies. The department
has stressed that the Centre
has decided on an uniform
policy for ofering voluntary
retirement to workers of
firms that cant be revived
and modalities for disposing
of their assets.
The guidelines prescribe
that leasehold land would be
dealt as per the terms of the
lease and freehold land
would be ofered in following order of priority, to
central government departments, central government
bodies and public sector enterprises, state government
departments and state government bodies or public
sector firms, the DPE noted.
In case such entities are
not interested in taking the
land of a PSU that is being
wound up, for six months,
then the land would be auctioned so that it can be put to
productive use.

NEW DELHI: The CCEA

approved the acquisition of
a 23.9 per cent stake in JSC
Vankorneft and 29.9 per cent
in LLC Taas-Yuryakh from
Rosneft Oil Company
(Rosneft), Russias national
oil company, by a
consortium comprising Oil
India Limited, Indian Oil
Corporation Limited and
Bharat Petro Resources Ltd.
The acquisition of stake
in Vankorneft will provide
6.56 million metric tonnes of
oil equivalent (MMTOE)
and 29.9 per cent stake in
Taas-Yuryakh will provide
0.5 MMTOE initially and 1.5
MMTOE by 2019, the
Centre said in a statement.
The consortium will pay
$2,020 million for the
Vankorneft stake and $1,242
million for the stake in
Taas-Yuryakh.
Earlier, in May, ONGC
Videsh, ONGCs overseas
arm, completed the
formalities to acquire an
additional 15 per cent stake
in Vankorneft at a cost of
$1.28 billion, which gave
OVL 4.11 MMTOE.

Adding assets
The acquisition will add
8.06 MMTOE to Indias
overseas oil and gas assets,
the Centre said.
It will also provide an
opportunity to Indian public
sector oil and gas companies
to absorb newer
technologies with Rosneft
and British Petroleum. BP
acquired 20 per cent stake in
Taas-Yuryakh from Rosneft
last year.
Vankorneft owns Vankor,
which is Russias secondlargest oil and gas field, in
terms of output.

COSTLY GO-BY: An Indian study finds that Pakistan can buy

goods at a far cheaper rate from India. FILE PHOTO: NISSAR AHMAD

Pak. loses $7 bn. by

avoiding India goods
ARUN S
NEW DELHI: Pakistan sufered a

loss of about $7 billion in

2014 by importing items
from other countries at a
higher cost instead of
sourcing them from India,
according to a study by the
New Delhi-based Research
and Information System for
Developing Countries (RIS).
The think-tank in the
study, to be released this
week, found out that the loss
was substantial considering
Pakistans GDP (nominal,
2015) was only about $270
billion. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to chair
a meeting to review trade
ties between India and
Pakistan on Thursday.
Significantly, the RIS
studys findings are in line
with the theme of Modis recent speech at Kozhikode
(Kerala), where he called
upon the people of Pakistan
to fight a war on unemployment, poverty and illiteracy.
The RIS study on Costs
of Non-Cooperation
covered 5,200 items. These
included refined petroleum,
palm oil, aviation spirit, motor vehicle parts, edible oil,
cotton, milk powder, marine
products, machinery as well
as chemicals and allied
products.
Costs of Non-Cooperation occurs when a country

imports from the global market at prices higher than the

price at which the same
product is available from the
regional market, and thereby
incurs an additional foreign
exchange expenditure on
such imports, the RIS said.
Many
products
that
Pakistan imported from
third countries were at least
three times more costly than
the price of the same item
from India in export markets, it added.
The objective of the
study is to show Pakistan
that they can save on the
foreign exchange front if
they cooperate in South
Asia, said Ram Upendra
Das, professor, RIS.
Pakistan is a net-importing nation with a trade deficit of $22 billion in 2015. In
2015, it imported around $44
billion, while it exported only items worth $22 billion. India-Pakistan trade is far below potential and negligible.
Trade between both the
nations in 2015-16 was just
$2.6 billion, while according
to various estimates the annual bilateral trade has the
potential to surpass $20 billion if both countries cooperate and remove barriers and
restrictions. Currently, most
of the trade happens indirectly through Dubai, Singapore, port of Bandar Abbas
(Iran).

CBEC gets nod

for Rs. 2,256 cr.
IT network
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Afairs
has approved a Rs.2,256
crore outlay for Project
SAKSHAM, an initiative under the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), to
bolster the information technology network for the new
GST regime that the government intends to roll out from
April 2017.
CBECs IT systems need
to integrate with the Goods
& Services Tax Network
(GSTN) for processing of
registration, payment and returns data sent by GSTN systems to CBEC, as well as act
as a front-end for other modules like audit, appeal and investigation, according to a
government
statement.
There is no overlap in the
GST-related systems of
CBEC and GSTN.

Wal-Mart may buy $1 bn. Flipkart stake

HONG KONG/MUMBAI: Wal-Mart
Stores Inc. is in talks to buy a
minority stake in Indias
largest e-commerce firm
Flipkart,
two
sources
familiar with the matter said,
as the worlds biggest retailer
aims to get a slice of a fastgrowing online retail market.
One of the sources said the
U.S. retailer was looking to
invest between $750 million
and $1 billion in Flipkart, but
the final value and size of the
stake would depend on the
outcome of talks about the
Indian companys overall
valuation.
He added Wal-Mart and
Flipkart were also contemplating a collaboration that
would see them leverage
each others expertise in retail and supply chains in
India.

Amazons expansion
Both sources declined to
be identified because the
talks are preliminary and
have not been made public.
Wal-Mart in India and Flipkart declined to comment.
CM
YK

throat competition, reduced

private funding, and elusive
profitability is putting pressure on e-commerce players
in India.

ONLINE RIVALRY: Wal-Mart is in talks with Indias e-retailer

Flipkart to acquire a stake to expand. FILE PHOTO: SOMASHEKAR G. R. N.
A deal would pit Wal-Mart
against U.S. rival Amazon,
which has been expanding
rapidly in the South Asian
countrys retail market and is
now Flipkarts biggest competitor. Wal-Mart only operates wholesale stores in
India.
With Amazon slowly taking a lead over the Indian
players, all these unicorns including Flipkart and Snapdeal are out there in the market to raise funds, the source

said. Companies like WalMart would be more longterm investors, but there
arent too many like them to
write such big cheques.
Flipkart has been valued at
about $11.5 billion, local
media reported last month,
citing a U.S. regulatory filing
from investor Valic, a division of American International Group Inc.
The company was valued
at as much as $15 billion
earlier this year, but cut-

Cellphones to suitcases
Started in 2007 by two
former Amazon employees,
Flipkart sells everything
from cellphones to suitcases
and cosmetics. Current investors include Tiger Global
Management and Accel Partners.
Flipkart and smaller rival
Snapdeal have been looking
to raise fresh capital to compete with deep-pocketed
Amazon in an industry that
relies on steep discounts on
products and heavy spending on marketing, technology and delivery networks
to lure customers.
Wal-Mart agreed in June
to take a 5 per cent stake in
Chinas JD.com, giving the
U.S. firm a ringside seat in
JD.coms bitter rivalry with
Chinese e-commerce leader
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
Reuters
ND-ND

BUSINESS

16 |
SNIPPETS
Aachi wins trade mark case in the U.S.
CHENNAI: In a significant ruling, the Trademark Trial and Appellate Board

of United States Patent & Trademark Office has upheld the claims of
Chennai-based Aachi Spices and Foods in a trademark case against
California-based restaurant Aachi Aapakadai. It has also cancelled the
registration granted in favour of Raju Kalidoss for the trademark Aachi
Aapakadai for his restaurants in California. The Bench rejected the
arguments that the Trademark Aachi was generic and descriptive. Also,
it did not agree with the view that the goods (Spices) and services
(Restaurants) were distinguishable.The trademark Aachi was first
adopted for spices and condiments in 1995 Special Correspondent

Infosys introduces Skava Commerce

BENGALURU: Indias second largest IT services company, Infosys,

introduced Skava Commerce, a modern, mobile-first and modular

e-commerce platform. The new platform was developed by Skava, a
start-up acquired by Infosys in last June. It allows businesses to leverage
flexible cloud-based micro-services and white label applications to new
offerings and improve conversion in digital channels.The platform can
and integrate into existing technologies, while also providing an
architecture that will enable a shopping experience that leverages
artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, natural language
processing and virtual reality (VR), said the company. Staff Reporter

Amazon opens two fulfilment centres in Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: Amazon India has opened two more fulfilment centres (FCs) in

Tamil Nadu to support faster deliveries under its Prime programme for
the upcoming festive season till January 2017.With this, Amazon has
three FCs in Tamil Nadu, totalling 27 in 10 states. The FCs located in
Chennai and Coimbatore will have a total storage capacity of 9 lakh
cubic feet.We expect huge deliveries in the upcoming Diwali season,
said Akhil Saxena, Amazon India Vice-President, Customer Fulfilment.
During the fourth quarter of 2015, we posted good growth in sales
against the previous three quarters. This year too, we expect huge
bookings, he said. Special Correspondent

Druva raises $51 million in fresh funding round

BENGALURU: Cloud data protection and information management

company, Druva, said it has raised $51 million (about Rs.335 crore) in
fresh round of funding. The round was led by existing investor Sequoia
India and joined by new investors Singapore-based EDBI, Blue Cloud
Ventures and Hercules Capital. The fresh round also saw participation
from other existing investors including NTT Finance, Nexus Venture
Partners and Tenaya Capital. With the new funding Druva has raised
$118 million in funding and will continue to support its aggressive
growth strategy. Druva is witnessing strong demand for its cloud-based
data protection and information management solution. Staff Reporter

Birla Group to employ 12,000 entry-level staffers

MUMBAI: The diversified Aditya Birla Group will employ 12,000 people at

the entry level in the next three years, its Chairman Kumar Mangalam
Birla said. In the next three years, we would employ about 12,000
people at entry level. This would be graduate engineers, diploma
holders, MBAs and ITIs for our manufacturing units, Mr. Birla said at an
event here. He added that jobs get created when you have growth,
when it is sustainable and solid. At present, the total employee base of
the conglomerate stands at 1.1 lakh, he said. With the groups entry into
services businesses like telecom, the percentage of women in the
employee base has now gone up to 30 per cent but added that the
proportion of women in managerial roles may not be as much. PTI

CM
YK

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

Regulator allows options

contracts in commodities
Currently, only futures contracts are available in the commodity segment

WINNERS ALL: MeraKisan passes on cost benefits to consumers,

and farmers get more money for the produce.FILE PHOTO

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
MUMBAI: The Securities and
Exchange Board of India has
allowed the introduction of
options contracts in the
commodity derivatives market. Currently, only futures
contracts are available in the
commodity segment.
Introduction of new commodity derivatives products
has been a subject of deliberation, said a circular issued
by the regulator on Wednesday. The note added that the
products would aid the
overall development of the
commodity derivatives market, attracting broad-based
participation, enhancing liquidity, facilitating hedging
and bringing in more depth
to the...market.
Based on the recommendations of the Commodity Derivatives Advisory
Committee (CDAC), it has
been decided that commodity derivatives exchanges
shall be permitted to introduce trading in options, it
added.

Long-standing demand
Introduction of options
contracts was a long-standing demand of commodity
market participants. SEBI
took over as the commodity
derivatives regulator last
year in September and had
said that newer products and
players in the commodity
segment would be allowed in
a phased manner.
Options have been a longpending demand and by allowing them, SEBI has sent a
clear signal that it wants to
take these markets ahead and
make them hedger-and userfriendly, said Kishor Narne,
Head of Commodities &
Currencies, Motilal Oswal
Commodities.
Options
would certainly enhance

Mahindra Agri buys 33%

in start-up MeraKisan
LALATENDU MISHRA
MUMBAI: Making its foray into

the e-commerce space,

Mahindra Agri Solutions, the
agriculture business of the
Mahindra Group, through
one of its joint venture companies, has acquired 33 per
cent stake in Pune-based agriculture e-commerce startup MeraKisan Pvt Ltd for an
unspecified amount.

OPTIONS GALORE: Diamonds, tea and eggs were added to the list of products notified for
derivatives trading. Others in the list are cocoa, pig iron and brass. FILE PHOTO: AFP

Diamonds, eggs included

NEW DELHI: Six more
commodities including
diamonds, tea and eggs
were added to the list of
products notified on
Wednesday for
derivative tradings on
the exchanges.
In consultation with
markets regulator Sebi
and on suggestions of an
expert committee
headed by NITI Aayog
member Ramesh Chand,
the government has
notified a consolidated
list of 91 commodities, up
from 85 so far, on which
derivative contracts can
be launched and traded
on the exchanges.
The new commodities

participation by reducing
risk and costs of hedging by
corporates, he said.
Options would also lead to
increased participation from
investors and speculators

also include cocoa, pig

iron and brass.
The committee had
suggested a total of eight
additions to the list but
only six have been added.
The notification has
come into efect from
today, Sebi said in a
circular, while asking
exchanges to take steps
to make necessary
amendments to the
relevant rules and
regulations for the
implementation of the
same. Among others in
the list are cofee, sugar,
guar silk, carbon credit,
diesel and petrol,wheat,
cardamom, chillies and
cinnamon.PTI
and thereby to better price
discovery and good health of
the markets, he added.
The commodity derivative
space is dominated by the
Multi-Commodity Exchange

Industry watchers say

that allowing options
would lead to more
participation
from investors
of India (MCX) and the National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange Limited
(NCDEX). MCX, with its
dominance in metals and
energy commodities, has an
over 90 per cent market
share with NCDEX creating
a niche in the agri-commodity space.
Deepen market
Introduction of options
would deepen and transform the Indian commodity
derivatives markets both in
terms of products and participants, said Mrugank
Paranjape, Managing Director and Chief Executive
Oicer, MCX. It will
provide for inclusive development of the market and
encourage
cost-efective
hedging for participants like
farmers and SMEs, he said.

Direct sourcing
The minority stake has
been acquired by Mahindra
Univeg Pvt Ltd, a 60:40 joint
venture between Mahindra
Agri Solutions and Belgium
based Univeg (formerly

Greenyard
Foods).
MeraKisan operates its business through its website
shopping.merakisan.com.
The start-up supplies fresh
fruits and vegetables to endusers by directly sourcing
from farmers.
Through this business
model MeraKisan provides a
cost-benefit of about 10 per
cent to consumers while the
farmers get prices that are 15
to 20 per cent higher for their
produce, it is learnt.
While the company takes
the orders, the farmers directly deliver the produce to
end-users.
It caters to Pune and Navi
Mumbai markets.

Madras Fertilizers to
set up logistics park
N. ANAND
CHENNAI: The board of direct-

ors of Madras Fertilizers Ltd.,

(MFL) has approved the setting up of a modern logistics
park that would include a
container freight station,
godowns and warehouses.
A private operator has
ofered to make a one-time
payment of Rs.117 crore as
also a minimum revenue to
the loss-making firm, in return for rights to set up and
operate the park. Two years
ago, MFL had appointed a
consultant to conduct a feasibility study for the logistics
park whose cost was estimated at Rs.290 crore.
We are taking several

The company says

there is no question
of closing down as it
estimates this years
profits at Rs.12 cr.
steps to revive the company,
said A.B. Khare, MFL Chairman and Managing Director
while addressing the 50th annual general meeting. This
year, we will start production
of the NPK fertiliser, he
said. Assuring shareholders
of a marginal profit for the
current fiscal, he said: We
have moved from the
negative to the positive zone.
This year, we expect a profit
of Rs.12 crore.

ND-ND

| 17

SPORT

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

Telecast schedule

Total team effort

Kimmons suspended

Consistency and contributions

KPL: Sony ESPN & Sony ESPN HD,

1.30 p.m. & 5.30 p.m. Europa
League: TEN 1, 2, 3 & TEN 1 HD, 11.15
p.m. Ryder Cup: TEN Golf HD, 2.30
a.m. (Friday)

My players were very, very concentrated; we

showed very good character, attitude and
personality. We were very calm, very attentive and
closed all the spaces. Leicester Citys Claudio
Ranieri on his teams show against Porto.

Trell Kimmons, a member of USAs 2012

Olympics 4x100m relay team which was stripped
of its medal because of Tyson Gays dope test, has
been suspended for two years after testing positive
for a banned stimulant, the USADA has said.

If we want to become a good team then we have

to bring consistency. Both junior and senior players
are contributing and that is the sign of a good
team. I am enjoying it as a leader. Pakistans
T20 captain Sarfraz Ahmed.

A situation many in the Board saw coming

Lodha panels status report to the apex court leaves the BCCI with few options
G. VISWANATH
MUMBAI: A majority of the

BCCIs members saw the reforms process coming once

the Justice R.M. Lodha Committee submitted its recommendations to the Supreme
Court (SC) in January.
The Committee first articulated its views in a 300-page
report after interacting with
72 individuals from a cross
section of the society that
was associated with the
game.
It came to a conclusion
that radical reforms were
needed to clean up an administrative mechanism that
short-changed the cricket
fan.
After hearing the BCCIs
side, the SC endorsed almost
all of the Committees recommendations. It modified
the proposal pertaining to
the nature of live broadcast
of home internationals, and
thereafter the Committee
gave its consent to changing
the IPL governing councils
composition by withdrawing
two positions for the franchises.
After validating the recommendations on July 18,
the SC mandated the Committee to oversee its implementation in four to six
months.
The Committee gave the
BCCI two sets of timelines to
complete the process, a significant aspect of which was
the adoption the new
Memorandum of Association (MOA) and Rules
and Regulations.
Disquiet

There was palpable disquiet among the BCCIs

members; the thought of giving up all power to a new
band of administrators was

IN A SPOT: The people who matter are in the middle of a difficult period. PHOTO: PTI

Lodha panel takes exception

to BCCIs mixed messages
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
MUMBAI: The BCCIs differing
language, with regard to the
implementation of reforms and
the timelines involved, has not
gone unnoticed by the Lodha
Committee.
In its media advisory after its
Annual General Meeting here on
September 21, the Board had said
it would consider the
amendments to the rules and
regulations at the emergent
Special General Meeting on
September 30.
But in its report to the Lodha
Committee, the BCCI spoke not of

not acceptable.
In the beginning, most of
the associations felt that the
BCCIs objections, and the
intervention
applications
filed by several member
units, would bail them out.
The BCCIs rationale that
it was registered with the
Tamil Nadu Societies Regis-

amendment but of the formal

adoption of the new
memorandum and rules and
regulations by September 28.
The Committee, in its status
report to the Supreme Court, took
note of the contradicting
messages. An operative paragraph
under item (5) said: It was stated
in the BCCI report dated 25.8.2016
that an EGM would be called not
later than 28th September for the
formal adoption of the new
memorandum. The BCCI did not
honour this assurance at the
AGM of 21.9.2016 took decisions
contrary to the said assurance by
deciding that the EGM would be
tration Act and therefore answerable to it did not wash
with the apex court.
The fallout included the
resignation of Shashank Manohar as BCCI president, citing a lack of competence to
deal with the changed circumstances.
After his exit, Anurag

Playing was tougher, but

administration is no less
challenging: Ganguly
VIJAY LOKAPALLY

One has vivid

memories of Sourav Ganguly at the Eden Gardens in
January 1995, all geared up to
take on England-A. He had
an exasperated look as he
contemplated his future.
The tour of Australia was
five years old and he seemed
disillusioned, unable to regain recognition. But he
ended the conversation on a
confident note, promising a
comeback to the Indian
squad. He did it the following
year but was uncharitably
described a quota selection.
He responded with a century
at Lords.
Twenty-one years down
the line, Ganguly finds himself running the show at the
Eden as the president of the
Cricket Association of
Bengal (CAB). He is the
busiest man at the Eden, attending to various requests
and breezing through one
meeting after another.
How did it feel to be firmly
ensconced in an administrative post? Did he visualise
this journey? You dont see
the future but obviously I
didnt expect all this. The
biggest satisfaction of this
journey is the games (424)
that I played for India. Having played the game for so
long I was happy to be where
I wanted to. That is the most
satisfying thing. Whatever
comes after that is a bonus,
Ganguly told The Hindu at
his CAB oice.
Playing was tougher, he
said, but administrating is no
less challenging. Everything has its challenges.
You just have to deal with it
diferently. Playing is real
time. But I feel everything
has its challenges. It is just
that you learn things with
time and learn to do them
properly.
His views are driven from
the point of a cricketer. I see
it exactly as a cricketer,
Ganguly asserted. And I try
hard to do well because
whatever Indian cricket is
today it is because of what
KOLKATA:

CM
YK

THE BOSS: Sourav Ganguly says he will strive to fulfil his

responsibilities as an administrator.
happens on the field. Thats
why people come to watch.
Whatever you do of the field
is your job and one tries to
make sure that it remains
good.
The common outlook is
that players dont necessarily
make good administrators. I
dont think so. Everyone
cant be judged on the same
platform. You have to assess
once the career is over.
For an administrator you
judge his work over a period
of time and decide if he has
done good work or not.
Every comparison doesnt always give you the exact picture. Whether it is in sports,
administration or any aspect
of life! When you have two
people competing, comparisons will happen. I wont
be able to judge whether it is
the right picture or not.
What is it that he brings to
administration as a cricketer.
What I know. And what I
want to do. It is exactly the
same system that I followed
as a captain. I did what my
heart said. I did what I felt
was right for Indian cricket. I
have been given a responsibility and that is what I will
aim to deliver well. If I try to

look for comparisons I will

spend the entire tenure doing just that.
Ganguly confesses his love
for coaching. Thats still in
my heart. I dont know if
thats going to happen or not.
I was forced into administration because Mr. (Jagmohan) Dalmiya wanted me and
I was made the CAB
secretary. I still had intentions of becoming a coach
when the CAB job came my
way. When Mr. Dalmiya
passed away I became
president.
There is a distinguished
visitor in Gangulys oice.
India chief coach Anil
Kumble. I have come to see
the CAB president in the
chambers, smiled the India
coach. He listened to Gangulys concluding remark. I
will consider myself a good
administrator if we can produce consistent Test players.
I can assist by creating the facilities and infrastructure
and ofer the right atmosphere at selections.
It is time to leave Ganguly
and Kumble to discuss the
finer points of their vocation. One is a coach and the
other an administrator.

on 30th September to consider

the amendments to the Rules and
Regulations.
The BCCIs notice to its
affiliated units, incidentally,
speaks of consider[ing]
directions of Justice (Retd) Lodha
Committee in connection with the
formal adoption of the new
Memorandum of Association and
Rules for the BCCI.
Unlike an amendment to the
rules and regulations, the formal
adoption does not require a
two-thirds majority. The Lodha
committee has re-written the
Rules and Regulations for the
BCCI to adopt.
Thakur and Ajay Shirke
began handling what was the
toughest phase in the Boards
near-nine-decade history.
The BCCI contested the
One State, One Member, One
Vote rule that gave full membership to the North-East
States.
It also objected to

Reasons behind the

North-East no-show
G. VISWANATH

positions for a male and female representative and the

nomination of a CAG representative in the apex council,
which it felt was government
interference.

BCCI could face

ICC suspension

Point of contention

MUMBAI: If the Supreme

The restriction on the

terms of oice-bearers, specifically a cooling-of period
of three years after the first
three-year term and a maximum term of nine years, was
a strong point of contention,
as was the recommendation
barring ministers, government servants (modified to
public servants in the Supreme Court order of July 18)
and members of other national sports bodies from occupying posts.
With the BCCI expressing
its misgivings in a number of
ways, the Lodha Committee
was categorical in its status
report on Wednesday.
Item No. 6 said: While the
oice-bearers of the BCCI
gave assurances to the SC
committee that they would
cooperate the events over
the past weeks have shown
that this is not the case. Directions of this Honble court
have been ignored, the directives of the committee
have been breached and
member associations have
not been duly intimated
about the directions of the
committee and the timelines
fixed by it.
With the status report
coming down ruthlessly on
the BCCI and its leadership,
the Emergent Special General Meeting here on Friday,
will probably see a subdued
BCCI adopting the new MoA
and Rules and Regulations.
Perhaps, it did not take
two Chief Justices of India
seriously enough.

Court accepts the R.M.

Lodha Committees request
of superseding all the oicebearers of the BCCI and
appoint in their place a
Panel of Administrators,
the Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI) will
be in danger of being
suspended by the
International Cricket
Council.
Article 2.9 of the ICCs
rulebook, titled
Independence of Member
boards, specifies that
external intervention,
especially that from the
government, would attract
action against the member.
Members must provide
for (a) free elections and/or
(b) appointments from
amongst their members for
their executive body or
nominees from outside their
members appointed by their
executive body.
Where a government
interferes in the
administration of cricket by
a Member, including but not
limited to interference in
operational matters... the
Executive Board shall have
the power to suspend or
refuse to recognise that
Member, subject to the
provisions of Article 2.7.
Article 2.7 spells out the
nitty-gritty of suspensions.
As a result, the
uncertainty over the BCCI
administration is unlikely to
clear up, even after the next
Supreme Court hearing on
October 6.

AMOL KARHADKAR

The North-East
States, which were accorded
full membership of the BCCI
by the Supreme Court-appointed Justice Lodha Committee under the one State,
one member, one vote ruling, were absent at the BCCI
Annual General Meeting
here on September 21.
Sikkim Cricket Association, Manipur Cricket Association (both associate)
and Meghalaya Cricket Association, Nagaland Cricket
Association and Arunachal
Cricket Association (all ailiate) did not send their representatives for the AGM
which violated specific recommendations of the Committee. Mizoram, which has
been slotted under the full
member category by the
Committee, is presently not
a member of the BCCI either
in the associate or ailiate
category.
It can be construed that
since these five States had no
voting right, they did not
want to be a party to an AGM
that was advised to deal only
with routine matters of 201516.
But all are expected to attend the emergent Special
General Meeting (SGM)
here on Sept. 30 called by the
Board to consider the
amendments to the rules and
regulations of BCCI as recommended by Honble
Justice Lodha Committee.
The co-convenor of the
North-East Cricket Committee and secretary of the
Meghalaya Cricket Association, Naba Bhattacharjee,
told The Hindu from Shillong that he was busy with
the BCCIs under-19 tournament for associate and ailiate teams in Bengaluru and
could not travel to Mumbai
for the AGM.

N-E Cricket
Committee to
present
memorandum

MUMBAI:

The North-East Cricket

Committee, comprising
Arunachal Pradesh,
Manipur, Sikkim,
Meghalaya and
Nagaland, will present a
memorandum to the
BCCI to adopt the one
State, one member, one
vote rule recommended
by the Justice Lodha
Committee.
Mizoram is not there
now but the other five
will present the joint
memorandum to the
BCCI. We are very
hopeful, said
Priayananda Singam,
secretary of the Manipur
Cricket Association.
Special Correspondent

The BCCI doesnt pay for

the cost of air tickets for
AGM. We dont get any
grants from the BCCI and
dont have votes. That could
be the reason for the other
NE States not attending the
AGM. This is not the case
with Meghalaya, reasoned
Bhattacharjee.
The representatives of the
five NE States that constantly interact with the
president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, Sourav
Ganguly, are expected to attend the SGM because the
cost of their air tickets will
be borne by the BCCI.
I will attend the SGM and
so would the others. We
hope the BCCI takes the
right decision at the SGM.
They should have taken the
right decision before, said
Bhattacharjee.

Pujara is an important cog in the team

AMITABHA DAS SHARMA
KOLKATA: India coach Anil

Kumble sought to shoot

down talk about the strikerate of top-order batsman
Cheteshwar Pujara, saying
the relevance of the player
has been misjudged.
He is a very important
cog in our plans. He has been
successful and I know that he
will continue to be successful, Kumble said about Pujara when asked about the
talk on the batsmans
strike-rate.
We all know the importance of the first session in a
Test. So the relevance of Pujara is there. I am extremely
surprised and a bit disappointed that this talk keeps
coming up. As long as
someone reads the situation
and plays according to it, a
team cannot expect anything
more from him, Kumble
said.
The talk about Pujaras
strike-rate came up during
Indias tour of the West Indies in July, which was revealed recently by Sandip
Patil after he completed his
tenure as chairman of
selectors.
Terming himself a bit old-

fashioned, Kumble said the

talk about the strike-rate was
misplaced as he had always
felt that it applied to a
bowler.
I know there has been a
lot of talk on strike-rate in
the last eight years after the
advent of Twenty20. As far as
I was concerned, when I was
playing Test cricket strikerate was spoken about bowlers, not batsmen. Thats how
I looked at it, Kumble said.
In the team you need different characters and players
with skill sets which are
suited to challenges in a Test.
It is because every session
can be diferent in a Test, he
said.

he got out. He was aware of

this and in the second innings he played brilliantly.
That 100-plus partnership
with (Ravindra) Jadeja was
crucial in taking the game
away from the New Zealanders. It is not just good for

Terming himself a
bit old-fashioned,
Kumble said the talk
about strike-rates
was misplaced.

Gambhir welcomed

Kumble
welcomed
Gautam Gambhir, who has
been recalled in place of injured opener K.L. Rahul,
back, saying the player deserved a place for having
done well in domestic
cricket.
Gautam has done really
well in domestic cricket. He
is a part of the 15. I do not
want to give away anything
more now as all 15 are available for selection. But it is
nice to have him back,

MAKING A POINT: Anil Kumble says he had always felt that the
term strike-rate applied to bowlers. PHOTO: PTI
Kumble said.
It is unfortunate that
(K.L.) Rahul got injured in
the last Test. I think
somethings happening with
the openers. For some
reason they are getting injured. (M.) Vijay got injured
in the West Indies and now
Rahul. It is unfortunate as

Rahul was batting brilliantly, Kumble said.

He also praised Rohit
Sharma, saying his batting
form in the second innings
(against New Zealand in the
first Test at Kanpur) augurs
well for the team.
In the first innings he was
disappointed with the way

the team, but I am sure it

would have given a boost to
his confidence, too, Kumble
said.
With the monsoon persisting in the region, Kumble
said his team was ready to
adapt to anything.
I did not have a look at the
wicket. It is early in the
season and there has been a
lot of rain in the region. I
hope rain does not play
spoilsport. It will be a good
wicket.
We have the squad to
meet any challenge and adapt to whatever conditions
we get. We are not really
worried too much about the
pitch. We have all our bases
covered, he said.

ATHLETICS

Ravinder hurls the javelin to a new mark

UTHRA GANESAN
LUCKNOW: It isnt often that a

record in an event is broken

twice over on the same day
but Ravinder Singh and
Shivpal Singh managed to do
so in the mens javelin throw at
the 56th National Open athletics championships here on
Wednesday.
Coming back from injury,
Ravinder managed a throw of
79.04 metres to go past the
meet record of 77.67 set by
Neeraj Chopra last year.
Shivpal, who placed second,
also managed to go past with a
throw of 77.72 metres.
Ravinders previous best was
78.11m at the inter-State championships in Hyderabad
earlier this year.
I have made some changes
to my technique, including the
arm bend and release, while

CHASING GLORY: Ajay Kumar Saroj leads the pack on his way to
winning the 1500m.
working with throwing
coach Garry Calvert since
moving to Bangalore recently.
I was trying to execute
those changes during the
heats also yesterday but
could not keep my balance.
Today it worked out much

better, Ravinder told The

Hindu.
The day also saw Ashwini
Akkunji return to form in the
400m, an event she had
largely neglected in the last
few years while concentrating on the 4x400m relay,
with a seasons best of 53.25

seconds. Only five Indians

who went to Rio have arrived
here, including Ashwini,
with Khushbir Kaur not
starting the 20km walk.
Arokya Rajeev completed
his hat-trick of titles in the
400m and Manpreet Kaur
made it four in a row in shot
put.
The results: Men: 100m: 1. Sanjeeth (SSCB, 10.55s), 2. Anuroop John
(Ker, 10.63), Manikanda Raj (RSPB,
10.63); 400m: 1. Arokya Rajeev
(SSCB, 46.70), 2. Sumeet Kumar
(Man, 47.13), 3. Noah Nirmal Tom
(SSCB, 47.28); 1500m: 1. Ajay Saroj
(RSPB, 3:51.82), 2. Sandeep Kumar
(SSCB, 3:52.21), 3. Siddhant Adhikari
(SSCB, 3:52.56); 110m hurdles: 1.
Akhil Jhonson (SSCB, 14.10), 2. Pinto
Mathew A (RSPB, 14.24), 3. Shiva Kumar (SSCB, 14.28).
Long jump: 1. Md Anees (Ker,
7.65m), 2. Jinesh VO (SSCB, 7.50), 3.
Bikramjit Singh (Pun, 7.49); Javelin:
1. Ravinder Singh (RSPB, 79.04), 2.

Shivpal Singh (SSCB, 77.72), 3. Davender Singh (SSCB, 76.41); Decathlon: 1. Abhishek Shetty (RSPB, 6991
pts.); 2. Daya Ram (SSCB, 6954), 3.
Boota Singh (SSCB, 6892).
Women: 100m: 1. H.M. Jyothi
(Kar, 11.57s), Reena George (Kar,
11.78), Neethu Mathew (LIC, 12.06);
400m: 1. Ashwini Akkunji (Kar,
53.25), 2. Santosh Kumari (AIPCB,
54.13), 3. Sarita Gayakwad (Guj,
54.56); 1500m: 1. Lili Das (WB,
4:20.91), 2. Pratima Tudu (WB,
4:23.08), 3. Chitra PU (Ker, 4:24.33);
100m hurdles: 1. Purnima Hembram
(RSPB, 13.96), 2. Sugina M (Ker,
14.06), 3. Sumandeep Kaur (MP,
14.18); 20km walk: Soumya B
(AIPCB, 1:44:32), 2. Priyanka (ONGC,
1:49:56), 3. Shanti Kumari (RSPB,
1:52:58).
Shot put: 1. Manpreet Kaur
(RSPB, 16.22m), 2. Navjeet Kaur
(ONGC, 14.26), 3. Kiranjot Kaur (Pun,
13.53); Hammer throw: 1. Sarita
Singh (RSPB, 60.35), 2. Minakshi
(AIPCB, 55.87), 3. Poonam Devi
(RSPB, 54.59).
ND-ND

18 |

SPORT

Schurrle strike
checks Real

THE HINDU THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

Ruthless Japan looks to seal AFC final berth

AMRIT RAMAKRISHNAN
MARGAO: The AFC Under-16
championship
has
now
entered the business end of the
tournament with only four
teams remaining standing.
Japan, Iraq, DPR Korea and
Iran will take the field on
Thursday knowing full well
they have qualified for next
years U-17 World Cup by virtue of being the top-four
placed teams in the competition. Japan has been ruthless
this campaign, scoring an eyewatering 22 goals in the four
games so far. Unsurprisingly,
the top two scorers are from
Yoshiro Moriyamas side; Ta-

THE SAVIOUR: Andre Schurrle came off the bench to score a late
equaliser against Real Madrid in the Champions League
on Tuesday. PHOTO: ALEX GRIMM/BONGARTS/GETTY IMAGES

Allardyce
asked to leave

PARIS: Andre Schurrle smashed

LONDON: Sam Allardyces reign

in a late equaliser as Borussia

Dortmund held Real Madrid in
the Champions League on
Tuesday.
Reigning champion Real
twice surrendered the lead as
it settled for a 2-2 draw against
Dortmund to extend its poor
record on German soil.
In a tremendous Group F
game played at breathless
pace, Real went in front in the
17th minute when Gareth
Bales back-heel came of Matthias Ginter and fell for Cristiano Ronaldo to fire home.
It was the Portuguese superstars 98th European goal but
Dortmund had been in fearsome form ahead of this showdown and it drew level just before the interval.
Making his first appearance
of the season after injury, Real
goalkeeper Keylor Navas opted to punch a Raphael Guerreiro free-kick and the ball
struck the face of his teammate Raphael Varane before
rebounding into the net.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was standing in close

NOIDA/DELHI

quarters, and he was oicially

credited with the goal.
However,
centre-back
Varane made up for that by
restoring Reals advantage
midway through the second
half, following in to score after
Karim Benzemas attempt had
hit both the post and bar. But
there was to be no first win in
Dortmund for Real as substitute Schurrle rifled a shot into
the roof of the net after a
Christian Pulisic cross fell to
him on the edge of the box.
The results: Group E: Monaco 1
(Glik 90+4) drew with Bayer Leverkusen 1 (Hernandez 73); CSKA Moscow 0 lost to Tottenham Hotspur 1
(Son 71). Group F: Borussia
Dortmund 2 (Aubameyang 43,
Schurrle 87) drew with Real Madrid 2
(Ronaldo 17, Varane 68); Sporting 2
(Ruiz 28, Dost 37) bt Legia Warsaw
0. Group G: FC Copenhagen 4
(Denswil 54-og, Delaney 64, Santander 69, Jorgensen 90+2) bt Club
Brugge 0; Leicester City 1 (Slimani
25) bt FC Porto 0. Group H: Sevilla 1
(Ben Yedder 52) bt Lyon 0; Dinamo
Zagreb 0 lost to Juventus 4 (Pjanic
24, Higuain 31, Dybala 57, Semper
85-og). AFP

as England manager came to a

humiliating end on Tuesday as
he departed after just 67 days
in charge following his controversial comments in a newspaper sting. AFP

NGT allows ISL

matches at
Rabindra Sarobar
KOLKATA: The National Green

Tribunal (NGT) has allowed

the home matches of Atletico
de Kolkata in the ISL to be held
at the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium. The NGT was hearing a
plea from city-based environmentalist, Subhas Dutta, who
moved the Tribunal alleging
that the matches to be held at
the Stadium could cause
disturbance to the nearby
eco-sensitive zone which is
protected under the National
Plan for Conservation of
Aquatic Ecosystems. The
ATK opens its campaign
against Chennaiyin FC on October 2.

nahashi Akito and Kubo Takefusa with four goals each.

However, the Japanese
coach isnt taking its opponent
lightly, lavishing praise on Iraq
as one of the best teams of the
generation ahead of the clash
at the DMC Stadium.
Iraq was the champion of
the AFC U-14 Championship
two years ago. So they are
definitely one of the best
teams of this generation, said
Moriyama.
Meanwhile, Iraq coach
Qahtan Chitheer is optimistic
of his sides chances.
Japan is a good team with
exceptional players and its
obvious they play a high level

of football, said Chitheer.

But I believe we have a
good chance in this game and
we will look to implement an
efective strategy and tactics
to combat them. We are very
proud to represent Arab
football, as we are the last remaining Arab country in this
competition, so we will try
very hard to reach the final.
Iran vs DPR Korea
In the second semifinal, defending champion DPR Korea
will have to contend with a
buoyant Iran, which is fresh
from a 5-0 hammering of Vietnam in the quarterfinals.
DPR Korea just about made

it to the last four, courtesy a

tiring 4-2 penalty shoot-out
win against Oman, but will
look to be the first team to successfully defend its title that
would mean an unprecedented third AFC Under-16
championship.
We have played four tough
matches and physically were
tired so we must try and fully
recover. We have to assess our
quarterfinal performance and
again look to improve for the
next match, said DPR Korea
coach Yun jong-su.
Iran, on the back of a comfortable quarterfinal victory
over Vietnam, will look to add
to its only title in 2008.

Eugeneson scores crucial away goal

Purav-Divij duo advances

CHENGDU (CHINA): Purav Raja and

Divij Sharan knocked out third

seeds Dominic Inglot of Britain and Nenad Zimonjic of
Serbia 6-2, 6-4 in the doubles
quarterfinals of the $947,735
Chengdu Open ATP Tour
event in China on Wednesday.
The results:
$947,735 ATP Chengdu Open,
China: Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Purav Raja & Divij Sharan bt
Dominic Inglot (GBR) & Nenad Zimonjic (Srb) 6-2, 6-4; Rohan
Bopanna & Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan
bt Feliciano Lopez (Esp) & Juan
Monaco (Arg) 6-2, 6-4.
$704,140 Shenzhen Open,
China: Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Esp)
& Malek Jaziri (Tun) bt Andre Bege-

mann (Ger) & Leander Paes 4-6, 6-1,

11-9. $100,000 Challenger men,
Tiburon, USA: Singles (first
round): Darian King (Bah) bt Yuki

Bhambri 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

$25,000 ITF men, Balatonboglar, Hungary: Pre-quarterfinals:

Sumit Nagal bt Marcin Gawron (Pol)

6-4, 6-4. First round: Sumit Nagal bt
David Szintai (Hun) 6-3, 6-4.
$250,000 WTA Tashkent Open,
Uzbekistan:
Doubles
(prequarterfinals): Polina Merenkova

(Uzb) & Dayana Yastremska (Ukr) bt

Nao Hibino (Jpn) & Prarthana Thombare 4-6, 6-3, 10-8.
$25,000 ITF women, Hua Hin,
Thailand Doubles (quarterfinals):

Jia-Jing Lu & Fang Ying Xun (Chn) bt

Fatma Al Nabhani (Oma) & Natasha
Palha 6-2, 7-5. Sports Bureau

CRICKET

JOHOR BAHRU: Eugeneson Lyng-

doh scored a crucial away goal

as Bengaluru FC earned a 1-1
draw against reigning champion Johor Darul Tazim in
their AFC Cup semifinal firstleg match at the Larkin Stadium here on Wednesday.
The mid-fielders 56th minute equaliser a left-footed
efort from almost 30 yards out
sets up the return leg in
Bengaluru on October 19
rather nicely, where even a
goal-less draw will be enough
to send BFC through to the
final.
Manager Albert Roca made
a solitary change from the
team which drew against
Tampines Rovers in Singapore in the quarterfinal
second-leg last week.
Salam Ranjan came in for
left-back Nishu Kumar and
then swapped positions with
regular right-back Rino Anto
as BFC lined up in a 3-5-2 setup.
The start would have no
doubt pleased Roca with his
wards refusing to sit back.
There were even a couple of
half chances early on with
Sunil Chhetri, Eugeneson and

TENNIS

Khawaja, Smith steer

Australia to victory
VYING FOR POSSESSION: Goal-scorer Eugeneson Lyngdoh and JDT
defender Azrif in action on Wednesday.
John Johnson all in the mix.
The hosts slowly played
themselves into the match but
found a match in the resolute
Amrinder Singh, the BFC
goalie.
He first denied a headed effort from Juan Lucero from
point-blank range and then
kept him out again in the 44th
minute.
However, on 52 minutes, it
was the other Argentine, Jorge
Pereyra Diaz, who broke Amrinders resistance when he
nodded home from a corner.
Barely four minutes later,
Lyngdoh cancelled out Johors
lead and handed BFC a slender
advantage going into the

second leg. Johor will be

without both Lucero and Diaz
as the two picked up their
second bookings in the knockout stages.
After going 1-0 down, to
come away with a draw is always diicult, said Roca.
A few individual mistakes
allowed them to take control
of the game and score.
At half time, we adjusted a
little bit and I think we did
quite well and came out with
the result we deserved.
The result:
Johor Darul Tazim 1 (Jorge
Pereyra Diaz 52) drew with
Bengaluru FC (Eugeneson 56).

BENONI (SOUTH AFRICA): Usman

Khawaja and captain Steve
Smith shared an unbeaten 126run partnership as Australia
romped to a nine-wicket win
in a one-day international
against Ireland at Willowmoore Park on Tuesday.
Khawaja made 82 not out

and Smith an unbeaten 59 as

Australia chased down a modest target of 199 with 19.5 overs
to spare.
It was a second heavy defeat
in a row for Ireland, which lost
by 206 runs against South
Africa at the same venue on
Sunday. AFP

SCOREBOARD
Ireland: W. Porterfield lbw b
Zampa 24, P. Stirling c Zampa b
Boland 30, J. Anderson lbw b Boland
39, G. Wilson c Wade b Worrall 14, S.
Terry run out 0, K. OBrien lbw b
Zampa 23, S. Poynter b Marsh 11, G.
Dockrell b Zampa 8, B. McCarthy c
Bailey b Hastings 13, T. Murtagh c
Bailey b Hastings 15, P. Chase (not
out) 0; Extras (lb-2, w-19): 21; Total
(in 43.5 overs): 198.
Fall of wickets: 1-47, 2-72, 3-121,
4-123, 5-123, 6-146, 7-158, 8-178,
9-198.
Australia bowling: Worrall 10-043-1, Hastings 7.5-0-31-2, Boland 8-

0-42-2, Marsh 8-0-43-1, Zampa 10-137-3.

Australia: U. Khawaja (not out)
82, D. Warner c & b Murtagh 48, S.
Smith (not out) 59; Extras (nb-1,
w-9): 10; Total (for one wkt. in 30.1
overs): 199.
Fall of wicket: 1-73.
Ireland bowling: Chase 5-055-0, McCarthy 7-0-57-0, Murtagh
6-0-21-1, OBrien 7-0-30-0, Dockrell
5.1-0-36-0.
Toss: Ireland.
Man-of-the-Match: U. Khawaja.
Australia won by nine wickets
with 19.5 overs to spare.

VARIETY
THE HINDU CROSSWORD 11813
1

Neyartha
7

10

11

12

13
14

17

15

16

18

19

20

the conservative (5)

20 A complaint on the capital
baked dish (4,10)
23 Our cleverness in audition
fetches a vessel for hot gravy
(6)
24 Fence for the posh luxury car
gets intelligent coverage (8)
25 Certificates with the second son
bartered for a model's book (6)
26 Fast musical passage trimmed
on the ship after the Spanish
revolutionary becomes fidgety
(8)

21
22

23

24

25

26

Across

1 Anchor report on the amphibian

spotted around the bags in
retreat (8)
5 Part of the sermon I espoused to
get funds (6)
9 Protozoa found in crushed ice's
besieging the westbound
detective (8)
10 Arrangements for the son to
replace good outfits (6)
CM
YK

11 Swelling of the body part of a

domestic help? (10,4)
14 Briefly jeopardize the public
showings (5)
16 Cooked enchiladas left outside in
the Spanish ranches (9)
17 Book jacket with promotional
info for a protective covering
for equipment (4,5)
19 Bird with the Roman deity
entertaining

Down

1 Taking risks might involve sticking

this out (4)
2 Warrant officer employs a
mirrored command line
interface to generate a reply on
the radio (5)
3 Masochists in disguise chase Tom I
away to find a skeleton (7)
A
4 Type of excavator bringing up the
last two quarters in the squad's
shacks (5,6)
H
6 Supervise the letters from Bob
being put to verse effortlessly E
(7)
H
7 Elected to confiscate fertilizer
B
with note on an extinct
herbivore (9)

8 Removal of a mechanical system

for absorbing shock (10)
12 Somehow retied tunic with
doubt (11)
13 Whirlpool, after a short time,
reportedly reveals plush toys
(5,5)
15 Green spas arranged for
someone on a voyage? (9)
18 Bullies student and a northbound
Greek character with a spring
flower (7)
19 Jack gets on top of the grotto at
sea with moderate pace (3,4)
21 Om vigorously undertakes long
experiments initially to find a
reproductive cell (5)
22 One might lay these to make an
unfavourable bet (4)

Solution to puzzle 11812

S
V
N T E RW
U
G
A
F T E R T
F
T
C
R A S H
S
B
A Y L O F
I
E
O
L I G I B
B
A
O U R M
A
D
E
R E E Z E
D
N
K

C
A R
Y
A S
T
A
L
T
T
L E
A
O Z
L
E
S

F
F
A I R D
C
E
T E
N O
C
B U D H A
S
P
R E D O U
L
S O Y A
H
N
Z A R E L
P
S
Y E P I E
A

W
R
I
S
T
B
A
N
D

Y
E
I
D

C
L A
O
C E
K

FAITH

SU | DO | KU

Bhakti draws Him

Yasoda chased Krishna, but Krishna could not be caught. She
began to tire and to pant. Krishna could not bear to see
Yasoda panting and so allowed her to catch Him. There is a
lesson here for us. We cannot reach Him through our eforts.
He must make it possible for us to reach Him, said Kidambi
Narayanan in a discourse.
Vedanta Desika, in his Gopala Vimsati, said that tasty
butter wanted to be stolen by Krishna. If we seek Him in this
spirit, He will come to us. When Krishna hid in a pot to
escape Yasoda, He granted moksha to the pot too.
Pillai Perumal Iyengar marvels at this episode. Did the pot
have a mind to think of Him? Did it have legs to go to the
temple? Did it have hands to serve Him? But He had given it
moksha.
How lucky was that pot! Vedanta Desika, in his
Yadavabhyudaya, says that the grind stone to which Yasoda
tied Him up was lucky to have been touched by Him.
When Yasoda caught Krishna, He cried! The Supreme
One pretended to be afraid of Yasoda to keep her happy. He
gave her the impression that she was in charge and in control
of the situation. Even the Vedas cannot comprehend His
greatness.
He lifted the Govardana hill so easily. How can a mere
mortal catch Him? The answer is that Yasoda did not catch
Him. He allowed her to catch Him. Yasoda knew nothing
about the Sastras.
But she had bhakti and this drew the Lord to her. Bhakti is
the only thing that can bring Him towards us. Parasara
Bhatta said that if one were looking for Krishna, one would
find Him tied to the garments of the Gopikas, because of
their bhakti.

A mind game and a

puzzle that you solve
with reasoning and
logic. Fill in the grid with
digits in such a manner
that every row, every
column and every 3x3
box accommodates the
digits 1 to 9, without
repeating any. The
solution to yesterdays
puzzle is at left.
ND-ND

THE HINDU THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

SFI to rope in foreign

coaches for Mission 2020

Ajay Jayaram, Sai

Praneeth advance
SEOUL: Ajay Jayaram and B. Sai

Praneeth advanced to the

mens singles second round of
the Korea Open in what turned
out to be a mixed day for India
at the $600,000 Super Series
badminton tournament here
on Wednesday. Howver, K.
Srikanth, P. Kashyap, H.S.
Prannoy and Tanvi Lad fought
hard before bowing out.
Jayaram celebrated his
birthday with a 23-21, 21-18 win
over Koreas Jeon Hyeok Jin in
a 45-minute battle, while Praneeth edged out Chinese
Taipeis Hsu Jen-hao 21-13, 1221, 21-15.
The results: Mens singles: Ajay
Jayaram bt Jeon Hyeok Jin (Kor) 2321, 21-18; B. Sai Praneeth bt Hsu Jenhao (Tpe) 21-13, 12-21, 21-15; Wong
Wing Ki Vincent (HK) bt K. Srikanth
21-10, 22-24, 21-17; Tian Houwei
(Chn) bt P. Kashyap 20-22, 21-10, 2113; Wang Tzu Wei (Tpe) bt H.S. Prannoy 21-23, 21-17, 21-15.
Womens singles: Anna Thea
Madsen (Den) bt Tanvi Lad 21-18, 1321, 21-19. PTI

Amee Kamani
upsets Ng On Yee
AL-FUJAIRAH (UAE): Indias Amee

Kamani upset World champion Ng On Yee of Hong Kong

4-2 to top Group B in the
womens 6-red event of the
ACBS Asian billiards sports
championship held at Al-Fujairah, UAE.
In another fixture, Aranxta
Sanchis got past Vidya Pillai
4-2 to top Group A. Sports
Bureau

Indian boys
trail Hungary
NEW DELHI: The Indian boys

team trailed host Hungary 0-2

in the second league match in
group-A in the Junior Davis
Cup under-16 tennis tournament in Bucharest on
Wednesday.
The results (league): Boys:
Hungary leads India 2-0 (Mate Voros
bt Siddhant Banthia 6-2, 6-1; Daniel
Khin bt Adil Kalyanpur 6-4, 6-4). India
bt Chile 3-0 (Siddhant Banthia bt
Alan Sanson 4-6, 6-2, 6-4; Adil
Kalyanpur bt Ignacio Becerra 6-7(2),
7-6(6), 6-0; Adil Kalyanpur & Megh
Patel bt Garizon Abarzua & Ignacio
Becerra 6-4, 6-4).
Girls: Canada leads India 2-0 (Isabelle Boulais bt Shivani Amineni 7-6
(8), 6-1; Bianca Vanessa Andreescu
bt Mahak Jain 6-1, 6-1).

| 19

SPORT

NOIDA/DELHI

Y.B. SARANGI
RANCHI: Realising the import-

REIGNING SUPREME: The Karnataka team which won the overall team title in the Glenmark
senior National aquatics championship in Ranchi on Wednesday. PHOTO: MANOB CHOWDHURY

ance of adopting a focused and

systematic approach to raise
the countrys overall standard,
the Swimming Federation of
India (SFI) has set a target of
preparing the promising
swimmers for the 2020 Tokyo
Olympics.
The SFI has sent a list of
foreign coaches to the Sports
Ministry for its approval and
hopes to hire their services
from early next year to groom
the youngsters. We have
began our preparations for the
2020 Olympics. We are plan-

ning to have foreign coaches

and will select four-five swimmers who can be trained for
the 2020 Games, SFI
secretary Kamlesh Nanavati
told The Hindu at the National
aquatics championship here.
One top foreign coach will
train only the core group,
while others will train the next
line of swimmers.
We have given names of
three-four coaches to the Government and they have to approve the names as they will
be paying the foreign coaches.
The Glenmark Foundation
will also help the SFI in this
regard.

Madhu, Maana emerge Flamboyance well tuned

the best swimmers
RACING

AQUATICS / Karnataka retains overall team title

Y.B. SARANGI
RANCHI: Madhu P.S. and Maana

Patel
smashed
National
records in style to emerge as
the best swimmers in the
mens and womens sections
respectively on the concluding day of the Glenmark National aquatics championship
at the V.B.B. Stadium here on
Wednesday.
In the 50m backstroke heats
in the morning session, Maana
registered 29.89 to improve
upon her old record of 30.25
set last year in Rajkot. This
was also the best Indian timing
as Maana bettered her own
time of 30.03 recorded in the
junior National championship
in Pune in 2015.
The 17-year-old Gujarat
swimmer did a 30.03 in the final in the evening session to
take the 50m backstroke
crown.
Maanas showing on the final day helped her retain her
best swimmer title for the
fourth consecutive year.
Another record
Services swimmer Madhu,
who had broken the 100m
backstroke record on the
opening day of the meet,

created another new record in

50m backstroke. He clocked
26.73 to surpass his own record and the best Indian timing
of 27.02 made in 2014.
The 25-year-old gave a
spirited efort to maintain a
slight edge over his rivals before touching the wall in the
most keenly fought race of the
championship in which the
top six swimmers registered
sub-28 times.
Arvind Mani bagged the silver with 27.30, while Vedant
Seth and Rohit Imoliya
clocked an identical 27.33 to
claim bronze medals.
Aditi Dhumatkar upset
Olympian Shiwani Kataria to
take the womens 100m freestyle title.
Karnataka retained its overall team championship title
with 246 points. Railways
topped the overall medals. It
secured 23 medals, including
16 gold, followed by Maharashtra, which also picked an
identical number of medals including eight gold medals.
The results: Swimming: 100m
freestyle: Men: 1. Aaron DSouza
(RSPB) 51.65, 2. Anshul Kothari (Guj)
51.94, 3. Sahil Chopra (Pun) 52.56.
Women: 1. Aditi Dhumatkar (Mah)
59.14, 2. Shiwani Kataria (Har) 59.50,

3. Rayna Seldanha (Mah) 59.91;

800m: 1. Shruthi Mahalingam (TN)
9:40.63, 2. H.M. Preksha (Kar)
9:42.12, 3. Monique Gandhi (Mah)
9:44.14.
50m backstroke: Men: 1. Madhu
P.S. (SSCB) 26.73 (NR, previous
27.02, Madhu P.S., SSCB, 2014), 2.
Arvind Mani (Kar) 27.30, 3. Vedant
Seth (Har) and Rohit Imoliya (SSCB)
27.33; Women: 1. Maana Patel (Guj)
30.03 (29.89 NR in heats, previous
30.25, Maana Patel, Gujarat, 2015) 2.
Jyotsna Pansare (Mah) 30.91, 3. Avantika Chavan (Mah) 31.63.
100m breaststroke: Men: 1.
Sandeep Sejwal (RSPB) 1:02.12, 2.
S.P. Likith (Kar) 1:04.15, 3.
Jashandeep Singh (Pun) 1:04.64;
Women: 1. Chahat Arora (Chd)
1:16.39, 2. Saloni Dalal (Kar) 1:16.54,
3. Harshitha Jayaram (Kar) 1:17.61.
Mixed 4x50m freestyle: 1. Maharashtra 1:42.91, 2. Karnataka
1:44.20, 3. Gujarat 1:44.33.
Best Swimmer: Men: P.S.
Madhu (SSCB) 19 points; Women:
Maana Patel (Gujarat) 25 points.
Team championship: Swimming: Men: RSPB 175 points;
Women: Maharashtra 148 points;
Overall: Karnataka 246 points.
Diving: Men: SSCB 33 points;
Women: RSPB 27 points.
Waterpolo: Men: 1. RSPB, 2.
SSCB, 3. All India Police; Women: 1.
Kerala, 2. Maharashtra, 3. Bengal.

MYSORE: Flamboyance, who has

been well tuned, is expected to
score in the Chief Ministers
Trophy (1,800m), the feature event
of the races to be held here on
Thursday. False rails (width about
5m from 1,600m to the winning
post) will be in position. Jockeys for
Cool Baby and Fair Game (9th race)
will be declared later.

Glory (4) Jagadeesh 61, 7. Power

And Strength (10) Raja Rao 61, 8.
Ignition (5) Rayan Ahmed 60.5, 9.
Galino (12) A. Imran Khan 59.5, 10.
Just Fabulous (9) Antony Raj 59.5,
11. Sea Of Stars (7) Ramesh Kumar
59.5 and 12. Jeyems Spirit (1) Arshad Alam 58.
1. Galino, 2. Just Fabulous, 3.
Fire Rainbow

1 BHARACHUKKI
PLATE
(Div. II), (1,400m), rated 00 to 25,
1-30 pm: 1. Claire (3) Kiran Naidu
60.5, 2. Active Grey (9) Rajesh Kumar 58.5, 3. Emancipation (12) M.
Naveen 58.5, 4. Oye Como Va (7)
Rayan Ahmed 58, 5. Miss Wonder
(2) Arshad Alam 57.5, 6. Raziel (6)
P. Ramesh 57, 7. Beautiful Revenge
(8) M. Bhaskar 56, 8. Tic Tac Toe
(5) Ashok Kumar 55.5, 9. Precious
Script (1) M. Prabhakaran 55, 10.
Dontworrymonday (11) Kiran Rai
53.5, 11. Sea Dove (10) Jagadeesh
52.5 and 12. Thalassa (4) A. Ramu
52.5.
1. Claire, 2. Miss Wonder, 3.
Thalassa

4 KARAPUR
PLATE
(1,600m), rated 20 to 45, 3-00: 1.
Counter Point (5) Shobhan 62.5, 2.
Graceland (4) Gautam Raj 62, 3.
Amber Crown (6) P.S. Chouhan
61, 4. Bazinga (1) R. Ravi 59, 5.
Above The Rest (11) Adarsh 58, 6.
Internal Afair (2) Arshad Alam
54, 7. Ocean Park (10) Jagadeesh
54, 8. Pull The Plug (8) A. Imran
Khan 52.5, 9. Silver Wood (3) A.
Ramu 53.5, 10. Eudora (9) Ajeet
Kumar 53, 11. Intrepid Warrior (12)
Suraj Narredu 53 and 12. Giralda
(7) Nitin Singh 51.
1. Intrepid Warrior, 2. Amber
Cown, 3. Ocean Park

2 BELUR PLATE (1,400m),

rated 20 to 45, 2-00: 1. Drops Of
Jupiter (12) Srinath 60.5, 2. Generous Gesture (4) Santosh Kumar 56,
3. Green Meadow (8) Arshad Alam
55.5, 4. Robinhood Pandey (5) J.
Paswan 55.5, 5. Sky Jasmine (2)
Kiran Rai 55, 6. Countrys Fortune
(9) Nitin Singh 54, 7. King Of The
Turf (3) Irvan Singh 53.5, 8. Waterfall (11) K.G. Steyn 53.5, 9. Pepper
King (7) S.G. Prasad 53, 10. Saluting
Centurion (1) P.P. Dhebe 52.5 11.
Star Binder (6) L. Prashant 52.5
and 12. Classic Jewel (10) S. Manohar 52.
1. Drops Of Jupiter, 2. Waterfall, 3. Sky Jasmine
3 BHARACHUKKI
PLATE
(Div. I), (1,400m), rated 00 to 25,
2-30: 1. Fire Rainbow (2) Rajesh
Babu 62.5, 2. Safron Intense (6)
Rajesh Kumar 62.5, 3. Sponge Bob
(11) Selvaraj 62, 4. A Crown (8)
Mallikarjun 61.5, 5. Winsomeness
(3) Sahanawaz 61.5, 6. Mountain

5 DUPONT PLATE (Div. II),

(1,200m), rated 40 to 65, 5-y-o &
over, 3-30: 1. Dream Star (5)
Praveen Shinde 60, 2. Red Red
Rose (12) L. Prashant 56, 3. Capitalize (10) S. John 55.5, 4. Fourth
Dimension (11) Srinath 55.5, 5. I
Smile (6) Janardhan P 54.5, 6.
Tempest (7) S. Waseemuddin
54.5, 7. Blues Legend (1) Arshad
Alam 53.5, 8. Colour Of Gold (3) A.
Ramu 53.5, 9. Markus Sittikus (4)
Rajesh Kumar 53.5, 10. Jersey
Bride (8) Kiran Rai 51.5, 11.
Praelector (2) Jagadeesh 51.5 and
12. Queen (9) Adarsh 50.5.
1. Blues Legend, 2. Fourth Dimension, 3. Capitalize
6 CHETTINAD
STUD
TROPHY (1,400m), rated 60 &
above, 4-00: 1. Oceanic Storm (2)
Madhu Babu 60, 2. Bonfire (1) S.
John 58.5, 3. Inquisition (3) Irvan
Singh 57, 4. Summer Dawn (10)
P.P. Dhebe 57, 5. Speartooth (9)
Srinath 56, 6. Triumph (5) Vinod
Shinde 56, 7. Bandito (7) Rajesh

CRICKET

FORMULA ONE

Pakistan sweeps series

Hamilton vows to give everything in title fightback

KUALA LUMPUR: Lewis Hamilton

CELEBRATION TIME: Pakistans Imad Wasim (left) gets rid of

Johnson Charles. PHOTO: AFP
ABU DHABI: Pakistan produced
another dominating performance to beat World
champion West Indies by
eight wickets in the third and
final Twenty20 International, achieving its firstever clean sweep in the UAE
on Tuesday.
Left-arm spinner Imad
Wasim chipped in with three
for 21 nine wickets in the
series as West Indies
crawled to 103 for five in 20
overs after Pakistan once
again caught it napping by
putting it in on a slow and
low Sheikh Zayed Stadium
pitch.
Pakistan then wiped of
the target with Shoaib Malik,
who made 43 not out, hitting
the winning six of the first
ball of the 15th over.
Marlon Samuels scored 42
not out while Kieron Pollard
made an unbeaten 16.
Pakistan won the first two
matches by nine wickets and
16 runs respectively.
The low target West Indies fourth lowest total in

According to Nanavati, the

SFI is keen on opening regional centres to provide platforms to budding talent. We
are planning to spread out so
that swimmers do not have to
travel from one corner of the
country to another.
The centre (S.P. Mukherjee
swimming pool) in Delhi has
already started functioning
and we are looking at the possibility of setting up centres in
East, perhaps at the South
Asian Games venue in Assam,
South (may be one in Tamil
Nadu) and in Ahmedabad or
Gandhinagar in West.
One of the expert coaches

said he will give everything at

this weekends Malaysian
Grand Prix as he looks to
bounce back in the Formula
One championship after losing his lead to Nico Rosberg.
The triple World champion
lies eight points behind his
Mercedes teammate after the
increasingly impressive Rosberg powered to a hat-trick of
victories in the last three races.
The German triumphed in
Belgium, Italy and in his 200th
Grand Prix at Singapore 10
days ago where Hamilton,
who finished third, was hit by
mechanical problems.

With six Grands Prix left,

Hamilton knows time is running out in a rollercoaster, 21race season that has seen the
Englishman trail by as many as
43 points at one stage and lead
by 19 just three races ago.
Singapore was a diicult
weekend for me, so to come
away with a podium in the circumstances was pretty good
damage limitation, Hamilton
said this week.
I have no idea if the momentum will swing back to me
or when it might. I just have to
keep giving it my all and hope
for the best, said Hamilton,
World champion in 2008, 2014

and 2015. Its going to take

some good results to get back
in front and stay there but
Ive had plenty of those in the
past, so theres no reason to
think they wont come back to
me again, said Hamilton.
Sepang is my first shot at it.
Its a track I usually go pretty
well at.
Rosberg cautions
Mercedes can seal the constructors championship in
Malaysia with a one-two
finish, but Rosberg sounded a
note of caution about their
rivals.
Red Bull and Ferrari are

both pushing us really hard, so

there will be some tough
weekends ahead, said the
championship leader, who
came third at Sepang in 2015
behind winner Sebastian
Vettel and Hamilton.
Malaysia didnt work out
perfectly for us last year, so if
we can win it this time against
such tough opposition that
would be really awesome.
Red Bulls Daniel Ricciardo
pushed Rosberg all the way in
a thrilling climax to the Singapore Grand Prix, closing a 30second deficit to less than halfa-second at the chequered
flag. But the Australian admit-

from Japan recently visited

diferent centres, checked
various facilities and shared
his ideas as to how things can
be improved. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) Director
General, Injeti Srinivas, is interested to improve the standard of our swimmers and we
have his support.
Nanavati said the SFI would
back talented youngsters to do
well in the next Asian Games.
Of late we have been getting
medals from the Asian Games
and will prepare our swimmers to get two-three medals
from the Asian Games in two
years time, he said.

Max Walker
is no more

Kumar 55, 8. German Guide (4)

P.S. Chouhan 53.5, 9. Suicient
Proof (6) Arshad Alam 53.5 and 10.
Amazing Connection (8) K.
Raghu 53.
1. German Guide, 2. Bonfire, 3.
Inquisition
7 CHIEF
MINISTERS
TROPHY (1,800m), rated 80 &
above, 4-30: 1. Class Is Class (4)
Arshad Alam 60, 2. Flash Drive (1)
P.P. Dhebe 60, 3. New World (2)
Srinath 59, 4. Sea Lord (3) R. Marshall 57, 5. Daylight (6) K.G. Steyn
54.5 and 6. Flamboyance (5) P.S.
Chouhan 53.5.
1. Flamboyance, 2. Flash Drive
8 MANDYA PLATE (1,200m),
rated 20 to 45, 4-y-o & over, 5-00: 1.
Reach The Stars (5) J. Paswan 62.5,
2. Run To Win (9) Darshan 61.5, 3.
Sans Frontieres (6) M. Abhilash
61, 4. Joey (3) Gautam Raj 61, 5.
Skyfullofstars (7) M.L. Bhosle 61,
6. Pretty Hot (2) A. Agarwal 58.5, 7.
Ice Brown (4) S. John 57, 8. Young
Gallant (8) S. Waseemuddin 54.5,
9. Teri Adah (1) S.G. Prasad 54, 10.
Musical Treasure (12) N. Ganesh
53.5, 11. Ole (10) S. Manohar 53.5
and 12. Ireland (11) Kiran Rai 52.5.
1. Ice Brown, 2. Ireland, 3. Run
To Win
9 DUPONT PLATE (Div. I),
(1,200m), rated 40 to 65, 5-y-o &
over, 5-30: 1. Madame Sultana (3)
Jagadeesh 62.5, 2. Majestic Queen
(11) Ajeet Kumar 59.5, 3. Jersey
Shore (8) Srinath 59, 4. Sun Glow
(4) Suraj Narredu 59, 5. Rich Revival (9) Syed Imran 58, 6. Triumphant (5) Mark 58, 7.
Dhanyavaad (6) K. Raghu 57.5, 8.
Cool Baby (12) (-) 56.5, 9. Umarkot
(7) Md. Mushraf 56, 10. Miyarsprincess (2) Noorulla 55.5, 11.
Zagato (1) Rajesh Kumar 55.5 and
12. Fair Game (10) (-) 54.5.
1. Sun Glow, 2. Fair Game, 3.
Madame Sultana
Days best: Flamboyance
Double: Claire Sun Glow
Jkt: 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9; Tr (i): 1, 2 and 3;
(ii): 4, 5 and 6; (iii): 7, 8 and 9.

ted that Singapore was his best

chance of registering a dry victory this campaign, so he now
needs the weather gods to intervene to have a chance in
Malaysia.
The race, which often sees
rain and thunderstorms, has
been moved from its traditional early-season slot to the
middle leg of an Asian
swing, sandwiched by the
Singapore and Japan grands
prix.
Ricciardo believes the
calendar switch wont afect
his chances of a wet race,
which would benefit the Red
Bulls . AFP

Max Walker. FILE PHOTO

SYDNEY: Former Australia me-

dium-pace bowler and colourful television commentator Max Walker has died aged
68 after a long battle with skin
cancer.
Cricket Australia said
Walker played 34 Tests between 1972-73 and 1977. He
took 138 wickets at 27.47 and
played 17 One-Day Internationals. Sporting a handlebar
moustache, the Tasmanian
was a fan favourite nicknamed
Tangles for his unusual bowling action. AFP

Montfort School
wins title
NEW DELHI: Defending champion Montfort School beat Bal
Bharati School 48-30 in the final of the mini boys section in
the Hanssraj Prabhakar Memorial inter-school basketball
tournament at the Oxford
Senior Secondary School
courts,
Vikaspuri,
on
Wednesday.
Akshat Mishra of Oxford
School was adjudged the most
promising player of the tournament, while Alpaush Makker of Bal Bharati, Pitampura,
was declared the best player
in the mini boys section.
Tushar of Montfort School
emerged the highest scorer of
the tournament.
The results: Mini boys (final):
Montfort School 48 (Abbas 11) bt Bal
Bharati School, Ganga Ram Hospital
Marg, 30 (Alpaush 17).
Senior boys (league): Oxford 70
(Vaibhav Negi 15) bt Venkateshwar
22; Montfort 65 (Parth 27, Aditya 23)
bt Bal Bharati, Pitampura, 34 (Lokesh
16); St. Michaels 24 (Pranav 16) bt
Brain International 11; Blue Bells 54
(Ishan 19, Shubham 17) bt The Mann
SSchool 49 (Saurav 14). Special
Correspondent

the shortest format was

never out of Pakistans reach
as Babar Zaman (27 not out)
and Malik added 68 in quick
time to seal the win.
Malik hit four boundaries
and a six in his 34-ball knock
while Azam knocked one
boundary in his 24-ball
innings.
Pakistan had raced to 36 in
the sixth over before losing
both the openers Sharjeel
Khan (11) and Khalid Latif
(21) to debutant paceman
Kesrick Williams who finished with two for 15.
It was another story of
sloppy batting by the West
Indies, which just last month
piled up 245 for six against
India in a Twenty20 at Lauderhill, USA.
From 12 for no loss in the
first two overs, West Indies
lost Johnson Charles for five
and Chadwick Walton for a
first-ball duck both to
Wasim in the next over.
Wasim then had Dwayne
Bravo (11) bowled in his
fourth over. AFP .

SCOREBOARD
West Indies: J. Charles b Imad
Wasim 5, A. Fletcher run out 9, C.
Walton b Imad Wasim 0, M.
Samuels (not out) 42, D. Bravo b
Imad Wasim 11, N. Pooran c Malik b
Md. Nawaz 16, K. Pollard (not out)
16; Extras (lb-3, w-1): 4; Total (for
five wkts. in 20 overs): 103.
Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-12, 3-17,
4-31, 5-66.
Pakistan bowling: Imad
Wasim 4-1-21-3, Sohail Tanvir 4-022-0, Md. Nawaz 3-0-16-1, Md.
Amir 4-0-20-0, Shoaib Malik 2-011-0, Rumman Raees 3-0-10-0.
Pakistan: Sharjeel Khan c
CM
YK

Fletcher b Williams 11, Khalid Latif

b Williams 21, Babar Azam (not
out) 27, Shoaib Malik (not out) 43;
Extras (lb-4, w-2): 6; Total (for two
wkts. in 15.1 overs): 108.
Fall of wickets: 1-36, 2-40.
West Indies bowling: Taylor
2-0-19-0, Williams 4-0-15-2, Bravo
4-0-31-0, Narine 4-0-21-0, Brathwaite 1.1-0-18-0.
Toss: Pakistan.
Man-of-the-Match:
Imad
Wasim.
Pakistan won by eight wickets
with 4.5 overs to spare.
ND-ND

20 |

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

CM
YK

ND-ND

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Delhi
Thursday, September 29, 2016

TABLE FOR TWO

FASHION

MUSIC

PALLAVI MOHAN TELLS US

HOW SHE USES MARBLE
PRINTING ON HER OUTFITS P2

DELHI JAZZ INTERNATIONAL

FESTIVAL WAS A
MEMORABLE AFFAIR P3

Admit two

ANUJ KUMAR

I
Performance

Devi

Vocal recital by Dhananjay

Joshi from Nanded disciple
of Pandit Ramesh Kanole
and Pandit Ajay Pohankar.
Date: September 29
Time: 6.30 p.m.
Venue: C.D. Deshmukh, IIC,
Max Mueller Marg, New
Delhi

Anu Bajaj of Gallery Art

Positive presents a solo
show of paintings by
Shampa Sircar Das.
Date: On till October 30
Time: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Venue: F-213/B, Old MB
Road, Lado Sarai, New
Delhi

Forlon Foe
Bhavna Kakar presents an
exhibition of recent works
by Khadim Ali which is a
portrayal of the ridicule of
war from a neutral
perspective. From Sept. 30
to Oct. 29, Latitude 28,
Lado Sarai, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sufi Night
At Office Office popular
Sufi singer Manya Narang
will present a musical
evening of soothing
numbers.
Date: September 30
Time: 9 p.m.
Venue: Tolstoy Lane, ND

New turn
Zindagi channel launches new
shows in the wake of its decision to
stop beaming Pakistani serials
S. RAVI

What was slated to be a press

conference by Zee Zindagi to
unveil their prime time lineup and the new top line Yeh
Lamha Hi Hai became a
forum for discussing politics
and international relations.
It had to considering the
channels decision to take off
the air the Pakistani serials it
beams following warning by
regional outfits in the wake
of the Uri incident. Interestingly, the USP of the channel
since its inception were
these very serials including
Humsafar , Zindagi Gulzar
Hai, Maat and Dastaan ,
which were widely appreciated by the Indian audience
for their realistic storyline
and finite nature making
their Indian counterpart
seem shrill and over the top.
The moment Sunil Buch,
the Chief Business Officer of
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd finished providing
an overview of the new programmes to be beamed from
October 3, the ensuing question and answer session witnessed a barrage of queries
about the channels decision
on Pakistani serials. More so
as Zee Chairman, Subhash
Chandra was present at the
conference. Denying any
controversy about the channels decision, Chandra described the move as
unfortunate but unavoidable. Love cannot be onesided. We have been trying
for past 24 years and not
once but through several attempts to bring the people of
Pakistan and India together.
And through Zindagis initiative of beaming Pakistani
serials, their artists became a
part of Indian homes. But
then repeated incidents like
Uri are very painful. That is
why we took a decision to
take Pakistani shows off the
air.
CM
YK

n popular culture, we
often talk about Sunny
Deols filmy grip but
here is a lady who has
single-handedly thrown stereotypes associated with disabled out of the window.
From a physically challenged
rider eager to break records
in car rallies to becoming the
first Indian woman to win a
medal at Paralympics, Deepa
Malik has come a long way.
It is all about putting mind
over matter, says an elated
Deepa eager to celebrate her
46th birthday with her family
this Friday. I have gone
through a rigorous training
schedule. I have not eaten
chapatti and sweets for the
last nine months.
It has been a fortnight
since Deepa snared silver
medal in shot put in F-53 category. Her brilliant performance has generated interest in
para-sports and their technical details. F-53 is the categorisation of my ability in
my discipline. To give the
para athletes a fair chance of
play, you are made to compete with athletes of equal
functionality of muscles and
body parts. As per your capability you are categorised.
There are separate categories
for visually impaired and athletes with cerebral palsy. The
wheel-chair categories are
marked from F 51 to F 58. The
most disabled come in F-51, I
am F-53, so I come under a
fairly
severe
disability
category.
With Deepa multitasking is
a way of life. She is equally
adept at javelin throw as she
is confident about shot put.
Besides she is an excellent
swimmer who can swim in
Yamuna as well. It is just that
she doesnt feel any sensation
below the chest because of
spastic paraplegia that has
confined her to a wheel chair
since 1999. To give us a fair
chance, this year the Raza
Point System was erased and
in my category there was only
shot put this time. It is a good
development because in my
category body function is so
less that there is no chance of
improvement.
Excellence in multiple disciplines, she says, gives her
more
opportunities
to
participate in international
events and confidence to cope
up with her disability. If we
put our mind to it and we are
ready to adapt, we can learn
and excel at any age. In each
of these disciplines, I have
competed at the highest level. Deepa has been part of a

YUKI ELLIAS TALKS ABOUT

HER PLAY THAT QUESTIONS
THE IDEA OF IDENTITY P4

Shot of self belief

has to be very closely

watched. After every two
hours I have to eat something. Because of lack of
stomach muscles, my digestion is very poor. It is a
huge effort to maintain a proDeepa Malik on her knack for finding a silver lining in every dark cloud
tein-oriented diet. I had to
cut down on sweets and carbecause I know I need help. bohydrates in a very massive
My way of battling lack of in- way. That was the craziest
frastructure was by creating part, she laughs. And to keep
an infrastructure of friends her motivation going she took
around me. Deepa says ask- help of Dr. P. Agarwal. So it
ing for help should not fill a was an all round effort. Winperson with inferiority com- ning a Paralympic medal is
plex because it also gives the not a joke, she underlines.
The process is expensive as
help provider a sense of satisfaction. It is about cel- well. My wheel chair costs
around Rs.3 lakhs and the
ebrating human spirit.
costs
around
Talking about her gruelling javelin
training schedule, Deepa says Rs.75,000 and one is not
when she qualified she was enough as you have to change
seventh and knew that to it after every three months.
make it to the podium she The trainer comes for a price.
would require something ex- The wheel chair accommodatra. I refined my approach. I tion is more expensive than
shifted gears from old school the regular one. I cant rent an
training to a more scientific apartment anywhere. It has
method. Instead of going to to be a proper society with a
an athletics coach, I took the dedicated parking area. The
services of a bio mechanics expenses are high and that is
coach, Vaibhav Sirohi, who why I trained myself to be a
gave me fitness training and motivational speaker and
along with it I was under a take projects in corporate
very strict diet decided by nu- houses. I found a solution
tritionist Chirag Sethi. The rather than crying over it. I
administrative requirements had to learn it all the way bewere taken care of by my long cause I was just a housewife
time friend and supporter when the tumour changed my
Prateek Gehlot. And the skill life. I turned my hobbies into
coaching was taken over by my goals.
The point is, she elabormy husband. These were my
ates, if you are serious about
four pillars.
After every training ses- your work, support does
sion, she required a long ses- come. The winner in my
sion of physiotherapy. When event was a hijab sporting
from
Bahrain.
I do any exercise, muscles, woman
which have been rendered in- Women are making a stateactive, contract and get into a ment in all walks of life.
spasm and hamper the move- Moving ahead, Deepa wants
ment of the active muscles. to instil the belief in fellow
Sometimes the session lasts athletes that if you can put
from 2 to 3 hours. The diet your mind to it, you can do it.
I want to inculcate self motivation and self esteem and
ensure that sports also become a medium of social and
financial empowerment. I
will continue to root for
better facilities and work towards turning the colour of
my medal to gold.
CELEBRATING LIFE Deepa Malik with her family in Gurgaon PHOTO: PTI
Too much focus can also
make you a boring person,
working group formed by the game, says Deepa on the India Campaign). It should
isnt it? Deepa agrees and
Government of India to for- sidelines of the shooting of not remain just a policy. It is
gives it to her husband and
mulate policies for physically the finale episode of MTVs time
to
take
action.
her fathers support in keepchallenged
sportspersons. Angels of Rock in New Delhi. Everybody needs to take an
ing her grounded. Then my
The efforts have worked as
Unlike her fellow athletes, initiative to make this coundaughters provide great motifive
participants
have Deepa broke through when try a better place for people
vation. When I was bed ridachieved their personal best society was not all that sup- with any kind of disability.
den, they learnt to look after
and we have returned with portive and infrastructure Give us a chance. Whenever I
each other, Deepa has a
the biggest medal haul. The was virtually absent. That is have been given an opportu- Women are making
knack for find a silver lining.
graph is only going up. The one thing that makes me a nity I have excelled, relates a statement in all
So what are those hands
Prime Minister invited us and role model because I have not Deepa.
made of? I lift 800 to 1,000
spoke about us in Mann Ki waited for things to change
She adds that she has never walks of life
kgs in a days practice. That is
Baat. The media has been ex- and have overcome obstacles shied away from asking help
how our training session is
tremely supportive. It seems by grit and determination. from friends. That is the
calculated, she signs off with
the nation is ready to cheer Now we have Sugamaya mantra I have followed. I
an impish smile.
for para sports like any other Bharat Abhiyaan (Accessible have asked openly for help

,,

Making the cut

Anupam Kher

When asked as to how as

an actor he views the boycott, Anupam Kher, whose
maiden
television
production Khwaabon Ki
Zamin Par about a young aspiring actor going to Mumbai
to fulfil his dreams is
scheduled on Zindagi new
offerings, said he agreed with
Chandra. There is a necessity to reciprocate love
and affection. While I believe
that art has no boundaries, it
is the moral responsibility of
Pakistani actors working in
India to publicly condemn
the Uri attack. Citing his example, he said, when 147
school children were massacred at Peshawar, he wrote
an open letter to terrorists
condemning it.
Concurring with Kher,
Chandra added that even
though the channel had
3000 hours of paid Pakistan
software, after the Uri incident they decided to discontinue the Pakistani serials.
Of the nine Pakistani actors
in Bollywood, we had called
six to request them to condemn the terrorist attack.
Nobody did that.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sushant

Singh Rajput talk about being the
subject and the player in M.S. Dhoni:
An Untold Story
that is something absolutely
new for me since I came on
In a country where sportsper- board for the promotion of
sons and actors are idolised, a the film. Dhoni said it was
marriage of cricket and tougher to answer those hycinema is bound to raise ex- pothetical questions asked by
pectations. The decision to actor Sushant Singh Rajput
release M.S. Dhoni: An Un- than facing Shane Warnes
told Story in more than 4,000 googly. He kept on asking me
screens across 60 countries, questions on the thoughts
conveys the kind of hope the which I have in any particular
makers have.
situation so that he could
In a discussion between read my mind. That was too
Captain Cool Mahendra tiresome because those quesSingh Dhoni and actor Sush- tions kept on coming. It
ant Singh Rajput with actor sometimes irritated me.
and IPL anchor Gaurav Kapoor in the city, Dhoni shared
with the media what it meant I was Dhonis fan
to be a subject of a film and for last 12 years and
Sushant reflected upon his
love for Dhoni as a fan and I tried to satisfy my
how he managed to portray curiosity by asking
the role of a real life youth questions Sushant
icon.
I am being called by differ- Singh Rajput
ent names since my childhood but these days I am
denoted as that subject on
which the film is based and
ATIF KHAN

,,

TWIN MAGIC M.S. Dhoni and Sushant Singh Rajput in New Delhi

Dhoni also shared his real

life experience from school
days when he was giving his
board examinations alongside playing professional
cricket. One day he was misinterpreted as fleeing home
and was advised by a fellow
passenger on the train not to
leave home just because his
exam did not go well . I immediately went to the washroom and changed into
cricket uniform so that no
one infers another meaning,
said Dhoni recalling the
funny incident which is also
shown in the film.
It was tougher for Sushant
to get Dhonis thought process than his mannerism and
game. I watched thousands

of hours of footage of his

press conferences, matches
and parties to learn how he
reacts to a particular situation. Apart from an actor, I
was Dhonis fan for last 12
years and I tried to satisfy my
curiosity by asking questions.
In this process Captain Cool
sometimes lost his cool
(laughs). I even injured my
left finger just like Dhoni
while practising wicket keeping. I consider it the toughest
task in cricket learning and
that also shows the extent to
which I have gone to understand him and depict him
honestly, said Sushant.
Both shared light moments
spent together where Sushant showed some of the man-

nerisms of Dhoni like how he

moves his shoulders and the
way he smiles. Dhoni asserted
that Indians are emotional
people and if a movie is based
on cricket, it will definitely
evoke
more
emotions.
Cinema is as popular as
cricket in India and the best
thing about any sports including cricket is it brings a
genuine smile to faces of people. If the movie also succeeds
in bringing that smile to audiences, it is the success of the
movie, said the ace cricketer.
According to him the journey shown in the film can be
anyones journey in which we
have to take right decisions at
right time and we have to remain honest to what we want

to do in our life. Like everyone, I had different people

around me at different stages
of my life, the movie will introduce them to each other
and to the audience.
On how he got the role,
Sushant said that it was spontaneous for him as the director did not tell him about it
before actually meeting him.
Neeraj (Pandey) sir had not
seen any of my previous films
and when I met him at his
place, he just had some informal talks and after 20
minutes he told me that I am
going to do the role. I never
asked why he chose me for
this as I was very happy and I
did not want to dilute that
pure happiness, said the Kai
Po Che actor.
He also recalled the
toughest shot in the film
when he was asked to play in a
real professional tournament
in Kharagpur where everyone
knew him only as a player.
The commentator introduced me as a Dhoni fan because of long hair when I was
facing a real fast bowler. No
one in the crowd knew that
the shooting is going on and I
attempted the famous helicopter shot in that match to
which the audience rose with
claps. That was a moment
through which I came to
know the real charm of the
sport and what it means to be
a sportsman, summed up
Sushant.
ND-ND

p2

METROPLUS

City scan

VARIETY

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Craftsmanship on clothes
Pallavi Mohan tells us how she uses art in a way to create interesting, intricate patterns on her
outfits, and her recent show in the U.S.
MADHUR TANKHA

Nostalgic
evening
Singer Kavita Murti
Deshpande enthralled
lovers of old Hindi film
songs through all time
classic hits sung by
yesteryears legendary
singers at a musical evening
organised at PHD House
recently.
She sang timeless songs of
Lata Mangeshkar, Asha
Bhosle, Shamshad Begum,
Mohammed Rafi, Kishore
Kumar, Hemant Kumar,
Geeta Dutt and Noorjehan.

n artist is hidden inside her who has

metamorphosed
from making paintings to unleashing creativity
on fabric. Her inimitable
floral motifs, meticulously
crafted patterns akin to a kaleidoscope of geometric weaving on skirts, jackets and
gowns are her hallmark. Meet
Pallavi Mohan, who specialises in creating intricate patterns on womens wear which
on closer examination look
like an artistic impression.
The look is complex yet aesthetic, a melange of craftsmanship and modern cuts,
but not an exaggerated one.
I have been a painter since
I was a five-year-old. Unfortunately, I have not held a

Mexico
reverberates
National Independence of
Mexico was celebrated in a
complete Mexican
traditional style at KidZania
Delhi NCR.
Mexicos National
Independence Day is
considered the beginning of
the Mexican War of
Independence. KidZania
Delhi NCR hosted a
ceremony at its theatre,
where The Cry of
Independence, a ritual of
the church bells ringing was
performed by Mexican
Ambassador Melba Pria.
Mexicans and regular
visitors cheered along
saying "Viva Mexico"
Ambassador also
participated in fire fighting
activity, Mexican dish
making along with kids.

Even when I
consciously avoid
making flowers I
end up creating and
using them but in a
new avatar

,,

in a way that they are relateable; as good for a New Yorker

as an Italian. What works in
India is apt also for the West
Asia. Fashion lovers can be
from any part of the globe.
This is what Not for Serious
(label) stands for. I dont
change my collection for my
show whether it is my trade
show in New York or the fashion week which comes up in
Delhi next month. Like food,
fashion
too
has
no
boundaries, says Pallavi.
Uniqueness about her outfits is that they look extremely
modern
and
extensive detailing make
them appear as a collectors
item. These clothes are such
that nobody would like to
throw them away. I make
them modern by sitting down
with my karigars in Noida
where we work on embroideries and each detailing
in a systematic way. Like no
zardozi but appliqu work,
forms of Kantha but improvised and done in a modern
way.
Presentation plays a key
role in Pallavis scheme of
things. So whether it is fluid
fabrics in intricate patterns
and layering, leather applique
work and denim detailing on
printed organza they all
BLENDING TRADITION WITH MODERNITY Taapsee Pannu wearing an outfit designed by Pallavi Mohan; a model in one of her
contribute to give outfits an
recently created garment
international look.
Pallavis fascination for 3D
brush for a long time. This who showcased a Pre- ably comes up in every collec- all in our work.
work has reached to a level
artistic streak is now reflec- Spring-2017 collection at Co- tion. Even when I consciously
So how did it feel compet- that it has become her signated on my clothes. But the terie, a trade fair, in New York avoid making flowers I end up ing against iconic brands like ture line. We will be comprocess is different here. City recently.
creating and using them but Armani? It feels good to be pleting a decade in fashion in
Rather than make sketches I
Pallavi believes there is in a new avatar. Uniqueness there at Coterie. It inspired February and right from our
work on the reverse. I work timelessness about her about my work is that I like me to do bigger things. This first collection down to our
on the embroidery, colour clothes. Each outfit is made working on dresses with my platform, where we show- last it has always been 3Dpattern and then put them in to look like a work of art. Not hands. I am not a computer cased for the third consecut- inspired. It is something in
classy old shapes. Our expert- paisley but a work of modern friendly person so what mat- ive time, reminds us that the me; it comes naturally. Even
ise lies in detailing. Silhou- art. It is not seasonal but a ters to me is aesthetics and world has shrunk. My clothes in my work on textile in uniettes
are
easy;
not treasure house which is up for placement on the garment. have make in India written all versity days there were elecomplicated. , says Pallavi, keeps. Floral motifs invari- We do not use computers at over them. But I make them ments of 3D and soft colour

Notes of a fitness coach

Ben Pulham reveals that even if you are fit, you are not
necessarily healthy
NAVEENA VIJAYAN

From Russia
with love
Russian Youth Dance
Studio "Orchid" from the
City Rostov on Don, Russia,
presented a concert at the
Russian Centre of Science
and Culture.
Organised jointly with the
Indo-Russian Chamber of
Commerce and Industries
(Tamil Nadu), the event
was dedicated to the
upcoming BRICS Summit in
Goa (October 15-16, 2016).
The performance by artists
donned in magnificent
costumes
The gathering comprised
members of diplomatic
corps, Russian compatriots,
social activists and artists.

variations. It is in my DNA.
Shedding light on the
methodology, Pallavi says:
We adopt multiple processes
like create wiring to create
petal and make them look like
3D. We do hand pleating and
laser cut. This time round,
she used laser cut technique
on silk organza to give a
feminine twist to her collection.
Each time I showcase my
work is well received. But I
have to make something new.
Marble printing was used
in a way that it made the
whole craftsmanship come
alive on the fabric. It was
done right on top of the garment. It entailed dropping
ink in a basket and then putting paper and swirling.
Initially, we started with
marbling and kept building
on it. Marble printing is a
cumbersome process. Not
many people specialising in
dying in the NCR. It is whole
experimentation but to nail it
right is a challenge. In digital
printing I first scan, then take
a print out. But I did not do
this; instead I used this technique of my school going days
on fabric.
Inspiration comes from
not just from India but everywhere. I travel intensively;
it could be something which
catches my attention while
travelling. It could be from a
toy in my house to a flower
growing in my garden. Mostly
my clothes have floral motifs;
they crop up even when I consciously try avoiding them for
a season!
However, her overall work
is still subdued. I dont want
to use bling and shine to get
noticed. My work is clean, not
over the top. It is luxurious
clothing, but wearable.

professional athlete before

health took a toll on his caIt is that time of the year, reer. He had to shift gears and
when runners are gearing up opt for the next closest thing
for the Wipro Chennai Mara- to sports. He shares with
thon 2016. The event, which Metroplus how he decided to
is expected to see a par- become a coach and exclusticipation of over 20,000 peo- ively work with people who
ple this year, includes a good are not professional athletes
mix of both first-time and people who want to imseasoned runners many of prove. His online training
whom had gathered at a talk programme, he says, provides
session by fitness coach Ben a structure and framework
Pulham, recently.
for those who want to get into
After years of researching sports, and build a system, a
that includes talking to doc- network, where they can ask
tors,
nutritionists,
and questions and get them
coaches, Ben concluded that answered.
most runners usually train
Excerpts:
the
wrong
way
for
What are some of the
marathons. They do not max- common myths when it
imise on their fitness. At the comes to fitness?
session, organised by ChenA lot of people think they
nai Runners, Ben gave a pre- are fit if they are healthy. But,
sentation on how to tweak that is not necessarily the
ones lifestyle to get the most case. I think about the days
out of the training sessions.
when I was a professional
Ben, who today runs an on- athlete. You train so hard
line fitness training platform that your immune function is
called Coached, was a former suppressed a lot of the time.

Many athletes would push

themselves to the point
where they train and are fit,
but not healthy. Since I was a
professional athlete, I know
that you need to find that balance improve fitness, but
also make sure that you are
not compromising on your
health. At the end of the day,
you have other commitments
in life and I suggest that you
concentrate on your health
first
and
performance
second.
What is your company
coached into?
There are two sides to what
we do. We have an online
training programme for running and triathlon events and
the second is the coach lab. It
is a physical premise in
Singapore, where you do tests
on athletes and produce
graphs based on the results,
which are in turn analysed.
We put together algorithms
which take into consideration how much time peo-

BALANCING NUTRITION WITH FITNESS is important

PHOTO: R. RAVINDRAN

ple can put into training,

what are their goals, how
much training they have had
in the past.

But I am more excited

about the online programme
where I can work with people
in Chennai, New Zealand,

Australia or other places. If

you have questions, put them
in the forum. It will be
answered in a few hours. Its a
paid site, but it provides a
high level of personal service.
Whats your personal
routine?
I work out three times a
week. My diet includes bacon
and eggs or scrambled eggs
with salmon or avocado for
breakfast and salad for lunch.
Its important to include
healthy fat, such as from olive
oil and nuts, into your diet.
Fat gives you twice as much
energy as sugar. I didnt know
you could change your fat
metabolism until I started
reading about it. It is lifestyle
driven.
What is a good training
practice?
You should only train so
much that you can recover
from. When you train, it
breaks you down.
The benefit comes when
you give it time to recover.
People dont understand that.
Even personal or financial
stress can impact your
training.

Irrfan backs
Inferno
Ron Howards Hollywood
film, Inferno , is gearing up for
its release in India on October
14, two weeks ahead of its U.S.
release, and Irrfan Khan, who
plays Harry Sims, The Provost, has finished dubbing for
the Hindi version last week!
The actor admits that
sometimes, details are lost in
translation during dubbing.
Since one has already played
the role in front of the
camera, dubbing is both easy
and tricky, as one has to
recreate the same intensity
that the audience will see on
screen. The good thing here
was that the Hindi script was
really strong to ensure that
the meaning wasnt lost in
translation, he says.

Wellness

For a healthy heart

JAISHREE
BHATTACHARJEE

Environment
check
Environment Management
Alumni Association of
Forest Research Institute
Deemed University,
Dehradun organised its
First General Meet of
Environment Management
in Delhi to form a strong
network of environmental
professionals.
The objective of the alumni
meet was to convene a high
profile gathering of
environmental
professionals, scientists,
policy makers working with
national/international
organizations, in solid
waste management, water
and sanitation, renewable
energy and energy
efficiency sector.
CM
YK

eart is the seat of Prana

i.e. the life force.
Oxygen-rich blood and
nutrients are distributed
throughout the body from
heart to other parts to
sustain physiological
activities.
People with different
body types or prakriti are
usually prone to different
kind of heart diseases with
specific symptoms. Lets
understand it further.
Prakriti is the term used in
Ayurveda for the physical
and mental constitution of
an individual.
Vata prakriti (Air
element)
In Vata prakriti people
tend to get heart diseases
which are characterized by
pain or change in the normal
rhythm of heart. They are
prone to heart diseases like
weakness of artery muscle,

heart attack, abnormal heart

beat, hypertensive. Major
cause of heart disease in
Vata constitution people is
due to overwork, strain,
anxiety, lack of sleep and
high stress.
Dietary Facts:
Avoid excessive intake of
food which is dry in nature
(like excessive intake of junk
food or refined flour), as it
aggravates Vata.
Avoid skipping meals and
excessive physical activity as
it may toss your Vata out of
control.
Include spices such as
fennel, fenugreek, mustard,
cumin and cinnamon in
your diet.
Herbs: Include garlic in
your meals to avoid
aggravation of Vata. Take
Ashwagandha Powder with
milk every day to combat
stress and anxiety.
Pitta prakriti (Fire
element)
In Pitta prakriti people

HOLISTIC APPROACH Pranayam is recommended for controlling anger

tend to get heart diseases

characterized by swelling of
the heart muscle. They are
prone to heart diseases in
which the heart muscles
besides swelling also may
have inflammation. Pitta
heart conditions are usually
associated with liver
disorders or internal heat
accumulation.
Dietary Facts:

Avoid excessive intake of

spicy and fried food as it
may trigger the
inflammation in heart.
Avoid excessive intake of
food tasting sour and salty
such as pickles and papad, as
these tastes aggravate Pitta
dosha.
Replace excessively
heating and stimulating food
such as tea, coffee and

alcohol with lemon water

and green tea.
Include spices such as
cumin, coriander, turmeric
and fennel in your diet .
Herbs: Take Arjun bark
decoction with milk every
day. Take two teaspoon Aloe
vera Juice + and two
teaspoon water early
morning
Emotional Wellness

For anger management,

do Pranayam (AnilomVilom )
Kapha prakriti (Water
element)
In Kapha prakriti people
tend to get heart diseases
which are characterized by
deposits of calcium and
lipids. Agggravated kapha
may also get accumulated in
the degenerated blood
vessels resulting in
thickening and blockage of
blood vessels. They are
prone to heart diseases like
Ischemic heart disease
which is characterized by
reduced blood supply to the
heart muscle. Diseases like
coronary artery disease and
ischemic heart disease are
observed in people with
kapha prakriti.
Dietary Facts: People
suffering from Kapha
prakriti should avoid heavy
and oily food to maintain
their heart health. Indulge
in light exercise like 20-25

minutes regular walk. As

Kapha energy tends to be
cool, moist, stable and heavy
so you need to choose foods
which are warm, dry and
light in nature. Include
spices such as black pepper,
dry ginger powder (sonth),
cinnamon in your diet.
Herbs: Take Arjun bark
powder 3 grams with twice
in a day. Take Trikatu
Powder 3 grams with warm
watter after meals.

(the writer is Senior

Ayurvedic Doctor, Dr
Shikhas NutriHealth)

ND-ND

p3

METROPLUS

Shelf life

SPECTRUM

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU

Thursday, September 29, 2016

A jazzy cascade

Making waves

The 6th Delhi Jazz International Festival saw some electrifying

performances

Delhi boy Prateek Kuhad believes that lyrics should be

meaningful and honest

RANEE KUMAR

TANYA GAUTAM

T
Pound Of Flesh
Written by Mukul Deva the
story revolves around about
how retired Inspector
General of Police Ravinder
Singh Gill tracks down and
recovers the missing girl,
Pamela Stewart, a beautiful
young American and his
daughter Jasmines college
mate and friend, who after
landing at Delhi airport
vanishes without a trace.
Published by Westland it is
priced at Rs.350.

The Liberation
Of Sita
Written by Volga (Popuri
Lalitha Kumari) and
translated from Telugu by
T. Vijay Kumar and C.
Vijayasree, it is about Sita
whjo after being abandoned
by Purushottam Rama,
embarks on an ardous
journey to self-realisation.
Along, the way, she meets
extraordinary women who
have broken free from all
that held them back. Priced
at Rs.199 it is published by
Harper Perennial.

he stage was afire

with bands of jazz
artistes across the
globe belting out
their best numbers as city
music aficionados swayed to
the eclectic, heady mix of native and foreign tunes. The
Delhi Jazz International
Festival never fails to enthuse
the participating artistes as
well as the audience. The
sixth edition was no different.
Breaking down all barriers,
the three-member Israeli
team Matan Chapnzky, Omri
and Liad from Tel Avivs Rimon School of Jazz and
Contemporary Music gave a
riveting performance. The
venue vibrated with amazing
music on the guitar and
drums and the viewers just
lapped up the melodies. I returned to my country four
years ago after spending
nearly seven years in New
York studying and working
(playing music to sustain myself). I wanted to start my
own group and Beats & Pieces was born a year ago. So
unlike the mistaken notion
about music in a strife-ridden
country like ours, there are
many great musicians in our
community
and
the
community is very supportive of us, said a visibly happy
and proud Matan.
Crooning Spanish numbers
with a mix of English to reach
out to a global viewer, the
lithe Carmen Paris with her
dulcet tones made it an allwoman ensemble, Ejazz with
Jota. A bundle of talent from
the age of 13, Carmen had
many a record to her credit
not to talk of the National
Award for Contemporary
Music (Spain). "Ive come a
really long way on stage.
Today, Ive just turned 50,"
she winked mischievously,
leaving one dazed. Her pencil-thin figure, charming eyes
and Soprano tones rich in its
timbre belie her age! "Age is
no bar to a musician. Im popular in Madrid because Im
one of the few who composes
my own lyric in Spanish and
spice it up with a sprinkle of
English to evoke response in a
foreign land. My fusion of
Jota
(music-cum-dance
genre of Aragon-Spain) with
Flamenco (musical genre in
another part of Spain) and a

SCINTILLATING Matan Chapnzky of Tel Avivs Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music

bit of Jazz made me one of the

few popular musicians from
my country. I wanted to have
an international presence
and thats why Im here," she
quipped as she got on to the
stage.
The Olega Lundstream
group, State Jazz Music
Chamber Orchestra, from
Russia is perhaps the oldest
band that was originally founded in China in 1934 and later
gained momentum in Russia.
The ensemble has hit the
Guinness Book of World
Records as the longest playing band and has performed
at the UN General Assembly
just last year. Introducing
conductors Boris Frunkin
and Marie Karne, Nana.M.
Mgeladre, Culture Counsellor of Russian Embassy here,
said, "The band last visited
and performed in the Capital
in 2008. Prior to that, the
troupe created a history of
sorts in the late 90s by performing in Santa Barbara in

the US and earning the sobriquet that finally Russia came

to the US through American
Jazz." He announced that the
band will tour all the major
cities in India beginning October 26 at the Siri Fort auditorium as a part of the
Festival of Russian Culture in
India under the joint aegis of
ICCR and Russian cultural
wing. The performers, who
speak only Russian, nodded
in acquiescence.

The Delhi Jazz

International Festival
never fails to
enthuse the
participating artistes
as well as the
audience

Among others like the Poland Lichtanski jazz group,

the US-based Donal Harrison
and Barklee all stars band and
a Slovenia IGOR jazz group,
there were three Indian
teams one each from Goa,
Shillong and Delhi. To the
city-based Mrigya band led by
Sharat Chandra Srivastav, it
was a fairy tale success story
that had catapulted them to
global arena and recognition.
"Way back in 1999, a few musically-aligned friends got together and did a jamming
session on contract; it turned
out to be an instant success.
We saw invites for performances coming our way and it
was a meteoric rise. We have
collaborated with many international bands across all
continents. Every stage show
is like a project going on
stream for us. We are a passionate lot," signed off
Srivastav as his band got on to
the huge open air stage at
Nehru Park.

Prateek Kuhad, the Delhibased singer-songwriter, is

making waves in the world
of music after becoming
Indias favourite indie artist in just about two years.
His debut album, In
Tokens and Charms, was
adjudged as the best Indian Indie album of 2015 by
iTunes. Calling September
as one of the most happening month this year,
Prateek says, This month
was just crazy. Brisbane,
Singapore, Mumbai, Delhi,
all of these shows have just
been amazing. I am so
pumped up for the next
gigs to come.
September saw him performing at big platforms
such as the Bigsound music festival at Brisbane,
where he was the only
Indian artist as well as at
Music
Matters,
Asias
premier independent festival, in Singapore. Prateek
played a special 90-minute
set with a bunch of new
songs in Mumbai on
September 24 and in Delhi
on September 28.
Playing in Brisbane and
Singapore was very refreshing. It was different
because of the new territory and the crowd was less
familiar with me and viceversa but that was the
interesting part and I enjoyed it very much. The
rooms were beautiful and
very positive and the audience was just so attentive
in Singapore, it was
lovely.
Elaborating on the kind
of environment he likes to
play in, Prateek says,
Every environment has
its own charm, you know.
At a club, youd be playing
for happy tipsy people and
therell be noise because
people have come to just
party and not so much for
the gig but thats fun as
well. As for concerts and
small gigs, where people
especially come to attend
the band, its the best.
Theres more attention and
understanding. Also, it is
such a rewarding environment for the artists
when the crowd cheers
between the songs. Envi-

In his prolific nineties...

The
Assassination
Complex
In this shocking expose of
the US governments drone
programme, bestelling
author Jeremy Scahill and
his colleagues at the
investigative website The
Intercept expose stunning
new details about the
secret assassination policy
being carried out by
America and her allies.
Published by Hachette India
it is priced at Rs. 399.

Raimundo
Panikkar: A
Pilgrim Across
Worlds
Edited by Kapila Vatsyayan
and Come Carpentier de
Gourdon the book presents
different articles written
about Raimundo Panikkar,
an unconventional thinker,
who infringed on many
dogmas and prejudices. His
intellectual development
between the East and the
West allowed him to reflect
on a continuing
philosophical dialogue
among different traditions
and ideologies. Priced at
Rs.495 it is published by
Niyogi Books.
CM
YK

Pran Neviles
memoir
Carefree Days:
Many Roles,
Many Lives
brings to fore
several aspects
of his personality
Come October, Pran Nevile
turns 94. Perhaps, he is the
oldest surviving writer who is
still at it! Nah, no crying halt
to writing. This summer saw
the launch of his memoir
titled Carefree Days: Many
Roles, Many Lives (Harper
Collins) which, as the very title suggests, focuses on the
several aspects about him
he is not just a former diplomat but an author anda lover
and promoter of the classical
strains as well.
I have known Pran Nevile
as a writer and with that had
to ask him the very obvious
why he took to writing at a
somewhat late stage in life?
Whilst in (Indian Foreign)
service it was difficult to
write books on music and the
arts but after retirement I
took to writing one volume
after another. This, when he
writes longhand. No computer for me. Just sheets of
paper and the good old pencil.
And with those minimum
basics he has written several
volumes Lahore: A Sentimental Journey, Love Stories
From the Raj, Nautch Girls
of India, Rare Glimpses of
the Raj, Raj Revisited, KL
Saigal: Immortal Singer and
Superstar, Marvels of Indian Painting, Behind The
Veil: Indian Women In The
Raj,
Sahibs
India:

HAPPY DAYS Pran Nevile and his wife Savitri

Vignettes From the Raj,

Stories From The Raj:
Sahibs, Memsahibs and
Others.
It is surprising that not one
book is directly linked or
inter linked to politics of the
day or even to those of yesteryears. I write on any given topic related to music and
arts and culture but not on
politics. Even when I am invited to literature festivals in
Pakistan I never comment on
politics. I tell the audience
that Ill not entertain queries
related to diplomatic relations between the two countries.
And even in his memoir he
does not dwell on hard
politics. None of the hackneyed angry outbursts or bitterness

dripping
comments. Even his chapter
on the Partition is ripe with

facts and factual turns but

nah, it isnt overripe. In fact,
tucked in that chapter is a
touching incident of how he
helped save the lives of his
Muslim neighbour in Delhi.
To quote him from this book:
By the beginning of September 1947, Delhi was flooded
with refugees from Punjab.
There was an acute shortage
of housing in Delhi. The exodus of about 2000 officers
and clerks more than balanced the influx of over 3000
from Pakistan comprising the
staff of the railways, Posts
and Telegraph department
and other central government officers who had decided to opt for India...I was
then living as a sub-tenant of
a Punjabi family in the Western Extension Area, a new
residential complex off Pusa
Road which had come up dur-

ronment matters but each

one has its own charm.
Prateeks song writing
has been appreciated by
music
enthusiasts
all
around the country as he
captures lifes complexities
in a hopeful and passionate
voice. I am constantly
writing songs. That is what
I love the most. Initially, I

It is such a
rewarding
environment for the
artists when the
crowd cheers
between the songs.
Environment matters
but each one has its
own charm

,,

was writing songs to deal

with emotions but it
gradually became a skill
and now its about harnessing it and controlling
it.
As a song writer he is
inspired by many artists
including Elliott Smith and
Bob Dylan. For me the
main focus is always on
the lyrics. It has to be
meaningful and honest.
Happy about India becoming more and more
enthusiastic about new
artists and appreciating
and promoting local artists,
Prateek
comments:
Indians and people in
general are always hungry
for entertainment and Indian artists are producing
some really insane music.
So yes, the music culture is
growing because good
artists and good music are
coming up and people are
obviously responding to it.

Dancing to the peak

ing World War IIBy the first
week of September, with the
influx of over a lakh of
refugees in Delhi, the communal situation became tenseI vividly remember how a
bulk of Muslim families were
driven out of their homes on
Ajmal Khan Road and some
other areas of Karol Bagh.
Here I would like to cite the
case of a Muslim family, our
immediate neighbours whom
we managed to protect. A
family of three, Mr. Khan, an
executive engineer, his wife
and grown up daughter were
occupying the governmentrequisitioned house. Some
anti-social elements and
groups of refugees were actively involved in attacking
Muslim houses identified by

HUMRA QURAISHI

ENJOYING MUSIC Prateek Kuhad

Whilst in service it
was difficult to
write books on
music and the arts
but after retirement
I took to writing
one volume after
another

,,

local goons. It was on the

night of 7 September that we
came to know their house
could be attacked in the
morning. We gave them shelter for the night and early in
the morning, our neighbour, a
Sikh gentleman, drove Mr
Khans car and took his
family safely to the Imperial
Hotel on Queensway. An hour
later, the house was ransacked by the goons, who rebuked us for aiding in their
escape.
The particular chapter I
loved reading is Elopement
and Civil Marriage, where
Pran Nevile writes of his love
for Savitri and his marriage to
her. Also webbed are details
of the then prevailing social
strains in our society. But he
and Savitri managed to cross
all hurdles and get married.
Not just once but twice! The
first time at the office of the
Registrar of Marriages and
the second time the traditional way. To quote, Our
marriage was solemnised on
25 January 1947 by F.H.D
Teal, the registrar of marriages, with my friends M.L.
Chopra , B. N. Sharma and
R.K. Kakar acting as witnesses. The same evening we
left for Dehradun for our honeymoon. Savitris long letter
to her father justifying her
elopement and marriage was
delivered by a messenger
after the train had steamed
off from Delhi railway stationA couple of weeks after
our return from our honeymoon, my father landed in
Delhi along with my sister-inlaw and youngest brotherHe organised a traditional
ceremonial wedding with the
priest, performing the rituals
at his friend ML Chawlas
house in Lodhi Estate on 24
February 1947. In this way I
ended up marrying the same
girl twice.

Vyshnavie Sainath says her dance

skills helped her scale the Stok
Kangri
PRABALIKA M. BORAH

When the 12-hour climb to

the peak took 20 hours, Vyshnavie Sainaths mind and
heart had begun to remember
the disapproving comments
from friends and acquaintances when she had announced her decision to trek
to the Himalayas. But she
quickly
arrested
those
thoughts and focussed on
what she had set out to
achieve reach the peak.
When she succeeded, her
heart was filled with inexplicable joy and getting a firsthand experience of the sight
from the peak. Vyshnavie
Sainath, the Hyderabadbased dancer of Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Simhanandini,
Kalari and contemporary
forms, summited the 20,850
ft-high Stok Kangri and she is
more than pleased with herself. Except for the sunburned
nose and cheeks. During the
day, it was quite hot, but at
night, the temperature fell below zero. The sun and the
clear atmosphere left me with
a sunburn. This sunburn is
special; I have earned it, she
laughs.
The five-day trek began
with Vyshnavie and her team
making two stops at a base
camp. I took an extra day to
get acclimatised to the
weather and the thin air. To
top it all, the clear weather
forecast suddenly became a
snow blizzard, and since this
was my first camp, I decided
to stay back an extra day. I
wasnt challenging anything,
nor was my attempt to do the
Himalayan Trek an attempt to
prove anything to anyone. It
was my decision to experience
that moment at the trek, and if

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
Vyshnavie Sainath

I wanted to return at any

point, I could have, says the
youngster.
When she started, her body
didnt know what it was getting into - the high altitude
and thin air made breathing
difficult. But something that
she has been doing for several
years came to her rescue.
Since I have been dancing for
years and also practising yoga,
my body hadenergy and stamina. Besides my regular dance
and yoga , I also designed a
session of two-three hours to
prepare myself, that involved
cardio, yoga and other fitness
routines. Dance also helped
me keep my mind stable and
not give in at weak moments,
she explains.
Vyshnavie says that its her
calm mind that made it all
possible. But just because I
did it, I wouldnt say it is easy.
Self-assessment is a must and
one has to prepare thoroughly
before taking up such a challenge, she suggests.
ND-ND

p4

METROPLUS

POTPOURRI

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Table for two

Food and theatre are

sensual in nature
As Elephant In the Room finds space among top dramatic pieces of the
year, actor-director Yuki Ellias talks about the play that questions
the idea of identity
S. RAVI

discussed this idea with Senh

Sapru and together we
he similarity be- created the plot and charactween the artist and ters while she wrote the diaher performance is logues. Like a good myth we
remarkable. Like touch upon many themes and
her works which are suffused that is what I think myths
with energy and enthusiasm, were created for. In this one
actor and director Yuki Ellias hour solo show in English, Eltoo exudes warmth and verve. lias gets to play eight characWhile her plays inspire the ters including that of Master
audience to think, her con- Tuck, the young boy, Makadi,
versation makes one ponder the spider and Moork, the
over the points raised by her. poacher among others.
We meet for a luncheon interWe all know the Ganapati
action at the Mist restaurant story and I am trying to find
at the Park where Ellias out another one which is
staged Elephant In The Room completely fictional based on
her latest creation at The what could happen if. It is not
Parks New Festival which to provoke but a natural story
completed 10 years this year. of identity and finding who
Ellias made her directorial you are? Elephant In The
debut last year with a sci-fi Room explores what makes
comedy, Charge about addic- Ganapati a loveable god. It is
tion to virtual reality. This my way of finding what make
year she has already made Him so lovable and my tribDying To Succeed , depicting ute to Him, says Ellias.
Shakespearean characters in
Like
her
earlier
a corporate world and production, Yatagarasu , this
Yatagarasu , a dance theatre show too is been described as
show about seven classmates something which a family can
coming of age with Elephant watch together. Happy about
In The Room being the latest. children liking her shows, ElI have been wanting to make lias, says, While Yatagarasu
Elephant In.. for the last has stories about what growthree years and the opportu- ing up in school means with
nity came when the Park which children can easily
Festival offered to back it. It identify with, I was thrilled to
is a story about a boy who has see children above eight upan elephant head and is in wards attending Elephant In
search of his missing one. The Room and those above
This journey of his brings in 14 thinking about the quesits wake the story of identity, tions it raises especially about
patriarchy and the idea of the the balance between man and
balance between God, man nature. I have been told to
and nature.
take this play to the schools
On how she hit upon the like Yatagarasu. Aware of
idea, she reveals that fond of the fact that the audience for
stories about Lord Ganapati, the English performer dirshe always wondered as to ector is very limited, Ellias
what happened to the ele- feels shows like this will help
phant whose head was be- in increasing her audience by
headed. I wondered what reaching out to children.
that myth would become if I
Meanwhile the staff, moves
made a story based on that. I in to enquire about starters

Meals that heal

GREEN THEPLAS
Fortified with millet, ragi and soya
flour, theplas make a fibre-rich and
healthy breakfast alternative.
Ingredients
For the Topping
Grated paneer: Half cup
Finely-chopped onion: 1/4 cup
Finely-chopped tomato: 1/4 cup
Finely-chopped capsicum: 1/4 cup

Salt: quarter tspn

Chilli and cumin powder: quarter
tspn each
Chopped coriander leaves: 1 tspn
Salt to taste
Oil for cooking
Other Ingredients for
Thepla
Quick cooking rolled oats flour: 1 cup
Ragi flour: 1/4 cup
Soya flour: 1/4 cup
Jowar flour: 1/4 cup
Finely-chopped spinach: 1 cup
Green chillies, finely chopped: 1-2

and beverages. Refusing both,

Ellias quickly decides to abide
by their recommendation for
king prawns in Schezwan
sauce with vegetarian fried
rice for lunch.
Growing up in Mumbai, Ellias comes from family steeped in creativity. Her mother
Bina Sarkar Ellias is the editor, designer and publisher
of International Gallerie, a
global arts and ideas journal
while her father Rafeeq Ellias
is a photographer and National Award winning documentary filmmaker. My
inclination to performing arts
was due to my parents. Both
very creative people are natural performers at home
when they tell stories and imitate other people. So I have
their genetic coding. Also my
maternal grandmother, Protima used to love theatre, acted in one Hindi film Savitri
directed by Phani Majumdar
under the screen name
Sucheta. Ellias also praises

Elephant In The
Room explores what
makes Ganapati a
loveable god

,,
Ginger, grated: half-inch
Salt to taste
Oil for cooking
Jowar flour for rolling
Method
For the topping, heat oil in a pan. Add
onion and saut till onion turns
translucent. Add tomatoes and fry. Add
turmeric, chilli, cumin powder and salt
and mix well. Add capsicum and saut
on medium flame for 2-3 minutes. Add
grated paneer, chopped coriander and
cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove
from flame and let it cool. Now,

her school and college for giving her scope and space to follow her passion for acting and
music. I participated in
numerous plays and also
learnt to play flute, says Ellias.
Discussing the role of genetics in shaping her career,
Ellias says it also made a great
foodie. Since my maternal
grandmother hailed from
Bengal I enjoy illish mach,
poshto, simple dal chawal
with fried baigan and
rosogulla and with my
paternal grandmother being a
Katchi Memon I acquired the
taste for biryani with keema
samosa, raita made of pudina
and coriander chutney. My
parents too are excellent
cooks and trained my brother
and me to cook when we were
children.
Veering back to acting, Ellias reveals that naturally inclined towards acting she
started doing lead roles in
school and college but never
thought of it as a career. At
that time nobody thought on
those lines and much less that
I would join the Paris LEcole
Internationale de Theatre
Jacques Lecoq. Then how
did she join this world
renowned training centre for
theatre? Like all the starting
points of my life have been
purely accidental this one
was too, she quips.
The piping hot prawns and
the rice are served. Taking a
bite Ellias nods in approval
while continuing her saga in
Paris. There they do not
teach you how to act and they
do not give you a script. The
whole course is about understanding the world through
its movements and nature
and how and where do we
share rhythms and energies
with everything around us

MALABIKA BISWAS

Keeping in mind the wide diversity of eating habits in India, the fifth season of
MasterChef India is seeking
to give talented chefs from
across the country an opportunity to go to the next level
and promote Indian cuisine
globally. Premiring on Star
Plus on October 1, the much
awaited competition will be
judged by veteran master
chefs Vikas Khanna, Kunal
Kapur and restaurateur Zorawar Kalra.
The new edition will see
contestants from varied professions and diverse cooking
styles who share a passion for
food. This time round, the
show will emphasise that
cooking is not a daily chore
but is all about dedication,
knowledge, patience and expertise.
Khanna, who has been the
face of the show, says: Food
has become so important in
our lives that the next rock
star of this country will not
necessarily come from Bollywood but will come from the
kitchen of India. Cooking
skills of Indians are unique
and complement their stories
and experiences. Best way to
appreciate their talent is to
showcase their adventure in
every dish and task which we
would be assigning them.
CM
YK

Describing India as a culturally

diverse
nation,
Khanna says: Imagination is
the heart of each dish. Thankfully, we have evolved
speedily as far as the culinary
art goes. Culinary panorama
in the nation has changed because of exposure to the international food market. A
few years back finding ingredients for European and
American delicacies was not
all that easy but now it is possible due to the mushrooming
of food markets catering to
cuisines of different nations.
Kids today can easily experiment with their recipes.
Expressing his views on the
scope of culinary art as a
serious career choice, Kapur
said: I think we have come a
long way from the time when
medicine and engineering
were the only few options
that people used to look up to.
This thought process was reflected in society. Cooking as

Food is the hero of

the story. Our
culinary talent has
undergone a sharp
change
- Zorawar Kalra

,,

and then use that as a palette.

It is a beautiful process, holistic making you appreciate
beauty in the world, aesthetics and the invisible dynamics
of what moves us as opposed
to the idea that I want to
move in others. That was not
all. It changed her outlook
forever. As they take in only
30 students from initial batch
of 90, it simply changed my
gears making me competitive
and giving up the laid back
attitude. Besides making me
desire and want something,
the school instilled in me the
fighting spirit not physically,
but mentally. I was encouraged to think and articulate
my ideas and convince others
about it. I still recall my argument with my French classmate on a particular concept.
Neither could I not speak
fluent French nor could he
English. So we had this
Canadian classmate who
stood
in
the
middle

combine all the ingredients for the

thepla in a bowl and knead into soft
dough using enough water. Divide the
dough into equal portions and roll out
each into a thick circle, using a little
jowar flour for rolling. Heat a non-stick
pan and cook using a little oil till it turns
golden brown on both sides. Repeat
with remaining portions. Divide
toppings and spread a portion evenly
on each thepla and serve with chutney
of your choice.
MOUSHMI KISHORE

Demystifying the art of cooking

Judges Vikas Khanna, Kunal Kapur
and Zorawar Kalra shed light on the
new season of MasterChef India
and explain why food needs to be
nutritious and tasty

DISSECTING ISSUES Yuki Ellias at Mist Restaurant in New Delhis The Park PHOTO: SANDEEP SAXENA

and sophistication of food can

be reached.
On the criteria for judging
this time, Kapur says: Participants will be judged on the
basis of their creativity, presentation, taste and their
thought process. He attributed time management as a
must for an efficient chef.
Emphasising the importance of adopting sudden innovation
in
cooking
equipments and techniques,
Kalra says: The main reason
that I decided to join the
show is due to my ability to
master new techniques like
molecular gastronomy and
never seen before gadgets.
Kalra believes that culinary
education is not mandatory
for budding chefs. It is the
passion that counts. Emphasising the need for maintaining hygiene, the restaurateur
says: Grooming in hygiene is
a compulsion for every chef.
Most of the time it has been
witnessed that people pay
less focus on hygiene. You
cannot make a business flow
without keeping hygiene in
mind. We normally talk less
about this but through this
show we are trying to cover
the importance of hygiene.
Describing Indians as spice
lovers, Kalra says they are
least bothered about nutrition. The biggest entertainer
for your body is food. It has to
STANDING IN JUDGMENT (left) Zorawar Kalra, Kunal
be nutritious first and then
Kapur and Vikas Khanna
interesting. The best chef is
a profession has never been says he will test participants one who takes care of taste,
encouraged but things are on the efficient use of modern nutrition, hygiene, innovachanging. The range of career techniques and equipments tion, presentation and burst
choices for individuals have to churn out recipes that the of flavours in the mouth,
country has never seen be- sense and fusion.
widened.
On the thought behind beKalra, a new addition to the fore. I am always in search of
series, says: Food is the hero fresh talent. Till now, the hind every dish, Kapur says:
of the story. Our culinary tal- contestants saw from a chefs I focus on why. The bigger
ent has undergone a sharp perspective but times are now question to my conscious is
change. This is the way; we changing. Now, emphasis is why. There has to be a clear
need to learn from anyone laid on presentation, tech- thought, logical progression
nique, ingredients, modern- to the dish.
and everyone we can.
Coming to the show, Kalra ity, fusion, so that the quality

translating from English to

French and vice versa.
Ellias moves on to a couple
of slices of the margherita
thin crust pizza which she
likes. Paris did not just train
Ellias for stage but also gave a
new dimension to her cooking skills. Encouraged to cook
since childhood, she took to
baking on weekends with her
brother and neighbourhood
friends. I would make cookies, cakes and pies which
turned out to be tasty. Since
my grandmothers, parents
and brother were excellent
cooks I never had to cook
other things. Missing Indian
food in Paris I turned to cooking. I called up my mother
and neighbours to learn
recipes while surfing the net.
Soon I was turning out chholas and poha for the girls in
my dormitory.
Now over the years having
honed her culinary skills, she
has mastered the art of mak-

ing delicious chocolate chip

and banana cake, pineapple
upside down cake, keema
hara masala with pav, Bengali
dish poshto, specially the
bindi poshto and the Goan
fish curry which she learnt
from her Pakistani aunt. One
dish I used to make well was
the beef stew but now I cant
as it is banned. So there is one
dish gone!
Ellias counts herself very
fortunate, when it comes to
enjoying an array of Indian
cuisines at home. Food from
all corners of the country and
world make it our dining
table. Besides the Bengali and
Katchi dishes, as a Mumbaikar, I get to taste the great
Maharastrian bhakri and fish
curry. Is she not forgetting
the citys famous street food?
Of course, not as I love the
chaat, the bhelpuri and pav
bhaji. Similarly I like Delhis
chhole kulcha and Chandni
Chowks moong dal and gajar

ka halwa and kachoris. Not

missing a chance to jest, she
adds, I am avoiding this time
round because of the raging
viral fever in the city.
On request, Ellias agrees to
have gulab jamun, one of her
favourite desserts. Even
though when travelling
abroad I love to taste the local
cuisine in order to connect
with people, understand their
culture, over a prolonged stay
I miss eating rice with simple
dal made at home with garlic,
jeera, hari mirchi and
pudina.
All set to leave after this
wonderful lunch and conversation, Ellias while walking
towards the exit tells me that
all theatre persons are great
food lovers. Both are labours
of love, passion and dedication. Food and theatre are
sensual. One needs to feel and
enjoy an excellent play and
delicacy.

Meals Ready

Do you smell the sundal yet?

Simple to make and an elegant, versatile and
nutritious snack, just perfect for the festive season
PANKAJA SRINIVASAN

Sundal, of course, says

my friend, as I wonder
what I should write about
this week. Dussehra is
around the corner and
serendipitously I have just
arranged white and black
chana, green mung, rajma,
thatta payir and peanuts
all in a row in my new
kitchen dabbas. If I add
chana dal, corn and peas to
that,
I realiseisI ahave a
The writer
sundal
day for navaratri,
Senior aDeputy
with
some
left over
if I buy
Editor
at The
Hindu
myself some mochai kottai
(lima beans) and kollu
(horse gram) too.
I wonder if there is any
particular reason why
sundal is made during the
festive period. Maybe, they
fall into the allowed-toeat category for those who
follow food restrictions.
Maybe, housewives just
found it easy to plan the
nine days in advance and
order their groceries
accordingly. Then, these
sundals are rich in
nutrition, and perhaps a
good way to shore up on
healthy food in what are
inevitably days of gluttony
and unwise eating.
That is the nicest thing
about Navaratri the
glorious uncertainty. What
prasadam is it going to be
when I visit so and sos
house for Kolu? There are
days when several kolu
mamis go one direction
and we come back home
clutching donnais of the
same sundal. Which is not
bad because the whole
family can have it for
dinner. Soon, our
apartments will have
mouthwatering aromas
wafting down the
corridors. That hint of
asafoetida, curry leaves
and green chilli
tempering... I love making
sundal as much as I like
eating it. I only dont enjoy

SERVE EM UP Nourishing and easy-to make sundals

PHOTO: S. SIVA SARAVANAN

the grating-the-coconut
bit. So, often I chop onions
and add to the simple
boiled peanut or kabuli
chana or green mung. With
a sprinkling of roasted
jeera powder and lemon
juice, it acquires a whole
new taste. Also delicious.
Remember to always save
the stock after you boil the
pulses and legumes. The
rasam you make with that
is just out-of-this-world.
Sundals are making a big
comeback. In the popular
walking areas, at least in
the city I live in, men and
women sell varieties of the
stuff out of shiny big steel
vessels. There is a hit of
ginger sometimes, or even
peanuts for crunch, or like
one guy had done, added
roasted seasame seeds.
Very edgy and
MasterChef-like, I
thought.
Whats not to love in it?
It is nutritious, makes you
feel virtuous, and you can
make a breakfast of it,
which means you dont
have to cook breakfast that
day. Raju says he cant

separate the excitement of

a visit to the Marina beach
on vacation with his dad
and eating manga-thengapatani sundal there. They
lived in Mumbai those
days, and his father told
him this was the Chennai
version of the Chowpatty
bhelpuri! This morning, as
I waited for my coffee to
brew, I shelled boiled
peanuts and popped them
into my mouth.
They were a gift from my
Mala from her farm.
Organic, fresh and bursting
with taste. What a great
sundal it would make.

The writer is a
Senior Deputy
Editor at The Hindu

ND-ND